I Became Famous After I Became a Parrot in the Movie Star's House - Chapter 58

A few days ago, Peter Wang made arrangements with the crew and Li Pu to visit the set today.

Upon arriving at the bird room where Li Pu is supposed to be, he knocks on the door.

Hmm…

He gets the wrong one. The pervert burying his face in the chest of a white bird can’t possibly be Li Pu.

He quickly shuts the door.

Wait—a white bird? Dabai!?

Peter Wang opens the door again, and locking eyes with the two people inside, he sees the familiar face.

It is indeed his childhood friend.

“I didn’t expect… you two have progressed this far,” Peter Wang says as he sits down on the sofa, holding a teacup and sighing.

Li Pu: “… Drink your water.”

“Even plain water isn’t that good, huh? How about some jasmine tea?” Peter Wang teases, reminiscing, “I remember how you kept refusing to keep Dabai, but it was all thanks to me that I brought him to you~Isn’t that right, Dabai?”

The sudden mention of his name catches Bai Gaoxing’s attention.

Looking at the smiling golden retriever in front of him, Bai Gaoxing instinctively shrinks back into the corner of the sofa, inching away.

Ugh, seriously. This is so awkward.

But Peter Wang still comes over.

“Let me see. He’s well cared for, white and fat—oh, you want to peck me!? What’s with the bad temper?”

Bai Gaoxing puffs up his wings, pretending to be fierce, then flutters over to stand on Li Pu’s shoulder.

The conversation then shifts back to normal.

“Why did you come here by yourself?” Li Pu asks as he finds a bag of jasmine tea for him. “It’s too much trouble for you to come all the way here. Wouldn’t it be easier if I just had someone bring it?”

Peter Wang wipes his face, plucks a stray feather, and turns to look at the birdhouse. “Not bad, the place Dabai lives in is even bigger than my old studio.”

Li Pu glances at him. “After all, he’s an actor with a contract.” He pauses. “Why did you suddenly think of visiting here?”

“It’s just a coincidence. I’m out looking for inspiration and find you right next to me. So, I come to see you,” Peter Wang says, his gaze shifting horizontally, “and Dabai.”

Bai Gaoxing eyes Peter Wang suspiciously, his intuition telling him the man has a reason for showing up.

Li Pu, knowing his childhood friend well, cuts to the chase: “Spit it out, what’s going on?”

“Ahem…” Peter Wang’s eyes wander for a moment. “Do you remember what we agreed on before?”

“Before…? What?” Li Pu asks, confused.

Oh—oh! I remembered!

Listening to the conversation between the two, Bai Gaoxing suddenly has a thought and remembers the agreement they made during the video call in the underground garage.

Sure enough, Peter Wang’s next words confirm his suspicion: “It’s about the magazine shoot.” He continues, “Our next issue is about to start shooting. The photographers for each series are all busy, but we’ve already found a model for the gem series that our team is handling—It’s Dabai.”

Hearing this, Li Pu instinctively glances at the parrot on his shoulder and thinks for a moment.

Filming on set is already demanding enough. Do we really need to pull Dabai out for something else…?

Before Li Pu can respond, Peter Wang quickly cuts in, “Please!! Can you bear to see me apologize and tell the whole team ‘no’ when they’re all expecting it?”

Li Pu: “Well…”

“Let me remind you, you’ve already agreed!” Peter Wang says, sounding almost righteous. “So even if Dabai’s super popular now, you can’t just casually refuse. Besides, we’re offering a lot!” His tone falters slightly, as if unsure that this reason will be enough to persuade Li Pu.

Li Pu falls silent for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he raises his hand to scratch the parrot’s soft head. “Do you want to go?”

Bai Gaoxing, who has been entertained by the conversation between the two, is momentarily caught off guard.

He’s asking me?

He observes Li Pu and notices the faint smile in his eyes, and how much more relaxed he seems after this brief interruption. Bai Gaoxing’s heart softens, and he changes his mind.

Well, in that case, he won’t hold back!

Bai Gaoxing clears his throat and declares loudly to Peter Wang, “I want to go!”

Peter Wang claps his hands in delight. “See! Dabai said he wants to go!”

Li Pu: “… “

Why do I feel like I’ve seen this scene not long ago?

After agreeing, the two of them, along with the bird, wander through a quieter area of the set.

