All My Colleagues Are Animals 45

Chapter 45

The game of beastly competition had clearly entered its white-hot stage.

Jin Can, Nian Qiu, Gu Yue, and Pei the Red Panda had reached the final circle.

Actually, Pei the Red Panda felt that something was not quite right.

If she had entered the final circle with beasts like Shui Zhu and Bai Shuang, she might have proudly lifted her fluffy head, thinking that it was, after all, a matter of her own strength.

But to fight to the end with a group of usually rather unreliable little beasts…

“Are the mangosteens not sweet today?”

Ye Qingyu, sitting beside her, asked in a soft, quiet voice.

Pei the Red Panda came back to her senses and continued to eat the mangosteens the human had peeled for her.

“They’re sweet.”

The clear and sweet fruit juice soaked her taste buds, and Pei the Red Panda contentedly twitched her ears.

Forget it. No need to overthink it.

This is clearly a fair competition based purely on strength, and the king of beasts is definitely me, a little panda.

Perhaps the shedding season was almost over. The woman’s long, reddish-brown curls had been much smoother recently, beautiful and glossy, fluffily framing her neck, occupying Ye Qingyu’s peripheral vision.

They swayed and swung, making one’s heart itch.

Ye Qingyu’s throat moved slightly, and it took a great deal of effort to refocus her mind on her food.

***

The spring day grew more intense, and the weather became warmer and warmer, even a little hot.

This heat stirred in the hearts of the small animals, inevitably getting mixed up with the mating season.

Bai Shuang took another two days off.

At noon, a beige fluffball flew to her desk, shook its wings in front of the large sign that read “Birds or me, me or birds,” and buried its head in its fluffy body.

After a moment, she looked up again, a beautiful feather in her beak, the beige tinged with a bright, watery blue.

She held the feather and danced in circles on the desk, her black eyes round, a certain excitement in them.

“Jiu-jiu-jiu.”

“Jiu…”

After a moment, she gradually drooped.

That woman would not appear again to gently accept her courtship feather.

The feather was casually placed on the desk, and Nian Qiu flapped her wings and flew out the window.

The spring breeze blew by, and the light feather fell to the ground.

…

Pei the Red Panda was in the backyard, playing on the new rocking horse the human had bought.

The human hadn’t said who it was for, only that she had brought it this morning and placed it on the lawn, saying that this place was missing a cute rocking horse.

Pei the Red Panda had liked it at first sight.

Not only was this rocking horse cute, but it was also more comfortable to sit on than the one that had been broken by the wind and rain yesterday.

Pei the Red Panda held the handles with both paws and swayed back and forth lazily. Her springy, fluffy ears twitched with the movement, and she accidentally fell asleep.

At the same time, Ye Qingyu, having woken up from her nap, walked into the work area.

A conspicuous wisp of beige floated to her feet. Her steps paused, and she looked down to see a small bird’s feather.

Her breath hitched, and her heart suddenly accelerated a little.

She acted as if she hadn’t seen it and quickly walked past.

But she couldn’t help but stop.

Such a beautiful feather must have a precious meaning to a little bird.

What if no one noticed it, and it got stepped on and dirtied?

Ye Qingyu took a deep breath and spent a dozen or so seconds mentally preparing herself.

Then she turned back and, in one go, bent down to pick up the feather.

She didn’t touch the fluffy part, only lightly pinched the base, and then quickly placed it on Nian Qiu’s desk.

After doing this, her hands and feet were a little weak, and a chill ran down her spine.

She was still so afraid of birds.

She glanced at the empty work area, then at the bright sun outside the window.

She turned and went downstairs, to the purple sandalwood swing in front of the small courtyard.

The swing was not large, just enough for one person to sit.

She half-lay on it, her eyes closed, the sun casting a warm red glow on her eyelids.

Her cold hands and feet grew a little warmer in the sun.

The human was on the swing in the front yard, and the red panda was on the rocking horse in the backyard. The lazy frequency of their swaying was exactly the same.

Just then, a sound suddenly came from the main gate of the courtyard.

Ye Qingyu opened her eyes and saw a beautiful and powerful black panther come in through the door.

In the sunlight, the leopard spots between its black fur were clear and eye-catching.

