Super Zoo

In the age of the internet, especially now in the era of fan economies, a Weibo account with a massive following can have an immeasurable impact when it comes to publicity. A so-called public intellectual or big V can create tremendous economic benefits with just hundreds of thousands of fans.

The "Taoyuan Charm" account's future orientation will primarily focus on the zoo's animals and various entertaining programs, occasionally advertising for other Suming industries, like the future distillery, so there's absolutely no need to resort to the unscrupulous tactics of certain public intellectuals by spreading false information or pandering for attention.

In some respects, the more influential this Weibo account becomes in the future, the more it benefits societal harmony, the happiness of people's families, and a life full of positive energy.

At the moment, this newly registered Weibo account doesn't have any followers. Suming is also too lazy to promote it elsewhere, like posting on other forums or advertising. A Weibo account needs careful management, and it certainly won't be effective just by posting small ads on a few forums or leaving comments under popular threads.

...

Inside a large conference room at the city government, Mr. Song, Wang Jian She, and leaders from several related departments have been discussing the specific plans for the zoo's restructuring for the past few days.

As the zoo's current top official, Song is naturally fighting to secure better conditions for the zoo to facilitate future development;

On the other hand, the other leaders, representing the government, are considering the issue from the opposite perspective. Since the zoo was once within the system and received government care, now that it's leaving the system, the less it can take with it, the better.

This isn't selfish; the fiercer the argument and the struggle from both sides, the more it shows they are responsible people. If a group of irresponsible people were involved, everyone might appear amicable on the surface, but that would cause the state's assets and the zoo's future to suffer tremendous losses.

In these past few days, both sides engaged in verbal battles, laid out their reasoning, and even resorted to obstinate bickering, negotiating fiercely over every single term and not giving an inch, all seeking to maximize their benefits.

In such a situation, as a government leader, it wasn't appropriate for Wang Jian She to overtly support the zoo.

Sometimes the discussions became so heated that they reached a deadlock, or they proved so strenuous that a temporary recess was called to have some tea, chat, and watch television to ease the tense atmosphere.

The topic of discussion today was about the plan for the zoo to return a portion of its fixed assets at a discounted value.

In the zoo, from the pavilions, towers, groves, and lawns to a stone bench beside the path and a lighting lamp, all were built with state investment. After the restructuring, these assets belong to the zoo, hence the generated profits go into the zoo's accounts, not to the state.

Therefore, these assets must be assessed in monetary terms and returned to the state.

Of course, these 'assets' aren't machinery and don't directly generate value, plus they have been used for many years, so their assessed value is quite low.

But the immensity of the zoo means that the overall total is a significant figure.

The current issue is whether to pay it all back at once or to return it over several years. If it's to be repaid annually, there are details to work out, such as over how many years and whether interest should be charged.

The discussion is deadlocked on this point.

"How could we make a one-time repayment? Mr. Liu, by saying that, you're blatantly wanting to see the zoo collapse!"

Don't let Mr. Song's usual jovial demeanor fool you; when it comes to issues affecting the future development of the zoo, he's uncompromising and very hard to persuade. He slammed his hand on the table, his voice filled with anger.

Mr. Liu glared in response, "How can you say that, Song? How am I wishing for the zoo to collapse? If the zoo collapses, how would that benefit me?!"

Mr. Song snorted displeasedly, "The first year after restructuring is the toughest year for the zoo. It's bad enough not to get financial support from you, but you're trying to pull the rug out from under us by asking for a full repayment at once. Where would the zoo get so much money? ...Alright, alright, even if we could come up with such a large sum of money, even if I could borrow it, if all the zoo's liquidity went back to the government, leaving our accounts empty and us drowning in debt, how are we supposed to continue operating? If that's not an intentional plan to see the zoo fail, what is it then?" Experience tales at empire

Mr. Liu was equally resolute, puffing his beard and glowering, "Why restructure? It's to reduce government burdens, optimize resource distribution, and adapt to the market economy, right? Survival of the fittest, and those who can't adapt will be eliminated by the market! If the zoo can't continue operations and shuts down, that's a management issue at the zoo, and naturally, other companies will take over. To put it bluntly, after restructuring, the government doesn't care about the zoo's survival. But under no circumstances should we allow the state's assets to just slip away like that."

Sitting next to Mr. Liu was a relatively younger official who seemed to hold a lower position. When Mr. Liu took a hard stance, this younger man went for a softer approach. Clearing his throat and adopting an anguished expression, he chimed in, "Mr. Song, you're a veteran comrade too. Think about how during these years of our country's economic reform, so much precious state-owned property has just slipped away for next to nothing, a truly heart-wrenching loss..."

