"What do you mean by telling me all this?"
Chen Qi's gaze was firm. "I want to remind you, you can't possibly win against the Director. I will help you all escape. Until I get the key, please don't act rashly!"
"He's your father, why are you opposing him?"
"Do you think I popped out of a rock? Think about it, why have you never heard me mention my mother?"
Ning Wei felt as if she had stumbled upon a monumental secret. "Your mother, wasn't she also… by that mad Director?"
"Besides the animals used for experiments, the very first successful animal in the zoo, in the truest sense, was the giant panda. That is, my mother."
"I still remember the day she had the accident. It was pouring rain, and she was drugged by a cup of tea from my father. Then a group of people carried her to the operating room. On another bed lay a complete panda skin. I was outside the operating room and heard sounds from hell, along with the celebratory cheers of a group of people."
"So you've been staying in the panda enclosure all this time to be by her side?"
Chen Qi glanced towards the panda enclosure. "Yes. So, please believe me. The Director has his eye on you. Be careful. If necessary, you can turn on him."
"Thank you for the reminder!"
After their conversation, the two parted ways, each heading in a different direction, afraid of being discovered by the Director.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, they encountered the second batch of employees coming in for a meal.
Mei Nan and her group were eating very slowly, intentionally waiting for Ning Wei to join them.
Chen Qi entered with the other employees, so apart from Ning Wei's group, no one knew that he and Ning Wei had secretly spoken.
After getting her food, Ning Wei squeezed in beside Tang Tang, and they ate and chatted merrily, just like any other day.
The Director and Deputy Director were the last to enter. The Director deliberately walked past Chen Qi's table and coughed, as if by accident.
This was a signal only Chen Qi understood. His expression darkened further.
Ning Wei, seated two tables away, also saw the exchange. If Chen Qi had told her the truth, then this cough was a signal urging Chen Qi to act quickly.
After Ning Wei and her group finished their meal, they moved together, determined to prevent any more passengers from being harmed.
On the way, Ning Wei recounted Chen Qi's words to everyone.
"So, you're saying everyone here, except us, is a bad guy?" Zhu Yulian quickly confirmed with Ning Wei.
Ning Wei nodded.
"From now on, no one acts alone. We go to work together, leave work together, and eat together. During work hours, if the Director intends to do anything, inform others quickly at night. This will facilitate rescue!" Mei Nan said to everyone.
Although this approach was too obvious, it was the safest course of action.
Back in their dormitory, Ning Wei lay on her bed, contemplating whether Chen Qi's words were trustworthy.
Tang Tang suddenly came to her bedside. "Is there something else you didn't tell me today?"
Ning Wei was about to deny it when Tang Tang continued, "Are you being targeted? Otherwise, why would Chen Qi approach you? Also, at dinner today, I saw the Director make eye contact with Chen Qi, and then he looked at you."
Ning Wei sighed and sat up. "Alright. The Director is indeed interested in me. He probably wants to make me into some kind of mermaid or something."
Tang Tang, annoyed, pushed her. "When is this, and you're still joking?"
"Don't worry, the Director won't be able to touch me, not even a little bit."
Although Ning Wei was very resolute, Tang Tang still felt uneasy.
The next morning, everyone was indeed waiting downstairs to go to the cafeteria together before starting work.
The Director stood by the office window, holding a cup of hot tea, watching the group walk away together.
Ning Wei felt a gaze fixed on her back. She knew it was the Director.
With her usual temperament, she would have already glared back.
However, remembering Chen Qi's warning, she resisted the urge to turn around.
After the group had walked a considerable distance, the Director, furious, smashed his thermos cup and slapped Chen Qi across the face.
A red finger imprint instantly appeared on Chen Qi's face, but he dared not resist, not even reaching up to touch it.
His face burned, and his mind felt muddled.
"You know very well why I hit you, don't you?"
Chen Qi nodded.
"Do you have feelings for that woman?"
Chen Qi's expression remained unchanged, and he shook his head.
"I just think we have enough animals, and we don't need to increase their number. After all, we only have so many staff, and everyone is already busy."
"This woman knows our secret. She absolutely cannot be allowed to live!" the Director's voice boomed.
Chen Qi feigned ignorance. "If she truly knows our secret, why hasn't she escaped yet? Are you mistaken?"
"Chen Qi!" The Director would not tolerate his words being doubted.
"I'll give you one day. If you can't get her to the operating room, then I will..."
Chen Qi looked up, meeting the Director's eyes. "You will what?"
The Director was taken aback. He knew his son hated him for transforming his mother into the zoo's first giant panda.
But at that time, the zoo was in a precarious situation, needing a high-profile animal to draw crowds. And there was no suitable person available, so he set his sights on his wife.
He had intended to proceed with this secretly, away from Chen Qi. But unexpectedly, Chen Qi had woken up in the middle of the night and found his way to the operating room.
It was precisely for this reason that Chen Qi had remained in the panda enclosure ever since.
Looking at this child who resembled his wife, the Director's emotions were complex.
In the end, it was the father who relented. "This zoo will be yours in the future. Everything I'm doing now is for you."
"If it's for me, then why are you unwilling to teach me the skin-grafting technique? You wouldn't even let me observe the surgery?"
"It was too bloody inside. I was looking out for you!" the Director quickly explained.
But Chen Qi didn't believe him. He knew his father had always been wary of him, and even feared him!
"If you don't teach me, how will I manage the zoo in the future? Without this skill, how will the other employees obey me?"
The Director was speechless, as Chen Qi's argument was valid.
However, he was unsure if his son was truly on his side, so he dared not take the risk and refused to teach him!
"You dare not teach me?" Chen Qi directly exposed the Director's inner thoughts.
"Why wouldn't I dare? You are my son. If not you, then who else would I teach?"
"Very well. As long as you are willing to teach me, I will make Ning Wei my first successful creation. I will keep her in a cage, well-fed and cared for her entire life, just like my mother!"
The Director frowned. "You still say you have no feelings for her?"