All My Colleagues Are Animals 31

Chapter 31

The human form’s paws were thoroughly unsharpened, and she still couldn’t eat fruit during her sugar-abstinence period.

The combination of the two left Pei the Little Able Cat in low spirits, staring silently and gloomily at Ye Qingyu.

In that instant, Ye Qingyu inexplicably felt as if she were raising a fussy and fragile little beast.

One moment it was accidentally injured here, the next it was in a mood there, its misty peach blossom eyes shimmering, completely occupying her mind.

The strange thing was, she didn’t find it troublesome at all. It even felt naturally familiar.

As if it was always meant to be this way.

“Sister Luo, may I borrow the kitchen?”

Ye Qingyu went to the first floor and poked her head into the kitchen, only to find it empty.

She subconsciously scanned her surroundings, and her gaze paused.

By the living room’s French windows, the glass tank Sister Luo had bought for her ex-girlfriend sat quietly.

There was supposed to be only one mantis shrimp inside, but now, for no reason, there was another one.

Ye Qingyu walked over and saw two mantis shrimp swimming with their legs, one fleeing until its whole body was crimson, the other chasing with unhurried composure.

In the end, the fleeing shrimp reached a corner with nowhere to go; the chasing one extended a long claw and went straight for a tank-pin…

“…” Ye Qingyu’s eyelashes fluttered.

She had never watched, nor had she ever consciously paid attention to, the life of a shrimp. Now, appreciating it carefully, she found it to be quite fascinating.

She even imagined a plot of one fleeing, the other chasing, its little legs struggling to fly…

Wait.

Her train of thought seemed to have evolved into something a little strange after being repeatedly shocked.

What was even stranger now was, how were there two shrimp in the tank? Shouldn’t there only be one “ex-girlfriend”?

Ye Qingyu looked around, puzzled.

The next second, she had a sudden realization.

These two must be the shrimp couple that Sister Luo had bought.

Pei the Little Able Cat came down the stairs and asked lazily, “Ye Qingyu, are the bamboo shoots ready?”

“…Not yet. Just a moment, it’ll be quick.”

Ye Qingyu delayed no longer. She rolled up her sleeves and walked into the kitchen, preparing to cook a special meal for her beautiful boss—the sauced bamboo shoots from last time.

While washing the ingredients, her gaze unconsciously drifted down, and she saw two mantis shrimp in the luxurious large bucket, sweetly entangled with each other.

Ye Qingyu’s movements paused.

That’s not right. These two should be the shrimp couple.

Then what’s with the extra shrimp next to the living room’s French windows…?

A reddish-brown, fluffy head suddenly appeared by her ear, the woman’s long, curly hair brushing against the skin of her neck, a slight itch.

Ye Qingyu’s breath trembled. She turned her head and saw her beautiful boss leaning on her shoulder, staring straight at the bamboo shoots in the sink, like a little red panda waiting for its keeper to serve a meal.

Being supervised like this, Ye Qingyu couldn’t continue to be distracted.

Temporarily pushing the matter of the extra shrimp in the living room to the back of her mind, she diligently cooked the bamboo shoots for Boss Pei.

However, the moment she poured the sauce over the bamboo shoots, she was suddenly reminded of Sister Luo’s usually damp, as-if-just-out-of-the-water, light-blue hair, and her heart jolted.

No… that’s impossible…

***

The preparations for the “Small Animal Survival Guide” were in full swing, and it was soon to be published.

Spring was also growing more intense, the breeze gentle and warm, willow catkins flying in the streets.

On the morning of the first day after her sugar-abstinence period ended, Pei the Little Able Cat was sleeping soundly, hugging a branch of the scholar tree, her fluffy, soft fur distinct in the sunlight.

In her sleep, a small sliver of her pink tongue stuck out, licking her wet teeth, unconsciously sleep-talking:

“Ye the Little Tree, what kind of star fruit is growing on your branches? I want to eat…”

On the other side, Ye Qingyu picked up a car from the 4S dealership.

She had been struggling to choose a model but found that a certain brand’s latest SUV happened to be a red panda’s reddish-brown color. Paired with its smooth body lines, it looked beautiful and brilliant.

