Chapter 446 - 229: Matchmaking for the Leopard! Yang Qi, the Matchmaker
Chapter 446: Chapter 229: Matchmaking for the Leopard! Yang Qi, the Matchmaker
’Eat and drink for free, sleep with a "trophy wife" for free, then just leave without a care in the world, not even looking after the cubs?’
Then again, that’s pretty much in line with the nature of felines.
Male lions, tigers, and leopards in the wild are mostly just responsible for "sowing their seeds." The duty of raising the young falls almost entirely on the females.
Besides, "Hua Hua" is at the Zoo, with professional keepers and a veterinarian team to look after her. She doesn’t need this wild "scumbag leopard" to help raise the cubs.
What the Zoo wanted in the first place was to borrow a high-quality "stud" to enrich its gene pool.
"No problem. It’s a deal."
Yang Qi smiled and nodded. "You stay here for now. Don’t wander off. I’ll go make some arrangements and call for a vehicle to pick you up. Xiaojiu, you stay here and keep it company."
As he spoke, he took out his phone, unlocked the screen, opened the camera, and aimed it at the leopard, which still looked a bit dazed but seemed to be in a good mood at the thought of an "endless supply of good food."
"Don’t move. I’m going to take a picture of you."
Yang Qi said, then quickly pressed the shutter button.
"CLICK! CLICK!"
The faint electronic sound and the sudden flash of light startled the leopard, which was still savoring the memory of the delicious food. It leaped back a step, warily eyeing the "little black box" in Yang Qi’s hand and letting out an uneasy growl from its throat.
’What was that just now?’
"It’s nothing. Just taking a picture as a keepsake, and also to show your ’blind date’ your handsome looks."
Yang Qi explained casually, putting away his phone and checking the photo.
The result was good. Although the lighting was dim, the leopard’s powerful build and colorful coat were clearly visible in the flash. The photo even captured the imposing intensity in its eyes.
"You wait here. I’ll be right back."
Yang Qi said to the leopard, then nodded at Xiaojiu before turning and walking toward the main room of the house.
The leopard watched Yang Qi walk away, then glanced at Xiaojiu, who was perched motionless on the low wall as if asleep. It hesitated for a moment, but still didn’t dare to run off.
It lay down on the spot, flicking its still-numb tail. After a moment’s thought, it faced Xiaojiu’s direction and let out a cautious, low growl, its tone laced with intense curiosity and a desire to curry favor.
’How are you so strong?’
’How can I become as strong as you?’
Xiaojiu didn’t even lift an eyelid, only flicking the tip of its tail again.
Having been gently rebuffed, the leopard awkwardly averted its gaze. It lay on the ground and began to wonder what that "delicious thing" from before was, and what the "trophy wife" female leopard it was about to meet would look like...
...
Meanwhile, Yang Qi pushed open the back door of the main room and walked inside.
"Advisor Yang!"
"How did it go?"
Inside the room, Luo Kaifeng, Yu Bo, and the others immediately stood up, their faces etched with tension and questions.
Just now, they had heard a leopard’s roar from outside, followed by what sounded like a fight. Then it went quiet, and they even saw a camera flash, which made them incredibly anxious.
"How is it? Are you okay?"
Luo Kaifeng looked Yang Qi up and down. Seeing him completely unscathed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"It’s handled."
Yang Qi wore a relaxed smile. "I’ve talked it over with the leopard. It promised not to come down the mountain to steal sheep anymore, and it won’t approach the village to harm people or livestock."
"Really? That’s wonderful!"
Yu Bo let out a long breath, a look of relief washing over his face. "Advisor Yang, you’re truly incredible. You can even communicate with leopards."
"Yeah, that’s amazing! You truly live up to your reputation, Advisor Yang!"
The official from the Forestry Bureau also praised him sincerely.
The others chimed in with agreement.
However, listening to the faint sound of the leopard’s deep breathing from outside, Yu Bo asked doubtfully, "Advisor Yang, why does it sound like the leopard hasn’t left yet?"
"Oh, I asked it to stay for a bit."
Yang Qi explained, a strange smile playing on his lips. "I’m planning to set it up on a date."
"Huh? A date?"
Luo Kaifeng, Yu Bo, and everyone else in the room were all stunned, wondering if they had misheard.
Setting up a leopard on a date?
Yu Bo, working in the forestry sector after all, had a quick mind. His eyes lit up and he asked tentatively, "Advisor Yang, do you mean you want to arrange for this wild leopard to breed with a female leopard from the Donghua Zoo?"
"To be precise, the Red Star Zoo in the Provincial Capital."
