A Rich Family’s Matrilocal Alpha Married to a Vegetative Omega - Chapter 31

After a bit of playfulness, Ye Fan held Qin Shujian contentedly.

This child made Ye Fan even more determined; she wanted to become a useful person and set an example for her child. She couldn’t let her baby think her own mother was such a “waste”!

Qin Shujian’s efficiency in keeping her word truly startled Ye Fan. After she retook control of the Qin family’s affairs, though Ye Fan didn’t know what was said to Qin Wan, they actually moved out of the Qin estate and into the large flat Qin Shujian used to live in for work.

Because it wasn’t too far from the company, it made it even more convenient for Ye Fan to deliver meals to Qin Shujian.

Life continued as usual. Aside from delivering meals, Ye Fan spent every day looking for work.

This day, Ye Fan had just finished an interview and was about to head home to cook for her wife when she heard a shrill cat cry from the roadside, accompanied by a burst of unrestrained laughter.

“Hahahaha, look at this cat’s stupid face. It truly deserves to be abandoned.”

“Yeah, it’s so ugly. I wouldn’t raise it even if someone gave it to me.”

The harsh comments made Ye Fan frown slightly. She walked toward the source of the noise.

She saw two men in their twenties with dyed hair. One was throwing stones into a nearby ventilation shaft, while the other held a long pole, repeatedly poking at a small, scarred cat.

Ye Fan’s face instantly turned as hard as iron. She walked over, snatched the pole from the redhead’s hand, and glared at the two of them.

“What are you doing!”

The redhead, clearly displeased at having his item taken, shoved his hands into his pockets and let out a clicking sound with his tongue.

“Are you blind? Can’t you see what we’re doing?”

The blond wasn’t as angry as the redhead. He reached out and patted the redhead’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that.”

As he spoke, he held out a stone toward Ye Fan, his lips slowly pulling into a smirk, meeting her angry gaze with pure provocation.

“Hey, do you want to try this? It’s really interesting. This little thing’s cries are absolutely wonderful to hear.”

Ye Fan’s face was taut, her eyes like storm clouds carrying lightning. Looking at the stone the blond held out, she found it exceptionally offensive and swiped it away.

“You are torturing an animal to death!”

The blond shrugged and spread his hands, indifferent. “So what? It’s just a stray cat anyway—something abandoned that nobody cares about.”

The redhead agreed wholeheartedly, nodding with a grin. “I’m unhappy today, so I’m using it to vent my anger. It gives its death some value. It’s a win-win.”

Ye Fan clenched her fists, her boiling rage about to overflow. “I care about whether it lives or dies! Even if it’s a stray, it’s still a life! Doing this is a desecration of life!”

“I won’t let you hurt it anymore!” As Ye Fan spoke, she stared fixedly at the two youths, guarding against any further harm to the stray cat.

The redhead let out an impatient click of his tongue, his eyes instantly turning cold, his tone revealing a trace of irritation.

“Since you don’t want to play, just get lost. Don’t disturb us brothers.”

“The ones who should leave are you!” Ye Fan said, holding up her phone. “I’ve recorded everything you just said and what you did to that cat. What do you think will happen if I post this video online?”

“You’re looking for death!” The redhead grabbed Ye Fan’s collar. Ye Fan didn’t flinch and glared back. “Before you lay a finger on me, think about whether you can handle the consequences!”

The blond reached out and held the redhead’s arm, his face darkened.

“It’s not worth it for a stray cat. Let’s go.”

The redhead was reluctant, but after the blond gave him another look, he let go. The two left dejectedly.

Once they were gone, Ye Fan hurriedly leaned over the ventilation shaft to check on the cat. Unfortunately, it was too far away for her to see clearly; she could only see some bloodstains on the ground.

Ye Fan frowned with extreme worry. The cat was injured; it had to be sent to a pet hospital immediately.

However, Ye Fan had no experience with this. She searched online and found a pet hospital nearby, then called them.

“Hello, this is Meow Virtue Hospital.”

The person who answered was a girl with a very gentle voice, like a ray of sunlight piercing through dark clouds.

Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly: “Hello, I’m on [redacted] Road. There’s a stray cat in a ventilation shaft here. It’s injured and can’t move. I don’t know how to handle it; can you please help it?”

The person’s voice suddenly turned serious. “Understood. We’re coming right away. Please help keep an eye on the kitten in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

The call ended after Ye Fan’s response. About ten minutes later, a vehicle printed with the words “Meow Virtue Hospital” drove up.

