All My Colleagues Are Animals 3

Chapter 3

“Serve me well, and the leader position for the next major project is yours.”

Her former boss had once said this to Ye Qingyu with suggestive ambiguity. At the time, her gaze had deliberately lingered on Ye Qingyu’s hands hanging by her side, the desire in them direct and heavy.

From then on, Ye Qingyu had developed a certain sensitivity and vigilance toward the implications of the word “hands.”

And right now, sitting at her desk in the new company, Pei Rong’s peach blossom eyes, along with the way she had looked at her hands, were still vivid in her mind.

The stare was direct, yet it wasn’t tainted by calculations of benefit or desire. It was clean and pure.

And so, being looked at like that felt only like being tickled by the soft, cute fur of a small animal—just a little itchy.

Ye Qingyu let out a soft breath, trying to clear her mind of these strange feelings.

She tidied her desk a little, then quietly got up from her seat, planning to wander around the studio as Pei Rong had suggested to familiarize herself with the new environment.

She walked past the colleague with brilliant golden hair who was drooling over a puppy mukbang video, the colleague with brownish-black hair who sat motionless with an orange on her head, and the colleague with white-and-pink hair who was munching loudly on dried fish…

The colleague with white-and-pink hair enthusiastically offered her a piece of dried fish. Ye Qingyu accepted it with a warm word of thanks.

Then she froze on the first bite.

What a primal flavor—it was likely that the fish had been dried immediately after being caught, with no attempt to remove the fishy taste and no salt for curing. It was like a snack for a small animal, completely contrary to a normal human palate.

Holding her breath, she managed to swallow the strange-tasting but well-intentioned dried fish, then walked out of the work area, gently closing the door behind her.

The recreation area opposite was even more spacious than the workspace. It was fully equipped with video games and audio-visual equipment, as well as several large, soft… dog beds?

The dog beds came in various shapes and were lined up in a row. It looked as if, come nightfall, a group of animals would each roll around in their own beds before dozing off.

But aside from the boss’s calico cat, there were no other animals here.

Puzzled, Ye Qingyu gave them a brief look before turning and heading downstairs.

Compared to the office and recreation functions of the second floor, the first floor had a much cozier, more domestic atmosphere.

The living room coffee table was piled with all sorts of snacks, fruits, and magazines. Next to the large-screen TV was a stack of DVDs, with Zootopia on top.

The kitchen looked like it was used often. It was fully stocked with pots and pans, and a few pieces of fresh, red raw meat sat on the cutting board.

In addition, under the sink, there was an exquisite large bucket.

Curious, Ye Qingyu walked over to take a look and saw a plump, lively, light-blue Macrobrachium rosenbergii swimming around.

The moment she leaned in, it suddenly leaped out of the water, landing with a splat next to her slipper and twitching a few times.

But its jailbreak was a failure—Ye Qingyu picked it up by its long, thin antennae and tossed it back in.

“So energetic. You’d probably be delicious steamed, wouldn’t you?” Ye Qingyu poked the mantis shrimp’s head.

She washed her hands and left the kitchen. In the bucket, the mantis shrimp thrashed about in a panic, splashing water everywhere as it cursed in a tiny, shrill voice, “You’d be delicious steamed! Your whole family would be delicious steamed!”

It almost turned red from anger.

Ye Qingyu, completely unaware of this, had already wandered into the gym.

However, before she could even take stock of the fitness equipment, her eyes were drawn to a treadmill, her pupils constricting—

The treadmill’s belt was spinning at high speed, and a calico cat was sprinting frantically on it, its four paws moving so fast they were almost a blur.

How dangerous! The boss’s cat has somehow gotten stuck on a running treadmill, forced to run without stopping.

Ye Qingyu rushed over in a few steps, scooped the calico cat off the treadmill, placed it to the side, then turned off the machine and unplugged it.

After dealing with it, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked down to meet the calico cat’s gloomy gaze.

“Were you scared?” She inexplicably felt a chill run down her spine but still said gently, “Don’t come to the gym next time. It’s very dangerous.”

The calico cat seemed to understand her. It raised its tail aloofly, walked straight out of the gym, and quickly disappeared.

“Dammit!” Having reached a corner, Bai Shuang’s usually calm eyes trembled. “My workout vlog for today was interrupted before I could even finish… Damn human!”

Completely oblivious to her “many evil deeds,” Ye Qingyu slowly ambled into the study.

The study was decorated in an elegant, classical style. A misty, ethereal ink wash painting hung on the wall, and a vase of gracefully blooming flowers sat on the desk.

The books on the shelves weren’t deep philosophy or literature, but textbooks from elementary to high school. They were very old, the covers tattered and worn, as if they had been scratched by the sharp claws of a small animal.

A chubby character for “Rong” was written in black ink on the side of every textbook, like a domineering mark of ownership.

Ye Qingyu looked at the rounded strokes and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Boss Pei’s handwriting is quite cute. She even makes the character for “Rong” look fluffy.

On another shelf were various popular science books, as well as veterinary manuals, small animal training tutorials, and the like.

“Bzzzz—”

Just as Ye Qingyu was about to leave the study, she heard what sounded like a bee slowly approaching.

