A tiny, snow-white egg, perfectly round and glowing softly, sat in Huo Yunyan’s palm.
This was his newest treasure—a canary egg no bigger than his pinky, carefully handpicked and bought for a hefty price. His little darling.
“It’s so small… Are you sure it’ll actually hatch into a canary?” Compared to Huo Yunyan’s hand, the egg looked ridiculously tiny. He didn’t even dare move, worried a slight twitch might mess up the yolk inside.
The man who’d delivered the egg flattered him, saying, “Mr. Huo, you don’t trust your own judgment? You picked this one yourself! I promise, it’ll hatch into a perfect canary—the best looking, with the sweetest song! It’ll sing for you every day and keep you from getting bored!”
The flattery was a bit much—and honestly, kind of annoying.
Now that the egg was safely delivered, Huo Yunyan waved the man off. “Alright. Thanks for bringing it.”
His other hand stayed still, still holding the egg so gently, like he might break it if he moved even a little. For a second, he even regretted deciding to hand-raise it.
Huo Yunyan had actually raised a canary once before, when he was a kid. They’d bought it from the local pet shop. It was already about six months old—not a baby bird anymore—so it hadn’t been too hard to take care of.
That bird stayed with him for ten years, right up until he left for college. It died the same year his great-grandfather did. In Huo Yunyan’s mind, his childhood and teenage years were filled with two warm, gentle presences: his loving great-grandfather and that soft, sweet-singing little bird.
After college, he’d thought about getting another pet. But life got busy—work kept him out early and home late. Plus, with his great-grandfather gone, no one else in the family really liked animals. So, he put the idea aside.
Five years flew by. Now, almost thirty, a big change at work made him rethink it. Earlier this year, he’d left the family business and moved south with two of his good friends. Living alone in a big, empty house made him want a companion again.
His two friends, Fu Shaoheng and Jiang Ye, lived right next door. The minute they heard he was getting a pet, they excitedly suggested a wolfdog. “Come on, it’s perfect! Cool, loyal, and great for security.”
“You walk it, we pet it!” they joked.
“No wolfdogs,” Huo Yunyan immediately shot back. “I’m getting a canary.”
“A canary?” They stared at him. “You’re getting a… person?”
“Not a person. A bird,” he said. “A tiny little bird that can sit in your palm.”
He’d assumed getting a canary would be simple—just go to the pet store a few times. But none of the birds he saw there caught his eye.
They all just… didn’t feel right. None of them had that spark his childhood bird had.
Then, by chance, he learned about hand-raising canaries—and that’s when he really got into it.
An experienced bird enthusiast told him, “Hand-raised birds are super loving! You don’t even need a cage—they’ll stick to you like glue. It’s like raising a tiny treasure, even better than a kid! Way more fun, too!”
The moment Huo Yunyan heard about hand-raising, he was completely hooked. If he couldn’t find a bird he liked at the market, why not hatch one himself?
Once that idea settled in, there was no turning back. He dove headfirst into research—how to pick an egg, how to incubate it, how to feed a baby bird—more seriously than he had when he took over the family business.
After months of digging through every source he could find, he finally found the perfect little egg.
Maybe it was just meant to be. The second he saw it, he felt a connection. It was so round and full, with a clean, shiny shell—adorable from every angle.
Now, holding it in his palm, he liked it even more the longer he looked.
But the egg was tiny. When he moved it from his hand to the incubator, he did it in super slow motion—like he was handling something priceless.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hold it longer. His body heat wasn’t warm enough, and if the egg stayed out too long, it might go bad.
“Is it okay just to leave it inside now?” Huo Yunyan kept his eyes glued to the incubator, wondering if his anxiety was normal. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something might go wrong.
Thankfully, he’d already joined a hand-raising group, full of experienced bird lovers he could ask for advice.
Turns out, being a top businessman meant nothing in the pet world. Even someone as sharp as Huo Yunyan had to start from scratch and learn humbly like everyone else.
HomeWithMyFeatherBaby: [Finally brought my egg baby home today! [photo] [photo] [photo]] He posted a few fancy pictures of his precious egg.
HomeWithMyFeatherBaby: [It’s so tiny. I’ve got it in the incubator now—just wanted to ask if there’s anything else I should watch out for? @everyone]
ThreeChickensAtHome: [Wow, what kind of egg is this? It’s beautiful! Did you use a filter?]
