Chapter 33

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Xu Guang, who had been singled out, was completely bewildered, looking blankly at Ling Yue; recalling her earlier words, he suddenly understood.

The scrutinizing gaze involuntarily fell on his subordinate, his face grim; Ling Yue had said there was a mole in the base—had the mole become this brazen?

Xu Guang personally didn't care, but since the target was Ling Yue—who had just helped uncover the mole—he wanted to see who dared to do this!

At that moment, in the crowd, a man wearing a black baseball cap turned pale; fortunately everyone was gossiping, so for a while no one noticed him.

As for the reporting and crime Ling Yue had just mentioned, only he himself knew the truth—he had indeed done it, and now it had escalated to the police, so he dared not be complacent.

He retreated without leaving a trace, trying to have others block him, unaware that this move directly placed him before Xu Guang.

Upon seeing that person, his face turned ashen; there was no other reason—this man was still his brother! Recently, after being fired from his company due to a work mistake, he had come to him in tears and snot.

However, Xu Guang himself was already struggling to maintain the stray animal rescue base; it was only because a worker had to resign due to family matters that he took the position.

He trusted the man completely.

Thinking of what he had done, Xu Guang's face went from grim to ashen; for this brother, whom he trusted in everything, was this how he repaid him?!

Xu Guang was an honest man, but that didn't mean he had no temper; before Ling Yue could point it out, he strode over in two or three steps, grabbed the man, and yanked off his cap: "Is it you? Did you report Miss Ling?"

As soon as he said that, an uproar broke out.

Even the workers preparing to intervene were stunned, turning their heads left and right at the quarreling boss, not yet grasping what was happening, when Xu Guang blurted out everything: "The mole is you, right?"

"Good thing the police officer is here—Miss Ling is right, you're the one being reported, you beastly thing!"

He was so agitated his heart jumped; the man quickly reacted: "Old Xu, what are you saying? We're brothers—how could I possibly do something illegal and criminal."

He spoke with conviction, but given his prior behavior, most employees actually didn't believe Xu Guang's words, thinking he was blinded by anger.

"Boss, are you blinded by rage? Let go of Xiao Gao—he cares for the animals more than anyone."

"Everyone in the base can see how well Brother Gao treats the animals—could there be some misunderstanding?"

Hearing this, Ling Yue glanced at the cattery; the orange tabby nodded at her, and she knew in her heart it was him. However, words alone aren't proof, and the cats' testimony would be useless, but if he had done it, Ling Yue could ferret him out!

Ling Yue: "Boss Xu, let go first—whatever you've done, no matter how you cover it up, will leave traces, right?"

After saying that, she looked at Gao Xiang, whose face was ashen; his acting was surprisingly good, as if he truly felt wronged, and he shouted angrily: "Doctor Ling, you're right—if you did it, you did it; if you didn't, you didn't!"

By now he was still making excuses, while mentally replaying what had happened, thinking there shouldn't be any problem—but if exposed, the fallout wouldn't be limited to him alone!

Thinking this, he steadied himself and wondered aloud: "I still don't know what's going on—do you guys know?"

The remaining employees froze, shaking their heads in denial.

Ling Yue: "I want to report that an employee at the stray animal rescue base has been illegally buying and selling blood, causing the death of cats and dogs and damaging the boss's private property. Legally speaking, these small animals are Xu Guang's private property; if someone secretly draws their blood leading to death, and the amount is huge, it could constitute a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment, right?"

Cheng Ziming glanced at her in surprise, then quickly nodded.

In fact, animal protection law currently has few provisions regarding animals' basic rights; if judged solely by illegal trade, it wouldn't even constitute a crime, at most a reprimand. But Ling Yue took a different approach, reporting it as intentional damage to Xu Guang's private property, and with the amount being huge, the police will certainly accept the case.

Xu Guang didn't understand these legalities, but regarding Ling Yue's words, he maintained a consistent attitude: "Doctor Ling is right—I want to sue him!"

Police: "Since you both hold opposing views, please go to the station for investigation."

The usually calm Gao Xiang suddenly felt a pang of panic; just then his phone rang, his face froze, and before he could explain, he had already hung up.

