All My Colleagues Are Animals 59

Chapter 59

A gentle spring breeze blew, and the green leaves of the scholar tree swayed.

Ye Qingyu stood on the lawn under the tree, looking up at the red panda at half-mast.

Looking at that low-hanging, beautiful large tail, that dejected, fluffy head, the red panda was seriously mourning the broken wooden horse.

Pitiful, heartbreaking, and also amusing.

Ye Qingyu took a light breath. She was completely helpless against this furred boss.

She stood with her legs together, her back straight, and performed a salute.

Then she stepped forward and carefully took down the fluffy flag that was clinging to the middle of the scholar tree trunk, and held it in her arms.

She rubbed the listless little red panda’s head and asked worriedly, “Was Boss Pei not injured just now?”

The little red panda lay on the human’s shoulder and carefully studied Ye Qingyu’s expression.

Her heart relaxed.

The human didn’t seem to be sad.

She shook her head and explained herself in a small voice, “I didn’t break the wooden horse. I didn’t even play with it much. It just suddenly collapsed.”

Her tone was quite aggrieved.

“I know. It’s okay.”

Ye Qingyu opened the passenger side door, bent down to put the furred boss inside, and coaxed softly as she fastened the seatbelt, “It must have been that the quality of this wooden horse was not good. We won’t play with it anymore.”

“It just so happens that I’ve prepared a new wooden horse for you, one that’s specially designed for a red panda. It should be ready to be picked up this weekend.”

Pei the Red Panda’s ears were still drooping mournfully like airplane ears. She clutched the seatbelt with her paws, a little stunned. “Specially designed for a red panda?”

“Yes.”

Ye Qingyu felt that the furred boss’s rare, careful, and guilty appearance for having broken her gift was quite delectable.

The next second, realizing her obscure thoughts, her ears flushed hot, and she hastily reined them in.

How have my thoughts been getting more and more wanton lately?

Managing to steady her mind, she continued, “The wooden horses sold on the market are specially designed for human children and don’t take red pandas into consideration at all, so they’re not very comfortable to play with and are also particularly easy to break. This is absolutely not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

A pair of snow-white ears slowly perked up. “Really?”

The human nodded. “Really.”

So it was a design problem, not the fault of the red panda’s round belly after eating its fill of fruit.

The feeling of guilt that had been filling her heart finally faded away.

The little red panda stretched out and lay on the passenger seat, flicking her large tail listlessly.

Seeing that she had coaxed the red panda, Ye Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to clean up the broken wooden horse on the lawn.

This wooden horse was not cheap, and she had carefully inspected it after she got it. The workmanship and quality were both good.

Logically speaking, a human child under five could play with it at will. A little red panda of less than ten jin should not be able to break it, no matter how much she rocked.

Puzzled, she inspected the details and felt that this wooden horse seemed to have been crushed. It must have already been broken before, so it had fallen apart as soon as the red panda played with it today.

But in the entire studio, no beast would touch Pei the Red Panda’s toys.

The courtyard’s protective facilities were in place, and the guinea pig and the little round honeybee patrolled the house every day, so it couldn’t have been an intruder.

…Who else could it be?

Ye Qingyu pondered for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer for the time being.

***

The SUV drove out of the courtyard, and Pei the Red Panda transformed into her human form.

She rolled down the window and contentedly enjoyed the evening breeze.

While waiting for a long red light, Ye Qingyu unconsciously turned her head and caught a glimpse of her beautiful boss’s long fingernails, her gaze pausing for a moment.

It was time for the nail clippers at home to get to work.

Pei the Red Panda trembled and, as if sensing something, shrank her fingers back.

“Ye Qingyu,” she called out innocently.

“Mhm,” Ye Qingyu answered meekly.

Unfortunately, even if Boss Pei called her name so cutely, she could not be pardoned from having her nails cut.

She turned on the car’s FM radio and randomly tuned to a channel, trying to distract the little beast.

