All My Colleagues Are Animals 51

Chapter 51

On the second night of their cohabitation, a little red panda dramatically decided to run away from home.

She threw off the covers, got out of bed, put on her slippers, a trembling, melancholic cowlick standing up from the top of her reddish-brown hair.

She stubbornly pursed her lips, walked to the bedroom door, and raised a hand to the handle.

Just as she was about to push down—

“Wait!”

The sound of rustling bedcovers came from the bed. It must have been the human getting out.

Soon, the muffled sound of bare feet on the wooden floor followed, quite anxious.

Pei Rong’s movements paused, her lashes lowered.

For some reason, her heart was pounding, even clearer than the sound of the human’s footsteps.

The next second, a pair of slender yet strong arms wrapped around her from behind, and she was immediately enveloped in a tight, warm embrace.

The human carefully swept her up in a princess carry and, without a word, carried her back to the bed.

The little red panda’s grand plan to run away from home thus collapsed midway.

To have been caught just as she had escaped to the bedroom door—it was completely undignified.

Pei Rong bit her lip, unwilling to give up. With a thought, she transformed into a red panda.

Her beautiful, large tail rose high, she gathered her strength, lifted her paws, and leaped fiercely toward the floor—

—but was suspended in mid-air.

The human, with quick eyes and even quicker hands, had pinched the scruff of her fated neck, leaving her to dangle like a plush keychain, her four fluffy paws paddling helplessly in the air.

“…”

The Pei the Red Panda keychain swayed in the air, turning a circle, and came face to face with the human.

“…Ye Qingyu!”

She opened her mouth, revealing the tips of a small beast’s sharp canines, her fur bristling.

Not only did the human not try to coax her, but she had even dared to grab her by the scruff of her neck!

If she didn’t run away from home tonight, she was no red panda!

It’s over.

Ye Qingyu’s throat tightened, her mind blank for a moment.

Seeing her furred boss puffed up with anger, her thoughts were in chaos. In the end, she fumbled to pull the red panda into her arms and pecked her on the head.

Smack.

She kissed her so hard that the little red panda’s head tilted back, and a small patch of her soft, glutinous fur was temporarily flattened.

The sound was exceptionally crisp and clear in the quiet night, and both the human and the red panda instantly froze.

“…”

After a long moment, Pei the Red Panda blinked her eyes.

And Ye Qingyu also managed to come back to her senses.

She secretly suppressed her chaotic thoughts and managed to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry, Boss Pei. I didn’t mean to grab you by the scruff. I was just too worried that you would really leave, and I wouldn’t be able to find you.”

The young woman’s tone was sincere and solemn, and the content of her words was also quite pleasing to the ear. Pei the Red Panda’s gaze moved slightly.

Ye Qingyu continued, “And, my nickname is Sihai. Since Boss Pei wants to make the four seas her home, you can just rest here with me tonight and not have to travel any further.” (T/N: “四海 (sìhǎi)” means “the four seas.”)

Pei the Red Panda was surprised. “…CEO Ye gave you that name?”

Ye Qingyu, by the moonlight, saw the beautiful and cute markings on the furred boss’s face. Her fingertips twitched slightly, but she managed to restrain her thoughts.

She honestly confessed, “No, I gave it to myself half a minute ago.”

“…”

Pei the Red Panda was silent for a few seconds, then lightly licked the tip of her teeth.

As a level-ten expert in deciphering Pei the Red Panda’s expressions, Ye Qingyu could tell that Boss Pei was trying hard to hold back a smile.

She silently curled her lips slightly.

Taking the opportunity, she carefully placed a hand on the furred boss’s head and stroked from the top to the back of her neck, her fingertips moving through the fine and soft fur, one stroke after another, gently and slowly soothing her.

Her petting was always just right, making the little red panda’s fur fluff up, and she couldn’t help but relax contentedly in the human’s arms, her eyes half-closed in pleasure.

Seeing that she had finally soothed her red panda superior, Ye Qingyu finally asked seriously:

“Boss Pei, why did you suddenly want to run away from home? Can you tell me the reason?”

