Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 257 The Invalidated Cat Intimacy Level
(Consort Sun)

Most of the highland feline residents in the Xining Wildlife Park have a painful past.

They were originally free spirits of the wilderness.

They ended up here due to injuries, illnesses, survival difficulties, or conflicts caused by human activities.

After Nishino's professional and patient rescue efforts, some of the lucky ones were able to return to the mountains, while others, due to permanent injuries or loss of the ability to survive in the wild, chose to stay here, making this carefully simulated natural home their final refuge.

Qinghai Lake is the latter.

It once struggled to survive on the edge of the wilderness and human settlements, but an unfortunate encounter forever deprived it of the right to return to the wilderness.

Now it resides here peacefully.

They rely on their good looks and the unique charm and beauty of the desert cat to 'pay' for their food and medical expenses.

Despite its comfortable life, it retains a high degree of wildness at its core.

Apart from its dedicated caregiver who takes care of its daily needs and has already earned its limited trust, almost no other human can win its favor even for a short time.

Therefore, when Chen Nian expressed her desire to try getting closer to Qinghai Lake.

Its keeper, a young woman with a ponytail and gentle eyes, insisted on staying behind the observation window to accompany it, fearing that any accident might occur.

The news spread like wildfire.

Other staff members who were temporarily free also gathered around out of curiosity.

Everyone wanted to see for themselves what kind of magic this teacher, known online as the 'King of Cats', possessed.

Chen Nian was already used to these gazes.

He went into the room by Qinghai Lake alone.

The door closed silently behind me, shutting out the noise.

Within the activity area, the simulated highland shrub meadow environment is tranquil and realistic.

Sunlight streamed through the top grille, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Qinghai Lake crouches on a low rock about two meters away from the entrance. Its gray and yellow fur gleams softly in the light, and its slightly stiff waist, unable to exert its full strength, gives its crouching posture a hint of barely perceptible forbearance.

It wasn't as strong as Little Grey, but it was exceptionally agile.

Faced with the temptation of Chen Nian's cat food, it smelled delicious but was extremely restrained!

Inhale—inhale—

At this moment, Qinghai Lake was squatting two meters away from Chen Nian, its little nose twitching incessantly—an uncontrollable physiological reaction.

But it did not take another step forward.

Instead, he resembled a frozen sculpture, with only his beautiful eyes, as clear as the waters of Qinghai Lake yet unfathomably deep, fixed intently on Chen Nian.

His gaze held a sense of caution and assessment.

The painful memory of being hurt by humans deep in her bones acts like an invisible barrier, stubbornly resisting the attraction brought by the intimacy of the cats around Chen Nian.

They wouldn't throw themselves at you the moment you meet.

Seeing this, Chen Nian remained completely calm.

He has enough patience to let Qinghai Lake adapt to its own existence.

Hello, Qinghai Lake!

Chen Nian did not approach rashly, but sat down on the soft artificial turf by the door, lowering her height to reduce the feeling of oppression.

With a gentle smile on his face, he spoke in an extremely soft and gentle voice.

no respond.

Qinghai Lake's ears twitched slightly, but the scrutiny in its eyes did not lessen.

Chen Nian was not discouraged.

Instead, he slowly placed the cat food in his hand into the food bowl beside him, and then spread his hands out, palms up, showing that his hands were empty.

That's precisely why Qinghai Lake decided to be so close to it. Otherwise, if anyone else had come in, it would have been up in a tree long ago!

Even so, they showed no intention of approaching Qinghai Lake.

Even though its mouth was already drooling a little from the cat food.

Chen Nian understood that this short distance was a concrete manifestation of Qinghai Lake's inner fear.

So, after quietly keeping her company for a few minutes, Chen Nian slowly stood up.

This action indeed stimulated the already tense Qinghai Lake.

It almost reflexively turned around abruptly, used all four paws to propel itself away, and ran several meters away with a slight breeze before stopping and looking back warily.

However, the expected pursuit did not occur.

It only saw Chen Nian still standing in the same spot, waving gently at it and smiling:

That's all for now~ See you tomorrow!

After saying that, he turned around decisively without any hesitation or regret, gently pushed open the inner door again, and disappeared behind the door.

It was as if he really came in just to say hello and leave a small gift.

Silence returned to the activity area.

He squatted down again behind Qinghai Lake, tilting his head to look at Chen Nian's departing figure.

After a long while, it finally relaxed completely and trotted over to its food bowl to eat its cat food.

Looking out the window, Chen Nian smiled with satisfaction at the scene before her.

He then asked the female zookeeper next to him.

"Has Qinghai Lake been harmed by humans?"

Nishino has many feline members, each with a complex past. Even the zoo director cannot tell each one's story in detail in a short period of time.

This is something Chen Nian deduced from their brief interaction just now.

The zookeeper was initially worried that Chen Nian might become discouraged due to difficulties in getting to know the lake, or even resort to more aggressive methods. However, she never expected him to be so gentle and respectful of Qinghai Lake's wishes, and even to choose to leave, giving it space and time.

This thoughtful understanding filled her gaze towards Chen Nian with gratitude and tenderness.

Teacher Chen is indeed a good person!
The young woman looked at Qinghai Lake, who was enjoying her meal, and said with a gentle light in her eyes, "Yes, Qinghai Lake is not actually a purebred desert cat."

"In the beginning, it traveled back and forth between the wild and the homes of herders, struggling to survive."

"Once, it was caught by a herdsman by accident, and by the time we got there, its back had already been broken."

"Fortunately, we managed to save him in the end, and his back injury is gradually recovering."

"It's just that I can no longer run freely or make large movements, so I'll leave it here."

The young woman did not elaborate on the bloody process.

But Chen Nian could imagine that the psychological trauma caused by the damage to Qinghai Lake might be even greater than that of Yingzai!
No wonder he could always see a hint of gloom in Qinghai Lake's eyes.

Unlike Yingzai, after being rescued, Yingzai had Chen Nian's patient companionship and careful care day after day, and later gained the love of Sister Lili, and the wounds in her heart were gradually soothed by warmth and love.

But Qinghai Lake does not.

After being rescued by Nishino and gradually recovering, it shut itself off, silently bearing the fear and distrust brought about by that terrible memory.

Nishino saw it all and felt deeply pained.

But there's no way to melt the ice that's deeply ingrained in one's heart.

The female zookeeper couldn't help but gently press her palm against the cold observation window glass, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate the barrier and tenderly caress the wounded soul of Qinghai Lake.

Her voice carried a deep sense of helplessness and longing:

"If... if more people had recognized, understood, and respected these beautiful creatures sooner, and realized that they, like us, are neighbors of this land, perhaps Qinghai Lake wouldn't have suffered such treatment. And Old Huang, perhaps, wouldn't have died."

(Daily Question: What kind of cat is this?)
(End of this chapter)