Ling Yue: "Why didn't you answer? Maybe the other side is urgent."

As for what he was anxious about, Gao Xiang knew it himself.

He absolutely could not go to the police station—once inside, he would surely be doomed! He began looking for excuses.

At that moment, Ling Yue heard Ya Ya's call: "Master, we've found it! The tools that guy uses to capture small animals!"

Ling Yue blinked: "Officer, I still have evidence I haven't mentioned."

Everyone turned to her; Ling Yue gave a slight smile, which in the eyes of the extremely tense Gao Xiang was no less than a devil's grin—he clenched his palms, managing only a handful of sticky cold sweat.

He forced himself to stay calm: "What evidence?"

Ling Yue's gaze turned icy: "Naturally, it's the tools you've hidden away."

A chill spread through his viscera; Gao Xiang followed with uneven steps, and upon seeing the tools Ling Yue had unearthed, he felt like a dead dog.

Among them were anesthetics and capture nets, even with matching binding ropes—gear that even dog thieves wouldn't have so complete.

The chaotic scene shocked everyone; several tools still bore oxidized dark-red bloodstains, a sight that made hearts pound.

The police found several transfers in his account, each from different pet owners; when questioned by phone, these people still looked bewildered.

"I bought blood online with money—what's wrong with that?"

"What happened? Is the seller suspected of illegally trading blood? No way—he told me it's from his own pets, and I also paid for the blood."

"What? Blood, blood bags?!"

In the stray animal rescue base, most people hearing this term for the first time were stunned.

Blood bags—beneath that simple name lie countless cats and dogs that have died because of them.

Pet owners, after their beloved animals meet with accidents, are willing to pay high prices for blood, yet how many compatible pets are there in their own circles? This gave rise to blood dealers.

Stray cats and dogs are free, natural blood bags; besides, once they're dead, no one notices—who cares about the life of a cat or a dog?

Upon hearing these explanations, any coworker with a shred of conscience couldn't help but glare at Gao Xiang: "Beast! You're worse than a beast!"

Thinking of Fangfang and Hua Juan, the many cats and dogs that had died these past days—dozens of them—Xu Guang felt as if someone had smashed his head, rage surging: "I'll kill you! You swine‑dog‑less beast! Are you even human?"

"Boss, slow down—don't hit anyone!"

"Boss, don't dirty your hands over a scoundrel—if you want to fight, let me… cough cough… fighting's not good!"

The one saying that slapped Gao Xiang across the face.

The employees swarmed forward, uttering admonitions while their hands or legs viciously punched and kicked Gao Xiang.

"What hitting people?"

"We're breaking up the fight! We're helping!"

Xu □□ trembled with fury all over—he wasn't a pampered big boss; he worked alongside his subordinates at the stray animal rescue base, and he was a full half‑head taller than Gao Xiang.

Thus, when the police finally arrived "fashionably late" to pull him away, Gao Xiang was already crawling all over the ground, his nose blue and face swollen, wailing in pain: "Stop hitting… stop hitting… I'll never dare again!"

Xu Guang hated him to death, also hated himself to death; it was he who invited the wolf in and caused misery to the furry children.

Xu Guang completely regarded the small animals as his own children; otherwise he wouldn't have kept investing funds, wouldn't have installed surveillance directly after such an incident, and even examined the corpses, but how could he have known? Day and night guard against thieves, yet the thief within is hard to prevent.

From the very beginning, he had been misled.

Suddenly thinking of something, Xu Guang's whole body trembled: "I previously asked you to help find a doctor to examine those furry children's corpses—you lied to me?"

Gao Xiang, lying on the ground, stiffened and said nothing, but the result had already come out.

Ling Yue blinked: "You had him examine these animals' corpses? That's—" sending sheep into the tiger's mouth.

She didn't say the rest; Xu Guang already regretted till his intestines turned green, he thought Gao Xiang was still the good brother he grew up with—little did he know——

Gao Xiang was this kind of person: high-eyed, low-handed, resentful of society and jealous of talent. A few days after being fired by the company, having spent his savings, he began to harbor crooked thoughts, pondering what business could make quick money and high income; by chance he saw Xu Guang's stray animal rescue base livestream, and a bold idea sprang to mind.

