IBFAIBPMSH Chapter 34

Bai Gaoxing vomits, and Li Pu is shocked.

Seeing the man's worried expression, Bai Gaoxing tries to smile at Li Pu but fails miserably. He then attempts to flap his wings to show that he is in good condition, but that doesn’t work either; he feels like he might overflow if he moves again.

Under normal circumstances, in addition to regurgitating food to feed the young or throat scratches that could cause vomiting, the other likely reason for a parrot's distress is illness or a cold. 

And for birds, illness can easily lead to disaster.

Unlike mammals, birds have less advanced targeted drugs and treatment methods. Additionally, due to their small size, abnormal signs are not always obvious, and by the time symptoms are discovered, it is often too late. 

Most importantly, there are too few pet hospitals capable of effectively treating birds. 

Bai Gaoxing understands this, and Li Pu, who reads the "Breeding Manual," understands it too. However, while Bai Gaoxing knows he is just full, Li Pu believes he is sick.

Leaning listlessly against the cage, Bai Gaoxing doesn’t even reach for his favorite cotton and linen ropes. He glances up at the nest hanging above his head.

The nest is a small hammock, one he rarely uses. Compared to this small, slightly hot nest, he prefers to sleep on the sofa or in Li Pu's bedroom. But now, he feels he needs to lie down for a while. 

With that thought, Bai Gaoxing takes a hesitant step forward but wobbles and nearly falls headfirst. 

Forget it; he decides to just stand on the perch.

Bai Gaoxing grunts, straightens himself, and lowers his head as if he is standing on the edge of a cliff. The cage is quite high, and a fall would knock him unconscious, so it’s better to make do with the perch. 

Li Pu, standing nearby, watches his struggling pet with a furrowed brow. He takes out his cell phone and makes a call.

Feeling sleepy after eating, Bai Gaoxing hears Li Pu speaking to someone. He slightly opens his squinted eyes and sees the dark mobile phone camera aimed at him.

A sweet voice from the phone chimes in: “Okay, sir. Your parrot looks a little listless, but judging from its nose and feathers, the problem doesn’t seem serious. Let’s do this: observe it at home for now. If it doesn’t improve, come in early tomorrow morning. Our veterinarian will give your bird a full examination once they’re in.”

Bai Gaoxing is shocked. Is Li Pu really that worried about him?

But he truly doesn’t need to go to the hospital! 

Bai Gaoxing really dislikes hospitals, so he fluffs up the feathers on his head, urgently saying, “I’m fine! I’m super fine! I— blurgh—”

The sweet lady’s voice turns concerned: “It seems like your parrot isn’t doing too well after all. I’ll reserve the earliest appointment for you tomorrow.” 

Li Pu responds with an “OK” and hangs up the phone. 

Bai Gaoxing rests his head against the side of the cage, too tired to speak. On the bright side, he thinks, this way Li Pu won’t go to the study, and the scorching temperature from the computer should cool down by now...

Suddenly, he feels a gentle touch on his head, so comfortable that he doesn’t want to open his eyes. He tries his best to crack open his eyelids and sees that Li Pu has reached into the cage and is gently stroking his head. 

Well, the technique is good—he could use a bit more of this. 

Bai Gaoxing’s consciousness drifts further, and before falling completely asleep, he thinks, I hope that when I wake up tomorrow, everything will be fine so this person won’t worry.

Then—

This efficiency is too fast!

The next day, Bai Gaoxing opens his eyes and finds himself lying in a bird bag. 

The bird bag is the one Li Pu orders later. It’s a translucent dark green suitcase with a piece of lumpy prickly ash wood of moderate thickness inside, presumably designed to imitate the shape of a tree branch. 

He doesn’t know when he is put in. Perhaps it is because he is touched so comfortably yesterday that he sleeps too soundly? In any case, he feels nothing at all. When he wakes up, he is already in Li Pu’s hand, walking into a place that looks like a hospital.

“Hello, is this Mr. Li?” an assistant in plain clothes approaches, takes the bag, and places it on a clean, flat table.

Li Pu, wearing a mask and glasses, doesn’t pay much attention to her; she likely isn’t a fan of his. 

Bai Gaoxing breathes a sigh of relief but then feels a hand reaching into the bag. He senses his little feet being lifted—it’s Li Pu trying to put on his diaper.

“No need for that just yet; it’ll be inconvenient for the examination later,” the assistant promptly stops him, then starts asking Li Pu questions like, “Has he swallowed anything foreign?” “Has he vomited blood?” “Has he had diarrhea?” All the answers are negative. 