HomeWithMyFeatherBaby: [No filter. That’s how it looks—there’s a soft glow around the shell.]
Seeing someone praise his egg, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help but smile. He replied, [It’s a canary egg. I don’t think many people in this group raise them.]
TravelsAMileADay: [I raise canaries too! Don’t worry—your egg looks fine. Just follow the guide and be patient for the next two weeks. The hatching part isn’t too hard. It’s once they’re out that things get tricky. Feel free to reach out if you need help.]
Huo Yunyan immediately added them as a friend.
TravelsAMileADay: [You only got one egg?]
Beginners rarely go for just one, since it’s often better to have two or more for a higher success rate.
HomeWithMyFeatherBaby: [Yeah, I was picky and only liked this one. The others didn’t click.]
After a quick chat, Huo Yunyan went back to the group and saw more people complimenting the egg’s appearance. His mood instantly brightened.
Normally, he was known for being calm and composed. People saw him as a young man with a sharp mind—mature if you were being nice, calculating if you weren’t.
So when he suddenly posted a photo of a bird egg on his usually empty social media feed with the caption: “New baby at home. Wishing you a safe, healthy journey.” People were stunned. Some even wondered if they were seeing things.
Only the older folks who’d watched Huo Yunyan grow up weren’t surprised. They remembered how Old Master Huo had loved raising birds, too.
His father commented, “Yunyan, is that… a bird egg?”
His mother followed up, “You won’t get married no matter how much we push you, but the minute you get your hands on an egg, you start calling it ‘baby’? How about giving me a real grandbaby instead?”
Grandpa chimed in, “Didn’t you say you were swamped with work down south? And you still have time to play with eggs?”
A business partner joked, “Never thought I’d see this side of you, President Huo! You must really be into it, haha.”
A friend wrote, “Congrats, congrats! Something this big, and no dinner to celebrate?”
It was rare for Huo Yunyan to post anything on social media—and now that he finally did, it was… a bird egg?
As he scrolled through the flood of comments and good wishes from all directions, the knot of worry in his chest started to loosen. At least now he could tear his eyes away from the incubator and get back to work with a calm mind.
Because of the radiation from his computer, he hadn’t placed the egg in his home office. Instead, he kept it in his bedroom—so he could check on it anytime.
Whenever he had a break, he’d sit quietly in the room, just watching the egg. It wasn’t like the egg would change dramatically anytime soon, but he could still stare at it for ages, lost in thought.
Other people might not understand this kind of behavior, but to him, it felt completely normal.
Before bringing the egg home, he used to spend his free time playing polo with his two childhood friends. But lately, he’d been turning down every invitation they sent.
“You’re not seriously at home… watching the egg, are you?”
Fu Shaoheng and Jiang Ye were both amused and baffled. Huo Yunyan seemed possessed—he was taking this way too seriously. But their curiosity was officially piqued.
“What kind of egg is this, anyway? Must be something special. How about we come over and take a look?”
Huo Yunyan turned them down flat: “What’s there to see?”
What if they accidentally damaged it?
Fu Shaoheng teased, “You tell us—how many days has it been since you’ve hung out with us? The moment you leave the office, you rush home. If we didn’t know better, we’d think you were hiding some legendary beauty in there.”
Jiang Ye added, “No, no—forget beautiful women. That egg clearly has more power over you than any goddess.”
The two of them went back and forth, giving Huo Yunyan a headache.
“Fine. Come if you want. But you can look—no touching.”
He made that very clear before letting them in.
The three of them lived nearby, so it didn’t take long before his friends showed up. First stop: the bedroom. They went straight in to see the egg.
Sure, it was cute—round and chubby, with a smooth white shell—but honestly? They didn’t see what all the fuss was about.
Even if they couldn’t appreciate the magic, they knew better than to tease. Since this was Huo Yunyan’s beloved treasure, they went all in with compliments and even gave themselves honorary titles: “Second Dad” and “Third Dad.”
Huo Yunyan corrected them immediately: “It’s Second Uncle and Third Uncle. There’s only one dad.”
The two laughed and called him petty. But the moment they raised their voices, they got scolded again: “Keep it down! You’ll wake the baby.”
