I Became Famous After I Became a Parrot in the Movie Star's House - Chapter 46

Last time, he didn’t feel this way at home. Bai Gaoxing attributes it to the bad weather today and the uncomfortable dream he has during his nap. 

There are still three days before he can see anyone.

It’s only three days. He just plays around, and it passes like a weekend that he never has enough of.

Besides, it’s so good to be alone at home. No one restricts his internet access. Instead, he worries about how he can’t live independently for too long as a pet bird.

Bai Gaoxing scratches himself and thinks indifferently. 

However, the night is really quiet. 

After leaving the TV on all night, Bai Gaoxing, who is now ready for bed, finally realizes this problem. 

His biological clock has trained him to go to bed on time at nine o’clock in the evening. Although he used to sneak online in the middle of the night, it was only occasionally. He feels sleepy when the time comes.

But now, he can’t sleep.

Standing on the perch in Li Pu’s bedroom, Bai Gaoxing stares at the dark doorway and feels his feet growing cold. 

He has turned off all the lights, and it is pitch black everywhere. The bedroom door is wide open, and occasionally he sees the high beams of car lights reflected on the wall.

The air on a rainy night is much cooler than usual, and he feels a little cold even when curled up—it might be a psychological effect, after all, since he is wearing a down jacket.

He wants to laugh; how come he suddenly becomes an insomniac? 

Bai Gaoxing burrows into Li Pu’s blankets, relieved that this person made the bed instead of folding the blankets. After rolling around a bit, he feels much warmer.

The sound of the aquarium filter is magnified several times in the silence, and the ticking of the clock continuously disturbs his drowsiness. Bai Gaoxing stares at the ceiling, enduring what feels like hours before suddenly jumping out from under the covers.

Sleep? What sleep! Time to get up and have fun!

Bai Gaoxing realizes: a college student should live like a college student. This is a vacation; what is the point of a vacation if he doesn’t stay up all night? 

First, he turns on all the lights in the room, filling it with brightness; then he turns on the TV to create some noise; finally, he opens his computer to find something he is genuinely interested in.

Let’s… watch a horror movie! 

Bai Gaoxing thinks to himself, isn’t it said that watching a horror movie makes one feel like there are people everywhere in the house, which helps him not feel so lonely? 

As a result, it works too well.

Bai Gaoxing shivers and hides under the blankets, not letting any claws or feathers stick out. Surrounded by familiar scents, his tension and unease gradually fade, and he dozes off.

The next morning, Bai Gaoxing wakes up to the call of his biological clock, his eyes glazed over and his face pale.

 If he weren’t a bird, dark circles would likely occupy most of his face. 

A brand new day means a brand new parrot.

“Good morning~”He calls out habitually, his empty voice echoing through the room without a response.

Take a nap first.

Bai Gaoxing falls back on the bed, and even though he hears the sound of the feeder working, he is too lazy to move and quickly drifts off to sleep again.

Meanwhile, the crew far away in Chuncheng makes progress. 

Chuncheng lives up to its name, with a spring-like climate year-round. In June, the weather just warms up, and the mornings still have a bit of a cold breeze.

The main cast arrives the day before. The director sees how hard everyone works to arrive from all directions and allows them a day off, starting the read-through from today. 

At this moment, everyone wears a coat, each holding a script, waiting for Director Sun to speak.

“This time, the filming schedule is tight. Everyone, try to adjust your states; we need to pick up the pace.” 

The middle-aged man in a peaked cap has a gentle demeanor and speaks softly, but those who know him understand that this is an illusion. Director Sun has two nicknames: one is Sun Yitiao, which means “Sun the Straight Shooter,” and the other, Sun Dapao, translates to “Sun the Cannon.” The former is literal, while the latter has a double meaning.

The actors in the productions he directs often become famous overnight. 

When he yells at people, it sounds like cannon fire. 

Many new actors think Director Sun is gentle when they first arrive, but they soon find themselves yelled at and crying before they can feel comfortable.

Regardless of whether he is gentle or yelling, Director Sun has one consistent label: strict.

