Chapter 5

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Lu Nuan reached out and patted empty air, feeling both helpless and amused. "How come it's like this?" She tapped the little tabby’s tail gently. "I even fed you cat food. You little rascal."

Wen Youning took the kitten from her shoulder, thought for a moment, and said, "I’ll take the little tabby back first, then come get some cat food from you."

After all, it was a feral kitten. Since Lu Nuan had cats at home, it was safer not to have direct contact.

Lu Nuan nodded. "Alright… that works. I’m just heading to the pharmacy to pick up some ointment. I’ll wait for you in the little garden beneath Building 3."

It would save a trip if she bought everything at once before heading back.

Wen Youning agreed, "Okay."

---

The sky was growing darker.

Since summer had begun, dusk arrived later and later; even past seven o’clock, there was still light in the sky.

When Wen Youning came out, she had changed clothes. She had planned to wear the previously disinfected outfit again, but after searching at home, she only found an 8.4% disinfectant solution—not suitable for sterilizing clothes. To avoid carrying germs, she simply changed.

At this hour, many nearby residents came out for a stroll after dinner. The community square was the most crowded place, followed by the small garden.

Lu Nuan leaned against a big tree, tossing snacks to her Samoyed. The wounds on the dog's paws were still there but not infected. The dog didn’t step hard or deliberately, so the pain wasn’t obvious. The Samoyed had clearly regained its appetite, hopping happily as it ate.

Looking up and seeing Wen Youning, Lu Nuan grabbed the dog’s leash. "Let’s go. My place is in this building, very close."

She took the lead, with the Samoyed dashing ahead into the familiar hallway, quickly reaching the front.

Lu Nuan said, "I have several brands of cat food at home—mostly popular and well-known online brands, plus some handmade meat-based foods recommended by bloggers. I love stocking up, especially on cat and dog food, canned goods, and snacks. There’s a whole wall dedicated to these."

‘Click.’

She opened the door, stepping aside. "Come in, please."

Wen Youning was about to step forward but paused, surprised. "You live in a sea-view apartment?"

"No, not at all. There isn’t even a river nearby. How could it have a sea view?" Lu Nuan turned her head and saw a shallow layer of water pooled on the marble floor tiles.

The water wasn’t deep enough to cover her shoes but was about three to five centimeters thick at least.

Lu Nuan was dumbfounded.

She didn’t dare open her eyes fully, hoping it was just a hallucination.

"Hehe, Happy!" Lu Nuan’s gentle voice sharpened in pitch.

No cat came running, but instead, a blue plastic basin bobbed out from the living room into the flowing water, carrying a beautiful, delicate Ragdoll cat.

The Ragdoll looked completely unaware of what was happening, its deep blue eyes wide and innocent.

Wen Youning chuckled softly.

Lu Nuan was speechless.

"Meow?" The Ragdoll tilted its head.

There was no time to rescue the drifting kitten. Lu Nuan dashed into the kitchen, splashing through the water, and turned off the faucet that was still running.

Next, she opened the floor drains in both the kitchen and bathroom to let the water out, trying to save as much as possible.

Thankfully, due to prior incidents with the pets, Lu Nuan had waterproofed the entire house during renovations. Though costly, it prevented damage to the downstairs neighbors.

Otherwise, those apartments below would have turned into waterfalls by now.

The Samoyed thought it was playtime—dogs naturally love water—and barked happily as it splashed through the puddles.

"Honey, come back." Wen Youning reached out and scooped up the dog. "Don’t soak your paws."

"Woof?"

The Samoyed turned back, and Wen Youning carefully placed it onto a chair. The dog was heavy; with all its fur, it was hard to tell how much weight it carried, but lifting it nearly strained Wen Youning’s back.

After placing the dog, Wen Youning said, "Sit here and don’t move, or your paws will hurt again."

Perhaps Wen Youning’s words reminded Honey of the fear of getting hurt by chicken bones. For a moment, it actually didn’t jump back into the water to play.

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Wen Youning rolled up her sleeves and picked up the empty basin drifting by her eyes to help scoop water out.

"It must be Haha again!" Lu Nuan’s family deployed all available tools, scattering various absorbent items on the floor. The visible water was quickly absorbed.

She grumbled, "Look at Haha’s expression—he always looks like that whenever he messes up. I’m taking away your snacks for a month! Let’s see if you dare do it again."

Following Lu Nuan’s pointing finger, Wen Youning spotted a Maine Coon crouching on the backrest of the sofa.

The Maine Coon was large, ears drooping, looking timid and obedient—like a little culprit afraid of punishment.

The word "coward" was practically written on its face.

The culprit was confessing at the scene of the crime.

"Is this Maine Coon Haha?"

"Yes," Lu Nuan said. "The Ragdoll is Happy."

"In that case, take away Happy’s snacks." Wen Youning set down the basin, listening to the Ragdoll’s muttered thoughts. "The Maine Coon is just scared of water, not afraid because it did something wrong. The faucet was opened by the Ragdoll, so she should be punished."

"Meow—!" The Ragdoll, who had been floating in the basin, lifted its head and meowed loudly.

"I didn’t do it!"

‘Even if I did, I won’t admit it.’