First he made the small animals dependent on him, then he easily took them out of the stray animal base; the first time doing this he didn't gauge the limits properly, and Fragrant, a healthy big tabby cat, was literally bled to death.

Afterwards Xu Guang installed surveillance and examined the corpses; Gao Xiang had already tasted the sweet profit of blood bags, even thinking that Xu Guang, this idiot, had money but didn't bother to earn it.

Of course, to be safe, he especially found an accomplice, a pet doctor who would issue a false autopsy report for him; and precisely because of this, Xu Guang had never found any clues.

Because the real truth, from the very beginning, had been concealed by them.

The truth came to light.

Though it was a cloudless sky for thousands of miles and the blazing sun shone high, everyone who heard the whole story only felt chills run through their hearts, as if cold air seeped from the gaps in their bones, making their flesh creep.

I pah! You call who an idiot? You scum who has exhausted all conscience, worse than beasts! How could you lay a hand on them?

The veteran employee pointed at him, fingers trembling: "Are you, are you still human? Animals trust you so much, yet this is how you treat them?"

Gao Xiang regretted being caught, yet felt not the slightest that he had done anything wrong, speaking harshly: "Dead is dead, everyone will die eventually; killing animals doesn't require paying with one's life?"

Do you know how much money those blood bags make? Do you know how big this gap is? I've made over a hundred thousand in just a few months! A bunch of idiots!

Ling Yue gave a cold snort: "Then you might as well go to jail!"

Gao Xiang stared at her, shocked and incredulous; now there was no need for Ling Yue to say anything, Xu Guang stepped forward voluntarily: "I'm going to sue you! These are all my animals; you bought and sold them illegally to make money, over a hundred thousand—how many years do you say I should get?"

Gao Xiang blinked, his voice hoarse as he squeezed out: "I…… won't…… clearly they're just worthless broken cats and dogs……"

Before he finished speaking, a low catcall sounded, growing nearer, followed by the employees' exclamation: "The cat house, the cat house's door—how was it opened by someone?"

The crow perched on the door pecked at its feathers, hiding its talent and fame.

In the next moment, countless cats surged forth like a flowing, colorful river; the iron gate flung open, over a hundred cats rushed out, their momentum immense, causing the employees who saw them to turn pale.

What's happening? The cats are going to run away!

Good heavens, I clearly shut the door tight and even put a lock on it!

Unexpectedly, these cats, after coming out, did not leave but continued to run forward, charging toward Gao Xiang. The lead Orange cat hissed low, hatred flashing in its eyes; behind it, every cat showed a ferocious expression, glaring hatefully at the man on the ground.

Take revenge!

We want to take revenge!

Gao Xiang shuddered with fright, curling his legs to flee, yet the cats wouldn't give him that chance—punch and claw they surrounded him, leaving gash after gash.

The neighboring dog, eager to try, begged the crow for help: "Let us out, we also want to take revenge!"

Little Flower died too horribly, wuwuwu quickly let me out to take revenge! I'll bite him to death!

The crow shook its head—how could it dare? Letting the cats out was because they were small-bodied, and it had promised itself not to cause human casualties; as for these big dogs in front, it feared the dog would sit on someone and kill them.

Suddenly, the crow's movement froze, locking gazes with Ling Yue's meaningful look.

The crow froze in place; Ling Yue had already withdrawn her gaze, as if noticing nothing, looking at the scene on the ground—after the cats had finished their revenge, Gao Xiang on the ground had completely become a bloody figure.

Save, save me!

The bloody figure, speaking while crawling, was gruesome to behold, yet sufficiently satisfying.

Cheng Ziming examined carefully: "Able to crawl and speak, he won't die anytime soon."

The anxious police breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the cats—none missing, they voluntarily returned, Orange at the rear, gently pulling the gate's last gap shut with its paw.

One can't help but wonder—are these cats, or people?

