The group returned with the groceries. Having received their wages and having nowhere to spend them, they were quite extravagant when it came to buying groceries. They bought not only seafood but also a lot of meats that they usually couldn't afford. As the zoo director, Su Zhou couldn't bear to let them spend their own money, so she waved her hand and directly reimbursed them.

The others went to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. This activity was no different from team building. In fact, the atmosphere in the office building was comfortable, and everyone felt that eating hot pot on a snowy day was very atmospheric.

Xia Zhi is indeed very good at making hot pot. By adding hot pot base, red oil, spices, water, and other ingredients, the hot pot broth he makes is no different from that of hot pot restaurants, and even better in terms of taste. Although the feed in the zoo is called low-grade feed for carnivores, the freshness of the meat is obvious to everyone, and it is also used for cooking.

Cut the meat into thin slices and arrange it on a plate with lettuce as a base. It looks very appealing.

There are several kinds of fruits, including fresh grapes, strawberries, durians, mangosteens, etc., as well as some processed fresh shrimp and fish, and various kinds of meat.

The entire office building was brightly lit.

We were seated at several small tables in the restaurant, which was a bit cramped, but no one seemed to mind and we all gathered together in a lively atmosphere.

Su Zhou sat in the head seat. Although she was the youngest, no one dared to underestimate her. On the contrary, they respected her immensely. If it weren't for her, everyone's lives would not be so easy.

In a place like Beijing, this salary and accommodation are already considered top-notch. Many people don't have an advantage in terms of education, but they got this job because of their kind heart, and they are even more grateful to Su Zhou.

"I have some good news to share with everyone. Our zoo will have dedicated staff dormitories and a staff canteen from now on. You can all live in single rooms. The office building will be returned to its original function as an office building. It will only be a place for work. Once you've all moved in, our space will be much larger." Su Zhou shared the good news with everyone.

The crowd looked at each other, stunned for a moment, and then burst into enthusiastic applause.

Compared to living together, no one can resist the allure of a single room. When people live together, friction and minor conflicts are inevitable, so living alone is naturally much more desirable.

None of them expected that a zoo would build special dormitories for its employees. Such treatment is extremely rare in the whole country. They all knew Su Zhou's personality very well and would never try to be clever in this regard. You see, Su Zhou is a complete maximalist who likes anything fancy and is happy to accept anything that can increase happiness.

Su Zhou was extremely happy when her employees placed a small green plant in their rooms or made some minor modifications.

"The principal is absolutely wonderful; she's the best boss in the world."

"Waaaaah, I love you so much! I'm not envious of my classmates who work at big companies and earn 50,000 a month. I just want to work at the zoo until I die!"

"Director, I'll call you 'godmother' first."

"You can tell he's just a regular tile setter," Su Zhou said speechlessly. "There's no need for that."

"Let's eat, let's eat. Don't let the food get cold. Who put the tripe in? Take it out quickly." Su Zhou's gaze fell on the tripe in the bubbling red soup, which was almost overcooked. "The restaurant is indeed too small. I'll build a bigger restaurant later, so it will be more convenient for gatherings and the like."

Ding ding—

Tang Yu, who was eating, suddenly changed his expression. "It looks like someone is standing outside the door."

Su Zhou had almost finished eating, so she stood up and said, "You guys continue eating, I'll go see what's going on."

Anyone appearing at the zoo at this time is definitely not a tourist. It's already past 10 o'clock; how could anyone still be here?

Tang Yu stood up: "It's not safe for a girl like you to go out alone. I'll go instead."

"You forgot about the golden eagle, it's alright. I'll go check it out first, and I'll send a message in the group if anything happens, so keep an eye on the group." After saying that, Su Zhou turned and walked into the night without even putting on a coat.

In the darkness, lights, like jellyfish, illuminate the ethereal white snow. The zoo on a snowy night presents a completely different, dreamlike scene, where all is silent and everything becomes peaceful.

Su Zhou really couldn't figure out who would come at this time.

My parents have a habit of going to bed early and waking up early; they usually go to sleep around 10:30 pm, so it definitely can't be them. Then who could it be?

After thinking it over and over, Tang Yu couldn't think of a suitable person. He walked to the door, turned on his phone's flashlight, and aimed it at the uninvited guest.

The phone's light wasn't very bright, so it shone directly into the person's face.

The pale light cast a delicate, radiant shadow on his exceptionally handsome face. His features—crimson lips, slightly pale skin, and dark, phoenix-shaped eyes—were uniquely striking. In his serene and peaceful aura, glistening snowflakes floated on his overly thick eyelashes, as if a thin layer of snow had settled on his shoulders as he walked along.

How can someone be so good-looking?

For a moment, Su Zhou's mind went blank.

"Xie Chi... what brings you here?" Su Zhou pronounced his name accurately. "The zoo is open from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., but it's closed now. If you want to visit, why don't you come earlier tomorrow... It's snowing quite heavily outside, are you cold?"

They had never met before, and even when the production crew came to the zoo to film, they barely interacted. Their few meetings were always about resolving awkward situations; she would help him out once, and he would help her out once, so they were even.

Unexpectedly, the top influencer who had disappeared from the internet and caused a huge uproar appeared outside the zoo on a snowy night.

Su Zhou is indeed too soft-hearted when it comes to good-looking people. Especially Xie Chi now, whose face is sickly pale, making his features look even more frail, her heart melts like spring water. She opens the zoo door and says, "They're still having hot pot inside. Have you had dinner yet? Why don't you come in and warm up?"

Her fingers brushed against Xie Chi's hand unintentionally, but she felt that his hand was extremely cold, as if she were touching an ice cube.

Is it because the outside temperature is too low, or are some people naturally colder?

"No need." Xie Chi stared at her small face for a while before looking away. "I don't eat anything."

Su Zhou nodded: "You celebrities all need to maintain your figure, right? Come in and warm up."