“But I was really surprised when you said you brought Dabai to film,” Peter Wang says, walking ahead and looking back with a smile. “It seems you really can’t leave him, huh?”

Li Pu doesn’t change his expression. “It’s too lonely to leave him alone at home.”

“Oh~~” Peter Wang nods knowingly. “I still want to say, you’re definitely in a much better state after raising Dabai.” He glances at Li Pu. “When I just came back to China, you were so scary.”

“…Okay?” Li Pu pauses and recalls, but he doesn’t really feel as though he’s been that immersed in it at the time.

“You’ve probably just gotten used to it, so you don’t think it’s a big deal anymore.” Peter Wang shrugs and suddenly laughs. “I find you two really interesting. Dabai’s been raised by you, and now it’s like you’ve been raised by Dabai. Is this some kind of two-way redemption story?”

Li Pu looks at him, speechless.

Compared to Li Pu’s occasional remarks, Peter Wang is so talkative that even when Bai Gaoxing becomes distracted by the scenery, Peter Wang’s endless chatter fills his mind with stories—ranging from what Li Pu did in kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high school… If this continues, Bai Gaoxing feels like he’ll learn every embarrassing detail of Li Pu’s life!

Oh, wait, it seems there’s no embarrassing history, just someone else’s child.

Bai Gaoxing looks up at the sky.

Time passes quickly, and the sky gradually darkens. The visit is drawing to an end.

“Let’s stop here, I’ve called a car.” The blonde man pauses at the intersection, bends down, and looks at the parrot in the cage. “Come on, say goodbye!”

Bai Gaoxing looks at him, puffs up a wing, and waves. “Goodbye~”

“So good!”

Bai Gaoxing is rubbed affectionately, and immediately begins tidying his feathers, frowning slightly in the process.

The streetlights flicker on, casting a soft glow. Peter Wang stands for a moment, then smiles and lightly punches Li Pu’s shoulder. “Alright, we’ll talk more after the shoot.” Li Pu’s brows soften with a relaxed smile. “Of course.”

After getting in the car, Peter Wang doesn’t forget to open the window and reminds again: “I’ll send you an email. You must read it! At the latest, next month!” His voice echoes down the quiet street.

Watching Peter Wang leave, Li Pu and Bai Gaoxing exchange a glance in the cool evening breeze.

“Squawk.” Bai Gaoxing rests his claw on Li Pu’s hand.

The silence lingers for a moment before Li Pu sighs helplessly. “Dabai, you’re going to be busy soon.”

Don’t say it like that! This is just an opportunity for me to get out for some fresh air!

Bai Gaoxing pecks his fingers lightly and holds one of them with his claws, offering what little comfort he can. Of course, it’s not like he wants to go out and play!

… Another day passes, and the actress who plays the empress finally returns.

Bai Gaoxing is having dinner when he receives the news. He pulls his head out of the lunchbox, millet husks falling from the corners of his beak.

“Tonight?”

“Yes.” The trainer who came to inform him looks at Bai Gaoxing. “Today’s reshoot is a night scene.”

It is a dark and windy night when Bai Gaoxing is taken to Changning Palace. From a distance, he can see the palace scenery that has been set up for the shoot.

“Come and see the results of our work these past few days.” Director Sun steps forward to greet them, and Li Pu immediately brings over the cage.

The palace is brightly lit, warm light filling every corner. The fluffy white parrot seems to glow, bathed in a soft orange light from the candlelight.

Huang Shaqing smiles and teases, “I didn’t expect the movie emperor to personally hand Dabai over to me. What an honor.”

“You wish. Hand him over to you?” Director Sun glances at her and smiles. “Teacher Li is Dabai’s owner. He’ll keep an eye on things from the sidelines, and Dabai can relax.”

Huang Shaqing pats her chest. “Then I’m really a little nervous. Teacher Li, if my technique is wrong later, please remind me.”

Li Pu replies, very good-tempered, “No problem.”

While the others are chatting, Bai Gaoxing has already jumped onto the table and started looking around.

Next to the table, Huang Shaqing, dressed in light-colored clothes, lowers her head under the candlelight. Her eyebrows and eyes hold a hint of fragility and paleness.

The role of the empress seems gentle and mild, but in fact, she is paranoid and vicious. The strong contrast in her character gives the screenwriter plenty of room to explore, and she is also one of the most popular female characters in the original work.

The empress is the cousin of the emperor, somewhat repressed and reserved.

