Chapter 68

"Although you live by the sea, Su Jing, I doubt you've seen this kind of fish before. It's called the archerfish..."

"This is the fish known as the world's saddest-looking fish—the blobfish..."

Yang Tong patiently acted as a tour guide, pointing out various fish and introducing them. However, his introductions seemed to have a hint of showing off, and he would occasionally mention Su Jing, acting as if he were much more knowledgeable and professional. Su Jing was almost deafened by his talk and even noticed a few mistakes, but he didn't bother to correct him.

The tall, thin, bespectacled man, Wu Min, seemed to dislike Yang Tong as well. He didn't listen to Yang Tong's lengthy explanations, walking at the back of the group. He leaned close to Su Jing's ear and whispered, "You and Shi Qing aren't really a couple, right?"

"Does it matter if we are or not?" Su Jing asked.

"I just want to say, I support you. You're a hundred times more suitable than Yang Tong." Wu Min winked.

"..." Su Jing was speechless. It seemed this guy also disliked Yang Tong. "Since you don't like Yang Tong, why did you come to this class reunion?"

"Why not, when it's free? I happen to need to take various pictures of marine life for the *Nature* magazine." Wu Min shrugged.

"I see." Su Jing suddenly understood. This guy was here to get some pictures. He smiled, "You've always wanted to be a photographer since high school, right? Now you've achieved your wish?"

"What kind of photographer am I now?" Wu Min sighed helplessly. "The pictures I take are rarely used by the magazine. If it weren't for my part-time job of serving tea and water, printing documents, and acting as a half-secretary, I would have been fired long ago. I still have a long way to go."

"What kind of pictures get used?" Su Jing asked.

"Simply put, valuable ones. For example, extremely beautiful or rare natural landscapes, rarely seen species, or unknown aspects of certain animals. *Nature* magazine recently has a marine life column. If you can capture marine life that no one knows about, it will definitely be used, and even bought at a high price. Pictures taken at the aquarium are mostly used as backup material." Wu Min explained.

"I see. My home is by the sea. I occasionally go fishing. Maybe I can take some useful pictures in the future. Here's my phone number, in case we need to contact each other." Su Jing said, thinking that when he had the time, he could bring a camera underwater to earn some extra money. With the orcas leading the way, he could capture many scenes that others couldn't.

"Sure." Wu Min, though he didn't think fishing would yield marine life worth publishing in a magazine, still gave his phone number.

"Su Jing, since you live by the sea, do you recognize this shell?" Yang Tong smiled at Su Jing and Shi Qing, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He was waiting for Su Jing to be clueless so he could show off and impress Shi Qing.

"Hmm?" Su Jing was taken aback, a look of surprise flashing across his face. The nautilus was here. In the display tank, attached to a coral, was the nautilus, with two or three dozen small nautiluses nearby, indicating that they had been artificially hatched. Su Jing gave Yang Tong a strange look, thinking that this guy didn't know the nautilus was sold to the aquarium by him. After a moment's thought, Su Jing didn't want to waste his breath explaining. "I don't know."

"Ha, I thought you wouldn't know. This shell isn't something you can see just because you live by the sea. It's called the nautilus. It appeared over 500 million years ago. It is one of the oldest and most primitive living mollusks, and an important material for studying biological evolution, paleontology, and paleoclimate. It's known as a 'living fossil.'" Yang Tong explained, showing his knowledge.

"Oh." Most of the classmates listened with interest, making Yang Tong very pleased.

"Do you know how much this nautilus cost?" Yang Tong continued to show off.

"1,000 yuan."

"5,000 yuan."

"10,000 yuan."

The classmates made various guesses.

"Wrong, 150,000 yuan." Yang Tong smiled.

"Wow!" The classmates gasped. A single shell costing 150,000 yuan, it would be great to find one.

Yang Tong continued to guide the group, still occasionally asking Su Jing, which everyone could tell was somewhat targeted. However, no one wanted to point it out, as it would be awkward and might even lead to a conflict. Su Jing's expression became increasingly strange because the hammerhead shark and Napoleon wrasse he had provided to the aquarium were also in the new exhibit, and Yang Tong had asked about them in a showy manner, but Su Jing still didn't explain.

"Mr. Xue." Yang Tong, who was introducing, suddenly looked to the side and quickly walked over, greeting a middle-aged man with a beard politely, clearly trying to flatter him.

"Hello, Little Yang." The middle-aged man replied indifferently, walking past Yang Tong and stopping in front of Su Jing, smiling. "Mr. Su, why didn't you call me when you arrived? I could have been your guide."

"Uh..." Yang Tong was stunned. How did Xue Zonghong know Su Jing, and why was he so polite to him?

"Mr. Xue, you're too kind. How did you know I was here?" Su Jing asked.

"The free card has a record. I told the guard to notify me as soon as you arrived." Xue Zonghong smiled.

"I see." Su Jing was speechless. It seemed using the free card had its drawbacks, as it revealed his whereabouts.

"Mr. Su, let me show you around. Afterward, we can go see the dolphin." Xue Zonghong said.

"We've seen enough. Let's go now?" Su Jing, who had been wanting to get away from Yang Tong, now had an excuse.

"Alright, let's go." Xue Zonghong nodded.

"Sorry, everyone, I have something to attend to." Su Jing said to Wu Min and the others. They naturally couldn't stop him, and Yang Tong's brows furrowed deeply, wondering why Xue Zonghong was taking Su Jing to see the dolphin. However, he didn't dare to stop Xue Zonghong, as even his boss, the personnel manager, wouldn't dare to offend him. Xue Zonghong was the aquarium's best animal trainer and veterinarian, even the director treated him with respect.

"See you later." Su Jing took Shi Qing and followed Xue Zonghong away.

"Who is that?" The classmates asked, looking at Xue Zonghong's back, sensing that he was someone important.

"He is our aquarium's most important animal trainer and veterinarian." Yang Tong said.

"Then why does he know Su Jing and seem so polite?" A petite female classmate asked curiously. It seemed that Su Jing wasn't as unsuccessful as Yang Tong had said.

"How should I know?" Yang Tong was even more curious, feeling a heavy weight in his chest.

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