Yang Lin had initially assumed the giant ape before him was a mutated, fully grown black-crowned gibbon.
After all, its size and appearance didn't suggest a juvenile animal.
But now, it seemed he had misjudged.
And not by a small margin.
The colossal creature before him wasn't just not adult; it was actually quite young.
More importantly, it was incredibly timid, easily frightened even by Shidifu.
However, Yang Lin suspected its extreme timidity was likely related to its experiences within its own troop.
Even a human can develop psychological issues from being ostracized by peers since childhood, let alone a young beast like this.
With no other option, Yang Lin had to try and comfort it. After over an hour of gentle reassurance, the giant ape finally began to accept its new environment and Shidifu.
"Great Elder, please look after this little one for me. I'll go get it something to eat. It's quite pitiful, probably bullied within its troop all the time."
Hearing Yang Lin's words, Great Elder nodded repeatedly.
"Go ahead. This little... this big fellow is in my care."
As he spoke, Yang Lin left the orangutan enclosure. When he returned, he was pushing a small cart.
The cart was piled high with various fruits: bananas, apples, pears, and even two large watermelons.
Upon seeing the abundance of fruit, the giant ape's large black eyes lit up.
But perhaps out of ingrained habit, as soon as its hand reached out, it quickly withdrew, causing Yang Lin a pang of sympathy.
"Eat, eat. These are all for you. No one here will snatch them away from you, and neither will the other animals."
Hearing Yang Lin's assurance, the giant ape cautiously picked up a large watermelon and stuffed it into its mouth.
Seeing the head-sized watermelon explode in its mouth, both Yang Lin and Shidifu felt a chill run down their spines.
"This little guy's mouthful is enough for my whole meal. How did it grow so big?" Shidifu mused, taking a drag from his cigarette.
Seeing this, Yang Lin quickly interjected, "Don't smoke in front of a child. What if it learns?"
Upon hearing Yang Lin, Shidifu's face showed an awkward smile. He casually tossed his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out.
"Right, I haven't named it yet," Yang Lin said, tapping his forehead. He cast his gaze back to the giant ape.
"Great Elder, what do you think would be a good name for it?"
"Given how big it is, how about calling it 'Dazhuang'?" Great Elder replied without hesitation.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Yang Lin's face fell.
"Never mind, I shouldn't have asked you."
"If not Dazhuang, then Er Zhu will do. Look at its legs, they're like two pillars," Great Elder added, clearly not giving up.
"Alright, alright, don't you worry. I'll name it," Yang Lin said, dismissing Great Elder. He once again observed the giant ape's physical characteristics.
Upon noticing its muscles, as hard as diamond, an idea immediately struck him.
"From today onwards, your name is Kong. I hope you can become as strong as your name suggests and soon forget those unpleasant memories of the past."
The giant ape, who had been devouring fruit, suddenly stopped upon hearing the name "Kong."
A flicker of excitement flashed in its large black eyes.
"Kong? Is that my name?"
"Yes, from today, Kong is your name. Your full name is Li Kong. From now on, like all the other animals in the park, you are a member of the Xihong Zoo."
As Yang Lin solemnly declared this, the giant ape, Kong, immediately stood up, pounding its chest and hopping joyfully around the orangutan enclosure.
It was undoubtedly the happiest day of its life.
However, it was unaware that its actions had utterly terrified the group of small monkeys outside.
To the monkeys, whose average height was less than a meter, a colossal being like Kong was nothing short of a monster.
The usually mischievous monkeys immediately scampered back into their nests, thoroughly frightened.
As Kong continued its excited leaps and bounds, Yang Lin quietly withdrew from the orangutan enclosure.
After a full day and night of work, he could finally get some peaceful sleep.
After returning to his room and a quick wash, he immediately collapsed onto his bed.
Some time later, in a daze, he felt something burrow into his covers.
Then, Yang Lin felt a tickle on his face.
When he opened his eyes, a small paw with a pink pad was pressing against his cheek.
"Holy cow!"
Seeing the adorable creature standing on his face, he jolted upright.
The next second, something like a ball of fluff landed in his arms.
Simultaneously, three other small heads emerged from under the covers.
"Phew! It's just you guys. You nearly scared me to death."
As he spoke, Yang Lin scooped up the four little ones into his embrace.
"Meow, meow, meow..."
Soon, the four little ones began to meow.
Looking at their pleading eyes, Yang Lin instantly understood what they wanted.
"You're hungry, aren't you?"
"Wait here, I'll go get some goat milk formula for you."
He carefully placed the four little ones back into the covers and then rolled out of bed.
He found the special goat milk formula for young animals, mixed it with warm water, and began feeding the four little ones in turn.
Perhaps because the four little ones looked so alike, he ended up feeding one of them twice. It wasn't until he noticed that this particular clouded leopard cub's belly was exceptionally round that he realized his mistake.
To avoid further confusion, he found four small collars of different colors and put one on each of the little ones.
"From now on, you're Xiao Huang, you're Xiao Hong, you're Xiao Lü, and you're Xiao Cheng."
"Now, there should be no more mix-ups, right?"
Looking at the four little ones who were now letting out tiny burps, Yang Lin clapped his hands and took two cans of cat food from a nearby shelf.
Just as he poured the two cans of cat food into the metal bowl in front of the mother clouded leopard, a series of exclamations erupted from outside the room.
However, this time, Yang Lin remained remarkably calm.
Without thinking, he knew why it was so lively outside.
Clearly, the tourists had discovered Kong.
Considering Kong might be frightened by the tourists, he quickly put on his clothes and hurried out of the room.