Chapter 11: 11 Stop Saying Next Time for Sure rua!
I played with Jiaojiao for a little while longer.
"Friends, that's all for today's livestream! Bye-bye! Jiaojiao, say goodbye to the viewers!"
Fang Ye checked the time and felt it was about right, smiled and waved at the camera, trying to lift Jiaojiao's paw to wave along with him, but he found... it seemed a bit heavy and he couldn't lift it.
He had no choice but to go for the cheek rub instead.
Tigers really are different from cats!
"Haha, did you guys see that? The zookeeper just failed to lift Jiaojiao's paw!"
"No way, has the livestream been on for that long? Zookeeper, don't leave us with a short impression!"
"Love me, don't go~"
"Yeah, yeah, I haven't had enough yet! Keep streaming for a few more hours."
The viewers were reluctant to let go, one after another they tried to convince him to stay.
Fang Ye helplessly said, "I'm sorry, but next I have to prepare food for the animals!"
It wasn't an excuse, but it wasn't the real reason he wanted to end the livestream either.
The main reason was that Linhai Zoo had few animals and a monotonous environment.
In the enclosures, the animals rarely had the opportunity to display natural behaviors.
For instance, if there was a log, a tiger could rub against it to scratch an itch, sharpen its claws.
If there was a pond, they could lie down to drink or take a bath.
But now there were only iron bars.
Not much of a spectacle.
Only his interactions with fierce animals like Jiaojiao, full of tenderness, were extremely eye-catching.
But watching for a long time also became uninteresting.
With other animals, Fang Ye wasn't as familiar, and they weren't as close to him as Jiaojiao.
The livestream effect definitely wouldn't be as explosive as it was now.
So although Fang Ye was tempted by the popularity value, he still reluctantly said goodbye to the viewers.
To leave them with the thought of coming back again next time.
Hearing that he was going to prepare food for the animals, the viewers also expressed their understanding generously.
"If you're busy, Zookeeper, then go ahead! Don't let the animals go hungry!"
"Alright, just tell us when the next livestream is, and I'll be the first to come watch."
"If there's not enough food, I'll contribute! Next time I livestream, I want to see Jiaojiao put on ten pounds!"
"Hey, hey, are you treating this like feeding pigs, thinking the fatter, the better? I don't want to see an overweight tiger!"
"Thank you for your enthusiasm!" Fang Ye smiled, "Tomorrow, we'll continue the livestream! Bye-bye!"
Having said that, the screen went dark, and the livestream ended.
"Phew~"
After ending the livestream, Lan Li relaxed quite a bit, and then said excitedly, "Zookeeper, the account has exceeded a thousand followers! It seems everyone really likes the animals."
Fang Ye sighed, "Yeah! Let's go prepare the food!"
...
After he finished the morning work and had lunch,
Fang Ye returned to his dormitory, lay on the bed, opened the system panel, and started checking.
Popularity Value: 6784!
"It's gone up by so much?"
Yesterday, it was still a two-digit number.
Fang Ye was surprised, he hadn't expected that his spur-of-the-moment decision to start a livestream this morning would bring him such an unexpected windfall.
With the popularity value, he could now take part in the draw.
"Let's see what I can draw!"
Rubbing his hands in anticipation, he started the draw!
The first attempt, definitely next time!
"What the heck?" Fang Ye widened his eyes, was there a way to freeload like this?
It really dampened his spirits.
Here we go again!
This time, he got a tiger plushie.
It was about the size of a palm and could just fit in his hand.
The plushie was chibi-style, somewhat resembling Jiaojiao, with a posture of lying down for a little nap, quite adorable.
[Tiger Plushie]
Item Description: A regular plushie, very comfortable to touch.
Fang Ye touched it; it was fluffy, and the feel was indeed quite nice.
"The look is pretty appealing; maybe we could run some activities and give it away as a little gift to visitors or fans in the livestream?"
He quickly thought of a use for the plushies.
Not bad, certainly better than 'next time for sure'.
Keep going!
Alpaca plushie.
Fox plushie.
Both are animals found in Linhai Zoo.
"Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill [Affable]!"
Affable: Consume mental energy to activate the skill. During the skill's activation, animals will have a better impression of you and will be more willing to approach you.
"I got a skill!"
Fang Ye glanced at the skill description and smiled. [Affable] was precisely the skill he needed.
If he had this skill earlier, he wouldn't have had to be so cautious when approaching Jiaojiao!
In the zoo, animals that aren't that friendly with him could quickly become amiable after using this skill.
In the future, it would also allow him to build good relationships with new members quickly.
However, just like the Eye of Observation, the [Affable] skill also consumed mental energy.
The specific effects of this skill, including how often it could be used and how long it lasted, required him to test it out.
Getting a skill made him quite satisfied already.
With an indifferent attitude, he used his last draw.
"Congratulations to the host, you have obtained the [Sturdy Zookeeper's Uniform (Top)]!"
[Sturdy Zookeeper's Uniform (Top)]: Not easily torn, more durable than ordinary work clothes.
Suit (1/2): Physical strength +10%
"Eh, it's not a plushie?"
Fang Ye was taken aback and materialized the zookeeper's uniform.
The uniform was camouflage green with long sleeves. The outside felt sturdy, but the lining was very soft.
It fit his body perfectly, and it was breathable and comfortable when worn.
In the zoo, many animals have sharp claws and teeth.
When interacting with them, ordinary clothes can easily be torn.
But the sturdy zookeeper's uniform avoided this hassle; although it didn't have any other special effects, it was still a decent piece of equipment.
...
Lunch break was over.
Fang Ye decided to test his newly obtained [Affable] skill, so he headed directly to the red fox area with Lan Li.
Red foxes, these adaptable predators and scavengers, are among the world's most widely distributed carnivores, found throughout most areas of the Northern Hemisphere.
In Linhai Zoo, there were a total of four red foxes: Xiaoqiao, Youyou, Sugar Pack, and Prince.
At that moment, there were already a few visitors in front of the red fox enclosure.
"Hello, Director!"
Animal keeper Ho, who was leaning against the wall looking at his phone, hurriedly greeted Fang Ye and put away his phone.
"Hmm, tired? Why don't you take a break?"
Fang Ye didn't scold him for looking at his phone, as the job was indeed quite tedious.
Normally, the animal keeper would be observing the animals and recording their conditions at this time.
However, with such a monotonous scene in the cage, and a few red foxes crouching down sleeping, not stirring at all, there indeed wasn't much to see.
"No need, thank you, Director!"
"I've come to check on the red foxes. How are they doing today?"
"About the same as usual; they are a bit sleepier today."
"Well, it's hot weather after all. Have you sprayed water in the enclosure?"
"I've sprayed it once in the morning and once at noon."
Fang Ye nodded and began to observe.
The several red foxes were lying in a shaded corner where the sun could not reach, snoring away in deep sleep.
Prince was lying on his side without any guard, stretching out his four legs, exposing his white belly, with his body rising and falling as he slept like a dead pig, while Xiaoqiao gracefully curled up into a ball, resting her head on her own tail.
Youyou was curled up, hiding behind Xiaoqiao, facing the corner with her body pressed low, her ears twitching occasionally.
Sugar Pack was the funniest, with his face upside down, his head resting on the floor, and his back arching over Prince like a rainbow, sleeping contentedly with eyes slits smiling like crescents.