Amidst laughter and jokes, a group of young boys and girls collectively boarded the subway.
The zoo was located in a remote area, and they needed to transfer to a special line at the South Square of the train station, which was quite a hassle.
Although it was not peak operating hours, it was still difficult to find seats.
By the time they finally arrived at the Magic Capital Zoo, everyone’s initial excitement had waned by at least half.
Finally, someone couldn’t resist complaining.
"What were they thinking? Making us go to all this trouble just to see monkeys..."
The grumbler was a local girl from the Magic Capital.
Duan Xiaoyi, who happened to be nearby, casually chimed in, "Exactly! How many times have schools organized trips for us here since we were kids..."
"It’s cheap! Only 65 yuan for a student ticket. Do you think everyone is as rich as your family, with eight houses and more rental income than you can spend?"
Chen Ping didn’t mean any harm when he interjected, but Duan Xiaoyi was overly sensitive. As soon as she heard "eight houses," shame and anger surged in her heart.
"Damn it! What kind of excuse is ’it’s cheap’? Are you short of money? Tell me how much, and I’ll cover it!"
Chen Ping was not pleased, and his quick temper flared. "Shit! We’re already here and you’re still bitching. Who the hell begged you to come?"
Although Student Xiaoyi didn’t have much clout with Brother Lie, she was, after all, a confident second-generation nouveau riche and certainly wouldn’t coddle Chen Ping.
Chen Ping didn’t understand the dialect, but seeing the way Duan Xiaoyi was glaring, he knew. Oh, this is the prelude to a fight.
He decisively gave an equivalent response.
"What the hell are you looking at?!"
One used Magic Capital slang, the other Northeastern dialect, and they started to bicker back and forth.
When Xi Luting heard the commotion and turned back, she was completely stunned.
Good buddies from the same dorm, so chummy this morning, how could they be about to fight without any warning?!
Taking two quick strides, she rushed between them, her face frosty as she rebuked, "What’s wrong with you two?!"
Duan Xiaoyi immediately deflated a bit, but Chen Ping was still relentless.
Seeing this, Yu Yun decisively hid behind Han Lie, hugging his arm and putting on a show of shivering.
"Oh dear! They’re not going to fight, are they? So scary..."
It was indeed scary. Han Lie’s entire arm was nearly squeezed out of shape; the pressure was simply terrifying.
He hastily reassured her, "It’s okay, they won’t fight... Let go of me."
"Really? Are you sure?"
Yu Yun, as if she hadn’t heard the last part, hugged him even tighter.
Brother Lie was exasperated.
I can handle this, but my pants are about to give out... In front of everyone, how can my image be trampled on ?!
Fortunately, the classmates were all focused on the conflict between Chen Ping and Duan Xiaoyi, so no one noticed Brother Lie’s predicament. Er, no, one person did: Fang Feifei watched Yu Yun’s performance with wide-eyed shock, keenly feeling the disparity.
After thinking for less than a second, she decisively rushed over and grabbed Han Lie’s other arm.
"Brother Lie, I... I’m scared too!"
Han Lie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
What the hell are you two scared of? Those two idiots can argue eight times a day. They’ve only really fought twice; today definitely won’t escalate to that extreme. I’m the one who should be scared, okay?
"Then you two let go of me, and I’ll go sort them out," Han Lie coaxed, but to no avail.
"What if they hit you?"
"Let them fight like dogs; don’t pay them any mind!"
The two girls were impressively quick-witted, excuses rolling off their tongues.
Moreover, their hands weren’t idle, constantly brushing and rubbing against him, nearly driving Han Lie mad.
He wasn’t lacking in intelligence, life experience, or social skills. However, his body was still that of a virgin, and with his excellent constitution and health, he was particularly susceptible to stimulation.
Both girls were dressed to the nines, exuding a post-bath fragrance, looking hot and tempting.
Han Lie couldn’t take it anymore.
Unable to move his arms, he bent his wrists, his palms already pressed against them, and suddenly tickled them with his fingers.
Fang Feifei and Yu Yun yelped simultaneously, releasing Han Lie’s hands as if electrocuted.
Their cheeks flushed red in an instant.
Brother Lie heaved a sigh of relief and quickly adjusted his trousers.
Damn, how are these two women so terrifying? In their past lives, they weren’t... No, wait. In their past lives, they were top-tier handfuls, they just hadn’t targeted me.