The cats in the cat house were well-behaved, giving no hint—they had almost bitten that man to death.

The surrounding employees all marveled: "This is revenge; the cats are taking revenge for their deceased companions."

They say small animals are stupid, but look—they clearly remember better than anyone.

Pah! He deserved it; this is retribution, he got what he deserved.

Gao Xiang was taken away by the police, suspected of infringing others' private property, illegally profiting tens of thousands, already a huge amount; one can imagine what awaits him.

Almost everyone was happy; just thinking about having worked months with this two-faced beast worse than an animal made goosebumps rise, now that he's finally been taken away, each picked up tools to clean.

Only one person, Xu Guang, had begun to doubt himself. The man's gaze was dull and listless, utterly decadent as he stared at the small animals in the quarters; as Ling Yue prepared to take her leave, one could still hear his self-reproach.

So many furry children were killed in corners he couldn't see; how could he bear no burden, and even if not for having summoned Ling Yue, he would still have been kept in the dark by fools, not knowing when the truth would surface.

Doctor Ling. Xu Guang suddenly lifted his head, the emotion flashing in his eyes making her heart skip: "What's wrong?"

Xu Guang gave a bitter smile: "Could I ask you a favor?"

Ling Yue looked at him doubtfully, nodding.

Xu Guang's eyes lit up, as if a drowning man clutching the last piece of driftwood: "After this incident, I realize I'm not a competent caretaker; those furry children were bullied and hurt, and I knew nothing of it, so I…… I want to ask you to help, to help get these furry children adopted out."

Ling Yue said nothing.

In the instant Xu Guang lowered his head, his vision blurred: "I don't hope to send all the furry children away, but in new owners' hands they'd surely be better off than with me, right? You've seen—I still have pedigree cats and dogs here, they're all good kids, free for adoption, surely some can be sent out?"

Ling Yue gave him a deep look; he no longer had any of his former vigor, and Ling Yue knew he was utterly disheartened, which was why he said these words.

She pondered for a moment: "I refuse."

Xu Guang blinked, his spine collapsing, his lips trembling as he tried to say something, his eyes pleading.

Ling Yue sighed: "I refuse your previous proposal, because I have a better plan."

Xu Guang snapped his head up, staring intently at her.

Ling Yue: "I'm preparing to take over the Warm Warm Stray Animal Rescue Base myself—do you agree?"

When returning, Ling Yue received the grandest treatment; Xu Guang's face was full of joy as he admiringly looked at Ling Yue, he didn't even tell his subordinates—this was a secret only he and Ling Yue knew.

The car sped off; Xu Guang turned and ordered his subordinates to clean thoroughly and inspect the lodgings—this usually kind-hearted man made unusually strict demands this time, leaving even his subordinates stunned.

They didn't know what Ling Yue had discussed before leaving, only thinking the boss had been provoked; they chatted about it, but their subordinates dared not be negligent at all.

In the cage, hearing this, Huang Ju blinked slightly; foolish humans didn't realize, but the cat heard—after today, the stray animal rescue center would belong to Ling Yue.

It didn't know what it would become; compared to Xu Guang, it would rather trust Ling Yue, even though it already knew Xu Guang was innocent.

Xiao Ling came over, eyes sparkling, full of hope for life: "Boss, I'm so happy!"

"Doctor Ling will be our owner from now on; you say how she'll help us?"

"I don't know."

Huang Ju turned away coldly and left; Xiao Ling clung to it like a little follower.

Next time we meet, it will be when someone comes to take over the stray animal rescue center.

In the car, Ya Ya lay in the passenger seat, thinking he'd escaped disaster, when suddenly he heard Ling Yue's voice: "What happened today?"

Ya Ya: "……"

It knew that what was coming couldn't be avoided.

After saying what it knew, Ling Yue listened and only gave a warning once; but Ya Ya suddenly turned, peeking in, asking: "Master, what did you and Xu Guang say at the end? Why did he suddenly become so elated?"

Mainly because Xu Guang acted excited, saying it had nothing to do with the master, Ya Ya refused to believe it no matter what.