In this filming of “The Long Song,” Director Sun wears a smile, clearly in a good mood. The reason is simple: this play has a profound background with high requirements in all aspects, and he deliberately controls the selection of actors—more veterans and fewer newcomers—so he doesn’t have to worry about training them. Especially with the involvement of Li Pu, an actor of the same dedication and an award-winning star.

Then the script reading begins. 

The reading meeting is primarily to refine the script. Director Sun often sparks new inspiration during filming and discusses plot modifications with the screenwriter. Therefore, he places great importance on this part of the process, wanting to capture the actors’ feelings as they read their lines.

The atmosphere is somewhat tense. 

This time, there are many strong actors with well-developed roles. The new actors have also prepared diligently before joining the crew, and no major issues arise. After a few hours, Director Sun is very satisfied. He quickly takes his scribbled script and leaves, urging everyone to rest as soon as possible.

Almost everyone breathes a sigh of relief. 

The actors stand up in small groups, moving about freely and heading to the bathroom with their partners. Amid this brief chaos, a figure approaches Li Pu with a small stool.

“Teacher Li~” A sweet voice calls out, and several people around turn their heads. 

Li Pu looks at the woman in front of him; she looks familiar. Her name seems to be—

“I’m Tian Xin. You didn’t forget again, did you?” The woman feigns anger before bursting into a laugh. “Come on, let’s chat. You don’t mind, do you?”

Li Pu responds gently, “What do you want to talk about?” 

Tian Xin thinks for a moment, “Since we have scenes together, let’s talk about that first. It’ll save us from getting scolded by Director Sun later.”

So, Li Pu and Tian Xin discuss their scenes, then shift from the script to talk about the film crew, and finally, the conversation is completely diverted by Tian Xin to gossip and daily life.

Li Pu always maintains a friendly attitude in public, but those who are not familiar with him are often deceived by his stern expression, thinking he is hard to approach. Hearing the two chat like friends, the nearby actors can’t help but join in.

“By the way, Teacher Li, why isn’t your big white parrot live streaming anymore?” Tian Xin mentions that she is also a fan of the parrot and can’t help but ask.

“Live streaming?” Li Pu recalls the planned event by the company, “That’s all handled by my assistant; I’m not very clear about it.”

The response is what she expects: Dabai‘s live broadcasts aren’t handled by Li Pu himself, which makes sense considering his personality. Tian Xin sighs. “Such a cute little guy! He should be showing his face more.”

Li Pu does not comment. 

He realizes that Dabai is quite likable; otherwise, his agent wouldn’t be so eager to promote him. However, it seems Dabai is more popular than he initially thought.

The chat ends just like that. 

After Li Pu leaves, several new actors approach. “Sister Xin, what is this Dabai you just mentioned?”

Tian Xin laughs. “What’s going on? Don’t you guys go online?” She pulls out her phone, opens Xinghuo, and clicks on the Li Pu account she follows. A video shows a big white parrot dancing happily—it’s adorable.

The group exchanges glances, coughing awkwardly. The company has cut off their Internet access to help them focus on improving their acting skills. 

However, one person still knows some information. “I didn’t expect it to be real. I always thought it was just hype. Teacher Li is actually quite… Quite…” 

He trails off, searching for the right words.

“Quite caring!” Finally finding the right words! 

Tian Xin can’t help but laugh. “He’s also very ‘caring’ toward newcomers. If you’re worried about your acting, you can ask him for advice.”

The group shakes their heads, “No way, no way… We don’t dare…” 

Regardless, the cold image Li Pu has created is hard to shake off. Plus, he is the film emperor. They just hope to get through the filming safely; everything else is secondary.

Tian Xin nods, turning off her phone. “Let me remind you, Teacher Li doesn’t like people asking about his private life too much. You all should focus on filming! Try not to hold each other back.”

This is the truth; no one can bear the pain of being yelled at by Director Sun.

The newcomers all agree repeatedly and immediately go off to memorize their lines. 

When Li Pu returns, the originally crowded space is now empty. 

It is already lunchtime.

After a while, Li Pu realizes this and can’t help but wonder what the big white parrot is doing at home. 