But, what attracted Ye Qingyu’s attention even more was—

—a limp, beige fluffball was sitting on top of the black panther’s head, letting out a sleepy “jiu-ji” sound.

And the next second, seeing Ye Qingyu, the beige fluffball instantly froze.

It’s over, my soon-to-be king of beasts title!

Nian Qiu’s nerves tensed. She flapped her wings, preparing to quickly fly away—

The human’s gentle voice sounded. “You dropped a feather. I just put it on your desk.”

Nian Qiu was immediately reminded of that precious courtship feather.

She was in a hurry to escape and had no time to chat.

“Thanks, I’m in a hurry to fly off. Next time…”

The beige fluffball said as it took off.

Wait—?

The next second, the fluffball froze, its flight stalling, and it fell straight down.

Wu Shu reacted quickly, immediately lifting a paw and taking a step, catching the bird on her head.

“…”

The human, the panther, and the bird stared at each other in the front yard.

***

“Tsk, I’m in the top three.”

Gu Yue raised her eyebrows after reading the group message in [Shedding Fur, Not Covers (Finals Edition)].

She happily opened her computer and continued to play Plants vs. Zombies.

Recently, to protect herself, she had stopped planting Chompers. She only planted Sunflowers and Wall-nuts every day, a picture of peace and tranquility.

Unexpectedly, after playing for a while, another piece of good news came—

[Jin Can (Cover Blown Edition):] Ooh.

[Everyone (Cover Blown Edition):] ?

Speaking of which, the human was also very confused about the matter of Jin Can blowing her cover.

At the time, Ye Qingyu had been diligently slacking off at her desk when she saw a message from Ms. Ye Zhao: [Honey, give me a call after work. I have something to ask you.]

It was rare to see Ms. Ye Zhao send such a serious message. Ye Qingyu was worried it was something urgent.

Since she had nothing to do, she simply got up and went to the recreation area to call Ye Zhao.

The call was quickly connected.

Ms. Ye Zhao’s tone was a little serious.

“Honey, I have a friend. She has a friend who is eight years younger than her and has inexplicably started buying her luxury houses and cars, and even said she wants to be her little puppy… I wanted to ask you for your opinion, to see what you little puppies are all thinking.”

“Little puppy?” Ye Qingyu was slightly stunned.

The matter between her and Boss Pei was just a misunderstanding. She hadn’t expected Ms. Ye herself to actually be serious.

She had even used the classic “I have a friend” line.

“What’s going on?” she asked curiously.

Ye Zhao said calmly, “I don’t know. My friend didn’t tell me much.”

Ye Qingyu was a little amused.

Her own mother had misunderstood and teased her so much before. Now, she couldn’t help but tease back. “Why are you afraid to admit it?”

Ye Zhao was silent for two seconds, then put up a last-ditch resistance. “My friend really doesn’t understand young people these days. Just speak from a little puppy’s perspective.”

Ye Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh and went along with her. “I’ve never been a little puppy, so I don’t know. But from a general perspective, a very important quality of a ‘little puppy’ is honesty and frankness, so…”

Pitter-patter—

The sound of a small animal’s paws pattering on the ground suddenly came from the side.

Ye Qingyu was on the phone. She followed the sound and turned her head to look, her gaze slightly stunned.

She saw a Golden Retriever with its tail tucked, its puppy-dog eyes misty. “I really am a little puppy. Isn’t it enough that I admit it!”

Ye Qingyu: “…?”

Let’s rewind a few minutes.

Jin Can had been in her exclusive dog bed in the recreation area, chewing on her favorite toy, when she suddenly heard a sound from the doorway and froze warily.

Judging from the footsteps, it seemed to be Ye Qingyu.

Fortunately, she was behind a screen, so the human couldn’t see her.

After a moment’s thought, Jin Can decided to stay in her bed and wait for the human to leave.

But the human had actually discovered her—

“Little puppy?” the human called out.

Jin Can’s ears immediately perked up, and she held her breath.

What’s going on? How does the human know there’s a little puppy here?

Could it be that Ye Qingyu has already discovered she’s a Golden Retriever?

“What’s going on?” the human said again, as if wondering why she hadn’t come out from behind the screen yet.

“Why are you afraid to admit it?”