She paused, then added in a somewhat pitiful tone, “I felt a little sad when I heard you wanted to leave.”

Hearing the human she was raising say she was sad, Pei the Red Panda’s eyes immediately flew open, her heart tightening.

It seemed she couldn’t continue to sulk and let the poor human guess wildly.

She thought for a few seconds, then slowly raised a paw to clutch the fabric of Ye Qingyu’s pajamas and complained sullenly:

“You pulled your hand away just now.”

“And after my fireworks went off, you didn’t take the initiative to come and hug me.”

As a red panda who had been struggling alone in human society for many years, although Pei Rong usually messed around with the little beasts in the studio, at critical moments, she was always the big sister beast who made decisions and steadied their hearts.

But after meeting Ye Qingyu, it was as if an unknown instinct had been silently awakened, making her more and more spoiled in front of the human, her emotions overflowing wantonly.

It was as if she had been doted on and held in someone’s palm since she was little, and had long since been spoiled rotten to the core.

It was just that these past few years, while wandering outside and struggling to survive, she had been forced to restrain those indulgences to protect herself.

And Ye Qingyu just so happened to naturally be accustomed to and accept her spoiled nature.

Faced with the unreasonable complaint, she also gently explained and coaxed her, sentence by sentence:

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pull my hand away. I was lost in thought at the time and didn’t react in time.”

“And the hug… I was, I was stunned at the time and forgot to hug you.”

Ye Qingyu promised seriously, “It won’t happen again in the future.”

After all, after she told the truth tomorrow, Boss Pei would probably no longer accept holding hands and hugging.

At this thought, Ye Qingyu’s eyelashes drooped slightly, hiding the faint dimness in her eyes.

She swallowed her complicated feelings and rubbed the red panda superior’s head with her fingertips. “It’s late now, and you look very sleepy. Can we talk about it in detail tomorrow? I have something to tell you… I just haven’t figured out how to say it yet.”

Pei Rong was a very easy-to-please red panda.

Seeing the human’s fair and gentle face in the moonlight, and those sincere and troubled eyes, her furry ears softened slightly.

She believed that the human had her own thoughts and pace, and she was willing to be patient with her.

The tantrum tonight was actually just because she cared about one question:

“Are red pandas still your favorite?”

“Mhm, they’re my favorite.”

The human nodded without the slightest hesitation, her expression one of unquestionable certainty.

After she finished, her lashes flickered, and she added with restraint, “I like Pei the Red Panda the most.”

These words floated into those perked-up, snow-white, furry ears, making Pei the Red Panda’s heart overflow even more.

She raised a paw, and the soft, glutinous paw pad touched the human’s face. “I’m not in a hurry. You can take your time to think about what’s troubling you and tell me slowly.”

Ye Qingyu’s heart stirred. She turned her head and nuzzled her paw, and smiled. “Mhm.”

Tonight, there had been fireworks and a runaway attempt. Both body and mind had been through ups and downs, and Pei the Red Panda was already completely exhausted.

After talking it out and making up, she comfortably nestled in the human’s warm and fragrant embrace, her paws clutching the fabric, and soon fell into a relaxed sleep.

And the human, under the moonlight, stared at the little beast’s serene sleeping face, and also, without realizing it, drifted off to sleep.

***

They had been up too late last night, and both the human and the red panda woke up a little late in the morning.

They sleepily finished breakfast and got into the car.

The spring rain was fine today, and the sky was a little gloomy.

Pei the Red Panda had an apple-flavored mint in the passenger seat and also fed one to Ye Qingyu, which was cool and refreshing.

Putting away the candy tin, she unintentionally looked out at the roadside.

Her gaze swept over a dejected little dog, and she immediately froze.

“Ye Qingyu, pull over! Can Can is over there.”

Ye Qingyu followed the woman’s finger and indeed saw a young woman with long, brilliant-gold hair standing alone by the side of the road, her head lowered, her whole body drenched by the spring rain.

Her heart tightened. She immediately turned on her turn signal, pulled over, and rolled down the window.

“Can Can,” Pei Rong called out from the car window.

Jin Can slowly lifted her head and, seeing Pei Rong, her puppy-dog eyes widened.

