Whatever shape you want, you get

Although...

Lin Yu had indeed told them to separate and stop fighting.

Both the human and the dog obediently complied.

But Mao Ruirui's reaction, especially the look in her eyes...

Why did it seem oddly... docile?

Was it just an illusion?

And her ears seemed to have suddenly become sharper too!

Mao Ruirui didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.

After separating,

she quickly pulled a dog leash from her pocket and fastened it around Dandan.

For a long time to come, Dandan would likely be stuck with that leash.

"There, now you can’t run away!"

"Lin Yu, thank you so, so much."

"How did you find him?"

"Did it take a lot of effort?"

Mao Ruirui gazed at him with sincere gratitude.

Lin Yu hadn’t actually put in much effort—he’d just sat under a tree and played a couple of rounds of chess with an old man.

In contrast,

Mao Ruirui had clearly gone through a lot.

The stains and dirt smeared across her clothes were proof enough.

To find Dandan, she must have crawled through all sorts of places even dogs would avoid.

"I got lucky. I checked two buildings and found him near a trash bin."

"Ruirui-jie, how about... I help you dust off your clothes?"

Lin Yu spoke softly on purpose, watching Mao Ruirui’s exhausted state.

Mao Ruirui nodded quickly.

"Okay, thank you, Lin Yu."

After saying that,

she turned her back to him, as if saying, "Go ahead."

Lin Yu: "..."

Something was definitely off!

The most obvious change was her hearing.

She was the queen of mishearing things!

Did running somehow unclog her ears?

No way!

Lin Yu had deliberately lowered his voice even further.

Yet she still heard him perfectly?

And then there was...

Back at the shop entrance, when Lin Yu had offered to help search,

Mao Ruirui had repeatedly refused, not wanting to trouble him.

Even on the way here, she’d brought it up again.

Clearly, she was the type who hated inconveniencing others.

But now...

When it came to letting him dust her off, she agreed without a second thought?

That wasn’t like Mao Ruirui at all!

Could it be... the Beast Command actually worked on her?

When in doubt, consult the system.

Lin Yu pulled up Mao Ruirui’s system panel again,

checking for any new changes or task variations.

Sure enough.

Just after reaching the third level of intimacy,

the [Attribute Skills] section now displayed something new—

[Wild Instinct]!

Judging by the name, it probably meant something like "a beast-like mental fortitude."

So that was why the Beast Command worked on her, and her alone?

Since obtaining the Beast Command,

Lin Yu had interacted with plenty of girls, but none had ever been this "obedient."

When he first met Mao Ruirui at the pet shop, she definitely hadn’t been like this either.

So then...

It was only after completing the urgent mission, raising the intimacy level, and unlocking the [Wild Instinct] skill that the Beast Command took effect.

Pat... pat...

Lin Yu lightly brushed the dust off Mao Ruirui’s back.

Hearing the sound of his own patting, a bold idea surfaced in his mind.

Lin Yu: "Ruirui-jie, stretch your arms out to the sides. There’s dust on your shoulders too."

Mao Ruirui: "Okay."

Following his instruction, Mao Ruirui straightened up, forming a perfect "T" shape with her body.

Lin Yu couldn’t see it,

but the Mao Ruirui facing away from him was blushing furiously.

Her cheeks burned, her mind racing:

What’s wrong with me?

This pose... isn’t it way too intimate?

Why didn’t I refuse right away?

Is it because Lin Yu just helped me, and I didn’t want to seem ungrateful?

Mao Ruirui couldn’t figure it out.

But now that she’d already done it, pulling back would only make things more awkward.

This time,

Lin Yu had no more doubts.

The Beast Command really did work on Ruirui-jie!

If she’d comply with a "T" pose, then a "starfish" pose wouldn’t be a problem either...

Did this mean he could make her assume any position in the future?

This Beast Command... was dangerously effective!

But under broad daylight, in the middle of a random neighborhood,

Lin Yu naturally wouldn’t give any outrageous commands.

Besides,

Chang Xiaoxiao was still around.

Speaking of which...

Lin Yu continued dusting as he asked,

"Ruirui-jie, where’s Xiaoxiao?"

Mao Ruirui turned her head.

"Wasn’t she running behind me?"

The two of them looked back.

The path was empty except for an elderly couple—no sign of a young girl.

They exchanged a glance—

"Oh no!"

"Oh no!"

......

Lin Yu and Mao Ruirui, now holding Dandan’s leash, searched for five minutes

before finding the lost Chang Xiaoxiao two blocks over.

Turns out, during their frantic sprint earlier,

both girls had been too focused.

One hadn’t noticed the other falling behind.

The other had mistaken a bicycling auntie turning into a side road for the running shop owner.

And just like that, they’d gotten separated right under each other’s noses.

Luckily, the neighborhood wasn’t too big, with mostly straight paths.

Otherwise,

they’d have had to replace the "Lost Dog" posters with "Lost Person" notices.

Back at the pet shop,

the three of them washed up and cleaned themselves briefly.

Mao Ruirui thoughtfully brought out homemade iced plum juice for Lin Yu.

Downing two glasses in the sweltering heat was pure bliss.

While Mao Ruirui and Chang Xiaoxiao gave Dandan a bath,

Lin Yu wandered around the shop alone.

He stopped by the cat and dog boarding area.

"Meow~ meow~"

"Woof! Woof!"

"Yip! Yip!"

"..."

The noise gave him an instant headache.

Yeah, he was definitely not cut out to run a pet shop.

Deafened by this every day? Any enthusiasm would wither away.

Lin Yu plopped into a chair, crossed his legs, and announced loudly:

"Ahem! Quiet down, everyone. I’d like to say a few words."

In an instant,

the boarding area fell eerily silent.

As if the animals had all been muted—still moving, but no longer making a sound.

At the exact same moment,

from the bathing room,

Mao Ruirui’s voice rang out:

"Okay, I’m listening!"

Lin Yu’s eyes widened. "???"

She could hear him through all that noise?

Had she actually gained super-hearing?

Mao Ruirui’s outburst didn’t just shock Lin Yu—

it also startled Chang Xiaoxiao beside her.

"Shop Owner, what... what are you listening to?"

"Did someone say something just now?"

Chang Xiaoxiao’s face was full of confusion.

Mao Ruirui, still holding the showerhead, looked even more puzzled:

"Huh? Xiaoxiao, you didn’t hear that loud voice?"

"Lin Yu just said he wanted to speak, to 'say a few words'?"

Chang Xiaoxiao frowned toward the door:

"Did... he?"

"Shop Owner, did your ears get fixed?"

Mao Ruirui touched her ears:

"Brat, what nonsense. My ears didn’t go anywhere."

Chang Xiaoxiao: "..."

Lin Yu, sitting outside,

caught every word of their exchange.

Hiss—

So it wasn’t that Ruirui-jie’s hearing had improved.

It had just improved for him!

This sudden new ability had Lin Yu brainstorming future applications...