’A photo with me?’

Yang Qi was taken aback, looking at the girl before him. Her face was flushed red, and she avoided his gaze. He quickly understood and nodded with a smile.

"Of course."

"Thank you!" the girl with the ponytail exclaimed gratefully. She then turned and waved to a few of her friends who were gathered nearby, secretly peeking in their direction.

The other girls immediately trotted over and gathered around.

They were a little shy at first, but encouraged by Yang Qi’s calm smile, they quickly relaxed. Each of them took an individual photo with Yang Qi, and then they all took a big group photo that included Xiaojiu.

Seeing that Yang Qi was good-natured and approachable, the girls didn’t disperse right after the photos. Instead, they gathered around him with their lunchboxes, eating and chatting softly.

The conversation centered around Xiaojiu and Yang Qi’s work as a keeper at the Zoo.

The other staff members who saw this either smiled knowingly or cast envious glances, but no one found it strange.

It wasn’t that Yang Qi was so devastatingly handsome that everyone would fall in love with him at first sight.

Rather, he possessed a very unique temperament.

Clean, transparent, and composed, yet with a faint, almost imperceptible sense of detachment.

The advertising and entertainment industries overlap a lot, so these staff members had seen plenty of glamorous celebrities.

Most celebrities, both male and female, looked like entirely different people before and after makeup. Away from the spotlights and retouched photos, they might not even be as good-looking as some of the ordinary people around them.

Those who were truly naturally beautiful, with excellent bone structure and features, were incredibly rare.

But Yang Qi was different.

His features were already well-defined and handsome, and his build was well-proportioned and upright.

He exuded a vibrant energy from the inside out. His skin was flawless, his eyes were clear and bright, and his spirit and vitality were far superior to those of celebrities who relied on cosmetic procedures and heavy makeup.

It was only natural that this unique temperament would attract girls.

What they didn’t know was that when the girls asked to add him as a friend, Yang Qi politely declined, using the excuse that he was "too busy with work and didn’t really use social media."

「After lunch.」

Yang Qi, with Xiaojiu in tow, said his goodbyes to Assistant Liu, Director Wang, and the others.

On the way to the parking lot, as he passed a relatively secluded intersection, he noticed a dozen or so people gathered a short distance ahead, pointing and murmuring.

Yang Qi and Xiaojiu approached to get a better look.

It was a medium-sized stray dog, a common mutt with mottled brown and yellow fur. It lay on the edge of the road, a small pool of dark blood beneath it. Its breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible, and one of its front legs was bent at an unnatural angle.

"Poor thing. It got hit by a car, and the driver just took off..."

"It’s just a stray. You expect them to stick around and pay for it?"

"It’s probably a goner. It’s lost so much blood..."

...

Listening to the crowd’s chatter, Yang Qi was about to step forward.

[System Alert: Dying "Fiery Flame Demon Dog" detected. Host may attempt to rescue and bring it back to the sect to obtain Contribution Points.]

’Fiery Flame Demon Dog?’

Yang Qi froze.

The next moment, he quickly pushed through the crowd and walked over. Carefully avoiding its wounds, he picked up the filthy stray, which was still faintly warm.

"Is there a pet hospital or clinic nearby?"

Yang Qi looked up and asked the crowd.

"Go straight! Turn right at the second intersection, there’s a pet clinic about five hundred meters from there!" a quick-witted girl immediately shouted directions.

"Thanks."

Yang Qi said his thanks and, holding the stray dog, broke into a run in the direction the girl had pointed.

Xiaojiu followed closely at his heels.

Yang Qi ran quickly, but his arms were exceptionally steady, doing his utmost to avoid jostling the dog and causing further damage to any potential internal injuries.

At the same time, while running, he used his body and arms as cover to retrieve the remaining half-piece of "Vitality Nutrient Cream" from his "Hundred Pouches Belt" and slipped it into the stray dog’s slightly open mouth.

A difficult gurgling sound came from the dying dog’s throat, but its survival instinct made it subconsciously curl its tongue and swallow the medicinal-scented cream.

The effect was immediate.

Yang Qi quickly and keenly sensed that the dog’s weak aura was stabilizing at an astonishing rate. Although it was still faint, the desperate feeling of impending death had vanished.

’It’s working!’

Elated, Yang Qi took advantage of a moment when he was rounding a corner and no one was looking directly at him. He quickly took out a "Strengthening Pill" and put it into the stray’s mouth as well.

This time, the dog’s swallowing motion was noticeably smoother.

Yang Qi could clearly sense that the stray’s aura had grown significantly stronger in just a few dozen seconds.

Although it was still heavily injured, it had already pulled back from the brink of death.

The anxiety that had been weighing on Yang Qi’s heart finally lessened considerably.

He sprinted the rest of the way and found the pet clinic following the directions.

The Veterinarian at the clinic immediately took over, performing an emergency examination and providing urgent care.

After a series of detailed examinations, the results left the experienced Veterinarian in disbelief.

"...This is too strange."

The Veterinarian looked at the examination report, puzzled. "There are obvious impact injuries and contusions on its body, and a fractured ulna in its left foreleg, that’s correct. But its internal organs only show signs of a mild concussion, with no ruptures or major hemorrhaging?"

"Its blood pressure and heart rate are low, but they’re steadily recovering? This... this doesn’t look like it was just hit at high speed at all."

"And its life force is so tenacious!"

Normally, after being hit by a car like that, severe internal injuries and hemorrhaging would be the most likely fatal wounds.

But this dog, aside from a broken leg and external wounds, had almost no major internal problems?

’This dog is unbelievably tough!’

In response, Yang Qi just smiled, offered no explanation, and simply urged him on.

"Doctor, please just handle the fracture and external wounds as soon as possible. The cost isn’t an issue."

Although the Veterinarian was full of questions, saving the dog was the priority, so he didn’t dwell on it. He immediately began a series of treatments: debriding the wounds, setting the fracture, bandaging, and administering an IV for energy and anti-inflammatory medication.

During a break in the treatment, Yang Qi proactively requested a full course of internal and external deworming and basic vaccinations for the stray.

After a flurry of activity, by the time all the treatments and procedures were completed, more than two hours had passed.

When it was time to pay, the bill was substantial, but Yang Qi didn’t even bat an eye, paying directly with his card.

He didn’t rush to take the dog and leave. Instead, he first took Xiaojiu to the parking lot and drove his car to the clinic’s entrance.

Only then did he return to the clinic. He carefully lifted the stray dog—now treated, with a cast on its leg and bandages on its body, but its spirits clearly much improved—onto the back seat, propping it up with a soft cushion he had prepared.

Xiaojiu, meanwhile, leaped gracefully into the front passenger seat.

The stray dog knew Yang Qi had saved it. From the moment it regained some consciousness mid-treatment, its moist, somewhat amber-colored eyes had barely left him.

Now, settled in the car, it struggled to lift its head and look at Yang Qi as he got into the driver’s seat, letting out a very faint whimper filled with dependence and gratitude.

[Thank you]

"You’re welcome."

Yang Qi turned his head and smiled. "We’re family now. By the way, what do you want your name to be?"

"General? Marquis? Overlord?"

...

Chatting idly, Yang Qi drove back to the Zoo.

The moment the car passed through the main gate...

[Congratulations, Host, for successfully rescuing the "Fiery Flame Demon Dog" and bringing it back to the sect. Contribution Points +366]