Future Pet Shop-Chapter 37: I’m Done Singing, Now It’s Your Turn

Cheeky was quite pleased with this enthusiastic reaction. He said proudly, "I learned many famous songs from your era before I came. Besides ’Little Apple,’ I also know ’Love Trade,’ ’Tentative,’ ’Wrong, Wrong, Wrong,’ ’Gangnam Style’... so which one do you want to hear?"

Shen Yibin was floored. ’Who on earth taught this parrot? Why is it full of nothing but viral hits? This is a pet shop, not some tacky hair salon!’

"Uh, can we try a different one? Like, ’Chasing Dreams with a Red Heart’ or something?" Shen Yibin suggested a song he actually liked. ’Anything’s gotta be better than those meme songs.’

"Never heard of it." Cheeky tilted his head, pondering for a moment before shaking it. "But just let me hear it once or twice, and I’ll definitely learn it." It was clear the parrot loved to sing. The moment the topic was raised, he even forgot his usual long-windedness.

"No problem, I’ll find it for you right now." ’This parrot is a musical genius!’ Luckily, finding anything online was easy nowadays. Shen Yibin swiped on his phone a couple of times and quickly started playing the song. "Where is that world full of flowers? If it truly exists, then I will surely go. I want to stand on its highest peak, and I don’t care if it’s a cliff’s edge. Live hard, love hard, even if it costs me everything. I seek no one’s approval, only to be true to myself..."

Cheeky closed his eyes slightly, extending a wing and subconsciously tapping out the beat in the air. It seemed to be savoring the song’s rhythm. A low hum came from his throat, following the melody. It sounded a bit rough at first, but as the music continued, the parrot grew more and more proficient until his pitch blended perfectly with the original recording.

When the song ended, Shen Yibin hit replay. Halfway through the third time, Cheeky opened his eyes. "Alright, I’ve learned it. You can turn the music off now."

’Seriously, aren’t you learning a little too fast? If every student was like you, all the music schools in town would go out of business.’

CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP! Shen Yibin and Hah’Er applauded in unison. "Let’s welcome Cheeky with his new song!"

"I’ve told you already, my noble name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruíz y Picasso—" Seeing Shen Yibin tossing a fig up and down, Cheeky’s voice trailed off. "Alright, fine. You’re the boss." Between his name and a delicious snack, he chose the snack. You can’t argue when someone’s feeding you, after all.

"Ahem, I’m ready to begin." Cheeky cleared his throat twice, and then a low melody began to play. "Where is that world full of flowers? If it truly exists, then I will surely go. I want to stand on its highest peak, and I don’t care if it’s a cliff’s edge. Live hard, love hard, even if it costs me everything. I seek no one’s approval, only to be true to myself..."

Gradually, his voice swelled from a low hum to a passionate crescendo. "...Run forward, facing cold stares and ridicule! How can you feel life’s expanse without enduring hardship? Fate cannot make us kneel and beg for mercy! Even if our chests are filled with our own blood, keep running, with the pride of an innocent heart..."

Shen Yibin was completely stunned, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. He stared wide-eyed at Cheeky’s tiny frame. ’How could such a powerful and passionate voice erupt from such a small body? How in the world did he do it?’

"Ooh~" Hah’Er was just as mesmerized. Its full attention was captivated by Cheeky’s beautiful singing, and the fig it had just taken from Shen Yibin fell to the floor. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"AHHH—my fig!" Cheeky’s song cut off abruptly. He flapped his wings frantically, trying to catch the fig before it hit the ground, but he wasn’t fast enough. The fig landed on the floor.

"Oh, my heavens!" Cheeky collapsed onto the floor as if all life had left him. Then, struggling back up, he laid into Hah’Er. "Don’t you know figs aren’t as tasty after they’ve been dropped? WAHHH, how could you do this to me! You must be jealous of my beautiful voice! You can’t even hold a single fig—what good are you?! WAAAAAHHHH..."

He sounded so utterly wronged that even Hah’Er began to feel guilty. It climbed off the sofa, crouched down in front of Cheeky, and pressed its front paws together, whining softly as if to apologize.

"Alright, alright, Cheeky. Hah’Er didn’t mean to. Your singing was just too captivating! We were both so mesmerized that it just slipped," Shen Yibin quickly interjected to console him. "Don’t worry about the dropped fig. There are plenty more in the fridge. Tomorrow, I’ll even check other supermarkets and see if I can find any other fruits from the Amazon."

"Mmph!" Hah’Er seemed to realize that just whining wasn’t enough; it had to show its remorse through action. So, it immediately scrambled up to the second floor on its stubby legs, grabbed several figs from the refrigerator, and presented them to Cheeky.

"Uh, well..." Cheeky’s gaze darted back and forth between the figs in Hah’Er’s paws and the one on the ground. He muttered to himself, "I think it landed on the carpet first... so it’s probably not damaged. It should still be edible, right? Wasting food is a bad habit, after all."

Shen Yibin quickly picked up the fig and wiped off the dust. ’Damn it, am I really getting lectured by a parrot?’ "You’re right, it’s not damaged at all. Perfectly edible."

"Phew." Cheeky breathed a sigh of relief, immediately fluttering over to snatch the fig from Shen Yibin’s hand. "In that case, I have decided to forgive both of you."

After carefully placing his dinner on the coffee table, Cheeky flew over to Shen Yibin’s phone and curiously eyed the music player interface. "What other songs do you have? I want to learn a few more."

"No problem! Can you sing any Jay Chou?"

"Hmph hmph ha hey, hurry up and use your nunchucks, for the benevolent are invincible!" This song seemed perfect for showcasing Cheeky’s glib tongue, and he sang the "hmph hmph ha hey" part with great gusto.

’Huh? Besides Chinese songs, I wonder if he can do other languages?’ After Cheeky learned a few more Jay Chou songs, a sudden idea struck Shen Yibin. He pulled up a Michael Jackson track.

"So beat it, just beat it! You better run, you better do what you can..." Not only did Cheeky sing it flawlessly, but he even started imitating Michael Jackson, sliding back and forth across the coffee table in a moonwalk.

’Do you have to be this badass? How could I ever bring myself to sell you now?!’ Shen Yibin knelt on the sofa, mouth wide open, as he watched Cheeky’s performance.

"Phew... I’m exhausted." When the song was over, Cheeky flopped onto his back on the coffee table, limbs splayed out. His chest heaved. He had just sung several songs in a row while jumping and dancing, and the little guy was completely wiped out.

"I’ve sung so many songs. Isn’t it your turn now?" Cheeky stared at Shen Yibin with his beady little eyes.