"He, save the official jargon for someone else. Am I saying that?!" Mr. Song, stubborn with age, cut off the younger man before he could finish his sentence.

All present were Party officials and leaders in charge of their respective areas. Now that they were meeting privately, not facing the media or their subordinates, continuing to speak officialese really was a bit pointless.

Scolded like this by Song, little He also awkwardly smiled without saying anything more.

Song snorted and softened his tone, "I understand what little He means. I'm an old comrade myself, of course I wouldn't just watch state assets slip away. But we all need to think about it, the purpose of restructuring is for the government to reduce its burdens, throwing away unnecessary baggage and handing it over to the market. That's the right thing to do. However, the ultimate goal is to hope the zoo operates well, generates tax revenue to feed back into the government's finances, enriches the lives of the people, and prospers the market economy. It's not about letting the zoo go under, right? If it's just about shedding burdens without seeking development, then we might as well not restructure at all. We could just close every zoo, park, and public institution, and then there'd be no need for government financial appropriations anymore."

"Of course not, of course not," Wang Jian She laughed and took a sip of tea before saying, "Let's all calm down, Song, you continue at your own pace."

This restructuring meeting was originally supposed to be chaired by Mr. Sun, the Deputy Mayor, but the old man's advanced age and poor health kept him from attending, so Wang Jian She took over as the presiding official.

Mr. Song nodded and also slurped two sips of tea before he continued, "Liu, I understand the financial difficulties you face, and I hope you can understand us too. Give the zoo some time to buffer, returning funds annually, and not a cent will be missing. If we are to calculate the interest, then calculate it as the bank would."

Seeing Mr. Song's insistence, if Liu wouldn't step back, the negotiation couldn't continue. He wavered slightly, "What you say is right, but what if the zoo does go under? Who will I look to for the money then?"

Song, it seems like you're the one being unreasonable now. What if I win a hundred million in the lottery and pay back the money right away?"

In truth, Mr. Song's words were somewhat unreasonable. Given the existing statistical probabilities, the likelihood of the zoo going bankrupt after the restructuring was many thousands of times higher than winning a hundred million in the lottery. Liu's speculation was entirely possible, while Mr. Song's hypothesis was practically impossible.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

In saying this, Song was staking his old reputation on the line.

A one-time refund versus annual installments, although the total amount of money was the same, even with interest for annual payments, it meant something entirely different for the zoo's finances. The former would be too much pressure, quickly draining the zoo's financial resources, while the latter would allow the zoo to transition smoothly.

In Song's view, this negotiation was the last thing he could do for the zoo. It was his final battle, and it had to be a beautiful one!

Both parties were holding firm, unwilling to speak further.

Seeing the discussion reach another impasse, Wang Jian She wasn't in a hurry. He chuckled, "Let's take a break, watch some TV. Hey, someone get the attendant to change the tea leaves."

Wang Jian She had seen many such situations before. Some large state-owned enterprise restructuring meetings were far more intense than this one, with people smashing cups and cursing at each other in the meeting rooms.

The attendant came in to change the tea leaves and boil water, and casually turned on the large LCD TV screen in the conference room.

By coincidence, the image on the screen was from Yangchuan City TV Station's rising new anchor, a young and excellent reporter, interviewing the zoo's outstanding employee, Suming.

Looking at the surroundings, they seemed to be on the back hill of the zoo, surrounded by a sea of tourists.

"What's that? Foxes? Why are they dressed up like little people?" Mr. Liu stared at the TV screen, puzzled.

Mr. Song replied nonchalantly, "Whether they are foxes or little people doesn't matter. As long as they bring profit to the zoo, that's a good thing!"

The interview from the TV began to fill the conference room.

"Mr. Su, the Fox Home on the back hill of the zoo, having been open for just under three days, has already attracted widespread attention. What do you think is the reason for this?"

Suming now held the position of 'head' of the zoo's Special Coordination Division. This division was established after Suming arrived and while it sounded secretive, it was really in charge of managing all animals and any sudden incidents.

Facing the camera, Suming smiled faintly and said, "I think it represents social harmony. Our material lives are continuously enriched, human relations, and our connection with nature are harmonious, our living conditions are better, and we demand superior spiritual enjoyment and leisure life. The zoo, riding on this wave, has managed to achieve certain results. Of course, it is inseparable from these adorable broad-eared foxes."

"Speaking of broad-eared foxes, I have a question that all the visitors and viewers in front of their TVs would like to know," Nangong Yan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a mischievously playful smile as she asked Suming, "These little foxes are very human-friendly and can interact simply with people. Did the zoo specifically train them? Everyone knows that in Huaxia, there are many magical legends about foxes—not to mention in folklore there's the saying about Fox Immortals…"