All My Colleagues Are Animals 67

Chapter 67

With a proper excuse to find the swan, Gu Yue immediately took the wedding invitation next door.

She rang the doorbell and waited for a moment.

The main gate opened, and the swan’s graceful figure appeared in her line of sight.

“Gu Yue.”

“I’ve come to deliver a wedding invitation to you.”

Gu Yue couldn’t help but smile when she saw her.

The swan paused slightly.

Her gaze swept lightly over the cheerful invitation and the young woman’s cheerful face, and she did not take it.

After a moment of silence, she said coldly, “Are you getting married?”

“…” Gu Yue blinked her eyes. “Huh?”

She felt that the swan’s clear and deep gaze was about to freeze her whole, and she quickly explained innocently:

“Of course it’s not me, it’s someone else!”

“This wedding invitation was originally sent to you, but the courier accidentally delivered it to our studio, so I brought it to you.”

“…Mmm, is that so.”

The swan paused for a moment, then turned sideways and let her in.

“Yes, yes.”

Gu Yue sensed that her attitude had softened a little, and she smiled again.

The wedding invitation had been delivered, but she was still unwilling to leave. She transformed into a pelican and dawdled, “We didn’t know the delivery was wrong just now, so we opened the invitation. Please don’t mind… It seems to be Bai Zhiwan’s wedding. Are you going to attend?”

The swan blinked her eyes lightly, a barely perceptible confusion in them.

She said, “I’m not sure. I’ll take a look later.”

“Oh, oh.”

The pelican’s large pink beak opened and closed, and she wanted to say more. Her peripheral vision inadvertently caught a glimpse of white, and she couldn’t help but pause.

She turned her head to look and saw another large waterfowl resting by the pool in the front yard.

Her gaze sharpened, and a sharp pain shot through her heart. She couldn’t help but say with a sense of grievance:

“Why is there another pelican in your yard?”

She had thought that the swan had only invited her to play in the pool, but now she was even letting another pelican swim there.

How many good pelicans does a swan have?

The pelican felt her heart shatter with a crash, and the pieces scattered all over the ground. She couldn’t love anymore.

The city was clearly nearing summer, but it was suddenly as cold as winter.

The swan tilted her head slightly. “That’s my friend. And, she’s not a pelican.”

The pelican blinked her eyes.

Huh?

She raised her right wing to scratch her head and carefully looked at the large bird by the pool, and said in surprise, “Oh, it’s a big goose.”

“It’s an egret,” the swan sighed lightly.

The body shapes and sizes of these birds, the colors of their feathers and beaks, were all clearly different.

Her tone was clear and deep, but it also seemed to hold a faint smile. “Why do you always get large waterfowl mixed up?”

Gu Yue stood there, stunned.

Did she?

Perhaps noticing the frequent glances from the doorway, the egret flew over lightly.

After landing, she asked curiously, “Yun Qing, is this the cute little pelican sister you were talking about?”

The pelican perked up her ears and keenly caught the keyword—

The swan sister praised her as cute behind her back?

Her spirits lifted, and she firmly glued her shattered heart back together, piece by piece.

Mmm, it seems I can love for another five hundred years.

She said with satisfaction, “It’s lunchtime. I won’t disturb you two any longer.”

Gu Yue took out a small gift she had hidden under her wing and gave it to Yun Qing.

Then she flapped her wings and left, happy and cheerful. In her happiness, she almost tripped on the threshold.

“This little pelican sister seems to like you very much,” the egret said with a tsk-tsk, teasing.

The swan watched the pelican disappear at the door before she leisurely looked away and, hearing this, let out a silent, light laugh.

She did not continue the topic, but just said lightly, “Why is Bai Zhiwan suddenly getting married?”

The next second, she transformed into her human form, and her slender, white fingertips picked up the wedding invitation.

***

At lunchtime, the panther was late for her meal.

She had never been late for a meal before, rain or shine.

Nian Qiu gave her a call, but no panther answered.

Everyone couldn’t help but worry.

The small animal search party quickly set out and found the missing panther in a flowerbed at the end of the courtyard path.

The black panther was lying in a mess in the flowerbed, her panther paws hugging an empty beer can, dead drunk and fast asleep.

She was still smacking her lips, and there were remnants of flowers and grass at the corner of her mouth.

Looking around, the entire flowerbed had been ravaged as if by a plague of locusts, as if it had been gnawed on.

All the beasts were dumbfounded, and then they all said, “It’s… it’s over.”

Nian Qiu immediately transformed into a little bird, flapped her wings, and rushed over, pecking at the panther, trying to wake her up.

She said earnestly, “Panther, wake up quickly! Pack your things and run for your life! Before the bee comes back…”

Bzz-bzz-bzz—

The little round honeybee returned from the wildflowers outside the courtyard, happily shaking the pollen from her fluffy body, preparing to go back to her precious flowerbed for a nice sleep.

She saw from a distance that the humans and beasts were gathered in front of her flowerbed, chattering about something, and they even seemed to be mentioning her.

