Chapter 63: Chapter 63: They’re All Yours

“It’s okay, you’re not disturbing.”

Xu Ying saw that Qiao Yuxi was quietly keeping her mouth shut, looking guilty as if she’d done something wrong, glancing left and right.

She couldn’t help but smile, feeling an increased affection for Qiao Yuxi.

For de-worming birds, it’s common to use an herbal medicine called Baibu, boiled for a medicinal bath for external de-worming.

Baibu, when taken internally, can relieve cough and asthma; applied externally, it can kill parasites and lice.

Xu Ying poured the boiled Baibu water into a basin, and when the water temperature matched her hand, she brought over the female owl.

She gently reassured the owl, “In a moment, your feathers will get wet, which you might not be used to.”

“But don’t worry, this water will kill the little bugs on you.”

The owl obediently nodded, lying on its back as Xu Ying placed it into the medicinal bath, curling its little bird claws, its round eyes spinning around adorably.

It went from being alert to enjoying itself more and more, its eyes narrowing to a line, as if having a spa treatment. Since daytime is usually the owl’s sleep time, it fell asleep while soaking.

The male owl, which had been standing guard vigilantly like a security guard, started nodding off, its head bobbing like fishing as it watched its partner’s content expression. It was envious and leaned forward, almost tumbling into the bath.

If Xu Ying hadn’t pushed it back with her finger, it would have ended up falling in like a drowned rat.

Qiao Yuxi watched Xu Ying interact with the owls in silence, feeling a soft warmth inside. Although the sanctuary is small and shabby, it’s so cozy.

The medicinal bath took about five minutes. Xu Ying took out the female owl and placed it in a sunlit spot in the sanctuary to let it dry naturally.

After finishing her work, Xu Ying remembered she hadn’t properly hosted the guest at the sanctuary. She took a bottle of juice from the supply box and handed it to Qiao Yuxi, “Yuxi, is there anything else making you uncomfortable?”

Qiao Yuxi had been holding back until Xu Ying finished working, then she said with resentment, “I’m uncomfortable inside! That’s why I came to you for help!”

Qiao Yuxi held her phone, showing Xu Ying today’s online news.

Qiao Yuxi, upon regaining consciousness, found that Shi Wenxuan, the jerk, had taken on the role of a scoundrel. She immediately posted on Weibo, detailing how she was victimized and accusing Shi Wenxuan of premeditated murder.

But Shi Wenxuan, taking advantage of his alibi, countered, saying that Qiao Yuxi’s account of being victimized was a hallucination due to getting lost in the desert.

In response to Qiao Yuxi’s accusation, Shi Wenxuan said, “Yuxi, I know you blame me for not rescuing you in time, and you’ve created a series of illusions of me leaving you in the desert.”

“I understand that after this life-and-death experience in the desert, you’ve been psychologically traumatized. It’s normal to say irrational things, and I don’t blame you.”

“I am innocent, and loving you is also innocent. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”

Xu Ying, reading Shi Wenxuan’s hypocritical words, felt disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly, her fist clenched tightly.

The comments section was full of support for Shi Wenxuan, accusing Qiao Yuxi of turning love into hate, making baseless claims without evidence, and bullying Shi Wenxuan, an ordinary person, by relying on her status as the eldest daughter of the Qiao Family.

Some even said that Qiao Yuxi would never have dared to go into the desert alone, and probably went on a tryst with a pretty boy. Now, rescued from near death with memory confusion, she is wrongfully blaming Shi Wenxuan.

These fabricated rumors were immediately sued by the Qiao Family’s lawyers, and netizens still felt that the Qiao Family were using their power to silence them.

The victim has become the one at fault, being accused and maliciously speculated against by so many people; anyone in her position would be furious.

Xu Ying gently patted Qiao Yuxi’s back in a comforting manner, “Where did you enter the desert from on the highway? Do you remember where you were stargazing?”

Qiao Yuxi: “Highway Three. I remember seeing a sign just before getting off, indicating that there were 23 km left to cross the no-man’s land.”

Xu Ying immediately took note of this important clue, “Tell me the sequence of events, let’s go over where you went.”

“At the time, I didn’t notice anything unusual. Now looking back, it was all premeditated.”

“All the arrangements to go stargazing in the desert, he told me verbally and left no trace in the chat software.”

“We had originally planned to go together, but he said something came up at work, delaying him, and that I should go first.”

“He told me to hire a car in Lin Mo County to head towards the no-man’s land on Highway Three. Before I left, he gave me a roadside map book marked with the spot to get off, saying I should just show it to the driver.”

“When I got off and saw the desolate area, I was a bit scared and wanted to contact him. Unexpectedly, five minutes later, he appeared behind me.”

“Then we hiked to an open area in the desert to stargaze.”

Qiao Yuxi’s tone suddenly turned cold when she got to this part, “The next morning, I woke up cold and found that I had slept outside, and the tent over my head was gone.”

“Shi Wenxuan and all our supplies, including water, food, and the tent, were gone, and he didn’t leave me a phone.”

After hearing this, Xu Ying felt a chill in her heart. The despair of Qiao Yuxi waking up to find herself abandoned in the desert was unimaginable… No, when I first woke up after crossing over, it was the same kind of despair. In this sense, the two of them really are kindred spirits.

Only I was lucky enough to bind with a system and understand animals.

And Qiao Yuxi was lucky to endure until she was brought over by vultures.

In this way, all the causes and effects were connected.

Thinking of the fox cubs that had saved her, Xu Ying’s heart filled with warmth. She hugged the cubs tightly and took a deep breath.

“To meet you guys is truly wonderful. I am the luckiest person in the world!”

Being hugged by Xu Ying, the fox cubs were confused, their wide eyes blinking blankly. Why was their sister suddenly so grateful to them? They should be the ones thanking her for taking them in and feeding them milk.

Xu Ying patted the heads of each fox cub, “Darlings, I need to go out and help this young lady gather evidence to put the bad guy behind bars. You all stay home and be good.”

The Little Ear Foxes nodded vigorously: [Don’t worry, we’ll be good.]

The male owl, now already asleep on the table, stirred at Xu Ying’s words, its head bobbing as it mumbled, [Go, go… I’ll help you manage the house…]

Xu Ying smiled and stood up, pulling Qiao Yuxi up with her, “Let’s go, we’ll start by going to the place you were found.”

Xu Ying prepared to start her motorcycle.

Qiao Yuxi tossed her a set of shiny new keys, “Let’s go, you might as well get used to your new vehicle!”

Xu Ying took the keys, looking at the two neatly parked four-wheeled desert ATVs beside the sanctuary, “Which one’s mine?”

Qiao Yuxi said casually, “Both are yours, you can alternate driving them.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep