All My Colleagues Are Animals 94

Epilogue 1: If Line – Childhood Sweethearts

The sky was bright and clear, with thin clouds like silk.

The chirping of cicadas marked the beginning of summer.

After the junior high graduation ceremony, Ye Qingyu rode her bicycle, nimbly weaving through the small alleys.

The fifteen-year-old girl’s figure had stretched out, slender and graceful, and she was full of youthful vigor.

The sunlight shone on her fair skin, and for a moment, it was dazzlingly bright.

Ding-ding.

A clear silver bell rang, and the bicycle stopped at the entrance of A Leaf Pet Hospital.

Inside the door, a pair of bow-tie-shaped fluffy ears instantly perked up.

The little red panda had clearly been waiting bitterly for the human all morning, but at this moment, she turned her back and curled into a proud ball.

And she seemed to be very busy licking her fluffy paws.

Creak—

The main gate was pushed open, and the girl’s light and cheerful footsteps followed.

The next second, the little red panda was held in the girl’s arms.

“Neng Bao.”

Ye Qingyu lowered her head and kissed the tip of her fluffy ear, her voice clear and with a smile. “You’ve been waiting long.”

The little red panda’s ears twitched slightly, and she raised a paw to cling to the human.

“I’m officially on summer vacation. For three whole months, we can be together every day,” Ye Qingyu continued.

The little red panda paused for a moment.

“Ying.”

She flicked her large tail with pleasure, and the tip of her tail hooked around the human’s wrist.

“Our Rong Bao is so smart she can understand human language. It’s a real pity she doesn’t go to school.”

Ye Zhao’s friend happened to be in the shop and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Ye Qingyu also chuckled lightly.

If Neng Bao could go to school with her and become her inseparable deskmate, and they could hold hands and buy snacks and walk around during the break…

This was a beautiful dream she had fantasized about for many years since she was little, but she knew it would never come true.

…

In the afternoon.

The early summer sun was warm and comfortable, making one’s limbs feel weak.

In the backyard, the girl was standing tall and straight, a tree that a little red panda loved to climb.

A reddish-brown ball of fluff was lying lazily on Ye the Little Tree, its head pillowed on her shoulder, its soft fur lightly brushing against her ear.

Her large tail unhurriedly scratched the back of her hand, commanding:

“Ying.”

This was her wanting to play the swing game.

And so, Ye the Little Tree obediently held her and swung gently.

The large tail behind the red panda also swayed in the air with the rhythm, its beautiful rings particularly distinct.

A long contrail was drawn across the clear blue sky above their heads.

It was a very ordinary day, no different from countless days in the past.

After playing on the swing, Ye Qingyu carried the red panda back to the shop to cool off in the air conditioning.

“Honey, I’m going back to cook the pork rib soup. You two help Mom watch the shop.”

“Okay.”

“Ying.”

Ye Zhao looked at her two daughters and curled her lips into a smile.

She saw Yu Bao sitting on the sofa, her head slightly tilted back, her smile gentle.

Rong Bao’s two paws were on Yu Bao’s shoulder, and in their play, she had taken a light bite of the girl’s chin, her large tail fluffy and soft, swaying back and forth.

She had originally just glanced for a few seconds and was about to leave briskly.

But her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a certain unspeakable pain and confusion rippled through it—

It was as if an unknown time and space were intersecting at this moment, giving rise to a certain ominous premonition.

Ye Zhao’s breath was stagnant, and she couldn’t help but stop at the door.

For no reason, she turned her head and looked at her two daughters for a moment.

“Mom?”

“Ying?”

The human and the red panda looked up at her at the same time.

Ye Zhao pursed her lips slightly and instructed:

“You two be good. Mom will be back after she’s done with the soup.”

The human and the red panda obediently agreed.

Ye Zhao returned home and quickly cooked the soup.

Then she rushed back to the pet hospital, her back covered in a thin layer of anxious sweat.

Her heart was beating faster and faster, like a drum.

She pushed the door open and went to the director’s lounge—

And saw the human and the red panda still playing peacefully on the sofa, just as they had been when she had left.

There had been no mishap, and life was clearly as stable as ever.

Her heart suddenly relaxed, and her eyes filled with a certain unknown moisture.

Then she chuckled lightly.

***

The setting sun slanted across the sky, like spilled orange soda.

A fragrant soup was served, and a few more meat and vegetable dishes were added.

The family of three sat around the table and had dinner together.

The little red panda was sitting in a children’s high chair, her furry paws holding a freshly cut apple slice, and she was gnawing on it with relish.

The bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots on her plate were completely ignored by her.

Ye Zhao said, “Rong Bao, don’t just eat apples.”

“…Ying.”

The little red panda finished her apple and, sticking out her pink tongue, licked the tip of her teeth, and was completely sullen at the bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots.