The channel’s host’s voice was steady and clear:

“It’s the evening rush hour, and traffic is heavily congested on Yuchun Street in the East District of B-City. It is said that a sea otter of unknown origin has suddenly appeared on the street. Everyone can take a detour as appropriate…”

Ye Qingyu’s heart skipped a beat.

She immediately turned her head and met her beautiful boss’s gaze.

Pei the Red Panda called back to the studio, and the other end quickly picked up.

The pelican swallowed a large fish and asked, “Sister Rong, what’s up?”

“The news says a sea otter has appeared on the street.”

The pelican was slightly stunned and looked at the little sea otter next to her, who was busily smashing oysters on a rock.

She said lightly, “The child is here. She’s not lost.”

After speaking, Gu Yue had a sudden inspiration and was startled. “Could it be the child’s mother?!”

***

Ye Qingyu took a detour and rushed toward Yuchun Street from the other end.

And the small animals in the studio also got on the tricycle and rushed over in a hurry.

Yuchun Street was still at a standstill. Luo Bian took a series of small paths and wound through various alleys, finally managing to squeeze into the scene.

But Ye Qingyu’s SUV couldn’t get through at all.

She decisively parked the car in a nearby paid parking lot and, holding Pei the Red Panda’s hand, quickly met up with everyone.

Looking ahead, she saw a crowd of onlookers, a dense and dark mass.

They randomly found a passerby and asked, “Hello, may I ask where the sea otter is?”

The passerby shook his head. “It seems to have already escaped. The police are here and are catching it.”

The little sea otter’s eyes were red, and she looked around, at a loss, her soul not in her body as she muttered, “Mom… what if Mom is caught by the police…”

Tears fell, and she didn’t let out a sob, just silently raised a hand to wipe them away.

A dark mark on her fair wrist was conspicuous, a scar from when she had been looking for her mother before.

From a tiny thing coming ashore alone, to being caught by humans and put in an aquarium, to escaping and struggling to blend into human society. During this time, the little sea otter had bravely embarked on a search countless times, following true and false traces and clues, but had always returned in disappointment.

But she had a strangely strong premonition that today was special.

Gu Yue patted the pitiful mama’s otter’s head and comforted, “Your mom won’t be caught. Don’t worry.”

In her nervousness, her habit of thinking of her mother had kicked in. The little sea otter looked up at Gu Yue and said with a sob:

“When I was floating on the sea before, Mom would always hold me in her arms, and it was so warm…”

Before she could finish, a few police officers came over from the distance.

In the lead was valiant female officer, who led a few police officers nimbly through the crowd.

The little sea otter turned her head to look and was immediately reminded of the terrible experience of being arrested and interrogated and educated at the police station, and couldn’t help but shiver instinctively.

She took a deep breath and couldn’t help but lower her gaze.

The police officers walked with a brisk pace, their posture solemn. As they passed, the crowd subconsciously stepped back to make way.

The little sea otter was jostled and stumbled, and was about to fall, when a strong hand promptly took her arm and helped her steady herself.

Her heart trembled. She looked up and only managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of the lead police officer’s fair jaw.

The woman, after helping her, left without a moment’s pause and walked away quickly with her police officers.

“Officer Lin, should we apply for a large-scale search?” a police officer asked.

Under the brim of her police cap, the woman glanced lightly toward the tricycle at the mouth of the alley, then inconspicuously looked away.

“B-City is not by the sea. That sea otter must be the one that escaped from the aquarium before. We can’t let it run around freely.”

Another police officer immediately chimed in.

Officer Lin raised a hand and, unhurriedly, straightened her collar, and commanded coldly, “Withdraw for now.”

Learning that the sea otter had already escaped, the onlookers felt it was boring and gradually dispersed.

Having come up empty-handed for the first time, the small animal rescue team also returned to the tricycle, a little dejected.

They didn’t rush back but first drove the car to a deserted alley corner not far away, and then gathered in the back of the vehicle to comfort the little sea otter.

