Just as Jiang Rong had anticipated, Friday’s grand opening felt like the scene of a miniature press conference.
The area in front of the hospital was packed with people, while the pet recreation zone inside was filled with frolicking, rambunctious dogs. The celebratory flower baskets piled at the entrance nearly blocked the sidewalk, most of them sent by anonymous netizens. Invariably, the greeting cards all bore the same message: *Dr. Jin, I love you!*
On the surface, Jin Yan remained calm and indifferent, acting as if he hadn't seen them, but in reality, his pulse was throbbing at his temples. He had no idea how jealous his "older brother" would be once they got home tonight.
After greeting several waves of enthusiastic guests, he turned his gaze toward a corner behind the front desk. There sat the "Best Actor" brother, fully geared up in a hat and mask, holding Xunxun while looking at him with a meaningful glint in his eyes.
Jin Yan was amused by those expressive eyes and wanted nothing more than to clock out early.
"Senior, I’ve finished having the clients fill out the registration forms. I’ll start entering them into the system tonight," Jiang Rong said, finally returning after seeing off more than half of the crowd inside and outside the hospital. Jin Yan handed him a bottle of water, which he took with a smile. "Man, I really feel like we need to hire a receptionist as soon as possible."
"The recruitment ad is already written," Jin Yan replied. "Just take a look at it, and then we can post it."
"Wow, you're so efficient!" Jiang Rong praised him with a wave of his hand. "It’s fine, it’s fine. If you wrote it, how could we not trust it? Just send it to me and I’ll post it on the platforms. Alright, I’ll go give these info sheets to the remaining guests so we can get off work early. Don't we still have to visit the Animal Protection Association today?"
"Right. Go ahead, thanks for the hard work," Jin Yan said, before heading back to the recreation area to maintain order among the wild fur-babies.
While interacting with them, Jin Yan suddenly realized he seemed to have forgotten someone. He looked around and finally spotted Gou Feify’s figure near the hospital entrance.
The man was surrounded by a group of young men and women, most of whom appeared to be Omegas. Whatever he was saying had the surrounding Omegas laughing and swaying with delight.
Jin Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He thought to himself that Gou Feify, as an Enigma, truly hid himself well—a master of blending into the mundane world. He lacked the typical aura and pressure of an Enigma, appearing even more peaceful than an average Alpha. This personality was certainly a magnet for Omegas; it was no wonder Zhu Lili was drawn to him.
As it turned out, speak of the devil and she shall appear.
Just as the name "Zhu Lili" flashed through Jin Yan’s mind, he saw the woman herself at the door. She held a beautifully wrapped bouquet of fresh flowers, looking as striking as ever. Her form-fitting dress accentuated her elegant curves, and her velvet high heels perfectly matched the dress's vibe. A pair of diamond-encrusted sunglasses obscured her eyes, so no one knew where she was looking or what she was thinking.
Two men who looked like bodyguards followed behind her, carrying a massive celebratory flower basket. With a casual wave of her hand, the "bodyguards" pushed through the circle of people and slammed the basket down in front of Gou Feify with a heavy *thud*.
Gou Feify was visibly stunned, his usual Enigma composure completely failing him.
Jin Yan witnessed the scene from the corner of his eye and felt a sense of realization. It seemed that when one encountered their destined, perfectly compatible partner, all the advantages of being an Enigma vanished, leaving them completely under the other person's thumb.
Thinking this, his gaze shifted to the front desk. The person who held *him* completely under his thumb had removed his mask and was looking at him with a curled lip.
Jin Yan took a deep breath, a helpless yet doting smile creeping into his eyes.
Then, this silent, sweet exchange of gazes was interrupted by the crisp clicking of high heels.
"Xiao Yan, congratulations on the opening!" Zhu Lili said, placing the flowers in Jin Yan’s hands.
Jin Yan took them with a smile and a polite thank you.
At that moment, the person hiding behind the front desk felt his heart tighten. Fortunately, the crowd had mostly dispersed. Given the "Empress" vibe this woman gave off as she arrived to "crash the party," it would be a miracle if they weren't recognized.
Zhou Shu glared at her.
Zhu Lili raised an eyebrow with a smile, her eyes crinkling behind her sunglasses.
"My, my, why is our great Best Actor doing something so sneaky?" She leaned against the front desk, resting her arms on the counter as she softly teased her boss.
The boss gave a quiet "tsk." "Can't you stop being so flashy? You're going to get us recognized."
"What do I have to fear? I'm just the Best Actor's assistant; passersby would hardly recognize me." She leaned in closer. "But you, on the other hand... I just saw several little Omegas at the door glancing your way."
"..." Zhou Shu was momentarily speechless. He narrowed his eyes at her, then turned and slipped into Dr. Jin’s lounge.
Zhu Lili had just finished laughing at her boss’s retreating back when she received a message.
[Get in here!]
She let out a light laugh and sauntered into Jin Yan’s lounge as well.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." As soon as Zhu Lili closed the door, her face took on an ambiguous expression. "How convenient. It even has a bed and a shower."
Zhou Shu’s lip twitched slightly as he tried to automatically ignore the comment. "Why are you here?"
"Why can't I be here? I'm practically Xiao Yan’s older sister." Zhu Lili twirled a lock of her hair. Seeing Xunxun in Zhou Shu’s arms, she leaned over to pat the dog's fluffy little head.
"Xiao Yan doesn't have a sister like you," Zhou Shu scoffed. He shifted Xunxun slightly in his arms and looked up at Zhu Lili. "You didn't come here for Jin Yan, did you?"