After responding, Li Pu adds, “I’m not sure if he ate anything unusual. I wasn’t home yesterday.”

The assistant nods. “Then shall we arrange for a DR examination? It’s safer for pets.”

Li Pu doesn’t object.

Bai Gaoxing wants to protest that he doesn’t need any of this—he feels fine now. Although he hasn’t fully digested his food, he truly is okay! 

He looks outside through the translucent bag, where green and red lights flicker in the dimly lit room, resembling the eyes of a wolf. 

They’re watching him. 

For some reason, his sixth sense as a bird tells him this. 

So Bai Gaoxing doesn’t jump out. 

When the assistant secures him on the platform, he remains still.

“Wow, he’s so obedient!” the assistant exclaims in surprise. 

As a staff member at the pet hospital, she has seen too many pets that refuse to cooperate upon arrival—well-behaved cats jumping up and down and scratching everything in sight, large dogs dragging their owners out the door, needing three people to bring them to the platform, and so on.

In short, none of them are as compliant as this parrot. 

She looks at Bai Gaoxing in astonishment, gently pokes him, and receives a fierce yet adorable glare in response.

Seeing that the big parrot seems ready to explode, Li Pu gently touches its furry face with the back of his hand, a hint of amusement in his voice: “He’s very well-behaved.” 

Bai Gaoxing doesn’t expect that even as a bird, he needs to have an X-ray. He stares blankly at the void, letting the professionals do their work. 

Soon, the X-rays are done.

Once the restraints on his body are loosened, Bai Gaoxing flaps his wings to stretch his muscles. They feel a little numb, but it doesn’t affect him much.

“Do you want to put it back in the bag?” the assistant asks, clearly tense and ready to catch the bird if it tries to fly away.

Li Pu glances at the tightly closed glass door, then at the specially isolated net door outside it, and shakes his head. “No need for now.”

It would take a while to get the results. Bai Gaoxing climbs onto Li Pu’s shoulder without hesitation and begins to preen his feathers—his plumage is all ruffled from the handling, and he needs to sort it out.

Seeing this, Li Pu sits in the nearby rest chair and picks up a pet medicine magazine to read.

Bai Gaoxing multitasks. While combing his feathers, he occasionally glances at the magazine in Li Pu’s hand and looks around the pet hospital. 

There is no pungent smell of disinfectant or pet odors; it feels clean and warm, more spacious and brighter than any pet hospital he has seen. Outside is the examination area, and he can only guess how many suites are inside.

Many banners and framed thank-you letters adorn the walls, suggesting that the veterinarians here are not only skilled but also have a heavy workload. 

Peering inside, he spots a large wooden translucent cage, and something seems to be moving inside. 

Out of curiosity, Bai Gaoxing slowly hops off Li Pu, first landing on the table, then onto the sofa, and finally onto the platform, fluttering into the inner room.

“Meow~!”

“Woof——”

“Meow~”

Excited calls erupt suddenly, followed by a chorus of responses. Bai Gaoxing's scalp prickles, and the whole bird feels like a pine cone! 

He has never been afraid of cats, but this reaction is instinctual. 

Bai Gaoxing’s pupils dilate as he looks up in astonishment. What he sees are several cats of varying sizes slowly approaching the transparent door, staring at him with hungry eyes.

So those rows are cat cages! 

With quivering whiskers and twitching cat lips, if those doors weren’t tightly closed, he would have probably been caught under their paws by now. 

Damn it.

Bai Gaoxing feels embarrassed for puffing up earlier and looks cowardly, so he flaps his wings forcefully and lets out a loud “caw” to scare the fat cats a little. 

It works like a charm.

Bai Gaoxing watches with satisfaction as the cats’ ears flatten back; indeed, they have never seen such a mighty bird before—they are scared!

“…Dabai?” Li Pu, who is still outside, hears the commotion inside and peeks in. Bai Gaoxing immediately straightens up and slowly moves out under the watchful gaze of the cats. 

. “I’m coming, I’m coming~” Bai Gaoxing hops onto Li Pu’s lap, flapping one wing as if to say, Why, do you miss me so much?

The response he gets is Li Pu’s finger tapping on his head.

Bai Gaoxing is already used to this position, nestled on Li Pu’s legs. He finds a comfortable spot, curls up, and starts reading with Li Pu. 

When the assistant emerges, she is greeted by this charming scene.

“Mr. Li?” Although she is reluctant to interrupt, she still has to speak. 

