Chapter 9

It finished speaking and looked toward Ling Yue: "That human over there, what are you staring at? Hurry up and save—"

The little mouse hadn't finished speaking when the oncoming river water pressed down the driftwood: "Gurgle gurgle……"

It swallowed a bellyful of water.

The little mouse's wet paws scrabbled at the wood, its tail actually tied into a bow—perhaps it was too spirited, for Ling Yue even saw a hint of playfulness and cuteness.

The little mouse: "I'm not pretending anymore, I've laid my cards bare—human, hurry up and save me!"

Ling Yue: "Why should I save you?"

"I-I am a treasure-seeking mouse!"

"No way, you can understand mouse-speak? Could it be I'm already dead and you're a ghost official come to take me to the underworld? No!" The treasure-seeking mouse exerted too much force, and the driftwood slipped completely from its grasp.

Ling Yue looked at the panel—

【Name: Treasure-seeking Mouse (Supreme)】

【Gender: Male】

【Age: Three and a half years】

【Personality:???】

【Skill: Treasure-seeking and Gold-digging】

【Wish: To survive】

The bedraggled, waterlogged treasure-seeking mouse was desperate to the extreme; it gazed leisurely, but in truth it was already at the end of its rope. The mildly cool summer river water came wave after wave—could today be the day I, the mouse, meet my end?

With a "splash", a long branch hooked onto its plump body.

By the riverbank, the golden little mouse plopped down on the levee, soaking wet from head to toe, its beady eyes fixed on Ling Yue: "Thank you for saving me—I'll surely repay this great kindness! What do you want as repayment?"

The treasure-seeking mouse, in a human-like gesture, clasped its hands and bowed to Ling Yue.

Ling Yue gazed at the page brimming with rewards, the prize for saving the treasure-seeking mouse, a wealth halo hanging on her panel, the reward feeling utterly unreal.

Only then did she focus her attention on the mouse; compared to the ordinary street rats she usually saw, it resembled a pet-store golden hamster, covered in golden fur, cute and nimble.

Ling Yue didn't demand repayment, but let it go; the treasure-seeking mouse stared at her in surprise for a few seconds: "I will definitely repay you!"

Ling Yue thought it was just a minor incident, took Dahei for a few laps, and by the time she got home she had already forgotten about it.

While Ling Yue was cooking, she suddenly heard Dahei's bark; she paused—this aging apartment building had poor soundproofing.

Ling Yue warned it: "Dahei, keep it down, or you'll disturb the neighbors."

The dog's barking faded, and only with close attention could one hear a few whimpers.

Inside the door, Dahei stared intently at its paws while the treasure-seeking mouse, bearing a large pack and leaning against the doorframe, looked at it smugly: "Stupid dog, what are you staring at?"

As it spoke, it suddenly twitched its nose: "Smells great!"

A pair of mouse eyes gleamed, landing in the dog bowl filled with fragrant, premium beef: "Your chow smells amazing—I haven't eaten meat in days; can I have a bite?"

Dahei eyed him warily, still remembering that its master had just let it go, so it couldn't lunge and bite.

Big Black stared at him warily, still remembering that the master had just let it go, so it also couldn't pounce and bite it.

Suddenly hearing it want to eat its own beef, Dahei's ears perked up: "No way! That's food my master prepared for me—only my master's pets may eat it!"

Suddenly hearing it want to eat its own beef, Dahei's ears perked up: "No! That's food prepared for me by the master; only the master's pet can eat it!"

The more it spoke, the prouder it got, not forgetting to scrape the basin with its paws, eagerly biting into a mouthful of fragrant beef.

Xunbao Shu gulped down a mouthful of saliva, its long-empty stomach "gurgle-gurgle" singing a song.

It lunged forward, the little mouse's mouth surprisingly big, eating with oil dripping all over its mouth: "Wuwuwu, so delicious, I also want to be a pet!"

Xunbao Shu showed no fear at Dahei's angry glare, scoffing, "Just a puppy a few months old; I'm the rat king of this area. If it weren't for a momentary slip—cough cough—heroes don't brag about past courage."

Even as a pet, Xunbao Shu believes it will definitely be the best and smartest one!

