Chapter 650 - 540: A Tide of Longing

Chapter 650: Chapter 540: A Tide of Longing

Zeng Wenxi single-handedly organized the engagement party.

She only had one son. Whenever she got together with her old friends, she’d have to listen to them drone on about how their kids had found wonderful girlfriends, were so handsome, or had amazing jobs. Zeng Wenxi was tired of it.

Fortunately, the family had some money to spare. This party had to be treated as a major event, and it had to be a grand and splendid affair.

This was good, too. It saved Shen Xin a lot of trouble.

But as they went through with it, Shen Xin discovered it wasn’t so trouble-free after all.

There were quite a few miscellaneous things to take care of.

But there was a pleasant surprise, too.

It came during the dress fitting, when he saw Ding Yuwei in a red formal gown.

It wasn’t even her wedding dress, but Shen Xin was still stunned by her beauty.

"Shen Xin, you lucky dog," one of his childhood friends who came along said with envy.

Yang Zeran and Zhao Tianxing had also returned to Nanjiang.

Zhao Tianxing’s eyes went wide. He nudged Yang Zeran with his elbow and said, "I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen Yuwei in a dress."

Back at the sub-bureau, Zhao Tianxing knew Ding Yuwei was very pretty from the moment he first saw her.

But in their line of work, everyone was worked to the bone. Daily attire was naturally all about comfort. In any case, he had never seen Ding Yuwei wear a dress.

Seeing her now, he finally realized just how charming Ding Yuwei could be.

Yang Zeran nodded in deep agreement, silently comparing Ding Yuwei to Song Xiangli in his mind. ’Still,’ he concluded, ’Song Xiangli is more beautiful.’

But the one who was most shocked was Shen Xin.

They had been together for a long time and had seen all there was to see of each other. Shen Xin was incredibly familiar with Ding Yuwei.

But in all his memories, he had never seen this side of her.

It felt as if she had transformed into a completely different person.

Walking over slowly, Shen Xin couldn’t stop himself from looking her up and down.

"Does it not look good?" Ding Yuwei felt a little awkward herself and asked softly.

Shen Xin quickly shook his head, gently took her hand, and said with the utmost sincerity, "It looks good. Of course, it looks good. You’re the most beautiful person in the world."

Ding Yuwei blushed, a sweet feeling washing over her. She turned to face the mirror, her gaze a little distant, and leaned gently on Shen Xin’s shoulder.

’How I wish Father could see this day.’

After this moment, it was as if Shen Xin had an epiphany. He was no longer so resistant to the idea of an engagement.

He even started getting personally involved, trying to give Ding Yuwei the most perfect engagement ceremony.

’A woman this wonderful is worth giving my all for.’

The date was set for New Year’s Day, January 1st.

Ding Yuwei didn’t have many relatives or friends on her side.

But Shen Xin’s side did.

There were also his father’s business partners and friends.

And then there were his colleagues.

From the local station, to the sub-bureau, all the way to the municipal bureau—he had to invite them all.

Some people even came on their own initiative to offer their congratulations.

"Old Sir, what brings you here?"

It was the old gentleman, Wu Zhicun.

He had changed into formal attire, his white hair was neatly combed, and he was leaning on a cane with one hand while holding Lele’s leash with the other.

’He’s probably using Lele as a guide dog.’

The dog still remembered Shen Xin and wagged its tail as it came closer.

"I only heard from the people at the station that you were getting engaged today. I thought I had to come no matter what, have a celebratory drink, and give you my best wishes."

In Wu Zhicun’s heart, Shen Xin was his benefactor.

"Then I must thank you properly."

Shen Xin quickly called someone over to help escort Wu Zhicun inside.

Watching him slowly make his way in, Shen Xin’s heart was filled with emotion.

’This was the very first criminal case of my career. To receive such thanks from the victim’s family... it really makes all the hardships of being a police officer worth it.’

Ding Yuwei gently took Shen Xin’s arm just as someone else arrived.

Zhang Jian rushed over with his family.

"Don’t worry, your master had to respond to a last-minute call, but he’ll be here soon. Chief Song has already arranged everything. He said anyone can be absent today, but not your master," Zhang Jian explained when he saw Shen Xin looking around behind him.

Zhang Qian was there too. She gave Ding Yuwei a light hug, then gave her a thumbs-up and told her she looked beautiful.

Ding Yuwei smiled and quickly welcomed them inside.

Not long after, Li Dongsheng arrived with his wife.