Boss Pei will definitely like it.

Ye Qingyu fell in love with it at first sight and went to the dealership early to buy it in full.

After driving it home, she first installed the car interior decorations she had bought in advance, then went to the supermarket to buy ingredients and did some prep work in the kitchen.

She took a soft breath, feeling her heart beat a little faster for no reason.

Then she took out her phone and called Boss Pei.

Over on the other side, Pei the Little Able Cat heard the phone ring from under the tree. Half-asleep, she climbed down, saw it was a call from her human, and tapped the screen with her paw.

The call connected, and Ye Qingyu’s voice was gentle. “Boss Pei, are you awake? Would you like to come over to my place today? I bought a lot of fruit.”

Pei the Little Able Cat had just been about to chew Ye the Little Tree bald in her dream, but her stomach had still felt empty.

Now, waking up to hear there was fruit, her eyes immediately lit up, and she woke up with a rare lack of morning grumpiness.

“Since you’ve already prepared everything, then fine,” she said, lifting her fluffy head, feigning indifference.

“Wait for me a moment. I’ll drive over to pick you up.”

Pei the Little Able Cat’s large, furry ears immediately perked up.

“Do you have a tricycle too?”

“No, I bought a car,” Ye Qingyu said. “It’s a red panda color.”

Pei the Little Able Cat was stunned.

It had been many years since she had last ridden in a car.

On the one hand, she no longer dared to get into a stranger’s car; on the other hand, Luo Bian had driven a car into a river during her driving test, and since then, she had acquired a constant tricycle driver.

She felt a little nervous for no reason.

What is my human like when she drives? What if I don’t dare to get in the car? Won’t I look less than majestic?

These hesitant thoughts suddenly dissipated when the human parked the car in front of the small building’s courtyard, opened the window, and looked at her.

The color of the SUV was a high match to a red panda’s fur, possessing a wild yet brilliant splendor.

The car’s chassis was high, and its exquisite, smooth lines were very eye-catching. And the young woman sitting in the driver’s seat, though she had a very gentle appearance, complemented the car’s aura perfectly.

It was a little ostentatious, but it didn’t give Pei Rong the slightest feeling of danger.

And, on the dashboard in front of the passenger seat, there was a glass bowl filled with peeled mangosteens and grapes.

Pei the Little Able Cat’s throat moved slightly.

She hadn’t eaten fruit for two weeks.

Ye Qingyu got out of the driver’s seat, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door.

“Boss Pei, getting in?”

Pei the Little Able Cat reservedly pulled her gaze away from the fruit and nodded.

Ye Qingyu raised a hand to shield the top of the doorframe to prevent the woman from hitting her head.

After the person was seated in the passenger seat and had spontaneously hugged the doll on the seat, she leaned over to help fasten the seatbelt.

For a moment, the faint fragrance of scholar flowers and bamboo leaves lingered in the air.

Just as she was about to leave after fastening it, she inadvertently looked down and saw her beautiful boss hugging the red panda plush toy with both hands, her stunning features showing a cuteness even more vivid than the doll’s.

Her heart stirred, and a word suddenly came to mind—

—Su – (to model/shape after)

On the internet, many people compared their favorite celebrities to small animals. Comparing them to a cat was “cat-su”, and comparing them to a dog was “dog-su”.

At this moment, she belatedly realized—she seemed to be unconsciously modeling her beautiful boss after a red panda.

“Ye Qingyu, do you have a fork?”

Boss Pei had already picked up the glass bowl of fruit and taken off the lid.

When she looked at the fruit, her peach blossom eyes were like the midday sun of a spring day spread across the surface of a lake, sparkling.

Ye Qingyu paused slightly.

It’s not that I’m modeling her. It’s that she’s just so similar in the first place.

After Pei the Little Able Cat had contentedly begun to eat her fruit, Ye Qingyu returned to the driver’s seat.

“Huh, there’s an apple here…”

After swallowing a sweet grape, Pei the Little Able Cat suddenly noticed a cute little apple ornament hanging in front of her and couldn’t help but poke it with her short-trimmed fingertips.

