All My Colleagues Are Animals 27p1

Chapter 27 p1

“Sister Rong is calling everyone for a meeting.”

Early in the morning, Bai Shuang knocked lightly on the work area door.

Ye Qingyu looked up, remembering the last meeting that had ended so abruptly.

She stood up, hugging the plush toy, and followed her colleagues into the recreation area. As she looked around for a spot to sit, the doll in her arms was suddenly snatched away by Boss Pei.

“Let me borrow this for a bit. I’ll give it back after the meeting.”

Pei Rong hugged the plush toy tightly.

She could not allow herself to be rubbed to tears by a human during a meeting and then flee in disarray again. Otherwise, where would she, a little panda, hide her face?

After everyone had arrived, she cleared her throat.

“Continuing from our last meeting—it’s time to launch the ‘Small Animal Survival Guide’.”

She paused for a few seconds. A rare seriousness appeared on her usually lazy and carefree face, making her look beautiful and commanding, with the air of a true superior.

“In recent years, the number of small animals our studio has rescued has been negligible. With the high development of media and the internet, they have been forced to hide deeper and deeper to protect themselves, leaving them mentally isolated and with nowhere to turn for help when they encounter trouble.”

“Therefore, the ‘Small Animal Survival Guide’ is urgently needed, to become a beacon for small animals.”

“I’ve already discussed partnerships with Tushan Publishing and Mianmian Hospital. They will both give their full support.”

The small animals all cheered in agreement, applauding with a “clap, clap, clap.”

Gu Yue stretched her arms and shouted, “Yay, it’s time to rule the humans!”

The movement pulled at a wound on her arm, and in the next second, she cried out in pain.

“Huh, Gu Yue, how did you suddenly get injured?” Nian Qiu asked.

Gu Yue’s brow furrowed. “Last night, I passed by next door and couldn’t resist trying to clamp that goose. I ended up getting my wing pecked and had to crawl to the hospital overnight to get it bandaged.”

After speaking, her eyes flickered, and she looked up at the ceiling mournfully. “But I actually found the way she pecked me to be somewhat charming.”

“…”

A strange silence suddenly fell over the recreation area.

Pei the Red Panda rubbed the doll in her arms, which looked exactly like her, and brought the topic back to business.

“The ‘Small Animal Survival Guide’ is expected to be published once or twice a month. The layout design and printing will be handled by the publishing house. We will be mainly responsible for the content.”

“In addition to popular science about small animals, we will also have a few special columns.”

“Shui Zhu will be in charge of the story column. We’ll serialize your articles, and later on, we can also accept submissions from other small animal writers.”

Shui Zhu nodded, her eyes suddenly shining.

She had a lot of new inspiration recently and had also learned many strange plays online. She was sure she could open the small animals’ eyes.

Mmm, should the next article be about a red panda tying up a human, or a big goose pinning down a pelican?

But there was an important question—

“Will the magazine’s review process be very strict?” she asked.

Pei Rong pondered for a few seconds. “I’ll ask the publishing house later.”

Shui Zhu’s ears twitched.

No matter how strict the review is, it surely can’t be as strict as the human reading app—Jinjiang. The standards there are so strict that small animals don’t even dare to go into heat in the spring.

Pei Rong continued to assign tasks. “Ye Qingyu.”

Suddenly being called upon, Ye Qingyu, who was already focused on listening to the woman speak, blinked her eyes.

She had roughly understood that Velvet Bamboo Studio had a habit of rescuing small animals and was now going to launch a non-profit magazine for this purpose.

But, how can small animals read a magazine? The target audience should be pet owners or organizations, right?

As she was thinking, she saw Boss Pei’s red lips part slightly. “You and Jin Can will be in charge of the ‘Small Animals Have Something to Say’ bot column.”

“If small animals submit articles, you two will be the first to review them, select suitable ones, respond, and publish them in the next issue.”

It sounded like this column would be very interactive.

Earning 50k a month, and finally getting to do some real work, Ye Qingyu felt a sense of anticipation and pleasure.

Otherwise, she always felt like she was being kept by her beautiful boss.

“Wu Shu and Nian Qiu will be the investigative reporter team. If you receive a request for help, you’ll go to investigate the situation first.”

“There are some other columns that we’ll plan later, such as small animal comics, a small animal late-night emotional column, and so on…”

“In the beginning, the magazine will be priced at 1 yuan. We are not seeking profit. Our only goal is to send a hidden signal to our own kind in society, to protect ourselves while letting them know that help is available here.”

…

The “Small Animal Survival Guide” must have been planned long ago, as Boss Pei quickly arranged everything.

Everyone’s workload was very light, continuing the lazy and relaxed, slacking-off pace of Velvet Bamboo Studio. They planned to publish a thin issue every half a month, and all aspects were quite casual—

To be frank, compared to the magazines on the market, it wasn’t very professional.

But Ye Qingyu was still touched by Boss Pei’s act of doing good without regard for profit.

