IBFAIBPMSH Chapter 33

At this moment, Li Pu closes the script in his hands and looks at the clouds, slightly tinged with the colors of dusk. 

The sudden phone call interrupts his deep thoughts. Li Pu feels like he can't keep reading anymore. He has indeed stayed in the library for quite a while today, and it’s about time to head back.

He just doesn’t expect it to be this late.

As Li Pu drives back, he happens to hit the evening rush hour. The bright red taillights stretch endlessly, like a river of lights with no end in sight. 

He grips the steering wheel helplessly, leans back into the seat, and closes his eyes for a brief rest while waiting.

After being away almost all day, Dabai must have already finished the food in the food box. It’s likely he’s howling in hunger, maybe even gnawing on the corners of the wall. 

Imagining the scene of his wall corners being chewed away one by one, with white plaster scattered everywhere, Li Pu's breath catches, and he feels an even stronger urge to rush home.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Bai Gaoxing, who Li Pu worries about, is busy figuring out why the live-streaming interface switches. 

"Oh my god… what a scam!"

Bai Gaoxing’s already round eyes widen even more. What kind of ridiculous contract clause is this? If it’s written like that, Li Pu will cry!

After closing the stream, he waits for the console to cool down and starts searching up and down for the "User Notice." 

Heaven helps those who help themselves, and after a few minutes, he finally finds it. The first thing he sees is this line: "If a signed user’s popularity on another sub-platform reaches the average level of the main platform on Xinghuo, it is deemed as an intention to associate the accounts."

Below it, there’s a note: 

Note: If the signed user has no intention of associating accounts, they must click 'No' in the pop-up window within 60 seconds to interrupt the association process."

Pop-up window?

Bai Gaoxing raises his claw impatiently to scratch his head, causing a small clump of hair to fall off. No matter how hard he thinks, he can't recall seeing any pop-up window. 

Just as he’s on the verge of going bald, Bai Gaoxing suddenly remembers stepping out onto the balcony before the broadcast. Could it be that time?! 

Yes, that must be it. Aside from that time when he left the computer, he hasn’t even stepped away to get water. There’s no other way he could have missed the pop-up window.

Sigh!

Bai Gaoxing feels a headache coming on. He flaps his wings, brushes away the fallen hair, and flops down on the table.

No wonder the name "Firefly" sounds so much like "Xinghuo"—it has been a trap from the beginning.

He’s tired; he might as well just give up.

He stares blankly at the ceiling, soft lights glowing around him. Since they’ve been on for so long, the air is a bit warm, making his down coat feel unnecessary. 

He lies there for a long time. When he finally turns his head to see the sky darkening outside the window, he suddenly panics: Li Pu still hasn’t come back yet?

Oh no, has Li Pu already found out? Is he not coming back because the company pulls him in for questioning? Or is he at the lab, preparing to hand over his body... 

NO——! ! !

Meanwhile, Li Pu, stuck in traffic and honked at: "..."

Bai Gaoxing suddenly jumps up and heads back to the still-running computer, solemnly observing the Xinghuo platform. 

The last time he sees a Xinghuo live broadcast is on Li Pu's phone. The red-and-gold icon stands out vividly among the apps, and it is just as eye-catching on the desktop. 

After all, it ranks first and has the most followers on Li Pu’s account.

Unable to resist, Bai Gaoxing clicks on the personal homepage again. The follower count increases from 35 million to 35.05 million. 

He refreshes the page, and it jumps to 35.06 million. 

This is getting a little scary.

He also notices countless private messages in the inbox, all expressing love for Li Pu and himself.

【@MossRiceWithIceCream: Teacher Li, please stream more! It's never enough!】

【@LightingStarsToGuideYourWayHome: So short! 【Crying.jpg】】

【@IsThisReasonable: Ahh... Under the light, the soft glow makes his feathers appear even whiter, and the ring light’s halo reflects in his black eyes, creating a look that’s both unique and striking.】

Just a quick glance, and it's all burning with love. 

As he keeps looking, he starts to feel like doing something, a small gesture to respond to the audience. 

He glances over and notices Li Pu’s current account avatar. 

A small light in the night sky—probably just a random shot.

A spark of inspiration hits him, and he decides that before leaving, he’ll change the avatar of the Firefly sub-account as a little memento of his brief streaming career.

Soon enough, Bai Gaoxing opens the Firefly streaming platform, adjusts the computer's built-in camera, and takes a selfie. 

Bai Gaoxing spends considerable effort photoshopping a small pair of sunglasses onto his face, letting them rest stylishly on his nose. 

Handsome! Perfect!

