IBFAIBPMSH Chapter 18

"Hmm? Now?"

"Okay... I know."

"No, I'll go by myself."

When Bai Gaoxing wakes up, Li Pu has already styled his hair and put on a formal outfit.

He can't help but remember how he pestered and joked last night until the other party gave up on the idea of sending him away. Making jokes really is quite effective, so Li Pu going out now definitely isn’t because of that. 

Definitely not... right?

The suit jacket accentuates the man's already impressive figure, making him appear even more upright. The shining cuffs tempt Bai Gaoxing to peck at them; the usual casual demeanor transforms into a successful elite mode, as if he is about to attend a banquet.

Moreover, as Li Pu walks toward the door, shoulder pressed against his face while he holds his phone call and straightens the wrinkles in his shirt cuffs, Bai Gaoxing quickly understands Li Pu's intentions.

What? What is he doing? Going out! Follow him!

Bai Gaoxing takes off from his perch, landing on Li Pu's shoulder and extending a claw to secure himself. 

Unexpectedly, Li Pu pauses for a moment, changes direction, and places him back on top of the cage.

Bai Gaoxing flies back persistently, protesting, "Take me with you! I want to go out too!"

Li Pu presses down on his wings and casually places the phone on top of the cage. “Be good, or do you want to stay in the cage?”

Bai Gaoxing relents. 

He would rather watch cartoons all day than stay in the cage, cracking seeds all day. 

It would be too boring.

“I’ll be back soon.” Li Pu glances at the innocent-looking white parrot squatting on the cage, confirming it won’t fly at him again, then tidies the lint off his clothes and opens the door to leave.

This time, he goes out for work. 

It's not uncommon to be called into the company during vacation—whether to reshoot scenes, attend events, or handle last-minute important notices... In short, unexpected tasks often arise. His agent usually blocks some of the less critical ones, but there are always those that require his direct involvement.

…

It takes Li Pu twenty minutes to reach the company. While waiting for the elevator, he notices a dozen new artists coming and going. He takes the elevator to the 20th floor.

As the elevator doors close, the voices of the boys and girls can still be faintly heard.

"I'm late! Was that Teacher Lijust now?"

"I forgot to ask for an autograph! He's so handsome in person; I can't believe it!"

"I'm crying... Didn’t Brother Li just finish filming? How long has it been since he came?"

"I don’t know; I heard Sister Li called him..."

With a "ding," the elevator arrives at the 20th floor.

As a high-rise building in the center of Jiangcheng City, Star Entertainment boasts the best and most expensive views. The company has invested heavily in design and glass application. The abundant sunlight and bright vistas make every artist who comes to the upper floors feel as though they are surrounded by stars, on the road to stardom. 

The company president states, "Let every artist be filled with expectations for the heights they may reach in the future!"

In short, Emperor Li is once again overwhelmed by the attention. 

He approaches a door marked with his agent’s nameplate, knocks three times, and opens the door upon hearing a female voice from within.

"Sister Li," he greets first.

The swivel chair by the window turns halfway, revealing a woman who raises her head from the shadows.

"Ah, I thought I wouldn’t be able to call you out."

The woman's red lips curve into a slight smile, and her wavy brown hair glints in the sunlight, giving her face a smoky, glamorous appearance. Lei Li, Li Pu's agent, is also the most capable agent in the company. She manages at least twenty national stars, boasts extensive connections, and has a strong background, leading many to want to cling to her thighs.

Unfortunately, she only prefers to take on those she deems promising.

Li Pu is used to Lei Li’s teasing and says, “I definitely won’t neglect work matters.” He glances at the documents strewn across her desk. "What is it this time?"

"No hurry." Lei Li presses the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray. "Let's discuss what I asked Xiao Mei to bring you first."

Li Pu remains unperturbed. "Yeah."

Lei Li's sharp eyes narrow slowly, and she shakes the hand holding the cigarette, muttering to herself, "...Why did I choose you in the first place?" 

Successful? Yes, quite successful.

It is just a headache. During breaks, he refuses to cooperate with managing his personal accounts. Aside from legitimate work, all other messages are handed over to his assistant. 

However, this guy is very cooperative in other respects, dedicated, and hardworking. She truly can’t find fault with him.

Li Pu stays silent, watching Lei Li tousle her beautiful curly hair in frustration.

"I heard from Xiao Mei that you have a parrot?" Finally, Lei Li decides to change the subject. She would support him if the sky fell, while those idle senior executives could go have fun!

As soon as she finishes speaking, Mei Youshu enters. 

Upon hearing the question, Mei Youshu is about to say something but is immediately driven out by the smoke. When he pushes the door open again, he is startled by the two of them staring at him and awkwardly says, “Sister Li, the company doesn’t allow smoking in the office... fines…”

Lei Li shoots him a glare.

Mei Youshu covers his mouth and silently moves to the side to continue organizing documents.

Lei Li gets up and opens the window, resuming the previous topic. "Why did you decide to raise a pet? Didn’t you say you only kept fish?"

Li Pu thinks for a moment. "A friend gave it to me."

Lei Li raises an eyebrow. "Friend?"

