Super Zoo

Peng Lin was at the peak of frustration, looking at Nangong Yan with a stomach full of grievances. He had wanted to say something like "I didn't take advantage of her, she deceived my feelings," but when he saw the brick in Suming's hand, the words at the tip of his tongue changed to, "Big brother, just ask, I'll spill everything..."

"Alright, alright, start from the beginning. Where did you buy these dogs from?"

One has to say that the quality of the current Young Pioneers is really poor, not a bit of the backbone like Liu Hulan or Wang Erxiao. The interrogation went incredibly smoothly. Suming would ask a question, and Peng Lin would spill the beans, often replying with dozens of sentences. Before long, everything was clear.

All the dogs were purchased from the rescue station, one hundred per dog. As for the funds saved, they all went into Peng Lin's own pocket. He used that money to operate and run for the student council president.

"You're kidding me, you think you're running for President of the United States? You need to spend money to run for student council president?" Suming felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

With a mournful face, Peng Lin said, "Big brother, you graduated many years ago, right? You don't know the situation. Now, running for student council president is too difficult. If you don't take people out for meals, drinks, and foster good relationships, who will vote for you come election time?"

Suming rolled his eyes, "So you're saying you ran for student council president just to take everyone out for meals and drinks? Should I commend you for serving the people then?"

"It's just that being president gives you some prestige, and it also means more opportunities to interact with female classmates..." Peng Lin said while sneakily glancing at Nangong Yan.

Nangong Yan glared at him, took the brick from Suming's hand, and shook it at Peng Lin, "Keep looking at me, and I'll smack you!"

Peng Lin trembled with fear, quickly pointing at the young girls, "No, no, big brother, big sister, I meant them..."

...

After getting the situation straight, Suming and Nangong, with Peng Lin in tow, went on a trip to the Changping County Rescue Station.

To catch a cheater, you have to catch a pair; there had to be a confrontation between Mr. Lin and Peng Lin; otherwise, it would just be one-sided statements.

Peng Lin was reluctant at first and even thought about taking the opportunity to run away. But when he saw the burly Su Meng sitting in the car and the two large wolfhounds, he threw that idea out the window. Knowing that the Wrangler cost several hundreds of thousands, Peng Lin was even a bit in awe of Suming.

You know how young people are, they have an indescribable sentiment towards authoritative and successful figures—part envy, more admiration. Especially when the successful person is about their age. Of course, Suming didn't really count as a successful person at the moment, but in the eyes of someone like Peng Lin, who would break the law for three or four thousand yuan a year, he was definitely a remarkable figure.

When the Wrangler returned to the rescue station, Mr. Lin came out to open the gate and his face changed the moment he saw Peng Lin also sitting in the back of the car.

"Mr. Lin, I've confessed everything, so you should spill the beans too!" Peng Lin would have been wasted not acting; with his demeanor, he could play a traitor without even needing makeup.

"Ah, at this point, what else is there to say. I had no choice!" Mr. Lin sighed deeply, "Let's go inside and talk."

Once inside, Lin was there, peeling sugarcane with a knife. Looking up and seeing Suming and the others enter, Lin was startled and subconsciously shook the knife.

"What are you trying to do! Silence us?" Peng Lin got scared, hiding behind Su Meng in an instant.

Then they just saw Lin chuckle and cut off a piece of sugarcane, offering it to Suming, "Want some? Just dug it out from the field this morning."

Suming took the sugarcane and started munching on it, finding it really sweet. He turned to ask Nangong Yan if she wanted some, to which she glared at him and said, "Let's talk business!"

"Oh, oh, oh, right, Lin, what exactly are you all trying to do here? How could you secretly sell the rescue station's dogs for personal gain?" Suming asked, holding half a sugarcane he had bitten into and looking quite stern.

Lin squatted in the corner, holding his head in his hands, murmuring gloomily, "We had no other choice!"

"Be more specific, what do you mean you had no choice!" Peng Lin added with false bravado, "I bought those dogs only for scientific research. I'm the one who had no choice!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Yan let out an unsatisfied snort of displeasure.

Suming went over to pull Lin up, "Sit down, let's talk while sitting." After saying this, he turned to glare at Peng Lin and pointed to the corner, "You, squat over there."

"But I'm on your side," whined Peng Lin, as he obediently squatted in the corner. Lin sighed again and said, "Mr. Su, you say I'm seeking personal profit, but I don't accept that accusation. Think about it, I sell a dog to the university for a hundred yuan, right? But what if I sell to a restaurant? A kilo of dog meat sells for tens of yuan at a restaurant, and a light dog weighs around four or five kilos, while a heavy one can be twenty to thirty kilos. If I were greedy for money, I'd sell directly to restaurants, making at least one hundred and fifty, or even close to two hundred yuan per dog—no problem!"

Suming and Nangong Yan exchanged glances; Lin's words did seem sincere and not without reason.

"Right, selling to the universities means at least they're used for research," Lin mumbled on the side.

"Exactly, we're doing it for research," Peng Lin tried to pitch in but was silenced with a glare from Suming.

"Also, look here, if I really just wanted to make money, why would I only sell more than twenty dogs, totaling just over forty including the ones from before, not even fifty?" Lin stood up and pointed outside, "Look, there are still over fifty dogs in the yard. If I wanted to make money, I could've sold them all."

"Mr. Su, my uncle truly had no other options," Lin said, spitting sugarcane onto the ground with frustration, "So many dogs came all at once, needing food and care, medicine for sickness, but not a cent came from above. They told us to figure it out on our own. How could we figure it out? We can't print money! We could only come up with this idea, to sell a portion of the dogs and use that money to support the remaining ones. It would be best if someone could take these dogs away; if not, once the money runs out, we'll have to sell another batch to support those that are left."

"But what about the money left by the kind-hearted people who sent the dogs previously?" Nangong Yan asked.

"That money was barely enough. It all ran out in just over a month," Lin replied.

Lin spoke with exasperation, "Now that things have come to this, you've taken your photos, we've admitted to our actions. Decide what you want to do. The worst-case scenario—we take our stuff and leave, I've had enough of this suffocating rescue station!"

"What do you think we should do with this situation?" Nangong Yan asked Suming, looking uncertain. She had been ready to make a big deal out of the story, punish the bad guys severely, but it turned out, everyone had their own tough circumstances to deal with. Of course, Peng Lin was an exception.

"Let me think," Suming said, walking around the yard with his hands behind his back. Outside the dog cages, there were little enamel bowls filled with food, and a faint smell of disinfectant hung in the air. It seemed that Mr. Lin truly hadn't pocketed the money.

Nangong Yan followed him out and looked back at the room, quietly speaking to Suming, "Actually, they're not really bad people, Peng Lin aside, Mr. Lin can be sympathized with. If we just report this directly, Mr. Lin's job will surely be lost, and it's not just about losing a job—there may also be legal repercussions."

"But we can't just let this go, can we," Suming said.

"Of course not, that's why I'm here to discuss it with you. You're full of clever ideas," Nangong Yan said, resting one arm on Suming's shoulder, smiling slyly, "Think of something, a good solution!"