Chapter 644 - 534: The Panda Dancing the Cha-Cha

Chapter 644: Chapter 534: The Panda Dancing the Cha-Cha

Meng Lan stretched out his arms, calling out to Shen Xin again and again.

This reaction made the zookeepers on site look at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Haisheng shook his head with a wry smile, sizing up Shen Xin repeatedly. He was curious what kind of love potion Shen Xin had given Meng Lan. They had just met, and the panda was already this fond of him?

Shen Xin waved his hand, signaling for Meng Lan to sit down and be quiet.

He understood immediately, sat down, and scratched his head, seeming to make a funny face at Shen Xin in a playful manner.

Ma Tao didn’t have time to overthink it. He decided to have Shen Xin help lead Meng Lan out to the outdoor enclosure.

The zoo was already open, and outside, it was packed with eagerly waiting tourists.

"You should still be careful," Ding Yuwei reminded him softly.

Shen Xin nodded. ’I know what I’m doing.’

’As long as his favorability doesn’t drop to zero, there’s nothing to fear.’

"Meng Lan, come here."

Shen Xin walked through the staff corridor to the outdoor enclosure, opened the gate, and called for Meng Lan to come out.

He came as soon as he was called.

The moment he appeared, a chorus of gasps erupted from outside the enclosure.

"He’s here!"

"So cute!"

Every single person was holding their phone up as high as they could.

Shen Xin took the opportunity to return to the zookeepers’ area, closing the staff corridor gate behind him.

Unexpectedly, Meng Lan turned around and followed him, pawing at the staff corridor gate.

He called out again and again, trying to get Shen Xin’s attention.

"Should I go over there?" Shen Xin hesitated for a moment before asking Ma Tao.

Ma Tao still shook his head.

Although there was the precedent of their close interaction yesterday, it was ultimately still risky.

But outside, Meng Lan kept calling, smacking the iron gate, refusing to leave.

Xu Haisheng said, "Old Ma, I’ll go with Officer Shen. It shouldn’t be a big problem."

It wasn’t good for him to keep calling like this.

If he went along, it should be fine.

At that, he stepped forward, gestured for Meng Lan to back away a little, and opened the gate.

The two men entered, and Meng Lan happily shuffled forward again.

Xu Haisheng watched silently. Only when he saw Meng Lan merely rubbing his body against Shen Xin, showing no aggressive behavior, did he relax slightly.

Then came another wave of disbelief.

’I can feed Meng Lan up close, and he comes when I call and goes when I dismiss him.’

’But that’s because I’ve been taking care of him since he was a cub, watching him grow up.’

’That’s why he’s so affectionate with me; I can hug him and hold him whenever I want.’

’But Shen Xin? They just met.’

"Alright, alright, aren’t you hungry? Go eat your food," Shen Xin told Meng Lan, urging him to eat.

It seemed as long as Shen Xin was present, the panda was compliant.

Having gone a whole night without food, he was hungry, so he obediently ran over to the pavilion and started gnawing on bamboo.

Shen Xin and Xu Haisheng stood to the side, watching.

Xu Haisheng couldn’t stay idle. He picked up Meng Lan’s toys and started a casual conversation with Shen Xin.

He couldn’t help but ask curiously what Shen Xin was doing at the zoo, or more specifically, why he was looking for Walnut.

"Just some business," Shen Xin said evasively, then asked Xu Haisheng about Walnut’s situation.

He had also worked at the zoo for many years.

"Well, how should I put it," Xu Haisheng thought for a moment before saying, "I was there when we went to Jin City to pick up Walnut. The plan back then was to have him mate with Meng Meng."

"Even back then, Walnut had a bad temperament. He was very aggressive and extremely hostile towards people."

"We were chatting about it at the time. Think about it, Walnut was a rescued panda. When we rescued him, he was only one year and eight months old."

"At that age, he should have still been living with his mother, but we never found her body."

"Pandas have almost no natural predators in the wild. If a mother panda dies, it’s either from an accident, like falling off a cliff, or... she ran into humans."

Humans are the ultimate predator of all animals.

"So we speculated, could Walnut’s mother have died at the hands of humans? And could Walnut have witnessed it? That would explain why he’s so hostile towards people."

