“Stop!” Ming Ruan clapped his hands once. The crisp, sharp clap made the tense attendees pause, abruptly pulling their hands back.
Everyone turned to look at Ming Ruan in unison.
Seeing the animals relax as the humans retreated, their taut, ready-to-strike stances dissolving, Ming Ruan sighed in relief.
He stepped down from the platform. Gray Wolf followed closely at his side, but Ming Ruan gently pressed his head to stop him.
Xie Gewen could only remain on the platform, his wolf eyes fixed intently on the beastmen below, constantly vigilant against any sudden violent outbursts.
Ming Ruan first walked over to a researcher with a leopard. He gently pushed down the man’s raised, high hand, then stopped a researcher nearby who was pointing directly at a black bear’s head with his fingertip. “Sir, it’s stroke. Glide—gently, with a soft touch.”
If the situation weren’t so special, Ming Ruan might have suspected these people were deliberately provoking the animals.
“Look, do it like this.” Ming Ruan stepped back a few paces, placing himself at a distance that gave the leopard in front of him a sufficient sense of security. Just as he’d explained earlier, he extended an ‘invitation’ to the leopard.
Under this invitation, the leopard rose from its crouching position!
The crowd gasped, a slight commotion rippling through them! Some stumbled backward, nearly tripping over tables and chairs.
Ming Ruan: “……”
Fortunately, the external disturbance didn’t affect the communication between the leopard and Ming Ruan. The leopard took the initiative to move closer, its eyes scanning Ming Ruan appraisingly. Its nostrils twitched as it slowly circled him. Finally, at a certain moment, it stopped. Its tensed muscles relaxed, and it settled into a sitting-then-lying position.
But its yellow-orange beastly pupils still watched Ming Ruan’s movements intently.
Ming Ruan slowly placed one hand on the leopard’s head.
He stroked once.
Then again.
Warm, smooth, comfortable.
The leopard’s wide eyes gradually narrowed, and involuntarily, it tilted its head upward.
Seeing the timing was about right, Ming Ruan shifted his hand’s direction, moving it slowly down, bit by bit, circling and kneading the leopard’s cheek.
“Purrrrr purrrrr purrrrr purrrrr—” A wondrous sound echoed through the silent conference room.
Soon, Ming Ruan had both hands on the leopard, kneading from both sides. The leopard involuntarily twisted and turned in Ming Ruan’s hands, its large paws constantly lifting and kneading the air, its long tail flicking back and forth.
Finally, after a short moment of restraint, it flipped over, exposing its white belly and lifting its chin, revealing its vulnerable neck. At the same time, it tilted its head to rub against Ming Ruan’s palm.
Only then did Ming Ruan retract his hands and look at the others.
See? Just like that.
Simple, right?
No matter their size, the temperaments and affection levels of interstellar animals were almost better than the cats and dogs raised in pet shops back on Earth.
Everyone: “……” Huh?
Silence circulated through the air.
It wasn’t until Gray Wolf on the platform let out a short, sharp howl that the leopard snapped out of it as if waking from a dream, abruptly flipping back over and hiding its belly.
The leopard licked its nose, awkwardly turning its head away.
Ming Ruan finally realized: rather than teaching everyone techniques to soothe fierce beasts, he should first soothe the emotions of these humans. “Everyone is well-protected. Don’t be afraid. If you are nervous, alert, and full of aggression, they will only become more uneasy.”
After a long, speechless pause, an older gentleman sighed, “You truly are different, Mr. Ming Ruan.”
For people like them, even knowing the beastmen were human, even wearing fail-proof protective gear, they still couldn’t control their own suspicion and fear.
But Ming Ruan’s emotions remained consistently stable. He trusted the interstellar protective measures. He trusted those beastmen. He was willing to get close, to perceive the beastmen’s emotions, and to readily offer his goodwill.
If yesterday people had still harbored doubts about some of Ming Ruan’s statements and viewpoints, believing his explosive fame should be tempered with rational judgment, then today, everyone deeply realized how precious and irreplaceable he was.
