Super Zoo

"Hehe, as for that question..."

Suming deliberately acted mysterious and didn't directly answer but instead gave a secretive smile and said, "In novels about gods and spirits like 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,' there are many beautiful women who were transformed from fox spirits. In folk tales, foxes are also considered to be extremely spiritual animals. As far as I know, there are also young men and women making wishes under that wishing tree not far from here..."

Nangong Yan was taken aback, thinking that Suming was going to spout nonsense. This was in front of television cameras, after all. If he said something indicative of feudal superstitions, it wouldn't end well!

Suming paused, then continued with a smile to Nangong Yan, "Actually, I think that the reason why humans are happy isn't because every wish is fulfilled or every dream comes true, but because even after experiencing hardships and disappointments, we still have beautiful dreams and wishes, looking forward to the future. So, I believe there's no need to scrutinize legends as if conducting scientific research."

On the other end of the television, on the hill behind them, Nangong Yan and Suming were looking at each other face to face. She looked into Suming's eyes and suddenly felt that his words were not only for the audience but also for herself.

For some reason, looking at Suming's face under the sunlight and the faint, tender smile hanging on it, Nangong Yan felt her heart begin to beat faster.

"Well..." As a professional host, after a slight distraction, she immediately got back into the groove and continued asking, "So, will the zoo bring us more surprises in the future?"

"Of course, to let everyone keep up with the Great-Eared Fox Immortal's updates and the latest news of other animals in the zoo, including new entertainment activities, we've registered a Weibo account. You can follow 'Taoyuan Interest' on Xinhai web; all fans have a chance to participate in a draw and can win exclusive prizes from many star animals in the zoo, including the Broad-eared Foxes..."

...

In the conference room, Wang Jian She said to Mr. Song with a smile, "Mr. Song, this lad Suming really does you proud! While you're here negotiating terms, he's on the TV news, giving you strong support!"

It's like international negotiations where, in the midst of talks, one country suddenly achieves a great success in a certain field, thereby giving their representatives at the negotiating table more confidence.

"Ah, kids playing around. For more than half a year, I've just been watching him create all sorts of things—there are boat rides on fish, a whole bunch of endangered animals, some kind of Guinness record was even broken, and now he's come up with this Taoyuan. Young people..."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Mr. Song's tone seemed modest, but the way he spoke and his expression seemed to be brimming with smugness.

Wang Jian She turned to Mr. Liu and laughed, "Mr. Liu, how about this? The zoo seems to be doing pretty well now, and the risk of closing down seems small. Look, why don't you compromise and agree to spread the discounted payment over fifteen years?"

"Fifteen years?! No way, no way! Wang, you must be joking."

Mr. Liu kept shaking his head, but momentum is important in negotiations. The news report had acted like an accelerant, boosting the zoo's side's momentum, and Mr. Liu found himself forced to make some concessions, gritting his teeth, "Eight years, no more!"

"Eight years will do, but the interest will be half of the bank's rate for the same period!"

"Mr. Song, you... ah, fine."

As they say, concede an inch and they'll take a mile. In the following negotiations, Mr. Song pressed his advantage and actually managed to gain ground in several clauses, securing very favorable terms for the zoo.

...

After the interview at the TV station ended, the camera crew began packing up. Nangong Yan said something to her colleagues at the TV station to send them on their way first while she stayed behind to play for a while.

She came over to Suming and said, "Wait for me a second," before running off hastily into the small woods behind.

"Hey hey hey, the woods are the dogs' territory, don't just pee anywhere!" Suming quickly followed her. The dogs marked their territory in the woods with the scent of urine. It wouldn't be appropriate for Nangong Yan to go there and take a leak, right? If the dogs thought she was encroaching on their territory and bit her, that wouldn't be good.

Nangong Yan's face turned red with anger: "What nonsense are you talking about? Who told you I was going to do that... I'm going to take off my makeup and then change it!"

"Oh oh oh oh... then be quiet, don't yell so loudly."

Suming felt quite embarrassed, but it wasn't his fault. Normally, when men head into the woods, it's definitely to relieve themselves. Who knew that women had another option: to remove and change makeup.

It's not like he hadn't seen her without makeup before. What's so shameful about a bare face? Suming actually thought that Nangong Yan somehow looked better without makeup.

"Tsk, bare faces are for husbands to see. Who are you to me? Can I just show anyone my bare face?! Wait here!" Nangong Yan rolled her eyes at him and then sauntered off into the woods with a swaying hip.

Watching Nangong Yan's graceful figure disappear into the woods, Suming was amused. This girl had completely changed from when they were in school; she had become so hip, cool, and explosive!

"But I like it... Wait! That's not right. Why did I switch into this submissive mode again? This isn't good!"

This time he waited for half an hour. Unable to hold it any longer, Suming ran to the opposite woods to relieve himself. After returning and waiting a bit more, Nangong finally strolled out of the woods leisurely.

Looking at her face, the makeup was indeed different from before. For the camera, she wore a professional makeup look to seem thinner, which looks good on screen but a bit distorted in real life. Now, with light makeup, she looked much more comfortable.