Jiang Ye was speechless. “How do you even know it’s sleeping? It’s the middle of the day—it might be wide awake.”
Huo Yunyan shook his head. “I told you to read more, but you always act like I’m torturing you. An embryo this small—what kind of energy could it possibly have?”
Jiang Ye: “……”
What more could he say? Huo Yunyan had already won the argument by sheer force.
Once the door shut behind them, the room returned to blessed silence. The egg—clearly annoyed by all the noise—finally relaxed. A soft glow shimmered gently across its smooth, round shell, radiating quiet satisfaction.
Strictly speaking, no matter how smart a bird is, it shouldn’t be able to sense the outside world during the early stages of incubation—let alone have preferences or emotions like “liking” or “disliking.”
But if the consciousness inside the egg happened to belong to a person, well… that would explain a lot.
Shen Jingque was stuck in a swirl of nothingness and honestly, on the verge of tears. All he did—all he did—was pray before he died, asking the heavens to let him reincarnate into anything but a human in his next life. And now look what happened.
He was reincarnated as a bird.
And not just any bird—but a bird that didn’t even get to drink the Forgetfulness Soup.
So what happened? Did the reincarnation system glitch? Or did someone on duty slack off?
At this point, there was no point in getting answers. All that mattered was that this unusually tough little egg was set to hatch in just over ten days.
Shen Jingque knew the timeline because his new owner—who was completely obsessed with the egg—kept mumbling about his expected hatch day every single day. Thanks to that, Shen Jingque was now crystal clear on his current situation.
Apparently, he’d landed himself a pretty decent human. Gentle, doting, considerate, and meticulous—definitely a lucky break, considering the circumstances. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about being neglected or mistreated once he hatched.
Since things were what they were…
Shen Jingque slowly accepted the fact that he’d been reborn as a bird. After all, staying alive was better than being dead. And if he could hatch into a healthy, well-functioning baby bird—well, that would be even better.
In his last life as a human, Shen Jingque had spent most of his short years in a hospital bed, hooked up to tubes, watching the trees sway outside his window through the seasons. His whole life had lasted just a little over ten years. What he longed for more than anything was a strong, healthy body.
And now, by the looks of it, that wish might finally come true.
His new owner kept a constant eye on him, carefully checking on him with a special light, making sure not to miss even the tiniest change.
Huo Yunyan had set what felt like a dozen alarms just to care for this egg. At specific times every day, he would gently take the egg out to “air” it a bit. Then every few days, he would candle it under a light. Before long, a little embryo could be seen inside, surrounded by a web of delicate red veins. From that point on, the changes were dramatic—new developments by the day.
Watching the new life grow inside made Huo Yunyan feel something strange and unfamiliar—half excitement, half anxiety. He was eagerly counting down the days to hatching, but also constantly worrying whether he was doing enough.
He had practically worn out every single guide on raising chicks. Honestly, if he ever became a dad, he might not even be this diligent.
As the embryo grew and took shape, Shen Jingque—who at first was nothing more than a drifting consciousness—started to feel his tiny heartbeat. It thumped softly, ba-dump ba-dump, echoing faintly inside his shell.
It was a sound only the embryo itself could hear. Huo Yunyan, outside the shell, couldn’t detect it—but he could see that the baby bird was thriving. It already had two large eyes, taking up nearly half its body.
Whether it was animals or humans, big eyes were always considered cute. Still, Huo Yunyan couldn’t help wondering aloud: “Is this little guy going to be a boy or a girl?”
Shen Jingque answered silently in his heart: Boy.
He lay comfortably in the warmth of Huo Yunyan’s palm, soaking in the soothing heat that radiated through the shell. It was warm inside the incubator too, of course—but the warmth of those steady, protective hands felt different. Better.
There was something special about being held like that, something about the way the man looked at him that made him feel like this entire egg was wrapped in love.
Unfortunately, his daily “fresh air” sessions were limited. Most of the time, he was back in the incubator, drifting in and out of sleep. The only thing that could reliably wake him up… was Huo Yunyan’s voice.
And after ten days of constant company, Shen Jingque had grown fond of that gentle, magnetic voice. Every time Huo Yunyan whispered about how much he was looking forward to seeing him, Shen Jingque would quietly respond in his heart: “Me too. I really can’t wait to meet you.”
Axolotl Translations 
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