I Became Famous After I Became a Parrot in the Movie Star's House - Chapter 21

Time passes quickly, and today is the day that Li Pu leaves for Green City.

Early in the morning, Bai Gaoxing is woken up by the sound of Li Pu dragging his suitcase. The suitcase, containing only a few pieces of clothing, looks very light. With just a small push, it glides far on its wheels, and Li Pu carries it into the living room with one hand.

Bai Gaoxing swiftly flies down from his perch and lands on the suitcase, watching intently as the man carefully inspects the water and food box.

“I’m leaving. Be good while I’m gone.”

Li Pu turns around and sees the parrot standing on the suitcase, staring at him with bright eyes. It looks like Bai Gaoxing occupies the suitcase and doesn’t want him to leave.

So, Li Pu reaches out and skillfully strokes the bird’s head, then takes out some snacks from the box and feeds it.

“Be good. I will be good,” Bai Gaoxing repeats his words twice and then hesitantly adds, “…Come back early?”

Li Pu pauses for a moment, then a hint of a smile appears in his eyes.

Bai Gaoxing watches Li Pu walk out of the house with his suitcase. A “bang” sounds as the door closes, and the house falls into complete silence.

Oh… what am I supposed to do now?

Bai Gaoxing feels unreal for a moment. After a few seconds, he remembers the balcony window and flaps his wings, flying over to peer through the glass.

Soon, Li Pu’s figure appears in his sight. He walks at a leisurely pace, but before long, he disappears from view.

Bai Gaoxing widens his eyes, pressing his head harder against the glass until the feathers on his forehead flatten. It is only after a long while that he reluctantly lifts his head and glances at the clock on the wall.

It’s eight o’clock in the morning.

They say Green City is far from Jiangcheng, and it takes two hours to get there by plane. But the promotional event will only be held in the evening. Bai Gaoxing wonders what Li Pu will do in the meantime… but given his status, he will surely eat well and have fun, just like a short vacation.

Bai Gaoxing compares their respective schedules for the day and feels sad about the huge gap between them. Today is only the first day, and he has enough food and water. The assistant probably won’t come, so he’ll have to endure this boring day on his own.

But it doesn’t matter. I will be self-reliant. Bai Gaoxing, the big parrot, stands on the sink and winks at himself in the mirror for encouragement.

…But how can it be so boring?

After watching TV, playing with the sweeping robot, taking a bath, and eating melon seeds, Bai Gaoxing sticks to the French window in boredom, watching flocks of sparrows fly outside.

What’s more terrifying is how unusually quiet it is today. The cursing starlings and the sarcastic magpies are all gone.

At this moment, Bai Gaoxing realizes that even if Li Pu doesn’t talk much when he’s home, it’s still better than staying alone.

He stands there, dazed for a while, before moving toward the aquarium.

Perhaps fearing that he might nibble on things he shouldn’t, Li Pu puts all the fish food into the cupboard before leaving, but there is still a small plate of pellet-like fish food left on top.

The fish see him and swim up, spitting bubbles and staring intently.

Since his first mishap at home, Bai Gaoxing never opens the lid of the aquarium again. However, there is a small hole in the lid, deliberately left open. With a gentle push, the fish feed can easily fall through the hole.

Using his claws, Bai Gaoxing carefully controls the amount of feed, dropping it precisely into the gap. He quietly watches as the fish scramble for food. He remembers that Li Pu hasn’t fed the fish for two days. It seems that in Li Pu’s absence, it will be up to this poor, helpless little parrot to take care of the house.

…

Meanwhile, Li Pu’s plane has just arrived in Green City.

The airport is packed with people, as the promotional event has already been announced by other actors’ studios. The crowd waiting at the exit clearly isn’t made up of regular tourists. Those holding gifts, cameras, and light-up signs with nicknames are undoubtedly fans waiting for the stars to appear.

Li Pu glances around, adjusts his mask, pulls down his baseball cap, and quietly slips out with the next wave of passengers.

The fans, unaware that the person they are waiting for has already left, whisper excitedly among themselves.

“We’ll definitely spot Li Pu this time!”

“Don’t jinx it… What if we miss him again?”

“I heard Sister Li didn’t come this time. Without her, our chances of finding him drop by more than half!”

