Chapter 57: Hu Shan Self-Mutilates

Jiang Yuan picked up the phone and said in a flat tone, "Hello."

On the other end of the line, Gu Yiwei sounded urgent yet remained polite. "Hello, Miss Jiang. I am Gu Yiwei, the person in charge of the Tiger Enclosure at Yunjing Zoo."

"Is there something you need, Mr. Gu?" Jiang Yuan asked.

Hearing her question, Gu Yiwei got straight to the point. "Miss Jiang, I apologize for calling so abruptly, but there is indeed an urgent matter I would like to ask for your help with. I wonder if it is convenient for you right now?"

Jiang Yuan asked doubtfully, "Is it serious?"

Gu Yiwei said in a heavy voice, "Hu Shan has suddenly started engaging in self-harming behavior. The zoo's psychological experts have tried to communicate with it, but it seems to have had no effect..."

Just as they were falling into a state of helplessness, a figure suddenly flashed through his mind.

The girl who had remained completely unharmed while surrounded by nine ferocious tigers.

A strong intuition surged in Gu Yiwei's heart—perhaps she would have a way!

He shared this idea with the zoo director, who immediately nodded in agreement and told him to contact Jiang Yuan at once.

He was currently making the call from the director's office.

"I understand." Jiang Yuan's voice took on a hint of gravity. "I'll head over there now."

After hanging up, she crouched down in front of Xixi and the kitten, saying softly, "I'm sorry, Xixi and Candy, but I have something urgent to attend to. Can I accompany you for a meal next time?"

The little dumpling noticed that Jiang Yuan's brow was tightly furrowed, as if something bad had happened; every time her father went out for work, her mother would frown just like this.

Xixi asked worriedly, "Sister, did something terrible happen?"

Jiang Yuan stroked her little head and said quietly, "A big tiger at the zoo is hurting itself. I'm going to see if I can help."

Upon hearing this, Xixi hurriedly said, "Then you should go quickly, Sister!"

After saying that, the little dumpling realized it was a big tiger, not a big kitty. She let out a cry in her tiny voice, "A tiger! Tigers are so scary! Aren't you afraid, Sister?"

"I'm not afraid anymore." Jiang Yuan stood up, her tone softening slightly. "Because I am friends with them."

She turned to look at Rong Yue. "Sister Yue, I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I must leave. I'll treat you to a meal next time."

"It's fine, Yuan Yuan. Saving the tiger is more important." Rong Yue walked her to the elevator, her face full of smiles. "Come visit often when you have time."

Watching the elevator doors close, Rong Yue thought about how the zoo had called to ask Jiang Yuan to help with the tiger problem, and couldn't help but feel that asking her to look at the kittens her daughter raised was a bit of an overkill.

**

Yunjing Zoo.

After parking her car, Jiang Yuan followed the directional signs toward the staff passage.

She had received a call from Gu Yiwei while on her way, saying he had arranged for someone to wait for her at the entrance of the staff passage.

"Miss Jiang!" a voice called out from not far away.

Jiang Yuan looked up and saw Gu Yiwei, wearing a black-and-white windbreaker, waving to her from the elevator entrance.

On the way to the tiger enclosure, Gu Yiwei gave her a detailed account of Hu Shan's situation.

"The keepers noticed that Hu Shan's condition hasn't been quite right since the day before yesterday; even its dinner intake has been lower than usual."

"Worried it might be sick, we immediately arranged for a veterinarian to perform a physical exam, but Hu Shan wouldn't cooperate at all. Even the treats provided by the vet couldn't attract it."

"Out of necessity, we had to administer anesthesia to draw blood and perform a series of tests. Once the reports came back, the vet said there were no physical issues with Hu Shan's body."

"We also brought in an animal psychology expert yesterday, but they couldn't find the cause either."

"This morning, Hu Shan wouldn't even eat breakfast and has been roaring continuously in the enclosure."

"When the tourists entered the enclosure this morning, Hu Shan lunged at the fence, trying to attack them. An elderly man was even so frightened that he suffered a heart attack."

Gu Yiwei let out a deep sigh. "When Hu Shan realized it couldn't reach the tourists through the fence, it started self-harming, repeatedly slamming its head against the rocks..."

As they spoke, the two had reached the entrance of the tiger enclosure.

Gu Yiwei led Jiang Yuan through the staff passage into the tigers' inner quarters, explaining as they walked, "Fearing it might startle the tourists or injure itself, we administered more anesthesia to clean and bandage its wounds."

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, her gaze falling upon Hu Shan. The tiger, which should have been majestic and imposing, lay quietly behind the iron fence with its eyes closed due to the effects of the anesthesia.

"How much longer will the anesthesia last?" she asked.

Gu Yiwei replied, "About another hour."

Hearing this, Jiang Yuan thought for a moment before suggesting, "Since Hu Shan isn't awake yet, how about I try talking to the other tigers first? Perhaps they know what's going on with Hu Shan."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yiwei's pupils constricted and then slightly dilated. Looking at the girl's fair and beautiful face, his lips moved, hesitating several times.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan took the initiative to ask, "Mr. Gu, is there something you want to say to me?"

"Miss Jiang..." Gu Yiwei lowered his voice, his tone serious. "Can you... understand what tigers are saying?"

He remembered that on the day the tiger went into a rage, Jiang Yuan had been talking to it the entire time.

Jiang Yuan slowly furrowed her brows. After thinking for a few seconds, she said calmly and indifferently, "You guessed correctly. I can understand them, but I don't want too many people to know."

"I understand." A solemn expression appeared on Gu Yiwei's face, and his tone became grave and serious. "Rest assured, Miss Jiang, I will keep your secret. However, I may need to report the truth to the director."

"That's fine." Jiang Yuan had a vague suspicion in her heart that she might have frequent interactions with the zoo in the future.

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Yuan and Gu Yiwei entered the tiger enclosure in a specialized staff vehicle.

Several large tigers were lounging lazily on the rocks, occasionally lifting their eyelids to glance at the foolish and boring humans outside the fence.

As the specialized vehicle appeared, the nose of the tiger lying on the highest rock suddenly twitched, as if it had caught a familiar scent.

It suddenly sat up straight, its gaze fixed intently on the vehicle.

Because of the distance, Jiang Yuan couldn't tell which tiger it was, so she could only call out from the vehicle, "Hi, are you the handsomest tiger in the enclosure?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Hu Rui's eyes instantly brightened with excitement. He took a sudden leap. "That's right! This handsome tiger is indeed the handsomest here!"

He landed steadily on the ground and, with several agile bounds, lunged right up to the front of the vehicle. His tone was filled with undisguised excitement: "Yuan Yuan, you finally came to see me! This handsome tiger has been waiting for you for so long!"

He waited every single day, waiting for his human friend to come and see him.

Unfortunately, his friend never came; instead, it was always boring humans.

Hu Rui raised a paw and rested it on the vehicle's protective railing, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment. "You haven't been here for so long—have you forgotten about me?"

"No." Jiang Yuan hurriedly soothed the aggrieved big cat. "I haven't forgotten you. It's just that things have been too hectic lately, and I've been too busy."

As she said this, she actually felt a bit guilty. Her gaze grew even softer as she looked at Hu Rui; she hadn't realized this big fellow had been waiting for her all this time.

"I was even afraid you'd forget me," Jiang Yuan sighed softly.

Hu Rui promised emphatically, "You are the tiger's good friend. How could I ever forget you?"

(End of Chapter)