Her snow-white, fluffy ears even drooped into a pair of airplane ears.

This little red panda had been so spoiled that her picky eating was getting more and more serious, and the two humans present were both to blame.

But Ye Zhao was practiced and composed.

She said with a gentle look in her eyes, “Do you still remember the bedtime story Mom didn’t finish last time? The little mushroom who picked a human…”

The wonderful story slowly unfolded at the dining table.

The little red panda was so engrossed that her fluffy ears perked up. Unconsciously, her mouth opened slightly, and her pink tongue was half-extended.

And Ye Qingyu took the opportunity to silently feed her a bamboo shoot.

Just as a human would drink tea and eat melon seeds while listening to a story, a red panda would naturally want to chew on something while listening to a story.

With food suddenly in her mouth, she unconsciously chewed with relish, and her large tail lifted with pleasure.

Crunch-crunch—

Ye Qingyu, seeing her chance, fed her another one.

Crunch-crunch.

“…In the end, the little mushroom who had transformed into a human adapted to society and lived happily ever after with the human.”

Mom’s story was over, and the little red panda had unknowingly eaten all the remaining bamboo leaves and bamboo shoots, and her fluffy belly was round.

Ye Zhao stood up and, satisfied, cleaned up the empty plates.

“Ying…?”

The little red panda vaguely felt that she had been tricked.

She licked the tip of her teeth a beat later and lifted her fluffy head to look at Ye Qingyu innocently.

Before the little beast could fully react, Ye Qingyu picked her up.

“Quick, ‘Tom and Jerry’ is on.”

…

At night, the air-conditioned living room was cool.

A cartoon was playing on the TV screen, the scene of the cat and mouse chase was tense and intense, and the background music was impassioned.

In front of the TV, the girl was wearing a nightgown and was lying on a rocking chair, and the red panda was riding a rocking horse, and the two were contentedly rocking back and forth.

Gradually, the sound of the TV faded into the background…

When Ye Zhao came out after a shower, she saw that the human and the red panda were both sleeping soundly.

She smiled and walked over to turn off the TV.

She gently shook the girl awake. “Yu Bao, it’s cold here. Go to bed.”

The girl’s eyes were sleepy, and she slowly got down from the rocking chair.

Ye Zhao, on the other hand, picked up the soft and limp little red panda cub from the rocking horse, and with practiced ease, she patted her fluffy head and followed the girl into the room.

Ye Qingyu lifted the covers and got into bed, and Ye Zhao tucked the red panda into her arms.

“Go to sleep. Good night.”

The human and the red panda spontaneously hugged each other and soon fell into a deep and sweet sleep.

…

In the middle of the night, Ye Qingyu woke up briefly.

She habitually held the little red panda in her arms a little tighter.

The fluffy little beast’s fur was soft and glutinous, and she was a tiny thing, and she was always contentedly curled up in front of her, her tail resting on her waist.

But, at this moment, the feeling was very wrong—

The one nestled in her arms was not a little beast, but seemed to be a slender and soft human body; and the one wrapped around her waist was not a fluffy tail, but seemed to be a human’s leg.

Did I dream that Neng Bao turned into a human again?

Ye Qingyu patted the hair of the person in her arms and, in a daze, fell back asleep.

…

Early morning.

Ye Qingyu slowly opened her eyes and, caught off guard, met a pair of beautiful and strange peach blossom eyes.

The peach blossom eyes were staring at her without a moment’s pause, their gaze a little dazed.

As the thick lashes blinked lightly, for a moment, it was as if a spring breeze were rustling, and a peach blossom were inexperiencedly and first blooming, beautiful and intoxicating.

“…”

Ye Qingyu’s heart trembled violently, and she was instantly wide awake.

Her breathing was rapid, and she quickly looked around—

The sky outside the window was bright, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly.

This was her familiar room, her familiar large bed.

The sunlight on her skin had a real and warm texture.

And the fluffy red panda in her arms was gone, and in its place was a beautiful girl with long, reddish-brown hair.

She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with soft white skin and a face like a peach blossom.

Her features had not yet faded from a girl’s inexperience, but you could vaguely foresee a stunning charm in the future.

“Ying.”

She skillfully stuck out her pink tongue and licked the tips of a little beast’s sharp canines, and made a red panda’s sound.

And Ye Qingyu’s heart was immediately pounding like a drum.

“You… you… you, you’re Neng Bao?!”

Her eyes widened, and she even stuttered.

Having been awake for an hour, the big-hearted and fluffy-bodied little red panda had already initially accepted that she had become a person.

She tilted her head slightly, and her pink lips opened and closed, and she, with a little clumsiness, learned to say a word like a human:

“…Yu.”

As if she felt that she had pronounced this word well, after she said it, she lifted her head with a certain pride.

And then she confidently showed off her skill. “Yu.”

“!”