Their gazes upon him grew increasingly fervent.
This lesson was far more arduous than Ming Ruan had anticipated. Later, he had to give one-on-one demonstrations. Over the course of the day, his hands touched a leopard, a black bear, a Pallas’s cat, an oryx, a lemur, an ostrich, a golden eagle… even a corn snake.
The black bear had a beautiful V-shaped chest marking. The Pallas’s cat was small, soft, and dense. The oryx’s horns felt icy cold and hard. The lemur was agile and playful… The corn snake was also cool to the touch. Ming Ruan secretly stroked its scales and even had his wrist hooked by its tail.
Ming Ruan worked diligently from the first participant to the last, striving to be affectionate and cozy with every single baby, and even had to guide the researchers beside them, hand-over-hand, to be affectionate too. This made the little animals both indulge and feel disdain simultaneously.
A reluctant harmony filled the conference room.
Finally, Ming Ruan performed a full demonstration on Gray Wolf and recorded a holographic video, concluding the entire day’s teaching.
Ming Ruan secretly squeezed his own palm.
Heavens. Though psychologically immensely satisfied, his hand was nearly rubbed raw.
At this point, Ming Ruan bid farewell to everyone one by one. But as he pushed open the door, he encountered a familiar figure.
Outside in the corridor, the lighting system had entered sleep mode due to the prolonged lack of movement.
A figure stood in the darkness, posture still as straight and rigid as a soldier’s at attention. Seeing Ming Ruan emerge, those dual-golden eyes looked over at the first moment. In the dimness, there was an indescribable feeling.
It was Su Yuyun.
But for an instant, Ming Ruan had a vision of his own White Tiger—dangerous, yet alluring.
The lighting system came back online, allowing them to see each other more clearly.
“Hello, Boss!” Ming Ruan’s mood inexplicably lifted.
It was rare to run into the Boss usually.
He proactively pointed towards the meeting room, “We’re finished here. If Boss has business, you can…”
“I came to pick you up.” Su Yuyun spoke only after Ming Ruan finished.
“Huh?” Ming Ruan paused, suddenly feeling a bit awkward. “Ah, alright. Shall we go now?”
The Boss probably had something to discuss with him.
Ming Ruan scratched his head, wondering.
The two didn’t speak further on the way. The flying sedan traveled in silence.
Logically, no ordinary employee would ever enjoy their boss inexplicably showing up for their commute to and from work.
But Ming Ruan felt his relationship with Su Yuyun was different. Perhaps it was his imprinting mentality. The moment he saw Su Yuyun when he pushed the door open, what he felt wasn’t the nervousness of a subordinate meeting a superior, but a subtle sense of security and relaxation.
When he was with Su Yuyun, it seemed he only then emerged from the tense emotions of the past two days, feeling a trace of fatigue.
Because with the Boss around, he could slack off!
Ming Ruan rested for a moment. Once he felt recharged, he was just about to open his mouth to ask questions—this was his first communication with the Boss since officially taking office.
As if perfectly anticipating every fluctuation in Ming Ruan’s mood, Su Yuyun spoke first. “Any questions lately, District 12 Executor?”
Called ‘District 12 Executor’ again.
Ming Ruan soothed his ticklish heart and thought for a moment, choosing a relatively light topic to start. “I do have some questions. For example, Merit Points exchange for vacation time… what are the specific exchange rates?”
Su Yuyun: “Ten Merit Points can be exchanged for one day of leave. The exchange rate between Merit Points and common currency usually hovers around one to one thousand.”
Ming Ruan’s brain lagged.
How much?
One to one thousand?
Wait, how much did he earn yesterday?
Two hundred and thirty Merit Points!
Ming Ruan felt he couldn’t do math anymore. He counted on his fingers several times.
If the interstellar counting method was the same as Earth’s, that meant that just by casually sharing his insights on petting fluffy things, he had earned…
Two hundred and thirty thousand.
Heavens. Heavens!
Ming Ruan was dazed. Who exactly was Master Ming, and what job was he doing where?
However, after the daze came the confidence that money brings!
