IBFAIBPMSH Chapter 10

When he says this, Li Pu is standing in front of the aquarium, feeding the fish. This group of fish hasn’t been fed for a few days, and the moment they see the food floating on the water, they leap up, their bright colors flashing as they splash noisily on the surface.

Li Pu holds the feed bucket and stands there silently.

Bai Gaoxing cranes his neck to observe Li Pu's reaction. There’s no fear or excitement like he expects. Instead, Li Pu shows no expression at all, as if he’s just casually said "hello" as usual.

No, maybe he’s just scared stiff. After all, this situation is beyond human imagination.

Bai Gaoxing fumbles for the right words, feeling nervous and uneasy: “Don’t be afraid. Really, I’m actually a person.”

Li Pu’s next reaction is even stranger. He sprinkles another handful of food into the aquarium, closes the lid, and then walks straight to the sofa.

Then—he pulls the TV remote control out from between the sofa cushions.

Bai Gaoxing stares at Li Pu, puzzled. Is he watching TV to calm down?

At this moment, Li Pu, standing in the middle of the living room, looks at the TV with a calm, deep gaze, pondering a question.

...Should he find a day to just get rid of the TV?

Li Pu turns on the TV, and sure enough, what’s on the screen is the drama he acted in two years ago, where he plays a cat that turns into a human. After all, Dabai’s words are his lines from that show—he hasn’t forgotten.

Case closed.

After a long silence, Bai Gaoxing assumes that Li Pu has been scared speechless. Just as he’s about to comfort him again, he sees those dark eyes turn towards him: "Very smart."

Then Li Pu extends a slender finger, pointing toward Bai Gaoxing's beak, and says, "Watch less TV from now on."

These almost doting words leave Bai Gaoxing dumbfounded.

Wait, you’re not scared of your pet turning into a human? Are you even more twisted than I thought?

Bai Gaoxing stares at Li Pu, trying to find a trace of panic on his face, but there’s nothing. He watches as Li Pu presses a few buttons on the remote, and suddenly, the sound of the TV series echoes in the room. The actor’s voice rings out: “Actually, I’m a human being."

Why does this line sound a little familiar?

Bai Gaoxing turns his head, confused, and the man on the screen turns back into a cat after saying the line.

Oh… oh…!

Are these… Li Pu’s lines!?

Bai Gaoxing looks at Li Pu in disbelief.

Li Pu looks back at him expectantly, as if silently asking, “I wonder if you can learn more phrases.”

Bai Gaoxing’s eyelid twitches. He finds it hard to comprehend Li Pu’s thought process—whose parrot can speak so fluently and perfectly, and only learn that particular sentence?

No way.

Bai Gaoxing grinds his beak. He’s already fed up with holding back his words. Normally, he’s not the quiet type, and enduring for this many days is his limit. Instead of obediently pretending to be a bird, it’s better to reveal his identity and regain his freedom to speak.

Of course, this is based on the premise that he’s already assessed Li Pu's character.

During this time, he’s more or less figured out Li Pu's personality. He’s not someone unprincipled or driven solely by profit, nor is he a troublemaker. Sharing a secret with someone like that isn’t stressful; in fact, it might even help lighten the load.

So, over the next ten minutes, the large living room fills with a series of complaints and protests, such as: “I want to eat something delicious,” “You leave every day without taking me,” “I want to sleep in a big bed too,” “I want to play with your phone and laptop,” “Stop mistreating me for no reason,” “I can’t stand being cooped up here anymore,” and the unknown bird downstairs joins in, squawking away.

Li Pu listens quietly, deep in thought.

Bai Gaoxing’s voice gradually grows softer until he’s left gasping for breath.

He’s a little tired.

Finally, Li Pu approaches him, and Bai Gaoxing looks up expectantly.

The man raises his hand—and gently strokes the soft feathers on Bai Gaoxing’s head.

Bai Gaoxing curls up into a ball, retreating into his own world. This is completely unbelievable. He deeply regrets it now—why did he leave Li Pu with the impression that everything he says is learned from watching TV!?

Li Pu gently pets the parrot’s head again, confused as to why Dabai, who had been so animated just moments ago, has suddenly deflated. After a moment of confusion, a trace of sympathy appears in his eyes.

…What kind of look is that? I told you, I’m not sick!

Bai Gaoxing silently backs up a few steps and looks down at his chest.

New feather shafts have grown in where his feathers were plucked, each one sharp like a needle. Once they grow longer and fully unfurl, he won’t have to expose his chest so openly anymore.

“Dabai, come here.” Li Pu holds a light yellow object in his hand, giving off a sweet, enticing aroma.

Bai Gaoxing sniffs it. Realizing it’s an apple, he flies over in surprise and grabs the man’s wrist.

He thinks he hears a slight hiss of pain from Li Pu, so he quickly loosens his grip, though his attention is immediately drawn back to the apple.