Something about being careful not to be stung by the bee.

She paused, couldn’t help but puff out her fluffy chest, and cleared her throat.

“What bad things are you saying! Am I the kind of bee that would attack a friend?”

The next second, she flew past the crowd and saw her messy and almost-bald, precious flowerbed.

Her breath trembled, and she hovered in the air in silence for a moment, then murmured:

“…I am now.”

She shook her fluffy butt, and her stinger, under the sunlight, was sharp and dazzling.

…

Half an hour later, in the second-floor recreation room of the small building.

The black panther was tilting her swollen face, holding a paw up to press an ice pack to the painful spot.

Her pair of jade-green eyes were half-closed, and the usually majestic, sharp, and dangerous large feline now looked a little dejected.

“Why the sudden drinking binge? What on earth happened?”

Everyone was both worried and curious.

The panther’s face was swollen from the sting, but her mouth was still hard. “It’s nothing.”

The little round honeybee flicked her stinger. “Say, if I sting her mouth too, will it swell up and become soft?”

Everyone agreed. “It’s worth a try.”

The panther: “…”

The panther muttered in a low voice, “Bai Zhiwan is my former master.”

The recreation area fell into a temporary silence.

“That detestable bad woman?” Nian Qiu murmured. “No wonder, no wonder.”

“Back then, the bad woman didn’t hesitate to drive the panther away for her fiancée. Now, after a few years, is she preparing to get officially married…”

Only Ye Qingyu and the little sea otter in the room did not know the situation, and hearing this, they were both a little surprised.

The black panther was majestic in her beast form, her panther’s gait elegant, looking beautiful and dangerous.

In her human form, her features were deep-set, and her expression was usually indifferent and cold.

As long as she didn’t eat grass, she looked very cool and chic in both forms. Who knew that she had such a sad and pitiful past behind her back.

“Why should a bad woman be happy?”

As a beast friend of many years, Gu Yue was filled with righteous indignation, and her large pink beak immediately opened. “We should go to the wedding and clamp her!”

The little round honeybee lightly flicked her stinger. “For a bad woman, I’m not just going to sting her until she’s swollen.”

Shui Zhu’s ears twitched, and a certain glimmer flashed in her eyes.

She decided to write a short BE story about a bad woman being brutally abused both physically and mentally to cheer everyone up.

…

The beasts, one after another, seemed to be about to cause a big scene with this bad woman, just as they had with Chi Yu.

Pei the Red Panda tilted her head slightly and raised a key question. “Panther, are you planning to go to the wedding?”

“No,” Wu Shu immediately denied.

She snorted coldly, lifted her panther head proudly, and repeated with certainty, “Absolutely not. I don’t want to see her.”

Ye Qingyu looked at the domineering—because her face was swollen from the sting, her speech was temporarily slurred—black panther, and took a light breath.

“That’s right. Out of sight, out of mind.”

“On that Sunday, remember to avoid No. 191, Liuli Road, in the West District, so you don’t accidentally pass by.”

The panther held her ice pack tightly and immediately corrected her strictly, “It’s No. 181, Feicui Road.”

Ye Qingyu raised an eyebrow lightly. “Oh, okay.”

***

The little round honeybee had shown mercy when she had stung the panther, and had only released a little bit of venom.

Therefore, by evening, Wu Shu’s face had basically gone down.

She took a shovel and cleaned up the pitiful flowerbed that she had personally chewed up, and also helped the bee loosen the soil for replanting.

The little round honeybee flew around the flowerbed and gave it a passing grade.

“This seed is for you. It’s said to be a very expensive and rare flower. Do you want me to help you plant it now?”

Wu Shu took out the seed that the sea otter had given her that day and explained its origin.

The little round honeybee didn’t look at the seed and casually nodded.

She looked at the panther carefully and felt that she was still a little dejected, a completely wasted panther.

“Are you really not going to see her?” she asked.

Wu Shu carefully planted the seed and then watered it, and said with a clear mind, “I don’t care.”

As she bent down, a piece of paper suddenly floated out of her pocket.

Her gaze sharpened, and she immediately reached out and, a little flustered, picked it up and stuffed it back into her pocket.

…

At dinner, the red panda was a little absent-minded.

Ye Qingyu looked at the woman for a moment and said softly, “Are you thinking about going to Bai Zhiwan’s wedding?”

Pei the Red Panda’s bamboo-shoot-forking hand paused slightly. “How did you know?”

Ye Qingyu’s lips curled slightly.

She looked at her beautiful boss’s peach blossom eyes. “Because Pei the Red Panda is a gentle red panda.”

As the boss of the studio, as the big sister beast who had rescued and helped the little beasts one by one—

Seeing the panther get drunk over a bad woman and occasionally show a sad expression, it was impossible for Pei Rong not to care.

Pei the Red Panda lowered her eyes. “I do want to go and see. If it really is a wedding, then so be it. No need to say more to the panther. But if it’s like Can Can’s situation, and what if the master has her own difficulties, then I can tell the panther the good news.”

