Chapter 4: Of course I wouldn't dislike you

Chapter 4: Of course I won't dislike you

When Jiang Shiyan woke up, three worried faces were before her eyes.

"She's awake, she's awake!" Jiang Yiheng hurriedly called out to the doctor and nurse who were just stepping out. The doctor and nurse turned back to the ward to examine Jiang Shiyan.

After a series of examinations, the doctor said, "Everything looks normal for now. Once the test results come out and there are no issues, she can be discharged."

After repeated confirmations, the family finally felt at ease.

Mother Jiang was so angry that she hit Jiang Yiheng a few more times. "It's all your fault! Your sister just wanted to intern at the pet hospital, was it really necessary to treat her like that? Jiang Yiheng, I'm telling you, if anything happens to Yanyan, I won't let you off!"

"I didn't do anything..." Jiang Yiheng cried injustice.

"Yanyan, can you tell Papa why you suddenly want to intern at the pet hospital?" Father Jiang was more rational; he didn't lecture his eldest son immediately, but instead asked his youngest daughter gently.

"When I was lost on the deserted island, it was the small animals there that kept me company and helped me find food. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made it back. I truly like small animals now; it's not just a whim."

Jiang Shiyan's words instantly brought a pang of heartache to the Jiang family. Jiang Yiheng also realized he had misunderstood his sister and said guiltily, "I thought you were just saying it in passing."

"Brother, how about I sign a guarantee? If I cause any trouble, I won't go to your pet hospital ever again!" Jiang Shiyan looked at Jiang Yiheng pitifully.

Before Jiang Yiheng could speak, Mother Jiang chimed in, "Go! Why can't you go to the pet hospital your brother opened? I'll decide—go!"

"Mom!" Jiang Yiheng called out helplessly.

Mother Jiang immediately glared at her son.

Father Jiang patted his wife's shoulder, then looked at Jiang Shiyan. "There's no need to write a guarantee. However, there will be no salary for the first three months, and you must start from doing odd jobs. Can you accept that?"

"Of course I can!" Jiang Shiyan agreed without a second thought.

Seeing her full of determination, looking as if she truly wanted to intern at the pet hospital, Jiang Yiheng didn't say anything more.

After Jiang Shiyan lay back down, she called out to the system, Shoushou: "Shoushou, are you there?"

【I am always here, darling.】

"Why did I faint?" Jiang Shiyan knew the problem must have been with her; she seemed to have heard a prompt for a failed system restart before she lost consciousness.

【There are two souls in your body, causing a malfunction in the system binding.】

Two souls?

Jiang Shiyan's heart sank. The remaining soul could only be the original owner. Was she still alive?

"What about now?"

【That remnant soul was merely a wisp of resentment sustained by hatred and unwillingness. The original owner died on the day she was pushed into the sea. Now that the enemy has been punished, the resentment has vanished, and the remnant soul could no longer withstand the system's power and has completely disappeared.】

Jiang Shiyan fell silent.

After a long while, she said "I'm sorry" in her heart with a sense of apology.

From now on, she would definitely live well in place of Jiang Shiyan and be filial to her parents.

【Do you have any other questions, darling?】

"Yes, when can you change this sound effect?" Jiang Shiyan really couldn't stand it; because she had once worked as a Taobao customer service representative for a period of time, she had psychological trauma.

【Once confirmed, no returns or exchanges, darling.】

Jiang Shiyan: "..."

The next day, Jiang Shiyan, who had no major issues, was discharged. However, she was forcibly kept at home by Mother Jiang, who insisted she rest for half a month before going out.

Jiang Yiheng also wanted to see if his sister truly liked animals or if it was just a whim, so he brought home an adopted disabled stray cat from the hospital. It was a tabby cat whose two hind legs had been crushed by a car; having missed the optimal time for surgery, it could only walk by dragging its hind legs.

After bringing the cat home, Jiang Yiheng stated his condition: "As long as you can take good care of Ping'an for these two weeks, I will let you intern at the pet hospital."

"It's a deal." Jiang Shiyan agreed with a grin.

"Don't be too sure. Ping'an's hind legs are disabled, and he's quite wary of strangers. It's best to keep him in a cage for the first few days. Once he's used to you... Hey, don't open the cage, watch out or Ping'an will scratch... you."

Before he could finish, Jiang Yiheng's eyes widened as he watched Ping'an—who was usually fierce toward strangers—actually crawl toward Jiang Shiyan on his own, proactively rolling over to expose his belly and acting spoiled toward her.

Jiang Shiyan gently stroked his belly and asked with heartache, "Does it hurt a lot?"

"Meow~"

[It hurt a lot before, but I don't feel it now.]

"My name is Yanyan. I'll take care of you from now on, okay?"

"Meow~"

[But I'm not as good-looking as other cats, and my two legs are broken. Will you dislike me?]

Ping'an asked somewhat fearfully.

"Of course I won't dislike you," Jiang Shiyan said, stroking its head.

Jiang Yiheng watched the scene before him in disbelief. Although Ping'an's cries were just meows in his ears, they inexplicably gave him the illusion that the person and the cat were communicating without any barriers.

Jiang Shiyan picked Ping'an up, and as soon as she looked up, she saw Jiang Yiheng staring at her with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"Brother?"

Jiang Yiheng stared at the tabby cat in her arms, falling into doubt. He had raised Ping'an for nearly a year and had never seen him act so coy. How could he become so sweet the moment he was in Jiang Shiyan's arms, as if he had turned into a different cat?

Jiang Shiyan couldn't be bothered to deal with him and instead took Ping'an to the bathroom: "Let me give you a bath, then you can sleep with me."

Soon, Jiang Yiheng watched as Ping'an, who usually exploded the moment he touched bathwater, became incredibly well-behaved in Jiang Shiyan's hands, even quite enjoyably resting his head in her palm.

"..."

What was this? Did wandering on a deserted island for over a month directly awaken an animal affinity skill?

Refusing to believe it, Jiang Yiheng decided to stay home for two days. However, what he saw and heard during these two days made him unable to help but wonder if the Jiang Shiyan before him was still the Jiang Shiyan he had known for twenty-four years.

Jiang Yiheng couldn't help but secretly test Jiang Shiyan, occasionally asking bizarre questions about things that happened in their childhood. Jiang Shiyan also guessed his intentions and calmly recounted some of Jiang Yiheng's embarrassing childhood stories.

"I still remember when you and Little Fatty from next door competed to see who could pee the farthest, and you lost..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Yiheng's face went dark. "Shut up!"

To have such a dark history spoken by his own sister was simply a supreme humiliation!

Jiang Shiyan blinked, looking at him with an innocent face.

"The day after tomorrow, the pet hospital and the Z City Stray Animal Protection Association are co-hosting an adoption event. You'll go help out. If you perform well this time, you can go intern at the pet hospital." Jiang Yiheng changed the subject nonchalantly.

"Okay." Jiang Shiyan agreed with a grin, not exposing his embarrassment.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the adoption event. Many pet lovers arrived at the venue early. Even though it was Jiang Shiyan's first time dealing with these adoptable pets, she performed with great ease, even showing a deep understanding of each pet's habits.

"Yiheng, your sister is quite impressive." Standing beside Jiang Yiheng in a white lab coat, Chen Feng couldn't help but say, "A gentle and beautiful girl like this must have many boys chasing her, right?"

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Jiang Yiheng felt quite proud, but the second half made him turn hostile immediately. He said irritably, "What does it have to do with you?"

With that, he walked away.

Leaving Chen Feng standing there in confusion. He only asked one question; was it really necessary to go that far?