Ye Qingyu’s pupils constricted, and for a moment, she was so shocked that she was at a loss for words.

Although she had fantasized about it countless times in her dreams and out, when she really encountered a little red panda transforming into a human, the girl who believed in science was still deeply shocked.

Knock, knock.

A light knock suddenly came from the door, and her mother’s voice came through. “Honeys, breakfast is ready.”

Ye Zhao waited outside the door for a moment, but did not hear a response for a long time.

Worried that the cubs had caught a cold from the air conditioning, she lightly turned the handle and pushed the door open.

Then she forgot to breathe and stood there, stunned.

The girl with reddish-brown hair on the bed turned her head and looked at the woman at the door.

She licked the tip of her teeth and, unhurriedly, said:

“Mom… Mom.”

The pronunciation was exactly the same as when Yu Bao spoke.

The girl proudly lifted her head again.

But, why had no human come to pet her head yet?

The little red panda’s peach blossom eyes drooped slightly.

With this thought, the long-spoiled red panda opened her mouth and commanded imperiously:

“Pet.”

…

Overnight, the fluffy red panda at home had become a pretty young girl.

She was, after all, her own cub, and Ye Zhao soon and gladly accepted this fact.

And after the shock had passed, Ye Qingyu was also full of joy.

—The red panda finally did not have to stay at home all year for safety and could go out with them to see the world!

But things were not that simple.

A little beast who had just transformed into a human was clearly in many inconveniences.

The red panda’s self-awareness had not yet transformed, and many of her little beast’s habits were also difficult to change.

For example, she still habitually wanted to be nestled on Ye the Little Tree.

And although Ye the Little Tree had shot up in height and was even a few centimeters taller than her red panda Jiejie, she was, after all, still an immature and slender girl.

That one time, the red panda had hooked her neck around Ye Qingyu’s and had wanted to climb up, and in the end, had pressed down until both the human and the red panda had fallen to the ground.

The red panda had rubbed her sore bottom, and her peach blossom eyes were instantly misty. From then on, she had melancholically understood that she could no longer climb Ye the Little Tree and could only cuddle.

And for another example, the red panda often needed her mother and Yu Bao to pet her head and ears, and—

“Pet, tail.”

She blinked her peach blossom eyes and demanded.

“Honey, you don’t have a tail for now.”

Ms. Ye reminded her with regret.

And so, the red panda looked down behind her.

The little red panda’s most beloved, large, fluffy tail had really disappeared…

The crying little red panda’s nose felt sore, and she immediately began to sob, and she was coaxed by her mother and younger sister for a long time.

…

After a period of chaos, the red panda finally began to adapt.

Ye Zhao had been neglecting her pet hospital these past few days and had temporarily handed it over to a friend, and she was at home every day with Yu Bao, accompanying the red panda.

At the dining table.

The special children’s high chair for the red panda had been discarded and replaced with a human’s chair.

The girl with long, reddish-brown hair was sitting on it, struggling to tame her chopsticks.

Having been a red panda for too long, she was not used to using her five fingers.

“Ying.”

Always unable to pick up the apple in her bowl like her mother and younger sister, the girl licked the tip of her sharp little beast teeth, and her fair forehead was gradually covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“Honey, don’t be anxious. Like this…”

Ye Zhao extended her hand and slowly demonstrated the correct way to hold chopsticks.

The girl moved her fingertips and tried her best to imitate.

Ye Qingyu, who was sitting close to the red panda, simply extended her hand and gently covered the girl’s.

On countless nights before, she had, paw-in-hand, taught the red panda to study.

And now, she was, hand-in-hand, teaching the red panda to hold chopsticks.

Finally, Ye Qingyu, with the red panda, picked up a piece of apple.

“…Fruit.”

The girl’s peach blossom eyes suddenly lit up, as if with shattered stars.

“Mhm, what an amazing Rong Bao.”

Ye Zhao smiled and gently clapped her hands on the side.

And so, the girl’s peach blossom eyes grew even brighter.

—In the following time, similar scenes were often staged at home.

The newly-transformed-into-a-human red panda, in the meticulous and gentle care and guidance of her mother and younger sister, gradually and completely adapted to her human body.

She was not afraid, nor was she in the slightest panic.

Whether in beast form or human form, she was held in the palm of their hands like a precious treasure.

And the red panda herself was also a smart red panda.

In a safe and free atmosphere, and with a considerable accumulation of more than a dozen years of life experience, she progressed extremely quickly.

In less than a month, the red panda was able to communicate normally with people and also recognized most common characters.

“It’s time to get Rong Bao a household registration.”

Ye Zhao said.

A Leaf Pet Hospital was getting bigger and bigger and was now a well-known private pet hospital in B-City.

Money was rolling in, and her network of connections was also growing.

Ye Zhao easily found a connection and was preparing to get a household registration for her little red panda cub.