Brother Lie suddenly realized that if he kept playing this game, he’d be in serious danger.
If given the chance, those two would actually dare to pounce! Shouldn’t I tone it down a bit?
As he was pondering this, Han Lie suddenly saw Xi Luting looking left and right, scanning the crowd.
What is she looking for? Holy crap, she’s looking for me?!
By the time Han Lie figured it out, their eyes had already met.
A look of strong delight flashed in Xi Luting’s eyes. She quickly waved at Han Lie, her meaning clear: "Hey, stop watching the show and come help!"
Han Lie was, yet again, utterly flummoxed.
How can I help? I don’t even freaking dare to move!
In a flash of inspiration, Brother Lie decisively put on a pained expression, bent over clutching his stomach, and groaning, "Ouch, ouch," turned to flee.
Xi Luting’s eyes widened bit by bit; she was dumbfounded.
That damn dog of a man, he’s acting with me?! I ask for a little help, and he fakes a bathroom emergency to ditch me?! Fine, fine, fine!
Xi Luting watched Han Lie disappear in a flash, her body trembling with anger, her face as cold as ice. She spun around and began to furiously berate them:
"You two want to fight, is that it? Then go find a deserted spot right now and fight all you want! Clean up your own mess afterward, and don’t ruin everyone else’s mood! Now, everyone is dismissed! Free time!"
Having said that, she turned and walked away, heading straight for the zoo entrance.
Duan Xiaoyi and Chen Ping were completely deflated. They shot each other resentful glares and separated with disgruntled grunts.
The remaining classmates were even more bewildered. Such a nice outing, and it had inexplicably fallen apart before they even got through the entrance?
"Are those two crazy or what?"
"We’re here already, might as well pair up with friends and wander around..."
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, but eventually, they found their close friends and dispersed in twos and threes.
Xi Luting strode off on her long legs, heading straight for the penguin enclosure alone.
Fang Feifei and Yu Yun stared at each other, neither daring to chase after Han Lie.
After a short while, Fang Feifei was pulled away by Liu Yajie. Yu Yun snorted coldly and turned to walk in the opposite direction.
The others vented furiously in their respective small group chats; Duan Xiaoyi, Chen Ping, and even Xi Luting were all targets of their complaints.
The outing had completely fallen apart.
Han Lie squatted in the small plaza outside the public restrooms, opened the temporary WeChat group for the outing, and waited quietly.
After waiting for a long time, the group chat remained silent.
He then opened QQ to check the main class group chat; it was also quiet.
Huh?! What’s going on?!
Brother Lie was baffled.
He hadn’t joined any of the small group chats and wasn’t friends with any of the guys on the apps, so he was completely in the dark.
Have I... been left behind?!
Staring blankly, unsure whether to laugh or cry, Han Lie finally received messages from Fang Feifei and Yu Yun.
Fang Feifei: "Brother Lie, what are you doing? I’m in the little grove behind the elephant enclosure. Come find me, okay?"
Yu Yun: "You villain! My safety shorts are ruined... What should I do? Sigh, I wonder if there’s a hotel nearby..."
Holy crap! Brother Lie was starting to lose his composure again.
When girls get proactive, men really don’t stand a chance. It’s truly hard to handle.
So, should I go see the elephants, or head to a hotel to offer my... assistance? Chickening out is out of the question, but I have to carefully weigh the pros and cons.
Brother Lie didn’t agonize for long. He decisively opened his chat with Xi Luting.
Three direct words: "Save me!"
Xi Luting was sitting on a bench in the penguin enclosure, sulking. When she saw Han Lie’s message, she initially didn’t want to respond.
But those three words made her far too curious.
After struggling with herself for a while, she finally couldn’t resist and replied irritably with three punctuation marks: "???"
"Upset stomach, no paper! (Sobbing emoji) (Sobbing emoji) (Sobbing emoji)"
PFFT! Xi Luting was caught completely off guard and burst out laughing, thoroughly amused.
Han Lie’s reply wasn’t an explanation, but it explained everything.
In an instant, her anger vanished.
Moreover, a mischievous impulse welled up inside her.
You little rascal, you’ve finally fallen into my hands, haven’t you? Just you wait! If I don’t make you cry today, this young lady will take your surname, Han!