Chapter 408: A Person with a Big Cat

Chapter 408: The Man with a Big Cat

"Tiger?"

Wu Tong was taken aback when Meng Fan mentioned that his Qatari tycoon friend had arrived and brought the tiger along. "What's this about? Is he really giving it to you as a gift?"

"Yes and no."

Meng Fan briefly explained what he had learned from Asali. Wu Tong chuckled, "If I didn't know he had a girlfriend, I'd suspect he had his eye on you."

Meng Fan shrugged. "I thought the same."

Asali had indeed come to deliver the tiger. It seemed he was already aware of the difficulties of privately keeping large animals like tigers in China, so he settled for the next best option and, following the principle of proximity, gifted the tiger Telly to Hangzhou Zoo.

In simple terms, Asali had always intended to send Telly to a zoo anyway—it didn't matter which one—so he chose this one. Since Meng Fan was here, he could visit anytime. Moreover, through various channels, Asali had directly registered Telly under Meng Fan's name. Of course, Meng Fan couldn't take Telly out; it still fell under the category of "adoption," but with greater privileges. As for the "adoption" fee, it essentially covered Telly's living expenses at Hangzhou Zoo, which Asali had paid in full upfront.

Originally, Asali would have had to pay this fee no matter which zoo he sent Telly to. After all, most zoos already have their own tigers; you can't just drop a tiger off without compensation—it's not like the zoo is begging you. Comparatively, the fee at Hangzhou Zoo was even lower than in Qatar.

Well, there's a more complicated explanation.

This time, Asali had come with a football club from Doha to Hangzhou for a friendly match with the local team. This was just one part of a broader sports exchange between the two cities. Additionally, delegations from education, economics, arts, architecture, healthcare, aviation, environmental protection, and other fields had also arrived.

In this exchange, neither Asali nor Meng Fan played any significant role. Conversely, the multi-field exchange between the two cities had been planned long ago and had nothing to do with them. As for the larger political forces behind this "civilian" exchange between the two cities, that was even further beyond their concern.

Hangzhou Zoo was located within the West Lake Scenic Area. Whether from the Academy of Fine Arts or from Fengji Martial Arts Hall, the distance was about the same.

In the afternoon, Meng Fan took Wu Tong to the zoo. They were joined by Zhang Zhouwei, Wang Yanan, and others, all eager to catch a glimpse of the big cat—and, incidentally, to see what a Middle Eastern tycoon looked like.

At the zoo entrance, a banner was unfurled, announcing that the ceremony for the Qatari international friend's tiger donation and Meng Fan's adoption of the tiger would be held at "Tiger Mountain," and so on.

"Meng!"

Asali spotted Meng Fan from afar as they were led to Tiger Mountain. He greeted him warmly, shook his hand, then couldn't help but glance at Wu Tong. Smiling, he said, "I suppose this must be Miss Wu Tong?"

Meng Fan introduced Wu Tong and the other classmates to Asali, then followed him forward. As the "adopter," Meng Fan naturally had to attend the signing ceremony.

Asali also introduced the people attending the ceremony. Besides the zoo director, there was also an official present. Clearly, although Asali's action was personal, it came on the coattails of this official exchange, so Hangzhou's side took it quite seriously.

Of course, without this, Telly couldn't have been registered under Meng Fan's name.

Additionally, Meng Fan had known in advance that an official would attend. The Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Center and Zhejiang Sports Institute had already given their nods. In short, for both public and private reasons, Meng Fan had to come. Somehow, he had become a part of this exchange. Fortunately, it wasn't troublesome and only benefited him.

The signing ceremony was simple—the complicated parts had already been handled. After signing, Meng Fan became the first publicly acknowledged citizen in China to privately own a tiger. Needless to say, this would make headlines.

"Let's go see Telly."

Once the ceremony ended, Meng Fan couldn't wait to see Telly. If not for the signing, he would have gone earlier.

Just thinking about Telly made his hands itch.

Admittedly, he had raised many feline masters, but in terms of both texture and inner satisfaction, there was no comparison with a big cat.

Hearing that Meng Fan wanted to see his tiger, no one had any reason to stop him. In fact, everyone present, including the official, was curious to see how Meng Fan would interact with the tiger. Everyone knew about Meng Fan subduing the tiger before, and this event was a continuation of that story. But photos never did it justice—they had to see it in person.

Telly was housed in a separate tiger den on Tiger Mountain. Besides Telly, there were other tigers on the mountain. Outside the den was a large activity area, an outdoor playground for the tigers, consisting of a forested hill with lush vegetation. The tigers took turns using this area, each claiming their own territory and leaving their scent.

Telly, being new, had no territory yet. He was still in the den, with only a small area near the entrance to roam. How he would adapt and eventually enter the activity area was a key task for the zoo staff.

Additionally, Telly had another "mission": reproduction.

The director explained that Tiger Mountain also housed another Bengal tiger of the same breed, a female, fully grown and in excellent health. Telly, well-fed by his wealthy owner, was also in robust condition.

The director was very enthusiastic toward Meng Fan, looking at him as if he were a treasure. The outside world was already speculating about Meng Fan becoming a spokesperson or shooting ads, and what astronomical fees he might command. Now, with Meng Fan "adopting" a tiger, he was essentially giving the zoo free advertising!

Once today's event was over, countless tourists would come to see "Meng Fan's tiger." Just thinking about it made the director's heart swell with joy. No wonder he was so warm.

The group took a back route through the staff passage, but they only reached the outside of the tiger den. Entering was out of the question—it housed a ferocious beast. Even when Meng Fan proposed going inside, the zoo staff hesitated. Not that they were truly unwilling, but they had to show some caution. What if something went wrong once he entered?

Of course, Meng Fan had visitation rights. He could definitely go in, while the others stayed outside to watch.