“Rong Bao has been flipping through the dictionary every day recently. Do you have a name you want?”

She asked the red panda.

The girl blinked her peach blossom eyes. “I do.”

She took out a Xinhua dictionary, and her slender white fingertips pointed to “裴,”(Pei) and she licked the tip of her little beast teeth, craving.

“This character.”

Ye Zhao smiled. “This character is usually used as a surname. Do you like it very much?”

The little red panda nodded and stared at her mother.

Ye Zhao thought for a moment. “Then how about we call you Pei Rong?”

Back then, when Ye Zhao had left the Ning family, she had changed her surname and had become the ancestor, and had chosen the character “Ye” that she liked.

Rong Bao could naturally also independently choose a surname that she liked.

Ye Qingyu was sitting cross-legged on the side, watching quietly, not speaking.

Ye Zhao thought she also had an idea. “Yu Bao, if you want to change your name, we can go to the police station to change it together next Monday.”

Ye Qingyu shook her head. “I don’t need to change mine.”

She had just, for some reason, felt… that it was quite good for her and her older sister to have different surnames.

In short, the red panda got a household registration and officially became a Pei the Red Panda.

And with the identity issue resolved, there was another important question—

—whether the red panda should go to school.

Being asked this question, Pei the Red Panda, without a second thought, her peach blossom eyes sparkling:

“I want to go to school with Yu Bao.”

Ye Zhao said, “Yu Bao is starting high school. You might not be able to keep up.”

Pei the Red Panda blinked her eyes in a daze.

As she had done in her beast form before, she habitually raised a hand and hooked it around Ye the Little Tree’s neck, and her whole lazy and unguarded body pressed against the girl.

Ye Qingyu’s breath hitched, and the tips of her fair ears inexplicably turned red.

She subconsciously lowered her eyes and saw the peach blossom eyes in her arms shimmering.

The girl, who was nearly three years older than her, was already in full bloom. Her face was like a peach blossom on the verge of blooming, holding the last trace of a clear and intoxicating inexperience.

Her figure was also like this. Although she was not as tall as her, she had a softer and more mature curve…

All these differences were perfectly natural in human physiology. Ye Qingyu was at ease with this and had never paid too much attention to it.

But for some reason, facing Pei Rong, this red panda who had grown up with her since she was little, and was now her childhood sweetheart older sister, Ye Qingyu felt a dazed and inexperienced shyness and concern for everything about her.

Although she did not understand what this was.

And Pei the Red Panda was completely unaware of how she was making the girl’s heart pound, and she lazily hung all her weight on her younger sister, her head nuzzling her clingily.

Then she said seriously to her mother:

“I’ll be on Ye the Little Tree. I won’t be able to keep up. I want to go to high school, Mom.”

Ye Zhao was lost in thought for a moment, looking at the two green and tender young girls pressed so intimately against each other.

The next second, she came back to her senses and blinked her eyes.

She was also not at ease letting her little red panda cub, who was just entering society, go to another school to study alone.

She might as well let Rong Bao go to high school with Yu Bao. She didn’t need the red panda to be a good student, just to adapt to society first.

With Yu Bao teaching and protecting her along the way, it shouldn’t be a big problem.

And so, she said, “Okay.”

Ms. Ye turned around and donated a dormitory building to the high school where Ye Qingyu was, and thus, she had the red panda placed in Ye Qingyu’s top class.

And so, the beginning of school, which both the human and the red panda

had originally been very resistant to, became a day of growing anticipation.

…

Finally, it was the night before the first day of school.

The two girls were hugging and lying in bed.

Nestled in a familiar embrace, Pei the Red Panda was drowsy.

She could not now, as she had before, curl into a fluffy ball and be completely nestled in Ye Qingyu’s arms.

But she could hook her neck around Ye Qingyu’s, and her long legs could be domineeringly pressed on the girl’s legs, and they could be even more intimately entangled.

This made the red panda feel pleased.

Full of comfort, Pei the Red Panda’s beastly nature flared up.

She closed her eyes and was about to fall asleep.

But the human was restless.

Full of anticipation for their life of going to school together, Ye Qingyu was nervous and excited, and had no intention of sleeping.

She raised a fingertip and lightly touched Pei Rong’s thick lashes, and teased:

“Jiejie, how can you be sleeping at your age?”

“Mmm?”

Pei the Red Panda opened her eyes innocently.

Looking at her older sister’s dazed and cute gaze, Ye Qingyu couldn’t help but want to tease her, and she said seriously:

“The little red panda has a little over a thousand days until her college entrance exam.”

The girl’s voice was clear and pleasant, but the words she spoke were like a demon’s whisper.

“!”

Pei the Red Panda’s peach blossom eyes widened, and her pink lips parted slightly, and she incredulously revealed the tips of her sharp canines.