Super Zoo

The same location, the same participants, the same agenda.

But the mood of the parties was completely different from last time!

The meeting service staff prepared tea for all the attending leaders and set it on the table. Wang Jian She, the actual person in charge from Yangchuan City, lifted his teacup and leisurely scraped off the foam at the top with the lid, smilingly said to his comrades from the provincial capital across the table, "Everyone, have tea, please."

Mr. Song didn't rush to speak either, his eyes half open as if his mind was wandering far away.

On the other hand, the faces of several people from the provincial capital, Mr. Jiang, Professor Chu, weren't looking too good.

After the river dolphin incident was reported a few days ago, they immediately faced pressure from all sides. The media called them all day to interview, asking sharp questions, leaving them exasperated;

The media was one thing, but the key issue was that their superiors had questioned them more than once: what exactly went wrong? Something that started as a purely joyous occasion, how did it turn into such chaos!

The whole country, even compatriots from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, were paying attention to this matter; even the main leaders of the province had personally inquired once!

The instructions from the city leaders of Jiangjin City, the provincial capital, were very clear.
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First, resolve the river dolphin incident as soon as possible, minimizing the impact, and ensure that the incident does not continue to ferment and cause even worse effects;

Second, they must still try their best to secure ownership of the river dolphin.

At this point, the matter had escalated beyond just a river dolphin issue. It subtly revealed the competition between the two major cities in the province.

To put it seriously, the provincial leaders were watching from above. The officials who could handle the matter better, securing the river dolphin and avoiding public backlash would be seen as more competent in the eyes of the leadership!

The little river dolphin even had an impact, to some extent, on the careers of both parties!

Of course, this impact was not decisive, nor was it very serious; at most, it would cause the superiors to take a slightly closer look. But the achievements of officials accumulate just like this, little by little. Moreover, in the officialdom, no one wants to be a stepping stone for others to climb higher.

Thus, the actual situation now laying before them: in terms of procedure and material conditions, the river dolphin rightfully belonged to Jinhai City, the provincial capital;

However, considering public opinion and the current actual condition of the river dolphin, Yangchuan City seemed more appropriate to keep it.

With leaders on both sides preoccupied with their own thoughts, no one wanted to bring up the issue first and risk being at a disadvantage.

It was Professor Chu, accustomed to academic pursuits, who couldn't hold back. He cleared his throat lightly and said, "Song, the river dolphin refuses to leave because, frankly, it's too attached to your zoo's Su Ming! You go talk to him, let him handle it."

"How should he handle it?"

Mr. Song finally opened his eyes. "Song, classmates are classmates, but reason is reason, and I have to make this clear. It's true that the river dolphin is close to him, and little Su does have some talent in dealing with animals. But at the end of the day, the river dolphin can't understand human speech. How do you expect little Su to deal with it? Are you suggesting he tell the river dolphin, 'Be good, stop making trouble, obediently go with the leaders from the province because they have delicious food and treats for you', and then the river dolphin will honestly obey and go with you?"

As Mr. Song put it that way, Wang Jian She at the side laughed heartily while Professor Chu glared, "Song, when did I ever say the river dolphin could understand Su Ming's words! You're just being obstinate!"

"That was too harsh, Chu, too harsh. I don't think that's what Mr. Song meant."

Mr. Jiang, the mayor of Jinhai City, hastily tried to smooth things over. For talks of this level, using phrases like 'troublesome and nonsensical' was not quite fitting of their status. Behind the scenes, they could fight for their claims, but on the surface, it was all about maintaining a harmonious front.

His gaze turned to Wang Jian She and he said, "Wang, what do you think about this? You and Su have a talk, get him to cooperate with us, and we'll take the finless porpoises away. Then, on a few other cooperative projects, we could make some small concessions."

Both cities were in the same province and were comparatively economically developed, engaged in both competition and collaboration. Mr. Jiang and Wang Jian She held similar positions in their respective cities and, aside from the matter of the finless porpoises, there were quite a number of other ongoing projects between them.

By giving a little leeway on this issue, Mr. Jiang could make Wang Jian She's work go much more smoothly, which was an advantage too good to ignore.

Unexpectedly, Wang Jian She shook his head firmly, saying, "Mr. Jiang, let's keep things in their own lanes. We're talking about the finless porpoises, let's not get sidetracked."

Seeing that despite his cheery demeanor Wang Jian She was quite resolute, Mr. Jiang frowned slightly and asked, "Do you really insist on keeping the finless porpoises in Yangchuan?"

"It's not that we insist on keeping them; it's the finless porpoises' own wish."

"Wang, stop joking, what wishes could finless porpoises have?!"

Wang Jian She chuckled and unlocked his phone, bringing up several news articles, "Alright, alright, not the finless porpoises' wishes, but surely this represents the will of the people! Look online, on TV, the public is strongly demanding that the finless porpoises stay in Yangchuan. Mr. Jiang, serving the people, isn't it?"

In a private meeting, Wang Jian She brought out this big argument, leaving Mr. Jiang somewhat speechless. He was a bit irritated and glared at Wang Jian She, saying, "Wang, if you put it that way, does that mean the people of Jinhai City aren't 'the people'?"

The back-and-forth bickering continued, and the negotiation once again reached a deadlock.

At that moment, Mr. Jiang's phone suddenly lit up with a text message from his secretary, and his eyes lit up as he started to smile.

"Wang, at the end of the day, the key lies with Comrade Su Ming from the zoo. This young fellow is outstanding in his work and very capable, but how can such a good comrade still be a temporary worker without formal employment status at the zoo?"

Before Wang Jian She could respond, Mr. Jiang turned to Professor Chu, asking, "Chu, if we transfer him to your Agricultural Science Institute and give him a staff position, wouldn't that be no problem?"

Professor Chu's eyes sparkled, "No problem, I'll talk to Zhao."

The 'Zhao' he referred to was the president of the Provincial Agricultural Science Institute and also a disciple of Professor Chu. Even without the issue of the finless porpoises, getting a staff position at the institute for someone was easily sorted with just a word from Professor Chu.

Mr. Jiang nodded, "Not just the Agricultural Science Institute, I suggest we directly transfer him to the Conservation Center. He's got the skills, consider it a special recruitment, directly appointing him as a deputy-level clerk! Additionally, didn't our bureau recently allocate a bonus of one hundred thousand yuan for meritorious employees? We could add a bit more to that."

"Mr. Jiang, what are you implying, just taking our people away?"

Wang Jian She was not pleased, his expression darkening slightly, "Anything you can offer, are we incapable of matching? Mr. Song..."

Mr. Song spoke leisurely, "Ah, I'm getting old, and I'll retire in a few years. Su certainly is worth cultivating as my successor."

"Heh, Mr. Song, don't beat around the bush with me. Isn't your zoo about to undergo organizational restructuring and become self-sufficient? If he takes over, wouldn't that just be like taking on a huge burden?"

Mr. Jiang waved his hand dismissively and said, "I think we should ask young Su himself what he wants."

To most people, since Jinhai is the provincial capital and a half-grade higher than Yangchuan; and with the provincial government also located in Jinhai, even a position of the same level would offer a far better development prospect and salary than one in Yangchuan. Besides, the zoo was soon to be restructured, while the Conservation Center offered a secure job for life—as long as the state existed, the Conservation Center would be state-supported. Anybody in their right mind would know which option to choose.