Soon, the human continued, her tone quite certain.

Jin Can’s whole heart clenched.

It’s over. The human really knows!

She had clearly been keeping her cover flawlessly recently. Where did she go wrong!

Should… should she go out and admit she’s a puppy?

“A very important quality of a little puppy is honesty and frankness…” Ye Qingyu was still saying.

Each word struck her heart, and Jin Can’s puppy-dog eyes gradually grew misty.

Is the human saying she’s not honest and frank enough?

Could it be that her former master abandoned her for this reason?

But, she had clearly never lied to her former master.

A whimper came from Jin Can’s throat. She rushed out and looked up at the human. “I really am a little puppy. Isn’t it enough that I admit it!”

The human looked at her, holding her phone, her eyes showing surprise.

“…” The Golden Retriever’s eyes widened.

Oh no, this is a big misunderstanding!

***

In just a few short days, almost the entire Velvet Bamboo Studio had been wiped out, leaving only two little beasts who had not yet been eliminated—

Pei the Red Panda and Gu Yue.

One who has traveled ninety miles is only halfway there. The closer one gets to the title of king of beasts, the more one must remain calm.

But as the prospective king of beasts, Pei the Red Panda was a little smug and imperiously demanded that the human peel her two extra mangosteens every day.

And Gu Yue went next door to find the big goose at night and said with great ambition, “When I have achieved success and fame, how about I come and clamp you?”

The goose gave her a cold look.

Humans all say, “When I have achieved success and fame, I will come back and marry you.” Why is this pelican’s mind only filled with clamping?

So dim-witted.

With this thought, she sneered. “No.”

Gu Yue opened and closed her beak pitifully.

“Even if you don’t let me clamp you, you are still the best goose in my heart.”

“The big goose of all big geese!” she shouted, flapping her wings.

“…” The goose moved its head and said coldly, “What did you just say?”

Gu Yue paused, vaguely sensing a certain danger.

Am I not even allowed to praise her now?

“I-I said you’re the big goose of all big geese…” Gu Yue repeated in a small voice.

“What big goose?”

The swan’s smile grew even colder. “I am clearly a swan!”

So this pelican had been saying she liked her every day, but hadn’t even figured out her species yet.

The next second, Gu Yue was pecked until she was crying and fled the next-door courtyard.

…

The next morning, Gu Yue was injured again.

Her right arm was wrapped in several layers of gauze, looking very pitiful.

“Why is that big goose so fierce? You’ve known each other for a long time, and she still pecked you like this,” Nian Qiu exclaimed.

Gu Yue raised her left hand to scratch her chin and muttered, “Well, I only discovered yesterday that she’s actually not a big goose, but a swan.”

“…” The studio was silent for a moment.

“Serves you right.”

“You deserved it.”

“She didn’t peck your left wing. She showed mercy.”

Everyone commented.

With a click, the human pushed the door open.

The little beasts immediately stopped talking about Gu Yue’s love life, lest this king of beasts (pending edition) expose a loophole.

After greeting everyone, Ye Qingyu sat down at her desk, holding a blueprint in her hand.

The wooden horse in the backyard had been bought by her for Pei the Red Panda, to temporarily replace the broken one.

But she always felt that the design details of the wooden horse were not good enough. After all, it was designed specifically for human children and was not suitable for a small animal.

There should be a rocking horse in the world designed specifically for Pei the Red Panda.

Ye Qingyu spent the whole morning revising the blueprint. After lunch, she didn’t even go to her room to sleep but sat at her desk, pondering the details.

Finally, she had revised it to her satisfaction.

After a final check, Ye Qingyu covered her mouth and yawned, her eyes filled with a sleepy moisture.

She looked at the time. It was only twenty minutes until work.

She might as well lie down for a short nap.

This light sleep, however, turned into a deep and long dream.

At first, a reddish-brown red panda was nestled on her, its fluffy head pillowed on her shoulder, its soft fur gently brushing against her ear.

The red panda commanded limply, “Ye the Little Tree, I want to swing.”

Ye Qingyu obediently held her and swung gently. The red panda’s large tail also swayed in the air with the rhythm, its beautiful rings particularly distinct in the sunlight.