"Good kid." Li Dongsheng let go of Shen Xin, his eyes filled with gratification.

Watching Shen Xin get to where he was today, step by step, he knew in his heart that it hadn’t been easy.

To be happily engaged on the first day of the year, witnessed by friends and family.

For Shen Xin, this was the best possible outcome.

That was why, when he learned the next day that Meng Lan had escaped from the zoo, Shen Xin was surprised but also felt a little lucky. Meng Lan had shown him some respect by not choosing to jailbreak on New Year’s Day.

「Back to yesterday.」

Ever since Meng Lan went viral, his popularity had remained sky-high because he was constantly pulling new stunts.

It happened to be the three-day New Year’s holiday, and the weather had just turned from overcast to sunny. Anjing Zoo was once again experiencing a peak in visitor traffic.

The Panda House opened at eight, but long before then, a massive line had already formed outside.

But when eight o’clock arrived, Meng Lan was nowhere to be seen.

"Meng Lan, come on out," Xu Haisheng called repeatedly.

After Shen Xin’s arrival, they had all noticed that Meng Lan had become especially intelligent, with a much stronger ability to understand things.

Meng Lan was huddled in a corner of his enclosure, not moving an inch.

Xu Haisheng and Ma Tao took turns trying to coax him out. It took a great deal of persuasion before they finally got Meng Lan to go outside.

When he entered the outdoor yard, Meng Lan’s appearance immediately triggered waves of cheers.

Everyone knew that "Prince Shen" was busy and not around.

But just watching Meng Lan was enough.

Meng Lan had pulled plenty of stunts even when Shen Xin wasn’t there.

But today was clearly different.

Meng Lan leaned against the partition wall in the central yard, sulking motionless.

Three days.

Today was already the fourth day.

Shen Xin had been gone for four whole days!

Before, Shen Xin had said he’d be back soon. At the time, Meng Lan didn’t have an accurate concept of what "soon" meant.

Now he knew that "soon" could be this long.

Meng Lan turned his head and called out to Walnut next door.

Where’s the human?

Walnut didn’t even bother to give Meng Lan a proper look.

Furious, Meng Lan grabbed the wire mesh and shook it violently.

Just then, his big brother came over.

He was carrying a bamboo shoot in his mouth, which he dropped in front of Meng Lan.

Shen Xin had taught him that as the big brother, he had to take care of his little brother.

Eat.

Meng Lan turned his head away.

Not eating.

He even picked up the bamboo shoot and threw it far away.

Even the tourists could tell what was happening, exclaiming that Meng Lan was throwing a tantrum.

Meng Da turned and brought the bamboo shoot back again.

Hurry up and eat.

Meng Lan’s eyes widened. He grabbed the bamboo shoot and threw it at Meng Da.

I won’t eat!

During their usual interactions, Meng Da never spoiled his little brother. Now, seeing Meng Lan being so disrespectful, he smacked him with a paw.

Meng Lan was already fuming, like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest spark. He immediately lunged forward.

"They’re fighting!"

"Your pandas are fighting!"

The tourists outside cried out in alarm.

The security guards maintaining order on-site were stunned. They had no contingency plan for how to handle a panda fight.

Fortunately, the fight started suddenly and ended just as quickly.

Meng Lan was only three years old, while Meng Da, born in 2013, was already an adult. With his size advantage, he quickly overpowered Meng Lan.

Stop fighting.

Meng Lan gave in.

Eat.

Meng Da let go of Meng Lan and tossed the bamboo shoot over again.

Meng Lan grabbed the bamboo shoot and bit into it fiercely.

Eating.

Ma Tao and the others appeared in a panic. Not daring to get too close, they checked on the two pandas from a short distance. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw neither was injured.

Meng Da had gone easy on him.

But under the circumstances, they obviously couldn’t let the two pandas stay together any longer.

Ma Tao quickly called for Meng Da to return to the inner enclosure.

Meng Da went obediently, leaving Meng Lan to sulk by himself.

Xu Haisheng tried to console him, but it was no use. Meng Lan wouldn’t listen at all.

Knowing it was because Shen Xin was gone, Xu Haisheng was helpless. He could only let Meng Lan calm down on his own.

Meng Lan vented his frustration by gnawing on some bamboo for a while. As he watched the endless waves of tourists outside, his mind was filled with images of him and Shen Xin playing together.

His longing for Shen Xin was like a surging tide, growing more and more intense.

An idea suddenly sprouted in Meng Lan’s mind: he would go find Shen Xin.

