Hunter Carter chuckled and said, “Those of us who treat animals are different from those who treat people. To understand an animal, you first have to understand its owner.”

Emily Foster glanced at Hunter Carter and said, “How does Dr. Carter plan to understand me?” She left her seat and walked over to Hunter Carter, reached out and grabbed his tie, pulling him toward her. “Why did you leave without saying a word?”

Hunter Carter laughed and said, “How did you find me?”

Emily Foster took a business card out of her pocket. “Luckily, I kept this from your card holder, otherwise it would have been really hard to find you.”

“Does Miss Foster need something from me?” Hunter Carter said with a smile.

Emily Foster nodded and pointed at Su Mu behind her.

Hunter Carter’s gaze finally landed on the Scottish Collie beside her. This dog, named Lie Feng, had a light and well-proportioned head and body. Whether viewed from the front or the side, its head was a slender V-shape, tapering from the base of the ears to the tip of the nose. From the side, the top line of the skull and the muzzle were almost parallel, the bridge of the nose was straight, and both the eyes and nose were pure black. The eyes were of moderate size and almond-shaped. The shoulders were high and long, the back was solid and straight, the waist broad and strong. The end of the rump was slightly full and slanted, and the tail was of appropriate length. The chest was deep, reaching the elbows, the ribs were very slanted, and the area behind the shoulders was slightly rounded. The abdomen was appropriately tucked.

The coat was long, glossy, and quite dense. Except for the head and limbs, the whole body was covered with a considerable amount of fur. The outer coat was straight and coarse to the touch; the undercoat was covered with soft wool. The facial hair was short. The tail was very bushy, the hair on the rump was extremely long and fluffy.

Hunter Carter looked the Scottish Collie over from left to right, but it didn’t look sick at all, which puzzled him.

Emily Foster stubbed out her cigarette in the crystal ashtray in front of her. “Lie Feng is already three years old, but I’ve noticed he’s not interested in female dogs.”

“How did Miss Foster discover this?”

A blush crept over Emily Foster’s face; this kind of question was indeed a bit hard to answer.

Hunter Carter secretly laughed, but outwardly put on a serious face. “Miss Foster, there’s no need to feel embarrassed. We’re discussing a medical issue—just say whatever it is.”

Emily Foster nodded. “Alright, I’ll just be straightforward. Lie Feng is unwilling to mate with female dogs. I’ve tried all sorts of methods, but still can’t change him. I’m worried there might be something wrong with his sexual orientation.”

Hunter Carter almost burst out laughing. It was the first time he’d seen someone so concerned about a dog’s personal life.

Emily Foster looked at Hunter Carter with dissatisfaction. “Is it that funny?”

Hunter Carter shook his head, still smiling.

“I’ve always believed that there’s no difference between animals and people. The rights people should enjoy, animals should enjoy too.”

Hunter Carter nodded, putting on a solemn expression. “I absolutely agree with you. Animals should have their own lives too.”

“I heard you’re the best animal reproductive doctor in the country, so I came to consult you. You don’t need to worry about the consultation fee.”

This statement from Emily Foster sounded awkward to Hunter Carter, but he didn’t correct her and just smiled. “Let me examine him first.”

Hunter Carter’s examination quickly yielded results: Lie Feng’s body was completely normal.

“So, Lie Feng’s problem should be psychological. Is there any way to check what kind of psychological issues he might have?” Emily Foster’s concern for Lie Feng was obvious.

Hunter Carter grinned slyly. “Miss Foster, you seem a bit impatient. We just did a rough check on Lie Feng. To find the cause, we’ll probably need to do a systematic and comprehensive examination.”

“Then hurry up!” Emily Foster said impatiently.

Hunter Carter pointed at the wall clock. “It’s twelve o’clock. I can’t work on an empty stomach, can I? There’s a Japanese restaurant across from the clinic. Why don’t we go eat first?”

“What about Lie Feng?”

“Leave him in the clinic. I’ll give him an injection, and once the medicine takes effect, we can monitor his hormone levels this afternoon.”

Emily Foster hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

Hunter Carter gave Lie Feng a shot of Supurei, an aphrodisiac for animals developed by Hunter Carter himself. The right dosage would stimulate the animal and promote mating behavior.

After the injection, he locked Lie Feng in the isolation room at the back of the hospital. Of course, he wouldn’t leave Lie Feng there all alone. Fortunately, the pet hospital never lacked animals. Hunter Carter picked a female Scottish Collie and put her together with Lie Feng to see if he would react.

Emily Foster looked at Lie Feng in the isolation room with reluctance. The female Scottish Collie seemed to like Lie Feng quite a bit and nuzzled up to him affectionately, but unexpectedly, Lie Feng suddenly growled, scaring the female collie into retreating to the side in grievance.

“You see, he just doesn’t like the opposite sex!”

“Let’s go eat first, and come back to check on him later.”

During the meal, Emily Foster seemed distracted. The usually talkative Hunter Carter’s wide-ranging chatter didn’t interest her at all. It was clear that this Scottish Collie was truly very important to her.