Chapter 22: Our Child Can't Lose at the Starting Line

Little Sen, who was busy making notes, looked up.

"It's Zhao Manman, that photographer. She's in charge of the current wildlife conservation promotion."

"Even if she's a photographer, she can't enter the animal shed; that's the rule!"

Little Sen slammed his pen onto the table with a snap.

"This is a rescue station, not a panda research base. We don't provide a dedicated facility for giant pandas here. Either you go over now and ask her to leave, or you shut up. Blathering on like that makes you think you're capable, huh? If you don't want to be here, you can apply to leave."

Little Sen then picked up his notebook and folder, slammed the door, and left.

The female veterinarian's face turned ghostly pale with anger, and her hand pointing at the door trembled.

"What does he mean by that? A veterinarian at a rescue station flipping the Heavenly Gang now?"

"Enough," the male veterinarian frowned as he rose to his feet and glared at her, "if they can work at the rescue station, their skills are no less than yours. Even the leaders trust them enough to entrust the giant pandas to their care. What are you causing trouble here for?"

The female veterinarian's face twitched, and she glared back fiercely.

"The giant panda shouldn't have been sent back here in the first place. After such a major surgery, with tumors and ascites, it should have stayed at the base or center where it could receive the most meticulous care."

The male veterinarian didn't want to speak further with her.

And as if others didn't know her intentions, she wanted to keep Mendun'er at the research center, then find someone to help propose establishing a research group for panda tumors with her as the lead. Once the results were out, she'd gain fame, wealth, and status.

Unfortunately, the leadership didn't agree with her proposal and sent the giant panda back to the rescue station.

She followed back here, looking to pick faults with the rescue station and find a way to take the giant panda away.

It's not that she doesn't care at all about the national treasure, but her personal desires definitely play a big part.

Little Sen, carrying his belongings, went to Duanmu Lin's office, where the latter was also sorting out materials, analyzing Mendun'er's exam results.

"What's wrong, you seem upset. Who annoyed you?"

"Who else could it be, that idiot," Little Sen found a seat, sat down, and recounted the female veterinarian's words to Duanmu Lin.

"What's she thinking? She has no emotional intelligence. I wonder if she only got into the team because of her background."

"Don't worry about her," Duanmu Lin wasn't as indignant as Little Sen, "just catch up with Brother Ying later, and rest assured. With such a big rescue station under Brother Ying's charge, how do you know he doesn't have a background?"

Little Sen seemed persuaded, muttered a few words, and no longer appeared angry, continuing to organize his materials.

Brother Ying spent some time playing with Mendun'er, performed a tactile examination, and after confirming it was recovering well, he left the Panda House.

In fact, Zhao Manman hadn't violated any rules; she hadn't entered the inner shed but had just taken some photos and videos at the door.

Seeing Brother Ying come out, Zhao Manman put away her camera and followed him out.

"I plan to go up the mountain tomorrow. Yin Li said he'd take me to see the golden snub-nosed monkey's habitat first. If I can get some good photos, I'll pick another spot. If not, I might need to trouble him for a few more days."

"Only shooting animals, not birds?"

"Of course, I'll shoot both, but Yin Li and Little Sen said that the rescue station has more information on animals, while the Forestry Bureau has more extensive archives on birds."

"That's a way to put it," Chen Ying grinned, showing a set of white teeth, "Our rescue station is part of the Forestry Bureau too. If you really want to shoot, I can mark a few spots for you to try out; they're not far, and with a bit of wilderness survival knowledge, it shouldn't be a problem."

Zhao Manman smiled without replying, being a well-known photographer in the domestic wildlife conservation circle; her survival skills were more than just basic, otherwise where would all her award-winning photos come from.

Brother Ying didn't intervene in Mendun'er's dietary feeding, led Zhao Manman out of the Panda House, and went next door to check on Meng Yan's condition.

Not living in close proximity to Big Cat meant easier days for Meng Yan.

It curled up into a ball, its injured leg stretched straight out, the bear sleeping obliviously in its den.

He replaced it with some fresh bamboo branches and Meng Yan quietly exited the animal shed.

Under the light, Zhao Manman's figure was graceful. Standing against the wall made her legs look even longer. Her gaze was fixed on the camera screen, her expression soft and her lips curved into a smile.

"Do you want to see it? Your photo with the giant panda."

Meng Yan glanced at it. The picture was small, showcasing a scene where Mendun'er's head rested in his arms, gazing into each other's eyes.

"I've taken photos of wild animals for many years. Besides primates, it's rare to see such a tender moment between bears and humans."

"Maybe they just naturally like me."

Meng Yan didn't dare mention that the system had granted him a Level 100 animal affinity bonus. He could only vaguely attribute it to metaphysics.

Zhao Manman wasn't the type to pry further. She approached Meng Yan for one simple question.

"Did I do something wrong? I feel like you've been deliberately avoiding me, Brother Chen."

"How could that be?" Meng Yan said with an awkward laugh as he scratched his head. "I'm just used to being rough and not very good with dealing with girls."

"But there are female colleagues at the rescue station, right?"

"That's not the same!" Meng Yan blurted out, instantly realizing his mistake. He awkwardly tried to recover. "Well, everyone's pretty familiar there, just like brothers."

Zhao Manman chuckled and let it go.

"They say three months, but I can't stay here that long. After I finish shooting this time, I will leave for a while to photograph snow leopards in the Qiangtang unpopulated area. Then I'll return here for about one and a half months to try capturing a photo worthy of a competition."

She spontaneously informed Meng Yan of her work plans and didn't say much else.

"I'm heading back now. I have to go into the mountains early tomorrow morning. Wish me luck."

"Ah? Oh, may your journey be smooth."

Meng Yan watched her walk into the office building. He stood there for a while, shook his head, and then headed toward the medical area.

"Brother Ying, did you check your phone?"

Right when Meng Yan entered, Little Sen came up and whispered, repeating what the female doctor had said.

Meng Yan frowned slightly but didn't worry too much.

He definitely would not medicate privately. All details regarding Mendun'er's medication, eating, drinking, and excretion were recorded and uploaded daily.

After all, she had a teacher, but didn't he have one too?

The female doctor retained a shred of reason after all, not directly causing trouble for Meng Yan.

The next day, the medical group came up for a meeting. Meng didn't know what they discussed, but after the meeting, the group leader approached him.

"Little Chen, are you preparing food for the leopard family?"

The group leader, a man in his forties with a tendency for balding, wearing glasses and a genial smile, spoke.

"Have a seat, Group Leader Li. I'll be done here soon."

Today, he planned to add a meal for the little leopards, cutting the meat strips a bit thicker to help exercise the cubs' tearing and chewing abilities.

Both of them were sturdier than other cubs their age, likely because they consumed more nutrients. Their teeth also grew faster and stronger.

The food for Leopard Sister was much cruder: just a live chicken. Letting her catch and eat it herself was sufficient.

The nutritional meal for the cubs was set inside the animal shed, while Leopard Sister's live chicken would be thrown into the release area later, facilitating her in teaching hunting skills to the cubs.

Though the cubs were still small, they needed to start learning and watching certain skills—it was time to take care of it.

His cubs couldn't afford to lose at the starting line!