Jiangcheng.
Newborn Calf Pet Cultivation Center.
“?”
Luo Ning looked up at the imposing gold-inlaid plaque above her head, her face dark with exasperation, the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably.
She had to admit, the name was blunt and fitting…
Though in her past life, this place had been some state-owned enterprise’s factory area. It had turned into Jiangcheng’s pet cultivation center?
The state-owned nature hadn’t changed, though.
‘If only I could get a job here after college and coast through life…’
Recalling how, in her past life, she’d just finished graduate school and was still struggling in the quagmire of civil service exams, Luo Ning couldn’t help but sigh.
“Let’s go. Our appointment time is almost up.”
Su Wanwan reached out, gently pinched Luo Ning’s nape, and pushed her forward.
“Hey, hey! I can walk on my own!”
“You’re dragging your feet. Aren’t you wearing shorts under that skirt? Afraid of flashing someone?” Su Wanwan teased.
“I didn’t want to wear girls’ clothes in the first place!”
Though Luo Ning still grumbled about being forced into cross-dressing, after catching her reflection in the mirrors along the way and seeing her delicate, soft appearance, most of her resistance had quietly faded.
‘I’ll just think of it as raising a cute little daughter.’
But the stares they got—her and Su Wanwan—were overwhelming, making Luo Ning uncomfortable. She finally understood how Su Wanwan must feel being stared at all the time…
Even at the entrance of the cultivation center, their pairing—the naturally cool big sister and the ultimate loli—inevitably became the center of attention.
Helpless, Luo Ning let Su Wanwan push her as they stepped into the Newborn Calf Pet Cultivation Center.
As soon as they entered, the noisy crowd hit them. The spacious hall was packed with people.
From what Luo Ning knew, most teenagers who wanted to become Beast Tamers and had just turned eighteen would contract their first pet during the summer vacation between sophomore and junior year of high school.
Besides those whose families had prepared pets ahead of time, most ordinary families came to the city’s pet cultivation center to contract one.
They only needed to pay a feeding fee and a tax. It was said that the more potential a pet cub’s bloodline had, the higher the tax.
But state-owned cultivation centers generally didn’t have cubs with high bloodline levels, because those were too rare.
In Huaxia, the law didn’t seem to allow private sales of pets. Facilities like this cultivation center were all state-owned enterprises.
Luo Ning and Su Wanwan, due to local policy, could get a free contract pet qualification thanks to their good grades.
Getting something for free made Luo Ning feel pretty smug.
‘Good thing I was at the top of my class in Jiangcheng back then.’
‘If I had to use the money left by my deceased parents, I’d be heartbroken.’
Luo Ning the miser thought.
“Old Su, what attribute pet do you want to contract?” Luo Ning rubbed her chin and asked Su Wanwan, who was following behind her.
“Probably grass and water. Light and psychic aren’t bad either, but those two attributes are too rare.”
“Oh? Those four? Any particular reason?” Luo Ning blinked curiously.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. Your Wanwan sister also awakened a Beast Taming talent, just like you~”
“It’s just a shame there’s no gender-bending talent. Otherwise, I’d be tall and you’d be a loli—we’d be a perfect couple!” Su Wanwan said with a hint of regret.
“?”
“!!!”
‘Wait! Sis… bro!!’
Luo Ning’s skin crawled. She instantly bristled like a cat.
‘You actually thought about it!’
“Relax, just joking.”
Su Wanwan smoothed down Luo Ning’s bristling hair. She had to admit, the fluffy pink hair felt great!
“What talent?” Luo Ning quickly escaped Su Wanwan’s evil clutches and subconsciously put some distance between them before asking.
Seeing Luo Ning’s reaction, Su Wanwan’s mouth twitched. She explained helplessly, “Healing ability.”
“Whoa! A healer!”
Luo Ning’s eyes lit up as she looked at Su Wanwan, then at her… impressive chest. A sly, leering grin spread across her face.
Seeing Luo Ning’s irritating expression, Su Wanwan’s fist instinctively clenched.
“So, Old Su, your future direction is healing support?” Luo Ning recalled that in her past life, Su Wanwan had gone to medical school and become a doctor.
In that life, Su Wanwan had always complained to him about how exhausting and miserable studying medicine was, and how she regretted it.
“That’s right.” Su Wanwan hugged her chest, nodding confidently.
Her Beast Taming talent was called Healing Heart. It was similar to the genius girl Xiao Huohuo, who had awakened an S-Class talent.
Xiao Huohuo could fuse with her pet’s flames—short for “Fire Fusion.”
Her talent could be understood as “Heal Fusion.”
Her Healing Heart allowed her to gain the healing skill effects of her contracted pets.
If Xiao Huohuo’s talent could be S-Class, then Su Wanwan’s could be too!
This was why Su Wanwan wanted Luo Ning to test her Beast Taming talent level.
They arrived at their reserved spot.
Soon, the staff member assigned to them arrived.
“Hello, are you Su Wanwan?” the receptionist asked, checking the photo on her form.
“I’m Su Wanwan. Hello.” Su Wanwan replied politely.
“I’m the guide assigned to assist you today. My name is Huang Tao.”
After speaking, Huang Tao looked around, then glanced down at the list, confused.
The list clearly stated that Su Wanwan and Luo Ning were coming together. So why only Su Wanwan was here? Where was Luo Ning?
Hadn’t the student named Luo Ning arrived yet?
Standing nearby, Luo Ning was deeply embarrassed. She instantly realized the woman was looking for her. Su Wanwan couldn’t help but snicker.
Just as Huang Tao was about to ask about Luo Ning, a hurried footstep rang out.
“Uh, Su Wanwan…”
Before Huang Tao could finish, a buzz-cut boy holding a charcoal-black turtle strode forward, staring straight at Su Wanwan with indignation.
“Su Wanwan, where the hell is Luo Ning? What right does he have to take the Commander Bloodline cub that was supposed to be mine?!”
“?”
‘This concerns me too?’
The buzz-cut boy clutched the cowering charcoal turtle, his tone full of resentment and anger. His gaze swept around, eager to find Luo Ning and demand an explanation.
He’d already crunched the numbers. He might not beat Su Wanwan, but he was definitely better than Luo Ning!
He had worked hard for an entire year for that Commander Bloodline pet spot, excelling in every assessment—only to have Luo Ning snatch it away at the last moment.
With no other choice, he had to settle for a pet cub whose bloodline was only Medium Transcendent Level, within his family’s budget.
He was convinced Luo Ning had stolen the spot that should have been his through shady means, and he couldn’t vent his anger.
Huang Tao quickly stepped in to mediate. “Student, please calm down. The spot allocation has always been open and transparent. There’s no favoritism. If you have any objections, you can file a formal complaint. There’s no need to argue here.”
“This is clearly rigged! A conspiracy! I won’t accept it! If Luo Ning has guts, tell him to face me!”
The buzz-cut boy held the trembling charcoal turtle tightly, his brows furrowed, his face full of resentment and frustration.
Nearby, many students waiting in line to contract pets turned to look. ‘Free drama!’
The onlookers in the hall began to whisper among themselves. Quite a few had already quietly pulled out their phones to record.
Almost every high school sophomore and even parents knew that Jiangcheng had only two free Commander Bloodline pet cub spots in the entire city.
Because the spots were so limited and valuable, being accused of “stealing a spot” was equivalent to confirming shady dealing—an extremely serious matter.