“Mhm, I think you’re right.”

Ye Qingyu raised a hand to pet the red panda’s head, smoothing her fur. “Then we’ll go over on Sunday, without making a sound.”

Pei the Red Panda nuzzled her palm. “I’ll see if I can buy an invitation.”

“No need to buy one. I already asked Ms. Ye for two this afternoon,” Ye Qingyu said. “Just eat your meal in peace.”

Pei the Red Panda’s peach blossom eyes widened slightly. “Mmm?”

Worried that the red panda would feel pressured, Ye Qingyu explained:

“When I first graduated, I was independent in everything and only wanted to rely on myself. But last time, when we rescued Chi Yu, I asked my mother for help for the first time, and she seemed very happy, as if she felt happy to be able to help me. So, perhaps it’s better to ask for help appropriately sometimes. You don’t have to worry.”

Pei Rong blinked her eyes lightly. “Ye Qingyu, your mother is really nice.”

Not only was she willing to let her, a little panda, raise Ye Qingyu, but she also fully supported her daughter’s various ideas and actions.

Ye Qingyu smiled and said with a deep meaning, “She can be yours too.”

The red panda did not understand this sentence for the time being.

Good beasts generally did not steal people’s mothers.

…

After taking a bath at night, the bedside nightlight was dim.

The bedsheets rustled, and the mattress bounced rhythmically, and the shadows cast on the white wall swayed lightly.

Pei the Red Panda was nuzzling the tree with practiced ease.

Perhaps gradually getting the hang of it, this time she felt particularly good.

In her intermittent whimpers, she felt several times that her heart was filled with an unspeakable emotion, so full it was about to overflow.

And so, she couldn’t help but raise a hand to touch the human’s cheeks, neck, and ears, and in the dim light, she looked at the human’s gentle and beautiful profile, and sniffed the subtle fragrance of the human’s neck, and in the end, she couldn’t help but take a bite of that delicate chin with her sharp little beast teeth.

In contrast to her, the human seemed strangely stiff, sitting in her lap without being moved, as straight and cold as a tree.

The emotion in her eyes was as thick as ink, and also surging like a tide. The red panda couldn’t see through it for a moment.

She only knew that not only did the human not have the same urge to cuddle her, but she was also breathing rapidly and avoiding eye contact with her, and tonight, she was even unwilling to touch her waist, and would rather tightly pinch her own arm.

The red panda was puzzled, and her heart suddenly filled with a certain melancholy.

After a long while, after the fireworks had finally gone off, she lay on the young woman’s shoulder, panting lightly to calm herself.

The afterglow was long. Her body was still throbbing, and her breathing had not completely calmed down, but her spring-filled features gradually drooped.

She bit her lower lip and, sullenly, got up to tidy herself up.

The first few times, under the influence of novelty and her heat, the pleasure-seeking little red panda had savored the taste and had not noticed a question worthy of pondering—

When she was petting the fluffy red panda, Ye Qingyu was always unable to put her down, rubbing all of her fur up and down, and had even kissed her head.

But every time she was in her human form, the human rarely cuddled her, at most giving her a hug.

And the bath was the same.

Last time, the human had carefully, patiently, and gently scrubbed the fluffy red panda, but after she, a little panda, had uncontrollably transformed into her human form, she had stopped washing her.

And the fireworks were even more so.

Didn’t the human, like her, a little panda, have times when she was so burned by some unnamed emotion that she couldn’t help but want to touch the other person?

So—

Did the human’s “I love red pandas the most” only refer to her beast form, and her human form was just a secondary, unavoidable acceptance?

But for a red panda to walk the world, her human form was clearly a very important part.

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and the more her heart ached.

After the fireworks, Pei the Red Panda’s peach blossom eyes were already glistening with spring water. Now, with a look of pitiful grievance, they were overflowing with tears.

Ye Qingyu was in the bathroom, washing away a patch of transparent, sticky texture from her thigh, and also simply tidying herself up.

Looking at the shocking pinch marks on her arm, she let out a light sigh and closed her eyes.

It was getting harder and harder to restrain herself.

Just now, she had almost been unable to resist the urge to eat the little red panda whole, but fortunately, she had managed to suppress the impulse with pain.

After tidying up and returning to the room, Ye Qingyu looked up and saw her beloved little red panda curled up in a ball in a corner, hugging her large, fluffy tail pitifully.

Her heart immediately trembled.

“Boss Pei, what’s wrong?”

She quickly went over, threw off the covers, and climbed onto the bed, getting close to the little red panda’s back.

She raised a hand and tentatively rubbed that soft and glutinous fluffy head, her movements gentle.

But she didn’t know that this action had precisely stepped on the little red panda’s sad heart.

She saw Pei the Red Panda’s bow-tie-shaped snow-white ears droop into airplane ears, and her back showed a full sense of grievance, every strand of her fur written with “needs to be coaxed.”

“Ye Qingyu, you don’t seem to really like me.”

“You just think I’m fluffy.”