Ling Yue: "Oh him, he was worried about the stray animal rescue center, so he came asking me to help find people to adopt."

Ling Yue: "I refused."

Ya Ya was startled, then heard the next sentence: "I spent money to buy the stray animal rescue center."

Ya Ya instinctively said: "Oh, you bought the center—wait, what did you just say, Master?!"

Back home, within half a day, under Ya Ya's big mouth, all the animals knew—Ling Yue had bought the stray animal rescue center.

This grand move left the animals stunned.

The room fell silent; Ling Yue looked at the sofa where a group of small animals quietly stared at her.

Sensing the master's gaze, Da Hei puffed out his chest and lifted his head, sure he was far more handsome than the other shelter animals— the master would never look at any other dog!

After a moment, the Feng Shui turtle spoke first: "After buying the stray animal center, have you thought about what to do?"

Ling Yue nodded: "I have." She said, smiling, that if not for today's incident, she wouldn't have realized her ability had another use.

"Ya Ya." Ling Yue called Ya Ya's name, "You went with me today and saw everything—the small animals at the stray animal rescue center live a hard life."

Speaking of this, Ya Ya nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking grain: "How is it not hard? We eat meat every meal, while they only get cat or dog food, many animals crammed into one kennel, and they also have many wounds!"

Ya Ya said, feeling a bit sad himself: "They're so pitiful. The little meat jerky you gave them, Master, kept them excited for a long time, as if they'd eaten a feast."

The Black Cat Queen deeply empathized; even a smart cat, after losing its owner and wandering for years, had faced many hardships—it would help stray cats as best it could, but come spring, some cats still wouldn't survive.

The Black Cat Queen flicked her tail and said: "My former subordinate, the little calico, went to find food for her kits, accidentally fell into the water; by the time anyone noticed, she was frozen in the icy river. The remaining kits, we all huddled together to keep warm, barely letting them survive."

Stray animals in the city come in waves; the familiar faces you see this year might disappear next year.

Hearing this, the small animals fell silent, because many of the ones Ling Yue had adopted were once strays themselves, knowing the feeling of hunger and cold.

The Black Cat Queen calmly analyzed: "So the stray animal rescue center is indeed good, but—" she twitched her whiskers, looking at Ling Yue: "The center spends too much money with no income; can you keep it going, Master?"

Ling Yue nodded: "I can!"

She confidently stated her plan; hearing this, the small animals were stunned: "Raise stray animals?"

If at first it was just a vague, half-formed idea in Ling Yue's mind, after all these experiences she now has some plans.

"Knowing animal speech is my trump card; I can communicate with the animals, train them, familiarize them with human-world rules, make them understand simple commands—I believe that even with such flaws, someone will like them and be willing to adopt them."

"And for those like Huang Ju who refuse adoption, we can train them to work or livestream—they can support themselves. Didn't you say? The biggest flaw of the stray animal rescue center is that it only outputs, no input; the animals earn wages, equivalent to a staff—how could it still go bankrupt?"

Listening to her, the small animals' eyes shone with excitement; Da Hei was especially amazed: "Wow, Master, your plan is great—they'll surely love it!"

Saying this, he thought of himself, puffing his chest proudly: "I am Master's first disciple, and now I'm an official dog!"

Da Hei proved the feasibility of these plans through his own actions; no animal worried about her anymore.

Afterward, Ling Yue worked on the plans, staying up until midnight before the bedroom light was turned off.

The next morning she went to the stray animal rescue center to handle the handover; staff who knew the truth glanced sideways, staring at her in astonishment.

Ling Yue made no major changes; the original Xu Guang became a minor supervisor, and based on daily performance, staff who should be fired were fired, those who deserved raises got them.

Ling Yue also produced a new set of regulations—uniforms and meals included; one could say, though small, it had all the vital organs. Xu Guang beside her widened his eyes; after years at the animal base, he had never seen such a detailed, thorough form covering every aspect.

As for Huang Ju.

Ling Yue had people categorize according to the animals' opinions, only to discover many differences: independent, proud types wanting to build their own careers; clingy, cute ones seeking an owner; and another group that were lost or for various reasons couldn't find their owners, longing to go home.

