Axolotl Translations

Shen Jingque might look like a bird, but he definitely wasn’t one—he couldn’t just sit there and let his human keep kissing him in broad daylight.

Letting the guy kiss his claw was already the biggest compromise he was willing to make. But apparently, even that wasn’t enough. Huo Yunyan wiped his mouth, looking totally put out. “Don’t you know how dirty your claws are?”

The little bird instinctively glanced down at his claw. Looked fine to him?

Well, of course it looked fine—because all the dirt had already transferred to Huo Yunyan’s mouth.

Shaking his head, Huo Yunyan went upstairs to take a shower.

Yes! His playmate was back!

Shen Jingque grabbed his toy and settled in front of the bathroom door, chirping every now and then like he was nagging: “Are you done yet? What’s taking so long?”

Inside the bathroom, Huo Yunyan could clearly hear those chirpy little sounds. He instantly got the message and sighed, shaking his head. Every day after work, he had to clock in for his second job: entertaining the bird.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming.” Still dripping from his shower, he came out, towel-drying his hair. He bent down, took the toy from Shen Jingque’s beak, and casually tossed it onto the bed.

The bright yellow bird chirped excitedly and launched into the air, swooping straight toward where the toy landed.

A moment later, he trotted back with the toy in his beak, staring expectantly at Huo Yunyan to throw it again.

Huo Yunyan just stared. He knew he had a bird, but why did it feel more and more like he was raising a dog?

A very husky-like dog.

“Fine.” He gave in and threw it again while still drying his hair.

“Chirp.” The little bird brought it back again, sweetly placing it right into Huo Yunyan’s hand.

And just like that, after a long day of work, Huo Yunyan became a glorified toy-throwing machine the moment he got home.

Sure, it was kind of fun. But seriously—did this bird never get bored?

“Little Feather, how about we take a break?”

Absolutely not. The poor bird had been napping all day because no one was around to play. Now that his human was finally back, of course he was full of energy. If he didn’t burn some of it off, how was he supposed to sleep later?

Their eyes met—man and bird—and from those round, shiny little eyes, Huo Yunyan saw a firm, silent rejection.

He could only give in again. “Let me eat first. I’ll play with you after dinner.”

“Chirp~” Little Feather reluctantly agreed. He actually liked eating with his human—there was always a chance to sneak a few bites of human food off the table.

Huo Yunyan wasn’t a germaphobe, but he definitely liked things neat. Before Little Feather came into his life, he never imagined he’d be the type to let a pet stand on the dining table.

Now? This outrageous little bird didn’t just stand there—he walked around like he owned the place, tilting his head to check out one dish, then turning to inspect the next.

“What are you staring at?” Huo Yunyan said flatly. “You can’t eat any of this.”

“Chirp!”

No way! Shen Jingque waddled over to a bowl of salad, peeked inside, and stared for a few seconds. He was sure everything in there was totally fine for a bird.

“…Seriously?” Huo Yunyan let out a helpless laugh and quickly reached out to stop him, worried the little guy would dive headfirst into the bowl. “Okay, okay, I’ll feed you.”

Under the bird’s intense gaze, he picked out a shrimp, mashed it into small pieces, and said sternly, “Just this once, got it?”

Shen Jingque pretended not to hear. He knew better—when his human said “just once,” it never actually meant just once. All he had to do was act a little cute and things always went his way.

He’d totally figured out Huo Yunyan—there was no situation that couldn’t be solved by turning on the charm.

Shen Jingque liked to use his claws to eat, scooping food into his beak. Huo Yunyan sighed. “Can’t you just peck with your mouth like a normal bird? What, you think food tastes better after it’s touched your dirty feet?”

Shen Jingque thought: What do you know? It’s just a habit!

“You’re way too messy. I’m not sharing a table with you. Go eat over there.” Huo Yunyan moved the bird’s plate far, far away.

The little guy cheerfully trotted after it, completely unbothered.

His back view was so cute that Huo Yunyan couldn’t resist snapping a few more photos.

But peace didn’t last. Just when he sat down to finally get some work done, here came the little bird again—toy in beak, eyes shining with anticipation.