Yang Qi nodded and briefly explained the situation. "I’ve been to the Red Star Zoo before. They have a female leopard there named ’Hua Hua.’ She has an excellent pedigree and temperament. They’ve been trying to find a high-quality male leopard to mate her with, but she hasn’t taken a liking to any of the ones they have at the zoo."
"I promised I’d help keep an eye out. The leopard outside is wild, strong, and has an outstanding pedigree. It’s a perfect match for their requirements."
"So I ’negotiated’ with it a bit. It agreed to go ’meet’ her and try things out for a month. Whether it works out or not is up to them."
"This also helps solve its potential ’motive for committing crimes.’ Give it something productive to do so it doesn’t get bored and come down the mountain to steal sheep."
After hearing Yang Qi’s explanation, Yu Bo slapped his thigh and gave him a thumbs-up in admiration. "Brilliant! Advisor Yang, that’s a truly brilliant idea! It solves multiple problems at once!"
"It resolves the safety risk for the village and could also facilitate a precious genetic exchange between captive and wild populations, enriching the genetic diversity of the captive stock!"
"This is a great thing!"
Luo Kaifeng and the others now understood, their expressions shifting from initial bewilderment to amazement and admiration.
"Tsk tsk, playing matchmaker for leopards... a wild leopard and a zoo leopard at that... Advisor Yang, your scope of services is really quite broad!" Luo Kaifeng couldn’t help but joke.
"Incredible. I’ve really seen something new today," a Forest Police officer remarked, shaking his head in awe.
Yang Qi just smiled and didn’t explain further.
He took out his phone, opened the photo album, found the two pictures he had just taken of the leopard, then opened WeChat, found the contact "Tong Xiaoyue," and sent the photos.
Sent successfully.
He checked the time. It was already almost one in the morning.
Calling at this hour was rather presumptuous. But the matter was urgent. It involved the temporary placement and transportation of a wild beast, and arrangements needed to be finalized as soon as possible.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yang Qi dialed Tong Xiaoyue’s number.
"BEEP... BEEP... BEEP..."
The phone rang seven or eight times. Just as Yang Qi assumed she was asleep and was about to hang up and send a text, the call connected.
"Hello? Xiao Yang?"
Tong Xiaoyue’s voice came from the other end, slightly sleepy but still clear, and seemingly a little surprised.
"It’s so late. Did something happen?"
"Teacher Tong, I’m sorry to bother you so late."
Yang Qi apologized sincerely first, then quickly explained the situation. "Here’s the thing. I’m in a village over in Ningshan County right now, and I’ve come across a wild male leopard that came down from the mountains. Its pedigree and build are excellent, and it’s in its prime, around three to five years old."
"I communicated with it, and it agreed to temporarily leave the forest and stay at the zoo for a month to try and mate with a suitable female."
"I thought of Hua Hua from Red Star, so I took a picture of this leopard and sent it to you."
"Take a look at the photo first. If Hua Hua still needs a partner, or if the zoo is interested, I’ll coordinate with the forestry department here to arrange for a vehicle to transport it."
"If you don’t need it, or if Hua Hua has already found a mate, I’ll just let it go back into the mountains."
On the other end of the line, Tong Xiaoyue was clearly stunned by this sudden, information-packed news.
’Yang Qi was calling her in the middle of the night, not for work-related help, but to play matchmaker for a leopard?’
’And it was a wild leopard?’
’And the leopard agreed?’
It was a good thing Tong Xiaoyue knew what Yang Qi was capable of. If anyone else had said such a thing, she would have cursed them out for being insane.
Suppressing the sense of absurdity rising in her heart, Tong Xiaoyue replied, "Hold on, let me look at the photo first."
A rustling sound came through the phone, as if Tong Xiaoyue was grabbing another phone or turning on a computer.
A few seconds later—
"It’s really a wild leopard!"
Tong Xiaoyue’s surprised cry came through the receiver, all traces of sleepiness gone, her voice filled with excitement. "The pedigree of this leopard is just too good. Xiao Yang, is it really willing to come?"
"Really. I’ve negotiated the terms with it. It’s for one month. We’ll treat it to good food and drink, it’ll try to mate with Hua Hua, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll release it back into the wild."
Yang Qi said affirmatively. "Teacher Tong, does Red Star need it?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Tong Xiaoyue was so excited her voice was trembling. "Hua Hua still hasn’t taken a liking to any of the other male leopards in the zoo, and just a couple of days ago she started showing signs of being in heat again. We were just worrying about what to do. This leopard is practically tailor-made for her!"
"Xiao Yang, thank you so much!"
"I’ll report to the zoo director immediately and arrange for transport and quarantine procedures. Send me the specific location, and I’ll arrange for a vehicle and people to head over tonight."
"No, I’ll lead a team there myself!"