"Doctor Ling, Doctor Ling."

Ling Yue turned her head; Gua Gua was clinging to the door, extending his big white dog head to call her.

Ling Yue: "What's wrong, Gua Gua?"

Gua Gua was especially happy, grinning as he said: "I remember now—everyone calls my owner Ge Ge; she's Manchu, our home is in Jing Shi, living in a big house with a lovely little garden!"

He said, wagging his tail happily: "Doctor Ling, could you ask if anyone lost a little dog named Gua Gua three years ago? qwq"

Ling Yue pressed her lips together, patted its head; the good dog looked hopeful, but according to Ling Yue's guess, Ge Ge was likely an alias, and Jing Shi being so huge, only one marker—a big house with a small garden—would be rare there.

As she pondered, the dog happily barked, drawing Huang Ju's scorn: "Tsk, another stupid dog."

"Trying to find an owner is worse than relying on oneself." Seeing Ling Yue look over, it instinctively puffed its chest: "I will surely become one of the top students in the first batch!"

It's nothing like those dogs that naturally whine; it's practically a clingy spirit reborn.

Gua Gua couldn't tolerate this, stubbornly lifting his dog head: "But I do have an owner!"

"The owner said, I'm her favorite Gua Gua, and later we'll raise cubs together!"

Huang Ju glared at him fiercely: "Stupid dog! You'll surely regret it!"

Ling Yue later wondered whether Huang Ju was too hostile toward humans.

At that moment, an elderly tortoiseshell cat walked over; it was the oldest among these cats, and the cats didn't call it by its name, only calling it Grandma Cat.

Grandma Cat found a sunny spot to lie down, then looked at Ling Yue: "Don't take it to heart; Orange didn't mean it—it's young and hot-headed, unwilling to admit that there are bad people as well as good people among humans."

Ling Yue frowned, hearing that it seemed there was more to the story; besides, she hadn't taken it to heart—Orange was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, as shown by its desperate protection of everyone.

She shook her head, saying she didn't mind; Grandma Cat lazily rolled over: "Only I and a few older cats know about Orange's affair."

It said, looking at Melon: "Actually, at first it was also a house cat, just like you, Melon, brought home by its owner when small and raised."

Melon gaped in shock: "Really? Did it also get lost?"

Grandma Cat shook its head and sighed: "If only that were true."

"Orange's blind eye was stabbed blind by its own owner."

A silence fell.

Ling Yue looked up; not far away, Orange was crouched on the ground, beside it a little Ling imitating it, not knowing what it had done wrong, when Orange suddenly swiped at it with a paw; Little Ling's body trembled, and it looked at Orange resentfully.

Fluffy sunlight showered the fluffy ones in the yard; each little furball seemed to glow and shine.

How could anyone hurt them? Ling Yue tried to understand the mentality of those people, but she could never comprehend it.

Grandma Cat was in high spirits today, telling them the whole story.

"I've known Orange since it was tiny; back then I was a stray cat in the neighborhood, Orange had just been brought home as a kitten, it was especially adorable, tiny, wobbling as it walked like a little orange..."

Yet no matter how cute, in some people's eyes it was useless, and they would even bully it mercilessly because of its weakness.

Orange's owner was a strong man who, according to himself, had taken in the cat to catch mice, but before he could catch any, Orange had already earned his disdain.

The kitten wasn't a toy he could control; its eating, drinking, and elimination required gradual care, and because it had suddenly been separated from its mother's embrace, it meowed every day—this faint sound became the trigger for the man's violent beating.

For a long time, neighbors upstairs and downstairs would hear the scolding and shrill cat cries; Orange grew up bit by bit in this way, the man occasionally giving it something to eat, but mostly it relied on catching mice on its own or going out to hunt with the stray cats.

It didn't resent its owner; instead, it was very clingy.

Grandma Cat glanced at Melon: "What are you looking at? Don't believe me? All the stray cats in the neighborhood know that Orange has utterly disgraced us cats—it's even clingier than a dog!"

