After exchanging a few meows with the little calico, Shi Jing had smoothly managed to stroke the little creature’s head.
He could not help teasing the cat’s chin a few times before realizing there was still someone following right behind him.
Shi Jing’s back stiffened, his fingers curling up. In that instant, he had no idea how to react.
Wei Qinan put away the smile at the corners of his lips, turned his head slightly, and spoke in his usual tone. “I did not hear anything.”
Shi Jing shot him a cold look, tossed the car keys to Wei Qinan, and chose not to respond to the topic. “There is a cat carrier in the trunk. Bring it over.”
One touch was enough for him to tell that this cat was far too thin, and its nasal passages seemed to have yellowish discharge. It probably had some kind of infectious disease, and without intervention, it might not survive.
Knowing that Shi Jing felt rather awkward right now, Wei Qinan honestly fetched the carrier. Mimicking Shi Jing’s cat-teasing manner, he let out a few meows of his own before saying to Shi Jing. “It looks really cute. But isn’t it way too thin?”
Shi Jing saw Wei Qinan meowing in front of someone else without a single ounce of embarrassment, and the embarrassment in his heart faded a bit. “Right. I will have a designated driver take you back first, and I will take this to the pet hospital.”
“I will go with you.”
Shi Jing checked the time. “It is very late. By the time we toss around at the hospital and get back home, it will be the middle of the night.”
Wei Qinan replied quite naturally. “If I leave you behind and go home alone, what if I get spotted by your grandfather’s people? Wouldn’t that blow our cover?”
Shi Jing felt that made some sense. “That works too. If you are sleepy, there is a lounge at the hospital.”
This cat was fated to meet him; it did not move at all when it was placed into the carrier.
His pet hospital was equipped with midnight emergency services. If he remembered correctly, Zhong Yu and Xiao Jiu were on duty tonight.
Carrying the cat carrier inside, Shi Jing found the front desk completely empty. Several people were sitting in the waiting area, each with a few carriers placed by their feet, looking somewhat drowsy yet persisting in their wait.
The night shift was basically never busy, unless some unexpected emergency happened.
Shi Jing handed the cat carrier to Wei Qinan first and walked toward the examination room inside by himself.
Zhong Yu had already been worked to the bone tonight. He had only managed a moment of leisure right at the handover, and after that, his seat had barely felt his weight.
The person standing in the examination room right now was Xiao Jiu, who was busy performing debridement on a small dog. Because she was the only one there, the person helping hold the dog down was the owner himself.
Somewhat surprised by how busy things were today, Shi Jing asked. “Where are the others? Did you call them?”
“Called them, they are on the way,” Xiao Jiu said. The puppy struggled a bit, and she immediately refocused to soothe it.
Shi Jing nodded. “I will hold down the front first.”
His university major was not veterinary-related, but he knew how to operate the front desk system and could handle some simple guidance.
He poured several cups of warm water and handed one to each of the waiting people, only to learn upon asking that they were volunteers from a local public welfare pet rescue team.
The few animals by their feet were the ones they had brought over first, and several more cats were on the way.
Right at that moment, headlight beams lit up the glass doors at the hospital entrance, and someone raised their voice and said. “We have arrived.”
Wei Qinan had directed the designated driver to park the car in a nearby parking lot, arriving somewhat belatedly. Seeing the situation, he said to Shi Jing. “I will help.”
As he spoke, he pushed the door and went back outside. When he came back in, he was carrying an aviation crate in each hand, carefully setting them down on the floor.
He squatted down halfway, raised his head, and asked Shi Jing. “Where should I put these?”
Shi Jing urged the work group chat. “Take them into the feline examination room first.”
Wei Qinan nodded and picked up the carriers again.
Shi Jing found a volunteer and used the front desk computer to simply create profiles for all these cats.
The other person was an Omega, who looked like he was still in college, with thick, fine dark hair and a well-behaved appearance.
