At the same time.
Just as Su Xingyang was hoping that Zhou Yu would realize something was wrong and rush to his rescue, someone else was enjoying the sight of mandarin ducks playing in the lake with the beauty beside him.
"Zhou Yu, people say mandarin ducks only have one mate for life. Do you think that's true or false?" Su Yuyan's eyes trembled slightly as she gazed at the mandarin ducks in the lake, filled with envy. The ancients often spoke of wishing to be birds flying side by side in the heavens, or trees with intertwined branches on earth. Mandarin ducks were animals greatly admired by ancient scholars, as if they were the epitome of a perfect partner. The idea of having only one mate for life sounded remarkable. Humans, compared to them, seemed both sentimental and unfeeling.
"That's just the ancient people's yearning for beautiful love. In reality, mandarin ducks are social animals, and there are more females in the population," Zhou Yu explained. Humans often project their hopes for ideal things onto other entities, and one of the objects of projection for perfect love was the mandarin duck, symbolizing unwavering loyalty. Unfortunately, the reality was contrary to human expectations. While mandarin ducks didn't frequently change partners, they definitely had more than one mate in their lifetime. Many people today are misled by scholars. Take, for example, those melancholic ancient ghost stories; the male leads were usually scholars. Why scholars? Because the people who wrote those stories were predominantly scholars! Consequently, many ancient texts also contained distortions of facts. Otherwise, the distinction between unofficial and official histories wouldn't exist in Long Country.
"Ah? Is that so?" Su Yuyan was slightly stunned. She had no idea that the rumor of mandarin ducks having only one mate for life was false. Of course, she had never considered that Zhou Yu could only have one woman by his side. Su Yuyan's question was purely an emotional response to seeing the mandarin ducks.
"Human nature is complex, and animals are the same. Therefore, in interactions between people, it's inevitable to encounter friction. Why is it that some couples start out well, but once they get married, it's difficult for them to get along harmoniously? This is one of the reasons," Zhou Yu added. When he was in the Desolate Sea's Heavy Prison, he had seen many relatives visiting prisoners. Those scenes were far from the tearful gazes most people imagined. More often, there were arguments and estrangements. Wives unwilling to wait for their imprisoned husbands, children refusing to recognize their parents – these were common occurrences. If this was the case for family, what about couples who were not yet family?
Hearing this, Su Yuyan fell silent. She thought of her own father and mother. But she quickly pushed the unpleasant thoughts away. "We're different from others, because we are already husband and wife," Su Yuyan said with a smile. She and Zhou Yu had gotten their marriage certificate faster than most eloped couples, so they hadn't experienced any friction.
"Yes, we are already husband and wife." Zhou Yu nodded. Then, pointing in another direction, he said, "Let's go check over there." He didn't want to continue this topic. There were many other animals in the zoo, and some large enclosures specifically for visitors, such as the panda house, reptile house, and ape house...
Soon, Zhou Yu and Su Yuyan arrived at Wolf Mountain.
"Zhou Yu, how about we feed them something too?" Wolf Mountain had designated feeding spots for visitors, and Su Yuyan's heart stirred as she watched others feeding the animals. The meat was specially prepared by the zoo, not brought by visitors. This was a thoughtful arrangement. Su Yuyan remembered her last visit to the zoo was over ten years ago, before her mother left. However, there were no designated feeding spots for meat back then. Since she was here now, Su Yuyan didn't want to leave with any regrets.
"No problem, I'll go with you." Zhou Yu was actually a little tempted as well. But his mind was filled with images of killing wild wolves. When his old master took him out on missions, they had encountered a pack of wild wolves. Zhou Yu was only fifteen or sixteen then, not yet eighteen. To temper him, his old master had assigned the task of clearing the wolf pack solely to him. One could imagine how nervous and anxious Zhou Yu must have felt facing a pack of hungry wolves that hadn't eaten for ten to fifteen days. However, he knew that such an opportunity was rare. "Either I live, or they do. Either they fill their stomachs, or my face is stained with wolf blood." Even though Zhou Yu knew his old master would intervene instantly if he were in danger, he wanted to remind himself that there was no retreat this time! He was alone! He absolutely had to survive! With this thought, Zhou Yu fought with the pack of hungry wolves for two full hours! Until he was exhausted and collapsed into his old master's arms.
"Zhou Yu?" Su Yuyan called out softly when she saw Zhou Yu lost in thought. She didn't know what the man beside her was thinking about.
"It's nothing, let's go." Zhou Yu shook his head, then took her hand and joined the queue at the back. Su Yuyan's hand was held by him, her face flushed, looking radiant. Clearly, both her brother-in-law and cousin had temporarily forgotten about a certain someone...
...
On a certain avenue in Yunhai.
A black car was speeding towards a location in the suburbs. In the car's trunk, Su Xingyang and An Nuo were tightly bound, unable to move. An Nuo was filled with regret. She had thought it was just a small commission, but she hadn't expected to get caught up in it herself. The mysterious man not only intended to kidnap Su Xingyang but also wouldn't let her go.
"Miss An Nuo, you didn't honestly think you could leave unscathed after discovering my plan, did you?" About ten minutes ago, the man in the black robe had said this to her, and then, to her astonished gaze, knocked her unconscious. Su Xingyang had passed out even earlier. When An Nuo woke up, she found herself lying in darkness, with another person beside her. Without a doubt, that person was Su Xingyang.
Since her hands and feet were bound tightly and her mouth was taped shut, An Nuo could only move her body to bump against him. She tried to wake Su Xingyang by bumping him. The force was small, but An Nuo had no other choice. Finally, amidst muffled sounds, An Nuo stopped moving. Following the direction of the sound, she positioned herself and brought her mouth near Su Xingyang's chin. Then, she performed an indescribable maneuver. A while later.
"An Nuo?" Su Xingyang called out softly. An Nuo grunted, her only response. So, Su Xingyang blindly fumbled and used his teeth to tear off An Nuo's mouth tape.
"I'm sorry..." As soon as she could speak, An Nuo apologized, tears streaming down her face. Su Xingyang remained silent. After a long pause, he sighed and comforted her, "It's okay, I know you didn't want this. You were just used by someone with ill intentions. Just wait, my brother-in-law will come to save us!"
"Who is your brother-in-law? Is he very powerful?" An Nuo's crying subsided a little.