Chapter 31

Ling Yue froze for a moment, and the next second, a fluffy oversized head had already pressed into her embrace, soft and chubby, making her heart skip. Her resisting wrist turned instinctively, and before she could react, she was already cradling Jun Jun's big head.

The big-headed tiger's perked-up ears twitched; from beginning to end, Ling Yue's eyes never left it.

Jun Jun carried the fresh scent of grass and the warmth of sunlight, mixed with a faint wine aroma, prompting Ling Yue to unconsciously curl her fingers and scratch the big tiger's chin; the deep, rumbling, oversized imperial engine roared instantly.

The tiger's big, round eyes blinked, its unfocused pupils staring at her, then it tilted its big head, as if puzzled.

「Aoo~ So comfortable~ Don't stop~」

Even the coquettish 'yeah-yeah-yeah' tone came out.

Suddenly, the big-headed tiger shook its fur, sending up white fur like snowflakes; Ling Yue sucked in a breath of cold air, lifted her eyelids, and the soft, fluffy big tail had already wrapped around her waist—a huge big-headed tiger she had seen in her dreams, was it acting cute toward her?

The tiger mumbled a purr, its paws clutching it: 'Mine… all mine…'

At this moment, what else does she have to agonize over?

If I don't squeeze you, I'm not human!

Ling Yue wanted to exclaim, the beautiful silver-gradient big cat is simply a heavenly cute creature! Who could resist?

Ling Yue felt she couldn't.

She immediately returned the embrace; as soon as she lowered her head, she buried herself in the tiger's soft, fluffy fur, feeling like she was holding an oversized plush toy while the big tiger held her, its thick, springy paw pads actively resting on her hands—right now, she had this much strength.

Thinking of this, her heart pounded, her cheeks flushed a light pink, and she locked eyes with that enormous tiger head: 'Jun Jun, are you drunk?'

The big tiger lay lazily on the floor, already a flattened cat pancake; hearing this, it wearily opened its eyes, its fluffy big tail standing straight up before Ling Yue, arched its back: 'Tail… tail also wants to be petted…'

Ling Yue: Ahhh I'm about to die of cuteness!

Her stamina bar emptied, her hands involuntarily gripping the big tail; on the clean floor, the tiger rolled around, the sound showing how comfortable it was, even a cute little voice came out.

Ling Yue's motion stalled; elsewhere in the room, a wobbly little kitten staggered over, rolling like a big glutinous rice ball surrounded by colorful small dumplings, adorable.

Looking aside, besides the cat queen and the Feng Shui Turtle Master, all the other small animals were passed out in a heap, the villa's floor covered in fluffy creatures.

Ling Yue couldn't help but look at the Feng Shui Turtle: 'Is the wine I bought really this effective? Just its fragrance can intoxicate a large group?'

The Feng Shui Turtle chuckled helplessly: 'Of course not.'

It didn't explain the reason, but quickly crawled toward the small bowl, the turtle's head stretching forward, taking a deep breath as if to suck all the pervasive wine aroma into its mouth.

The Feng Shui Turtle said satisfied: 'Good wine! Good cup! Indeed, it's the Kang Family's toasting cup.'

The whole turtle said somewhat proudly: 'I said why there would be wine fragrance—it turns out this is its function.'

The Mystic Cat Queen squatted in place, her long tail wrapped around her forepaws, rolling her eyes disdainfully: 'Mystifying the obvious.'

'If I'm not mistaken, the key should be in the bowl; that toasting cup made by the Kang Family surely has a secret.'

Ling Yue nodded, convinced, took a few steps to the Feng Shui Turtle's side, eyes fixed. These small bowls looked tiny but actually held a lot; she finished the bottle of wine she'd bought in one go.

She worried the Feng Shui Turtle Master couldn't control itself—if it really drank it all, what would happen?

Ling Yue: 'Master, drink a little less; too much alcohol harms the body.'