“That’s crazy. Everyone else has a whole entourage of bodyguards, but ours always goes solo… Where’s the style? Where’s the flair?”

“You have to admit, Teacher Li’s ability to blend in is next level. On stage, he shines, but here at the airport, even plastic bottles stand out more than he does…”

Green City is a modern, developed metropolis filled with business elites dressed impeccably in formal attire, and the airport buzzes with traffic. Li Pu’s fans struggle to pick him out from the crowd, but the more they search, their vision grows blurrier the longer they look. Eventually, with the arrival of the next flight, they have no choice but to admit: they miss him again!

At the airport exit, beside a taxi, a woman greets him. “Hello, Mr. Li. I’m Lin Shi, your executive agent and temporary assistant.”

After introducing herself, she quickly outlines the plan: “Sister Li sent me the full itinerary. First, we’ll head to the hotel booked by the production team, and then the promotional event will take place this afternoon. Since we don’t need makeup artists or stylists, it’ll be straightforward. We’ll be able to head back to Jiang City after the event wraps up tomorrow afternoon.”

Li Pu nods. Lei Li has already briefed him about the arrangements. Since she can’t accompany him this time, she has found a young agent who is about to be promoted to a full-time position to assist him.

Originally, he planned to come alone.

Lei Li is flamboyant and always attracts attention wherever she goes. Spotting her means spotting him. Besides, this is just a simple promotional event; there is no need for a big entourage.

“Then let’s go,” Li Pu says.

They soon arrive at the hotel, and during the ride, Lin Shi stays in contact with the publicity team. Standing by the hotel window, Li Pu looks out at the scenery and can’t help but wonder how Dabai is doing back home.

He takes out his phone, intending to ask his assistant, but then puts it back.

It’s just two days—there shouldn’t be any problems.

After lunch and a short nap, Li Pu arrives at the promotional venue in the afternoon, fully refreshed.

The event is held in an indoor lecture hall. A thick layer of brand-new red carpet covers the floor, and the bouquets on the tables are bright and colorful. It is clear that the organizers take this promotion very seriously, almost treating it like an awards ceremony.

Li Pu is a little surprised. He has attended several promotions in other cities, but never as grand as this one.

At the door of the makeshift dressing room, Lin Shi has just finished sending a message on her phone. She turns around and sees Li Pu, now ready, coming out. Startled for a moment, Lin quickly composes herself and says professionally, “Teacher Li, I’ve already shared the promotion using your account. Do you want to check if there’s anything to add?”

“No need,” Li Pu replies calmly. “You can handle it.”

Lin Shi remains silent. It seems the rumors are true—Li Pu really doesn’t manage his personal accounts and leaves everything to his manager and assistants.

She continues, “Sister Ying will be attending today, but she’s in transit from abroad, so she’ll arrive later. The event might be delayed by about ten minutes…”

That explains it.

Hou Ying, an actress he has worked with on his last project, has been nominated for Best Actress for years and is highly respected in the industry. With her attending, it makes sense that the organizers would make the event even more grand.

Li Pu doesn’t even think to include himself in this consideration. He adjusts his cufflinks in the hallway mirror, then enters the venue to wait.

…

The cool and aloof “male god” is, indeed, cool and aloof wherever he goes.

Unbeknownst to Li Pu, the other actors who have already arrived are discreetly watching him from their seats.

To be honest, if someone greets him, Li Pu responds warmly, showing none of the diva-like behaviors or unprofessionalism that some stars exhibit. Yet, he has a reputation in the industry for being “cold.” His public social media accounts are clearly managed by his company, and he rarely attends private gatherings. However, everyone who knows him has a very positive impression. Is it his personal charm? Or perhaps his heart-stopping good looks?

Whatever it is, Li Pu is someone people find intriguing—his fans have been so starved for content that they resort to hopping between fandoms to pass the time.

“Sorry, I’m late!”

A woman with long chestnut hair walks in quickly, flashing an apologetic smile. Everyone stands up to greet her, assuring her that she isn’t late—the event hasn’t even started yet.

Li Pu looks over as well, and their eyes meet. The woman playfully winks at him.

The woman in the red gown is Hou Ying, an actress who appears younger than her years. With her pure yet seductive features, she could easily pass as a student if she isn’t wearing makeup.

