Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 279: Chapter 177: A Clouded Leopard in Cangshan? (Part 2)

’Xia Xiaomin’s half-joking words...’

’A successful Xianlai project would be good for Wei Zongting’s political record?’

’Another step up?’

’Doesn’t that mean...?’

Yang Qi arched an eyebrow and read on.

The group chat came alive with Xia Xiaomin’s teasing.

[Wei Zongting: ...Junior Sister Xia, could you please stop calling me Second Senior Brother? Old Wei, Old Zong, Brother Zongting, any of them work. And I’m not even fat. (helpless emoji)]

[Yang Fan: Haha, I second Brother Wei. That "Second Senior Brother" nickname does have some... unflattering connotations.]

[Fang Rong: Brother Wei is more than just not fat, he’s refined, cultured, and very handsome. He’s the face of our school!]

[Xia Xiaomin: Aww, it’s just a habit! Don’t be mad, Second Senior Brother. I’ll treat you to dinner to make up for it. (innocent face)]

[Wei Zongting: ...]

[Wei Zongting: The face of the group is our youngest brother. I’m getting old. (sigh)]

[Yang Fan: Exactly! The current standard-bearer for good looks is one of our own Yang Family!]

[Xia Xiaomin: Old Yang, you’re so shameless.]

[Yang Fan: Am I wrong? Come on, everyone, tell me: is our youngest brother handsome or not?]

[Handsome!]

[Does our youngest brother have a girlfriend? My niece just graduated from college and she’s gorgeous.]

[Pics or it didn’t happen. Post a photo!]

[Post a photo +1]

...

Amidst the flurry of cheerful messages, Wei Zongting deftly changed the subject.

Everyone tacitly went along with it and didn’t press the issue, continuing the new thread of conversation: trying to find Yang Qi a girlfriend.

Yang Qi lurked in the chat, a frown creasing his brow.

The Xianlai Zoo was still in the early planning stages. The official opening wouldn’t be for more than half a year.

For now, Yang Qi’s focus was still on the Donghua City Zoo. He needed to accumulate experience, grind for system contributions, and solidify his foundations. His plan was to resign and move over after the New Year.

’If the news that I’m going to be the director of the Xianlai Zoo gets out too early, it could cause a lot of trouble.’

’How would the Donghua Zoo react?’

’What would Director Huang, Director Mei, and Minister Jiang think?’

’Would they think my heart wasn’t in my work, that I’d been planning to leave all along?’

’Things with my school group weren’t a concern. Just as Xia Xiaomin had said, once Xianlai was established, it would be beneficial for Wei Zongting. Plus, it was an inside job—the senior brothers and sisters would only be happy for me.’

’But the unnecessary attention from outsiders would be a problem.’

With that thought, he exited the group chat, found the contact nicknamed "Fatty Rui," and started a private message.

[Yang Qi: Senior, news that the Xianlai Zoo project is in the works has already started spreading within the industry.]

[Yang Qi: Also, about me becoming the director in the future—could you please remind all the core team members to keep it strictly confidential for now? Please don’t let it get out. I’m still working at the Donghua Zoo, and it could cause some problems for me if the news gets around.]

After sending the message, he then found the WeChat for Ye Jiatong, the designer in charge of Xianlai’s overall planning and architectural design.

[Yang Qi: Engineer Ye, sorry to bother you. There’s one more thing about the project I need to ask a favor for. My role as director shouldn’t be made public yet. Could you please give a heads-up to the colleagues on your design team who are in the know? Ask them to keep it confidential for the time being. Thanks.]

Ye Jiatong replied quickly.

[Ye Jiatong: Don’t worry, Director Yang. Understood. I’ll make sure the team keeps a lid on it. That information will be limited to necessary work-related communication only.]

[Yang Qi: Thank you.]

Just as he finished replying to Ye Jiatong, a message came in from Pang Yunrui.

[Fatty Rui: Don’t worry, junior brother. I’ve stressed this point over and over again from the very beginning. For now, your identity is only known to the seven or eight core members we started with. They’ve all signed NDAs.]

[Fatty Rui: Hehe, as for the news about Xianlai getting out... To be honest, that was an idea from the marketing and strategy team. A little "hype building," you know? It helps attract top-tier talent to send in their resumes, and it also gives us more leverage and buzz when we’re acquiring animals or negotiating partnerships. I just went with it and let the news "circulate naturally" within certain circles.]

[Fatty Rui: And I gotta say, it’s working like a charm. In the last two days, we’ve had several groups of people making inquiries through various channels. There are senior zookeepers and veterinarians looking to jump ship, people with rare animal resources looking for a place to house them, and even some who want to talk about naming rights and sponsorships!]

[Fatty Rui: After all, the vision we’ve painted for Xianlai is a huge draw! The number one private ecological zoo in the province! (smug emoji)]

[Fatty Rui: Hahaha~ Junior brother, you just keep gaining experience at Donghua. We’ve got it handled over here. When you officially join us after the New Year, I guarantee you’ll be stepping onto a stage with a high profile and a huge head start!]

Reading Pang Yunrui’s smug reply, Yang Qi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

This senior of his certainly had a sharp mind for business and operations.

’It just means I’ll have to speed up my own preparations,’ he thought.

...

...

It was past eleven at night when he returned to the Mountain-Back Courtyard at the Donghua Zoo.

The summer night at the foot of the mountain was quieter and cooler than in the city, filled with the ceaseless chirping of insects.

Yang Qi parked the car outside the courtyard gate. The moment he pushed the door open to get out, he heard a rustling from inside the gate, along with excited yelps that were being deliberately suppressed.

A moment later, several agile figures shot out.

"MEOW~"

The black cat, Xiaojiu, was perched on the stone block by the gate, its eyes glinting in the dark.

*Master’s back.*

"WOOF!"

Bai Wan trotted over to Yang Qi’s feet, wagging his tail and rubbing his head against his pant leg.

*Master, you must be tired.*

"WHINE..."

Hu Zi was more reserved, but his pricked ears and the gentle sway of his tail showed he was happy too.

"WOOF!"

Leopard was much more energetic. He almost pounced, but Yang Qi laughingly held his head down. The dog just kept sniffing insistently.

*Master, did you bring back any tasty treats?*