Chapter 244

A cool breeze blew, bringing a hint of chill.

Ling Yue followed the pigeon, and the filming crew behind her hurriedly shot, only to realize she had actually walked to the lakeside—more precisely, the pigeon had led her there.

The local temple fair was unprecedentedly grand; even the riverside was filled with lively vendors, and beyond lay a river channel with a few willows swaying gently.

Ling Yue caught sight of a figure by the river—a girl in a gray windbreaker staring at the lake; a gust rose, rippling the spring water.

For some reason, she instinctively furrowed her brows, her heart pounding, a sense of urgency welling up.

Everyone followed her gaze and saw the same girl standing quietly.

【Eh, that's not the pretty young lady from just now, what a coincidence!】

【... Could it not be what I think it is?】

【I remember now, the young lady lost a dog before—it seemed… to be called Rice Flower!】

The next moment, with a plop, a wave rose on the river; the young lady's figure was gone from the shore, and many vendors nearby were stunned, including customers buying things, their eyes frozen.

After a brief silence, a sharp scream suddenly rang out from the shore!

"Someone's died! Someone jumped into the river!"

The mother who had been haggling with the stall owner turned, immediately curious, and approached the vendor, asking, "Whose family member is this? How could they be so desperate?"

She said this while cracking a melon seed, not taking it to heart; asking an extra question was just due to the innate curiosity of the Chinese people.

Suddenly, she glanced around and discovered her useless daughter was missing, instantly tightening her brows: "Tingting?"

"Zhou Xiaoting? Where the hell did you go?"

The vendor who had been watching the whole scene couldn't help but sneer: "Ma'am, the one who jumped in the river is your daughter, isn't she wearing a khaki coat?"

The cold‑eyed Zhou mother glared, rolled up her sleeves, almost ready to fight, furious: "What nonsense are you spouting?!"

At this moment, a ** face surfaced on the river; she didn't even struggle, her vacant, lifeless eyes fixed on the people on the shore, and this bizarre scene left many people stunned in place.

The person on the shore shivered violently; the mother, unable to contain her anger, roared: 'Get up here! What are you doing?!'

She still hasn't realized her mistake; her arrogant demeanor makes people's teeth ache, completely unlike a mother, and even now she's still trying to order her child around.

But they don't know how desperate Zhou Xiaoting is, her heart as cold as ashes.

Suddenly, a burst of barking came from the shore.

'Owner! Owner, hurry up and come out! Owner, don't die!' Mi Hua was so frightened her eyes welled with tears.

The Bichon Frise Mi Hua on the shore was so anxious it was about to cry, its little head constantly bumping the cage; if it weren't stuck in the cage, seeing its owner in peril, it would have already flung itself in without hesitation!

The livestream audience, not having the memory of a seven-second fish, finally recalled the earlier incident, and with that face, wasn't it the mother-daughter pair who had been shouting obscenities in the street?

【Wa Qu, what's happening? How did someone just jump into the river? Is anyone coming to save them!】

【Is this really the birth mother of the young lady? How can she be so terrifying! The person is about to die, yet she isn't the slightest bit anxious!】

The mother Zhou on the shore piled scorn on her brows: 'From childhood to now you've never had the guts of a cat, and now you want to jump in the river to threaten me—am I someone who gets scared easily?'

Obviously, she thought her daughter was deliberately threatening her.

The camera zoomed in on the young lady's expression—there wasn't a trace of struggle; it looked more like she had actively given up her life.

Until a loud dog's bark woke her.

Zhou Xiaoting strained to open her eyes; upon seeing the Bichon Frise on the shore, tears streamed down, mixing with the icy river water, and her heart began to pound.

How could she not recognize it—that was the voice of her own dog.

Seeing hope rekindle in her eyes, Ling Yue on the shore raised a megaphone and shouted: 'Zhou Xiaoting, I've found Mi Hua—hurry up and get out, do you really want it to become a stray dog?'

Zhou Xiaoting's heart clenched; the icy river water slapped her forehead, suddenly clearing her mind—Mi Hua, and Mi Hua!

She struggled to swim upward, moving her arms, but her stiff muscles felt incredibly heavy—only then did she realize her hands and feet were already frozen stiff, her limbs limp!

The icy water submerged her head, the remaining air in her lungs was squeezed out, and the water from all directions felt like icy walls pressing on her—she was terrified!

'Save... save me...' she couldn't even utter a complete sentence, bubbles escaping her mouth in the water, her wide eyes unfocused, her vision blurred.

Anyone could see she was out of strength, likely more danger than safety.