Li Pu and Hou Ying are well-acquainted. She isn’t just his senior in the entertainment industry but also his senior at school, one year ahead of him.

He vividly remembers how this girl once led a group of students to sneak out of school for barbecue after evening self-study—a memory that leaves quite an impression.

“I’ll sit here!” Hou Ying declares, cheerfully sitting two seats away from Li Pu. She immediately strikes up a lively conversation with the cute young actress next to her.

Soon, the spotlights come on, and everyone sits quietly, straightening up as they switch into work mode.

The promotional event goes smoothly, filled with a lively and harmonious atmosphere. After answering his own set of questions, Li Pu finds his mind wandering a bit. Right about now, Dabai would want to watch TV…

Suddenly, a question pulls him back to reality.

“I would like to ask, how does Mr. Li interpret the concept of ‘companionship’ in this movie?”

The camera turns to him, and Li Pu quickly masks his brief moment of distraction. After a thoughtful pause, he responds, “Companionship is a mutual need. There’s a saying, ‘Companionship is the longest confession of love.’ I think the emotional bond between the two protagonists lays the groundwork for the love that follows.”

Intrigued, the reporter presses further, “If someone accompanied you like that every day, would you choose to be with them?”

Li Pu: “?

Where is this conversation going?

Noticing the curious, gossip-hungry glances from the audience, he considers for a moment before responding, “Maybe, maybe not.”

The reporter: “…” Well, Mr. Li’s walls are as high as ever.

No romantic gossip to uncover today. Let’s move on to someone else.

After putting all the actors on the spot, the promotional event finally comes to an end.

The reporters leave one by one, while several ambitious young actors gather around the director for advice. Others sit down and chat casually. The long and challenging filming process has fostered a close bond among the cast members, and they are eager to make the most of this reunion.

Most of the attention, naturally, is on Hou Ying. Snippets of her conversation float over.

“Ah! So cute! Is it noisy?”

“No, it’s super well-behaved~”

“What does it usually eat? Fruits? Vegetables?”

“Since it’s still young, I mostly feed it pellets, but sometimes I give it porridge or things like that.”

The more Li Pu listens, the more familiar it sounds. He subconsciously touches his jacket pocket, which holds some sunflower seeds—honestly, he has developed a habit of keeping nuts and snacks in the pockets of his coats, ready for any moment.

Does she have a parrot too?  he wonders, glancing over at Hou Ying, who is showing photos to everyone on her phone.

Curiosity piqued, he grabs a stool and quietly sits down nearby.

The others are so engrossed in the conversation that they don’t notice him at first.

“I heard if you raise one of these little guys, they’ll follow you everywhere. Is that true?” someone asks.

It’s true, Li Pu thinks to himself.

As if confirming his inner thoughts, Hou Ying nods. “It’s super clingy. You have to be careful not to step on it.”

“It sounds so adorable! I want to raise one too—” The cute actress clasps her hands to her chest, but when she glances up and sees Li Pu sitting close by, her words trail off.

Noticing Li Pu has quietly joined them at some point, the group collectively stiffens, and the atmosphere plunges into silence.

Wherever the aloof male god goes, silence follows.

Just as everyone is wondering why Li Pu has come over, they hear his deep voice: “You also have a parrot?”

“Huh? I have this one.” Hou Ying shakes her phone and turns it around to show him.

On the screen is a fluffy little duckling—a call duck, a breed that is quite popular.

Li Pu hesitates for a moment, then nods and says casually, “I came to listen too.”

!!! What a relief; they all thought they had offended him!

No one expects Li Pu to be interested in hearing about pet-raising experiences. Their impression of him shifts subtly—it’s hard to imagine Li Pu raising a pet, or rather, what kind of pet would he even have.

Having noticed the word “also,” Hou Ying asks, “You have a parrot?”

Li Pu gives a slight hum in response.

Li Pu thinks for a moment, takes out his phone, saves a picture from the group chat with his manager, and opens his photo album.

Wait.

He stares at the dozens of photos of Dabai being adorably silly and sweet, a look of confusion slowly forming in his eyes.

When did he take so many pictures of Dabai?

Author has something to say:

Dabai: (·ω·)  I’ve been found out!

Li Pu isn’t home, so I’m causing trouble quickly quickly quickly!