She turned to look and saw a plump little bumblebee performing nimble spins and tumbles in the air, bobbing up and down with a certain rhythm.

Ye Qingyu paused, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed screen window nearby. She realized this little bee must have gotten into the study by mistake and couldn’t get out.

How anxious must it be, unable to find its way back?

With this thought, Ye Qingyu picked up a cattail fan from the study, opened the screen window, and then gently fanned at the bee that was persistently dancing after her, sending it outside.

The little bumblebee was hit by a strong gust of wind. It tried hard to resist, but to no avail. Its fluffy butt was pushed up by the hurricane-force fan as it tumbled and rolled, exiting the window in a disheveled state.

Then, with a snap, the screen window was closed.

“Go on and collect your nectar,” the human said with a bright smile from behind the screen.

Having done another good deed, Ye Qingyu left the study in a cheerful mood. She didn’t see the little bumblebee hover dazed and disoriented in front of the screen for a few seconds before cursing angrily:

“This bee flew all the way from the flower patch to the study to show you my special moves, and you fanned my butt with a fan? Humans really are the worst!”

Ye Qingyu discovered that there were quite a few small animals in need of help both inside and outside the building.

Besides the mantis shrimp that had jumped out of its bucket, the calico cat trapped on the treadmill, and the bumblebee that had strayed into the study, as she wandered into the backyard behind the building, she also found a buff-colored Californian guinea pig floating on its back in the large, clear swimming pool, struggling frantically.

This guinea pig was tiny, but very plump and cute. However, the sight of it flailing on its back with its belly exposed was distressing.

Fortunately, it wasn’t far from the edge. Ye Qingyu crouched down by the pool and, with her long reach, easily scooped the guinea pig out.

“You poor little thing, struggling so miserably with your belly up. How did you accidentally fall into the water?”

Ye Qingyu took a tissue from her pocket and did her best to carefully dry the uncooperative guinea pig’s fur and paws.

After she was done, she placed the guinea pig far from the pool to dry off. Luckily, the sun was bright and warm today, so it should dry quickly and not catch a cold.

Ye Qingyu sighed in relief and stood up.

Velvet Bamboo Studio was certainly wealthy to own such a large property within the 2nd Ring Road of B-City. The front yard was already spacious and exquisite, but she hadn’t expected the backyard to be a world of its own.

There was a huge, obviously well-maintained high-end swimming pool, a leafy scholar tree, and a small, lush bamboo grove, amongst which were a brightly colored children’s slide and a seesaw.

As she was idly looking around, she caught a flash of movement in her peripheral vision, like a reddish-brown, fluffy, large tail with beautiful rings swinging by.

But when she turned her eyes to follow it, she found nothing.

I’ve seen so many small animals today, I’m starting to hallucinate.

Ye Qingyu didn’t pay it much mind. She relaxed, stretched her limbs, and faced the sun with a lazy yawn.

Time to head back to her desk.

“Sister Rong…”

“Sister Rong!”

The red panda, taking a second nap, was lying sprawled on its back on the scholar tree, its fluffy tail occasionally flicking up and down cheerfully, a sign that its owner had been having a pleasant dream.

Being disturbed for the second time, she rubbed her ears in annoyance, baring her sharp little canine teeth as a form of intimidation.

Though it seemed to only make her look cuter.

“Sister Rong, wake up! Your human has committed countless evils!”

“She’s running rampant!”

“The studio has been turned upside down!”

“The world is in chaos!”

A chorus of complaints rose from below.

Catching the words “your human,” Pei Rong finally opened her eyes slowly.

She didn’t want to move an inch. “Which beast stands before this court,” she said lazily, “to file a complaint against this official’s… human?”

The guinea pig grunted a few times, shook its not-quite-dry fur, and took the lead.

“I was having a nice swim when that human suddenly fished me out and said I was struggling miserably with my belly up! What an uncultured human, doesn’t she know I’m a guinea pig skilled in the art of the elegant backstroke!”

“My turn, my turn!” The little bumblebee flew directly onto the red panda’s snow-white, furry ear and lodged a fierce complaint. “That human fanned my butt with a fan! It still hurts!”

…

The small animals wailed their grievances, one “evil deed” after another crashing down, making Pei the Red Panda’s ears ache.

She turned over and lay on her stomach on the branch to look down, seeing pairs of round, sparkling eyes waiting for justice. She pondered for a moment, then said seriously, “A punishment is indeed in order.”

The small animals immediately cheered. “How will you punish her?”

The red panda lay back down again, raised a paw to rub her empty stomach, and said slowly, “Punish her by making her serve me.”

While she was napping just now, a large insect had been buzzing relentlessly in her ear. In her groggy state, she’d swiped a paw at it, only to end up in a state of mutual injury with the bug.

This was something she could never tell the other animals, or else where would she, Pei the Red Panda, hide her face?

In short, her right paw was injured and needed care. By her count, she had been raising a human for several hours now. It was about time she put her to use, right?

Later, she would let Ye Qingyu “atone for her crimes through meritorious service” by peeling many mangosteens for her. After she was full, she would also need a belly rub. In short, she would be served in every way possible.

With these thoughts, Pei Rong’s mood brightened. Ignoring the dumbfounded animals below, she announced majestically:

“—Court dismissed!”