Super Zoo

This Saturday morning, Suming and Nangong Yan were supposed to drive to a nearby farmstead for some fun, but both of them overslept. They woke up and saw it was almost 9:30, so they simply called each other, agreed to cancel their plans, and went back to sleep for a while.

It was almost noon by the time they got up and met at the zoo. After strolling around, they arrived at the fox attraction on the back hill. Sometimes Nangong Yan would joke with Suming about the last fundraising, saying that these were a group of fox immortals that had brought them together, and he better treat them well.

In the past, the Fox Home could only be considered a hillside, with no development around it—a purely wild environment. Now, this place could be considered an 'attraction.' Following Suming's overall plan, Su Desheng had already started construction, building roads and installing fences around the original hillside to develop the site.

At present, the construction had just begun, and it was not yet possible to see what it would eventually look like.

However, the conceptual drawings were designed with Suming's involvement. They even consulted the cultural antique expert, Zhao Yun, to further renovate the previous villa to match the future vision of a Taoyuan paradise.

The architectural style maintained consistency with most of the zoo's structures, old and traditional. Once completed, the hillside would transform into a miniature village with an ancient Tang and Han dynasty ambiance—houses scattered about, paths crisscrossed, fences amid peach blossoms and willows, and even little bridges over streams. These were 'little' bridges indeed—every building was built to a specific reduced scale, forming a miniature retro village.

The foxes were the 'villagers' of this place, and since Nangong Yan referred to them as fox immortals, Suming named the village 'Ancient Moon Xian Residence.'

The Ancient Moon Xian Residence was currently nothing but a busy, dust-filled construction site, incredibly noisy. Many young foxes simply chose not to 'open for business.' Some followed the wolf-dog Huiya to play in the mountains, while others just closed their 'doors' and, ears pressed together, curled up to sleep at home.

Even so, it could not quell the enthusiasm of the tourists.

The old wishing tree had regained its energy. Lin had ordered many red wishing fabric strips, which he gave to the Broad-eared Foxes to sell. The zoo had cats selling admission tickets before, now they had Broad-eared Foxes selling wishing strips, which the tourists quickly grew fond of.

In front of the few foxes' homes still 'open for business,' long queues formed. Dressed as 'sly merchants,' wearing fake little mustaches, Broad-eared Foxes distributed wishing strips to tourists, who would toss a few coins into a box by their door.

Suming and Nangong Yan patiently lined up, and finally, it was their turn.

"Don't look!" Nangong Yan pulled a red blessing strip and then turned around to write a few words on it with a waterproof pen. Suming, curious, tried to peek at her wish, but Nangong Yan blocked him with her body.

After Nangong Yan finished writing, she chuckled and playfully ruffled the little ears of the fox, who shook its head and let out a couple of 'ah ah' sounds, then stretched its paw into a large basket beside the house.

Filled with bells the size of walnuts, the fox rummaged in the basket for a while, flicked a small bell with its sharp little claw, then squinted, blew on the bell, and handed it to Nangong Yan.

"Hehe, these little guys are getting more and more humanlike..." Nangong Yan chuckled as she tied the bell to the fabric strip and then pulled Suming over to a large tree a short distance away.

From the tree, many long and short wishing strips swayed in the wind, bells hanging on the fabric strips tinkling, making the whole tree ring with a crisp and pleasant sound.

"Where should I hang it?" Suming took the wishing strip from Nangong's hand, looked up at the tree, which had many branches and most of the lower ones already adorned with fabric strips.

"That one, that one!" Nangong Yan stood on tiptoes, excitedly pointing at the highest branch, yelling.

"Alright, watch this!"

Suming chuckled, grabbed the fabric strip like he was wielding a meteor hammer, swung his arm around, circling the end with the bell in wide loops, 'whoosh whoosh whoosh,' turned it over a dozen times, and with a loud 'go,' he launched it.

The wishing strip flew from his hand, trailing a long red tail into the sky, arcing through the air, then landed steadily on the highest branch. The bell, still carrying momentum, wrapped around the branch a few times, firmly securing the fabric strip to the tree.

A gust of wind passed, and Nangong's wishing strip, along with hundreds of others, fluttered in the breeze, carrying all the beautiful wishes far into the sky with the sound of tinkling.

Successfully tossing the wishing strip onto the designated branch was a very good omen. Suming succeeded on the first try, which thrilled Nangong Yan. She jumped into the air, flashed a victory sign, cheered, then high-fived Suming to celebrate.

"Come on, let's take a photo and then post it on social media to show off our love!" Suming took out his phone and smiled at Nangong Yan.

Nangong Yan posed under the tree full of wishing strips, her smile blooming as she looked into the camera.