The Feng Shui Turtle: 'Hey, you got that wrong—it's actually the current wine that harms the body. I've lived over five hundred years, traveled across the splendid rivers and mountains in this lifetime, drunk countless wines; there's one, brewed from an ancient recipe, that after drinking not only causes no harm to the body but also strengthens and nourishes it.'

'What a pity!' the Feng Shui Turtle smacked its lips, both nostalgic and regretful: 'That recipe has long been lost; it's said to still have some connection with this Kang Family.'

Ling Yue said nothing, but her expression already showed it.

Her gaze fell on the small bowl; perhaps the toasting cup really had some miraculous effect, since when she first opened it, the bottle's aroma wasn't as rich and mellow as it is now.

But what pairs best with it should be someone who loves alcohol.

Ling Yue's view on alcohol is only one: getting drunk easily leads to mistakes, and drinking too much easily harms the body.

She lifted the small bowl, about to say something, when her gaze suddenly focused, she looked dubiously into the bowl: 'What is this?'

She clearly remembered that this set of small bowls was pure cyan, the porcelain body so thin it couldn't hide a trace; the earlier crackle pattern was already astonishing, and now——

She actually saw the bowl filled with densely packed tiny characters; having studied Dao arts recently, she could tell at a glance that these were regular script traditional characters.

Hearing this, the Feng Shui Turtle couldn't control its voice; it instinctively glanced at its own bowl, the tiny characters as clear as grains of rice, and it immediately recognized: 'This is the wine recipe!'

'I knew it—this is why the Kang Family suddenly started making these toasting cups; such a great clan would never fail to leave themselves a backup!'

Saying this, he examined each cup; the whole turtle was somewhat stunned, exclaiming: 'We've picked up a huge bargain today!'

'I originally thought the value of the toasting cup lay in its function, but now I know that any effect is merely the Kang Family's vessel for hiding the wine recipe; the true value lies in these!'

'The precious wine recipe lost for a thousand years are all the Kang Family's representative recipes; Yunqing wine, when the vat is opened, clouds and mist swirl, its aroma like rolling clouds and smoke, the most mellow and clear wine on the palate; drinking it can cleanse the mind and shine the body. When I first saw this passage I felt regretful, born at the wrong time—who would have known… hehehe…'

After reciting the ancient text, the Feng Shui Turtle added: 'Each small bowl here bears a complete set of wine recipes; it should be the Kang Family's heirloom prepared for passing down to descendants, but for some reason it ended up among the folk, and because its style is ordinary, people took it for the work of an unknown craftsman—and there's one more thing.'

'Look, I've been saying toasting cup—if you haven't seen one, you'd probably think it's just an ordinary small bowl, who would bother using it to hold good wine.' It said, shaking its head and sighing, the joy in its eyes impossible to hide: 'I never expected, never expected, to actually end up in my hands!'

'For those who love wine as much as life, these are all lost treasures of the highest quality! This old turtle is blessed!'

Throughout, Ling Yue only spoke a few sentences, all spoken by the Feng Shui Turtle; obviously, it was overexcited.

Ling Yue, however, had another idea: these six wine recipes are the Kang Family's brewing lineage's heirloom, all already lost in history, meaning the recipes she now holds are all top‑grade wine formulas.

What does this mean? It's a monopoly product of a kind!

The Feng Shui Turtle declared emphatically: 'Although I haven't drunk it, I can guarantee that compared to the Kang Family's wine, those Moutai special supplies and tribute wines are just little brothers!'

The special wine it had been praising repeatedly is a new brew devised by a certain master brewer based on one of the Kang Family Six Absolutes; even brewers have publicly said, 'This wine cannot compare to the Kang Family Six Absolutes, far inferior!' Ling Yue said: 'Then I'll first copy it down and brew a few vats.'

The Feng Shui Turtle objected: 'What a few vats? Have me brew seventy or eighty vats; if you ever quit this line, just selling wine would make you filthy rich!'