“…Are you the devil?” Huo Yunyan groaned. “I said we’d play after dinner. Why are you actually holding me to that?”

Shen Jingque: No lies allowed.

The tiny ball of fluff stared him down with righteous indignation, and Huo Yunyan couldn’t help but smile. He was both exasperated and thoroughly entertained. How could any bird be this ridiculous?

“Alright, alright, I’ll throw it…”

Huo Yunyan was optimistic. It’s just a bird, right? How much energy could one little fluffball possibly have? He figured a few more rounds and the bird would get tired.

Half an hour later…

“Little Feather, last one, okay?” he begged, patting his sore arm. “My hand’s about to fall off. Seriously. Last time.”

But the adorable bird showed no signs of slowing down. Zero sympathy. He was having the time of his life at his poor human’s expense.

“Chirp~” He brought the toy back again, tail wagging, eyes gleaming. Let’s go! Toss it!

Not bothering to bring it closer this time, Little Feather flew over to his favorite landing spot and waited for the toy to land like a pro.

“…Unbelievable.”

If Huo Yunyan didn’t say anything, no one would ever know what kind of nightly torment he endured.

The next morning, as Huo Yunyan got ready to head out, the little bird was still snuggled up in his nest, fast asleep.

“So this is how you ‘rest up’—just to wear me out at night?” Huo Yunyan muttered.

Then, a spark of inspiration hit him. He quietly pulled out the small birdcage… and gently scooped the sleeping fluffball into it.

When Shen Jingque woke up, he found himself in a cage. Across from him, his human was busy working at a desk…

Wait a second.

Was this an office?!

Oh no. The little bird had been forced to go to work.

Seizing a moment while Huo Yunyan wasn’t looking, Shen Jingque used his claw to unlock the latch, hopped out with a tap-tap-tap of his feet, and made his way over to his human’s hand. He poked his head in curiously—What are you working on?

Huo Yunyan was focused, face serious. Then he suddenly noticed a bird had appeared at his side.

His eye twitched. “How did you get out?”

He immediately turned toward the cage, wondering if he’d forgotten to lock it properly.

Shen Jingque looked away, refusing to answer. Luckily, he didn’t need to answer. Avoidance worked just fine.

“You hungry?” Huo Yunyan asked, immediately putting down his work to fetch water and food.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A few unfamiliar people came in, and the sudden noise startled Shen Jingque—who flew straight onto Huo Yunyan’s head.

“…Seriously?” Huo Yunyan froze.

So did the people who just entered.

One of them, a familiar face, burst out laughing. Fu Shaoheng said, “Hey, isn’t that Little Feather? What’s he doing at the office today?”

“Chirp~”

Little Feather gave him some face. Once he realized it wasn’t a threat, he flapped down from Huo Yunyan’s head to perch comfortably on his shoulder—much safer here.

“You free right now?” Huo Yunyan asked. “Take him with you for a bit, I still have work to do.”

Fu Shaoheng didn’t think much of it and agreed.

Shen Jingque actually liked this handsome, elegant “Uncle Fu.” He wasn’t scared of him at all. After nibbling some food, he was feeling lively again.

Of course, Huo Yunyan had packed toys in his bag.

Soon enough, the little bird grabbed one in his beak and trotted over to Fu Shaoheng—Let’s play!

“…?” Fu Shaoheng blinked. Wait, this bird actually knows how to play fetch? That’s… impressive.

At first, he happily played along. But soon he realized… there was no end in sight.

“Little Feather, Uncle’s getting tired. Can we take a break?” Fu Shaoheng adjusted his glasses, starting to doubt Huo Yunyan’s motives.

Another forty minutes passed.

Worn out by this tiny energy monster, Fu Shaoheng was now sure—he’d been set up.

With a completely defeated look, he brought the bird back to Huo Yunyan’s office. One glance at his face, and Huo Yunyan couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

“I give up. He’s relentless. You deal with him,” Fu Shaoheng muttered as he placed the bird down and made a swift escape.

But Huo Yunyan still had work to do. He tried negotiating. “How about I find you a pretty lady to keep you company, hmm?”