It should be squatting in front of the feeder, right?

Recalling the parrot’s “dark history” of overeating, a hint of a smile appears in Li Pu’s eyes. 

I don’t even know if there’s enough food left for it… I hope that when I get back, it can still maintain its current size.

…

Bai Gaoxing is currently watching a TV drama.

To be precise, he’s watching Li Pu’s show. 

He has spent most of the day watching it.

There are no potato chips, so he struggles to pull out a bag of sunflower seeds from the drawer; without soda, he boils a kettle of water and then squats properly in front of the computer, watching the TV dramas and movies that Li Pu has previously starred in.

Before this, he is actually browsing the forum. 

But after just a short while, he finds it boring. 

Using his bird claws is difficult; he has to reach out to pull the mouse, and sitting too close to the screen hurts his eyes, making him tired and worn out from going back and forth.

He doesn’t want to play games anymore either. 

Most of the games on the market require registration, and those that don’t often match him up with troublesome players. Besides, he can’t control WASD in some web games at the same time. 

He should be happy to be online, but he just can’t feel happy right now.

It’s really strange.

The joy of being home alone dissipates faster than he had imagined. 

Bai Gaoxing lies lazily for a while, his gaze following the figures on the screen. In fact, he isn’t very interested in the drama, but because the person in it is Li Pu, he can momentarily forget about his current state and immerse himself in observation.

There are still two days left. 

On the third day, Bai Gaoxing plans to move around a bit. He activates the robot vacuum cleaner tucked away in the kitchen corner—since Li Pu isn’t home and the housekeeping staff doesn’t need to come, along with the cold wind blowing the past few days, the house has become a bit dirty.

He plays around in the living room for a while, finally driving it to clean every room in the house where the door is open.

That way, when Li Pu comes home, it will be nice and clean.

But he can’t tell him he did it; it would probably seem very magical, right?

Bai Gaoxing glances at the time, and his eyes show a hint of disappointment.

Only two hours have passed. 

What else can he do next?

Bai Gaoxing notices that the soil in the flowerpots on the balcony is a bit dry, so he runs to the bathroom, fills a small plastic cap with water, and takes it in his beak to water the flowers. 

The plants in Li Pu’s house are all drought-resistant; they can survive without watering. 

But he just wants to do it.

This way, he can pass the time and forget how long the day feels—24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds. 

The monotony seems to drive a bird crazy; he even picks up on some math.

So tiring.

Watching videos can also be exhausting. 

Bai Gaoxing sees a video showing what cats and dogs do at home when their owners are at work. 

Excited, he clicks on it, eager to learn other ways to kill time.

But the answer is wrong. 

He searches for the same question again and finds many similar videos. 

But all the answers are the same.

…Actually, they aren’t wrong.

He just doesn’t want to admit it.

It is just those one simple words.

It is “waiting.” 

The only thing he can do is wait.

…

Today is the fourth day!

Bai Gaoxing wakes up very early, and getting out of bed is quite ceremonial. He uses his beak to smooth out the wrinkles on the blanket, hoping that when someone returns, they will instantly understand how considerate he is at home.

So, when will he come back?

Bai Gaoxing turns on the computer and checks the air tickets from Chuncheng to Jiangcheng. But maybe it’s not just a plane ticket? High-speed rail or train, perhaps. 

He also checks other tickets and conservatively estimates that he’ll be back before dinner.

His mood suddenly brightens with excitement. He imagines that at some point today, someone will open the door and call him “Dabai.” It doesn’t matter who it is—Mei Youshu, the young assistant girl, or, even more surprisingly, Li Pu returning home.

The timing is too random, so he must prepare in advance.

Bai Gaoxing shuts down the computer, cleans up the excess food around the feeder, and waits. Standing in front of the door feels a bit too close—what if someone comes in and steps on him? It is a bit far in the bedroom; taking off will take time; and on the sofa, it wouldn’t be surprising enough—he could be seen at a glance.

In the end, Bai Gaoxing chooses to stand on the platform at the door; this way, he can scare them a little! 

