This really couldn't be blamed on the security guard. Suming was wearing just big shorts and sandals, with a monkey standing on his shoulder, he was short of having a begging bowl in his hand—no one would believe he wasn't a street performer.
And what a coincidence it was—out of a shadowy corner opposite, a beggar in tattered clothes emerged, with a monkey squatting on his shoulder as well.
But that monkey was almost bald all over, dirty, small, and skinny, nowhere near as impressive as Xiao Kong. .net
The street performer eyed Suming from across the street, their gaze meeting subtly, a look of mutual understanding in his eyes, while Xiao Kong waved enthusiastically at the monkey opposite from afar.
Given that scene, it would have been strange if the security had let Suming in.
Suming scratched his head and snapped his fingers, suddenly Xiao Kong leaped from his shoulder, stepped on the security guard's head midair, hopped over him, and dashed straight into the restaurant.
"Xiao Kong, come here!" Chengcheng called out, and Xiao Kong jumped into her arms.
"We're together," Zhaoqian called out to the security guard from a distance.
Suming didn't expect Zhao Yun to have such a big face. When the restaurant manager saw Zhao Yun, he ran over from afar, incessantly calling out 'Mr. Zhao, Mr. Zhao,' signaling the security guard to let them through and personally leading them to a specially arranged private room.
In the private room, Suming picked up a piece of steamed Chinese sturgeon, tasted alright, and then casually passed the fruit plate to Xiao Kong. Xiao Kong was picky and chose two cherry tomatoes, one in each hand, their juice splattering all over his face as he ate.
Chengcheng had forgotten her hunger as well, cheering as she dashed out of the private room. Soon, she returned with a big plate of cherry tomatoes, tossing them one by one to Xiao Kong, who leaped up to catch them, sometimes succeeding, and sometimes missing, spilling cherry tomatoes all over the room.
Zhaoqian followed with a bowl, trying to feed Chengcheng, who, holding cherry tomatoes, was busy chasing Xiao Kong...
In the end, only Suming and Zhao Yun were eating at the large table. Suming picked up a piece of sturgeon, which was quite tasty, and, curious, he asked, "Mr. Zhao, do you own this restaurant?" Along the way in, the staff's courtesy towards Zhao Yun wasn't something a regular customer would experience.
"A friend runs it, but I have a small stake," Zhao Yun replied with a smile. "I'm quite a meddler in business, like to get involved in a bit of everything."
Zhao Yun spoke modestly, but Suming was very aware of the man's strength. He wasn't the managerial type but an investor, who didn't need to show his face in everything, a rather low-profile rich man.
He looked at Suming with a bit of confusion, wondering how to broach the subject. You took one away and brought back two; what sort of logic was that?
"I told you I wouldn't lose her. I've returned her with interest, you owe me a drink next time!" Suming chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.
"I'm impressed! Where did you find her?" Hou said with a laugh.
"Ran into a wild monkey on the road. The key thing is personal charm; even monkeys can't resist, insisting on following me home!" Suming said with a proud look on his face.
Xiao Kong, standing to the side and pointing to his own nose, chirped away in protest, wanting to pierce through Suming's thick skin. Clearly, it was Xiao Kong that had the charm, enticing the female monkey to come back, right?
What Xiao Kong and the abducted lady monkey did, Suming had no idea; once back at Fengshui Pavilion, the alcohol started to hit him, and he went straight to bed.
The night passed without incident, and the next morning, Nangong Yan barged straight into Whisperwind Pavilion, hauling the still groggy Suming out of bed.
"Sister, could you be a little more ladylike, please? Bursting into a single man's residence like this is so awkward. What if you saw something you shouldn't have? It's only eight-thirty in the morning! Let me sleep a little longer!" Suming groaned with the blanket over his head.
Nangong Yan had come today with a mission!
With one bizarre incident after another at Suming's place, the TV station's leaders, knowing that Suming and Nangong Yan were classmates, had sent her to conduct an interview. As a result, she had almost become the station's lead reporter, appearing on camera more frequently than official reporters. Her visit today was specifically for the 'fish-riding project'.
"Don't act all cute after getting a bargain. The TV station is giving you free advertising, and you're not happy? Hurry up, take me to ride the fish, or you're dead meat!"
"Sister, are you here for business or to play?" Suming said helplessly, smacking his forehead.
"Mixing business with pleasure!" Nangong Yan said confidently.
After taking Nangong Yan fish riding for half an hour and ensuring that she had her fun, she finally started her official report on the fish-riding project in earnest.
In the age of the internet, there are no secrets. Not long after Nangong Yan's first-hand report, videos of Zhao Yun's family riding fish spread online, and someone even dug up the old Blue Wave Knight video.
In the era of the internet, the speed at which information spreads is truly astonishing. In just two or three days, not only Yangchuan City but most of the province knew that Yangchuan City Zoo was about to launch a brand new entertainment project the following week: fish riding!