Shen Jingque pecked his hand angrily. I don’t want a pretty lady! Why should she be allowed to spoil me?!

“Suit yourself,” Huo Yunyan said, shrugging. “I’ve got things to do. You’re on your own for now.”

When he finally looked back again…

The little bird was curled up against his hand, fast asleep.

The fluffy little puffball was fast asleep—and he looked adorable.

Yeah, great. Napping now meant he’d be wide awake and bouncing off the walls tonight.

That wouldn’t do.

Huo Yunyan came up with a plan. He grabbed his phone, opened a video app, and pulled up a nature documentary about birds.

“Little Feather, don’t sleep. Time to learn something.”

Wasn’t this little guy tone-deaf? The least he could do was watch and learn. He couldn’t just eat, sleep, and play all day.

The sleepy bird cracked open one eye and gave him a low-energy side-eye.

Is this guy serious right now?

Ever since raising Little Feather, Huo Yunyan had picked up a few of his bad habits himself. “You don’t know anything yet, this is the perfect age to learn! You shouldn’t just be thinking about sleeping all the time. How can you sleep so much?!”

Woken up against his will, Little Feather hopped onto his shoulder and immediately pecked his ear in protest.

It was a weird feeling. Huo Yunyan touched his ear, slightly stunned.

After getting his revenge, Shen Jingque turned to the video. But the bird documentary was so boring. He waited until Huo Yunyan wasn’t looking, then quietly switched to another show.

Annoyingly, Huo Yunyan always caught him—and switched it back.

And every time, he’d scold, “Keep your claws off the screen.”

In the video, a canary was singing beautifully. Truly worthy of its title as nature’s songbird.

Listening to it made Huo Yunyan feel nostalgic. If only Little Feather could sing like that too…

He glanced at the completely unmotivated bird and suddenly had a bad feeling—like maybe… he’d never get to hear Little Feather sing in his lifetime.

“You’ve got such a nice voice. You really can’t give me a little song or two?” he asked, still a bit unwilling to give up hope.

Shen Jingque was just as frustrated. How should I know how to sing? That’s like asking a cat to bark!

“Forget it,” Huo Yunyan sighed. “No point rushing a hot tofu.”

The bird muttered internally: No point rushing? Please, even if you burn a hole in the pot, you’re not getting any tofu out of it.

Then Huo Yunyan noticed something strange—whenever he wasn’t looking, the bird kept tapping the screen. This was no accident.

He narrowed his eyes. “Little Feather… do you not like watching bird videos?”

The little guy didn’t move a feather—completely absorbed in the evening soap opera he had secretly switched to. It would be rude for a person to ignore someone like this, but for a bird? Totally fine.

“So focused, huh?” Huo Yunyan mused aloud. Then, taking a wild guess, he asked, “Wait—do you just not like watching other birds? Is it because they’re prettier? Or better singers?”

And just like that, the psychological warfare began.

The little bird, completely absorbed in the drama, finally gave Huo Yunyan a look—a lazy, disinterested one that seemed to say: If I slack off hard enough, no one can force me to hustle.

Well. The bird loved soap operas, and honestly, Huo Yunyan couldn’t do anything about it. What else could he do besides let him watch?

Still, he hadn’t given up on the dream of teaching his feathered roommate to sing. Since video learning wasn’t working, he figured—why not go big? He’d throw a little canary meetup.

There were plenty of canary owners in the city. As long as he was willing to organize and foot the bill, surely some fellow bird lovers would show up.

And so, Huo Yunyan—stressing himself out for Little Feather’s bright future—quickly put together a gathering. It was set for the weekend.

Shen Jingque, naturally, had no clue. He just thought they were going out for fun.

That is… until they arrived.

He looked around. Birds. Birds everywhere. Chirping nonstop. A whole flock.

What the—

He shot a glare at Huo Yunyan, full of resentment.

As a socially anxious bird, would it kill you to at least ask me next time before setting me up like this?!

Make friends?

Why? We don’t even speak the same language.

Huo Yunyan, who had painstakingly organized the whole event, soon realized the harsh truth: his bird had zero interest in mingling, let alone singing in a group.

All that time, effort, and money?

Yeah… totally wasted.

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