The adorable little calico cat asked this while nudging the meat toward Lu Ruo’s hand again.
Seeing how anxious the kitten was about her health, Lu Ruo simply couldn’t ignore her.
Plenty of people talked to their pets, so maybe Gu Qi wouldn’t be suspicious?
So Lu Ruo responded to Huahua: “Huahua, be good. I’ve already had a bite of the meat. See, I still have food here, so you eat the rest yourself, okay?”
Huahua looked at the bowl in front of Lu Ruo, tilting her little head in thought.
Remembering that Lu Ruo used to eat those tasteless things all the time, her little tail perked back up, the tip swaying side to side: “Alright then, human, Cat trusts you. Cat will go down to keep the kitten company and won’t disturb your meal.”
The little calico picked up the dried meat and hopped off the hospital bed.
Listening to the kitten’s mewling from the cat cage, Lu Ruo felt a warm glow in her heart.
Stray cats valued food above all, yet Huahua was willing to share it with her willingly.
This world couldn’t exist without kittens!
“You have a good relationship with this cat. When she was sent to the pet shop for a bath, she only stopped hiding when she heard your name.” Gu Qi suddenly spoke up. “You’re very kind, always taking care of her.”
Rarely praised, Lu Ruo felt pleasantly surprised.
She looked up at Gu Qi and sincerely said thank you.
Just as she was thinking that Gu Qi probably hadn’t suspected anything, she suddenly heard him change the subject and ask: “Where were you on March 3rd? You skipped class that day.”
Lu Ruo’s heart, which had just settled, tightened again. Gu Qi really was suspicious of her.
“I was locked in the warehouse by my third brother that day.” As she spoke, Lu Ruo watched Gu Qi’s reaction. “If you go ask them where I was, you’ll probably get the answer that I wasn’t in the warehouse. They… none of them like me.”
Gu Qi froze, his gaze darkening: “They lock you up often? Your stomach cancer… is it related to how they treat you?”
Lu Ruo felt that Gu Qi in front of her was acting strange.
When he praised her kindness, he seemed to genuinely approve of her caring for stray cats. Then he suddenly asked where she was on the day of the theft, as if treating her like a suspect.
And now, mentioning her stomach cancer, Gu Qi seemed to sympathize with her.
Unable to figure out Gu Qi’s purpose in speaking this way, Lu Ruo hesitated for a moment before asking directly: “Officer Gu, could you just tell me what you want to ask?”
Gu Qi suddenly smiled slightly: “If I ask, will you answer me honestly?”
Lu Ruo felt that Gu Qi’s smile was odd.
She fell silent, thinking about how Old Mrs. Gu had defended and trusted her earlier, then suddenly said: “When the bracelet and the ring were stolen, Grandmother Gu must have been very anxious.”
Gu Qi hadn’t expected Lu Ruo to suddenly bring up his grandmother. He nodded slightly, his expression somewhat heavy: “That was the love token my grandfather gave my grandmother. The day it was stolen happened to be my grandfather’s death anniversary. So, as Gu Qi, I also want to get some concrete leads from you.”
Lu Ruo hadn’t expected there to be such a story behind it.
Grandmother Gu was a good person and deserved to know who stole her precious belongings, and to see the culprit punished.
But Lu Ruo still hesitated. If anyone found out she could talk to animals, who knew how she’d be treated?
Lu Ruo was young, and even if she tried her best to hide it, she couldn’t conceal the shift in her eyes.
Her inner struggle was plain for Gu Qi to see.
The stern-faced man pressed his lips together, waiting for Lu Ruo to make her choice.
After another long moment, Lu Ruo finally spoke: “Officer Gu, I know what you want to ask. I’d like to ask you to leave the ward first, and come back in when I call for you, alright?”
As she said this, Lu Ruo’s eyes were bright and her expression resolute.
She still wanted to try to be a good person who helped others, even if the consequences were unknown.
And just as Lu Ruo’s words faded, the System’s voice sounded in her ear: [New mission triggered: Help the police catch the thief, and tell the victim that it was the animals’ doing. Mission reward: 10 points, and one random Beast Tongue unlocked.]