Looking at it this way, maybe after this busy period ended, he could save up some Merit Points to exchange for a few days of vacation and properly explore the interstellar world! Then maybe he could buy a house outside the Sanatorium Zone as his home in the interstellar realm. After retiring one day, he could keep some fluffy creatures of his own…
“Any other questions?” Su Yuyun’s calm voice interrupted Ming Ruan’s reverie.
Ming Ruan subconsciously sat up a bit straighter.
Money didn’t just bring happiness; it also brought questions.
He thought, perhaps there were some things he was now qualified to know, as a full-fledged Executor.
He cleared his throat, his expression turning serious. “Boss, I want to ask, about the animals in the Sanatorium Zone…”
“Hm.” Su Yuyun sat in the front seat of the flying sedan, leaving Ming Ruan only a view of his ramrod-straight back.
Ming Ruan covered the ears of Gray Wolf beside him and continued: “Why were they sent to the Sanatorium Zone?”
Ming Ruan had felt something was off for a long time now.
“As you can see.” Su Yuyun didn’t avoid the question. His voice came from ahead. “Some problems appeared with them. Gray Wolf, Fox, Lion, White Tiger, and the other animals… But we don’t have the adequate ability to solve these problems. We could only create a perhaps more suitable living space for them, trying to let them recover on their own.”
“Of course.” Su Yuyun paused. “Your appearance has proven that the Natural Therapy method has significant flaws.”
Ming Ruan nodded. This aligned with his speculation—that interstellar people perhaps lacked a bit of experience in interacting with animals.
But at that moment, Su Yuyun turned his head, fixing his gaze on Ming Ruan. “We never feared technical problems could not be overcome… But importantly, once, they were not anticipated by anyone.”
The Sanatorium Zone had once been called the “Exile Zone” in the mouths of the citizens of the Alpha Galaxy.
Beastman research was once unacknowledged and unfavored by anyone.
Some families would even hold funerals after a relative thermorphized.
Before Ming Ruan.
No beastmen dared imagine they would be treated seriously.
How could people abandoned by their own kind be redeemed by cold technology?
Ming Ruan blinked, confused. He couldn’t imagine what Su Yuyun’s words implied.
How could that be?
Not anticipated—that was practically phrasing akin to a death sentence.
A paw landed on him.
Ming Ruan turned his head, seeing Gray Wolf looking at him with worry.
He hugged the wolf and fiercely stroked Gray Wolf’s back fur twice.
“What about now?” Ming Ruan asked.
There were vast differences between the interstellar realm and Earth; that was inevitable. He didn’t want to delve into what caused all of this. He just wanted to know: Now, were those adorable, affectionate large and small animals anticipated by people again?
“The situation has greatly improved ever since you took office.” Su Yuyun answered.
The Central Authority had a public sentiment survey chart. The attitude of the populace toward beastmen had several steep rising points—points that could be mapped directly to the events occurring during Ming Ruan’s live streams.
“That’s good.” Ming Ruan exhaled slowly. Then, with a rare, earnest and firm tone, he promised solemnly and clearly, “I will continue to work hard!”
Before this, Ming Ruan had arrived in the interstellar world with nothing, seeking only stable income, a decent job, and a safe harbor to establish himself in this otherworldly realm.
But now that his suspicions about the Sanatorium Zone were confirmed.
Ming Ruan thought, whether it was the basic duties of an Executor or tasks assigned like yesterday and today, he didn’t know how much energy and influence he could truly generate, but he would definitely do his utmost to help more, so many more animals!
This was absolutely not an employee giving his boss a reverse pie in the sky—empty promises!
“Very good.” Su Yuyun laughed. This was the first time Ming Ruan heard Su Yuyun laugh so clearly.
Su Yuyun said, “I believe you can achieve it.”
Ming Ruan nodded firmly. An indescribable sense of responsibility surged up, and thoughts of vacation were completely thrown to the back of his mind.
He was just about to ask if he had any further work next when he heard Su Yuyun say, “Then, please, District 12 Executor, open your work calendar and accept the next delegated task.”