"Oh? Then who did I come for?" Zhu Lili’s tone remained playful and inscrutable.
Zhou Shu was tired of their verbal sparring; after bickering with her for so many years, he rarely came out on top.
"Forget it, do what you want." It was rare for Zhou Shu to show concern for her affairs, but after a pause, he spoke seriously. "Goofy is a good guy. He’s not like those other messes you deal with. You..."
"Brother Shu," Zhu Lili interrupted. "You know me."
After she spoke, both fell into a few seconds of silence. Even Xunxun remained quiet and well-behaved.
The molecules in the room's air drifted silently for a moment before Zhu Lili continued, "He is a good person. That’s exactly why he shouldn't waste his time on me."
Zhou Shu couldn't see her eyes behind the sunglasses, so he gave up. "Fine, have it your way."
The two chatted in the lounge for a while about Zhou Duo’s recent situation until there was a knock at the door.
"Why do you have to knock on your own lounge door? You make it seem like your wife and I are doing something scandalous in here." Zhu Lili opened the door and met Jin Yan’s gaze. She couldn't go a second without teasing someone.
Jin Yan’s eyes flickered at the word "wife." He looked at Zhou Shu and caught sight of someone’s ears turning red.
"The guests outside have left. You can come out now," Jin Yan cleared his throat, stepping forward to proactively take his red-eared brother’s hand.
Zhu Lili narrowed her eyes and rolled them before heading out ahead of them.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Gou Feify leaning against the front desk. He kept his gaze lowered as if intentionally avoiding her.
Sensing the chilly atmosphere, Jiang Rong hurried over to hand Zhu Lili a drink.
"Sister Julia, have some juice!"
Zhu Lili’s aura softened slightly as she took it with a smile. "Alright, thank you, little Jiang Rong-rong."
Jiang Rong was so flustered by that sultry yet sweet voice that he scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.
To his surprise, Zhu Lili didn't stop there; she doted on him by patting his head twice. "So cute."
Zhou Shu was truly helpless. Just as he was about to pull her away, the front door was pushed open, accompanied by several frantic, roaring barks.
The sound was so startling that Xunxun scrambled to burrow into Zhou Shu’s arms.
"What's going on?" Zhu Lili was stunned and instinctively stepped back.
"Ah, a client called yesterday saying they found a stray dog. But it’s incredibly aggressive and they couldn't tame it at all. It almost bit their whole family. They contacted us online and brought it over," Jiang Rong answered in a low voice.
"Oh, I see." Zhu Lili’s gaze flickered toward Gou Feify for a split second, and sure enough, she saw his brow furrowed. Instead of leaving, she walked over to the sofa next to the front desk and sat down.
Zhou Shu calmed Xunxun down and squeezed Jin Yan’s hand, signaling for him to go take a look.
However, Gou Feify stepped forward ahead of him, taking the cage and beginning to ask about the situation.
It turned out the family had found the dog in the grass by a lake. At the time, it was being repeatedly attacked by several birds; it was tiny and truly pitiful. So, they stepped in to drive the birds away and rescued the filthy little Chihuahua.
But once it was free, it didn't leave or calm down. Instead, it began attacking the humans who had saved it. Fortunately, the Chihuahua was small, and the adults could easily restrain it. However, it kept trying to bite, and the father of the family had nearly been injured.
They were at their wits' end. They didn't have the heart to just dump it anywhere, so they bought a temporary cage and put some food inside. They had intended to find a local animal protection association or pet hospital, but their daughter insisted on coming to this specific hospital in Haicheng, claiming it was the only one she trusted. The parents decided to bring the child to Haicheng and handle some other business while they were at it.
Hearing this, a ray of warmth seemed to enter Jin Yan’s heart, and his gaze softened considerably. For ordinary people to show such kindness was truly rare.
"Let me see." He stepped forward a few paces. Just as his hand reached the edge of the cage, the Chihuahua lunged forward with a snarl, nearly biting him.
Zhou Shu’s heart leaped into his throat. He raised a hand but forced himself to lower it. Jin Yan was a professional veterinarian who could communicate with animals; if he interfered, he would only be in the way.
Just as Jin Yan prepared to reach out again, Gou Feify stopped him.
"Let me do it, Brother Jin." Jin Yan blinked and looked at him. Gou Feify smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I used to be half a beast tamer, after all."
Everyone present was surprised by this revelation, but Jin Yan chose to trust him. After all, his ability to communicate with animals required him to be able to touch them first. If Gou Feify had experience as a beast tamer, he was indeed a more suitable candidate to calm the dog down as quickly as possible.
Zhou Shu suddenly thought of something and looked for Zhu Lili, who was sitting on the corner sofa.
He still couldn't see her eyes, but her brow was knitted tight, and her hands gripping the juice bottle were turning white.
Zhou Shu was truly puzzled. He knew Gou Feify was someone special to Zhu Lili, but he never expected to see such an expression on her face. It was an expression of intense worry and anxiety, as if she wanted to step forward and stop him but was constantly suppressing herself, to the point where even speaking a word required immense restraint.
The two of them had been fine a few days ago. What had happened recently?
While Zhou Shu was lost in thought, the sound of the Chihuahua’s snarls and Gou Feify’s pained hiss through gritted teeth rang out.
Then, Zhu Lili suddenly rushed in front of them like a bolt of lightning.
"Gou Feify! Can you stop fucking acting tough?!"
***