Satisfied with his new avatar, Bai Gaoxing adjusts the size and updates it.

Snap!

After refreshing the page, the Xinghuo Live avatar updates simultaneously. 

Bai Gaoxing almost chokes, immediately turning to the backend to question customer service: "You sync the avatars too? How is that reasonable??"

Virtual Customer Service: "Dear user, we have detected that your account is linked to the signed associated accounts. All account information can be synchronized! If you're unsatisfied, please adjust your settings in the Personal Center."

So it can be turned off.

So it can be turned off. Bai Gaoxing lets out a breath and goes to the backend to cut off the account link, only to have a form pop up: 

"Please enter your ID number." 

"Please enter your phone number for SMS verification."

Bai Gaoxing: "......"

If he had known this, he would’ve just made his own account. \

Frustrated, Bai Gaoxing decides to give up.

Meanwhile, the latest trending topic: #LiPuNewAvatar#

A minute later, another one appears: #LiPuNewAvatar2#

Weibo once again welcomes a new trending topic. 

As everyone knows, the only thing more ridiculous than Li Pu's frequent absences from live streaming is the fact that he has never changed his avatar since his debut. 

Fans swear they have never seen anyone more "loyal" than Li Pu when it comes to profile pictures. 

At one point, Li Pu’s fans think this avatar hides an unforgettable story, as he uses the same one across all platforms. Later, when a brave fan finally asks Lei Li about it, they discover the truth: He is just too lazy to change it.

Seeing the trending topic, fans marvel that Li Pu’s avatar, which hasn’t been updated in years, finally has a new face. Although it isn’t his handsome face, the adorable creature he raises is still very cute! 

Everyone has a good laugh over the new profile picture with its slightly rough special-effect sunglasses, and as they are still laughing, they notice a new trending entry:

#LiPuNewAvatar2.

Wait, what? Is something wrong with Weibo? 

Curious fans rub their eyes and can’t resist clicking in.

What they see makes them collectively gasp. 

Li Pu's Weibo profile picture has also changed!! 

The once-bland avatar of a night sky has been replaced with a soft, warm side profile. Li Pu is slightly turning his head towards the camera, and in the lower right corner, his big white parrot almost fills the frame, as if it has mischievously jumped into the shot at the last second.

Wow~

Suddenly, Li Pu feels much more down-to-earth, not distant at all! 

Right-click, save, leave a good comment! 

As the number of likes skyrockets, Mei Youshu turns to Lei Li, admiringly saying, "Sister Li, how do you come up with the idea to change Brother Li’s Weibo avatar?"

Lei Li, saving the edited picture in her Photoshop software, brushes her sweaty hair behind her ear with a light smile and says, "It would be a waste not to take advantage of this moment to build some momentum." 

She smiles slightly, adding, "It’s all thanks to those photos you took last time. Without them, we wouldn't have had the material." 

She gathers the photos Mei Youshu took earlier, selects two fitting ones, and photoshops them, blending both Li Pu and the parrot into a single scene that appears warm and playful.

Looking at the highly successful avatar, Lei Li can’t help but feel relieved that her old fangirl skills haven’t faded and also appreciates how well Dabai cooperates in front of the camera. 

In all the photos, except for one blurry shot of him sneezing, Dabai poses perfectly, as if he knows someone is photographing him.

Lei Li looks at the picture for a moment, smiles involuntarily, and then types a post on Weibo:

"My Dabai, thank you for liking it."

She attached another photo. 

Almost instantly, the comment section fills up.

—"Mr. Li, you're secretly raising a chicken!" 31k likes.

—"I knew Li Pu's vacation would come with some kind of surprise." 23k likes.

—"Mr. Li, may I pet your beautiful chicken? 【shy】" 11k likes.

—"So white, so big, so beautiful! (Don’t misunderstand, I’m not talking about Mr. Li’s pecs.)" 10k likes.

The fans are having a field day.

Lei Li laughs out loud, but after seeing the flood of Li Pu-related topics on the trending list, she feels a slight headache.

Meanwhile, Hou Ying, who is at home doing a face mask, also sees all the trending topics. She can't help but shake with laughter but does her best to control her expression, trying to keep her smooth, firm skin unaffected. 

What should I do? I really want to call him and laugh. But no, it’s time for beauty sleep.

Hou Ying glances at her jam-packed schedule and decides to wait until she returns from filming abroad.

Lei Li, however, isn’t done yet. 

She switches from Li Pu's account to her office account. 

As Li Pu’s agent, she has successfully promoted several talented artists and amassed a considerable number of fans.

