Super Zoo

In a mountain village like Sun Town, young people being "idle and unoccupied" isn't necessarily a bad thing. Many simply can't bear the thought of spending their lives nestled in the mountains like their ancestors, facing the loess and turning their backs to the sky. They have their unique ideas, are non-conformist, and aspire to achieve something significant. In the eyes of the honest mountaineers, however, that's being idle and not engaging in any proper profession. Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, and even the founding chairman were people like that. Therefore, Suming would not judge his distant cousin Su Lijun with the same old perspective from years ago. But Suming's first impression of Su Lijun today was not good. This man exuded a heavy air of society; it was apparent that he had been "mixed up" in society for a long time, and this kind of social air was different from that of skinheads and even Wu Dacheng's sort of ruffians. Perhaps because he had been in contact with animals for so long, Suming instinctively felt that Su Lijun was very dangerous. Of course, none of this was important. None of the friends Suming knew were pushovers, not even Suming himself who had blood on his hands. Society itself was fraught with danger; no little lamb could stand firm and do well in society. The key issue was that Su Lijun's gaze when he looked at Nangong Yan deeply annoyed Suming. Although it lasted for only a brief two or three seconds, Suming saw an unabashed desire to possess in his eyes. Everyone admires beauty, and it's normal for most men to light up at first sight of Nangong Yan. But to like is to protect, not to dominate. Initially, Ren Chen had also liked Nangong Yan and had even pursued her intensely, but he never revealed a domineering gaze. On the contrary, he appeared rather pitiable most of the time. This was a big problem. That one look indicated that it would be very difficult for the two to stand on the same side. "Big brother, it's quite the coincidence that I've returned on the same day as you. I happen to have something I'd like to discuss with you," Su Lijun's voice came. Suming looked at Su Lijun's smiling face and gathered his thoughts. Could it be that I am being overly sensitive? "You two talk. Girl, come with your aunt and chat upstairs," Mrs. Su said with a smile as she stood, nodding at Nangong Yan. Nangong Yan obediently responded with an "Mhm" and followed Mrs. Su up to the second-floor bedroom, leaving the hall to the two men. Suming observed without a trace, noting that Su Lijun's attention had faltered for just a moment when he first came in. As Nangong Yan left, he did not leer at her lustfully but kept a cheery smile toward Suming. Maybe I really am being over-sensitive. "Cousin, you've been doing well these past two years, right? You're driving a Land Rover," Suming said casually with a chuckle. Seeing how Su Lijun was dressed, Suming understood that he had initially misjudged Su Desheng. Su Lijun waved his hand, "Hey, I'm just scrambling around behind a few bosses. The car is borrowed for me to strut my stuff when I come home. How can I compare with you who flew in on an airplane? That's impressive! I've heard from townspeople that you've really made it big these past two years." When Su Lijun said the car was borrowed, Suming looked at him with new respect. If he had been boasting arrogantly, pretending to be a tycoon, Suming would have thought him to be shallow. Everyone can brag, but understatement is the real luxury. As for whether he was wealthy or not, Suming was not blind. Suming smiled, "It's all thanks to the country's policies. I just caught the tailwind." "Of course, of course," Su Lijun nodded and passed over another cigarette, smiling as he said, "The matter I'm talking to you about is indeed related to government policy. Our Maoxi County is a poor county, and we've always been attracting investment..." As soon as Suming heard the phrase "attracting investment," he became wary. The memory of Hong Bo's loan fraud was still fresh in his mind. Even though Su Lijun was a local, who said locals couldn't deceive other locals? It's hard to see what's in people's hearts. After all his years outside, who knew what he had become? Suming nodded without giving anything away, gesturing for Su Lijun to continue. Su Lijun had not been wasting his years; he had made quite a few friends in business and politics, including a foreigner. The foreigner had visited Sun Town several times and was taken by the natural environment, keen to invest in protection and development of ancient architecture and turn Sun Town into a tourist attraction. The foreigner was a Huaxia expert, well aware of the intricacies of doing business in Huaxia, understanding that one must have reliable connections in the government to succeed. In the county and city, the foreigner and Su Lijun had some connections, so getting approvals wasn't too difficult. But county officials are not as effective as those who work locally, especially in the countryside, where local people are combative and tend to stick together. For foreign investors to manage relationships with the locals well, they need a strong local ally. The foreigner wanted Su Lijun to run for mayor of Sun Town. The political structure of Sun Town was somewhat peculiar — its administrative level was that of a town, but in reality, it was just a large village. Theoretically, the mayor was appointed from above, but in fact, all the past mayors had been elected locally and then reported to the higher-ups. The county could appoint someone directly, but nearly all residents in Sun Town were related, so if the mayor wasn't someone locally chosen, one appointed from above might not sit well. Officials wanted stability, preferring inaction to trouble. Both the county and city shared this approach, hoping Su Lijun and the foreigner would settle things with Sun Town themselves. From another angle, this was also a test of the capabilities of Su Lijun and the foreigner—if they couldn't win over the locals of Sun Town, what was the point in investing? Any future trouble would surely fall into the government's lap to clean up. "Big brother, I won't lie to you, this foreigner is my powerful backer. I owe my modest earnings in the past two years to him, so I'm determined to become the mayor," he said. "Hmm," Suming nodded noncommittally. Su Lijun laid out his intentions plainly, saying, "Coming back here, I've seen a lot of changes in the town, and I've realized that it's you, big brother, who really has the final say here!" "Oh, I understand now, you hope I'll support you," Suming said. Half of the capable young people in Sun Town worked for him, and the rest were more or less connected to his business. If he didn't give the nod, Su Lijun wouldn't become mayor, and his boss's investment plan would fall through. Conversely, nothing could stop him if he didn't object. Su Lijun said, "Big brother, if you or someone under you wants to be mayor, I won't have any objections; I'd definitely support you—money for money, manpower for manpower. If you're not interested, just give your cousin a hand. I'll be indebted to you, and you will continue to have the final say in Sun Town. How does that sound?" True to his nature as someone seasoned by society, Su Lijun's words were open and generous, leaving no room for fault, and even seemed to elevate Suming. Suming thought for a moment, then let out a slight smile. Words of kindness that cost nothing, the grand gestures—after a year in business, Suming had heard it all too often. In that sentence, only four words truly sealed Su Lijun's sincerity. He dared to speak like this because he was certain that Suming was 'not interested'. "Cousin, you're well-informed, huh? Have you been investigating me?" Suming said with a chuckle.