'Rescue team? Where is the rescue team?'

Many people lingered on the shore, indecisive; but upon seeing the rolling waves, they were frightened and stepped back, yet their mouths kept chattering.

'What do we do? Why hasn't the rescue team arrived? This river connects to underground currents—who knows where the water might sweep a person?'

At the critical moment, a sudden exclamation rang out: 'Quick, look—look at the river surface, so many fish!'

The blazing sun shattered the light that had been splashed onto the lake surface.

The rippling water surface suddenly welled up a dark mass; from their swaying tails and glistening, flashing scales, it was clear these were enormous, plump fish, the smallest as long as an adult's arm.

At this moment, the fish crowded together, like a lone little boat, swaying as they moved toward the shore.

Above them, Zhou Xiaoting panted incessantly.

These fish actually joined forces to lift the person up; this miraculous scene was captured by many, who all gasped in amazement.

The stallholder who sets up shop year after year was stunned into silence: 'Hiss, my goodness, are these river fish? How can they be so huge!'

'These fish... are they rescuing a person?'

The angler who had been idling there for half a day looked at the finger-length little fish in his bucket, then at the plump, pleasing big fish, and his pride shattered.

The production crew stared for a few seconds, then all turned as one toward a person—Ling Yue!

Song Youli excitedly covered her mouth, her eyes shining like a 500-watt bulb!

【I know, I know, it's Yueyue—definitely Yueyue commanding the fishy army!】

【What era is this? Stop spreading feudal superstition—I know the streamer can understand animal speech, but saying she can command so many fish? I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me to death! Do you think she's a fish god?】

【You don't know anything—forgot the dolphins before? Our streamer is a great summoner!】

【Let me have a look?】

The next moment, Ling Yue spoke, her voice lowered so low that only those close enough could hear—naturally including the cameraman who had been closely following her.

He has now become Ling Yue's dedicated personal cameraman.

In the camera frame, everyone could hear Ling Yue's words.

Truly well-behaved, all good children.

Her gentle gaze fell on the lake surface; the plump big fish, the nearer they came to her, the less they dared to speak, their fish eyes gazing reverently at the beautiful human on the shore.

Her hearing was keen; after the fish's whispered discussion dropped, she caught every word clearly.

A black fish couldn't help but flick its tail, speaking in a sudden splash: "It's the adult, her aura is so heavy, even we fish dare not breathe!"

Another companion opened its mouth wide, its round fish lips gurgling out a string of bubbles: "Whooo… fish… I'm so nervous!"

My fish bubbles are about to blow up!

The adult truly makes the fish afraid yet unable to stay away, boo hoo hoo; as long as the adult speaks, the fish can do anything!

They felt nothing wrong about obeying a human; it all comes from the suppression in their bloodline.

The reward Ling Yue previously earned for helping the Yangtze sturgeon gain gave her the same bloodline aura as the Yangtze sturgeon; no matter how big these fish are, they're just small fish in an ordinary river, and under the bloodline suppression they naturally obey her command.

Ling Yue thought, doing tasks is quite good; those rewards she earned would surely come in handy someday.

The netizen who had been the loudest in the live broadcast just now had already vanished, not daring to even fart.

After all, the facts are right before everyone's eyes; nobody is blind.

【Hey troll, quickly bring your face over, let this old lady give you a few punches!】

【How many times have we said this? There's always someone who doesn't learn, doubting our streamer—this is just asking for a slap!】

The bullet screen was filled with fans' wild cheers; more people were attracted by the fish's wonderful performance, sharing the same expression as the tourists on the shore.

Seeing a temple fair, who would have thought we could catch such a splendid performance—if not fate, what is?

Ling Yue didn't know about these things.

In the midst of her thoughts, the fish had already pushed the person to the shore, waves lapping one after another against the soft bank, soil crackling as it fell, the clear river water misting with mud.

The kind-hearted person waiting on the shore immediately pulled Zhou Xiaoting ashore; she lay limp on the ground, soaked through, fortunately this is the south, and the temperature has already warmed up.

But the person had suffered greatly, collapsing limp on the ground with a few dry heaves, spitting out several mouthfuls of dirty water; after breathing fresh air, the contracted lungs slowly relaxed, feeling alive again.

Those fish, too, scattered at Ling Yue's command.

"Are you okay? Want me to take you to the hospital?" Ru Tan walked over, asking her with concern, and meanwhile draped her coat over her; seeing the girl's lips turned blue from cold, her trembling body, she knew she must be feeling awful.

