Super Zoo

As soon as Nangong boarded the plane, she curled Suming's arm into her embrace and fell asleep. This sleep carried her over the ocean and across high mountains… When the plane landed at the new airport in Yangchuan City, it was almost dawn after the luggage was checked in.

The chilly breeze outside the airport felt icy against the skin, making Nangong shiver and curl up tightly. Suming draped a coat over her before stretching out his hand to hail a taxi.

"I don't want to take a taxi! Let's walk back!" Nangong, having slept enough on the plane, was invigorated by the cold wind.

"Are you crazy? The airport is almost ten kilometers from downtown, big sister. Walking back would be exhausting!" Suming rolled his eyes and motioned with his lips towards the several suitcases on the ground: "Also, with all this luggage, if we walk back, will you carry it?"

"I don't care, I just don't want to ride back," Nangong said, whining and shaking his arm.

"Why not?!" Suming really couldn't understand. It was dark and far from the city center, plus there was a ton of luggage—what kind of madness had gotten into this girl? Having dated for so long, hadn't she had her fill of strolling down roads? Even if she wanted to shop, she should at least pick a place worth browsing through. He had never heard of a couple wandering on the national highway in the middle of the night...

"I have to work tomorrow and won't see you for a long time. I just want to spend more time with you," Nangong said softly, pouting her lips.

"I... ah..." Suming couldn't resist Nangong like this, and felt disheartened. He lifted his hand to rub her head.

During this trip to Xiangjiang, the two of them had established a substantial relationship. After that night, Nangong was a completely different creature from before, incredibly clingy to Suming. Now Suming felt like he was both a boyfriend and a father.

The taxi driver, who had been waiting for a while, heard their conversation, poked half of his body out of the car window, and said to Suming with a smile, "Are you getting in or not? The little lady wants romance, but there's a time and place for that. Walking back to the city from the airport at this hour will take until dawn, and it's not safe."

"Hehe, you can go, driver. We're not taking a taxi," Suming said with a wave of his hand and an apologetic nod.

"Look here, young man, let me give you a piece of advice. Don't be silly. If you end up unable to continue halfway, you'll be the ones at a disadvantage, not me. I'm looking out for you; it's not about the cab fare. There are plenty of passengers..." the driver went on and on.

"Hehe, I'm happy to be foolish, and it's an honor to spoil my girlfriend!" Suming said with a lovestruck look on his face.

Seeing Suming's determination, the talkative and warm-hearted driver showed an utterly bewildered expression, shook his head regretfully, and put the car in gear to drive towards another couple trying to hail a taxi.

After dating, Nangong's IQ seemed to drop rapidly, especially when she was with Suming. She hardly used her brain, acting on impulse, and Suming indulged her, thus establishing a habit. Seeing the taxi really drive away, Nangong started to regret her decision a bit. Looking at the pile of luggage at her feet, she said anxiously, "How do we walk back? We have so much luggage, and you can't carry it all!"

"Even if I could carry it, I shouldn't, it's almost ten kilometers. Do you really take me for a beast of burden?" Suming said.

"What should we do then?" Nangong glanced at Suming tentatively, like a child who had done something wrong, and said softly, "What if... we just take a taxi after all..."

"Are you really willing to take a taxi?"

"I have no choice, I obviously want to spend more time with you," Nangong said reluctantly.

Suming chuckled, "Wait here for me, keep an eye on the luggage!" Then he turned and walked back into the airport.

"Hey, what are you going to do?" Nangong called after him.

"I've got a plan!" Suming turned back to caution her, "Stay right here, don't wander off, and don't get taken away by some bad guy."

"I know, I know, I'm not a child!"

Watching Suming's figure quickly disappear into the airport, Nangong turned to sit on the biggest suitcase, crossing her legs and stretching them out on the sidewalk in a comfortable position. Then she wrapped herself tight in her coat, letting the long sleeves dangle on either side, tilted her head slightly, and looked up at the starry night sky with a sweet smile on her lips.

As a top student in college who had secured an internship at a TV station before even graduating, Nangong's IQ and EQ were higher than most of her peers.

But she really liked this feeling of letting go completely, not needing to rack her brains over a TV program, not worrying about what the future held, nor having to disguise herself as a prickly, strong-willed woman. Just like this, with no need to think about anything, quietly waiting for a man to return.

Although this man had all sorts of flaws, sometimes stealing glances at beautiful women or brutally making fun of her, and even occasionally doing things that a normal person might not consider too appropriate, as long as he was by her side, Nangong always felt secure.

Not far away, the chatty driver had just picked up a couple, and from his rearview mirror, he saw Nangong emerge under the starry sky, looking as though she had stepped right out of an artsy film. He was clearly taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a smile, suddenly understanding the young boy's decision.

