I Became Famous After I Became a Parrot in the Movie Star's House - Chapter 83

The corridor is empty, and the sound of footsteps echoes eerily as it reaches the end, amplifying the strange, unsettling atmosphere.

With the cool breeze typical of this month, it feels like the perfect setting for a ghost movie.

Bai Gaoxing, who is itching to snap back, chooses not to imitate anyone this time. Instead, he uses his natural parrot voice—a tone that is slightly hoarse, mechanically inhuman, and tinged with a youthful immaturity.

Mimicking the man’s earlier words, he repeats, “Merde.”

The man freezes mid-step.

Park Jiahui turns his head, the corners of his lips pressed down but forcefully lifted into a faint smile. “Teacher Li, it seems you’ve taught it quite a bit, even… that.”

Li Pu shoots Park Jiahui a cool glance and replies flatly, “Dabai picks up words quickly. I haven’t taught it much.”

“Really?”

Park Jiahui sneers, his gaze shifting to the snow-white parrot perched on Li Pu’s shoulder. “But it’s speaking French. No one taught it? Are you saying it learned it all by itself?”

“As long as it hears the words, it’s entirely possible,” Li Pu says, his expression unchanging.

Of course, there is another reason. Dabai’s first two years, before coming to Li Pu’s home, are a mystery. He has no idea where Dabai has lived, what kind of environment it grew up in, or how much it has learned during that time.

Judging by its previous name, “Lando,” it is likely not raised in China.

But this information isn’t something Li Pu feels the need to share with Park Jiahui.

With that in mind, Li Pu gently strokes the parrot, soothing its growing unease, before turning his sharp gaze back to Park Jiahui. “So, what exactly did those sentences mean?” After a brief pause, he adds casually, “If I get the chance, I might teach Dabai myself in the future.”

Park Jiahui freezes, his expression faltering.

Then, his face darkens.

Park Jiahui had banked on the assumption that Li Pu doesn’t understand French. Using a flimsy excuse about the movie script, he had planned to mock him—confident that, even if Li Pu catches a few words, he won’t remember enough to challenge him. And even if he does, the script can always serve as a convenient shield.

That had been the plan.

But when Park Jiahui sees Li Pu, the script lines feel meaningless, so he pivots and says what he truly wants to say.

Now that Li Pu is asking for the meaning of those phrases…

Park Jiahui can’t admit the truth, nor can he fabricate a convincing lie without risking Li Pu remembering and later finding no match in the script.

Park Jiahui clenches his fists, his back teeth grinding together. Looking at Li Pu’s calm, unbothered expression, he can’t help but suspect that this is deliberate.

Still, Park Jiahui doesn’t dare disrupt the fragile civility between them.

After a long moment, Park Jiahui forces a thin smile. “There’s nothing worth learning in those sentences.”

Park Jiahui’s gaze shifts to the snow-white parrot again, and he adds, “If you want, I can teach it some practical phrases now.”

Without waiting for a response, Park Jiahui rattles off, “Bonjour” and “Bon après-midi”—“Good morning” and “Good afternoon” in French.

Bai Gaoxing sneers coldly and refuses to cooperate: “Merde! Merde! Merde!”

Park Jiahui’s face freezes, and his eyes darken as they lock onto the parrot.

Another cool breeze sweeps through the corridor, making the air hum and lifting the hems of their clothes.

“It’s time to go back,” Li Pu finally says after a long pause, his gaze directed at Park Jiahui.

Park Jiahui instinctively looks away, concealing the resentment in his eyes by glancing elsewhere.

Li Pu takes out his phone to check the time—he is already ten minutes late. He reaches out, placing the parrot back into its bag.

With a nod, he addresses Park Jiahui, his tone devoid of any emotion. “Goodbye.”

Behind him, Park Jiahui’s figure fades back into the shadows.

…

“Why are you so late?”

In the car, Lei Li glances at the time and is surprised by Li Pu’s rare lack of punctuality.

“I ran into someone and chatted for a bit,” Li Pu replies.

He opens the bird bag, letting the parrot perch on his arm, its claws lightly sinking into the fabric. Lei Li can’t help but stare at the expensive clothes.