Several people got out, quickly grabbing tools from the back and walking toward Ye Fan.

“Hello, my name is Yun Miaomiao. Are you the lady who called the hospital?”

The voice was the same one Ye Fan had heard on the phone. Ye Fan reacted quickly and nodded.

“That’s me.” Then Ye Fan pointed to the stray cat in the shaft and made a solemn request: “The kitty is in there. I have to ask you to find a way to rescue it.”

“Alright, let me see how to rescue the kitty first.”

Yun Miaomiao responded and busied herself discussing the rescue with her team.

Since they were some distance from the bottom of the shaft, it was hard to see the cat’s condition. They didn’t know if using a catch-pole to pull it up would harm the kitten. After a discussion, they decided to have the team hold onto Yun Miaomiao and lower her down to check the cat’s physical state first.

Ye Fan had no experience, so she could only stand by and watch as they used their tools to set up safety gear for Yun Miaomiao.

She glanced down into the shaft and cautioned with great concern, “Be careful.”

Yun Miaomiao heard Ye Fan’s voice and gave her a brilliant smile.

“I’ve done this many times. It’s fine, don’t worry.”

Just looking at the depth of the shaft made Ye Fan’s heart race, let alone going down personally like Yun Miaomiao. One mistake could easily lead to an accident.

Ye Fan couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for Yun Miaomiao; she hadn’t expected such a fragile-looking Omega to be so brave.

A few minutes later, Yun Miaomiao reached the bottom, put on protective gloves, and crouched beside the stray.

It was a tiny kitten only a few months old, originally snow-white, but after wandering for a long time, its fur had turned gray.

Yun Miaomiao began to carefully check the kitten’s injuries. After confirming that moving it wouldn’t worsen its condition, she breathed a sigh of relief and reached out.

“Meow~ Meow~” the kitten cried weakly. it moved its body trying to run away, but its leg was injured and it couldn’t move at all.

“Be a good Snowball, don’t be afraid. I’m here to save you.” Yun Miaomiao didn’t care if the kitten understood; she comforted it with a soft voice while placing it into a cat carrier.

After securing her safety gear, Yun Miaomiao—carrying the carrier—tugging at the rope and shouted upward: “I’m ready! Pull me up!”

Perhaps because the kitten had endured too much mistreatment, it didn’t stay quietly in the carrier. It meowed and bumped against the transparent side, trying to escape.

Hanging in mid-air, Yun Miaomiao was unstable; under the kitten’s impacts, the rope swayed several times.

Whether due to an error from someone above or not, the rope suddenly slipped downward.

Ye Fan’s attention had been on Yun Miaomiao the entire time. Seeing her body suddenly drop a significant distance, her eyes widened in fright.

“Watch out!”

Shouting, Ye Fan rushed to the rescue team, grabbed the end of the rope, and used every ounce of her strength.

Yun Miaomiao’s downward trend slowly stopped. Finally, with everyone’s effort, she came up safely.

Yun Miaomiao had originally been wearing a white dress, but after this ordeal, the dress was stained gray, and even her fair cheeks were quite dirty.

Ye Fan walked to her side and asked worriedly: “Are you okay?”

Yun Miaomiao saw Ye Fan’s hands, which were reddened by the rope. Thinking about what happened in the shaft, she had a guess.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Yun Miaomiao gave a grateful smile under the moonlight, then turned to show the carrier on her back to Ye Fan. “I just did a rough check on Snowball down there. Its leg is broken, and there are several bruises from the stones.”

A member of Yun Miaomiao’s team heard the name and teased, “Director, you’re giving cats random names again.”

“Once this kitty is washed clean, its fur will surely be like snow. It should be called Snowball!”

Everyone who came with Yun Miaomiao was amused.

“Hahaha, you’re the Director, you have the final say.”

Someone else teased the kitten in the carrier. “Kitty, from now on you’re a new member of Meow Virtue Hospital. You have to be a good little cat with ‘meow virtue’.”

As the sunlight spilled over this group of people, for the first time, Ye Fan felt how dazzling everyone was when they focused on doing what they loved.

After Yun Miaomiao unstrapped her gear and put it back in the trunk, she walked over to Ye Fan.

“Snowball’s injuries need treatment. Do you want to come to the hospital with me now?”

Ye Fan shook her head and refused with a smile. “No, I have some things to do. I’ll go see it later.”

Yun Miaomiao didn’t push, but took out her phone. “Let’s exchange contact info. Once the kitten’s injuries are handled, I’ll send you some photos.”

