Proud Bai Yuyou

The meal ended up costing several thousand, but since Alice was treating, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou essentially got a free meal out of it.

"Though it was a bit pricey, the taste wasn’t bad," Ye Shuang remarked, glancing at Alice sitting across from him with a faint smile. "Thanks, little Alice."

Alice merely waved a hand dismissively. "Just remember this well—it’s one of the rare chances you’ll get to dine with this young lady."

"What the young lady means is that there’ll be more opportunities in the future," Bobo explained.

"Who told you to speak out of turn?!" Alice began furiously pounding Bobo’s arm, looking like a thin branch whacking against a telephone pole.

After Alice finished her assault, Bobo handed her a warm towel. "Young lady, your fists might hurt."

"N-no they won’t!" Alice retorted, though she instinctively rubbed her palm and muttered, "Why is he as hard as a rock…"

Hearing this, Ye Shuang nodded at Bobo. "Alright, next time, you and Alice can come over to my place for a meal."

"Hey—!"

The ignored young lady Alice was visibly indignant.

After leaving the restaurant, Ye Shuang asked Alice about their plans for the day. Since they’d run into each other so coincidentally, there was no harm in exploring the area together.

"The young lady has a photoshoot later, so we’ll have to leave the zoo now," Bobo politely declined on her behalf.

Alice planted her hands on her hips. "That’s right, hmph. Even if you’re disappointed, this young lady won’t accompany you around the zoo, you know?"

For some reason, Ye Shuang felt Alice had become livelier than before. Hearing her words, he chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair. "In that case, see you next time."

"W-w-what are you doing?!" Alice flushed red and took a step back, clutching her hair. "Ugh, I’ve been defiled!"

"Is it really that big a deal?" Ye Shuang also noticed his reflexive action—Alice was so petite that it was easy to treat her like a little pet.

"Hmph… Seems like this young lady’s charm is just too overwhelming." Alice pointed at Ye Shuang. "Bobo, use your Iron Palm technique to shave Ye Shuang bald!"

"Young lady, I’m afraid that’s beyond my capabilities."

"Useless."

After some more banter, Bobo and Alice prepared to leave. Just before Bobo walked away, Ye Shuang suddenly asked,

"Has Alice been back to Aunt Xian’s place recently?"

"…" Bobo’s expression clearly faltered for a moment, but he said nothing, merely shaking his head at Ye Shuang.

"Bobo, what are you standing around for? Watch me disappear on you!"

"Young lady, please wait." Alice had already moved some distance away, so Bobo hurried after her.

Watching the master-servant pair walk off, Ye Shuang slowly withdrew his gaze.

"What a troublesome relationship," he murmured, shaking his head. He still didn’t know how things were with Zhou’s Father and Zhou’s Mother. If their situation was a complete mess, Bai Yuyou naturally couldn’t return.

But how should they explain the engagement to Aunt Xian in a way that wouldn’t cause problems?

Ye Shuang pondered this.

"Ye Shuang…" A voice sounded beside him.

Turning, he found Bai Yuyou clinging to his arm, whispering something.

"What’s wrong?"

"Hungry."

Ye Shuang: "…"

Seems she hadn’t eaten enough.

Places like zoos or amusement parks never lacked snack options—after all, the limited restaurants couldn’t cater to every visitor, and their prices weren’t something every guest could afford.

So while the food from the pushcart vendors was slightly pricier than outside, it was still a decent way to fill one’s stomach.

"Let’s go. I’ll take you on a food crawl."

"Mm."

For the rest of the day, Ye Shuang took Bai Yuyou around the other exhibits. At the leopard enclosure, they happened to catch the staff feeding the big cats.

A zookeeper carried a white plastic bucket filled with chunks of meat.

Several leopards gathered around, circling the keeper eagerly, clearly starving.

One of them tried to poke its head into the bucket but got a light tap on the nose with a stick, causing it to recoil timidly.

"Ye Shuang…" Seeing this, Bai Yuyou spoke up.

"Hm?"

"The books say… leopards are predators. Why isn’t the keeper afraid?" she asked.

Ye Shuang considered this before answering. "It’s because of their environment."

"These leopards were raised by humans since they were cubs. Their aggression is nothing compared to wild leopards who grew up fighting for survival."

"The same goes for any animal."

"Humans too?" Bai Yuyou asked.

Ye Shuang smiled and nodded.

"You’re right. Humans are animals too, so it’s the same. People raised in different environments develop completely different personalities. Genetics play a role, but environment shapes most of it."

Bai Yuyou absorbed this before turning back to watch the leopards playfully interacting with the keeper through the glass. Her gaze lingered, though what she was thinking remained unclear.

Meanwhile, Ye Shuang stole a glance at the girl from the corner of his eye.

If she hadn’t been taken away, maybe Yuyou’s personality would’ve been more like Alice’s.

He tried picturing Bai Yuyou putting on a tsundere act and chuckled wryly, shaking his head.

"Fate works in mysterious ways…"

…

Time flew, and evening soon arrived.

The zoo was bathed in orange hues as many animals were led back to their enclosures by the staff—though some, like the macaques, were simply left outside.

Ye Shuang flipped through the zoo guide, stroking his chin. Even after a full day, they hadn’t managed to cover the entire place. Regardless, it was time to head home.

"We’ll have to call it a day. Next time?" he asked Bai Yuyou with a smile. "Did you have fun?"

Seeing things in person was entirely different from watching videos—just as experiencing a scenic view firsthand differed from seeing it in photos. That was why Ye Shuang had wanted to bring Bai Yuyou here.

"Fun," Bai Yuyou nodded. "The good food… can’t be finished in one go."

"That’s an interesting way to put it, but you’re not wrong." Ye Shuang noticed her reaching for his hand.

Then, with a soft click, he looked down—the little dolphins on their wristbands had magnetically snapped together.

"Isn’t it amazing?" Bai Yuyou asked.

"Yeah." Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Ye Shuang smiled.

"Next time…"

"Mm. We’ll come again next time."

"With Ye Shuang."

"Of course."

The little dolphin shimmered with the orange hues of the setting sun, stretching the silhouettes of two figures heading home long, so very long.