Ye Qingyu’s lips curved. She acknowledged it and shifted gears, preparing to leave.

Previously, Pei Rong had said she was afraid of taking ride-sharing cars. Ye Qingyu was worried she would be afraid of small cars as well, so she had prepared fruit and a red panda doll to accompany her, and had also hung a cute little apple pendant and opened the sunroof, trying to make Boss Pei feel as safe and comfortable as possible.

It seemed to be working well now.

The studio was very close to her home; it was only a twenty-minute drive.

Pei the Little Able Cat had already finished her fruit on the way. Now, after changing her shoes at the entryway with Ye Qingyu, her eyes immediately went to the coffee table.

There was fruit, but far less than before.

Ye Qingyu doesn’t dote on a little panda as much anymore.

Seeing the woman’s expression, Ye Qingyu immediately knew what she was thinking and explained with an amused tone, “The doctor said, even when you’re not on a sugar-abstinence period, you still need to control your sugar intake.”

Pei the Little Able Cat was a little depressed.

When God created red pandas, he made them love sweets, but at the same time, he gave them fragile stomachs. It’s truly a contradiction.

After sitting down on the sofa with the plush toy and eating the first piece of sweet honeydew melon, she felt a little relieved.

Eat fruit while you can. There’s nothing more to be said.

Lunch was bamboo shoot and pork rib soup, steamed pumpkin, and stir-fried beef with pineapple.

Actually, Ye Qingyu’s specialty had always been shrimp, but ever since she had learned that Sister Luo’s ex-girlfriend was a mantis shrimp, she had been worried that she might inadvertently cook someone’s ex-girlfriend.

Every dish was delicious. Pei the Little Able Cat ate until she was content in body and soul.

She rubbed her full belly and asked Ye Qingyu casually, “Ye Qingyu, did your driving test go smoothly?”

Ye Qingyu blinked. “It did.”

She had passed all four subjects on the first try.

Pei the Little Able Cat tilted her head. “Then you’re very good. Luo Bian said it’s very easy to fall into the river during the driving test.”

“…”

In all her life, Ye Qingyu had never heard of anyone falling into a river during their driving test.

But she couldn’t bear to expose Sister Luo in front of her sometimes exceptionally naive beautiful boss and only said vaguely, “Maybe her test route was a bit special.”

After speaking, a thought stirred in her mind.

A river?

Why does it feel like Sister Luo’s stories are always related to rivers and lakes?

With this thought, she asked, “Is Sister Luo a good swimmer?”

“Mhm,” Pei the Little Able Cat said. “Don’t be fooled by the fact that she can’t pass her driving test. She’s amazing in the water.”

She’s not afraid of drowning at all, even if she falls into a river.

Ye Qingyu’s lashes fluttered, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Is that so.”

Pei Rong propped her chin up lazily and seriously reminded her young human, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Just as she, Pei the Red Panda, looked like a woman on the surface, but was actually a ferocious beast underneath.

This ferocious beast, having eaten and drunk her fill, was feeling sleepy again.

When Ye Qingyu came out after cleaning up, she saw Boss Pei sitting at the dining table, her peach blossom eyes half-closed with sleepiness, her head nodding off.

It was as if she were about to fall asleep at any moment.

She couldn’t help but ask softly, “Boss Pei, would you like to take a nap?”

Pei Rong tried hard to blink, struggling for a bit of clarity. “Where should I sleep?”

After speaking, she looked Ye Qingyu up and down hazily. There’s no scholar tree here. Am I supposed to sleep on this Ye the Little Tree?

Mmm, that’s not impossible.

“Um… if you don’t mind, you can sleep in my bed,” Ye Qingyu said. “I just changed the sheets this morning.”

The moment she said this, she herself couldn’t believe it.

She used to not make friends and never invite anyone to her little home. How was it that now, facing a superior she had only known for a little over a month, she could even generously share her bed?

The spring midday was too warm, and the feeling of a full stomach further induced sleepiness.

Pei the Little Able Cat no longer cared about sleeping in a bed or a tree. As long as she could sleep, it was fine.

