Chapter 650: I Don’t Want to Live in the Zoo Anymore
Chapter 650: Chapter 650: I Don’t Want to Live in the Zoo Anymore
Despite the tempting food, Hope remained completely unfazed, its eyes filled with a desire for revenge against the liar.
’Hmph! I’m not eating. I’m going to starve myself to death!’
The one-minute prop card had already expired, so Renee Jennings spent another 50 points on a new ’Animal Heart Sound Prop Card’.
Hearing Hope’s thoughts about starving itself, Renee Jennings took a few steps forward and tentatively asked, "Hope, why do you want to starve yourself?"
Hope, which had been lying listlessly on the ground, instantly moved its head at the sound of Renee Jennings’s voice.
It tilted its head, staring at Renee Jennings.
’Huh, a pretty lady.’
’How does the pretty lady know I’m trying to starve myself, I wonder?’
Renee Jennings moved a little closer and said in a gentle voice, "Hope, I also know that a liar tricked you."
Upon hearing this, Hope’s dark pupils instantly contracted, and a look of shock appeared on its fluffy face.
It finally opened its mouth and let out a frantic cry, "Huh? You... H-how do you know?"
’I think this is our first time meeting the pretty lady. How could she know?’
"I can hear your thoughts," Renee Jennings said, slowly squatting down beside the Breeder. "You won’t even eat these delicious, tender bamboo shoots. Is it because you were tricked?"
Hope leaped up agilely, blinking its eyes and whimpering pitifully, "Pretty lady, you know everything?"
"I know all about it. Were you wronged, Hope?" Renee Jennings’s tone grew even gentler. "Will you tell me about it?"
"WAAAH..." Hope whimpered, burying its head in Renee Jennings’s arms. "Pretty lady, you have to kelp me!"
A smile touched Renee Jennings’s lips as she stroked its fluffy head. "You just say the word, Hope. I’ll definitely *help*."
Just then, a visitor in the viewing area let out a gasp of surprise.
"Quick, look! It’s that famous pretty animal streamer from the internet!"
"Ahh! It’s her! It’s really her!"
"Did the zoo ask her to come communicate with Hope?"
"Aww, Hope jumped right into her arms! I’m so jealous!"
"I hope Hope gets better soon!"
"..."
Hope looked up at Renee Jennings, barking excitedly. "The nanny-dad lied to this panda! He’s a liar, a big fat liar! I’m never going to be friends with him again!"
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow. Pointing to the Breeder beside them, she asked, "Hope, is this the nanny-dad you’re talking about?"
The Breeder looked completely bewildered. He thought Hope’s refusal to eat and drink was because of him, and his heart leaped into his throat.
’Am I going to lose my job?’
’That’s not right. What could I possibly have lied to Hope about?’
Hope looked at the Breeder, shook its head, and barked again, "Not him! The liar! He tricked me so, so badly!"
Seeing it shake its head, the Breeder let out a sigh of relief.
"How many breeders are there in the Panda Pavilion?" Renee Jennings asked.
The Breeder replied, "Three in total, including me. The other two are younger. One is Fletcher, and the other is Dawson. She’s a girl."
Renee Jennings nodded. "Then it must be Fletcher."
Dawson was a girl, and Hope had mentioned a "nanny-dad."
"Hope, how did the nanny-dad trick you?"
"He said if I was good and ate my food and slept well and grew up big, he’d take me outside to play!" Hope huffed angrily. "But I’m already this big, and the nanny-dad still hasn’t taken me out to play! I’ve waited for so, so many days!"
With that, it buried its face in Renee Jennings’s arms and began to sob again.
Its puffed-up, angry appearance was just too adorable.
A hint of amusement flickered in Renee Jennings’s eyes. "So that’s what happened."
Fletcher had only said it casually to coax Hope, but the panda had taken it to heart. Every day, it ate and slept obediently, trying hard to grow up, but after waiting and waiting, it never saw Fletcher take it out to play.
Hope’s little tantrum had likely been building day by day. When it finally became certain that the nanny-dad wasn’t really going to take it out to play, it got completely furious.
"What did Fletcher do?" the Breeder asked, looking both curious and confused. "How did he get Hope this angry?"
No wonder Hope refused to eat any of the food Fletcher gave it.
When he and Dawson fed it, it would still occasionally eat a little.
"Fletcher told Hope that as long as it was good, ate its food, slept well, and grew up big, he’d take it out to play," Renee Jennings explained. "Hope took it seriously and waited every day for Fletcher to take it out. When he never did, it got mad."
"So that’s it." The Breeder found it amusing, his gaze on Hope full of affection. "Baby Hope, you’ve misunderstood your Nanny-dad Fletcher."
"Huh?" Hope lifted its head from Renee Jennings’s embrace and looked at the Breeder in confusion. "How did I misunderstand? He’s a liar, a big fat liar!"
Renee Jennings relayed Hope’s accusation.
The Breeder grew even more amused. Taking Hope’s paw, he explained with a grin, "Hope, you’re the little master of this zoo. We come to work here to take care of you. It’s not that we don’t want to take you out to play, it’s that we don’t have the authority to do so. The zoo wouldn’t allow it."
"Why?" Hope furrowed its brow and barked unhappily. "Who is ’the zoo,’ and why are they so mean? I hate the zoo! Hmph!"
The amusement in Renee Jennings’s eyes deepened as she explained to Hope what a "zoo" was.
Hope seemed to fall into deep thought.
It was silent and didn’t make a peep.
The Breeder watched its reaction curiously.
After a moment, Hope made a momentous decision. "In that case, I don’t want to live at the zoo anymore! I’m leaving!"
Renee Jennings: "..."
She said helplessly, "Hope, this is your home."
Hope: "Then I’m running away from home!"
Renee Jennings’s expression softened. She said gently, "Hope, how about this? Why don’t you eat something first, and then we can talk more about what to do, okay?"
"Okay, then." Hope nodded its little head obediently. "I’ll listen to the pretty lady. The pretty lady smells so nice."
"You’re such a good panda, Hope." Renee Jennings smiled, taking a tender bamboo shoot from the Breeder and holding it out.
The visitors in the viewing area watched nervously, afraid that Hope would continue its hunger strike.
Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, Hope reached out its paw, grabbed the tender bamboo shoot, and started chomping away.
"That’s great! Hope is finally eating!"
"I just wonder if it’ll eat a bit more. It’s gotten so thin."
"So what’s really going on with Hope? Will the zoo give an official explanation?"
After Hope finished the bamboo shoot, Renee Jennings handed it a carrot.
The little fella obediently took it and ate it.
After finishing the carrot, Renee Jennings followed up with an apple.
"Wow, Hope is eating so much today!"
"Awesome! Let’s hope it puts that weight back on!"
"This is such a heartwarming sight~"
"Looks like this animal streamer really knows her stuff. I’m going to check out her stream later."
Renee Jennings could hear the visitors murmuring, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
While Hope was engrossed in its meal, she took out her phone, dialed Director Gomez’s number, and relayed what she had learned.
"Hope wants to go play outside?"