Super Zoo

Suming had heard that in the past, to apply for a Guinness World Record, one needed to go through a particular Huaxia agency, which had very cumbersome procedures. That's why he sought out Zhao Yun, who had extensive social connections. However, he didn't expect that the application process had changed.

Perhaps the Huaxia agency had been skimming too much money, which even the British headquarters couldn't turn a blind eye to anymore. Suming sometimes really struggled to feel affection for some of his own country's institutions, those that would seize every opportunity to pluck a feather as the goose passes by. The key issue was, even after taking the money, they still couldn't get the job done.

"Damn it, why should I care? I'm hardly making any money, and here I am getting all worked up."

Suming slapped his own head and then logged onto the Guinness official website and clicked into the Chinese version.

"Snap!" With a crisp sound, Su Meng, the wild man sitting beside him, imitated Suming by heavily smacking his own head, producing a sound loud as firecrackers that startled Suming.

To prevent Su Meng from getting lice or something, Suming had simply shaved his head bald the day before, and he looked quite fierce. Su Meng smacked himself with such 'enthusiasm' that not only did the sound shake the waterside pavilion, but a vivid handprint also appeared on his head, and then he gave Suming a silly big laugh.

Suming rolled his eyes, thinking that in the future, when he watched movies alone in his room at night, he would have to make sure the door was tightly closed to prevent this guy from imitating something he shouldn't...

After submitting the form online and paying a fee of over five thousand yuan for the authentication process, it was all set. Soon, his phone received a message, "Dear Suming, your application is under review. Once approved, we will contact you..."

The first to make contact with Suming wasn't the Guinness headquarters, but Mr. Song.

The old man gave Suming a task to write down the events of the rescue of the golden monkey in an official document.

"After you've written the document, submit it along with my funding application to the higher-ups, requesting a grant to renovate Monkey Mountain and improve the monkeys' diet. The discovery of the golden monkey is very important; put your heart into it," Mr. Song said.

Making up stories was one of Suming's strong suits, no problem at all. He laughed and said, "Mr. Song, aren't you being a bit too biased? When there were dozens of macaques living there, I never saw you request money from the higher-ups to improve their lives. Now, just one golden monkey comes along, stays for less than two days, and you're already thinking of this?"

"It's not just any golden monkey; it's a Qinling Golden Monkey!" Mr. Song said impatiently: "Do you think I didn't want to ask the city for money before? The point is, I couldn't get it! The Qinling Golden Monkey is a precious gem, a symbol of Yangchuan City's animals. In the eyes of our leaders, a thousand macaques can't compare to one Qinling Golden Monkey. If I don't take advantage of this opportunity to request funds from the higher-ups, what's the point of me being the zoo director?"

Suming's eyes twinkled as he said, "Don't all cities have something like a 'city flower'? How about we ask the higher-ups to issue a document officially naming the Qinling Golden Monkey as Yangchuan's 'city beast', and let Xiaobai be the first to hold the title."

Xiaobai was that golden monkey nearly done in by the giant plushie fish. Because of his very white face, Suming had given him the name Xiaobai.

Suming had been half-joking, but Mr. Song's eyes lit up: "Hey, that's right! You young people have such sharp minds. If it's designated as the city beast, the higher-ups will definitely allocate regular funds to the zoo. But the name 'city beast' doesn't sound great; it's too similar to 'corpse'... Hmm, how about calling it a 'mascot' instead..."

Suming was now very familiar with Mr. Song and joked, "Leader, you seem to have become quite fixated on money lately, not at all like the morally and artistically dual-skilled old scientist I initially met."

"You rascal, do you think I'm doing this for myself?"

Mr. Song pointed to the armchair opposite his desk, signaling Suming to sit. Once Suming was seated, Mr. Song said, "I'm retiring next year. Even if the zoo closes down, it won't affect my retirement pay. Let me give you a heads-up, just keep it between us, don't let it out. The higher-ups have already decided to release a document at the beginning of next year about the zoo's restructuring. The more I secure for the zoo now, the less pressure you'll all face in the future."

From the day Suming started working at the zoo, there had been constant talk about restructuring, a topic that had been circulating for two or three years. Now, the time had finally been set.

Unlike most employees of the zoo who felt anxious about restructuring, Suming looked forward to it with anticipation.

The majority of the staff at the zoo were beneficiaries of the existing system and naturally did not wish to see it shaken or even broken. Different from them, Suming, although holding an official position, preferred the zoo to operate on a commercial model, free from too many restrictions.

"Has the specific plan for restructuring been decided yet?" Suming asked.

"It's under discussion," Mr. Song said with a laugh. "Although the final details haven't been settled, there's one main principle: the better we perform here, the stronger our position in negotiations, and the better terms we can strive for!"

"Excellent, it's not just the golden monkeys, I'm also planning to apply for a Guinness World Record for our Giant Salamander," Suming declared.

Mr. Song clapped his hands on the table with satisfaction and said, "Great! Remember to make a big splash! It's a critical period right now, and the zoo really needs to make itself felt."

...

The Guinness headquarters were quite efficient. Within four or five days, Suming's application had been approved. An official with a slightly awkward accent had even made a long-distance call to inform Suming that an adjudicator from the Huaxia region would visit the zoo the next Saturday.

"Babe, I'm letting you know first. The media coordination is all yours!" Suming told Nangong Yan on the phone.

Nangong Yan readily agreed to handle the task Suming entrusted her with. After discussing the specifics, she joked, "Why don't you just hire me as your press officer?"

"Sure, once I build up my career, I'll hand all the external communication work over to you. By then, you'd better not regret leaving your position at the TV station," Suming said.

With a playful smile, Nangong Yan responded, "It's a deal then!"

Suming sometimes spoke without much thought, especially around his own people like Nangong Yan and Wang Hao, saying whatever came to mind. He hadn't expected that the casual words he uttered today would be taken to heart by Nangong Yan, who even adjusted her career plans because of them.

If previously Nangong Yan's goal at the TV station was to be an outstanding reporter and host, now she had added a goal: to network with colleagues in the media to be able to assist Suming in the future.

"I can see it now, this guy is pouring his heart into his business, without a trace of distractions from romance. But that's probably for the better. Too much emotion in love cuts short the spirit of a hero. It's good that a young man of his age is not preoccupied with romantic entanglements all day long. If that were the case, I would think less of him! Besides, I'm still young and as pretty as a flower. He can't possibly escape me, can he? Hmph, we have all the time in the world!"

Though Nangong Yan had never been successful in her endeavors with Suming, she was always full of confidence.

What Nangong Yan hadn't noticed was that ever since Suming saw her being harassed by the BMW driver, several inconspicuous hornets had been hovering around her, protecting her twenty-four hours a day.

People are not emotionless like plants and trees; even the greatest beast has a heart.