"Chen Ziming, you're not being fair. Playing is playing, messing around is messing around, but don't bring my Empress into it," Jin Yan's tone became more subdued as he handed over the bag. Then he added, "You're carrying Yueyue's bag for her, don't you understand basic courtesy?"
The three of them were speechless.
"Give it to me. You don't need to carry it. I specifically brought this bag to match my outfit, and it only contains my phone and lipstick. It's not heavy at all," she whispered to Chen Ziming.
"Okay." He placed the bag on her lap.
"My dear, you're too sensible! Alas!" Jin Yan spoke again upon seeing this, his words carrying a hint of disappointment.
Chen Ziming ignored him. Instead, Ren Siyuan suddenly recalled something and asked,
"Is Liang Mu coming? Remember to carry her bag for her when the time comes."
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
Jin Yan's expression changed. The careless smile that had been on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by seriousness and irritation.
He didn't respond to Ren Siyuan's words and turned his head away.
A moment of quiet finally settled in the car.
Su Yue felt as if she had heard this name before. Recalling carefully, she remembered Jin Yan mentioning it to Chen Ziming the last time he went out to dinner, when she was pretending to be drunk.
She seemed to be Jin Yan's girlfriend, but he didn't seem to like her?
The car soon reached its destination, and the four got out.
Coincidentally, Jin Yan's phone also rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, a look of extreme impatience appearing on his face, and he hung up directly.
"Is that Liang Mu?" Ren Siyuan asked.
"Yes," he replied perfunctorily, then took out a cigarette pack from his pocket. "I'm going for a smoke. You guys go ahead and explore."
Did he dislike this Liang Mu that much?
"Yueyue?" Chen Ziming saw her staring blankly at Jin Yan's retreating figure, understanding her confusion, and gently called her name with his head bowed.
"Hm?" She snapped back to attention.
"Let's go play first," he said to Su Yue, while also glancing at Ren Siyuan.
The latter understood and left with them.
Su Yue's attention was quickly captured by the animals. The small zoo was beautifully constructed, with indoor areas for close contact with gentle animals and outdoor enclosures for larger ones.
The zookeepers distributed straw hats to each of them, preventing small animals from jumping onto their heads and pulling their hair.
"Why don't you take some pictures for me?" Her urge to take photos finally surfaced.
Chen Ziming smiled and complied.
It took dozens of photos before Su Yue was satisfied, after which she took out her phone to carefully select and edit them.
Seeing that she was no longer interested in watching the animals, the two men simply went to the rest area to sit down.
"Regarding the case I mentioned to you last time, hasn't the prosecutor's office filed the lawsuit yet?" Chen Ziming asked first.
"They are still submitting materials to the court. It will be soon," Ren Siyuan replied, then added with great interest,
"With such a significant contribution this time, shouldn't you be awarded another commendation?"
Chen Ziming smiled faintly and said, "There aren't that many awards to be given. The ministry is also facing significant personnel changes, and no one has the energy to manage such matters."
Although he was an intern, his position was within the ministry. If an award were to be given, the order would naturally come from the ministry.
"Your public security faces changes, and our prosecutor's office is not peaceful either. Speaking of which, will the old man be able to advance further this time?"
Ren Siyuan's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of mystery.
Su Yue's body stiffened imperceptibly.
The man beside her naturally noticed but did not expose it. After a few seconds of silence, he avoided the question and replied,
"Do you want to go see how Jin Yan is doing?"
Ren Siyuan also realized that the topic was too sensitive and was genuinely concerned about Jin Yan's state. He nodded, got up, and left.
Seeing him leave, Chen Ziming turned his head to look at the girl beside him. Seeing that she was still carefully editing photos, he chuckled softly and asked in a low voice,
"My dear, are you satisfied with my photography skills?"
Su Yue, while seemingly editing photos, was still replaying their earlier conversation. Asked by him, she was stunned for a moment before casually replying,
"It's okay."
A little proud, a little distracted.
However, she soon thought of another matter, concerning Jin Yan and Liang Mu.
She was truly curious.