Although she can be a bit spoiled, timid, and prone to tears, she is fundamentally a gentle and magnanimous big sister.

“Ye Qingyu?”

Ye Qingyu snapped back from her thoughts.

Bai Shuang instructed, “I’ve sent the submission email for your bot to the group chat. Remember to check for new emails often.”

Ye Qingyu opened her web browser and logged into her email. The moment she logged in, she saw a new email pop up at the top and couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

The magazine hasn’t even published its first issue, and there’s already a fan submission?

The signature of this email was very mysterious: A red panda who wishes to remain anonymous.

The content was just as nonsensical and domineering: Humans are born to like only one red panda, and not a single one more.

Jin Can, who was still learning Chinese characters, was diligent and hardworking. Whenever she encountered a character she didn’t know, she would copy and search for it, studying it on the screen.

When she finally understood the meaning, she empathized deeply and let out a pitiful, puppy-like whimper. “Humans are also born to like only one puppy, and not a single one more.”

Ye Qingyu read through it for a while and subconsciously said, “Is this a test submission? We probably don’t need to reply—”

Halfway through her sentence, her beautiful boss’s voice suddenly came from behind her. “This is definitely a submission from a fan. It needs a reply.”

Ye Qingyu paused.

She turned around and met those rippling peach blossom eyes.

Pei the Red Panda still had a half-eaten, large green grape in her fingertips and said with an air of profound mystery:

“Don’t be fooled by the fact that our ‘Small Animal Survival Guide’ is just starting out. We actually already have loyal fans. Ye Qingyu, you need to read and reply to this submission with care. Don’t let our precious fans feel disheartened.”

After speaking, she tilted her head. “And I’ll give you a raise, as your salary for being in charge of the bot.”

Ye Qingyu was stunned.

A raise is my salary for being in charge of the bot? Then what was my previous 50k a month for…?

It… it can’t possibly be for being her dog.

In the end, with Jin Can’s approval, she replied to the submission email:

【The red panda is always right.】

In the office, Pei the Red Panda finished reading the new email, and her large, furry ears perked up happily.

She leaned back in her office chair and ate another grape.

This type of Sunshine Rose grape had recently won the little red panda’s heart. It didn’t require the trouble of having a human peel it, and eating it with the skin on was fragrant and sweet.

She had accidentally eaten more than half a bunch in one go. By the time she realized it, her stomach was already starting to feel uncomfortable again.

Recently, she had been having stomach discomfort almost every day.

Pei the Red Panda felt so uncomfortable that her breathing tightened. The next second, she transformed into her human form and, with practiced ease, took out her phone to send a message to Ye Qingyu: 【Ye Qingyu, rub the doll’s belly.】

Then she changed back into a red panda and waited listlessly for her belly to be rubbed.

Soon, the warm and soft touch of a human’s palm came to her belly.

The just-right pressure made the red panda lift her fluffy head and squint her eyes.

But, the belly that usually got better with a human’s rubbing was particularly fragile today.

At first, it was just a stuffy discomfort, but then it gradually developed into a throbbing pain. The little panda, who was afraid of pain, couldn’t help but let out a low “whimper,” and even her large tail began to tremble.

Ooh…

No, I have to go to the hospital.

…

The tricycle sped through the streets.

Ye Qingyu looked worriedly at her beautiful boss beside her.

The woman was slumped limply in her seat, her long, reddish-brown curls a little messy. Her peach blossom eyes were pitifully filled with a moist sheen, and her cheeks were so pale they were colorless.

To resist the pain, she had bitten her lower lip until it was bright red, as if it were about to bleed.

The scene before her was so familiar that her heart ached for no reason, as if she wished that pain could be transferred to her.

Ye Qingyu couldn’t bear this complex and intense heartache. With one hand, she held a sun umbrella to shield her superior from the sun, and with the other, she held out her hand to the woman’s lips. “Boss Pei, you can bite me. Don’t bite your own lip until it bleeds.”

Pei the Red Panda was already in so much pain that her thoughts were a mess. A small beast’s wild nature was let loose in the pain.

She opened her mouth and bit down on the young woman’s pale white arm, the tips of her sharp canines leaving small, round indentations in the delicate skin.

Ye Qingyu pursed her lips and endured the damp, stinging pain without a sound.

She seemed to be a little used to this feeling, as if she had once raised a small, sharp-toothed beast and was often bitten and scratched.

Worried about injuring her human, Pei the Red Panda struggled to muster the last of her strength to keep from biting too hard.

But by the time they reached the hospital, Ye Qingyu’s arm still had a conspicuous, purplish-red bite mark.

“Well, well, you were just discharged a few days ago. What wind blew our Pei Little Capable One back here? Let me guess, was it a fruit-flavored wind?”

In the small animal hospital, Liu Mian, wearing a white coat, stood with her arms crossed, looking at her upcoming patient with a teasing expression.

“Just give me the shot.” Pei the Red Panda clutched her stomach weakly, in too much pain to deal with this sheep. “I need an IV drip.”