Those wine recipes, after a rough glance, though demanding extremely high standards, are nothing compared to the price of the top‑grade wine they produce—just a drop in the bucket.

The alcohol industry, from ancient times to now, has always been highly profitable!

Ling Yue also froze; the Kang Family capable of producing such a miraculous toasting cup, and yet using it as a bottom‑of‑the‑box wine recipe—how could it not be something good?

She nodded: 'All right, I'll buy the materials in a few days and then start brewing.'

'However, the recipe says to brew according to the four seasons; now I want to brew them all, but there's no way.'

The Feng Shui Turtle nodded, downing the wine in the cup in one gulp: 'Then let's first brew the rich autumn wine; I recall it's a fruit wine brewed in autumn, recorded in ancient texts as specially made by the Kang Family for palace consorts, for beauty, complexion, and nourishment, and its flavor is naturally excellent.'

Ling Yue nodded, then suddenly noticed it facing the empty wine cup: 'You're sneaking drinks again—won't drinking too much harm your body?'

The Feng Shui Turtle immediately retorted: 'How can that be sneaking a drink? I'm right in front of you, drinking openly and aboveboard.'

The voice grew fainter and fainter, yet it couldn't help arguing: "You think I've spent over five hundred years just sleeping? To me this is nothing—whereas the Kang family's liquor." It rubbed its forepaws, urgently saying: "My dear disciple, hurry up and brew the liquor; Master can hardly wait any longer!"

Ling Yue rolled her eyes at it: "Even the shortest brewing period takes three months, not counting the preliminary preparations… Wait, the writing in your cup has disappeared?"

Looking at the other cups that hadn't been drunk from, the writing remained perfectly clear.

Later, after repeated experiments, Ling Yue discovered that the recipe inside the drinking cup could only appear after being soaked in high-proof baijiu; once the liquor was gone, the writing would completely disappear, and using water or any other liquid would not produce any appearance at all.

Ling Yue copied the recipe from the wine cup, and thereafter she treasured this set of drinking cups; she herself hardly drank alcohol, only taking them out when the feng shui turtle drank.

This matter was considered settled, but afterwards the drunken Da Lao Hu Junjun, who kept begging for pets and hugs, didn't show up for several days; only the scroll hanging on the wall remained, showing Da Lao Hu lying on the ground, a fine picture of a White Tiger resting—if Ling Yue hadn't seen the original, she would have been fooled by its utterly natural sleeping pose.

Everyone knew this was its dwelling, and Jun Jun didn't even bother pretending anymore.

Instead, the small animals that had grown accustomed to it instinctively looked toward the sofa, which had been promoted to Jun Jun's exclusive sofa, yet it remained empty.

Without the lazy, tolerant big tiger, even the little kittens felt lost, and it was especially hard on Tiao Tiao, who was still in punishment; previously the tiger had "helped" make things easy, but now it was suddenly gone, and this cat, carrying its young, was left in a daze.

Little did they know that the Jun Jun on the wall was also suffering as if each day were a year; if it had never tasted freedom, it could still endure, but having already come out, how could it resign itself to being confined within a picture of just a few square inches?

"My cartoons, my big TV, my soft sofa—but if I had to take it down for a while, I'd have no face."

"Not even a drop of liquor touched it, yet just smelling the liquor got it drunk—compared to the feng shui turtle, that was expected, but it turned out even worse than the Black Cat Queen; later it kept seeking kisses, hugs, and pets from humans, and this tiger's face has lost all dignity!"

Ling Yue glanced at her phone; it was exactly seven in the morning, and the birds outside the window had already begun warming up their voices.

Early in the morning, Ling Yue began busying herself; even Da Hei, who wasn't due to go to the police station yet, was helping pull equipment, panting with tongue out from exhaustion, yet it was quite happy.

Ling Yue ruffled the dog's head: "Da Hei is awesome!"

Unexpectedly, a chorus rose from below: "And us too!"