Zhou Xiaoting shook her head, not having said anything yet, when her gaze suddenly froze, her hoarse voice squeezing out from her throat, she was immensely moved, tears welling in her eyes: "Mihua!"

"Click."

The little Pomeranian dog in the cage let out a low whimper from its throat, without the slightest hesitation, it threw itself into its owner's arms.

"Boo hoo hoo, owner, I'm Mihua, I'm Mihua~"

The dog's warm tongue licked her cheek, the icy sensation making it tremble instantly, but the puppy's heart was so hot, its round big eyes fixed on the owner—the owner is the puppy's whole world!

Zhou Xiaoting froze, about to pull her hand back, when the little Pomeranian lifted its paw, placed it on the back of her hand, its soft, warm little belly wrapping around, her eyes filled with sparkling little stars.

Pomeranian Mihua: "Owner, rub my little belly, I'll warm the little pig^_^~"

The dog's fluffy little tail wagged happily, almost spinning like a propeller.

"Mihua… Mihua…" she tightly hugged the little dog, her wet hair ends still dripping, yet her body felt warmer than ever before.

Suddenly, a loud roar burst like a thunderclap from above; Zhou Xiaoting, immersed in the joy of regaining what was lost, couldn't help but look up, and upon seeing the arriver, her pupils instantly contracted.

Zhou's mother looked at her, feeling the contemptuous gazes of those around, wishing she had never given birth to this daughter, she was both angry and anxious, shouting harshly: "What are you doing up here? Why didn't you die in there!"

"Your gall has grown, and you've learned to threaten me—truly, your wings have hardened!"

Years of shadow and repeated oppression left her unable to forget those lingering shadows, even after graduating from college and finding a job far from her hometown.

Zhou Xiaoting instinctively shrank her shoulders, but the next moment her palm felt something soft and fluffy, like a cotton-ball puppy; her breath caught, and a previously unknown courage rose in her chest.

She raised her head for the first time, meeting the other's gaze; though she was in a lower position, she faced them fearlessly like a female warrior.

"I haven't."

Following that came the dog's low whimper, its stiff trembling body, the fur on its body bursting open at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Bad guy! Big bad guy!"

Ling Yue, standing nearby, heard those words, her gaze suddenly freezing; she looked at Zhou's mother, who focused all her fire on the daughter.

Her gaze at the girl was not like that of kin connected by blood, but more like that of a disobedient pet: "You still dare to defy me? What part of what I said is wrong!"

Zhou's mother felt utterly wretched, blurting out: "You dare to defy me over a mere beast? I raised you this big—was it so you could show filial piety to a dog!"

"You didn't watch the dog well, lost it and then dragged a dead‑pan face, seeking death over a dog—what face do you have!"

Zhou Xiaoting's body trembled; each sentence struck like a hammer, and under the pressure she gripped the puppy's paws, feeling something was off, yet her brain kept washing over her with the same thoughts.

"Woof woof woof woof woof!"

Pomeranian Mihua bared its teeth at her, the small dog's voice surprisingly loud: "Not at all!"

"It's you! You sold me—I didn't run away, you caught me and sold me!"

The little dog knows everything; humans, taking advantage of its inability to speak, just splash dirty water on it!

"Now it's different!"

The little Pomeranian Mihua, fearless, leapt from its owner's arms and bit Ling Yue's pant leg: "Human, help the little dog, tell the owner I'm well‑behaved, I didn't run away!"

Ling Yue was initially startled by these words, then quickly reacted, finding them quite reasonable.

Judging by Zhou's mother's character, she is absolutely capable of doing such a thing.

The puppy's abnormal behavior made Zhou's mother a little panicked; after a moment's thought, she wondered, "A mere beast—could it possibly speak human language?"

It can't speak human language, but someone can understand its words.

Zhou Xiaoting cautiously asked: "Can you give Mihua to me?"

Ling Yue nodded: "Sure, but Mihua has something to tell you."

The girl stared, eyes widening in shock; Ling Yue faithfully translated Mihua's words, leaving her rooted to the spot, unable to help but look toward her mother—

Her face filled with panic, the truth exposed out of the blue, she was stunned, instantly realizing her flaw, and retorted sharply: "What Mihua's words? Could it be that you can still understand this beast's speech!"

Those nearby who heard this sentence all sucked in a breath of cold air; they had never seen such a mother. The temple fair was neither small nor large, but at least Zhou Mother's words just now were remembered clearly by everyone.

Many people heard her publicly blaming her daughter for losing the dog on purpose, worrying about the dog but unaware of filial duty to parents; the situation turned around—it was actually she who had deliberately lost the dog, watching her daughter's emotional collapse, and then deliberately letting passersby blame her!