Shen Xin nodded thoughtfully.

Xu Haisheng’s theory did line up with the so-called "panda’s curse."

’Perhaps Wang Shulin really did do something back then, like poaching a giant panda, and Walnut witnessed it, causing him to develop a strong animosity towards humans ever since.’

’But this still didn’t solve the core problem.’

’Walnut wouldn’t seek revenge. A person did.’

’What did Wang Shulin and the other two do? Who did they piss off that got them killed?’

Shen Xin changed the subject, asking how he could get closer to Walnut.

Xu Haisheng’s suggestion was similar to Ma Tao’s: be patient and maybe buy him some treats.

"I’ve raised giant pandas for so many years, and I can truly feel that they are very intelligent. As long as you are sincere, they can definitely sense your kindness."

Xu Haisheng’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he watched Meng Lan without blinking.

His gaze was filled with doting affection.

’When you’ve raised one since it was a cub, what’s the difference between that and raising your own child?’

Shen Xin understood this sentiment deeply.

After standing there for a while longer, Shen Xin and Xu Haisheng prepared to leave.

But as soon as they started to walk away, Meng Lan dropped his bamboo and chased after them.

"Well, look at that. He won’t even let us leave," Xu Haisheng said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing Shen Xin stop, Meng Lan also stopped and let out a couple of calls, as if to say, "Don’t go."

Shen Xin said, "I’ll stay with him a little longer then."

Xu Haisheng nodded, reminding Shen Xin to still be careful.

It wasn’t that he was worried Meng Lan would attack Shen Xin, but that they were bears, after all, and didn’t know their own strength.

He turned and left.

Meng Lan barely reacted, his attention completely focused on Shen Xin.

Watching them, Xu Haisheng couldn’t help but shake his head. He felt like an old father whose precious daughter, whom he had raised for many years, had just run off with Huang Mao.

Meng Lan’s outdoor enclosure was a decent size. As the zoo’s top star, his accommodations were the best.

It had a pavilion and even a swing set.

Shen Xin decided to sit down on the swing and keep Meng Lan company.

The panda sat a few meters away, leaning against a wooden post, munching noisily on bamboo.

’You have to admit, he’s so cute when he’s just existing, and even cuter when he eats. I could watch him all day.’

The only problem was the crowd of tourists outside, packed three layers deep, making Shen Xin feel like he was part of the exhibit too.

They stared at each other for a bit. While eating, Meng Lan suddenly held out the piece of bamboo in his paw.

He let out a little bleat.

It was as if he were saying, "You have some too, don’t be shy."

’I’d have to be able to chew through it first,’ Shen Xin thought. ’You sure are generous.’

Seeing that Shen Xin wasn’t eating, Meng Lan got up and walked over.

He came up behind the swing and nudged the seat with his head.

The swing swayed.

He must have played with it before and knew to push it.

Shen Xin was amused.

’Getting a national treasure to push me on a swing... I must be the first person in history.’

The tourists outside the enclosure were also dumbfounded.

They knew that this swing was Meng Lan’s "iron throne." He often spent his afternoons sitting on it, leisurely eating in the pleasant sunshine.

And now, here he was, pushing a zookeeper on it.

One tourist knocked on the glass, pointed at the swing, and shouted, "That’s Meng Lan’s!"

Many tourists nearby looked indignant.

’If you were pushing the panda on the swing, that would be one thing.’

’The panda is the national treasure, after all.’

’But now? This is practically turning the Celestial Spirits upside down! You’re sitting there like a king, making the panda push you. Have you no shame?’

’The key thing is, when you play like that, you make people incredibly jealous.’

Shen Xin chose to ignore them. ’The panda is happy to do it and hasn’t complained, so what business is it of yours?’

From behind the enclosure barrier, the tourists could only protest with words and gestures.

It was just that Shen Xin looked way too cool.

Another tourist even ran to grab a security guard, pointing at Shen Xin and shouting.

They were probably accusing Shen Xin of abusing the panda.

This actually made Shen Xin feel a bit embarrassed. He turned his head and patted Meng Lan.

"Stop pushing. Come on, sit with me."

Shen Xin patted the spot next to him. The swing was big enough for two.