Ling Yue looked over and saw Xunbao Shu Duo Duo and a circle of companions holding things in their mouths, also doing what they could.

She laughed and said: "You're great too."

The cause was still a few days earlier, when the person in charge of the stray animal rescue center invited Ling Yue; today was exactly the appointed time.

Ling Yue made many preparations for today, buying a pile of stuff; before long, the spacious off-road vehicle was completely filled, even the back seat stacked with items, so Da Hei could only curl up resentfully to one side.

Ling Yue glanced at it: "Da Hei, hang in there; we'll be at the police station soon, and then I'll let you down."

She planned to first take Da Hei to the police station, then go to the Nuan Nuan Stray Animal Rescue Center.

Outside the vehicle, the circling crows in midair watched the dog and felt immensely relieved, glad that it could fly and didn't have to squeeze inside the car; otherwise, it might have cost its life.

Ling Yue hadn't even driven to the police station gate when she spotted a person in the distance—it was Cheng Ziming.

"Da Hei!" Cheng Ziming exclaimed, even more excited than Da Hei, and hugged the dog directly; the affection in his eyes was utterly genuine. He then turned to Ling Yue: "Thank you so much today—I'm really sorry. Originally the captain was supposed to pick him up, but something came up at the last minute and he went out."

Ling Yue nodded to show she understood, but she underestimated Cheng Ziming's talkativeness; hearing his words, she froze for a moment: "Where am I supposed to go?"

"I had previously arranged with someone to visit the stray animal rescue center, and the supplies and equipment I prepared are in the back."

Cheng Ziming was very surprised: "But, Miss Ling, aren't you the owner of a pet consultation shop?"

Ling Yue gave him a sideways glance: "Who said that opening a pet consultation shop means you can't be a pet doctor? I have the qualification certificate—do you want to see it?"

Cheng Ziming quickly shook his head, tightening his grip on Da Hei's leash: "Sorry, I just spoke incorrectly."

He awkwardly changed the subject: "The team has been really busy lately; once this period passes, I'll come to pick up and drop off Da Hei."

Ling Yue blinked at his words: "Is this about the human trafficker case?"

Cheng Ziming was greatly surprised, then suddenly realized: "Was it what our team captain said? He's been so busy every day, his feet hardly touching the ground, precisely because of this matter. That criminal gang now has only this one person still at large—a vicious evildoer—and the police have already posted a bounty of 100,000 yuan."

He paused, then stroked Da Hei with concern: "Miss Ling, please pay extra attention to unfamiliar faces these couple of days."

Ling Yue nodded and gave a small smile: "Thank you for the reminder."

Cheng Ziming didn't respond, dazzled by her smile; after reacting, he embarrassingly scratched his head, thinking of what he'd just said—Miss Ling is beautiful, kind-hearted, and smart, surely she wouldn't encounter such a thing.

In the car, Ling Yue gripped the steering wheel, her brow furrowed; she hadn't expected that the culprit was still at large—after all, in the vast Jing Shi with so many people, finding a single individual is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But Ling Yue still wanted to do it.

There's a bounty of 100,000 yuan, and it's for a heinous criminal—capturing him would both uphold public order and, for the animals, buy plenty of cat food.

What a win-win situation.

A thought flashed through her mind like a shooting star, so fast that Ling Yue couldn't even grasp it.

The criminal police website already had the wanted person's photos; Ling Yue directly downloaded them to her phone, planning to look at them later.

She drove to the Nuan Nuan Stray Animal Rescue Center.

The address is in the Jing Shi suburbs.

From afar one could see the half-open gate, above which a line of colorful large characters was displayed, with a faded small flag inserted at the top, giving it a strong sense of age.

Ling Yue had just stopped the car when the gate was pushed open from inside.

The person in charge led a group of staff behind her, looking at her excitedly: "Miss Ling, you've come; after your busy journey, would you like a drink of water first?"

Ling Yue shook her head and walked over: "Let's first look at the animals; otherwise, with these several hundred, I wouldn't finish until the Year of the Monkey and Horse."