Their thoughts and words overlapped.

Wen Youning raised an eyebrow. "Even if you don’t admit it, it was you."

The Ragdoll meowed, ‘So what? No one knows it was me...’

"Meow?!" The Ragdoll suddenly widened its eyes as if hearing something unbelievable.

It looked at this strange human.

‘You can hear...?’

Wen Youning smiled and tapped its head gently with her knuckles. "Yes, I can hear what you’re thinking, you little mischief. If you do something wrong, you have to own up."

"Meowow!"

‘Dang it.’

‘This human is shameless...’

‘It’s okay. The weird camera can’t capture me because I covered it with fabric.’

Wen Youning laughed heartily, pointing at the Ragdoll. "It was her. Punish her. She even covered the surveillance camera and let Haha eat all her snacks."

"Meow!" The Maine Coon’s voice rose in protest.

‘Such a righteous human.’

‘You’re truly a good human.’

Apparently, the Maine Coon had been framed more than once.

"Woof!" The Ragdoll tried to fight back, but before it could raise a paw, Wen Youning pulled her hand away; the paw hit empty air and the Ragdoll scratched the basin in frustration.

Lu Nuan stood nearby, stunned.

She found it a bit strange.

But they seemed to be communicating effortlessly. Lu Nuan’s lips moved, unsure how to join the lively exchange.

At that moment, she recalled what Wen Youning had said earlier about understanding animals’ thoughts.

"Can you really understand what animals think?" Lu Nuan asked in amazement. If there was still any doubt, the faucet incident and the surveillance camera now cleared it up...

Wen Youning had been standing by the door since entering, never going into the kitchen. She couldn’t have guessed there was a camera in there.

Surprised, Lu Nuan stepped into the kitchen and, sure enough, looked up to see a towel hanging over a camera she hadn’t noticed before.

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Lu Nuan: "!?"

Wen Youning was right!

When all impossibilities become possibilities, the most unlikely guess often turns out to be the correct answer.

Wen Youning smiled. "Of course. I’ll share my streaming channel with you later—it’s where I read animals’ minds to help treat them."

Lu Nuan’s mouth opened and closed, feeling as if her worldview had been profoundly shaken.

To actually hear what animals are thinking...

Lu Nuan: "I’ll follow right away!"

Indeed, there were still many things in this world they didn’t understand—ghosts, mysticism, Taoism, Buddhism—many things beyond normal logic.

Lu Nuan’s mind raced with admiration for Wen Youning’s amazing abilities and sheer luck at having met her.

"Wait a moment, I’ll get you the cat food." Lu Nuan’s face broke into a wide grin as she ran into the room.

A wall of shelves revealed that only the large bags of cat food at the bottom had been soaked. The ones above remained dry.

Though the bags were waterproof and unopened ones wouldn’t be ruined by a little water, Lu Nuan still grabbed the dry smaller packages, along with various snacks and canned foods.

Hearing the noise inside, Wen Youning stepped in and saw Lu Nuan packing a large bag.

"No need to bring too much; this will get us through today. Tomorrow I’ll buy ingredients and make homemade cat food."

"Make it yourself?"

"Yes." Wen Youning was mindful of her budget now, and homemade food had advantages over commercial cat food. "It’s more convenient. Make a batch, freeze it, and it lasts a long time."

Lu Nuan’s interest was piqued. She had seen tutorials online before but never considered trying. Hearing it from Wen Youning sparked an inexplicable urge to try it herself.

"Is there a tutorial? Can you teach me?"

Wen Youning said, "Not yet. But I plan to livestream it tomorrow."

"Great, I’ll watch your livestream," Lu Nuan said, continuing her packing until the bag was full. "Here, take these home. If it’s not enough, let me know."

Wen Youning took out her phone. "How much is it? I’ll transfer you."

"Oh, no need. You didn’t charge me for the consultation, why should I take money for pet food? I usually stockpile more than I can use and feed the strays with it. Consider this a gift for the little tabby. No charge." Lu Nuan handed the bag to Wen Youning. "The little tabby’s still hungry at home waiting for you. Go back quickly."

"But..." The bag was so large Wen Youning could only peek around it.

"No buts. If it weren’t for you, I’d have spent at least two or three hundred thousand yuan at that pet hospital today, and Honey would have suffered. I don’t think this small stash of snacks is even enough. If you refuse, I really won’t know what to do."

Just thinking about the past expenses at that hospital gave Lu Nuan a headache.

She suspected she had been treated like a cash cow.

That hospital’s fees were always high; she probably wasn’t the only “cash cow.”

Wen Youning thought for a moment. "Alright, consider it a prepaid consultation fee. If you have any questions about your pets, contact me anytime. I’m off now."

Lu Nuan’s face was full of smiles. "Okay. Stay safe on your way."

"Meow~" The Maine Coon, long wrongfully blamed, meowed in a very coquettish way.

‘I like you~’

‘I’ll come again next time!’

The Samoyed wagged its tail happily.

Both fluffy pets were very fond of Wen Youning, except for...

The Ragdoll stubbornly turned away. "Meow!"

Hmph!

Hates humans with no sense of boundaries!

Hates it!