Chapter 1.2

Mu Ling initially didn’t understand why her great-aunt had left the zoo to her. She assumed it was out of love for animals and a desire to see the zoo flourish.

Now, she finally grasped the truth. Her great-aunt had made exaggerated promises to the Shenwang Star government, tricked them into providing funding and benefits, then abruptly closed the zoo, leaving behind a complete mess!

So Mu Ling was essentially here to pay off her family’s debt. If she ran away now, her entire family would be labeled as con artists!

Mu Ling felt a slight headache coming on. The problem was, she had no idea how to run a zoo. The lawyer had mentioned two employees still working at the zoo whom she could consult. She planned to discuss the situation with them once they met.

Outside, the sun blazed mercilessly.

Having struck up a conversation with the supermarket owner, Mu Ling decided to stay in the cool store while waiting for Wei Li, the zoo employee coming to pick her up.

Seeing that Mu Ling wasn’t leaving, the owner revealed his true intentions. He subtly moved to another counter and said, “Miss, we seem to get along well. Why not buy a few souvenirs from our tourist area? I’ve got everything—postcards, stuffed toys with the park’s logo, even these cute potted plants. They’re specially cultivated by botanical garden experts. Just add water, and they’ll even bloom!”

Mu Ling: “…”

So, your friendliness comes with a price tag…

Unsure how long she’d be waiting, Mu Ling felt guilty about only buying water. She looked around and eventually purchased a small potted plant. Tourist price: seventy-eight star coins.

Thrilled by her purchase, the owner immediately began recommending even more expensive gift sets.

Mu Ling: “…”

Feeling overwhelmed, Mu Ling quickly grabbed her luggage, clutched the little plant, and fled the store.

Thankfully, she didn’t endure the scorching sun for long. Her ride arrived soon after.

The vehicle was a cargo truck plastered with monkey and leopard stickers, sporting the “Bi Ke Zoo” logo. Clearly, it belonged to the zoo.

A tall, muscular, and slightly tanned young man in his twenties stepped out.

He greeted her enthusiastically: “You must be Director Mu! Sorry for the wait.”

Mu Ling quickly shook his hand, assuring him she had just arrived.

They got into the truck. With no air conditioning, Mu Ling felt a bit hot.

Wei Li seemed embarrassed. “It’s only a 15-minute drive up the mountain. Turning the air conditioning on and off wastes too much electricity…”

Mu Ling understood. They were trying to save money. After closing, the zoo’s funds must be low.

She quickly said, “It’s fine, I’m not too hot. Besides, it’s cooler up on the mountain, right?”

Wei Li smiled. “It is cooler up there. There’s a mountain breeze. Except for the hottest days, we usually don’t need air conditioning.”

Mu Ling nodded, relieved. Her biggest concern was the heat.

Wei Li continued, “Lawyer Xu told us a new director was coming, but I couldn’t believe it until now. You’re young and capable, Director Mu—you’ll surely lead our zoo to new heights!”

Mu Ling: “…”

What was going on? Why was he suddenly flattering her?

As he drove, Wei Li kept talking: “Now that we have someone in charge, we can work with more motivation. The animals need their vaccines for September, and we must stock up on feed. We’ve only got enough for three more days. The heat makes it hard to store supplies, but we still need to buy supplies…”

Mu Ling: “…”

So the flattery was to hint that she needed to spend money…

Cautiously, Mu Ling asked, “Brother Wei, how much money is left in the zoo’s account?”

Wei Li: “We’re in the red by 52,000.”

Mu Ling: “…”

What?!

She arrived only to find they were already in debt?

Wei Li glanced at her. “Actually, we’ve been out of funds for a while. We have 102 animals, and their feed costs a lot daily. That 52,000 debt was covered by Xiang, the other employee. If you hadn’t come, we’d have had to take side jobs just to keep the zoo running.”

Mu Ling: “…”

But even with her here, it wasn’t like she could help. She was broke too…

Wei Li asked, “Director, are we planning to reopen? When will that be?”

Indeed, no matter how much she wanted to avoid it, reopening was the only way to make money.

Mu Ling wiped her face, her expression suddenly fierce: “Immediately! Right away! The sooner, the better!”

Wei Li: “…”