Suming felt it was necessary to regain some of his manliness. Having been in submissive mode for too long might make it hard to change back later. He gave a fierce glare and motioned to Nangong Yan from afar with a hooked finger, "Come on, I'll take you to play with the foxes!"

Nangong first gave an eye roll, as if she couldn't be bothered with him, then, with a suppressed smile, she naturally took Suming's arm, hanging off it like a koala, while from her bosom she pulled out a bamboo tube as thick as a child's arm, filled with bamboo sticks.

A fortune-telling stick container!

Suming was taken aback and peered curiously toward her neckline, "Eh? How did you hide such a big stick container inside your chest?"

"Go away, go away..." Nangong Yan pushed him away and shook the stick container, saying, "They say foxes are the most spiritual; I want the fox to do a divination for me and draw a marriage fortune stick."

Suming was completely speechless. She came prepared indeed, even bringing her own stick container. He had intended to refuse Nangong, what a joke, you, as a prominent leader's wife... perhaps the future one, leading the way in feudal superstition...

The problem is the leader's wife is in charge of the leader, even if she's the future leader's wife, Suming's opposition would be invalid.

He just didn't know if the Broad-eared Foxes would know how to use the stick container for divination?

Who would have thought, they actually did! When Nangong Yan and Suming arrived in front of a small villa, Nangong Yan fed the little fox a sour dried bayberry. The little fox ate it and squinted its eyes into a slit. Then, in front of the fox, Nangong shook the stick container back and forth in her hand. There was a small hole at the bottom of the stick container, and with a shake of her hand, a stick fell out of the small hole.

Nangong did it several times, and the little fox actually learned how to do it. It looked rather proud, squinting its narrow eyes, its two little paws clutching the bamboo stick container and shaking it importantly. Its body even swayed along with it as if it was drunk and might fall over at any time.

Nevertheless, Nangong Yan was still a girl at heart. Although she knew not to take fortune-telling seriously, now that it was her turn, she was a bit nervous. She handed the stick container to the Great-Eared Fox inside, put her hands together, and prayed softly, "Fox Immortal, Fox Immortal, you must bless me with a good fortune stick."

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, Nangong Yan stared intently at the bamboo stick container.

Thump! A stick fell out, and Nangong Yan quickly picked it up to look.

At first glance, her lips puckered up.

Suming leaned over and saw it was a medium stick, with the message: "Sadness beneath the willow bridge, the green waves, there once a dazzling reflection arrives."

No need for a specialized interpretation, just reading these two lines made one feel a bit melancholy; it probably wasn't anything good.

Nangong Yan, a Chinese literature major, sighed as she looked at the stick, saying, "This was composed by Lu You in mourning for his deceased wife Tang Wan. They were torn apart by their feudal families when they were young. Years later, they accidentally met again in Shen Garden, but that encounter turned into an eternal farewell... Ah..."

"Not counting, not counting—let's try again." Suming interjected from the side.

"Right, again! I just don't believe I'm this unlucky!"

Nangong Yan nodded, put the stick back into the container, handed it to the skillful Great-Eared Fox, and then pointed her finger a bit threateningly at the little wet nose of the Great-Eared Fox and said, "Giving you another chance here!"

Although Nangong Yan was speaking to the fox, Suming always felt as if it was a warning to himself... This was getting inadvertently caught in the crossfire, it wasn't him who drew the stick!

The little fox continued shaking the container, and after a few shakes, another stick fell out.

Suming snatched the stick before anyone else could, and upon seeing it, his face turned green.

It was a low stick!

The low stick was bad enough, but the words on it were quite unpleasant, pushing all the blame onto the man.

"The concubine's eyes always on the Xushan, the lover like the stone Buddha, originally heartless." After Nangong Yan read it, she suddenly huffed coldly, giving Suming a sidelong glance.

"How about the beauty of the Chinese department gives it a translation?" Suming said with a forced laugh.

"There's nothing much to translate, just eight words: The falling flowers have intentions, but the flowing water is heartless. The woman is like Xushan, visible at a glance, but the man, he is like the stone Buddha, cold and heartless," Nangong Yan said in a melancholic tone.

"Sister, wasn't it supposed to be eight words?" Without another word, Suming snatched the stick back and stuffed it into the container, saying, "Again, again, I simply don't believe it. Even by probability, it can't always be a low stick, right!"

Nangong Yan sometimes had a stubborn streak. After drawing two marriage fortune sticks with very bad omens in a row, far from shrinking back, she seemed to be even more determined to challenge the Fox Immortal.

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... Thump!

"Medium stick: If there were no resentment in those eyes, one would not believe in enduring love in the mortal realm. Again!" Nangong Yan, gritting her teeth, stuffed the stick back in.

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... Thump!

"Low stick: The courtyard is full of fallen flowers, the curtains unrolled, the broken-hearted fragrance of herbs, distant. Again!" Nangong Yan's eyes gradually narrowed.

Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle... Thump!

"Low stick: Love is a word without proof, do not let the tears fall on the love letter. Again!" Nangong Yan's eyes gradually narrowed, and with a cold, menacing laugh, she said.