The man and the bird look at her simultaneously, which makes her chuckle.

She straightens her face and apologizes, “I’m sorry, but our machine has a problem, and it will take some time to fix. I’ve already called our maintenance staff. If you’re not busy, you can wait here for a bit; if you are, you can come back for the results tomorrow.”

Li Pu thinks for a moment and replies, “It’s okay. I’ll wait here.”

“Okay.” The assistant nods, glancing at Bai Gaoxing. She kindly reminds him, “Please keep an eye on your parrot; don’t let it go over there. I’m afraid it might get scared.”

“Scared?” Li Pu recalls how Dabai just made a few fierce calls. “What’s in there?”

“They're stray animals temporarily placed here for treatment,” the assistant explains. “Most of them are cats. They tend to be frightened of people, and two of them can be quite aggressive. Given that your pet is a bird... it’s best to keep it away.”

Li Pu understands. No wonder Dabai screamed so miserably just now. 

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” As he says this, Li Pu pulls out a thin silver object from his pocket.

Bai Gaoxing jumps back suddenly, looking at Li Pu in shock. 

You already have a bag, but you’re carrying that too?!

Li Pu seems oblivious to Bai Gaoxing’s ruffled feathers and presses down on the struggling parrot, gripping its feet and attaching a leash. 

The other end naturally clips onto his wrist. 

…” Bai Gaoxing lifts his restrained foot, giving Li Pu a speechless look, and shakes it vigorously to see the silver chain sway back and forth. 

He has been detained again. 

Bai Gaoxing pinches the anklet with his beak; it is hard and unyielding.

After a series of actions, Li Pu returns to his reading while Bai Gaoxing begins to struggle against the chain. 

He believes that if he bites it enough times, he will eventually break free!

It is the same principle as “the chicken finishes its rice, the dog finishes its noodles.”

(Translator’s Notes: the chicken finishes its rice, the dog finishes its noodles is derived from a Chinese proverb that illustrates a sequence of actions, emphasizing that each animal completes its task in its own way and at its own pace. Essentially, it conveys the idea that persistence and consistent effort will ultimately lead to achieving one’s goals.)

With no other options, Bai Gaoxing can only lean against Li Pu and sulk, occasionally scratching his head with his claws, trying to rub his feather dust on Li Pu’s clothes as a form of revenge. 

After a while, just as Bai Gaoxing contemplates the possibility of using Li Pu's head as a nest without getting plucked, another person walks into the pet hospital.

It is still early in the day. Bai Gaoxing suddenly realizes this; while staying in the bird bag, he notices that the sky outside hasn’t fully brightened yet. So despite the busy activity of the pet hospital, there is no one around. 

Was he brought here so early on purpose? Bai Gaoxing looks up at the man's profile, feeling a vague mix of emotions he can’t quite define. 

The person who enters places something on the counter, his elderly voice anxious, “It still isn’t right; what’s wrong with Xiaoguai?”

That voice sounds so familiar; it seems to belong to someone he knows. 

Bai Gaoxing turns to look and almost doesn’t recognize him at first. 

It is the man who lives downstairs, but this time he isn’t wearing a training suit; instead, he is dressed in a smart, respectable suit, complete with silver-rimmed glasses, looking like an old British gentleman.

At that moment, the man's face is filled with anxiety, his usual calm demeanor gone. Next to him is a simple small cage covered with a cloth, a temporary takeaway cage. 

Through the gaps in the cloth, Bai Gaoxing sees a pair of strong yellow claws.

"Mr. Ren, please don't worry. Sit here for a while; our doctor will be here soon," the assistant reassures the old man as she gently rolls up the cage cloth. Seizing the opportunity, Bai Gaoxing clearly sees the starling inside. 

It is indeed the one raised downstairs.

How should he put it? It looks a bit droopy, but it doesn’t seem sick. Hm… he can confirm it is likely not ill. As a bird now, he can tell. 

The old man remains anxious, asking more seriously, "You said Xiaoguai was fine before, but after he went back, he doesn’t eat or drink and seems very listless. How could he be fine?"

The assistant retrieves the examination record of the old man’s pet from the computer and hands him a printed paper. "Look, this is your pet’s physical examination. Everything is normal, proving that it is indeed not sick."

The old man takes the list and reads it carefully, his brows still furrowed. "What could be wrong? Xiaoguai has never acted like this before."

The assistant looks at him apologetically. "This... may need further examination. Our doctor hasn’t arrived yet, but he will be here soon. Will you wait here for a while?"

