Chapter 232

Ling Yue startled, then immediately looked toward the source of the sound.

Others in the waiting lounge were the same.

In Ru Tan's cat carrier beside her, a purebred cream-colored Persian cat half-raised, baring its claws, its long fur flying wildly inside the carrier; it looked extremely agitated and uneasy, its exploded fur like a tangled mess, strands sticking up.

Ru Tan reacted first, anxiously looking at the Persian cat: "Guo Guo, what's wrong?"

She hurriedly opened the cat carrier, never expecting the exploded Persian cat to leap out, giving no time to react, its round big eyes flashing with a fierce light.

Ru Tan, overly worried, reached out in panic; in the next moment, the usually docile Persian cat fiercely scratched her.

Ru Tan cried out "Ah!" not from fear but panic; she knew Guo Guo's temperament best—it was a bold little cat that had once traveled with her years ago—why such a huge reaction this time?

The culprit, Guo Guo, slipped and darted under the sofa.

The accident came suddenly; no one expected it.

After reacting, the crew immediately checked the situation; others expressed concern, Ru Tan moved her hand from her wrist, revealing several bleeding scratches.

On the woman's jade-white wrist, blood beads like red plum blossoms seeped out, especially gruesome and terrifying.

She furrowed her brows tightly, yet forced a smile: "I'm fine; our Guo Guo is vaccinated, and I, as a cat owner, have also had the preventive vaccine."

After saying that, she pulled out a silk scarf to wipe; before anyone could relax, she half-squatted, anxiously staring at the gap under the sofa, softly saying: "Guo Guo, Guo Guo, come out; Mom is here, I'm Mom."

Beside him, top-tier Xu He subtly curled his lip, pretending so convincingly.

Only the netizens watching the live stream knew she had no need to pretend!

As a renowned film queen, Ru Tan's representative works are too many to count; even if she gradually reduced output in pursuit of perfection, her high-loyalty fans never left.

She also gladly shares her daily life in the big-eyed forum; all who follow her know her idol is a literal poop-scooper, loving pets as life.

This Persian cat named Guo Guo is her pet, even more her beloved heart and soul; Ru Tan often posts short videos, on screen speaking softly to Guo Guo, making listeners feel half-melted.

Guo Guo also lived up to Mom's expectations, possessing all the gentleness, obedience, and clinginess a Persian cat should have, sitting there obediently, causing many netizen parents to feel pity.

But now, in the lowered camera lens, the dark sofa underside clearly shows Guo Guo's state—it has none of its former docility, its whole body filled with restless unease, its exploded fur indicating its mood is terribly bad.

The cat crouched in the shadow, its cream-white fur seeming stained with a layer of darkness, like a moldy big fur ball.

On the live-stream room screen, countless netizens left comments.

【What on earth is happening? How could Guo Guo suddenly go mad?】

【Heavens, that wound is bleeding, and Teacher Tan still hasn't forgotten to look for Guo Guo—what on earth stimulated Guo Guo?】

【What to do? The show has just started filming, and already this happened—truly one twist after another!】

This is also what everyone who witnessed the whole process thought.

Some felt sympathy, while others harbored different thoughts.

Xu He suddenly spoke: "Is Guo Guo stressed? Is it because of stimulation?"

Ru Tan pressed her lips, just as she had thought—utterly impossible; she firmly rejected that excuse, not realizing this was exactly Xu He's plan.

Their variety show is actually just traveling with cute pets, no grouping, but with this bunch going out, closeness and distance will inevitably arise.

He wanted to use Guo Guo's incident to connect with Ru Tan.

The other party, having maneuvered for years in the circle, leaking a little something, would be enough for him to feast abundantly.

A dark glint flashed in Xu He's eyes; before she could rebut, he said directly: "Teacher Tan, don't rush—maybe it was just frightened, suddenly arriving in an unfamiliar environment, unable to adapt."

Not only him, others also said this, making Ru Tan waver; she pressed her lips: "I'll wait for the doctor."