【Is this even a person? Miss, she's cheering for you!】

【Auntie, what a coincidence, our host can really understand!】

【Holy shit, I initially thought she was just superficially kind-hearted, but now I see she's truly consistent inside and out—are there parents like this? Miss, are you sure she's their biological child, not an adopted enemy's child?】

【Miss, you must believe our host!】

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Miss, trust her! The host is telling the truth!"

【!!! I'm so jealous, who's this lucky to actually be there watching live!】

Actually, she didn't need to say it; by now Zhou Xiaoting already believed her mostly. She tightly held the dog that had rushed back into her arms, her eyes fixed on her: "Mom, swear that Mihua isn't something you took out to sell? If it's true, let my brother never marry, be childless and his line end!"

"Bastard! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Your brother is how old, and you dare curse him? Even if it's true, so what—it's just an animal!"

She raised her hand, just like every time before, about to strike hard.

Suddenly, a pair of hands intercepted her, with astonishing force, almost crushing her wrist bone.

Zhou Mother screamed in pain.

Zhou Xiaoting stared in shock at the stranger who stepped forward, tears welling in her eyes; she never imagined that her family would hurt her the most, while help came from a complete stranger.

At this moment, she finally made up her mind.

Zhou Xiaoting stood up herself; she was tall and slender, her back straight as a ruler, as people sized her up from head to toe. Zhou Mother forced composure: "You… what do you want to do?"

"What can I do?" she gave a bitter smile; at that moment, Zhou Mother almost felt that this daughter, whom she had never taken to heart, had grown into someone who made her feel like a stranger.

She opened her mouth.

Zhou Xiaoting: "I'd rather not have you as a mother; I'd rather be an orphan!"

"Zhou Xiaoting! You're outrageous!" Zhou Mother shouted, furious and flustered.

All she got in reply was Zhou Xiaoting's cold back; she sincerely thanked Ling Yue, left her contact information, and then walked away holding Mihua.

Only she herself knew that in this lifetime, she would never come back.

Zhou Mother suddenly panicked, but when she gave chase, countless tourists helped block her along the way, and soon she couldn't even see a shadow of them.

She was so angry she burst out cursing, completely breaking down on the spot.

With the incident over, Ling Yue watched the direction the girl disappeared, unable to keep from curling her lips; perhaps they would never meet again, but she knew the girl would surely live well.

Netizens who watched the whole thing reflected, feeling as if the bottom were about to be smashed through—truly a little knife scraping the buttocks, an eye-opener.

【Are there really parents like this? Could it be that Miss isn't her own flesh and blood carried for ten months?】

【Probably. But people's hearts are biased; you didn't hear her say there's still a younger brother at home, chasing after a baby boy!】

【Everyone says palm and back of hand are both flesh, hearing this makes me want to laugh—the palm is flesh, the back is skin!】

【Nonsense, there are no imperfect parents in the world, only unfilial children!】

【Ribbit, the Qing dynasty is long gone—where did you dig up this old corpse? Still talking about perfect parents; you're so filial, why don't you go be someone's son!】

Ling Yue was completely unaware of the noise in the livestream.

They wandered, eating and drinking, buying some local specialty toys; Song Youli held a rattle drum, shaking it back and forth, delighted beyond measure.

As they passed a corner, Ling Yue suddenly stopped, lowered her gaze, and looked at the familiar old person before her—oh no, it was an old familiar cat.

Li Hua Cat Big Shot!

It was sturdy and solid, like a small tiger that never grows big, with a round, chubby head; when it walked, its thick, fluffy tail stood straight up, full of tiger-like vigor.

Seeing Ling Yue, it happily meowed: "What a coincidence, Your Highness also came to the temple fair~"

Ling Yue nodded; no one forgot this mighty Li Hua cat, not even the veteran official Qin Yingdi, who crouched down to greet the little cat.

The Li Hua cat big shot walked close to the wall, served by his skilled hands, it began to purr; after a moment, it opened its pale yellow cat eyes.

It provocatively glanced at the timid Husky; the dog dared not speak back.

The Li Hua cat, with great big-shot demeanor, raised its paw: "Human, you've served me well; keep up the good work!"

Ling Yue heard this and curled her lips, almost unable to hold back laughter.

The Li Hua cat big shot suddenly patted its head and said: "Oh no, I'm going to be late for work!"

Ling Yue couldn't help but give a curious look.

The Li Hua cat big shot licked its fur and invited: "Human, do you want to come with me to take a look?" ：，，.