Li Pu raises his arm and stares face-to-face with the parrot. He thinks to himself that, aside from the earlier incident, there is something more important to address.

“Forget the things you just learned.”

His calm voice fills the car, carrying a hint of command.

Bai Gaoxing clicks his beak and eyes the man suspiciously.

Did he understand or not?

It seems that he doesn’t understand, but those words are too sophisticated, as if he knows that the man doesn’t dare to say it. If he says he understands it, that question about the meaning of the words seems so sincere.

He hesitates and stretches his neck forward. “Ga…?”

“Consider that you’ve agreed.” Li Pu ruffles the parrot’s head.

“What?” Lei Li turns around, suddenly realizing. “You ran into Park Jiahui again?”

Li Pu nods. “Yeah.”

“What did he say?” Lei Li asks, though she isn’t actually expecting an answer. She answers her own question. “Anyway, it couldn’t have been anything good.”

Having worked as a manager for so many years, Lei Li is skilled at reading people. Her opinion of Paohui Entertainment has already soured when she discovered they’ve purchased an overwhelming amount of negative press about Li Pu. Her negative view of the company and its artists only deepens as time goes on.

And the facts have proven that Park Jiahui hasn’t “disappointed” her expectations.

Lei Li glances over at Li Pu, who, with a calm face and cold eyes, is focused on amusing the parrot. He seems indifferent to her words.

Perhaps ignoring him is the best way to handle it. When you simply don’t acknowledge someone, it stings more than confrontation or cold stares.

With that thought, she presses her forehead in slight frustration. She should have been used to Li Pu’s behavior by now, but she can’t help feeling a bit depressed.

After a moment, Li Pu pauses, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “You’re right. It probably wasn’t anything good.”

He uses the word “Probably.”

“‘Probably’?” Lei Li also notices the word.

Li Pu briefly explains what just happened, mentioning that Park Jiahui quoted a few lines from a movie and that it was the French from the script.

Such a diplomatic explanation.

Bai Gaoxing, who is watching with half-closed eyes, realizes that Li Pu probably doesn’t understand the words.

Lei Li sighs. “Considering how you can pick up the daily usage of a language just from filming a movie abroad, by the time you’re done with this one, you’ll know exactly what that person was saying.”

Li Pu doesn’t comment on that.

Bai Gaoxing feels relieved.

At least Li Pu doesn’t understand—thankfully, because those were certainly not nice words.

Still, he is amazed by Li Pu’s incredible learning ability.

But since he doesn’t understand… would Li Pu think he’s weird?

Bai Gaoxing quietly studies Li Pu’s face, but there is nothing to read.

In truth, when he said the first sentence, Bai Gaoxing regrets being so blunt. Although he has listened to many operas, those words definitely aren’t in any lyrics. He worries that he might end up scaring Li Pu.

But the reality is that Li Pu seems used to it and isn’t even fazed.

Still, Bai Gaoxing feels a little nervous.

… The wind is strong in the corridor back then, and his words flow continuously. He hopes Li Pu will just take it as some vague mumbling.

But that is just Bai Gaoxing’s own wishful thinking.

After returning home, Li Pu changes into different clothes, takes a shower, and goes to the bedroom to grab his phone.

It is the first time Bai Gaoxing has seen him so absorbed in the internet.

Bai Gaoxing can’t make sense of Li Pu’s actions, so he curiously jumps onto the bed and sits next to his shoulder.

Is he reading a script? Bai Gaoxing leans forward, peering at the conversation window on Li Pu’s phone.

Li Pu: [Did you bring Dabai back from Country F?]

Peter Wang: …

Holy cr*p!

Bai Gaoxing’s eyes widen, and he rubs against Li Pu’s face in distress.

What does this mean? Is he starting to suspect me?

Li Pu, thinking the parrot is just playing around, raises a hand to push him off. “I’ll play with you later.”

Bai Gaoxing becomes anxious.

He begins to spin in circles on the bed, trying to use centrifugal force to concentrate his thoughts.

I knew I shouldn’t have said anything! Li Pu must already think I’m strange, right? It’s terrifying that the bird he raised at home can suddenly speak French! What if they report it to the authorities and dissect me… Help!