She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and grabbed Ye Qingyu’s sleeve, her voice thick with sleepiness. “Take me there.”

And so, Ye Qingyu took the woman to her room.

She was inexplicably nervous as she pushed open the door, a subtle feeling of a private space that had never been opened to anyone about to be entered.

Pei the Little Able Cat followed her in. When she looked up, her misty peach blossom eyes suddenly widened.

The entire room was filled with herself.

The watercolor painting hanging on the wall, the calendar on the desk, the floor lamp… all had the image of a red panda.

And, they all had a heart-shaped patch of white fur on their bellies.

Mmm, Ye Qingyu really likes her, Pei the Red Panda.

Pei the Little Able Cat felt a warmth in her heart. She was a little proud, and a little happy.

She blinked her peach blossom eyes. “I need to change my clothes.”

She couldn’t get Ye Qingyu’s new sheets dirty with the clothes she had worn outside.

Ye Qingyu took a set of pajamas from the wardrobe and said with some hesitation, “I’ve only worn this set once. It’s already been washed.”

Pei the Little Able Cat took a look and found that these pajamas also had a red panda pattern.

But it was just a fluffy cartoon back view, so she couldn’t completely tell if it was her.

She couldn’t help but furrow her brow and asked Ye Qingyu, a little concerned, “Which red panda is this?”

Ye Qingyu was slightly stunned, not quite understanding.

She blinked a beat later. “It’s… the same one as on my wall, on my desk.”

Pei the Little Able Cat’s lips curved slightly, and only then was she willing to accept them.

“Are you going to sleep with me?”

“…” Ye Qingyu’s heart trembled.

At this moment, the room’s white gauze curtains were swaying gently in the spring breeze. Sunlight filtered through, casting slowly dancing shadows, making the afternoon even more drowsy.

After asking, the beautiful boss covered her mouth and yawned, her peach blossom eyes filled with a watery sheen, looking pure and innocent.

“I can just sleep on the sofa in the living room.”

Seeing Boss Pei so sleepy she was like a limp little beast, Ye Qingyu’s heart finally itched, and she couldn’t help but raise a hand to pet the woman’s head. “Good afternoon, Boss Pei.”

And so, Pei the Little Able Cat changed into the red panda pajamas, slipped under the fragrant, thin covers, and lay down on her human’s bed.

Her body and mind relaxed, and she quickly fell asleep.

On the other side, Ye Qingyu lay down on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, with the red panda plush toy in her arms.

The realization that Boss Pei was now lying in her bed made her heart beat a little faster for no reason, and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

In her boredom, her fingertips touched the plush toy’s ears and began to knead them with practiced ease.

In the bedroom, Pei the Little Able Cat was sleeping soundly. Without realizing it, she had transformed into her original form, a fluffy ball.

She rolled over. In her dream, she felt her large, furry ears being petted.

The human’s warm, delicate fingertips moved through the soft, fine fur, bending and kneading the springy, large ears…

She had been rubbed like this before, but never had the sensation been so unbearable.

Pei the Little Able Cat trembled slightly in her dream, her paws scratching lightly at the air, her pink tongue licking her teeth. “Don’t…”

A little while later, the human’s dangerous hands moved on to the heart-shaped patch of white fur on her belly.

This was a red panda’s fragile and sensitive spot. Under the subtle technique and pressure, Pei the Red Panda trembled even more intensely.

The sensation of being rubbed by the human’s palm spread everywhere, quickly coursing through her limbs. Everywhere it touched was numb and itchy, and a tide of heat gradually brewed in an unspeakable, deep place, forcing a soft, whimpering sound from her throat.

She couldn’t take it anymore. Her furry paws randomly clutched at the bedsheets. Her sharp claws, unlike her human-form nails, had not been trimmed to this day.

And so, she quickly tore a hole in the human’s bedsheet.

A gentle breeze blew past the window. The white gauze curtains swayed lightly, revealing the lush and vibrant spring scenery outside.

For small animals, this meant entering the most vigorous, scorching, and humid period of the year.

Commonly known as mating season.