“Thank you guys. You have to work overtime this late. By the way, should we pay the treatment fees for them now?”
Shi Jing typed the final keystroke, raised his gaze to scan the other person, and said. “You will be notified once everything is tallied up. Who is the person in charge? Leave a contact number.”
The Omega male pulled out his phone. “It is me.”
Shi Jing nodded, picking up the work phone resting on the table. “I will scan you.”
Because he had attended Bai Mengqiu’s birthday party today, he had specifically worn a watch.
The five-hundred-thousand watch was thus brightly presented right in front of the young man along with the phone. Shi Jing’s other hand was replying to WeChat messages in the work chat, so he did not notice the young man’s gaze.
Shocked by the value of this watch, the Omega asked uncertainly after scanning the code. “What is the approximate price for treating these cats and dogs?”
“The doctor will issue a test sheet after the examination, and the assistant will tell you the specific costs. It is getting late, so you can go back and rest first. Tomorrow we will use this account to notify you.” Realizing the other person was worried about the fees, which was one of the common issues easily encountered in public welfare rescue work, Shi Jing paused and added. “TNR procedures are free, and stray animals rescued at our hospital all get a discount.”
Hearing his words, the Omega let out a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and the gaze he directed at Shi Jing held a trace of extra admiration. Seeing that his attire did not look like that of a hospital staff member, he asked one more question. “Are you the boss here, or a doctor?”
Wanting to go take a look inside the examination room, Shi Jing glanced at the young man and did not answer. “Go back and get some rest early.”
While the two were talking, Wei Qinan had finished moving several carriers and appeared behind Shi Jing like a ghost.
He glanced at the young man not far away, then lowered his gaze to Shi Jing. “I put the little kitten we rescued together into the examination room too. Do we need to set up a profile for it first?”
Wei Qinan speaking up at this exact moment felt just like reinforcements dropping down from the skies.
Taking the opportunity, Shi Jing lowered his head and tapped away at the computer keyboard. “Right, almost forgot.”
Setting up a profile only took tens of seconds, yet Shi Jing dragged his feet, spending several seconds on a single letter.
The Omega male belatedly understood his evasion, pretended nothing was happening, and called his companions to leave.
Shi Jing let out a long breath of relief and checked the work group chat. The colleague closest to the hospital would arrive in a few minutes. He stood up and called out to Wei Qinan. “Alright, you can go back now. Should I call a ride for you?”
“Are you not leaving?”
Shi Jing. “There is a lot to handle on the night shift today. I am going to the inpatient department to help out.”
Wei Qinan. “I am not going back. I will go with you.”
“Forget it, it is all dirty work,” Shi Jing reflexively refused. “Don’t you still have classes tomorrow?”
“No early morning classes, I can wake up later.”
Seeing him insist, Shi Jing did not force the issue. “Fine then. Follow me.”
He led the person upstairs, first taking Wei Qinan to the lounge.
Flipping through the wardrobe for a moment, he found a new set of work clothes and tossed them to Wei Qinan. “Change into these.”
He had a rough idea of Wei Qinan’s build, so he picked out a suitable size.
Wei Qinan nodded obediently, and the two of them put on the hospital’s uniform and entered the room at the very end of the third floor.
Shi Jing. “This is where hospitalized cats stay. Go scoop the litter. Be careful not to let the cats run out.”
“Okay.”
The medical records and some handwritten notes were placed in the interlayer at the door of each cage.
Shi Jing pinned a pen to his chest and put on his gloves.
Most of the pets remaining in the inpatient department had undergone surgery, making them much more troublesome to care for.
Even while wearing gloves, his hands inevitably ended up stained with things carrying a fishy, foul odor, making it hard to tell whether they were excrement or something else.
Not caring much about his hands getting dirty, Shi Jing tossed the replaced pad into the disposal bin, raised his head sharply, and caught Wei Qinan red-handed.
His brow furrowed slightly. “What are you looking at me for?”