Chapter 487: Chapter 239: Dream Start, Magical Director

’It’s logically consistent. No problems there!’

...

Countless thoughts flashed through Yang Qi’s mind in an instant. Though the amount of information was immense, only a brief moment passed in the outside world.

He had just signed his name on the document, his pen tip lifting from the paper.

Standing across from him, Pang Yunrui watched Yang Qi finish signing and broke into a wide grin. He extended his hand and said enthusiastically,

"My friend, we’re officially partners now. I guess I’ll have to start calling you ’Director Yang’!"

Yang Qi composed himself and smiled, reaching out to give Pang Yunrui’s hand a firm shake.

"You’re too kind, President Pang. I’ll be counting on your guidance from now on."

"Haha!"

Pang Yunrui laughed heartily, then his expression turned serious. "Since Donghua is being so supportive and sending over four types of animals, we need to speed up our preparations here."

"For Monkey Mountain, I’ll have them work through the night to get the core area and the enrichment facilities finished first."

"We also need to prioritize the interior setup for the temporary isolation and acclimation enclosures for the leopard cubs, wolves, and raccoons. We have to ensure they’ll be comfortable the moment they arrive."

"I’ll notify the relevant keepers right away and have them report for duty in the next couple of days to familiarize themselves with the environment and procedures ahead of time."

He added with a sigh, "We originally planned to wait until after the New Year to bring in the animals, with all employees starting work then. Now, everything has to be moved up. That means someone will need to be on duty here during the holiday to look after the animals."

"I’ll do it," Yang Qi volunteered.

’I can bring my grandma over. Ningshan County is right next to Laishan. It’s the perfect opportunity—with fewer people around during the Chinese New Year—to get familiar with the environment at Xianlai and set up the Hundred Trees Nourishing Body Array!’

"Oh, you don’t have to do that."

Pang Yunrui smiled. "Teacher Feng already talked to me about this. His son works in the northwest and isn’t coming back for the New Year this year; he’ll be back after the holiday. His wife passed away a few years ago, so he’d just be home alone, bored and lonely."

"Teacher Feng offered to stay and be on duty at the Zoo during the Chinese New Year. It’s a good chance for him to get familiar with everything. With a veteran director like him holding down the fort, I have nothing to worry about."

Yang Qi nodded. Feng Jianye was experienced and steady. Having him there was indeed reassuring.

"It’ll be hard on Teacher Feng this year, then. But what about the other keepers and staff? It might be difficult to get them to work over the holiday, wouldn’t it?"

"Don’t worry. As long as the money is right, I guarantee no one will refuse." Pang Yunrui patted his chest confidently. "We’re offering triple pay for overtime! Plus, a generous New Year’s red envelope and compensatory time off."

"These days, the New Year is losing its festive spirit anyway. For many young people, they’d rather earn some nice extra cash working in comfort here than go home to get nagged about marriage and deal with all their nosy relatives."

Yang Qi chuckled in amusement.

’True enough. With a sufficient financial incentive, many problems simply aren’t problems.’

...

They got right to work. That very day, they began to rush construction on the enclosures that urgently needed to be ready for the animals: Monkey Mountain, the Leopard House, the Wolf District’s temporary isolation pens, and the raccoon interaction area.

The workers were put on a three-shift rotation, and materials for these areas were prioritized. The goal was to install and calibrate the internal enrichment features and basic facilities in the shortest time possible.

Yang Qi stayed behind as well, personally getting involved in the setup.

He was incredibly strong. He moved heavy artificial rocks, shouldered massive log perches, and even helped secure metal components, all with effortless ease.

The newly hired keepers and technicians watched from the sidelines, their eyes wide.

At first, nobody knew who this young, handsome, and hardworking guy was. Assuming he was just another new colleague, they chatted and joked with him, asking what school he’d graduated from and where he’d worked before.

Yang Qi was more than happy with the arrangement. He blended right in with the crew, and the atmosphere was congenial as they all talked about animals while they worked.

That was, until Feng Jianye came to inspect the progress. He saw Yang Qi, drenched in sweat, lifting a large rock with a few other young men. He hurried over, his voice a mixture of resignation and respect as he called out.

"Goodness, Director Yang! Why are you doing this yourself? Put it down, please, put it down! This is rough work; you can just let the others handle it."

Director?

The few young men lifting the rock with Yang Qi, along with the other busy staff members nearby, all froze. They turned in unison to look at Yang Qi, their hands stopping mid-motion.

’This strong, easy-going guy who looks even younger than us is the Director? Our future big boss?’

Yang Qi set the rock down steadily, dusted off his hands, and smiled at Feng Jianye. "It’s nothing, Teacher Feng. Just stretching my muscles. I’m part of Xianlai, too, so it’s only right that I pitch in."

Only then was everyone certain: this really was the legendary, mysterious director whom President Pang valued so highly, the one who had single-handedly planned Xianlai’s entire animal welfare system!

In an instant, their casual joking gave way to astonishment, restraint, and even a hint of apprehension. They fell silent, straightened their postures, and stood there, flustered and unsure what to do.

"Don’t just stand there gawking. Get back to work."

Yang Qi smiled at them, his tone gentle. "We were having a nice chat just now, weren’t we? Let’s just carry on as before."

"Here at Xianlai, we don’t need to be so concerned with hierarchy. We’re all colleagues. The most important thing is that we build this zoo together and take good care of the animals."

Seeing that Yang Qi truly put on no airs—that his smile was sincere, his tone was calm, and he was no different than before—the crew’s tense nerves slowly began to unwind. Smiles returned to their faces, and they got back to work.

Still, their banter now carried an added layer of respect; it was no longer quite as casual as before.

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