Chapter 88: First Update

What is it like to have a snake suddenly dart toward you?

Qin Yao's answer: Her scalp tingled, and she felt like her soul was leaving her body.

Yaoyao screamed and backed away. Gu Cheng, armed with a stick, stepped forward and pulled Yaoyao behind him, making his wife hide behind his back. Striking the snake at its vital point, he pinned the vibrant snake to the ground. He grabbed the venomous snake with his bare hands, controlling its head while its tail coiled around his arm.

"Yaoyao, are you okay?"

Yaoyao covered her eyes and backed away, revealing her pupils just enough to confirm it was Gu Cheng's handsome face and not the snake's flickering tongue.

The snake was unidentifiable, its body still struggling to coil. Its lidless eyes seemed to plead with her, or maybe even ask for affection.

For some reason, despite its terrifying triangular head, Yaoyao saw something almost pitiful in its gaze.

—Is the snake trying to get close to me?

Mad, mad, Comrade Qin thought. She must be crazy. Why would she think a snake wanted to get close to her? Oh my god! Help!

Gu Cheng placed the snake into a snake-catching bag and, realizing his wife was still in shock, pulled her into his arms.

"Yaoyao, snap out of it, it's okay."

The snake left a peculiar stench on him, so Gu Cheng, feeling his hands were dirty, avoided touching Yaoyao and went to wash them at the yard's faucet.

Comrade Qin sat by the baby carriage, staring at her two sleeping sons, still shaken. When Gu Cheng wrapped his arms around her and she looked up into his beautiful dark eyes, Yaoyao snapped back to reality, a sudden thought about the strange "affinity skill" flashing in her mind.

Could this affinity be for animals?

Yaoyao's heart pounded as she decided to test her new ability. In the compound, someone had a proud tabby cat, free-roaming and excellent at catching mice. It disliked being touched by people.

Searching the yard, Yaoyao found the tabby cat in a corner. Confident she had activated the affinity skill, she approached. A strange scene unfolded.

The usually proud tabby now lay on its back, exposing its soft belly, licking its paws, and meowing gently at her.

Its usually sharp meows sounded unusually gentle, almost as if it had just had a taste of catnip.

Yaoyao stroked the tabby's belly. So soft, warm, comfortable, and healing...

Oh my!

So this was the affinity skill!

Yaoyao found this affinity skill quite useful, a true "cat-petting tool," allowing her to make animals like her actively.

Yaoyao spent a long time in the yard, thoroughly enjoying petting the cat and listening to its soothing meows, feeling a sense of peace wash over her.

Whether from people or animals, affection always brought her immense joy and comfort.

After thoroughly enjoying petting the cat, Yaoyao went home, washed her hands thoroughly to avoid parasites, and checked on her sons.

After feeding her child, Yaoyao pondered the skill's uses. She didn't often use her previous X-ray vision skill or her photographic memory, only activating them when necessary, leaving her plenty of available time. This "animal affinity" skill, though seemingly trivial, was actually quite useful.

After her cat session, Yaoyao wanted to try it on dogs—military dogs!

"Captain Gu, take me to see the military dogs," Yaoyao urged Gu Cheng to show her the German Shepherds. She had only seen them from afar before but now felt brave enough to approach them.

Similar to dogs like "Samoyed," "Labrador," "German Shepherd," and "Golden Retriever," they look handsome and stylish in online photos. But in reality, they can be quite intimidating. These guys weigh as much as 50 to 60 pounds. When they run around a person, especially someone not very tall, like a young girl, it feels like the ground is trembling.

An average person really can't hold back a large dog.

"Are you really going?" Gu Cheng was getting frustrated. His wife had gotten into the habit of playing with cats and dogs and was starting to get bored with their newborn little tigers. She wanted to interact with other small animals.

Maybe it was because she had just become a mom and was feeling extra maternal, wanting to take care of everyone.

"Yes, let's go!"

Qin Yao had some free time since she had decided to transfer units and was handling the paperwork, so she didn't need to work for a while. When Gu Cheng returned early that afternoon, the couple left their son with Gu Cheng's mother, Shen Guixiang. Dressed in a white military uniform, Gu Cheng took Qin Yao to see the dogs.

The military dogs were kept in a special area with their own training grounds. While they attracted many visitors, most didn't stay long, and the kennel staff were used to it.

Big dogs eat a lot and, well, they make a lot of mess. The kennels could get pretty smelly.

"Captain Gu, is your wife interested in seeing the dogs?"

Qin Yao boldly said, "Let me see your most handsome one."

Zookeeper: "..."

The young zookeeper was quite handsome. Qin Yao suddenly noticed that the dog handlers in the military were all good-looking. She secretly asked, "Do you pick the most handsome ones to handle the dogs?"

"No, not really. They just tend to send me out to meet guests because I'm good with people." The zookeeper scratched his head with a smile.

In the military, being handsome often meant you were the face of the unit, always dealing with visitors.

Qin Yao chatted with the young zookeeper for a few more minutes. This young man was handsome, but of course, the most handsome one was standing right next to her. Though, he now had a sullen expression on his face.

Hmph, even if he looked grumpy, he was still handsome, but she wasn’t paying attention.

Gu Cheng's expression grew darker, and a wave of jealousy rose in his heart. Was she here to see the dogs or the people?

This woman had a thing for younger, good-looking guys. If he let her into the new recruits' camp, she’d probably be in heaven.

Qin Yao finally saw the German Shepherd she had been longing to see. Its fur was sleek and shiny, and it looked very handsome. It followed commands and didn't bark randomly.

Qin Yao crouched next to the large dog, and the big wolfhound sat down, suddenly resting its head next to her neck, leaving the zookeeper stunned.

"Sister-in-law, it seems Bei Bei really likes you. Usually, it doesn't get this close to people."