The person in charge scratched the back of his head and gave a simple smile: "What's there to be busy about? I'll definitely help!"

Ling Yue saw no need to be polite with him; moving this half-carload of items by herself would take ages, so she nodded and said: "All right, I've brought quite a lot this time—it's a bit much—please help me out; let's move these things into the yard together, carefully, since there are many medicines that need to be handled gently."

"We know." The staff who came to help looked at the contents of the cargo compartment and instantly became enthusiastic. Their stray animal foster base isn't very well known around here, and being privately run, few people come to help; when they do, it's mostly a group of university volunteers just looking to earn credits.

Most of the staff here genuinely love pets.

But there's not much money, after all—rescuing stray animals is easy to say, hard to do, and basically yields no profit; instead, it requires a constant outflow of funds.

Consequently, visits from a pet veterinarian are few and far between—especially someone like Ling Yue, who brings her own supplies, a large heap of heavy medicines and equipment, which looks quite valuable.

Everyone instinctively slowed their movements, handing things over slowly and carefully.

With many hands, the vehicle was quickly emptied, and those items were placed in the middle of the yard.

After entering and surveying the base, Ling Yue found that although it looked old, its hygiene was actually excellent—the floors were spotless, and the animals' quarters had no unpleasant odor.

The base is a square large courtyard, divided into two halves—one half for dog kennels, the other for cat kennels.

In the open space in the middle stood several tables; the person in charge explained: "These are the tables and stools we prepared for you; when the inspection comes, you'll have worked hard."

Ling Yue shook her head to indicate she didn't care, her eyes scanning the surroundings, her brow slightly furrowed; hearing so many noises for the first time, she admitted it was a bit noisy, but that wasn't a problem—her gaze swept over the cats and dogs, among which there were plenty of purebred cats and dogs.

The dogs were very excited, clinging to the cages, their noses twitching: "Wow wow wow, there's a new person!"

"She smells like other dogs, especially fierce! I'm so scared!"

"What is she doing here? Why am I suddenly a little afraid of her, even though she's a pretty young lady—I love young ladies the most!"

In the opposite cat cage, from the quiet cat cage a San Hua Mao leapt out, climbing the bars from above: "Quiet down, stupid dogs!"

The dogs glared, a low growl in their throats, about to say something, when Sanhua narrowed her eyes: "Take another look at her coat—doesn't it seem familiar?"

A kitten sprawled in the cat nest lifted its head, glanced at Ling Yue in her white coat, and shot up: "Pet, pet doctor!"

It seemed to have suffered some trauma, and it scrambled its limbs in panic, staggering backward; its companions jumped up in shock: "I'm going, Xiao Bu, you're scaring the cat to death like this!"

Xiao Bu didn't hear a word, eyes wide with fear: "I've seen her; these doctors are terrifying—they'll stick those thick, long needles into our bodies!"

"Wuuu, it's so scary—I got stabbed before when I wasn't abandoned by my owner, it hurt so much! They're terrifying, wuuu, I'm so scared!"

Hearing this, the stray cats instantly stirred: "Why did Xiao Guang call her here? Isn't she here to give us shots?"

"Shots?!" One cat yelled at the top of its lungs: "Is it that thin, long kind of needle? I've seen it when I was wandering outside—a poor cat was covered head to toe in needles, a perfectly fine cat turned into a porcupine!"

The other cats trembled at the gruesome description.

"Cough cough cough," the frail big cat in the corner sprang up, pacing back and forth in front of Ling Yue, eyes pleading, muttering: "You'd better see clearly—don't give me a shot; I'm as strong as an ox now, with not a single ailment!"

Some cats outright resisted: "No shots! I don't want humans touching me either—I hate humans! If she dares to touch me later, I'll scratch her!"

Some cats lowered their heads, belatedly realizing: "Isn't she here to adopt cats? I really want to find an owner."