In the past few days, Bai Gaoxing has learned about the important characters through various channels—specifically, the important villains.

Aside from the top final boss played by Li Pu, the empress is also a major obstacle on the heroine’s journey, possessing a tragic backstory and her own unique style.

As for the scenes added by the director involving her and the parrot… they are meant to show her rare tender moments.

“Dabai, come here!” Huang Shaqing seems to notice Bai Gaoxing’s gaze, raises her head, grins, and breaks the tranquil atmosphere.

Huang Shaqing is perfect for the role of Xiao Bailian: fragile in appearance, with a soft voice, yet very straightforward. According to crew gossip, Director Sun was torn during the initial auditions, but he was eventually swayed by her exceptional acting skills.

So… the director usually likes to say to her: “Control your expression!”

Huang Shaqing immediately falls silent.

The sound microphone is suspended above them, and Bai Gaoxing is perched on the shelf next to them. They are shooting a scene where the empress reads quietly under the lamp, with the parrot always by her side.

The camera circles them and moves in close. Initially, both the director and Li Pu are worried the parrot might be frightened and flutter away, but to their surprise, it remains perfectly still on the shelf, cooperating the entire time.

Director Sun is so impressed that he is speechless.

Li Pu glances at the parrot, and his frown relaxes a little.

After filming the scene, Huang Shaqing stands up and walks to the cage, extending her hand toward the parrot.

“When you touch it, be gentle. Aside from the character’s personality, if you touch it too roughly, Mr. Li won’t be happy.” Since the filming has gone smoothly all day, Director Sun is in the mood to make a joke.

“I understand!” Huang Shaqing replies earnestly.

Bai Gaoxing eyes her hand cautiously, scratching his cheek.

“It won’t bite, right?”

“No,” Li Pu replies.

“Then… could you demonstrate for me?” Huang Shaqing asks, pleading.

There is no reason to refuse. Li Pu walks over to the table and skillfully strokes the bird’s head.

Bai Gaoxing hums at the touch, noticing that Li Pu’s technique has improved once again.

“Is this how it’s done?” Not long after, Huang Shaqing masters the technique of gently stroking the bird.

Bai Gaoxing is getting rubbed all over, feeling dazed. He can’t take it anymore. It is too comfortable. He has to control himself!

“There aren’t many scenes left to reshoot tonight. Let’s finish early and leave work on time!”

At the director’s command, the shooting resumes, and Huang Shaqing immediately gets back into character.

In the camera frame, the delicate and beautiful woman gently teases the snow-white parrot, her eyes soft and warm as if she were looking at someone through it.

To be honest, Bai Gaoxing is quite surprised that an empress would keep a parrot by her side. Parrots mimic others, which could be very risky. There’s a saying, “I dare not speak in front of a parrot.” The empress, who is highly intelligent and emotionally aware, doesn’t seem to take precautions. Could this be foreshadowing something?

Bai Gaoxing is multitasking, pondering the plot while casually interacting with the actress playing the empress.

The shot is simple, just a light pat on the head and teasing with a soft rod, but that is fine for people. For a parrot, though, you have to worry about it reacting inappropriately.

Director Sun watches anxiously from the sidelines, his brow furrowing, but he relaxes once the entire shot is completed without any incidents.

“Very good.”

Director Sun checks the footage and smiles with satisfaction.

Once the filming for the night wraps up, the atmosphere on set immediately lightens. Many people start packing up, while others gather around, eager to see Dabai.

It’s fine to watch, so Li Pu doesn’t mind the friendly curiosity of the crowd. He gently strokes the parrot’s soft body with his fingers.

Director Sun observes the happy scene under the warm light and can’t help but squint, imagining Li Pu playing with the bird while dressed in his official uniform.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration strikes him, and all the previously discarded plotlines click into place! A new dynamic between the characters forms in his mind.

“So this is why you want to change the script so late?” The screenwriter stares at him, eyes wide.

“Don’t you think it fits?” Director Sun gestures excitedly. “Let Dabai be raised by him, then given to the empress—adding all the love, hatred, and vengeance. Imagine, dying without being able to part with the parrot that exposed all her schemes! It makes perfect sense for the character!”

Bai Gaoxing doesn’t quite get it at first, until Huang Shaqing bursts into laughter, and Li Pu’s face shows surprise.

Pfft…!

Author’s Note:

#In and Out of Character#

Future audience: I’m obsessed!