His favorability must have been low, because Meng Lan didn’t understand at first. Only after Shen Xin gave him a little tug did he get it. He ran to the front, climbed onto the swing, and plopped his bottom down next to Shen Xin.

He leaned against Shen Xin and bleated twice.

Shen Xin knew this meant he was happy.

Shen Xin pushed off the ground with his foot, and the swing started to sway.

It was another sunny day, and the sun was already climbing high. The man and the bear, swinging together, looked utterly relaxed and content.

This scene once again left the tourists outside the enclosure stunned.

One tourist gave Shen Xin a thumbs-up and shouted, "Bro, you’re awesome!"

Swinging with a panda—Shen Xin was definitely the first person to ever do it.

All the tourists crowded around, their faces showing nothing but pure envy.

’Can’t just swing, though.’

Shen Xin got up, moved the bamboo next to the swing, and while pushing off to keep the swing going, he casually handed a stalk to Meng Lan.

’Don’t just sit there. Time for us to eat.’

Meng Lan knew how to return the favor. With a CRACK, he bit a piece of bamboo in half and handed a piece back to Shen Xin.

Shen Xin sighed. ’If only this were Walnut.’

’With this level of intimacy, it probably wouldn’t take long to reach the third stage.’

Word must have spread outside the enclosure, because the crowd of tourists became so dense you couldn’t get through.

Some people were even asking if this was a special performance arranged by the zoo.

It even made Lingqian Mountain, who had just come over to ask about Shen Xin’s situation, grab Ma Tao and ask what was going on.

Forget about whether one could even get close to a giant panda—the key question was, how did Shen Xin do it?

Didn’t he just get here yesterday? How was he already so close with the panda that they were swinging together?

Ma Tao shook his head with a wry smile and said he had no idea.

Even if it were Xu Haisheng, it probably wouldn’t be like this.

The only problem was the sheer number of tourists, which made Shen Xin feel like he was being gawked at.

Also, the swing seat was too hard. The panda, with its thick hide, didn’t care, but Shen Xin’s butt started to hurt after sitting for a while.

He stood up and stretched.

’I have to leave in a bit. Secretary Chen arranged it yesterday; Xu Jinguang wants to see me at ten this morning.’

A wave of gasps came from outside the enclosure.

Shen Xin turned his head and saw that Meng Lan was copying him, also stretching lazily.

Then it looked at him curiously.

It probably thought Shen Xin was playing a game with it.

Shen Xin spread his arms wide.

Meng Lan paused, then also raised and spread its arms.

"Whoa, you’re copying me."

Shen Xin chuckled. This giant panda was really something else.

The key thing was its cuteness. Every move it made was adorable.

Shen Xin put both hands on his head.

Meng Lan knew this one. It immediately put its paws on its head and bleated excitedly.

That confirmed it. It was definitely imitating him.

Shen Xin’s interest was piqued. He raised his arms and cheered twice.

Meng Lan really was a copycat. It immediately cheered twice as well.

The enclosure wall was made of high glass, but you could still hear people talking outside.

Seeing Meng Lan copy Shen Xin’s movements, the gasps from the crowd shot up by eight decibels.

One tourist shouted loudly, "Hey buddy, do a little wiggle! See if he copies you!"

’You just want to see a show, don’t you,’ Shen Xin thought.

But he was also curious about the panda’s ability to imitate, so he put his hands on his hips.

Meng Lan paused, stood up straight, and actually copied Shen Xin by putting its paws on its hips.

Its front limbs were short, so it couldn’t quite put them on its hips like a human, but tucked at its sides, it looked even cuter.

Even Shen Xin couldn’t help but marvel. This creature was truly one-of-a-kind; every single thing it did was adorable.

The gasps from outside were continuous.

Meng Lan was also particularly excited. It tilted its head back to call out, then started coming forward.

It could do the splits, and it was pretty good at walking upright.

Shen Xin casually took its paws and pulled it back two steps.

It followed effortlessly, its bottom wiggling as it walked, which amused Shen Xin. He then led it forward two steps.

Two steps forward, two steps back. It was like they were dancing the cha-cha.

The tourists outside went wild. Many of them were whistling, surging forward in waves.

Today’s admission ticket was absolutely worth it.