“Sure!” Ye Fan took out her phone, and the two quickly exchanged contacts.

After Yun Miaomiao and the others left, Ye Fan rushed home to start cooking for Qin Shujian. By the time she finished, it was almost lunchtime.

Fortunately, Qin Shujian’s company wasn’t far from where they lived. Ye Fan delivered the meal before Shujian’s lunch break.

Seeing something on Ye Fan’s palms, Qin Shujian frowned and grabbed her hand.

“How did your hands get like this?”

Ye Fan’s skin was very white, so the red marks on her palms were exceptionally glaring.

Seeing Qin Shujian’s worried and pained expression, Ye Fan withdrew her hand and made a fist to hide the marks.

She gave Qin Shujian a smile. “I helped rescue a stray cat today; these were left behind then. Don’t worry, wife, they’ll fade in a while!”

Qin Shujian still wasn’t at ease. “Go get them checked later.”

“Okay.” Ye Fan nodded obediently.

After Qin Shujian finished eating, Ye Fan helped tidy up. Just as she finished, her phone rang. Opening it, she saw several photos sent by Yun Miaomiao; it was the stray cat she had helped save.

The cat had been washed clean and, curled up, really did look like a tiny snowball.

Ye Fan’s clear eyes were full of smiles. The name “Snowball” truly suited it.

Seeing the change in Ye Fan’s expression, Qin Shujian raised an eyebrow. “What news has made you so happy?”

Ye Fan didn’t hide anything. she held the phone out to Qin Shujian. “Look, wife. This is the kitten I saved today. Its name is Snowball.”

Qin Shujian swiped through a few photos and nodded.

“It’s quite cute.”

Ye Fan giggled twice, then quickly finished packing up the remaining thermal containers.

“Wife, I’m going to see Snowball now.”

Usually, after Qin Shujian finished eating, Ye Fan would stay and be clingy for a while, only leaving reluctantly when the lunch break ended.

But today, she was leaving right after the meal.

Qin Shujian felt a bit unhappy, but said nothing; after all, Ye Fan wasn’t out doing anything untoward.

After leaving the company, Ye Fan didn’t go home but took a taxi straight to Yun Miaomiao’s pet hospital. The moment she entered, she was dazzled by all the different kinds of cats.

“Wow, so many cats!” Ye Fan’s eyes lit up; she couldn’t suppress the urge to pet them.

Yun Miaomiao was checking on a cat’s condition. Hearing Ye Fan’s exclamation, she burst out laughing. Many people who came to Meow Virtue for the first time made such comments, but Ye Fan was the first to be so loud about it.

“You’re here.” Yun Miaomiao walked over to greet her.

“Mhm! I’m here to see Snowball!” Ye Fan struggled to pull her gaze away from the various breeds of kittens.

She kept telling herself: Ye Fan! You’re here to see Snowball! Snowball is waiting for you; you absolutely cannot be lured away by other kittens!

Seeing Ye Fan’s reluctant gaze, a smile spread across Yun Miaomiao’s lips.

“These cats aren’t going anywhere. After you see Snowball, I’ll introduce you to them.”

In that moment, Ye Fan’s eyes brightened significantly, her dark pupils shining like black crystals.

“Okay!!!”

They walked to the cat room where Snowball was being kept. Ye Fan saw a transparent cone around Snowball’s neck and was curious.

“What is that thing Snowball is wearing on its neck?”

“It’s called an Elizabethan collar. It’s to prevent Snowball from licking its wounds.”

Perhaps because it had just finished surgery, Snowball was very lethargic. It lay in the room and only gave a weak cry when it heard Ye Fan. It seemed to realize that the person before it wouldn’t hurt it, no longer baring its claws as it had before.

“It will take a long time for Snowball to recover. Let me take you to see the other cats.”

Yun Miaomiao showed Ye Fan around while introducing the different breeds. Ye Fan learned a lot during the tour.

While they were talking, a high-pitched cat cry suddenly came from nearby. The cat seemed to be resisting fiercely, struggling in its owner’s arms.

“That is…” Ye Fan looked at Yun Miaomiao in surprise.

“That cat is getting neutered.” As Yun Miaomiao spoke, she seemed to remember something, her lips slowly pulling into a playful arc. “Snowball is still young. When it gets a bit older, I’ll gift it a similar ‘deluxe’ neutering package.”

Ye Fan silently mourned for Snowball in her heart. She knew most cats had to be neutered; apparently it was good for their health and could extend their lives.