But after being rushed to the VIP ward, when it was actually time for the drip, she looked at the thin needle and suddenly closed her misty peach blossom eyes.

Her lashes were soaked with a moist sheen.

“Wait.”

Liu Mian’s needle-wielding hand paused. She looked leisurely at the red panda who had brought this upon herself. “What is it now?”

Pei the Red Panda pulled the covers up high, shrinking into them. “I need to prepare myself.”

This preparation lasted for a full two minutes.

Ye Qingyu stood by, seeing her beautiful boss huddled under the covers, trembling in pain but refusing to come out. She couldn’t help but worry. “Is she afraid of needles? What should we do?”

“She’s just simply afraid of the pain of the shot.”

Liu Mian couldn’t bear to look.

Knowing that Pei the Red Panda was being so lovey-dovey with her newly-raised human that she was unwilling to restrain herself and avoid contact even when nearing her mating season, she said with a sense of helplessness:

“Ye Qingyu, I’ll have to trouble you with this. We need to hold her down to give her the shot.”

Ye Qingyu pursed her lips.

Dragging this on was not a solution. She thought for a few seconds, then sat down by the hospital bed and called out softly, “Boss Pei?”

As she spoke, she tried to lift the thin blanket that was covering Boss Pei’s head.

The woman had been dawdling under the covers for a while. Now, her long, reddish-brown curls were even messier, and her cheeks were flushed from the stuffiness. The eyes that looked over were pitiful, like a helpless and fragile little animal.

“The shot is nowhere near as painful as your stomach ache, and it’s over in an instant.”

Ye Qingyu coaxed her in a soft, quiet voice, gently pulling Pei Rong’s arm out and then, unhurriedly and silently, passing it in Doctor Liu’s direction.

Her other hand, with practiced ease, went to the woman’s head, carefully tidying her hair and smoothing it down obediently.

The young woman’s gentle, jade-like face filled her vision, quite pleasing to the eye. A comfortable pressure also came from the top of her head, a kind of comfort so familiar it seemed to be etched into her bones.

Pei the Red Panda’s lips were half-parted. She was unconsciously distracted, staring at Ye Qingyu without a moment’s pause.

Her lashes trembled slightly. Her peripheral vision caught the dark red bite mark on the young woman’s wrist, a mark of great possessiveness.

Pei the Red Panda’s eyes darkened slightly, and the tips of her canines felt a little itchy.

The next second, a piercing sting suddenly came from the back of her hand. Pei the Red Panda’s eyes flew open, and in her pain, she instantly let out a red panda’s “ying-ying” sound.

“It’s done, it’s okay now.”

Ye Qingyu quickly patted the woman’s head soothingly.

As her hands moved, her thoughts were a little dazed.

The sound Boss Pei just made, why was it so much like the red panda’s “ying” sound she had heard online?

Could I be having auditory hallucinations again?

Finally on the drip, Pei Rong’s peach blossom eyes were already brimming with tears. She took several quick, light breaths, looking as if she had just walked through the gates of hell and back.

“I told you to eat less fruit.”

Liu Mian said helplessly, “A few days ago, I even predicted that you would come to the hospital for a drip, but I didn’t expect it to come true so quickly.”

Pei the Red Panda bit her lip, stubbornly silent.

Red pandas are born with a sweet tooth; it’s an instinct carved into their DNA. If she couldn’t eat sweet fruit, what was the meaning of life?

As if she knew what she was thinking, Liu Mian said, “It’s not that you can’t eat any at all, but you have to have some moderation.”

“And now look, you’ve indulged yourself to the point where you can’t eat any at all. For at least the next two weeks, you need to strictly abstain from sugar.”

Ye Qingyu’s ears twitched. She asked, “Doctor Liu, she can’t eat too much fruit?”

“That’s right. Her stomach can’t handle it if she eats too much,” Liu Mian sighed. “She’s like a cub that never grows up. Every year, she comes to the hospital for a few shots because of a stomach ache, and after she recovers, she forgets the lesson.”

“Little Ye, since you’re with her every day, I’ll have to ask you to supervise her sugar abstinence,” Doctor Liu said seriously.

Pei the Red Panda’s gaze paused. She clutched the edge of the blanket, her misty peach blossom eyes staring straight at the human.

Ye Qingyu’s nimble, slender hands had peeled mangosteens and grapes for her, and cut apples and melons, never delaying or hesitating.

She will surely dote on a little panda and give her fruit to eat, right?

A little panda is not greedy. Just a little bit is enough.

But she saw the human ask the doctor seriously, “Do you mean for the next two weeks, she can’t eat any fruit at all?”

Liu Mian nodded. “That’s right, not a single piece.”

The young woman then looked over, smiling beautifully. “Boss Pei, we’ll follow the doctor’s orders.”

Pei the Red Panda’s peach blossom eyes drooped, as if they had suddenly lost their moisture and withered in an instant.

She sullenly shrank back into the covers.

…