This statement is quite thought-provoking. Reaching the height of an emperor in the entertainment industry, one certainly has plenty of “friends” in the circle, but with the principle of reciprocity, one can never be sure if they have ulterior motives.

"Friend from which movie? Did you meet them during the last film, or at a wrap-up party?"

"Childhood friend."

Just those two words make Lei Li understand. “It seems you two have a close relationship.” 

After all, nothing beats a familiar person showing up directly with a cage.

This is only one reason, Li Pu thinks. "And Dabai is very well-behaved." If it were the type that liked to cause trouble, he might not be able to handle it.

"Dabai?" Lei Li is puzzled for a moment before it clicks. "Oh~ You, the bad namer, gave the parrot a name."

She says it! Mei Youshu stands by, dumbfounded. Truly, Sister Li is impressive.

"Then show me what your good parrot looks like; it must be cute." Lei Li grows interested and walks over from behind her desk.

Mei Youshu looks conflicted and interrupts, "Cute...? I think it’s scary."

Lei Li rolls her eyes at him. "People who are afraid of KFC have no right to speak."

Li Pu glances at his eager manager and says, “I haven’t taken any pictures of it.”

Lei Li: “……”

But he still pulls out his phone—

No, where’s the phone?

Li Pu pats his empty pockets and remembers that he took it out earlier...

...

At that moment, Bai Gaoxing launches an attack on the phone forgotten on the top of the cage. 

After waiting a long time and ensuring that Li Pu has left home long enough to not return for his phone, he clicks on the fingerprint area. 

Three vibrations. Enter the password.

0211.

The phone screen lights up, and the digital world opens its doors to him. 

With excitement, Bai Gaoxing begins swiping the screen.

Settings—here! Then the fingerprint password—found it! Adding a password requires entering the password again, which is annoying, but fortunately not difficult. 

The most challenging step is the input itself. He has heard of people using their cats' or turtles' fingerprints to unlock their phones, but he has never seen anyone use bird claws.

The principle is the same, so it should work, right? Bai Gaoxing thinks, contracting and opening his claws, and presses the thickest part of his claw against the fingerprint recording area, his heart racing.

"Buzz~" Part of the fingerprint is successfully recorded.

There's a way!

Bai Gaoxing's eyes light up, and he repeats the operation several times, successfully recording the fingerprint of his right claw. 

Very good, now this phone is his.

Bai Gaoxing first glances at which wireless network is in the house, then dives into an icon—it is a food delivery app. 

He had discovered it during his last exploration of Li Pu's phone. He hadn’t expected to find a food delivery app there; perhaps it is used for buying vegetables and fruits? 

But that doesn't matter anymore.

Hot pot, crayfish, meat skewers, pizza, ice cream cones… Bright and delicious foods constantly stimulate his appetite. Bai Gaoxing browses through the flashy interface and, after a moment of hesitation, resolutely—he chooses the cheapest option, a $19.9 KFC meal for one.

He feels a bit embarrassed. Bai Gaoxing has never actively spent someone else's money growing up and still feels a bit uneasy, especially since this is done secretly… He promises himself he will fly out one day to earn back the money.

"I'm so greedy," he thinks. Bai Gaoxing is quite certain that as a bird, he will never have the opportunity to enjoy these so-called "junk foods" in his life.

Li Pu's phone is surprisingly password-free, meaning he doesn’t have to sneak a peek at his payment password. He just has to wait for the delivery to arrive at the door.

Bai Gaoxing hums happily and continues to play with the phone. 

After being at Li Pu's house for so long, he notices that this man has never taken a photo of him, which is quite surprising. People who keep pets usually can't help but take pictures of them for any reason. Even he had set a screensaver featuring his bird when he had one.

Not to mention, his current parrot form is very photogenic.

The albino parrot looks round and fluffy, with large, expressive black eyes and a tuft of soft feathers on the top of its head. It is cute from any angle—no bad angles at all. 

Even he can’t help but want to give himself a squeeze.

Bai Gaoxing adjusts his stance and takes numerous selfies from various angles. The lighting in the living room is just right, and the photos turn out great. 

Afterward, he snaps a few random blank photos to cover his tracks.

All these actions feel like he is committing a crime, always on the lookout for Li Pu's return. Bai Gaoxing can’t help but listen for any noise outside—thankfully, there is none. So, he continues to play on the phone.

In addition to the "Xinghuo Live" app he clicked on last time, Li Pu's phone has five or six other Live streaming apps. It is hard to imagine whether he downloaded them himself, whether the company requires them, or if they are just advertisements. But Li Pu doesn’t seem like the type of person who wouldn’t clean his phone, so it is probably for work.

Bai Gaoxing randomly clicks into one and finds that the account is also in a signed state. 

However, this account is quite small, with only a few tens of thousands of fans; it might be a minor platform?

Bai Gaoxing briefly browses the platform's information before swiping through the videos to see what memes are popular there...

"Ding Dong!"

The doorbell rings, and someone politely knocks on the door: “Hello, your delivery!”

Bai Gaoxing springs up and flies toward the door. But when he is less than a meter away from the door, he suddenly stops and lands on the cold floor.

Wait...

He seems to have forgotten the most important question.

How do you open the door?

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