After she said that, her gaze locked onto the sofa underside; the cat's pupils, under the flashlight's beam, refracted a faint green light.

Ling Yue found it most unpleasant; at the same time, she heard Guo Guo's endless negative thoughts from its heart.

"Why am I still not dead? Nobody likes me—let me die……"

"It feels awful…… she doesn't like me anymore……"

"She doesn't love me…… she wants to abandon me…… snivel……"

Filled heavily with death, despairing pitiful phrases make one's heart feel sour; the kitten's state like a walking corpse also lets Ling Yue faintly guess.

She was about to help, but hadn't acted yet when a strange male voice echoed in the waiting lounge.

Xu He: "Teacher Tan, you forgot—we still have external aid here!"

His words left everyone bewildered; Xu He suddenly turned, staring fixedly at Ling Yue: "I've watched your livestream—you can communicate with animals; can you first save Guo Guo? I believe you can definitely save Guo Guo!"

Ling Yue heard and frowned—surely can?

Although she had ninety percent confidence, she dared not say "certain"; besides, what if she couldn't save the cat?

Ling Yue truly didn't know when she had formed a grudge with that person.

If Xu He knew her thoughts, he would surely laugh; Ling Yue hadn't provoked him—rather, he actively provoked Ling Yue, because among all guests present, Ling Yue had the lowest status!

It was also his chosen best stepping stone.

Now nobody has any footage, nobody stands out; he wants to use this matter to take the lead, rise first, and attract a wave of popularity.

Ling Yue hadn't even entered the entertainment circle when she was first smeared with malice; she took a deep look at Xu He, then turned to Tan Ru, saying: "Teacher Tan, please get up first—I'll talk with it."

Ru Tan looked at her half-believing, half-doubting, about to refuse, when Xiang Xi's earlier words suddenly echoed in her mind; she said nothing, and Ling Yue already half-squatted.

In an instant, the tense atmosphere in the room from the sudden incident eased; everyone focused intently on Ling Yue.

The moment she squatted, Ling Yue opened her healing halo to the max; her aura was gentle like water, and even the perpetually uneasy cat gradually calmed down because of her.

"Guo Guo, can you come out? Teacher Tan is very worried about you—look, she's always stayed by your side; it won't abandon you."

"Abandon?"

Hearing that, Ru Tan furrowed her brows—how could it be? Her favorite is Guo Guo; how could she abandon Guo Guo!

Xu He was even more contemptuous, a cold smile in his eyes—she and this cat have interacted only a few minutes, hardly any communication; how could she convince it just by speaking?

Fake! She's just a fraud!

Ru Tan completely didn't understand Ling Yue's words—what was she saying? Abandon?!

She opened her mouth to retort, when a soft exclamation suddenly sounded from the side, as if by telepathy lowering her eyelids; the nearby staff member even more astonished raised the camera.

In the waiting area, including the live broadcast room, everyone could see that fluffy paw; as time passed, the autistic and irritable Persian cat slowly crawled out from under the bed.

Its fur was messy and disheveled, completely unlike the little princess appearance it had when first seen; just now it had darted under the bed, and who knows how much dust it had rubbed onto its body.

It looked very dirty.

Ru Tan, eyes red, scooped it up into her arms: "Guo Guo, Mommy's Guo Guo, you just scared Mommy to death!"

Her heart pounded as she spoke.

Guo Guo was her child, her heart and soul treasure; just now, during that time, her mind felt like it was turning into a paste.

The kitten in her arms let out a soft, coquettish meow, then suddenly lowered its head, licked its belly, and its long fur swayed in a wave, like seaweed swaying on the seabed.

Strangely, the obedient cat and its previous appearance were completely like two different cats.

Only Ling Yue knew that the matter wasn't over yet.

She merely relied on her healing aura and part of her guesswork to temporarily soothe the cat Guo Guo; more importantly, she needed to know Guo Guo's true current condition.

Before Ling Yue could even ask, Ru Tan, heartfelt and convinced, hugged the cat and thanked her, her eyes red-rimmed: "Thank you! Thank you for saving our family's Guo Guo!"

