All the Furry Creatures Come To Work In My Zoo

Before even getting close, Hu Yu could already tell she had arrived at the medium-sized feline exhibit—there was a crowd of visitors heading in the same direction. 

At the entrance stood an archway with large characters reading “Medium-Sized Feline Exhibit”. Several photos of different cats were posted on it. Hu Yu, who occasionally watched wildlife documentaries, immediately recognized a few. 

A slender body, long legs, and a sleek, agile figure covered in golden-yellow fur with black spots—this was a serval, a skilled hunter often referred to as the "small cheetah" of the African savanna. 

Thick, brown fur with spots, tall ears adorned with black tufts, and large, soft-looking paw pads—this was a lynx, a species many people were familiar with. 

Beyond these two, however, the other cats seemed unfamiliar to her. 

The archway only displayed the animals' photos but provided no names or descriptions of their habits. 

But… something caught Hu Yu’s attention. “A Chinese rural cat?” Was that considered a medium-sized feline too? 

No way. Sure, the Chinese rural cat “狸花猫” was known as the "boss" of domestic cats, but it wasn’t exactly medium-sized. 

With a mix of curiosity and excitement, Hu Yu stepped into the exhibit. 

The first thing she saw was the so-called lucky cat that visitors had mentioned. A line of people was waiting to take pictures with it. The cat sat neatly in front of the glass, its face naturally forming a sweet, upturned smile—just looking at it lifted one’s spirits. 

“A lynx!”

Hu Yu recognized it instantly. However, this lynx looked slightly different from the one in the archway photos—its face was rounder, the black tufts on its ears were shorter, and it had an overall softer, sweeter appearance. 

“Do zoos edit their animals’ ID photos too?”

Lynxes in the wild were known for their mysterious, solitary nature and fearsome hunting skills. A lynx with such an adorable face didn’t quite match that image. 

As she waited in line, Hu Yu observed the lynx waving its paw. Its movements were slow and deliberate—it sat there, raising one front paw in a perfect imitation of a traditional maneki-neko (beckoning cat). 

She watched for several minutes, yet the lynx didn’t stop. 

“Doesn't it get tired?” she wondered. “Even humans would feel fatigued from constantly waving.”

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the lynx lowered its paw, neatly placing it in front of itself. Some visitors, thinking the performance had ended, sighed in disappointment—until the lynx casually lifted its other paw and resumed waving. 

“Whoa, what a smart little bobcat! It even switches paws!” 

Hu Yu felt her heart melt instantly, completely captivated by the cuteness. 

A few minutes later, it was finally her turn. The lynx didn’t even glance at her—just another indifferent, picture-taking machine. But Hu Yu was careful, crouching down in front of it, smiling gently, and forming a heart shape with her fingers to match its waving paw. 

Then, something magical happened. 

The lynx raised its paw even higher and tilted its body slightly. Together, the human and cat unintentionally formed a perfect heart shape.