"Hmph, haven't your past experiences been enough to wake you up? What sweet dreams are you having? We cats are the stinky cats humans hate!"

The speaker was a one-eyed Daju; wherever it went, the cats lowered their bodies in submission—from its posture and movements it was clearly the cats' boss.

The one-eyed Daju looked around at the cats and snorted: "We are independent cats; don't learn from those stupid dogs, who still dream of finding an owner even now that we're here."

The dog leader was a thin-built Labrador named Gua Gua, its only flaw being a missing ear, which actually looked kinda cool; hearing this it stood up: "Huangju, what are you saying? Humans love us dogs the most—since our ancestors, dogs have always followed them."

"Yeah, there are actually good humans too—my friend Ah Hua was adopted by a cute young lady, and later she even sent me dog food to eat!"

"But you guys still got abandoned, though?"

In the silence, the one-eyed yellow orange chose to seize the leader first, staring down the Labrador and letting loose: "Just talking about yourself—you weren't dragged out and sold, were you? If it weren't for A Guang, you'd already be a dish at the dog‑meat shop. So humans have nothing good about them."

The Labrador's eyes dimmed, and it explained sadly: "That's not right—I was sold, but my owner didn't know; the owner treated me well, it was her mother‑in‑law who caused trouble."

Huangju sneered: "Just looking at you I can tell—are you still dreaming that your owner will come find you? You've been here over three years; the little pup you were has grown into a big dog—maybe they've already forgotten you."

The Labrador retorted: "No way! You're talking nonsense!"

Ling Yue was organizing medicines and equipment when she didn't expect a cat‑dog brawl to erupt suddenly.

Shrill cat yells and dog barks shook the heavens; staff tried every method to calm them, to no avail.

Person‑in‑charge Xu Guang was flustered; he couldn't help looking at Ling Yue, and when she suddenly rose, his heart skipped a beat as he tried to explain: "They weren't like this before—each one was well‑behaved; I don't know what's going on today—"

Ling Yue gazed at the cat house: "I know."

"They used to be well‑behaved," she said, touching the tip of her nose: "Maybe it's because of some misunderstandings that made them start arguing."

"I'll take care of this."

The nearby staff were all puzzled: "What? Something we old employees can't handle—what can a doctor possibly solve?"

"Yeah, boss, should we go stop them?"

Xu Guang suddenly recalled their first meeting and waved his hand: "No need, no need."

"Huh?"

Seeing his subordinate's puzzled face, he said: "You guys guess—when I ran all over Jing Shi, where did I manage to hire Doctor Ling?"

"What's there to guess? Definitely a pet hospital—and a big one at that—look at all this stuff, there's so much!"

"I think that's wrong; otherwise the boss wouldn't be asking us this."

Xu Guang chuckled: "I was at a pet consultation shop; Doctor Ling was working there then, asking a depressed dog, and by the time it was my turn, that dog was already completely better!"

After saying that, he saw everyone's faces full of surprise—clearly they didn't believe him. No matter, Xu Guang now has 1.2 million units of confidence in Ling Yue.

Ling Yue also felt confident; looking at the squabbling cats and dogs, she released an Animal Sovereign aura, and the arguing parties felt their bodies sink, then realized they were already lying on the ground, trembling.

That is an instinct rooted in their genes—the fear of being stared down by a powerful predator.

After identifying the source of the pressure, Huangju's pupils shrank: "Humans?"

Ling Yue half‑squatted: "Want some water? I see you've been arguing a while—are your mouths dry? Want some cat‑strip milk cake to replenish nutrition?"

Huangju didn't speak; just then a "gudong" sound came—it was his timid little subordinate, a young orange‑tabby cat, still not fully grown.

Ling Yue handed it a piece of milk cake, rich with milky fragrance, which instantly unfolded like a tiny hook catching the cats' gazes.

Huangju: "Can't eat! Don't you remember what I said before? How can you eat food of unknown origin—what if it's poisonous?"