He doesn’t know how long he waits, but soon he hears the faint sound of footsteps outside. 

Bai Gaoxing, who is almost dozing off, instantly perks up, holding his breath and waiting for someone to open the door. 

But the footsteps soon fade away. 

The crest on his head droops listlessly, fluttering like leaves swaying in the wind. 

He hears the noise, rallies his spirits, then feels disappointed.

It is a repeated cycle.

Today, there is a lot more activity outside than usual; it is either takeout or maintenance workers, and there are even people who get off on the wrong floor. 

He waited and waited until the outside turned dark, and the birdseed in the feeder overflowed onto the floor, only to finally realize: it seemed there was nothing worth waiting for today.

It is very normal; people are always busy and can’t guarantee they will be punctual.

Bai Gaoxing flies down from the platform, his claws a bit numb, and slowly makes his way to the feeder, eating a few bites of food and drinking some water before flying to the bedroom and diving into Li Pu’s bed.

The smell is already very faint.

Bai Gaoxing buries himself in the quilt, inhaling the lingering scent of the shampoo that Li Pu often uses—a subtle, pleasant fragrance.

He rolls around, ruffling his smooth feathers and even losing several in the process. But he doesn’t care; there is only one thing on his mind.

Why hasn’t Li Pu come back? Didn’t he say it would only be four days?

Bai Gaoxing has never felt lonely before, but at this moment, he can’t help but waver. If he were really a parrot, he wouldn’t keep track of the days; he would only know that he has enough food to eat, enough water to drink, and that someone will surely return.

But Bai Gaoxing would never admit defeat. He lifts the quilt and exclaims loudly, “The bed is so soft!”

But it is really cold.

He sinks low into the soft mattress, trying to wrap himself up completely, sealing himself in.

…

The fifth day. 

A storm rages outside.

Mei Youshu’s return flight is canceled.

“This… the weather is too unpredictable,” he says, scratching his hair in distress. He never thought that the weather in Chuncheng could change so suddenly. “Yesterday, they said it would rain heavily for two days. I can’t go back until at least tonight, and Sister Li has something urgent to attend to…”

He glances at Li Pu’s unhappy expression and asks tentatively, “The food left for Dabai should be enough, right?”

“It’s enough,” Li Pu replies, disapproval evident in his eyes. “But it’s been too long.”

“Yes…” Mei Youshu also feels powerless. Leaving a pet at home is already worrisome, and the longer it takes, the more he worries. What if something unexpected happens…? 

He takes a deep breath, trying to dispel the ominous thoughts, and turns to Li Pu. “Brother Li, do you have surveillance at home?”

“No.” Li Pu frowns slightly. 

Mei Youshu feels that he has said something wrong. He had suggested to Brother Li to install surveillance before, but the other party hadn’t followed through.

So he begins to brainstorm other ideas.

“If it doesn’t work, let’s ask someone to check in,” just as Mei Youshu suddenly has a bright idea, he hears Li Pu suggest this.

“What if someone takes Dabai away…” Mei Youshu adds, his concern growing. After all, a talking parrot like Dabai could easily be mistaken for an exotic pet. 

Li Pu’s frown deepens.

Mei Youshu puts forward the idea he just thought of, “Brother Li, do you remember the video camera I installed in your house before?”

Li Pu nods.

“That device also has a video call function. The number has four zeros. If it works, you should be able to see Dabai, provided that…”

“What is it?”

He laughs dryly. “The catch is that the phone must be turned on and someone has to answer it.”

That’s practically the same as saying nothing at all.

Mei Youshu wants to slap himself. Dabai is the only parrot at home; what else could he realistically expect it to do? 

Turning around, he sees that Li Pu is indeed taking out his mobile phone.

Mei Youshu doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Brother Li, I don’t think it’ll work. The phone is turned off—” 

But Li Pu turns his head and raises a finger to silence him.

“It’s working,” he says.

At that moment, Bai Gaoxing, who is buried in the quilt, is awakened by the ringing of a phone he has never heard before. 

He listens blankly for a moment before suddenly realizing what it is. With a burst of excitement, he gets out of the quilt and flies toward the living room.