When it was time to leave Xiong Mountain, the little black bear was naturally reluctant to see them go. Hah’Er waved at it again and again, as if promising to come back and play another time. It took a while to finally calm the little bear down.

Outside the zoo, they found Xu Ye. He was taken aback when he saw Hah’Er. "Whoa, Hah’Er, what happened to you? You’re completely filthy!"

Hah’Er glanced from side to side, looking a little embarrassed, and ducked behind Shen Yibin. Shen Yibin just chuckled. "What have you been up to? You haven’t been to the shop in ages. Come back with me for dinner."

"Alright, I’ve been craving your cooking anyway." There was no need for formality between them. As he spoke, he started walking toward the zoo entrance. "Wow," Xu Ye remarked, looking around. "I haven’t been here since middle school, but it doesn’t look like much has changed since I was a kid. This place is in a pretty sorry state."

"If it’s not profitable, no one’s willing to invest. There really aren’t many thriving zoos in the whole country these days." A zoo this size couldn’t possibly survive on ticket sales alone. When Shen Yibin had posted to Weibo earlier, many users from other cities commented that their local zoos were just as dilapidated. It seemed the situation at the Yunzhong City Zoo was not unique.

"Man, this place holds so many of my childhood memories," Xu Ye said wistfully. "I have to make a big donation this time, just so my future kids will have the chance to see these animals too." Coming from a wealthy family, when he said "a big donation," he meant it. His contribution would likely be no less than Shen Yibin’s.

Having two Gods of Wealth show up in one day left Dong so overjoyed he was at a loss for words. He just grabbed Xu Ye’s hand and shook it vigorously. "Thank you so much, Mr. Shen, Mr. Xu!"

"Director Dong, I think there are very few young people in Yunzhong City who are as sentimental about the zoo as I am. But as long as we can get people willing to help, we can definitely solve some of your problems." Xu Ye had the typical disposition of a rich heir—full of passion for whatever caught his interest. He didn’t just donate a large sum himself; he was also eager to help Director Dong with promotions to drum up more support.

"The problem now is how to let people know about the zoo’s current situation and stir up those childhood memories." His gaze landed on Hah’Er. "I think we should get Hah’Er to help with a photoshoot. We can post the pictures online. That’s bound to work."

Well, his idea was the same as Qin Qing’s—they both wanted to leverage the massive appeal of a panda for their promotional campaign. Director Dong, however, hesitated. "But wouldn’t that be too much trouble for Mr. Shen?"

"It’s just a few photoshoots. It won’t take much time," Shen Yibin said, gesturing to Xu Ye. "This guy’s pretty good with a camera, so you won’t even need to hire a photographer." If the zoo did well, it would be good for Shen Yibin and Hah’Er too, so he didn’t object.

"Yeah, I’m fine with shooting," Xu Ye said, stroking his chin as he began to mull over the concept. "But I need to really think about the theme." A panda would obviously be a hit, but getting people to see the photos and then be moved enough to actually donate to the zoo was no simple task.

"Why don’t we just have Hah’Er hold a donation box for a few pictures? I think that would work," Shen Yibin suggested.

"Tacky. So cliché," Xu Ye scoffed, turning his nose up at Shen Yibin’s creativity. "But I guess that’s all your brain can come up with. Whatever. I’m getting hungry. Let’s go to your place and grab a bite. Inspiration flows better on a full stomach."

"It’s almost lunchtime. You two should stay and eat with us." After they had pledged so much money to the zoo, Dong felt he couldn’t possibly let them leave.

"I’m not trying to be polite, but I doubt there’s much to eat here," Xu Ye said bluntly. "Well, or rather, the really tasty stuff, you probably wouldn’t let us eat anyway. So, we’d better just go to Bin’s place. This guy’s cooking is on par with the chefs at the Yunzhong Grand Hotel." Xu Ye always talked this way, leaving Dong completely speechless.

’What he said made sense.’ The quality of the zoo’s cafeteria food was hardly fit to serve guests. And while it was true the zoo housed some... delicious-sounding animals, they couldn’t exactly serve them black bear paws or crocodile meat.

Shen Yibin gave Dong an apologetic smile. "This kid’s got a sharp tongue. We’ll come find you as soon as we’ve worked out a plan. Please don’t worry. There are plenty of kind-hearted people out there; the zoo will be fine."

"Come on, Hah’Er, go say goodbye to your cousin. We’ll come see him again in a couple of days." After that, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er and Xu Ye for a quick detour to Xiong Mountain before driving back to the shop.

"Well now! I’m gone for a few days, and your staff just keeps growing!" Xu Ye was stunned when he saw the three young women in Shen Yibin’s shop. ’Is this a pet shop or a modeling agency? Where did you find so many beautiful girls?’

"This is my college classmate, Xu Ye. This is Sakai Kaori. You know the other two, so I don’t need to introduce them," Shen Yibin said, facilitating the introductions. "You stay down here and brainstorm a plan. I’m going upstairs to cook."

"Whoa, you even have an employee from Japan? Bin, is your pet shop a multinational corporation now? Your business scope is wider than my family’s company!" Xu Ye was completely blown away. ’A tiny pet shop, and its three employees are from three different countries. What’s next, are you going to hire someone from Africa?’

"If you want to chat, go find Cheeky. I’m busy," Shen Yibin said, brushing him off.

"Uh, on second thought, I’ll just get back to brainstorming." Xu Ye had lost more than his fair share of verbal spars with Cheeky; his wit was no match for the parrot’s.

"Alas, it is lonely at the top," Cheeky sighed, its voice filled with desolation. "A parrot as awesome as myself must endure a solitude unimaginable to mere mortals." The parrot seemed to be lamenting its lack of a worthy adversary.

Xu Ye watched Cheeky, his mouth moving as if to say something, but in the end, he didn’t dare engage. He slumped his shoulders and shuffled behind the front counter, turning on the computer to search for inspiration online. His own, much-vaunted eloquence was nothing more than a joke in front of Cheeky. The gap between their abilities was wider than the one between the National Team and five-time champion Brazil. He simply didn’t have the nerve to challenge the parrot.

Shen Yibin cooked a few of his specialties and had a couple of drinks with Xu Ye. At the dinner table, Xu Ye was a font of witty remarks, making the three girls roar with laughter. The moment Cheeky glanced his way, however, he would instantly clam up. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Xu Ye quickly had a eureka moment. "Bin, what do you think about having Hah’Er go ’move bricks’?"

’Huh? Make Hah’Er go "move bricks"? What in the world is he talking about?’