Ling Yue eyed the wary cats, a few black lines appearing on her forehead: "There's no poison."

"You say there's no poison, so there's no poison—"

The voice cut off abruptly; Huangju turned his head, shocked at the speaking human, while the other cats recoiled in fright.

Ling Yue: "I'm a temporary appointed pet vet; essentially I'm the owner of a pet consultation shop. By coincidence, she raised her hand, made a pinching gesture, and smiled: 'I know a little… animal language.'"

Those words were like a heavy bomb; hearing them, the cats exploded into little balls of fur, and Ling Yue found it amusing.

The dogs, however, accepted it readily; they naturally have great goodwill toward humans, and this loyalty that borders on foolishness actually makes them more pitiable than untamed cats.

Because once they encounter a bad person, the outcome is worse than death.

"Are you called Gua Gua?"

Gua Gua nodded; it was truly a gentle dog—before Ling Yue could even touch its head, the dog voluntarily stretched its head out and pressed it against her palm.

"You can understand animal language? Then can you help me find my owner? My owner loves me—she calls me Gua Gua, gives me baths, and when I can't sleep at night she holds me on the bed and hums a song… Can you help me find her? I… I want to ask her, Owner, do you still want Gua Gua?"

Ling Yue could tell these were everything a Labrador could rack its brains to think of; her eyes welled up, and even without hearing the system prompt she said: "All right, I'll help you find your owner—I'll help you get a clear answer."

Gua Gua was excited like a child.

Most of the dogs also gathered around, telling Ling Yue their thoughts—some had grown used to being abandoned and just wanted to spend their old age at the base, while others refused to give up, still seeking an owner despite being discarded by humans time and again.

I know humans have abandoned me again and again, but I still want to find an owner. Mom told me that every little dog has its own wish; I just want an owner, I want someone to love meqwq

I, I can too?

A soft meow sounded; Ling Yue turned her head to look—at some point, the closed fence outside was crowded with big and small cats, staring at her, each pair of hopeful eyes shining like stars.

Ling Yue's eyes curved into a smile: 'Of course.'

If you have any problems, just tell me directly—I'll do my best to help you. She paused, her gaze gentle as water: 'And Yellow Tangerine.'

Has your other eye been feeling uncomfortable lately?

Who asked you to fake kindness? Humans are the worst! You're a bad person too—stop pretending! Spiteful words burst from its mouth; Yellow Tangerine slightly turned its head, choking up, feeling helpless for the first time.

Before, it relied on humans not understanding its words and dared to say anything; now—

The cat lowered its tail, quietly stepped back half a step, and no longer looked at humans.

Ling Yue froze, as if she hadn't reacted, spoke gently, unflinchingly gazing at the cat's injured eye: 'Yellow Tangerine, I can help you—don't rub your eye yourself, or bacteria will get in.'

The surrounding cats froze, instinctively staring at the Boss's good single eye, indeed realizing something was wrong, anxiously asking: 'Boss, is your eye uncomfortable?'

Why didn't you tell us? The doctor looks so gentle—Boss, go over and let her help you.

Even the kitten that had just been most afraid of Ling Yue couldn't help but speak up, urging them on. They were from the same batch that had arrived; the Boss had always taken care of them, and now that the Boss is sick, how could they not worry?

Ling Yue went straight for the heart, pointing at an immature kitten: 'If you get sick, what should the kitten do?'

Let me check you, and you'll be fine soon.

Yellow Tangerine hesitated, looking at her.

Ling Yue half‑squatted, patiently watching it, as if she were sure it would come over; Yellow Tangerine lowered its head, watching the concrete floor slowly advance.

Over here, the discussing staff suddenly felt the surroundings grow much quieter; they instinctively looked over, stood frozen in place, utterly stunned at the sight.

Opposite the pretty girl was a large group of quiet cats and dogs.

After a moment, someone finally couldn't help but speak: 'Um, the cat she's holding in her hand… is that Yellow Tangerine?!'

