Super Zoo

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From Suming's perspective, adopting any animal was the same; the notion of 'all creatures being equal' precluded the idea of one being nobler than another.

But in reality, the significance of Jacky adopting an animal was entirely different. The choice of animal often reflected the celebrity's personal interests, hobbies, and values in the eyes of the public. For instance, if Jacky were to adopt a crocodile or a piranha, it wouldn't be unacceptable, but such a choice might lead people to believe that Jacky had an inherent liking for brutality, which could be worse than not adopting at all.

Therefore, the animal to be adopted should be comparatively adorable and people-friendly.

Secondly, the animal itself needed to have some value and fame. Wild dogs and cats were cute, but adopting them and conducting an adoption ceremony would seem somewhat nonsensical, overly hyped, not to mention how little they were worth. It wasn't plausible to put so much effort into adopting, only to donate fifty dollars a month for the animal's food expenses; such a gesture would be laughable.

In light of this, Suming suggested Jacky adopt a finless porpoise.

A large tank containing a family of finless porpoises was brought up; Jacky stood smiling next to the tank, dressed in a waterproof suit, as the two small porpoises obediently opened their fins and waved them back and forth towards Jacky, like children begging to be hugged.

Feeling somewhat unsure, Jacky quietly asked Suming, "If I hold the little baby, the big finless porpoise won't get mad and bite me, right?"

"Don't worry!" Suming had already notified them with his spiritual power, asking the porpoises to deliberately show affection towards Jacky. Since finless porpoises were naturally friendly, and with Suming's intentional introduction, there would naturally be no problem.

Realizing that Suming could tame even wolves, making them obediently cooperate with him on stage, Jacky figured the finless porpoises should pose no issue either. So, he boldly reached out and cradled a small porpoise in his arms.

True to expectations, the porpoise family was very well-behaved. Far from showing any discontent, the cradled baby porpoise even waved its fins towards the cameras below the stage, as if greeting them.

Dozens of cameras and video recorders below lit up simultaneously, capturing the scene.

"Wow, it's really so cute, even better than Disney! Next time I have some free time, I'll bring my daughter to play here..." Jacky said to Suming while holding the little porpoise, smiling.

Next, a ceremonial cheque was presented with the amount of three hundred thousand yuan.

The total of eight hundred thousand yuan wasn't a major expense for Jacky and was almost negligible compared to the positive impact generated by the concert and the adoption coverage in the news.

Julia and the planning team had previously conducted professional analysis and predictions; according to the patterns of current media, if no significant accidents occurred, Jacky was expected to dominate the major headlines for at least a week, which would subsequently increase his popularity by a small margin.

The reason for the small boost wasn't that the adoption event and the animal concert were ineffective; rather, it was because Jacky's fame was already so substantial. Not everyone in the mainland was a fan of Jacky's music or movies, but anyone who had lived in cities, from teenagers to those in their fifties or sixties, rarely didn't know of this superstar.

For a celebrity at his level, already possessing a high base of popularity, making any further progress was difficult; maintaining his current status was already commendable.

Receiving the cheque this time were the principal leaders of the Yangchuan City Finless Porpoise Protection Group—Wang Jian She, Zoo Director Song, and Suming, who was directly in charge of the finless porpoises. The three of them, along with Jacky, posed together with the large cheque, all smiles for the media photos.

Fortunate it was daytime, Suming thought; had the ceremony been held at night, he reckoned his eyes would have been blinded by the countless flashing cameras!

Just like all ceremonial meetings, after the donation and adoption ceremony ended, the leading comrades present needed to gather for a group photo.

This was where the arrangement of positions became quite particular, the stage was lined with officials, the least of whom was a deputy division-level cadre, arrayed according to the hierarchy of their ranks. Mr. Sun and Jacky stood at the very center, while Wang Jian She, the bureau chief, could only stand slightly to the left. Zoo Director Song normally wouldn't have been able to stand at the core position, but as the host and recipient of the donation for this ceremony, he also stood beside Jacky at the central position.

Suming was now an assistant to Zoo Director Song, merely at the level of a deputy department-level clerk, so he consciously ran to the very left of the group and found a spot on the edge to stand.

Below, before they started taking photos, Wang Jian She whispered something to Mr. Sun, who chuckled, then Wang Jian stepped out from the group and gestured to Suming.

"Ah? Calling me?" Suming trotted over with a smile, greeting everyone as he went, "Hello, Mr. Sun, hello Mr. Wang, hello all the leaders..."

Mr. Sun smiled and nodded his head as Wang Jian She pointed to a spot next to Zoo Director Song, saying, "You little hero, why stand so far away? Stand next to your director."

A director from the landscaping department, who was very perceptive, moved aside to make room. Suming flashed a grin and squeezed into the spot.

So, in the photo, Suming, a deputy department-level clerk, regally appeared in a position just two people away from Mr. Sun, close to the central spot—a position that, to those familiar with the protocol, was usually reserved for actual division-level cadres with real power.

"Are they preparing to promote me?" Suming mused with a wide smile as he posed for the photo.

...

After the ceremony ended, Jacky, accepting an invitation from Suming, came to Whisperwind Pavilion with only his assistant Julia, remaining very low-key.

Perhaps due to the intervention of some auspicious timing, the water quality in Shuixie Lake had noticeably changed recently. Just standing by the lake and sniffing the mist coming off the surface was enough to feel an invigorating sensation, boosting one's spirits powerfully.

Seeing the environment of the pavilion, Jacky's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "Wow, if we shoot a period drama in the future, can we use this place as the location?"

"You're already past fifty—do you still think you're at the age of the 'Eastern Evil and Western Poison', Hong Qigong, to shoot those action-packed period dramas?" Suming rolled his eyes.

Julia, who was on the side petting the backs of the wolf-dog brothers, chimed in, "Many of Jacky's friends are directors and artists; he could introduce them to come here."

When Suming saw the wolf-dog brothers approaching, his eyelids twitched. Dealing with these brutes was one thing; after all, intimidating a nurse was one incident within the zoo, but it would be an entirely different débâcle if they were to act inappropriately now. He'd be humiliated all the way to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Feigning a kick, he scared off the wolf-dog brothers, then turned to Julia with a smile, "Well then, make sure to bring some beautiful actresses! But for now," he pointed with his chin towards the Fengshui Pavilion, "Jacky, you should hurry up and go sign autographs for them."

No sooner had he spoken than the doors of the pavilion burst open, and a large group of people rushed out.

"Idol!" Wang Hao led the charge, like a crazed, massive meatball, thundering towards them.