Seeing her grateful gaze, Xu He felt jealousy flare up, his heart nearly exploding, and yet Ling Yue still prompted him.

Ling Yue said: "I also have to thank Mr. Xu for speaking up for me; if he hadn't persuaded you, I wouldn't have this opportunity now."

Ru Tan smiled, glanced at Xu He, whose expression stiffened, forcing a twitch at the corners of his mouth; at this moment he must have been fuming enough to curse and stomp his feet!

To kill someone's heart—nothing could be worse than this.

Ru Tan agreed, saying: "Yeah, if it weren't for him, my Guo Guo would still be stuck under the bed."

She spoke, her tone pausing slightly, as she grabbed one of the kitten's paws, waving it like a beckoning cat: "Guo Guo, quickly thank sister. When I have time, I'll treat you to a meal."

Ling Yue, however, shook her head and said: "There's still one more thing."

Ru Tan's movement stalled; a powerful, oppressive gaze fell upon her, but Ling Yue seemed unaware, her eyes clear and captivating.

Tan Ru forced a smile: "What is it? Go ahead and say it."

She already had a faint uneasy premonition, and unconsciously clenched the kitten's soft paw pads, like a prisoner awaiting judgment.

On the live broadcast screen, the audience seemed to empathize, feeling the tense atmosphere, not daring to even breathe.

【What is she going to say? Guo Guo isn't already rescued?】

【Ahhhhh! I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling!】

【It must be that the host saw something; she's got a knack for small animals—nothing can escape our host's discerning eye!】

Ling Yue didn't beat around the bush, but got straight to the point: "I suspect Guo Guo suffers from depression."

This remark was like a bucket of water flung into a boiling oil pot, instantly stirring up huge waves.

【Depression!】

【Guo Guo is just a little cat—how could a little cat get a mental illness?!】

【No, no, no—I don't believe it; Guo Guo looks so healthy, how could it have depression?!】

【How did she come to that conclusion? Where did the show's team get it from?】

This immediately drew dissatisfaction from Ling Yue's fans—questions like "Where did you get this?" and "How did you reach that conclusion?"—since the host said it, she must be at least 99.9% confident!

【Just you wait and see—our host has never made a mistake!】

【Are they paid shills?】

Seeing these comments, the fans were nearly exploding with anger—not just them, even the usually calm Ru Tan was stunned, she lowered her head to look at the kitten in her arms and forced a smile, saying: "How could that be."

"Guo Guo has always been well-behaved; I give it whatever it wants, and I'm hardly ever apart from it."

"How could it possibly have depression?!"

She believed in Ling Yue's abilities, but after Ling Yue said Guo Guo had depression, she would rather Ling Yue be a liar.

Ling Yue lowered her gaze to the Persian cat Guo Guo in her arms; the cat lifted its head, its round face lacking prominent contours, paired with a pair of sea‑blue, glossy cat eyes, looking utterly endearing.

The Persian cat's large, round, glass‑like eyes were dull and lifeless; upon hearing its owner's words, it strained to look at Ling Yue: "You understand what I'm saying—you heard everything I just said."

"Fake, everything she said is fake!"

"She's a liar! She's a big liar! She doesn't like me at all—she wants to abandon me, waa waa waa…"

The cat blinked, and crystal‑clear tears rolled from its eyes; though they say animals have no feelings, could those tears possibly be fake?

The tens of millions of viewers in the live broadcast also saw this; as the owner, Ru Tan was instantly at a loss: "Guo Guo, baby, don't cry!"

Her heart felt like it was about to break from the crying.

The tear‑streaked cat lowered its head, then swallowed its sound, silently and quietly sticking out its tongue to incessantly lick its belly—almost everyone thought it was grooming its fur.

This is actually quite common.

Cats are clean‑loving animals; they spend almost twenty‑five out of twenty‑four hours licking their fur, and nobody pays it any mind.

In the live broadcast, a particularly sharp‑eyed viewer couldn't help but post a comment—

【Look quickly at Guo Guo's belly!】, ，。