"Okay." The old man sighs, putting down the examination list and turning to find a place to sit and wait. 

As he turns, he notices Li Pu sitting with a large, white mass on his lap.

Elder Ren displays a surprised expression. "Oh, what a coincidence! Is your bird sick too?"

Li Pu strokes Bai Gaoxing's feathers and hesitates. "...Yes, but I don’t know what the problem is."

"It’s getting hotter and hotter, so it’s easy for them to have problems," Elder Ren sighs, taking a seat next to Li Pu. He motions him to look at the front desk. "I thought Xiaoguai was afraid of the heat, but it isn’t even the hottest time this summer. Why is he so listless?"

He clasps his hands together, gently rubbing them; the backs of his hands, as old as tree bark, are covered in more wrinkles. “As a result, it doesn’t eat or drink much, and I don’t know what’s wrong. After a few days, we’ve checked three or four times, but no one can say there’s anything wrong.”

Li Pu listens quietly, and after Mr. Ren finishes speaking, he offers a few comforting words, which elicit a kind smile from the old man. 

Bai Gaoxing does not participate in their conversation; instead, he simply stares at the cage not far away.

Now he can see more clearly. The starling in the cage does appear listless, but its feathers are shiny, its beak clean and smooth, and its standing posture is steady. It is evident that there is nothing wrong with it. 

At least—physiologically.

Physiologically? Psychologically? As this thought crosses his mind, Bai Gaoxing feels a jolt of realization and looks at the starling with suspicion. No way! Could it be that birds are so prone to depression? Didn’t it grow up under this old man’s care?

Soon, the veterinarian who arrives on time points out this very possibility. "If it’s not a physical problem, it may be a psychological one."

The young doctor looks at Mr. Ren gently and asks a few questions about the bird’s breeding environment. However, all the answers are rated as "excellent."

"It shouldn’t be..." he muses, thinking carefully. "Logically, starlings rarely get depressed. This type of bird is lively by nature and will quickly adapt even if it changes owners. Depression usually occurs in parrots, and feather pecking is more common among them."

The doctor’s gaze shifts to Bai Gaoxing and then back to Li Pu. "What’s wrong with your parrot?"

Bai Gaoxing distinctly feels Li Pu gently stroke him twice when the doctor mentions “feather plucking in parrots.”

"It hasn’t been very energetic since last night," Li Pu explains. "It was brought back from the shelter and has a history of depression."

"I see," the doctor nods, moving closer to observe Bai Gaoxing. "Our equipment is currently under maintenance, so please wait a moment. However, on the surface, it seems fine."

He steps back, his eyes smiling above his mask. "Your parrot is really fat." 

Bai Gaoxing is taken aback, immediately standing up with his crest erect, and instinctively replies, "Fat?"

"Oh, is it still angry?" The veterinarian laughs, glancing at Li Pu. "Did it understand? It’s really smart."

Bai Gaoxing grabs Li Pu's clothes to verify, "Am I fat?"

Li Pu displays a thoughtful expression, but before he can answer, the veterinarian continues, "If you keep this up, you'll be as round as a ball. Can you still fly?" 

The young doctor chuckles and adds, "Have you been feeding it too many peanuts and sunflower seeds? Those are high in calories, and even if it’s usually free-range—" He pauses, noticing Bai Gaoxing's habitual way of wearing anklets, and adjusts his words: "Even if it is, it may not be able to burn off the calories."

"Then what should I do—"

"Doctor An! The machine repairman is here!" the assistant calls out, ushering a maintenance specialist through the door.

The veterinarian smiles apologetically. "Let’s continue later. I’ll go check on that first."

Soon, the doctor and assistant take the starling out of its cage and place it in a transparent box specially designed for the pet hospital before moving it into another room. One of them goes to discuss the situation with Mr. Ren, while the other approaches Li Pu for more information. Taking advantage of the moment, Bai Gaoxing quietly grabs the chain and sneaks into the small room.

Inside, the starling locked in the cage neither cries out nor gets angry; it simply stands there blankly. It seems like there is a serious issue. 

This was not good.

Bai Gaoxing doesn’t want to lose the only bird companion he can talk to, nor does he want the old man downstairs to lose his only friend. He begins to think of a way to help this poor creature.

Suddenly, an idea strikes him. If the humans can’t figure it out, he can ask the starling directly! Then he can just translate the language and tell them!

He hadn’t expected that birds would also need a translator. With this thought in mind, Bai Gaoxing stretches out his claws to press against the box and asks sincerely and with concern, "Brother, what’s wrong with you?"

---

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