“Sister Rong…”

The soaking wet little dog got into the back seat, and Ye Qingyu handed her a clean towel from the storage compartment.

“Thank you.” Jin Can’s voice was also listless and without energy. She lowered her head and quietly cleaned herself.

After a long while, she finally told them what had happened, her voice full of grievance.

Jin Can would walk herself every morning and evening, usually taking a few laps around the studio.

This morning, while on her walk, she had passed by the shopping mall near the studio and had unintentionally seen an ad for a pet store, which had a newly released cute puppy frisbee.

She was immediately tempted, transformed into her human form, and entered the mall, looking for that pet store.

But at the entrance of the pet store, she had seen her former master at a glance.

Jin Can’s breath hitched. Without a second thought, she rushed over, her puppy-dog eyes instantly misty.

“Jiejie…”

Her former master quickly turned her head to look at her.

The woman was wearing a hat and a mask, only revealing a pair of eyes, her gaze cold and unfamiliar, and even a little disgusted.

She lifted her chin proudly, and the two bodyguards in black beside her immediately understood.

They forcefully pushed Jin Can away and warned in a low voice, “Please stand a little further away.”

Jin Can was pushed away by the big sister bodyguards, and the distance between her and her former master was forcefully pulled apart, just like the six months they had been forcefully broken apart in the past.

Her heart ached, and her puppy-dog eyes were filled with tears, which streamed down her cheeks. “Jiejie, you… you really don’t want me, this little dog, anymore?”

Her former master’s brow furrowed. She glanced at her as if she were a madwoman, then coolly looked away.

Later, Jin Can saw her former master walk into the pet store. When she came out, the bodyguard next to her was holding a dog cage.

Inside the cage was a Golden Retriever puppy.

She heard the bodyguards call the woman “Miss Chi Yu,” which was indeed her master’s name.

“A-and then I ran away,” a fragile puppy whimper came from Jin Can’s throat. “It started to rain when I came out.”

Hearing this, both the human and the red panda felt a great deal of heartache.

Pei the Red Panda handed her a tissue, sighed silently, and said softly, “You are a very good puppy. That woman is just too bad.”

Six months ago, she had personally picked up the pitiful, abandoned Golden Retriever from the side of a trash heap and had sent her to the hospital for treatment.

Having seen the Golden Retriever in a weak and dying state, she knew well how heartless Jin Can’s former master was.

But she didn’t know how to persuade the devoted little dog.

Jin Can’s two ears drooped. She raised a hand to cover her tear-streaked face with a tissue.

After a few sobs, she said in a low voice, “Could it be that she wasn’t Jiejie?”

“They look very similar. Their eyes, their features, their figures, their scents are all the same, and I’ve seen Jiejie wear that outfit before.”

“But Jiejie was very gentle. She never had such a cold look in her eyes.”

“Looking at her, I also felt from the bottom of my heart that she was a stranger…”

After a moment’s pause, she denied herself in a low voice again. “The name was right. She is Chi Yu.”

“She already has a new puppy, and it’s another Golden Retriever…”

Her puppy-dog eyes grew teary again.

The human and the red panda took turns comforting her. In the end, when she got out of the car, the entire Golden Retriever was still dejected.

Arriving at the work area, the little beasts, hearing Jin Can’s story, all sighed and were filled with indignation.

“Can Can, you are the cutest little puppy no matter where you go. Don’t hang yourself on one master tree.”

Said the mantis shrimp who was hanging on one ex-girlfriend tree.

Gu Yue was also filled with righteous indignation. “Next time you run into her, I’ll help you clamp her fiercely!”

Wu Shu’s jade-green eyes were also as sharp as a sword, and a dangerous growl, characteristic of a large feline, rumbled in her throat.

Jin Can lowered her eyes and said nothing.

She had actually been dreaming of Jiejie these past few days, so when she was awake, she couldn’t help but immerse herself in Jiejie’s past gentleness.

But reality had straightforwardly thrown cold water on the little dog.

Jin Can put her precious collar in a box, and the box was hidden deep in a cabinet. She was completely dejected.