Just as Suming was about to press the shutter button, he saw from his phone's screen Nangong's gaze suddenly shifting to something behind her, as if she had seen something unpleasant, her smile quickly fading, and her brows furrowing slightly.

"What's going on?" Suming put down his phone and turned his head to look.

Behind him was a hillside teeming with tourists and construction workers, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Quickly, though, Suming realized where the problem lay.

People have their own presence. For instance, leaders who have been in high positions for years tend to exude a commanding aura even in private settings; similarly, genuinely wealthy people, despite modest attire, possess a distinct demeanor when standing amongst the average crowd. If this rich person also happens to be a handsome standard-bearer, he'd stand out like a crane amongst chickens, a beacon in the darkness.

Among the crowd of tourists at the back was one such fellow who was young, wealthy, and handsome. This guy also caught sight of Nangong Yan, and from a distance, he flashed an engaging smile, waved at her, and then took big strides toward this direction.

"Could this guy be Ren Chen?" Suming put away his phone, cocked his head, and asked Nangong Yan.

Nangong Yan replied with some annoyance, "Who else could it be? Why does this guy haunt me like a fly wherever I go?"

"That comparison doesn't seem quite right," Suming laughed and said, "I think it's more fitting to say he's a hardworking little bee — wherever there are flowers, there he is."

Nangong couldn't help but chuckle. Her previous comparison was indeed inappropriate. Flies buzz around dung, and if Ren Chen were a fly, what did that make her?

After a laugh, the displeasure in her heart was swept away. A woman's thoughts can jump rapidly. She immediately pouted and asked Suming, "Seeing your rival approaching, you don't seem to be nervous at all..."

It was a tricky question. Too much anxiety might suggest pettiness, suspicion, and sensitivity, but an absence of concern could be taken as a lack of care.

Suming glanced at Nangong Yan, then responded with a faint smile, "For a beauty like you, it's only natural to have admirers. My calmness stems from my trust in you. Without the most basic trust between us, what is there to talk about in a relationship?"

"Yeah! I got it!" Nangong Yan nodded seriously, understanding that trust means respect and comprehension, and sometimes these two words weigh more than sweet nothings.

Ren Chen didn't notice Nangong Yan at first when he arrived from afar. It was only after Nangong and Suming went under a tree to toss a wishing cloth that he spotted her, followed by seeing Suming chatting and laughing with her. A hint of displeasure flashed clearly across his face, and his slender eyes narrowed slightly.

But then, as Nangong Yan noticed him and Suming also turned to look, the displeasure on his face quickly vanished, replaced by a warm smile.

"Nangong, what a coincidence to run into you here."

Ren Chen gave Nangong Yan a slight nod, then turned to look at Suming, appraising him before extending his hand generously; "You must be Nangong's boyfriend. I've heard a lot about you. Truly an impressive figure. Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Ren Chen."

That day, after learning from Yang Meng that the Broad-eared Fox was Nangong Yan's boyfriend's property, Ren Chen did not deliberately avoid it. Instead, he visited the Fox Home attraction with great interest a few times, and today, his visit coincided with the moment Nangong Yan and Suming were making a wish.

Undermining a relationship isn't technically challenging; it all boils down to one word: persistence.

This persistence does have its nuances — maintaining a proper measure and timing is essential. On the one hand, you need to frequently appear before the woman, showing omnipresent concern with enough 'screen time' to ensure she's aware that someone cares about her. On the other hand, this concern must not reach a point of annoyance. Overdoing it can be counterproductive. Presenting oneself as just a friend allows for proximity and gives the woman an excuse to let down her guard: after all, they're just friends.

Patient suitors are a formidable adversary for even the staunchest of women. Over time, as a couple's relationship naturally encounters conflicts and friction, a sufficiently patient and composed interloper who persistently hovers around the woman can eventually find an opening.

It's akin to how predators hunt. A lion eyeing a buffalo waits as the herd migrates. A hasty attack and the lion risks being mobbed. So it follows at a safe distance, never losing sight of its target, ready to pounce at the first sign of an opportunity, like if the buffalo lags behind.

As Ren Chen himself said, with the right effort, no corner can resist being dug up. This wasn't his first rodeo; it wasn't just young girls in relationships like Nangong Yan — he had even pursued married women before, with ample experience. Continue your journey on empire

Furthermore, almost perfectly embodying the proverb of the playboy, Ren Chen, with no lack of patient admirers, enjoyed the chase as part of the fun.

Thus, when he learned that Nangong Yan had a boyfriend, Ren Chen was neither rushed nor angry; instead, he became even more interested.

Seeing Ren Chen reach out so confidently, Suming was slightly taken aback. It seemed he had met his match; this was not the typical narrative of the clueless rich second-generation getting a slap in the face.