The zookeeper silently cursed the dog in his mind for being such a flirt.

He didn’t find it strange. Qin Yao had a lovely and likable appearance, the kind that elders were drawn to. Men liked her, so of course, dogs would too, especially dogs raised by men. They probably took after their owners.

Who could say no to someone as beautiful as her?

The zookeeper couldn’t help but admire Captain Gu’s luck in finding such a wife.

Qin Yao reached out and stroked the big wolfhound's head. Its fur was a bit coarse, not as soft as a tabby cat's, but a wolfhound had its own unique charm.

It didn’t bark without reason but made a low, rumbling sound, rubbing against her and gently licking her face and palms. It was both handsome and sweet, truly a case of "tough guy acting cute."

Standing next to them, Gu Cheng couldn't help but feel jealous seeing the dog rub and lick his wife. He really hadn’t expected that there would come a day when he'd be "jealous of a dog."

Perhaps dogs can really understand human emotions?

How could he let it get so close to his wife?

Gu Cheng pulled Qin Yao away and stepped forward to pet the dog's head. The big wolfdog was quite cooperative, letting him touch it freely. However, its watery eyes were fixed on Qin Yao, melting her heart.

"Captain Gu sure has a lucky streak. Your wife is not only beautiful but also kind-hearted..." The zookeeper sincerely envied Gu Cheng. In his opinion, those who are liked by small animals are people with good temperaments.

Gu Cheng listened to his words, feeling both happy and not so happy. It was troubling that his wife was so popular.

After petting the dog for a while, the couple went to the grocery store to buy vegetables to take home. By then, the sun was setting, and the warm golden light shimmered on the green leaves.

Carrying a vegetable basket, Qin Yao was in a good mood. She increasingly felt that this skill of hers was handy. Now she could pet dogs and cats, and who knows, maybe in the future, she could pet giant pandas, red pandas, dolphins, swans... experiencing all of nature.

Next time she visited the Beijing Zoo to see her fourth brother, Qin Yao wanted to feed the red pandas.

Qin Yao used to think red pandas weren't as cute as giant pandas, but that wasn't the case. Red pandas were handsome and playful, with delicate white ears, reddish-brown fur, and facial patterns that added to their refinement. Their pointy white ears and tongue-poking habit added to their playfulness.

What was even more attractive was their ringed, bushy tails.

The last time she went to the zoo was in winter. She saw a red panda lying on a snow-covered branch, looking incredibly cute and exuding a kind of lazy, "world-weary" vibe, basking on the tree branch. That kind of leisure was enviable.

When sleeping, it curled up into a circle, forming a reddish-brown scarf on the ground.

The more Qin Yao thought about it, the more amused she became, her face beaming with joy, smiling at everyone on her way home.

Many people were a bit stunned seeing her.

Qin Yao had been pregnant for nearly half a year, plus the time she spent sitting the month, and many people had started to find her unfamiliar, their last impression of her being when she was heavily pregnant.

Now, seeing her again, they were surprised by how stunning she had become.

Gu Cheng's sense of crisis wasn't unfounded. After having their child, his wife had indeed become more beautiful, exuding a striking femininity.

Before, she was beautiful but still a young girl. Now, even a glance from her often made him lose control. Her chest was fuller, her clothes seemed larger, but her waist appeared even slimmer.

Her smile was gentle and soft, her skin crystal clear, like freshly peeled lychee or a ripe peach, so tender that it seemed water could be squeezed out.

Can a woman really become even more beautiful after having a child?

If Qin Yao were to evaluate herself, she wouldn't think she had become prettier but rather that she had gained some sexiness, which she neither particularly liked nor disliked.

She couldn't fully grasp how this newfound sexiness appealed to men.

Lately, Gu Cheng had been constantly on high alert.

As soon as they got home, Gu Cheng held her in his arms and whispered in her ear, "You belong to me and our son."

He couldn't let random people or animals take her away.

"Why are you so jealous?" Qin Yao was also a bit tired of his constant jealousy, as if they ran a vinegar workshop and he drank gallons of vinegar every day.

Back at home, Qin Yao also noticed the smell on herself and dragged Gu Cheng to take a mandarin duck bath. She gave a tender kiss to the beauty mark under his eye and reassured him, "You're so much handsomer when you smile. No other man outside can compare to you."

Gu Cheng might not be the most handsome man in the world, but he was definitely the one who looked perfect to her, as if he had grown exactly according to her preferences.

Qin Yao couldn't understand his jealousy. With such a perfect match by her side, how could she possibly fall for someone else?

At most, they might get distracted by some puppies, kittens, red pandas, giant pandas, baby orcas, and baby dolphins...

After a romantic bath together, the two skipped dinner that night. Qin Yao had meant to just offer some words of comfort to Gu Cheng, but things quickly got out of hand, and Shen Guixiang, seeing the two lovebirds, didn’t interrupt them.

Liu Shuqin had already gone back, leaving Shen Guixiang to help watch the couple for a while longer.

"Aww, you two, don't tell me you're already thinking about having another baby? Take it easy!"

Qin Yao's comforting had a great effect, and Gu Cheng's mood improved significantly. Midlife crises come and go fast for guys like him. Before getting married, he’d insist he was still 28, but now he’s definitely in his 30s.

Zhuo Liang, who always seemed to be in second place, dropped by to see Gu Cheng, hoping to get a recommendation letter and congratulate him on becoming a dad.

A friend told Zhuo Liang, "You don’t need to bother him. Someone else can write it."

"He’s on cloud nine right now, and you don’t want to feel left out."

"Why would I be jealous? Couples often start bickering after having a kid, so this is the perfect time to hear Gu Cheng vent." Even Gu Cheng couldn’t escape the typical midlife blues.