They continued talking and walking until they reached a certain spot where Yun Miaomiao stopped.

“Do you want to pet them?”

Ye Fan followed Yun Miaomiao’s gaze and saw different breeds of cats playing in a room.

She was pleasantly surprised, her eyes widening. “I can pet them?”

“Of course.” Yun Miaomiao’s lips curved slightly. She pointed at the cats playing in one of the rooms, her tone full of pride. “These are all stray cats we’ve rescued. They haven’t found owners to adopt them yet, so they just play here.”

Ye Fan rushed into the cat room with joy, petting one here and another there, feeling as if she had reached heaven.

“Meow~” The cats seemed curious about the new face, surrounding Ye Fan’s feet and meowing at her. Ye Fan’s heart nearly melted at the sound.

Yun Miaomiao picked up a cat teaser, and a big-headed Garfield cat approached and played with great delight.

“This one is called Round Head. I rescued it with my team from a sewer. Its head was too big and got stuck.”

“The one by your feet is called Cloudy Paws. I rescued it from outside a seventeenth-floor window. Look, its body is all black, but its four paws have a ring of snow-white.”

“And that one…”

Ye Fan listened intently, discovering that these cats were all strays rescued by Yun Miaomiao and the hospital staff from various places.

Although Ye Fan had no prior experience with pets, she knew pet hospitals were places for treating sick animals. A place like Meow Virtue, which not only treated pets but also rescued strays everywhere, was truly rare.

“Why do you adopt strays everywhere, Director Yun?” Ye Fan asked the question in her heart.

Yun Miaomiao picked up a Silver Shaded cat and stroked its head. The cat was very familiar with her; after being petted, it rubbed back against her hand, wanting more.

A gentle smile appeared in Yun Miaomiao’s eyes. “I just really like these cute cats. I want to do what I can for them, to give them a home to return to and someone to rely on.”

Ye Fan recalled the smiles on the faces of the Meow Virtue staff when they rescued the kitten.

Ye Fan hadn’t found a job during this time; rather than being idle at home, it was better to do something meaningful.

Ye Fan made a decision. She looked at Yun Miaomiao with a firm gaze.

“Director Yun, do you need volunteers here? I have a lot of free time and I want to do something for the cats too.”

Yun Miaomiao met Ye Fan’s gaze, which was as clear and pure as spring water.

She already had a good impression of Ye Fan; hearing she was willing to volunteer made her even happier.

“Sure! We have some volunteers at Meow Virtue, but they have their own things to do and only come when they have free time. If you have time, you can come help.”

“Let me show you the accounts we run. You can understand us better through this.” Yun Miaomiao spoke, finding a platform on her phone. “Look, these are the videos we post online. They’re all about the cats—some have already been adopted, and some are still here.”

Ye Fan leaned in and watched a few videos. They all showed cats being cute at the hospital. They were indeed cute, but they were mostly single-take shots that lacked interest and visual appeal. Furthermore, there weren’t many people inquiring about adoption.

Even though Yun Miaomiao was willing to take in strays, it would be a drain on the hospital if no one adopted them. Eventually, as more and more strays were kept at the hospital, she likely wouldn’t have the energy or funds to rescue more.

The best way, therefore, was to help the strays find new homes more quickly while rescuing them.

Ye Fan pondered for a moment and offered a suggestion. “I studied computer science in college and I know how to make videos. If you don’t mind, I’d like to film the daily lives of these cats and edit them into videos. If you like what I edit, you can post them online.”

Yun Miaomiao was pleasantly surprised. “That would be wonderful! We don’t have anyone who knows how to edit videos here. We usually just record with a phone and post it. We really just do it so more people can see the strays and come adopt them.”

Ye Fan then learned more about Meow Virtue from Yun Miaomiao and filmed some videos of the cats.

Unknowingly, the two wandered back to Snowball’s carrier. Snowball was asleep now, curled into a tiny ball, letting out a faint snore.

Looking at the sweetly sleeping little Snowball, their hearts nearly melted.

Yun Miaomiao placed her hand on the glass of the carrier and suggested to Ye Fan: “I see you like cats too, and you were the one who found Snowball. Once its injuries are healed, would you like to take it home?”

“No,” Ye Fan shook her head with a smile, her eyes reflected on the glass as clear as spring water. “Although I like Snowball very much, my wife is pregnant, so it’s not convenient to have a cat at home for now.”

Her wife was always first in her heart; nothing was more important than her.