One day, after the owner had been away for a long time, Orange came home and saw him, couldn't help but touch his hand, and he seized her throat: "You filthy cat, how dare you touch me?!"

"You eat rats every day and are full of germs—who let you touch me?!"

After a merciless beating, the stray cats didn't see it for many days; when they finally saw the cat again, it was almost reduced to a skeleton, and it asked Grandma Cat: "Why does my owner hate me?"

It had clearly been trying very hard, learning from the pampered cats in the neighborhood—those cats need do nothing, and their owners just pick them up, kiss and hug them, and lift them high.

"We advised it not to get close to the owner anymore, but it wouldn't listen."

"After a long time, Orange's owner disappeared, it hung out with us and became a semi-stray, waiting at the doorstep for the owner to return. When the owner came back, it eagerly grabbed the little chicken leg a kind person had given it..."

"And then?" Melon perched on the railing, also loving chicken legs—one chicken has two legs, and the owner always fights to eat them with it; for some reason, the owner's just smells better.

The dog innocently thought, "Orange's owner must be happy, right?" ^_^

Grandma Cat: "We worried about Orange, lying under the window, and not long after we heard a bang— the man shouted hoarsely: 'You actually brought me a rat?! You fucking don't want to live?!'"

"We heard Orange's uncontrollable wail, then suddenly there was no sound; this frightened the neighbors, they opened their doors, and only then did we dare to peek out, seeing Orange lying in a pool of blood, motionless, as if dead."

"Then came the Orange you see now; after it recovered, it ran away from the hospital, its temper grew colder and colder, and only that Little Ling child isn't afraid of it at all."

Ling Yue lowered her head in silence; no one would investigate the past of a bad-tempered cat.

Melon also stayed silent, head down, feeling it shouldn't have asked.

Suddenly her head felt heavy— it was Dr. Ling, who seemed to know what she was thinking, smiling and saying: "Melon is very good."

"I will help you find your owner."

When Ling Yue left the stray animal shelter, her heart felt heavy, but she quickly shook it off, casting away her bad mood.

Passing a department store, she stopped the car; when she returned, the car had a row of little cats added, arranged in various poses, holding up a red couplet: "Tomorrow will be better!"

Yes, tomorrow will be better.

Suddenly a special phone ringtone sounded; Ling Yue blinked, still puzzled, then glanced at the time display and suddenly remembered that today was Saturday, the date she had agreed with her online friends to go live.

Returning home, she turned on the computer; one could say that as soon as she opened the livestream room, this high‑spec computer hiccuped, and then, looking at the viewer count in the upper‑right corner, Ling Yue's mouth opened slightly, as if she wondered whether she was hallucinating.

In the blink of an eye, the number jumped from zero straight to an eight‑digit figure!

At the same time, all programmers on the Tiger Whale live‑stream platform stood ready; in fact, this preparation had been going on for half a day, the cause being Ling Yue's rule of streaming on Saturdays and Sundays.

Now Ling Yue has become the top streamer on the Tiger Whale live‑stream platform, with a gap of tens of millions over the second‑place streamer, and as videos are shared and re‑uploaded, that number keeps growing every moment.

Now, all the big and small streamers stare at Ling Yue's account, their necks craning; watching other bigshots is like gazing at a big mountain, but watching her is like looking up at the starry sky!

In the internet‑celebrity circles, who doesn't know Ling Yue?

Those who secretly linked up, hoping to ride the heat or even trip her up— today the guy named Gou Dan got a laugh, but instead he ended up utterly disgraced, and now a net‑wide search finds no trace of him.

Rumor has it that later he was retaliated against by the Cat Corps, ended up in the ICU and even lost his lineage; some guessed it was related to Ling Yue, while many more kept silent: "What the heck is going on? I daren't say, I daren't ask, I know nothing!"

Fans couldn't care less about that, each one staring at the clock— these workdays feel like years.

As soon as the livestream started, before Ling Yue could speak, wave after wave of gifts flooded in, leaving her dazed; she explained, "We haven't begun the draw yet, everyone, consume rationally, consume rationally!"

