BFAIBPMSH Chapter 94

The boy, the packaging bag, the open drawers, and cabinet doors.

When the strange scene comes into view, Li Pu glances at the clock on the wall.

It is 3:47 in the morning.

The doors and drawers of all the cabinets in the living room and kitchen are open, and the bizarre scene resembles a burglary. Li Pu has never realized that there are so many drawers and cabinets in his home, but the sight in front of him makes him wonder what Dabai is trying to do for a moment.

But soon, he notices the residue on the boy's lips.

"You..."

He has been caught.

Bai Gaoxing notices Li Pu's eyes lingering on the corner of his mouth. He hesitantly sticks out his tongue and licks it, then quickly raises his hand to wipe it away, nervously trying to explain, "I was just hungry, so I came out to find something to eat."

As if to prove he isn’t lying, his stomach rumbles loudly at the right moment.

Li Pu understands immediately. But he hasn’t bought any snacks when he went to the mall earlier that morning. What has Dabai eaten...?

He walks over, takes the bag from the boy, and checks: XX brand bird food.

It is nearly empty.

Li Pu shows a surprised expression, but before he can say anything, he hears an apologetic voice: "Sorry... I woke you up..."

The boy is wrapped tightly in his fluffy pajamas. His snow-white hair, illuminated by the light, turns light gold, slightly messy on his cheeks. His eyes, as clear as obsidian and shining softly, make him look inexplicably pitiful.

Li Pu feels an unexplainable sense of guilt.

...He feels like a bad person who mistreats his pet.

"Is it delicious?" Li Pu asks after a brief silence.

"It’s okay... I don’t like the taste," Bai Gaoxing says honestly, shaking his head.

"Why didn’t you call me?"

Bai Gaoxing blinks. "I saw you finally fall asleep..."

The rest of the words are unspoken. He can tell the man has tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, and he has felt bad about watching him. Though he doesn't fully understand why, he still hopes the man can sleep well and for longer.

Li Pu sighs softly and turns toward the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?"

"Noodles are fine!" The boy’s voice brightens with excitement.

Then, footsteps follow, and the boy comes closer. "Why don’t you have instant noodles at home?"

"I didn’t buy any."

"Can you get some next time you go to the mall?"

"Sure."

The water in the pot begins to boil. Li Pu adds the noodles, lets them cook for a while, cracks an egg into the pot, and tosses in two green leafy vegetables. The kitchen grows warmer with the aroma. The boy continues to watch from the side, getting closer and closer, his breath brushing against Li Pu’s shoulder, feeling warm.

"It will be ready soon, stay away." Li Pu thinks the boy is too hungry and turns his head absentmindedly, only to find that his face is almost touching the hot steam.

Bai Gaoxing touches his face, which has been scalded by the steam. "I want to learn how to do it, so I can make it myself next time."

Li Pu is silent for a long time and says something he hadn't expected: "Next time, you can wake me up."

Maybe things are exactly the opposite of what he thought at the beginning.

Li Pu stirs the noodles in the pot with his chopsticks, poking the egg that is almost fully cooked. A hint of thoughtfulness flickers in his eyes.

The so-called "Snail Maiden" from folk tales probably doesn’t exist... but perhaps that snail is actually him.

A bowl of hot noodles is served on the table, and the green leaves and white egg on top are particularly tempting. Bai Gaoxing can't help but inhale the aroma deeply before glancing at the man sitting across from him with nothing in front of him. "Don't you want to eat?"

"I made it for you," Li Pu says. He can guarantee that if he says he’ll eat too, he’ll probably see a sad, reluctant expression on the boy’s face the next second.

Sure enough, after Li Pu says this, the boy focuses all his attention on the bowl in front of him and stuffs a large bite of noodles into his mouth.

The boy looks especially cute while eating, his slightly puffed cheeks are endearing, reminding Li Pu of the time he gave fruit to the parrot, Dabai. The bird had almost buried its head in the fruit, and the hair on its face had gotten stained, so it had to be wiped clean afterward.

Li Pu's gaze remains fixed on the boy in front of him, but the other seems unaware. He props his chin with his hand and gradually feels sleepy, yet he still watches the boy finish eating. He sees the expected soup on the boy’s cheek and, without hesitation, pulls out a tissue to wipe it off.

After wiping, Li Pu pauses and naturally puts the tissue away.

Bai Gaoxing, who had been enjoying his meal, suddenly reacts. His fair face flushes, and his ears turn red. "I can do it myself!"