Her long, brilliant-gold hair seemed to have a mood of its own, dejectedly framing her face.

Shui Zhu moved her head and, as she had done before, deliberately let the orange on her head fall, but saw that the little dog did not happily pick it up as usual.

***

The theme of the studio today became trying to cheer up the little dog.

But after discovering that Jin Can, in order not to disappoint everyone, had started to force a smile, the humans and beasts had no choice but to disperse, leaving the little dog space to grieve freely.

Pei the Red Panda was also infected with a certain melancholy. At dinner, she was chewing on her chopsticks and had forgotten to continue eating. “Why do people suddenly change?”

The bad driver who had sent her to the zoo before had even been kind enough to help her before she had gotten in the car.

Ye Qingyu picked up a piece of sauced bamboo shoot for her. Seeing her beautiful boss’s expression was so gloomy, as if she were trapped in a bad memory, she couldn’t help but feel a little heartache and wanted to distract her.

Her throat tightened slightly. “I said yesterday that I had something to tell you today.”

For this confession, she had been on tenterhooks all day.

But what was to come would come. Deliberately hiding or delaying it was very insincere.

Especially facing this simple little beast, she had to explain it clearly to avoid forming some kind of inducement.

Leave it to fate, and give the right of judgment to the other party.

Hearing Ye Qingyu’s words, Pei the Red Panda’s attention was indeed immediately diverted.

A hint of curiosity appeared in her eyes.

“Boss Pei… you’re in your mating season right now, right?” Ye Qingyu put down her chopsticks and said softly.

The matter of a mating season, on a novel website, would be locked in minutes. In a society that shied away from talking about sex, it was not something to be brought up.

But for small animals, this was a perfectly normal, cyclical physiological phenomenon, just like a human woman’s menstrual period.

And so, Pei the Red Panda was slightly stunned, then nodded and calmly agreed. “Mhm.”

She had told Ye Qingyu about it, so she was not surprised that the human knew.

Ye Qingyu’s breathing tightened.

An uncomfortable crimson flush appeared on the tips of her ears. She pondered for a few seconds before continuing, “Then during your mating season, what usually happens?”

Pei Rong propped up her chin, her red lips opening and closing as she calmly said two words:

“Mating.”

“…” Ye Qingyu’s pupils constricted.

This sudden answer left her speechless for a moment and also made her lose her grip on the rhythm of the conversation.

Pei the Red Panda’s knowledge of certain things was actually quite rich.

Because when she had been surfing the internet, she had unintentionally come across a human-filmed video of red pandas in the wild.

It had no aesthetic beauty and looked very painful.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she had quickly swiped it away.

And Ye Qingyu had originally thought that Pei the Red Panda didn’t understand at all, but now she was caught off guard by the explicit words, and a pink flush immediately spread from her cheeks all the way down her neck.

She sat awkwardly at the dining table, muttering, unable to speak.

Seeing the young woman’s helpless expression, Pei Rong tilted her head curiously.

“Ye Qingyu, what was it you wanted to tell me?”

Ye Qingyu took a silent deep breath and only then managed to regain her original rhythm of conversation.

“Then when you said before that fireworks were going off, did you mean… a feeling like fireworks going off in your head?”

Pei the Red Panda’s ears twitched slightly. She suddenly felt a sense of alarm, a vague sense of danger.

She hesitated for two seconds, but still nodded in acknowledgment.

“Then do you know about human m-mating?” Ye Qingyu tried her best to discuss this act with the same ease as Boss Pei.

Pei the Red Panda blinked her peach blossom eyes.

She had not thought about this matter, nor had she been curious.

After all, the mating methods of mammals should be basically the same, probably as barbaric and rough as that red panda video, which had made her feel uncomfortable.

“When humans finish, they usually have a feeling of fireworks going off in their heads.”

Having come this far, Ye Qingyu took a deep breath and, with great difficulty, tactfully said the last sentence.

“…”

Pei the Red Panda’s peach blossom eyes immediately widened.

Her lips unconsciously parted slightly, revealing the tips of a small beast’s canines.

“…Are you saying we’ve already mated?”