After a round of "disinfection," Meng Fan stepped into the tiger den.

*Owww!*

The journey from Qatar to China had been uncomfortable, and arriving in a new place, Telly was clearly unsettled—both mentally and physically. But upon seeing Meng Fan, his spirits immediately lifted, and he lunged toward him.

This startled the onlookers outside!

It wasn't until Meng Fan petted Telly so thoroughly that the tiger lay on the ground rolling in contentment that they breathed a sigh of relief. They marveled at the sight—he really was petting a big cat!

Even Asali felt a twinge of envy. He had visited Telly when the tiger was in a bad mood, and Telly had ignored him. But with Meng Fan, it was completely different. *All those years of feeding meat—wasted!*

Not just them—many tourists were watching too. The banner outside had drawn curiosity, and they snapped photos without a second thought.

"Want to come down?"

After enjoying his petting session, Meng Fan looked up at Wu Tong outside and waved with a smile.

Wu Tong shook her head with a smile. It wasn't that she feared danger—she knew Meng Fan would keep her safe. But safety aside, she was still somewhat afraid of tigers. Besides, there were too many people around, and she wasn't one to seek the spotlight. Wang Yanan, who loved cats, looked eager but didn't dare to ask.

Seeing that Wu Tong wouldn't come in, Meng Fan didn't insist. He asked the staff to bring some food. With Meng Fan's soothing, Telly finally ate his first meal since arriving at the zoo. His table manners weren't pretty, and even after being scolded a few times, he didn't improve much. He tried to change but couldn't quite grasp what Meng Fan meant by "elegant eating."

After the meal, Meng Fan asked to take Telly out to familiarize himself with the forested area. This time, the zoo agreed without hesitation. From Meng Fan's entry to the feeding, he had demonstrated exceptional taming skills. Helping Telly get used to the environment was one of the zoo's upcoming challenges, and having Meng Fan do it was the best possible outcome.

The gate of the tiger den opened, and Meng Fan led Telly into the forest, humming a tune. If you listened closely, it sounded like *"The King Sent Me to Patrol the Mountain."* The lyrics were probably altered—you could faintly hear "The king takes you to patrol the mountain." Even more impressive, the tiger started humming along beside him, with actual pitch!

One man, one tiger, strolling through the vast forest while humming—what a sight!

After a while, Meng Fan let Telly run free. The tiger dashed into a grove, darted through the underbrush, then leaped off a large rock to land beside Meng Fan, circling him affectionately. The tourists were dumbfounded.

*So it really is just a big cat!*

*Owww!*

As Meng Fan and Telly passed another tiger den, a Southeast Asian tiger inside roared, sensing a stranger on Tiger Mountain.

*Oww!*

Telly roared back. This roar was different from the one he had directed at Meng Fan—it was fierce, as if the wind itself swept through after the sound.

Instantly, the Southeast Asian tiger fell silent, even letting out a submissive whimper.

The audience was stunned. The zoo staff, however, knew why: Southeast Asian tigers are smaller than Bengal tigers, and the tigers here had been captive for years. Though they were fed live prey, they couldn't compare to Telly, who had been raised by a Middle Eastern tycoon. Even the roar revealed the difference in strength.

Telly wasn't just a big cat—he only acted docile around Meng Fan.

Meng Fan glanced at the Southeast Asian tiger's den. For a moment, he wished the zoo would let that tiger out too, but he knew it was too much to ask.

Besides, more and more tourists were gathering. Meng Fan didn't want to draw too much attention.

"Find a chance to let all the tigers out here at once—that would be quite a sight!"

After the stroll, Meng Fan led Telly back to the den, comforted him thoroughly, and reluctantly left. Before exiting, he asked who would be in charge of Telly's care, exchanged contact information, and told them to reach out anytime.

Having "adopted" Telly, witnessed his settling in, and even participated in it, Meng Fan was overjoyed. He took out his phone, asked Wu Tong for a photo of himself and Telly, and posted it on his Moments with the caption: "From today on, I'm a man with a big cat."

He added a smug sunglasses emoji, looking thoroughly pleased—like a big boy who had just gotten his favorite toy.

After seeing off the officials, Meng Fan received various documents from the zoo, the most important being free access to Tiger Mountain.

"This matter is finally settled!"

Asali sighed with emotion, then said to Meng Fan, "I'd normally make you treat me to a meal, but I'm here with a large group and have a banquet tonight, so..." He shrugged. "If there's time, I'll definitely have you show me around. Oh, by the way, tomorrow my football team has a friendly match with the local team. Want to come?"

"I don't know much about football."

Meng Fan wasn't particularly interested, but he asked where it would be held. Learning it was at Huanglong Stadium, he agreed. It was close to Fengji, and if it got boring, he could leave early.

Meng Fan also gathered that Asali had many commitments this trip. After a brief chat, he watched Asali leave. Between the two, aside from the big cat, there wasn't much of a bond. Calling it friendship would be polite. Still, they got along well enough and both intended to maintain a long-term connection, so there was no rush.

After dispersing, Meng Fan returned to Peak Summit to continue training. On his way back in the evening, he made another trip to the zoo, which was already closed. He could enter, and with few people around, it was very quiet. He conducted a round of feeding with the keeper responsible for Taili, which also helped accelerate the bond between Taili and the keeper.

Additionally, it let Taili know that he would come to see it often, so it could feel better and recover its physical condition sooner.

The next day, Meng Fan went to watch a friendly match between two city clubs. He didn't really watch the game; instead, he chatted idly with Asali about this and that.

After the friendly match, there was a banquet. In the meantime, Asali had some free time, and since the West Lake scenic area was nearby, Meng Fan took Asali out for a stroll.

(End of this chapter)