Su Zhantao, seated beside her, caught the movement and froze instantly, staring vacantly at Yang Ling.

His expression, combined with his earlier behavior, made it obvious to everyone that he was interested in Yang Ling, though they merely smiled, and no one commented on it.

Among the group, only Long Cheng and Huang Hai were older than Yang Ling; both were already married. The rest, Wang Chen and Li Ya, disliked relationships with significant age gaps favoring the woman.

With no actual competition, everyone naturally just observed the situation, nobody truly cared.

"Zhang Yang, you little rascal, you are simply too adorable. If you keep taking it out with you, incidents like today are bound to happen again!"

Yang Ling set down her coffee cup and spoke with a smile. Everyone else immediately focused their gazes on Zhang Yang's arms, where Shandian was nestled.

Everyone subconsciously nodded in agreement with Yang Ling, except for Zhang Yang. She was right; this little creature was the catalyst for today’s events. They disliked that nouveau riche, but they hadn't intended to clash with him before. Without Shandian, they would have simply left, and the conflict would never have arisen.

Zhang Yang glanced down at Shandian, who was still sound asleep, and gave a wry smile. "I understand, but unfortunately, this little one has to stay with me. There’s nothing I can do!"

Entrusting Shandian to anyone else to look after was completely out of the question; doing so would be criminal, deliberate harm, perhaps even murder.

Yet, locking it up again was something Zhang Yang couldn't bear to do. After being outside, the little creature was extremely reluctant to return to its cage, and Zhang Yang sympathized—who would willingly spend all their time locked up?

"That will be troublesome. This little one has too much drawing power, Zhang Yang; you’re going to face a lot of trouble in the future!"

Su Zhantao added, having personally experienced the profound effect this creature had.

Strictly speaking, they hadn't even spent a full day in Shanghai yet, and they had already faced two separate incidents where someone tried to buy this pet sable. If they stayed longer, no one could guarantee how many more such events would occur.

One thing was certain: similar incidents would definitely keep happening in the future.

"It doesn't matter. What's a little trouble? Are we the kind of people who shy away from trouble? If you had such a cute and beloved pet, which one of you would keep it locked up at home all the time?"

Long Cheng suddenly interjected, his voice quite loud, causing everyone to instinctively look at him.

Yang Ling nodded somewhat unnaturally. Long Cheng was right; with such an adorable pet sable, she would hold it constantly, unwilling to let go. What others envied was none of her business.

"Brother Cheng is right! We can't let this little one suffer just because we fear trouble. When did we brothers become so timid?"

Wang Chen shouted in agreement. This guy always seemed eager for chaos.

However, his point was valid, and everyone nodded again. Possessing something valuable was a testament to their capabilities. These were all proud individuals who truly didn't fear this kind of hassle.

Shandian suddenly woke up, jumped onto the table, squinted its eyes, and gave a smile toward Wang Chen, holding up its little paws in a gesture of respect.

It seemed to have understood Wang Chen’s words, realizing this person was speaking up for it, ensuring it wouldn't be wronged.

Its mannerisms astonished everyone. Such an intelligent, clever, and incredibly cute pet sable was something they had never seen before. The group immediately started playing with Shandian.

Wang Chen offered Shandian a few small pastries, but the creature refused to humor him. Instead, it trotted over to Zhang Yang, sat on the table, and held out its paws.

It wore that same goofy, placating smile, which drew peals of laughter from everyone. At that moment, they were even more aligned with Long Cheng and Wang Chen’s sentiment: even if trouble followed, they would not let this little one be mistreated.

"You greedy thing."

Zhang Yang gently shook his head and pulled a pill from his canvas bag, tossing it over.

Shandian caught the pill instantly, crunched it happily between its teeth, making everyone laugh again.

Seven people and one long-tailed sable filled the private room with laughter. Fortunately, the soundproofing was excellent; outsiders couldn't hear a thing.

After a brief rest, the group headed back to the hotel.

Since they had lost the mood to look at cars, they decided to go back and relax, rescheduling for the afternoon.

Though the day had seen an unexpected incident, it had also brought everyone closer. Zhang Yang knew that the main credit for this unity belonged to Long Cheng.

Long Cheng truly proved to be a capable leader. From the very beginning, he never abandoned anyone, treating them all as a single unit.

When problems arose, he was the first to step up. Although he hadn't thrown a punch, it was his subduing of the two bodyguards that gave Su Zhantao the opening to teach a lesson; otherwise, Su Zhantao would have been the one disciplined.

At the coffee house, when Yang Ling suggested Zhang Yang shouldn't bring the long-tailed sable out, Long Cheng was the first to oppose it.

These actions seemed minor, but they demonstrated that Long Cheng genuinely cared for everyone. No wonder even proud individuals like Huang Hai, Wang Chen, and Li Ya were utterly convinced by him.

This respect wasn't due to Long Cheng's family background but his personal charisma.