If the owner doesn’t like fruit, it’s hard for the pet to get any either. Bai Gaoxing, remembering how the fruit bowl on the table has been empty for days, chews on the apple and feels deeply moved.

Soon after, he grabs the apple in his claws, stuffing it into his beak in just two or three bites.

Then, he stares at Li Pu.

"... No more," Li Pu says, a little surprised, spreading his hands to show he really doesn’t have any more.

Bai Gaoxing glances at the apple peel in the trash. It must’ve been the apple Li Pu peeled earlier in the morning, before Bai Gaoxing even woke up. But why is there only such a small piece left...?

He circles the man, confirming there really is nothing more, before giving up. His crest unknowingly droops.

Feeling dejected, he suddenly hears Li Pu chuckle softly beside him. “I’ll cut you a bigger piece tomorrow.”

Was he that obvious?

Li Pu glances toward the kitchen. According to the internet, parrots enjoy eating fruit, so he went out and bought some today. But he isn’t sure how much to give and worries that too much might give Dabai diarrhea, so he starts by offering just one piece.

It seems to have worked well.

With this in mind, he reached out to gently smooth the soft feathers on Dabai’s crest, thinking that this gesture might finally get Dabai to stop ignoring him.

As for the things Dabai had said...

With this in mind, he reaches out to gently smooth the soft feathers on Dabai’s crest, thinking that this gesture might finally get Dabai to stop ignoring him.

As for the things Dabai has said...

Li Pu’s eyes darken slightly. Some people online have explained that this could be due to past psychological trauma. The Zongqi Wutong breed of parrots is incredibly intelligent. Sometimes they can remember words after hearing them just once, and the record for continuous speech is 30 minutes. However, this intelligence also makes them more emotionally vulnerable than other parrots.

Those words... they were probably picked up from a previous owner.

Based on the content of those complaints, Li Pu infers that Dabai’s former home environment must have been quite poor. The more he thinks about it, the more he feels that adopting Dabai is the right choice. Even if work becomes busier in the future, he won’t abandon him, nor will he let Dabai fall back into the loneliness of his past.

...

Bai Gaoxing now fully realizes that his plan to confess has failed.

Maybe it has something to do with his foolish behavior while eating the apple... But either way, it seems unlikely that Li Pu would believe he is a human.

After all, he is a parrot, not a dog.

It’s normal for a parrot to talk, but a talking dog… that would make headlines.

Unless he could somehow turn into a human.

Bai Gaoxing stands outside Li Pu’s room for a while, finally deciding to bury his failed plan deep inside. So what if he feels a bit embarrassed? With that thought, he happily flies to the perch by the bedroom window.

Although he hasn’t succeeded in convincing Li Pu of his human identity, he has earned more freedom to move around.

All his self-discipline over the past few days has paid off. He has been careful not to relieve himself anywhere and has even gathered his fallen feathers, either returning them to his cage or throwing them into the trash can.

Bai Gaoxing uses the flying skills he has been practicing recently to glide smoothly to the perch, spreading his wings and braking gracefully.

Li Pu’s bedroom has a balcony, and it is spacious. A soft, comfortable-looking sofa sits next to a bookshelf, and warm light softly illuminates the room. Even the bright, continuous neon lights outside can’t compare.

His perch is placed not far from the bed, with food and water bowls on either side of the stand and a trash can positioned underneath.

"…."

Bai Gaoxing lowers his head in silence, then glances at Li Pu.

By now, Li Pu is already in bed, but instead of turning off the lights to sleep, he leans against his pillow, flipping through a paper script. The pale light falls on the handwritten notes scrawled across the pages, and the shadows accentuate the contours of his handsome features. His slender fingers, holding the pen, give the entire scene the appearance of an artwork.

So dedicated.

Bai Gaoxing sighs.

The room is unusually quiet. The sound of Li Pu turning the pages of his script is crystal clear. The tip of his pen moves steadily across the paper, jotting down notes, and the soft scratching noise makes Bai Gaoxing feel a bit restless.

No TV tonight, so maybe reading a book would be okay, right?

He spreads his wings and glides smoothly over, landing gently on the bedside table.

"Dabai?" Li Pu immediately notices the sound and turns his head to find the large white parrot staring at him with wide eyes.

Bai Gaoxing doesn’t say anything, but he edges forward a few steps, his gaze fixed on Li Pu's script.

One line of dialogue is highlighted with a pen: “I swear to clear the court of traitors.”

A historical drama?

Bai Gaoxing isn’t interested, but he keeps reading anyway. The following lines are filled with the chatter of eunuchs and concubines, long-winded and tiresome.

However, before he can finish reading the page, Li Pu reaches out and gently taps his beak. “Time for bed, good night.”

Click, the light goes out.

The sudden darkness makes Bai Gaoxing’s pupils dilate, bringing with it a hint of panic.

He hasn’t gone to bed this early since elementary school!

Is it too late to sneak away and watch TV now???

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