The driver too had been young once, and if he had such a girl enter his life back in his youth, no matter the request—even if it meant travelling to the ends of the earth—he would have agreed without hesitation.

"Ah, such is fate," the driver sighed, shrugged his shoulders, started the taxi, and drove off.

Suming had been gone for about twenty minutes and still hadn't come back, leaving Nangong feeling a bit anxious. She sent him a WeChat message, and he quickly replied saying he would be right back.

"Hey, what are you actually up to? Don't tell me you pretended to go to the airport and took a detour for some 'big health care'..."

"Stop with the 'big health care'; you can give me one later," Suming sent back a smiley face emoji, "I'll be right back."

Just as Nangong was about to send a blushing emoji in reply, a BMW X5 suddenly roared into view from afar. Its tires screeched against the ground, coming to an abrupt halt in front of Nangong.

Leaning on the row of tires closest to Nangong, the distance between the tires and the tips of her toes was no more than a meter and some. Subconsciously, Nangong stiffened her foot and frowned at the X5 in front of her.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing the fairly handsome face of the driver who greeted her, "Hi, what a coincidence!"

This guy was Huang Fei, a colleague from the Nangong TV station and one of the popular male hosts. Previously, when Suming had invited Nangong to a barbecue at the reservoir, they had encountered him at the entrance of the Nangong's residential complex. At that time, he was driving a new BMW 320, trying to hit on Nangong, and drove so fast it startled her. After Suming arrived in his Wrangler, he left Huang Fei in a cloud of exhaust.

"It's you?!" Nangong was slightly taken aback, then frowned even more, giving his BMW X5 several scrutinizing glances. She felt displeased by his lack of manners; he always drove so fast—last time it was in a residential area, this time at the airport, both places crowded with people. What if he hit someone?

People like him shouldn't be allowed to have a driver's license.

Seeing Nangong take a longer look at his car, Huang Fei mistook her intent and immediately became smug. He poked half his head out of the window, resting his arm on it and boasting, "I made some money investing with friends recently and bought this new car, it cost over 1.2 million!"
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"Oh." Nangong responded indifferently, her gaze drifting away, clearly uninterested.

If there were a 'ranking of phrases with the most lethal impact from women to men,' the word "Oh" would definitely be on the list. Huang Fei coughed awkwardly and struck what he considered a very handsome pose, asking, "Are you waiting for a taxi? Let me give you a lift, we can take a drive along the way."

"No need, I am waiting for my boyfriend," Nangong said expressionlessly.

Upon hearing the words 'my boyfriend', Huang Fei's smile froze momentarily. Of course, he vividly remembered the last time at the gate of Nangong's residential complex, that guy driving a grotesquely oversized off-road vehicle, at least in comparison to his BMW 320 at the time, which nearly crushed his car as it roared over the top of it.

However, after that 'frightening' encounter, Huang Fei found that driving an off-road vehicle felt manlier and made a greater statement. So, after making some money, he sold his somewhat effeminate BMW 320 and invested heavily in this luxurious, status-symbol BMW X5.

Before buying it, Huang Fei had hesitated. Although his family background was decent and he had recently made some money, a brand-new X5 still drained all his savings, and he even borrowed over a hundred thousand from friends.

But after getting behind the wheel, he immediately felt it was worth every penny; there was something different about him. The wider view from the higher position, that sense of superiority as he looked down on everything, surged within him. The powerful BMW engine was ecstasy; a simple press on the gas pedal and the sheer force pushing him back made it seem like he could fly off in a rocket at any second.

The head-turning rate of girls at the nightclubs also went up significantly. Sometimes he didn't even have to approach them; just rolling down his window and stopping outside the entrance of any bar, it wouldn't be long before a dolled-up girl would come up to chat with him.

Hearing Nangong mention her 'boyfriend,' Huang Fei was slightly startled, and then he scoffed naturally. Far from driving away, he shifted into park, looking around almost expectantly for the Wrangler's presence.

In front of the X5, a Wrangler worth four or five hundred thousand was nothing. This time, he was determined to redeem the scene from that day!

His gaze settled on an exit not far away. Suddenly there was a commotion, followed by a large group pouring out. What was odd wasn't just the stream of people from the exit, but that the crowd was uniformly looking back and pointing into the exit, taking photos with their phones and cameras as if something strange inside the airport had caught their attention.

A somewhat familiar figure 'floated' out from mid-air, as if sitting on air, casually waving at the people around while 'floating' outwards.

"I'll be damned, what in the world... A horse!"

A few seconds later, as the crowd by the exit dispersed, Huang Fei could finally see clearly. That man wasn't floating; he was sitting atop a glossy, sleek stallion, with another following behind. The two horses, stately and splendid, strode out of the airport one after the other; they were undoubtedly professional racehorses, a far cry from the mangy, old horses used for photo ops in parks.