Splash… A sound of water suddenly came from nearby.

The humans and beasts were all startled.

Ye Qingyu followed the sound and saw that in the corner of the tricycle, the light-blocking, lidded tank that Luo Bian had newly bought for her ex-girlfriend seemed to be moving.

Smack.

The next second, the tank lid was pushed open, and a fluffy sea otter head poked out.

“Hi,” she greeted, full of spirit. “I didn’t expect to meet my own kind.”

After speaking, her gaze swept over the other beasts, and a hint of envy appeared in her eyes. “You can all transform into humans.”

“…” The little sea otter stared with wide eyes.

Everyone stared at the suddenly appeared sea otter, stunned for a long moment, and then all asked the little sea otter, “Is this your mother?”

“N-no…” The little sea otter stared at the sea otter, and subconsciously raised a hand to rub her face. “I don’t know her.”

“What mother?” The sea otter also raised a paw to rub her face. “I don’t have a child.”

She was agile and, with a roll, climbed out of the tank and flicked her otter tail coolly. “Thanks for the tank. I’m leaving now.”

“Oh, right.” She paused, then fumbled in the natural pocket under her arm, took something out, and tossed it over.

Ye Qingyu caught it with quick hands and found that it was a seed sealed in a transparent bag.

“My time is almost up. I’ll give this seed to you. It’s said to be a very expensive flower.”

“Wait.”

Pei the Red Panda’s ears twitched slightly, and she called out to the sea otter who was about to slip away. “…Do you need help?”

This sea otter clearly looked strong and healthy. How could she call herself “time is almost up”?

The sea otter understood what she meant and smiled.

“Thank you, but I’m just at the end of my lifespan. There’s nothing to help with.”

“Although I couldn’t transform into a human, I’ve lived for 25 years, and I’m already satisfied.”

After all, the lifespan of a female sea otter is generally only 15 to 20 years.

These words seemed to contain a certain piece of information, and Luo Bian’s heart trembled.

“Excuse me… what do you mean?”

Her brow furrowed unconsciously, and she pressed on, “You can speak human language, so you’re a beast with the talent for transformation. Shouldn’t you have a lifespan of a hundred years?”

The sea otter looked at this group of lucky little beasts who had transformed into humans early on and shook her head.

“With only the talent, your lifespan will at most be extended by three to five years. Only after understanding the trigger and truly transforming into a human can you have the same lifespan as a human.”

“But you are all already in human form, so there’s nothing to worry about. Just enjoy your long lives.”

The sea otter waved her paw and quickly left the small alley.

Luo Bian stood frozen in place, her gaze for a moment unfocused, falling vaguely on the corner of the vehicle.

That was the large tank she had newly bought for her ex-girlfriend. Inside were some beautiful aquatic plants and toys.

Her ex-girlfriend had been sleeping a lot lately and looked quite tired.

She wouldn’t even reward her with two large shrimp tails after being teased.

She had originally thought that her ex-girlfriend had grown tired of a world with only her…

The small animals looked worriedly at the shrimp’s suddenly reddened eyes and, realizing something, all fell silent.

After a moment, Luo Bian came back to her senses.

Her usually cool, light-blue hair fluttered in the wind. She took a deep breath and smiled as if nothing had happened. “It’s time to go back.”

After speaking, her face was as usual as she nimbly jumped out of the vehicle and sat back in the tricycle driver’s seat.

She raised a hand to open the storage compartment and took out a lollipop from inside.

Ever since she had found her ex-girlfriend, Luo Bian had quit smoking.

She wasn’t addicted, so quitting was quite easy. She had only had three of the lollipops she had prepared.

At this moment, her hand trembled as she tore open the wrapper and stuffed the lollipop into her mouth, crunching on it loudly.

Crunch, crunch.

The vibrating, shattering sound was transmitted from her mouth to her heart, and the tip of her nose was so sour it was raw.

She sniffled haphazardly and skillfully started the tricycle.