Chapter 5: Shang Youqing, I'm so hungry.

Shang Youqing had thought her connection with the He family father and son was over, that they would never cross paths again.

Unexpectedly, not long after returning to Ning City, she saw the young master of the He family again.

That day, upon returning to Ning City, Shang Youqing, at Old Madam An's request, took full control of Mingling Zoo.

Shang Youqing had a clear understanding of Mingling Zoo's current situation and understood the root causes of its chronic poor management and near-bankruptcy.

Two years ago, a new, modern animal park opened in the west of Cheng. The two zoos were already close, and Mingling Zoo primarily housed elderly, weak, and disabled animals rescued from the mountains. Aside from the occasional young person who visited out of kindness, visitors naturally preferred the more fashionable and fun west of Cheng.

Now that Yunqing Group had agreed to an extension, the top priority was to reform Mingling Zoo's stagnant state. If the zoo could surpass the west of Cheng in visitor traffic, it would have a legitimate reason to preserve it.

Shang Youqing went to Old Yan's house to pick up her baby and explained everything about taking over the zoo to Shang You.

Because Yunqing Group wasn't sure if they would agree to extend the restrictions, and because Mrs. An was hospitalized, the zoo had been closed for the past two days. The few remaining keepers were skeptical about the zoo's future, and most of them took the opportunity to resign.

After Shang Youqing officially took over the zoo, she wasn't in a rush to reopen. She spent the next two days reorganizing the zoo's various animal areas with the two remaining veteran staff members.

She kept detailed records of the animals' condition in each area, noting that one of the tigers was expecting and that an elderly leopard in the leopard enclosure was experiencing mild anorexia. She compiled a detailed shopping list based on the nutritional needs of each animal.

Shang Youqing first fed the animals and then visited the feed room to inventory the various feed supplies, adding a few more items to the list.

After finishing all this in her work area, she remembered that she had left Shang You in the park, so she quickly grabbed her checklist and went to look for her baby.

Actually, her baby wasn't like any other chick.

In Shang Youqing's memory, little Shang You had only been clinging to her the year after she hatched. Back then, the little creature knew how to curl up into a small fur ball and snuggle under her wings, chirping for a hug.

But since she turned two, Shang You seemed to have made raising her her top priority, reversing her fate. In just two years, she had practically become a lifelong, lifeless mother.

If it weren't for this unexpected descent, Shang Youqing would probably still be there, lazing about.

Shang Youqing quickly found her baby in the bird park area.

In just a few short days, Shang You had become the little boss of the bird park.

On a relatively narrow path in the park, Shang You was doing his "patrol work" in the bird park on his skateboard. Behind him was a large army of chicks, chirping and quickly adjusting their direction as Shang You skated, standing in a row.

Shang Youqing, sitting on the electric scooter, looked over with his head in his hands, and patted the back seat in a good mood, "Baby, come here!"

Shang You looked up and saw Shang Youqing driving a small electric scooter. He shouted, "Mom, wait a minute," and then picked up the skateboard. With his other little hand, he pulled open the fence of the chicken coop. With a stern face, he glanced back. The army of chicks immediately returned to the chicken coop in an orderly manner.

Before leaving, Shang Youqing glanced at the clear blue sky outside and casually put an umbrella in his pocket to give to Shang You.

"Baby, let's go to the market."

On the way to the nearby farmers' market on the electric scooter, Shang Youqing read the shopping list to the baby sitting in the back seat.

Shang You's small hands clasped Shang Youqing's waist, meticulously writing down the contents of her list so she could remind her mother in time if she missed anything during the shopping trip.

Since there were so many things to buy, Shang Youqing bought some light items first when she arrived at the market. She carried the bags back to her electric scooter and asked her son to help her count them while she went to a nearby store to buy more.

Meanwhile, a blue BYD car parked on the side of the road rang.