He already feels bad about waking someone up in the middle of the night, and now there is this extra benefit...

People with pale skin turn bright red so easily. Li Pu can’t help but smile helplessly as he watches the boy wipe his face with the tissue.

...

At 4:20 in the morning, the two of them return to bed.

In the faint light, Li Pu looks at the boy wrapped like a silkworm in the quilt, whispering to sleep, and slowly closes his eyes.

However, Bai Gaoxing can't sleep.

He turns sideways to look at the figure in the dark next to him, his thoughts tangled like hemp rope, but his mind is clear.

A lot of things have happened today, but what touches him most is the real world he has encountered.

It looks like... but it’s not the world he belongs to.

His friends, his studies, everything he knows doesn’t exist in this world at all. His only connection to this world is probably Li Pu, right?

This strange feeling is subtle and inconspicuous at first, but once recognized, it quickly turns into overwhelming panic.

Bai Gaoxing has to admit that after becoming human, he feels more fear and uncertainty in this world than when he was a parrot, and he faces more challenges.

If he wants to keep living here, he needs to build new relationships for himself.

He has already prepared for this. He had been alone in his original world, and even if everything restarts, it would just be a change of location.

But...

If he could turn back into a human, does that also mean he might suddenly go back one day?

Bai Gaoxing’s breathing grows heavier, his gasps of excitement breaking the silence of the bedroom, sounding almost like sobs. The person next to him moves, and a warm, large hand is placed on his head, gently rubbing it twice.

"Don't be afraid."

Bai Gaoxing calms down immediately, feeling the warmth of the familiar hand.

"If..." After a long pause, he speaks but stops abruptly.

If what? If he suddenly disappears one day? Or if Dabai, the parrot, can never turn back into a human? He can't even figure it out himself, just like how he had inexplicably ended up here, and there is no way to know what will happen in the future.

This... he still doesn’t know how to bring it up.

Reality has caught him off guard. Bai Gaoxing realizes he needs to think carefully and sort out his thoughts.

"What?" Li Pu waits patiently for a long time before asking.

"Will I always have to stay at home in the future?" Bai Gaoxing changes the subject, now prioritizing this concern. "Someone like me... others can't find out, right?"

"...I’ll figure something out." Li Pu realizes that this is a major problem. Specifically, Dabai, in human form, has no identity. Whether it is buying tickets or phone verification, he can’t do anything, no matter how big or small.

It seems like this issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible.

With that in mind, Li Pu comforts him again, "Go to sleep."

...

When he wakes up, Li Pu is still in a daze.

There is no familiar birdcall, only the soft, steady breathing beside him.

Turning his head, he sees the boy curled up in the quilt, with most of his face buried in it, very close to him.

This is the third day since Dabai became human.

Li Pu, who has almost accepted the reality, tries to get up, but finds that the boy is tightly holding onto his nightgown, through two quilts.

It seems that the boy is sleeping very restlessly.

Thinking back to when he was a parrot, Dabai sometimes slept with his legs spread out, but more often curled up in a ball. Li Pu reaches out to adjust the quilt, giving him some space to breathe.

"Dabai." He calls.

"Hmm..." the boy mutters.

Li Pu tries to take his clothes from the boy’s hand, and just as he succeeds, the doorbell suddenly rings.

Li Pu's eyebrows twitch.

Who could it be at this hour?

He stands up, adjusts his pajamas, glances at the boy, who seems to be gradually waking up, and whispers, "Don’t come out later."

"...Okay..."

Hearing the response, Li Pu walks out of the bedroom confidently and closes the door behind him.

"Good morning!"

Seeing the golden head appear at the door, Li Pu feels a sense of relief. He turns sideways to signal his childhood friend to come in. "What’s up?"

"I came to tell you some good news." Peter Wang strides in and sits down on the sofa. "The magazine shoot with Dabai ranks first in sales this quarter! It's dominating the list."

Li Pu goes to the kitchen to grab a kettle. "You came this early just to say that?"

"Why wouldn’t I? We’re childhood friends." Peter Wang gives him a knowing look. "BAP is very satisfied with the magazine's success and wants to renew the contract with Dabai for the next issue. I came to ask you about it."

Li Pu’s hand, which is about to pour water, freezes.

Peter Wang doesn’t notice that his childhood friend has suddenly tensed. He stands up and looks around. "Hey, where’s Dabai? Come out and let him play for a bit. Let’s see if he still remembers me."