He had no idea how big the world was. Shen Xin said he left, so maybe he was just somewhere nearby.

It was this yard in front of him that was trapping him.

It wasn’t surprising that Meng Lan had such an idea. He had a prior record.

Back at the Jin City Base, he had tried to snatch a keeper’s keys, pawed at a doorknob to try and open it, and even stood on a bamboo basket to try and climb over the railing.

His small eyes glanced left and right, and his gaze finally settled on a corner of the yard.

He knew there was a security camera over there.

The keepers, like Shen Xin, would use that thing to greet people on the outside.

’There’s still time. I need to pick a moment to escape when no one is watching me.’

’That would be lunchtime. Shen Xin would also leave during that time.’

Having made up his mind, Meng Lan waited silently.

He even ate a little extra to build up his strength.

Around noon, the keepers went for their lunch break, and the number of tourists dwindled.

Meng Lan made his move. First, he had to take care of the camera.

He knew the thing was high up and even understood how to use tools. He dragged his plastic, half-dome climbing structure over to the spot underneath the camera.

"What’s he doing?"

The tourists outside immediately noticed Meng Lan’s actions.

Meng Lan paid them no mind. He nimbly climbed to the top of the half-dome, stood upright, and reached for the enclosure wall. It was a perfect fit. He could just reach the camera.

He stretched out a paw and ripped the camera down.

The tourists outside the enclosure gasped in amazement.

"Whoa, he’s a genius!"

"What are you talking about? He can already dance. He’s been a genius for a while."

"But why would he destroy the camera?"

"He’s probably sick of being watched all day."

While the crowd was buzzing with discussion, Meng Lan wasn’t idle. He dragged his climbing structure again, this time heading straight for the enclosure wall.

The thing was pretty big, but since it was made of plastic, Meng Lan had no trouble dragging it.

He didn’t choose the side of the yard near the rockery, instead heading straight for the side facing the tourists.

He positioned the climbing structure.

At this point, the tourists outside still hadn’t figured out what Meng Lan was up to and were all busy taking pictures with their phones.

His longing had made him fearless. He deftly climbed onto the structure, stood up, and leaned against the glass wall. It was just right. He could reach the misting line attached above the glass.

The enclosure wall had three parts: a concrete base, tempered glass in the middle, and an iron fence on top of the glass.

It was quite high, about three meters tall including the fence.

But by grabbing the misting line, Meng Lan managed to get a foothold on the concrete base. Then, using his arm strength, he began to climb up the glass.

The pads on his paws helped him get a grip on the smooth glass.

It was only then that the tourists on the other side of the wall, and the security guards maintaining order, realized something was wrong.

"Holy crap, he’s going to climb the fence!"

Someone shouted in alarm.

Then everyone raised their phones even higher.

The security guard was stunned for several seconds before he reacted. He yelled for the tourists to back away while grabbing his walkie-talkie and shouting, "Meng Lan is escaping!"

Meng Lan had already grabbed onto the iron fence.

Using all four limbs, he scrambled upwards.

In an instant, he was over the fence. He used the same method to get down, holding onto the bars as he descended.

The tourists on the scene were dumbfounded by the sight.

The security guard was going crazy, trying to herd people away and yelling that this wasn’t a cat, it was a bear!

Meng Lan ignored all this. Influenced by Shen Xin’s gift, his ability to learn, comprehend, and think had all been greatly enhanced.

He climbed to the bottom of the fence. There were no more handholds below, but he turned to look down and saw it wasn’t too high. He simply let go and dropped.

For a well-padded panda that often climbs to the tops of trees and just jumps when it can’t get down, a fall from this height was nothing.

The moment he landed, gasps erupted all around him.

Even the security guards started running.

But Meng Lan had a clear goal. He ran directly toward the entrance.

He had noticed that all the people came from that direction.

The crowd cried out repeatedly, pressing themselves against the walls to get out of his way.

Meng Lan didn’t attack them. He ignored them as if they weren’t there and made a beeline for the exit.

Outside, a long line of people was still waiting to see the pandas.

They were bored when they looked up and, hey, the panda was running out on its own.

"Holy shit, what’s happening?!"

The long line of people erupted in shouts, and everyone whipped out their phones.

Meng Lan paid them no mind either, trotting along as he searched for any sign of Shen Xin.

Meanwhile, Ma Tao and the others, who were still eating, finally heard what was happening.

"We’re screwed, we’re so screwed..."

Dropping his bowl and chopsticks, Ma Tao led the way, breaking into a dead run.