When Ling Yue pushed the door open and stepped out, what she saw was this scene: Xunbao Shu stood on the tabletop, the light gilding its golden fur with a soft glow, as if the whole mouse were shining.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, the mouse grandpa said full of spirit: "Hey, your building's floors are too high; I, Mouse Mouse, have climbed hundreds of stories, almost exhausted to the point of collapse!"

Saying that, it plopped down, looking even more relaxed and at ease than Ling Yue, its master.

From the corner came the sound of a whistling kettle—it was Dahei wailing: "Master, I don't even know where it came from, and it's stealing my meat!"

Xunbao Shu shook its head: "Does that count as stealing? Besides, I, Mouse Mouse, have a letter of allegiance!"

It untied its bundle, and a gleaming gold ingot appeared before Ling Yue: "Do you still want a pet?"

Under Ling Yue's gaze, Xunbao Shu pleaded desperately: "I don't care; since you saved me, from today on you are my Xunbao Shu's master, whether you like it or not—"

Ling Yue: "I agree."

She examined Xunbao Shu closely, feeling no reluctance whatsoever; Xunbao Shu, a new breed she had never seen before, held immense appeal for Ling Yue.

Ling Yue had a premonition that after that day at the zoo, her life would never be the same.

Only later did she learn that this seemingly delicate and petite creature was actually the rat king of the area, commanding a legion of rat troops under its leadership.

Ling Yue cut a piece of beef and placed it on a plate: "Then how did you end up in the water?"

Xunbao Shu Duo Duo rarely showed a hint of bashfulness: "It's not that I fell into the water; it's that I—plunged into the river of love."

Thinking of his sweetheart, he seemed to become a different mouse, his tiny paws cupping his chubby cheeks, smiling foolishly sweet: "She is my love, my queen; for her, falling into the water is nothing, even if it costs my life, I would willingly give it."

Ling Yue was made to shiver violently by its cloying words, unable to stop it. In the end, with Ling Yue's permission, Xunbao Shu officially became a member of the household.

The next day, Ling Yue's pet consultation shop officially opened for business.

Yes, a pet consultation shop.

As the red silk covering the shop name was drawn back, passersby who saw the name felt their curiosity piqued; having heard of pet climbing shops and pet hospitals, they wondered what this pet consultation shop meant.

The PetLove shop clerk across the street couldn't help but sneer even more: "Sure enough, it's just a little girl who knows nothing—what is a pet consultation shop supposed to be?"

"Look, her shop doesn't even have a cat—does she really think she can make something out of nothing? Ridiculous."

"Could it be that she thinks she can communicate with animals? Don't be ridiculous."

By sheer chance, they actually hit on a bit of truth.

Ling Yue's pet consultation shop does not sell pets to the outside, nor is it an ordinary pet shop, but helps pets resolve their own worries. Once the custom-made sign was hung up, everyone who saw it laughed out loud.

This shop offers pet consultations, specializes in treating pet psychological disorders, and can conduct pet communication. Ten sessions a day, each costing three hundred.

Good heavens.

Many people were about to laugh their heads off, while taking out their phones to snap photos, wondering if the shop owner had a brain problem, actually claiming to be able to communicate with small animals.

Even the boss who originally sympathized with Ling Yue shook his head: "Little girl, what are you up to? Can't you just run a proper business?"

While outside discussions raged, Ling Yue remained in the shop, leaning on the custom-made lounge chair, motionless as a mountain.

Although it was a new store opening, she did nothing, almost silently launching,

Even Ya Ya began to worry, but only Ling Yue kept that same posture, appearing completely unhurried, even compared to the bustling PetLove across the street, her own business was especially bleak.

Ling Yue: "What's there to rush about? The sign says it clearly."

She also prepared herself to sit on a cold bench, picking up a pet medical book to read, but she hadn't expected that before she even lay down for a moment, a woman's sharp voice came from outside the door.

"Something happened! PetLove has been sought after, it looks like they're going to smash the shop!" The gossip-loving Ya Ya rushed into the room, her tone full of schadenfreude.

This street has always been quiet business-wise, the shopkeepers staying inside were almost getting moldy, but upon hearing the commotion, each one became more curious than anyone else.