In their base, the fiercest cat—so fierce that even the boss Xu Guang had been scratched by it—lately this situation has escalated, and basically no one dares to touch it anymore.

Now it is actually obedient enough to let strangers touch it; no wonder someone thought they were hallucinating—they felt the same.

Only then did they feel as if they were dreaming—the check went so smoothly it was unbelievable.

Ling Yue only realized she couldn't do it alone when she got busy; fortunately, for some simple tasks, the base's person‑in‑charge Xu Guang and the staff would help share the load, but the main core still rested on Ling Yue herself.

Examination, testing—the cats and dogs were split into two teams, sitting on the laid‑out mats; Ling Yue, besides examining, would also ask them whether they felt any discomfort lately, being meticulous and thorough.

After these two finished their check, Ling Yue, like a magician, pulled out some dried meat in front of the cats and dogs, smiling: 'A little gift for the cuties.'

Thus, the cats and dogs happily chewed the dried meat as they returned to their cages.

Next.

One cat and one dog moved forward in turn; behind them was a long line, every small animal neatly arranged—one could say they observed discipline better than some humans.

Ling Yue got so busy she lost track of time; feeling great, even the staff helping her grew tired, yet she remained full of vigor until the sun set.

After the examination, while waiting for the results, Ling Yue was putting eye drops in Yellow Tangerine: 'Don't move!'

Her tone was terribly familiar, one hand holding the eye drops: 'Your eye is badly inflamed; if you don't put in the medicine, it will hurt terribly. I know cats have a high tolerance, but inflammation isn't something a little cat like you can just tough out.'

Yellow Tangerine's body stiffened.

Ling Yue said unsympathetically: 'Or do you want to go blind in the other eye?'

Then it would become completely a blind cat—let alone returning to the wild later, even surviving now would become a problem. Given Yellow Tangerine's pride, it would never want to become like that, becoming everyone's……burden.

The next round of eye‑drop administration went very smoothly.

Ling Yue coaxed the stubborn kitten with a few words; although this had happened many times, each time the base's staff showed unparalleled surprise.

She's really amazing—we've picked up a treasure at our base!

Or maybe it's the boss who's amazing—I've never seen these little animals so obedient; they seem nothing like the ones we usually take care of!

Let's keep looking—could someone really understand animal language?

Hey, Li Ge, you're overthinking it—the facts are right in front of you.

The speaking middle‑aged man tugged at his baseball cap, then said nothing more.

Half an hour later, the results came out; Ling Yue glanced at them, relaxed: 'These small animals have no serious problems—you've been taking great care of them!'

Xu Guang's face showed surprise: 'Really?'

Ling Yue heard his doubt, glanced at him in surprise: 'What's wrong?'

Xu Guang furrowed his brows: 'You also know our base is a private one, sustained by my savings and occasional ads or tips from online livestreams, but lately, cats and dogs have been dying frequently.'

At first I thought it was an accident, but when it kept happening every so often, I sensed something was off; I had the doctor examine the bodies of the furry kids, and they all died of anemia.

Xu Guang covered his forehead, voice hoarse: 'Afterward, to prevent accidents, I even bought cameras; I found that a few were in poor mental state before death, and some had physiological stress responses. I tried every way to adjust the environment, but these furry kids still died.'

Ling Yue looked at him—a big man truly speaking from the heart, his eyes red, his breathing labored.

He blamed himself: 'I don't know if it's my fault, but maybe it's my mistake; if I had paid a bit more attention, perhaps they wouldn't have died.'

Xu Guang lifted his head: 'So I asked you to come check everything—what's wrong with these furry kids?'

Ling Yue shook her head: 'The check shows they're all healthy, except for a few that are congenitally weak and need extra care.'

She paused, then suddenly: 'Wait a moment.'

Their bodies are healthy—what about their mental state?

She looked at Yellow Tangerine: from the start, have the cats at this stray‑animal rescue base been overly hostile toward humans?