Let you be a great man, not a scumbag

Qiu Yihe glanced at Chen Ping, who was standing next to Jiang Cheng, ready at any moment.

He glanced again at the dark, grimy gun barrels held by the people standing next to him, and instantly nodded in understanding.

"That's true..."

Jiang Cheng chuckled softly, turned around, and looked at her expression, which was a mixture of fear and curiosity.

He reached out and took her hand: "Don't be afraid. Some of the animals here are injured animals rescued from the zoo. They can't be released back into the wild. My grandfather led a wildlife conservation project back then, and they sent these little guys here to be cared for."

As he spoke, he picked up a branch from the side and gently parted the python's body.

He calmly responded to her question: "Although there are some reports of pythons injuring people online, and such incidents have occurred in zoos abroad, and zookeepers can be attacked if they are not careful, these creatures are different. They have been professionally cared for since they were young, and their temperaments have been tamed. In addition, the safety measures here are of the highest standard, so there is no need to worry."

Just now, when Jiang Cheng held her hand, his thumb rubbed against her palm.

Although it was only for a moment, that slightly cool touch felt like an electric current, coursing through my entire body from my fingertips.

Qiu Yihe's ears suddenly felt hot.

Before she could recover from the sudden flutter in her heart, she heard Jiang Cheng's serious introduction.

His words were full of seriousness about wildlife conservation, and there was no trace of the deliberate act he had just made.

Once or twice is fine, but after it happened many times, Qiu Yihe couldn't help but doubt himself.

She suspected that those unintentional touches and teasing remarks were all just her overthinking.

Even though he was always the one to initiate the flirting, Jiang Cheng always managed to gracefully withdraw, leaving her alone to overthink things.

This feeling of being stuck in the middle is like punching cotton, making one's chest feel stuffy and uncomfortable.

With a sense of frustration that was hard to explain, and a resentment that even he himself refused to admit.

What made him resentful was that his thoughts had been so easily dismissed.

What's even more frustrating is that I seem to be increasingly swayed by his every move.

After sullenly taking the plate of raw meat and feeding the python a couple of bites, he finally couldn't help but say to Jiang Cheng, "This place looks pretty big. Why don't you show me around?"

Jiang Cheng noticed her slight mood and nodded, "Then let's go that way, there are more birds there..."

The two walked slowly along the stone path by the stream, their footsteps following them at a constant distance.

Seeing that Jiang Cheng did not speak, Qiu Yihe glanced at the surrounding scenery.

The endless green bamboo groves blocked out the sun, and the rustling of the bamboo leaves in the wind carried away the restlessness of the capital city.

She started to say something, "I never imagined that such a bamboo forest could be cultivated in the capital."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng glanced at the sturdy bamboo stalks in the distance.

He explained in a low voice, "This is no ordinary bamboo. According to my grandfather, he hired a top horticultural master to search all over the country for cold-resistant bamboo species. He also specially invited a feng shui master to survey the site, introduced living water, and changed the terrain, so that this Jiangnan-like atmosphere could be cultivated in the north."

Qiu Yihe subconsciously took a deep breath. The air was filled with the scent of bamboo and the dampness of the soil.

As I inhaled it, most of the pent-up frustration dissipated silently.

She looked into the distance and saw several peacocks pacing around. When they saw the two approaching, they did not hide but instead raised their heads and showed off the golden-green edges of their tail feathers. The chimpanzee from before had also come over and squatted on a stone block not far away. Its eyes were docile and showed no sign of ferocity.

“These animals… seem to possess an extraordinary spirituality,” Qiu Yihe said softly.

"Magnetic fields nourish people and things as well," Jiang Cheng said simply.

The creatures that have stayed here for a long time have all become very peaceful.

This is also why the gorilla and the python are more docile than some other animals outside.

However, Jiang Cheng did not intend to go into detail about the magnetic field here.

The wind rustled through the bamboo forest, creating a soft, whispering sound, and the faint ringing of a copper bell could be heard in the distance.

Qiu Yihe paused, then said seemingly casually, "Thank you for earlier..."

Seeing that she had finally gotten to the point, Jiang Cheng turned around and stared intently at her:

"So, when are you going to thank me?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Yihe recalled his earlier words in the lobby, where he thanked him for the ball.

Although she was shy, this was a garden, and she was surrounded by so many people.

She wanted to thank him, but there was nothing she could do.

This somewhat shameless idea actually made her relax for a moment.

She suppressed the blush on her face and slightly curled the corners of her mouth.

With a hint of provocation, he said, "Do you always have so many people following you when you go out? With so many people following you, I don't even have a chance to thank you."

Seeing her shrug and look helpless, Jiang Cheng smiled wryly.

Just as Qiu Yihe was walking forward smugly, Jiang Cheng waved to Chen Ping and the others.

Upon receiving Jiang Cheng's signal, the group followed his pace, increasing their distance from a few meters to over ten meters.

Jiang Cheng looked at the road and followed Qiu Yihe, then led her in another direction.

At this moment, Qiu Yihe was unaware of the change in direction, and even looked at Jiang Cheng in a good mood: "Can I ask you a question?"

"No!" Jiang Cheng refused outright.

Jiang Cheng could tell at a glance that this expression wasn't a good one.

Qiu Yihe rolled her eyes at her words: "Why don't you play by the rules...? Tell me honestly, are you feeling guilty...?"

Jiang Cheng scoffed.

Feeling guilty? My brother Cheng would feel guilty?

"Okay, you ask me a question, and I'll ask you one too..."

"Okay, I'll ask first..."

Seeing Jiang Cheng make a "bring it on" gesture, Qiu Yihe stared straight at Jiang Cheng: "Why are you such a jerk?"

Hearing this, Jiang Cheng was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

Well, here comes another one who calls themselves a jerk!