He Cunyue, holding a copy of the retrieved documents, had just emerged from the store. As he walked towards his car, he said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Okay, I'm investigating a case in Ning City these past couple of days. Three o'clock in the afternoon, right? Perfect time... I'll drive over to pick Momo up right now." After

hanging up, He Cunyue opened the car door and was about to get in when a wave of dizziness hit him. His pupils suddenly dilated, and he slumped against the car, breathing rapidly, his entire body slumping.

Shang You had been sitting on the electric scooter, carefully sorting through the things her mother had bought, when she suddenly heard a thud behind her. Turning to look, she saw a woman beside her half-fallen from the open car door.

Shang You jumped off the scooter, reached out her little hand to help the woman, and with difficulty pushed her into the car seat. She heard her mouth slightly wide open as she struggled to utter a muffled cry for help, "Help... Help..."

Shang You opened the round water bottle hanging diagonally from her little shoulder and handed it to her, "Sister, have some water."

He Cunyue's consciousness was hazy, and she could only vaguely see the vague outline of a child. The instinct for survival made her swallow several mouthfuls of the water that was fed into her mouth.

Then, amidst those childish cries, she gradually lost consciousness and passed out.

Shang Youqing had just returned from shopping and heard Shang You recount the incident to her. She grasped the woman's wrist and felt her pulse. Her breathing and pulse were returning to normal.

"It's okay, baby. The spiritual water you fed her worked."

However, just in case, Shang Youqing still helped to call an ambulance. Before leaving, she glanced at the dashcam that was running above the center of the car's windshield.

The next second, the light of the dashcam flashed several times due to a malfunction.

When the recorder returned to normal, Shang Youqing had already disappeared from the sight of the BYD with her baby.

More than an hour later, at the City Central Hospital.

"Deputy Captain, are you sure you are not hallucinating? Do you know that you were in a critical condition of cardiac arrest at that time? How could you be cured by a little kid feeding you a sip of water?"

He Cunyue sat on the bed in the ward without saying a word, still savoring the sip of water like a clear spring rain.

Soon another subordinate came in. "We checked the dashcam, and didn't find any children on screen." He looked towards the bed again, pointed his head, and asked, "Deputy Captain, how about we do some other tests?"

"How could there be nothing?" He Cunyue sat up straight. Just as she was about to say something else, she suddenly remembered something even more important—

"Wait! Where's my nephew Momo?! How could I forget to pick him up from the airport!"

He Cunyue broke out in a cold sweat. Not caring about waiting for the results of the remaining tests, she grabbed her phone and got out of bed, urging, "Hurry and take me to the airport!"

Elsewhere, at Mingling Zoo.

Shang Youqing had just returned from the procurement office and sorted the items into the feed room when she turned around to see Shang You asleep on the car seat. Her soft face resting on her arm, a little fat pressed against her face. When Shang Youqing went to pick the cub up, Shang You's little hands wrapped around her neck, and she mumbled a vague, childish reminder.

"Mom, wake me up in half an hour..."

"What for?"

"To feed the chicks."

Shang Youqing ruffled Shang You's soft hair. "It's going to rain soon, I'll go feed them."

The baby was a lot like her in that way; he'd get sleepy easily when it rained. Shang Youqing carried Shang You back to the small courtyard. When she came out, the sky had turned overcast, accompanied by a few rumbles of thunder and the patter of rain.

Shang Youqing, holding an umbrella, called the few birds of prey still wandering outside back to their cages and fed them. She planned to close the east and west side doors and then return to plan the reopening of the park.

However, just as she reached the east gate to lock it, she heard a faint gasp or two.

Shang Youqing paused, opened the newly locked gate, and looked out.

Outside, beneath a tin shed filled with abandoned equipment, a young master in an elegant suit was crouching in a dirty corner, sheltering from the rain.

The iron shed was leaking in from all sides. The little guy was holding a bulging schoolbag in his arms. His little knuckles were frozen red and he kept shivering.

Hearing the door open, He Zhimo looked up, his big eyes wet and red, sniffing and saying, "Shang Youqing, I'm so hungry."