Super Zoo

Days flew by, and Wang Hao had only hosted one anchor audition event. There were still several hundred applicants waiting to be interviewed, but Suming was astonished to realize that, without noticing, it was already the end of April.

What was casually mentioned before had become reality, and he and Nangong really had to wait until the May Day holiday to go out and play.

The television station's benefits were so good they were outrageous, always either paying for trips or handing out hefty bonuses during festivals. Of course, May Day was no exception. Several popular hosts from the station, including Nangong, were all offered a five-day trip to Europe fully paid for by the company, as long as they could pre-record their holiday programs.

Despite such great benefits, Nangong didn't even think twice before giving it up to join Suming on the five-day trip to Xiangjiang organized by the zoo.

Suming made a last-minute decision for the entire zoo to go out and have fun together. Since the reform, the zoo's financial situation had been improving day by day, and as the director, he felt it was time to distribute some benefits to everyone. Taking advantage of the May Day holiday to organize a collective trip was perfect.

The zoo employees managed their workload in advance. Those who could take time off were allowed to bring their families on a five-day trip to Xiangjiang, all expenses paid by the company. For those who had to stay on duty and couldn't go, they were given a festival bonus as a token gesture. In short, nobody was left out.

Mrs. Tong tallied up the numbers and reported back for Suming to sign and confirm before they could proceed to get the funds approved. She half-joked upon entering, "Director, look at how insatiable these people are. The zoo has been around for decades, and at best, we used to travel only within the province, with only leaders eligible to go. Now, we're taking everyone on an all-expenses-paid trip to the special zone, and they're already clamoring and heckling, talking about going to Europe next year."

While she was speaking, even Mrs. Tong herself didn't notice that she inadvertently dropped the word 'deputy' when referring to Suming as the director.

"That's completely doable. Tell everyone that if the zoo keeps developing like this, in a few years, I'll take them to Dubai!" Suming glanced at the list; a total of 25 employees could go, along with their families making 38 people in all.

"Why isn't Mr. Song going?" Suming asked, looking up.

"I went and asked him specifically. The old director doesn't want to travel far anymore due to his age," Mrs. Tong chuckled, "He's even scolding us for not knowing how good we have it."

Suming signed his name at the bottom of the document and asked with a smile, "Where did that come from?"

"The old director says that nowadays, our zoo is a famous attraction, and people from outside come to our zoo for the holidays. Here we are, on the other hand, spending money to go elsewhere."

"Well, that's what tourism is about. We travel from a place we're tired of living in to a place others are tired of living in."

Suming handed the signed document back to Mrs. Tong and instructed, "When going out to have fun, don't be afraid to spend money. Choose a decent travel agency, preferably one that only does tours and no shopping trips. The point of being away is to have a good time. Don't be tempted by cheap deals and end up facing those enforced shopping situations. It would spoil everyone's mood."

"Alright, you can count on me," Mrs. Tong said as she took the documents and walked out. She stopped at the door, turned around, and gave Suming a meaningful smile, quietly asking, "Director, do you have any classmates or friends who run travel agencies?"

Suming didn't catch her meaning at first and was stunned for a couple of seconds before he laughed slightly annoyedly, "Sister, just handle it as you see fit. If anyone in our zoo has connections with a travel agency, let them make the contact, no problem."

Before the May Day holiday arrived, Mr. Han was busy going to a car race. One evening, he gave Suming a heads up, invited Jiao Shou, and the three of them had some drinks at Whisperwind Pavilion as a temporary farewell.

Recently, in addition to writing an unimaginable screenplay, Jiao Shou would also make guest appearances as a male anchor.

Even though he was often sprayed in the face by alpacas and had his head scratched by monkeys, he seemed to be in much better spirits than when he first returned to the zoo.

"Because what you're doing now doesn't make money, but it's exactly why you entered this industry in the first place," Mr. Han commented artistically on the side.

"It's not necessarily unprofitable, it's just that you donate it all to the zoo," Suming said. Jiao Shou's style as an internet anchor was very close to his original work on "Teach You XXX by Beast Caller," and after two years of professional and vocational training on the 'Caught Off Guard' project, he had even more depth and accumulation. In a short time, he had gathered quite a few new fans, and the popularity of his live broadcasts even rivaled Mr. Han's.

"To be honest, doing live streams is quite enjoyable. But if I could make movies or something, that would be even better, even if it was just being part of the production," Jiao Shou said, rubbing his bald head.

Mr. Han glanced at Suming, who shrugged, "Don't look at me, I can't afford to make a movie right now. Aren't you the rich one?"

"That's all blood, sweat, and tears money…"

As the three of them chattered on, they actually started talking about making a movie.

If they really put their minds to it, they could scrape together some money, but making a movie wasn't just about having the funds. Good scripts, a large crew, distribution, all required professionals, which might be hard to pull off in a short time.

...

"Dear passengers, we are about to land at Xiangjiang International Airport. On behalf of the entire flight crew, I thank you for choosing our airline, and I wish you a pleasant journey…"

Amidst the roar of the engines and a slight sense of weightlessness, the flight smoothly touched down on the runway of Xiangjiang International Airport.

High in the sky, a Haidong Qing also descended, slipping into the forest atop Mount Dayu to rest.

Xiangjiang International Airport, built on a man-made island reclaimed from the sea near Mount Dayu, was surrounded by vast expanses of azure sea water, offering a broad view and pleasant scenery. Standing at the airplane's door, one could even clearly feel the salty, moist breeze blowing in from the ocean.

To the direct north of the airport was the sea. Through the thin mist over the strait, one could vaguely see the skyline filled with high-rise buildings— the bustling commercial district of Tuen Mun.

To many mainlanders born in the '80s, places like Tuen Mun and Causeway Bay hold deep memories. Even without having visited Xiangjiang, just mentioning Tuen Mun would stir up numerous childhood reminiscences.

"Hong Xing has twelve branches, only Tuen Mun is pure…"

"The notorious 'Rainy Night Butcher' from Tuen Mun is none other than me…"

"The Man-Eater Buns of Heavenly Punishment…"

Nangong removed her exaggeratedly large sunglasses, turned her head, and patted Suming's shoulder with fake sympathy, sighing feignedly, "Young man, I can see that your childhood was quite unfortunate with such memories: filled with violence, erotica, and horror films."