After Understanding the Language of Beasts - Chapter 4: Of Course, I Won't Be Put Off by You

 Chapter 4: Of Course, I Won't Be Put Off by You

When Jiang Shiyan awoke, she saw three anxious faces hovering over her.

"She's awake! She's awake!" Jiang Yiheng quickly called for the doctor and nurse, who had just left the room. They returned to examine Jiang Shiyan.

After a few checks, the doctor said, "Everything seems normal for now. Once the test results come back, if there are no issues, she can be discharged."

After receiving repeated assurances, the family finally felt at ease.

Jiang's mother, however, was so upset that she hit Jiang Yiheng several times. "This is all your fault. All your sister wanted was to intern at a pet hospital. Why would you treat her like this? Jiang Yiheng, let me tell you, if anything happens to Shiyan, I will never forgive you!"

"I didn’t even do anything…” Jiang Yiheng muttered in frustration.

Jiang's father spoke calmly, addressing his daughter gently rather than scolding his son right away. "Shiyan, can you tell me why you suddenly want to intern at a pet hospital?"

Jiang Shiyan replied, "I used to live on an isolated island, and the little animals there kept me company and helped me find food. Without them, I wouldn’t have made it back. Now I genuinely love small animals; it’s not just a passing whim."

Her words stirred emotions within her family. They all felt a pang of sorrow, and Jiang Yiheng, realizing he had misunderstood his sister, spoke with a hint of regret, "I thought you were just joking around."

"Brother, what if I sign a pledge? If I make any mistakes, I won’t go to the pet hospital again!" Jiang Shiyan looked at him with pleading eyes.

Before Jiang Yiheng could respond, Jiang's mother interjected, "Go ahead! Why shouldn’t you be allowed to work in a hospital run by your brother? That’s my decision, go!"

"Mom!" Jiang Yiheng protested helplessly.

His mother shot him a sharp glare.

Jiang's father patted his wife on the shoulder and then turned to Jiang Shiyan, "No need for any pledge, but there won’t be any salary for the first three months, and you’ll have to start with minor tasks. Can you agree to that?"

"Of course!" Jiang Shiyan accepted without hesitation.

Seeing her determination to work at the pet hospital, Jiang Yiheng fell silent.

As Jiang Shiyan lay back down, she called for the system, “Shu, are you there?”

[I'm always here, dear.]

"Why did I pass out?" Jiang Shiyan had a feeling the issue lay with her. Before she lost consciousness, she thought she heard the sound of a system reboot failure.

[There are two souls within your body, and the system failed to bind them.]

Two souls?

A chill ran down Jiang Shiyan's spine. The remaining soul could only belong to the original owner. Was she still alive?

"And now?"

[The remaining soul is merely a shard of resentment sustained by hatred. The original owner died when she was pushed into the sea. Now that her enemy has been punished, her resentment has faded, and she can no longer bear the system’s power. She has completely vanished.]

Jiang Shiyan fell silent.

After a moment, she murmured inwardly, "I’m sorry."

From now on, she would live well in Jiang Shiyan's place and honor her family.

[Do you have any other questions, dear?]

"Yes, when can I change your voice effects?" Jiang Shiyan could hardly bear it any longer; having worked as a customer service agent at Taobao, she had lingering memories of that job.

[No returns or exchanges after confirmation, dear.]

Jiang Shiyan: "..."

The next day, with no major issues, Jiang Shiyan was discharged from the hospital. However, her mother insisted that she stay home and recover for two weeks before going out.

Jiang Yiheng, too, wanted to test if his sister genuinely loved animals or if it was just a fleeting fancy. So, he brought home an injured stray cat from the hospital. The cat was a civet whose hind legs had been crushed by a car, missing the optimal window for surgery, and ultimately could only move on its front legs.

After carrying the cat home, Jiang Yiheng described its condition, "As long as you can take good care of it for these two weeks, I’ll let you intern at the pet hospital."

"Deal," Jiang Shiyan agreed with a smile.

“Don’t get too comfortable. Bing’an’s hind legs are damaged, and he’s quite timid. He should stay in his cage for the first few days until he gets used to... Hey, don’t open the cage, or he might scratch you…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Yiheng’s eyes widened. He watched in disbelief as Bing’an, who was usually aggressive toward strangers, crawled over to Jiang Shiyan, flopped down, rolled over, and showed her his belly, purring.

Jiang Shiyan gently petted his belly and asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

"Meow~"

[It used to, but now I don’t feel it anymore.]

"My name is Yan Yan. Can I take care of you from now on?"

"Meow~"

[But I’m not as pretty as other cats, and my legs are broken. Will you be put off by me?]

Bing’an asked timidly.

"Of course I won’t be put off by you," Jiang Shiyan said, patting his head gently.

Jiang Yiheng looked at the scene before him in disbelief. Though Bing’an’s meow was just a meow to his ears, he somehow had the impression that the girl and the cat could communicate seamlessly.

Jiang Shiyan picked up Bing’an, and as she looked up, she noticed Jiang Yiheng staring at her with an expression as though he’d seen a ghost.

"Brother?"

Jiang Yiheng gazed at the civet in her arms, bewildered. He had raised Bing’an for almost a year and had never seen him act so affectionate. Why was he suddenly so docile in Jiang Shiyan’s arms? Was he really a cat?

Too lazy to deal with her brother, Jiang Shiyan took Bing’an to the bathroom. "I’ll give you a bath, and then you can sleep with me."

Soon, Jiang Yiheng saw the cat that would usually tremble at the touch of bathwater now relaxing in Jiang Shiyan’s hands, even resting his head in her palms with immense enjoyment.

"..."

What was going on? Had living on a deserted island for over a month awakened some kind of animal affinity in her?

For the next two days, a skeptical Jiang Yiheng stayed home, observing his sister. Yet everything he saw and heard made him wonder if the Jiang Shiyan before him was the same person he’d known for 24 years.

He couldn’t resist testing her, sometimes asking strange questions about their childhood. Jiang Shiyan sensed what he was thinking and calmly recounted the embarrassing incidents from his youth.

"I still remember when Big Brother Jili and the chubby kid from next door had a competition to see who could pee the farthest, and you lost…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Yiheng’s face darkened. "Shut up!"

Hearing such dark secrets from his sister herself, if this got out, it would be mortifying!

Jiang Shiyan blinked, looking at him innocently.

Trying to change the subject, Jiang Yiheng said coolly, “The stray animal rescue association in City Z’s pet hospital is holding an adoption event tomorrow. You’ll be helping with that, and if you pass, you can start your internship at the pet hospital.”

Jiang Shiyan replied with a smile, showing no sign of discomfort, "Alright."

The days flew by until the day of the adoption event. Many animal lovers arrived early. Though it was Jiang Shiyan’s first time handling animals up for adoption, she displayed an impressive level of comfort and understanding of each animal’s habits.

Chen Feng, who was also in a white coat and standing next to Jiang Yiheng, commented, "Yiheng, your sister has quite the talent. A sweet and beautiful girl like her, I bet a lot of young men are interested, right?"

Jiang Yiheng felt a swell of pride at the first part of the comment, but the second part instantly soured his mood. He grumbled, "What business is it of yours?"

Then he stormed off.

Chen Feng was left puzzled. He’d just asked a simple question, so what was the big deal?

(End of the Chapter)