She needs to take advantage of today to further implement Li Pu’s strategy as both a friend and an official representative.

Star Entertainment Media agent Lei Li: @Li Pu, don’t forget to work while raising pets. 【raising eyebrow】

Lei Li frequently shares updates on her own account, and tagging the artists she represents is a routine move. As soon as she posts this Weibo, countless people flood her comment section asking: Sister Li! What’s going on? 

Lei Li picks one to reply to: "As you can see, someone’s inner child is alive and well 【smile】."

To the public, Li Pu is seen as an excellent but laid-back actor with the quirky habit of taking a vacation after every project. While some keen observers speculate that he might have personal issues, it is just speculation. Until something is officially confirmed, everything is just a rumor. 

She and the company have agreed not to make a fuss over such private matters. 

Now, everything is progressing smoothly.

After completing the "self-directed and self-acted" post, Lei Li watches with satisfaction as the topic transitions from pet-raising to Li Pu’s new project. This serendipitous hype is something Director Sun will have to thank her for.

The buzz in the comment section hasn’t died down yet, and the most frequently asked question at that moment is: 【When will Li Pu start live streaming again?】

That...

Lei Li is stumped. 

Her fingers hesitate over the keyboard, then she finally gives up and closes the screen, pretending she doesn't see it. 

Who cares when that guy will live stream again?

…

It is 6:30 in the evening. 

Li Pu finally gets out of the traffic jam and successfully returns home. 

As soon as he walks through the door, the big white parrot doesn’t flit around the house as he expects. Instead, it sits quietly in its cage, tilting its head and saying, “Welcome back~”

Li Pu hangs his coat by the door, glances back, and first plays with the fluffy creature. 

The food box is indeed empty. 

Noticing the empty food box in the cage, Li Pu looks around, paying special attention to the furniture, and casually asks, “You didn’t cause any trouble at home, did you?”

Bai Gaoxing puffs out his chest. “Very good!”

He has only played around with the live stream a bit, but his account has accidentally been linked, and now his little account is thoroughly exposed by the fans. 

Oh—it may even be trending! 

And... Everyone thinks it is Li Pu who is live streaming. Considering Li Pu’s tendency to trend, Bai Gaoxing feels both fortunate and regretful.

He can’t check the phone, so he can’t confirm it. 

But Li Pu can’t check either.

What he once considered outrageous behavior—Li Pu’s reluctance to surf the Internet—has now become his last line of defense. Thank God; he hopes Li Pu can stay away from the internet forever! Be a well-rounded, good man!

Bai Gaoxing looks at Li Pu with bright eyes, and that expectant gaze makes Li Pu smile. 

“Are you hungry?” Li Pu approaches the cage, glances at the empty food box, and easily takes out a bag of food from under the cabinet.

With a clatter, he fills the bowl again. Bai Gaoxing stares at it and suddenly burps.

—To avoid Li Pu noticing anything wrong upon his return, he has just gobbled up everything, even though he hasn’t finished half of it. He fills his stomach and even drinks plenty of water. 

Now, feeling a bit full, he wants to vomit.

Li Pu puts the food bowl back into the cage and gently pats the top of the cage. “Go back and eat.” 

Bai Gaoxing looks at him, then at the food box, revealing a complex expression that is hard for a human to interpret.

In the past, he would have rushed in first and devoured the food, all the while complaining about why it hadn't been refilled in time. 

But now...

“What’s wrong?”

Li Pu’s eyes show traces of inquiry and concern. In his view, the pet who usually loves to eat has suddenly lost interest in food. Something must really be wrong. 

Could it be that while he isn’t home, Dabai accidentally ate something bad...? Imagining Dabai’s behavior of wanting to taste everything, Li Pu begins scanning the surroundings and is about to head toward the bedroom.

“Gah!” Bai Gaoxing shouts, successfully blocking Li Pu's path. 

“Don’t you want to eat?” Li Pu asks, reaching out to scratch Bai Gaoxing’s chin.

The plump parrot's feathers fluff up, and under the cover of all that white fluff, it is hard to tell just how full his stomach is at that moment. 

 Bai Gaoxing shakes his head. No, he can’t let Li Pu notice anything wrong right now. 

He steps closer to the cage, approaches the food box, and stares at the golden grains and colorful nourishing pills inside.

Li Pu leans in closer.

Bai Gaoxing looks down and tries to nibble on a small piece, cracking the shell and forcing it down his throat. 

No, it won’t work; he is too full, and it is about to come back up.

Hic—

Author’s note:

Bai Gaoxing: I feel like vomiting (▼ヘ▼#).

---

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Table of Contents