In front of the PetLove shop, a richly dressed woman gently held a Ragdoll cat, its white long fur like piled snowballs, she immediately demanded: "Where is your shop manager? Hurry and get him out here!"

The shop assistant stared at her, stiffly saying: "Sir/Madam, what can I do for you?" Actually, when she saw the sickly little cat in the woman's hand, her heart skipped a beat, knowing things were going to go badly.

The woman frowned: "A few days ago I bought a Ragdoll cat at PetLove, you said it was just newborn and weak, needing careful raising, I even spent several thousand buying the full set of supplies, and now?"

"My Sweetie is sickly, it's almost dead!"

"Have you taken it to the hospital for a checkup, to see if it ate something else?"

Upon mentioning this woman, she instantly flew into a rage: "Of course I had it checked, I ran a full panel, Sweetie has feline plague! You initially assured me it was a healthy kitten, now you've given me a week-old cat, do you have any conscience at all?"

Xu Ruoyi couldn't help but cry out, holding the cat with extremely gentle movements, clearly she had already developed feelings for the little cat.

"My Sweetie, even if it has feline plague, I won't give up on it..."

The shop assistant argued firmly: "Miss, as far as I know, when you bought the cat Sweetie was very energetic; I find it hard not to suspect that during your trip home you came into contact with some source of disease, causing the kitten to fall ill."

"We are a legitimate shop; the cats we sell absolutely have no problems!"

"If there is evidence, we are willing to take full responsibility, but if there isn't, please don't spout blood."

The confident words made many people look toward Miss Xu; setting aside the truthfulness of the shop assistant's words, her firm attitude alone had already led many to suspect the cat's owner.

As the saying goes, if you do no wrong, you need not fear ghosts knocking at the door.

Only Ling Yue, her gaze fell upon the little cat.

The Ragdoll cat truly is nobility among cats, its pure long fur like a handful of soft snow. The kitten had been elegantly licking its paws, but upon hearing the shop assistant's voice, it suddenly shrank back.

Ling Yue's eyes darkened, more like a reflexive fear.

The kitten's sapphire-blue eyes welled up with a ring of grievance as it lay in its owner's arms: "No way, my owner treats me really well."

"They're the lying swindlers!"

The kitten kept crying nonstop, Ling Yue furrowed her brows, listening from beginning to end.

Meanwhile, in front of the PetLove pet shop, the situation reached a stalemate.

The kitten's owner, though wealthy, could be seen as inexperienced in worldly affairs; under the shop owner's slick excuses, she kept making mistakes, people were about to cry from anger, and also regretted not bringing a bodyguard; many passersby seeing this leaned more toward the pet shop being the victim.

Seeing the balance tip in his favor, the shop owner felt assured, yet sincerely said: "Miss Xu, I'm also very sorry about this happening; although it's feline plague, it's not beyond cure, on humanitarian grounds, our PetLove pet shop is willing to pay some compensation."

Xu Ruoyi was furious to the point of death, gritting her teeth: "What sorry? You clearly sold me a week-old cat, how can you be so shameless!"

The shop owner's eyes flickered: "The urgent priority is to save the kitten; I understand Miss Xu's feelings, you're too eager, which is why you've lost your reason."

Even the onlookers chimed in: "I think the shop owner is right; maybe the feline plague is due to poor care at home."

"Didn't you say at the start that the kitten was very energetic in the shop? But feline plague can't be hidden, and it comes on fiercely. Look at the medical records she just brought; the kitten's condition should already be severe, how could it still be lively?"

"And what can change in just a few days? The kitten certainly wouldn't pretend."

"The shop owner is really unlucky, who would have thought even rich people would scam money!"

"Yeah, he really is unlucky."

The shop manager secretly glared at a certain employee, damned unlucky, and didn't even keep his hands and feet clean.

Fortunately, the matter has already been resolved.

He quietly curled the corner of his mouth, a fleeting hint of a smile.

Xu Ruoyi saw it, his smile made her feel her hands and feet turn ice-cold; she opened her mouth, her originally doubtful heart suddenly chilled halfway.

Just then, a female voice suddenly rang out: "Miss Xu."

Ling Yue stepped forward, looking at the sobbing woman, her gaze gentle: "If I say I have a way to prove your words are true, would you believe me?"