When Yang Lin made his grand entrance on his new mount, the crowd, though silent, was undeniably impressed.
Especially the men.
"Damn it, why did he get to steal this moment?"
"Exactly, this horse is so cool, I'd be cool too if I rode it."
"Right, right, it's got nothing to do with him, just the horse is cool."
"Damn, I need to find a way to butter up Director Yang, get to ride the horse for a bit, or at least take some photos."
"Stop talking, is it really that hard to admit Director Yang is handsome?"
"Okay, okay, Director Yang is a little bit handsome."
...
After the initial shock wore off, everyone crowded around Yang Lin, eager to get a closer look at Amon beneath him.
But as soon as they approached, Amon reared up on his hind legs, letting out a warning whinny.
The sudden display startled the tourists, making them hesitant to get too close.
"Alright Amon, they aren't bad people, don't scare them."
While soothing Amon, Yang Lin dismounted.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the tourists who had been scared off cautiously approached again.
"Director Yang, you really tamed this wild horse!"
"Director Yang, where did you learn to ride before?"
"Director Yang, can we ride this horse? We'll pay!"
"Director Yang..."
Facing the barrage of questions, Yang Lin raised his hands, signaling for the tourists to quiet down.
Once they settled a bit, he began to explain.
"I'll answer your questions one by one."
"I did tame it. There are no truly wild horses in this world, only those lacking love."
"My riding skills were learned from my dad when he was out on the grasslands as a kid. Riding isn't that difficult, the real challenge is communicating with the horse."
"As for whether you can ride this horse, my answer is no."
Yang Lin paused slightly.
"The main reason is that this horse is still in a stage of forming strong attachments. You won't be able to ride it."
Hearing Yang Lin's reply, everyone felt a pang of disappointment.
But then Yang Lin added, "Of course, besides this horse, all the other horses are available."
"Considering some tourists mentioned the park is too large and they get tired walking, we will soon be launching an Animal Companion service."
"Animal Companion? What is that?"
The new term Yang Lin introduced sparked confusion among the tourists.
"The so-called Animal Companion service means you can rent an animal companion at designated stations once you enter the park."
"Currently, our planned animal companions include horses, ostriches, alpacas, wild boars, camels, elephants, and more."
"For a specified period, your animal companion will accompany you throughout your tour of the park."
This announcement immediately sent the crowd into a frenzy.
"Really? We can rent animals to explore the zoo with us?"
"I bet it's more than just companionship; I think we can ride them too."
"No need to guess, Director Yang is just being subtle. What do you think those saddles on their backs are for?"
"Probably to avoid backlash. Director Yang is truly cautious."
"It's 'Animal Companion' to the public, and riding is just a personal act. That's a clever move!"
"I'm definitely going to be a wild boar rider!"
"I wonder what it's like to ride an alpaca."
"Elephants are the coolest, though!"
"Why aren't there any tigers?"
"Tigers? Don't be ridiculous. If there were tigers, all the other mounts would be scared off."
...
As they chattered, the tourists' eagerness was palpable.
At this moment, Yang Lin pulled out his phone.
Shortly after, a group of employees in zoo uniforms arrived, holding safety helmets.
"For everyone's safety, the Animal Companion service will not be officially open today."
"However, I will explain some precautions and tips for riding different animals."
As he spoke, Yang Lin gestured for an employee to put on a helmet and mount a wild boar.
Just as everyone expected him to demonstrate some advanced technique, he casually picked up a small fishing rod from the side.
Tied to the end of the rod was a sweet potato.
When the employee held the fishing rod with the sweet potato dangling in front of the wild boar's snout, the boar immediately started walking forward.
When the sweet potato swung left, the boar went left; when it swung right, the boar went right.
The tourists watched in amazement.
"Wow, it's like a manual transmission!"
"A hundred kilometers on one sweet potato."
"If I used a more expensive fruit, would it speed up?"
"So I have to pay for its gas after a certain distance?"
"Brakes? Foot brakes, right?"
"If your feet can't stop it, you'll probably have to use your face as a brake."
"Hahaha, that's hilarious! I'm definitely trying it once it's officially open."
At this moment, everyone found it novel and amusing, and the situation Yang Lin had worried about didn't materialize.
After the employee test-rode the wild boar, they also test-rode an ostrich and an alpaca.
Overall, these animals, which had already been trained at Xiong Hu Mountain Villa, showed little resistance to humans riding them.
For them, a normally weighted tourist was not a burden at all.
Furthermore, after each ride, they received a delicious reward.
Once all the animals had been demonstrated, Yang Lin diligently began teaching the employees his riding techniques in front of the tourists.
The employees, presented with this new and exciting prospect, were extremely attentive learners.
After several days, most of the park's employees had mastered the basic riding techniques.
Combined with the work Yang Lin had done privately with the animals, their fundamental nature had changed.
In less than a week, the employees could all ride horses freely throughout the park.
This became a beautiful sight within the park.
Yang Lin took this opportunity to officially launch the Animal Companion service.
On the day of its launch, over a thousand tourists made reservations.
After a short period of riding training, these fortunate tourists who received the first batch of trial qualifications mounted their respective animal companions.
Even before this service was launched, Xihong Zoo had already become a place where humans and animals mingled.
And after the service opened, the park's atmosphere transformed once again.
The park was filled with wild boar riders, ostriches could be seen everywhere, and alpaca riders were engaged in constant chatter.
There were people riding camels and elephants.
This was no longer simply exotic; it felt like stepping into another world.
Just as everything was progressing positively, an overseas phone call disrupted Yang Lin's next plans.
His parents were missing.