But the next second, the scene changed, and the warmth was gone.

A flock of fierce and malevolent birds flew over, their momentum menacing, wanting to snatch the red panda from her arms.

“Don’t.”

Ye Qingyu’s heart clenched. She held the red panda tightly in her arms, turned her back, and willingly took the fierce pecks of the flock of evil birds on her own back.

Pain spread through her flesh and bones. She was pecked until she stumbled, yet she refused to let go.

But the size and number of the large birds were far more than she could handle alone.

Gradually, she became covered in wounds, her strength fading, until she could no longer hold the red panda in her arms steady.

In the end, she fell to the ground in a disheveled heap, her arms empty.

And the red panda was carried away by the flock of birds, dangling pitifully in the air, crying helplessly:

“Ye the Little Tree—”

Ye Qingyu was suddenly startled awake.

Her heart was empty, the light around her flickering.

She followed the swaying light and shadow to her right and saw a pelican opening its large pink beak toward her, about to clamp her body with its mouth!

Ye Qingyu’s pupils instantly constricted.

An unspeakable fear arose in her heart.

My red panda, my red panda was taken by a bird…

Her breathing quickened, and she was so anxious and terrified that her vision went black in waves. The next second, she shot up from her desk and rushed straight to the boss’s office.

The door was suddenly thrown open, and Pei the Red Panda, standing by her desk, trembled in fright.

Her two hands moved slightly, and before she could raise them in surrender, the human’s clear, floral scent washed over her—

Pei the Red Panda felt herself being held very tightly.

Wet, hot tears soon soaked the crook of her neck.

Her mind was blank for a few seconds, and then she belatedly realized—Ye Qingyu was crying.

Why is Ye Qingyu crying…

Did she have a nightmare during her nap?

Pei the Red Panda’s heart clenched. She raised her hands to hug the human back, comforting her gently.

“It’s okay now.”

“It’s okay now…”

The human’s body was still trembling slightly, and Pei the Red Panda felt her own heart tremble along with it.

…Maybe I should let the human pet me.

Ye Qingyu likes her, a red panda, so much. If she could rub her with her own hands, she would surely stop crying and be happy very quickly.

In that instant, the title of king of beasts became insignificant to the competitive little red panda.

Ye Qingyu buried her head in Pei Rong’s neck. The familiar scent of bamboo leaves, diffused by the woman’s warm body and strong pulse, became even sweeter and more delectable.

It silently soaked her breath, soothing her trembling heart.

The terrifying dream, the fear of seeing the bird’s beak when she woke up—all of it seemed to be reduced to nothing in the concrete and stable presence of the person, the little beast, in her arms.

Her breathing gradually eased, and she blinked her eyes, her lashes damp.

She had finally calmed down a little.

The next second, her arms were suddenly empty.

Immediately after, a warm weight returned—

She looked down and, caught off guard, saw her beautiful boss had transformed into a red panda, sprawled out into a lazy, fluffy pancake of fur in her arms!

“Don’t cry. You have my permission to pet me.”

Pei the Red Panda lay on her back in her arms, generously exposing her soft, fluffy belly.

She lifted her head slightly, a picture of contentedly waiting to be petted.

Ye Qingyu’s pupils trembled.

Having just cried, her gaze seemed to have been washed by tears and was exceptionally clear.

And so, she saw with extraordinary clarity Pei the Red Panda’s cute and exquisite little face, her fluffy, butterfly-like ears, the heart-shaped patch of snow-white fur on her belly, and the beautiful, nine-ringed tail.

Her heart trembled fiercely.

Even though she had rehearsed it many times in her dreams and fantasies, at this moment of truly seeing Pei the Red Panda, she still couldn’t take it.

How… how… how can she be so cute…?

A fine, numb itch erupted from her chest and quickly spread throughout her body. Ye Qingyu pursed her lips, for a moment, unable to even speak.

Seeing the human staring at her blankly, not petting her after so long, Pei the Red Panda’s heart gradually tightened.

With a red panda like her lying in her arms, letting her pet her, Ye Qingyu is actually unmoved?

With this thought, Pei the Red Panda’s large, fluffy ears drooped, and her eyes were misty and vulnerable.

“Didn’t you say you loved red pandas the most?”