Shandian also seemed much more energized. On the way back, it stopped clinging to just one person and instead leaped playfully across everyone. As they walked, the snow-white pet sable continuously bounded from one person to another, drawing curious stares from many onlookers.

Shandian’s behavior intensified the group’s affection for it. Now, no one mentioned that Zhang Yang shouldn't take it out. If anyone else dared to covet it, the opposition wouldn't just be Zhang Yang alone, but all of them.

After resting at the hotel, it was soon time for lunch.

This meal wasn't taken at the hotel. The group drove to a small, non-descript restaurant.

According to Long Cheng, this restaurant’s wild game was excellent, and they made a point to eat there several times whenever they visited Shanghai; the food was far superior to the hotel fare.

Except for Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao, everyone else had clearly been here before, making a beeline for the entrance as soon as they got out of the car.

Zhang Yang paused to look at the exterior. The restaurant was small and rather secluded. It was a three-story building with a rather large sign spanning all three floors.

The restaurant’s name was 'Deyi Restaurant' (, 'Proudly Content Restaurant'). It sounded ordinary, but the vehicles parked outside were anything but—alongside regular cars, there were several high-end models like Mercedes and BMWs.

This place was clearly living up to the adage that good wine needs no bush—reputation transcends location.

"Boss Niu, where is everyone?"

Upon entering, there was a passage leading into a courtyard. Long Cheng shouted upon entry. Wang Chen and Li Ya immediately headed toward a room off to the side.

Su Zhantao was pulled along with them, and Zhang Yang followed after entering.

It was a plain side room with a single metal door outside. There was no one at the entrance. Opening it revealed a somewhat dim interior.

However, a young man inside saw Wang Chen and the others and immediately broke into a smile, greeting them. Wang Chen was clearly a repeat customer here.

"Little Niu, do you have bear paws today?"

Seeing the young man, Wang Chen immediately asked, his eyes scanning the room.

Zhang Yang was slightly stunned, then glanced at the various large and small cages scattered around the room, each containing different animals, and instantly understood the situation.

These cages housed all sorts of wild animals: pangolins, swans, monkeys, and more. Many of these were protected species explicitly forbidden from consumption.

However, where there are policies, there are countermeasures. Many people craved wild delicacies, giving rise to clandestine establishments specializing in such trade. This place was likely one of them.

"We do. Young Master Wang, you have good luck; we just received a shipment of bear paws. I’ll have my dad prepare them for you later!"

The young man replied cheerfully. Wang Chen smiled in satisfaction. Bear paws were the specialty here, but they were hard to source, especially wild ones. Wang Chen and his group only ate wild game, and many previous visits had yielded none.

Running into them this time was indeed fortunate.

Shandian, perched on Zhang Yang’s shoulder, suddenly stood up, its eyes constantly sweeping over the cages. A hint of sorrow seemed to cross its tiny face.

The young man also noticed Shandian, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

His family dealt in wild animals; he could tell at a glance that this sable was not domesticated, but wild. Such a wild sable alone was worth over a thousand yuan, and a dish made from it could fetch several thousand.

"Squeak!"

Shandian sensed the young man’s ill-intentioned gaze and let out a few fierce barks toward him.

Zhang Yang quickly grabbed it. This little creature couldn't afford to lose its temper; if it did, no one could control it, and someone was guaranteed to suffer.

"Little Niu, I know what you're thinking. Don't you dare lay a finger on this little one, or someone will tear this place apart, and it won't be just one person!"

Wang Chen warned the young man again, having noticed the youth’s look at Shandian and the way Shandian was glaring back at him.

Wang Chen knew exactly what kind of place this was and understood the young man’s intentions, which was precisely why he said those words.

Shandian was currently the collective darling of the group; anyone who dared scheme against it would face their wrath, and Wang Chen would be at the forefront of the defense.

"I understand, I understand. Wild little sables aren't easy to tame, and this one is so beautiful!"

Little Niu nodded quickly, remarking in awe, also surprised that they possessed a pet sable that was wild.

They dealt with wild animals constantly and knew best how difficult it was to tame them, unless one had been with them since infancy, forming a deep bond.

Shandian suddenly stopped glaring at him. The entire body of the sable stood rigid on Zhang Yang’s shoulder, its eyes constantly darting around.

Its demeanor caught Zhang Yang’s attention. Shandian seemed very tense, showing an expression Zhang Yang hadn't seen since the creature chose to follow him.

Shandian abruptly jumped down from Zhang Yang’s shoulder, hopped over a few of the cages, and finally landed near a small, protruding cage, where it squatted down, staring motionless at the creature inside... Second update, good morning friends.

Little Yu noticed we are less than 28 votes behind the second place. With just twenty-something votes, I believe that with your support, we can surpass them soon. After holding third place for so long, can we climb into second?

Whether we can hold that position depends on all of you. Little Yu is going back to write; the next chapter will be updated soon, revealing what Shandian discovered... RQ