As he speaks, Peter Wang walks to the wall and supports the cage. "There’s no food in here, let’s add some. You said your parrot doesn’t even sleep in its cage, can it really sleep on your bed?"

He laughs to himself and looks at Li Pu. "Okay, hurry up, where’s Dabai?"

Li Pu sets the kettle and cup down.

He looks at his childhood friend and says, "We won’t be shooting the next issue. Please help me turn them down."

This answer isn’t unexpected. Peter Wang nods. "Okay. I figured you’d refuse. I’ll let them know."

As he speaks, Peter Wang suddenly feels something is off.

He turns his head and looks around. Everything seems normal, but it’s too quiet. Peter Wang frowns. "It can’t be..."

It isn’t hard to understand why he thinks this. His childhood friend has asked him several times, "Does Dabai like to talk?" and he has always been very bold in raising parrots. Plus, during the magazine shoot, it was clear that Dabai wasn’t afraid of strangers at all. The silence now seems strange.

Peter Wang rephrases his question. "Is Dabai still alive?"

No wonder there is only half the water left and no food.

"..." Li Pu glances at him, his expression unreadable. "Of course."

"You scared me. So, where’s Dabai?" Peter Wang asks again.

"Sleeping." Li Pu replies.

"Alright, so you really did bring it into the bedroom." Peter Wang shrugs, changing the subject.

The two friends, who haven’t seen each other in a long time, chat in the living room. Peter Wang does most of the talking, but Li Pu can’t help glancing at the clock frequently.

A strange light flickers in Peter Wang’s eyes. "What’s wrong? Do you have somewhere to be?"

"No." Li Pu presses the cup tightly with his hand. He debates whether he should tell Peter Wang about Dabai. As the person who brought Dabai out of the shelter, he probably has the right to know—or maybe he already knows about Dabai becoming a human?

Considering the unscientific nature of the situation, Li Pu even entertains more bizarre ideas. He looks at Peter Wang, opens his mouth to speak, but before he can say anything, a tentative voice comes from nearby: "...Is he gone?"

Li Pu turns in surprise and sees the anxious boy standing against the wall with an inquisitive look.

Peter Wang is even more surprised. He jumps to his feet and sees the cute boy, clearly wearing a set of ill-fitting pajamas.

"F*ck!"

Peter Wang is dumbfounded.

He’s thought of many reasons why Li Pu is acting strange today, even the worst-case scenario, but the reality is...?

"Is this why you’re so weird today?" Peter Wang sneers, then his expression quickly shifts. He leans forward and grabs Li Pu by the collar, gritting his teeth and lowering his voice. "Are you out of your mind, Li Pu!? Has this kid reached adulthood yet??"

It isn’t his fault for thinking too much. The boy looks so young and cute, his age hard to pin down, and with those harmless, curious eyes... The one who made the mistake is obviously Li Pu!

The white-haired boy seems startled by Peter Wang’s actions and words, taking a few steps back. "Wait, it’s not...!"

"Don’t come over here, kid. I want to talk to him," Peter Wang points and then pulls Li Pu into the bathroom, using the air freshener as a backdrop. "I really didn’t expect this..."

His eyes betray shock, pain, and regret. "I thought you were different from other people in the entertainment industry... When you said you wanted to be an actor before, I opposed it, saying it was too messy. I believed you wouldn’t turn out like that, and then I supported you. But now you’ve done this!?"

Li Pu’s eyes widen slightly, but he remains silent.

Peter Wang is growing increasingly frustrated with Li Pu’s response—or lack thereof—and his voice rises. "It’s only been a few years, and you’ve already learned this?! How am I supposed to explain this to aunt?!"

Li Pu still doesn’t speak. Peter Wang frowns. "Say something!"

Li Pu looks at him intently. "Then I’ll tell you, but don’t be afraid."

Peter Wang raises his eyebrows. "I was afraid you wouldn’t tell me."

Li Pu replies, "That is Dabai."

"Huh?"

"It’s Dabai, the parrot. He turned into a human." This time, Li Pu raises an eyebrow, his eyes holding an amused smile.

Silence falls between them. Outside the bathroom, only the sound of knocking on the door and anxious words can be heard: "You... talk properly, don’t fight!"

"And... can you come out for a bit? I need to use the bathroom."

Author's note:[One second ago]Bai Gaoxing: He’s pretty nice...[One second later]Bai Gaoxing: Don’t fight anymore! (Shocked)

---

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Table of Contents