【What? The streamer asks me not to tip? No way—I insist on tipping!】

【Streamer, don't worry about our money—I now rely on your livestream to get by every day!】

【Move aside, all of you—I love the streamer's wife!】

【Since I entered the streamer's livestream, I've lost appetite for tea and food; finally, finally I've gotten what I waited for! oxygen. JPG】

【Waa waa waa, heartless— they've been longing day and night, waiting until the yellowed day‑lily buds went cold, and you finally came around!】

【Something's off upstairs 【little face slightly yellow】】

The person in charge of Tiger Whale live‑stream stared at the skyrocketing stream, stunned— others explode in popularity, but she has ascended, single‑handedly pulling up the entire platform's traffic.

The general manager who first spotted the talent and handed out the contract could barely close his mouth, looking at the rocket‑like trajectory— this year's year‑end bonus is absolutely guaranteed!

Suddenly a weight settled on his shoulders; the boss looked at him satisfied: "This step was well taken— perhaps before next year we'll be able to go public overseas."

The general manager staggered, his heart pounding wildly.

This is no longer a hint—it's a naked, blatant indication!

He thought quickly, realizing the short three‑year contract made him even more annoyed! No way—I want the recommendation spot, the homepage push, give me all of them!

This isn't feudal superstition; it's a pet‑consultation live stream—cats and dogs are adorable, and now stressed netizens just love this.

In the live stream, Ling Yue didn't know she was about to get another wave of gifts; seeing the screen full of flying gifts, she directly closed the donation channel.

The netizens were stunned, the clever ones calculating that in just those few minutes the streamer had already earned at least several hundred thousand, never expecting her to be even more generous—she doesn't want several hundred thousand at all!

Ling Yue: "I'll say it once—streaming is my personal hobby; you can like it, but please donate rationally. I like reading comments, seeing what you think, I don't like donations."

"Money isn't important to me."

Upon hearing this, netizens gasped; many wealthy viewers with needs frowned: "What do we do? The streamer actually doesn't want money!"

The netizens in the live stream went crazy throwing hearts.

【The streamer is so generous—I've never seen anyone push money away like this!】

【What should I do? Streamer, I have an emergency—I can't delay my pet at home.】

【Wuu wuu wuu can tell—the streamer definitely isn't short of money, she's practically my dream goddess; does the streamer still need pets?】

【I'm handsome, can cook, graduated from a top‑1 school! Self‑recommending on the pillow mat qwq】

【What are you dreaming upstairs? I have a gold mine at home, they won't even let me spend money—who do I go to complain?】

Ling Yue glanced at the comments, pursed her lips slightly, and directly stated her attitude: "I have no special fetishes; I don't keep human pets."

"Besides, besides the online stream, there's actually offline consultation; those with needs can come find me in Jing Shi, but slots are limited, please be rational."

In the live stream, upon hearing this, netizens' eyes lit up—online there are only two spots, what about offline?

"Alright, let's start drawing names."

Ling Yue thought, then said: "Right, I asked the property management to set a limit—each person can donate only once; the live‑stream draw picks whoever is selected."

Below rose a chorus of wails; the wealthy who hoped to turn luck around with spending found themselves with no way out, while netizens seeing the draw numbers first rubbed their eyes, then looked at the tens of millions of participants—everyone was dumbfounded.

【Damn it, I was still glad I had a chance—this draw is fair enough, but now look, my god, thirty million and still rising—this gives me no way to live!】

【I'd rather spend tens or hundreds of millions than enter the draw—my luck is bad.】

【I kneel to the big shot upstairs—bad luck can still make big money!】

【Fake, I'm a wastrel—whatever I do I lose, now I'm just sponging off my parents QAQ】

Ling Yue watched with relish; not long after, the draw results were announced.

Ling Yue: "GuoseTianxiang hello, what would you like to consult?"

She said while inviting a video link; after a while, a comment slowly appeared.

GuoseTianxiang: 【How do I connect to this live stream? I don't really get it.】

The netizens were all taken aback, wondering if she wasn't a minor—she didn't know how to use the live link; they thought and pointed, and finally, after a few minutes, GuoseTianxiang managed to connect, stumbling.