Bai Gaoxing collapses onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling in despair.

But in the end, it seems that he’s still overthinking it.

Li Pu’s thoughts aren’t as supernatural as Bai Gaoxing imagines. He simply thinks that his childhood friend must have been in Country F before, which could explain the parrot’s unusual ability.

Soon after, Peter Wang replies.

Peter Wang: [Yeah! What’s this about Country F?]

Peter Wang: [Actually, I’ve checked around domestic shelters, but they mostly take in cats and dogs, so they didn’t have any parrots.]

Something probably happens when Dabai is abroad.

Li Pu turns his gaze to the parrot lying in the middle of the bed. If he thinks about it this way, Dabai’s original owner might also be Chinese; otherwise, how would Dabai know so much Chinese?

Of course, it’s also possible that it’s simply exceptionally smart.

On the other end, noticing that Li Pu hasn’t replied for a while, Peter Wang impatiently calls him instead. “Hello? What’s going on?”

Bai Gaoxing scrambles to get up to listen.

Peter Wang’s voice comes from the phone. “Is there something wrong with Dabai?”

“No,” Li Pu answers. “I just heard it say something I hadn’t heard before. It sounds like French.”

“Oh,” Peter Wang understands, thinking for a moment. “It probably learned it from there. The shelter staff said they heard Dabai say a few words, but they weren’t very clear, and it didn’t say them often.”

Li Pu remains silent.

Peter Wang scratches his head. “What’s wrong? Did it sound bad?”

“No, it was fluent.”

“Normal,” Peter Wang says. “You’ve taken good care of Dabai. All its psychological scars and stress reactions are gone. Its brain is starting to work. Why couldn’t it speak what it learned before?”

He pauses before adding, “Maybe Dabai could even pretend to be someone else—your wife, for example.”

Li Pu: “…”

Li Pu: “Alright, I’m hanging up.”

Peter Wang speaks up first. “Don’t hang up yet, I’m not done. Is it really appropriate for you to live with a twenty-something body but an eighty-something life? Be careful of the consequences of too much abstinence—”

Beep.

Bai Gaoxing looks at Li Pu hanging up the phone, a cold smile on his face—a smile he’s never seen before.

He shivers.

Having heard such private things, is he going to be silenced for good?

But Peter Wang always jokes around. Has he been addicted to isekai novels and anime about alternate worlds lately…?

Bai Gaoxing sneezes, then turns his head and sees that Li Pu is still looking at his phone.

He quickly pretends to look around, then quietly sneaks into the man’s arms, stretching his neck to once again peek at the phone screen.

【Can parrots speak two languages?】

…

In the end, the matter of the parrot speaking French is left unresolved.

Bai Gaoxing is thoroughly relieved.

Thanks to his hard work, Bai Gaoxing sings the opera that Li Pu had let him listen to—though he’s off-key. He also recites a segment from an English TV commercial he has heard by chance—though it’s all about love and romance.

Li Pu definitely understands English because, after Bai Gaoxing repeats those lines, the man stares at him for a long while and then pinches his beak shut again.

How annoying.

The day after the award ceremony, after staying home for half the day, they return to the filming location of Cute Pet Diary in the afternoon.

Today, the program team has arranged another activity.

“This time, we’re going to showcase materials brought by the guests and discuss their daily lives with pets,” the director explains to the four guests. “This will be a relaxing segment. Everyone should be in a natural state and interact with the pets casually.”

“In the evening, we’ll conduct individual interviews. Then today’s task will be over~” The director claps his hands. “Pretty simple, right?”

“It seems like today’s easy,” Liu Liang says in surprise. “No ‘torture’ this time!”

Zhang Junjun smiles and adds, “I hope the questions aren’t too weird.”

Wang Hong raises her hand. “Besides the material, do we have any of the stuff we normally film?”

The director asks mysteriously, “Guess?”

The usual works… Are they going to be on the Xinghuo platform? Bai Gaoxing, who has been calm, suddenly becomes alert.

He glances at Li Pu, who doesn’t seem to care much, then turns his gaze back to the director.

Don’t make trouble, please!!!