Chapter 137: Bringing the Panda Back!

Chapter 137: Bringing the Panda Back!

Liu Shan watched the video of Yuan Yuan and felt increasingly uneasy.

Especially when he saw the panda munching on a pile of bamboo shoots with such relish, it was hard to believe it had ever been anorexic or depressed.

He handed his phone back to the keeper and hurried to the zoo director's office. As soon as he arrived, he said, "Director Li, I need to talk to you!"

Director Li smiled and greeted him, "Liu Shan, you personally delivered Yuan Yuan to Liyuan Farm. The fact that nothing went wrong is a great service to the zoo. We've finally gotten rid of a big problem."

Liu Shan immediately reported, "Director Li, there seems to be an issue. Yuan Yuan's condition improved after arriving in You City, and it's causing quite a stir online!"

"What do you mean?" Director Li asked urgently.

Liu Shan quickly found the video from Liyuan Farm and showed it to Director Li.

As the video played, Yuan Yuan's lively figure appeared, striking poses for the camera no matter what it was doing, which made Director Li's eyes widen in astonishment.

When he checked the likes, there were already 850,000.

The comments section was buzzing with activity.

"Is this panda really Yuan Yuan?" Director Li was utterly stunned.

Why did they send it away from the zoo?

Because of its condition, it was always listless and on the verge of death, and the zoo had to spend a lot of money on its treatment.

The zoo didn't have that kind of budget. What about the staff bonuses and the zoo's development?

Now, Yuan Yuan is thriving in Liyuan Farm. Was this all just a joke?

If it had been like this all along, why did they send it away?

Liu Shan quickly added, "Director Li, with this many likes and comments, and its special abilities, it could become a celebrity panda like Meng Lan or Hua Hua."

"Damn, we might have made a huge mistake!" Director Li stood up, annoyed, and instructed Liu Shan, "You need to go back to You City and verify the situation!"

"Yes, Director!" Liu Shan nodded immediately.

...

Yuan Yuan, the panda at Liyuan Farm, became an internet sensation, with a promotional video garnering over 850,000 likes.

Thanks to its high cuteness factor and its habit of striking poses, it quickly attracted many visitors who expressed their desire to see it.

National treasures always have their loyal fans.

Visitors who had camped on the farm last night were already inquiring about the panda early in the morning.

However, Liyuan Farm didn't seem to have a panda enclosure, and no one knew where to find the panda.

Chu Xiaoqian was one of those visitors.

She and her friend Zhao Huan had originally come for the rainbow flower fields, drawn by the photos online and hoping to take some beautiful pictures. But after seeing the video of Yuan Yuan, they decided to see the panda first.

They were dedicated panda enthusiasts and had seen every celebrity panda, including Meng Lan and Hua Hua.

After searching the farm for a while, they finally arrived at the Black Bear Spirit Fruit Store.

The Black Bear Spirit Fruit Store had become one of Liyuan Farm's main attractions, and visitors could come and see the quirky black bear without buying a ticket.

When they got there, they noticed a large sign.

The content on the sign seemed different from what was posted online earlier.

Previously, it said the Black Bear Spirit was selling water ghosts to raise funds for healing medicine and would repay everyone after transforming, asking if they believed it.

Now, the sign read: "After stealing the monk's robe and White Dragon Horse, I just wanted to quietly sell some fruit to raise funds for healing medicine. But then a metal-eating beast appeared. Legend has it that this creature is the mount of the demon god Chi You. It caused Chi You to lose to the Yellow Emperor after it fell. This creature has been waiting for Chi You's forgiveness, but it keeps striking poses for the guests. Is it trying to ruin my business?"

Chu Xiaoqian and Zhao Huan looked at each other in surprise.

The previous sign about believing the black bear was already quite entertaining, and now this was a continuation?

The surrounding visitors were amused:

"Admittedly, the marketing of the Black Bear Spirit Fruit Store is impressive!"

"Haha, the mount of Chi You is here, but wait, isn't the metal-eating beast a panda?"

"Right, it's the panda!"

Chu Xiaoqian and Zhao Huan finally realized the panda was at the Black Bear Spirit Fruit Store.

They hurriedly walked inside and indeed saw that in the space where the Black Bear Spirit roamed, besides Bai Long Ma and the two cosplay demon girls, there was now an additional panda.

Strangely, the panda didn't seem out of place among the Black Bear Spirit, though no one could quite explain why.

"Xiao Qian, it's really here! Quick, take a video of it!" Zhao Huan exclaimed in delight, immediately raising her phone to record the panda.

She wanted to see if this panda would strike a pose for the camera like the one in the video from Liyuan Farm. Though she knew that video must have been edited from countless takes, she thought she might get lucky this time.

If she managed to capture something special, it would definitely make her friends envious when she posted it on social media.

As soon as she aimed the camera at the panda, her face lit up with surprise. The panda, named Yuan Yuan, was munching on bamboo shoots and, upon noticing the camera, actually struck a pose with half a bamboo shoot still in its mouth.

The sight was both surprising and endearing.

It was simply too delightful.

The other tourists around them also noticed this and began taking videos of the panda, Yuan Yuan.

Faced with all these cameras, Yuan Yuan didn't hold back, striking poses and showing off.

This suggested that the video from Liyuan Farm wasn't just a lucky compilation of many takes; Yuan Yuan genuinely enjoyed striking poses, almost as if it were a natural instinct.

This was a huge surprise for all the tourists.

Yuan Yuan seemed to have the same captivating qualities as the internet-famous pandas, like Hua Hua, who transformed from a bullied cub to a confident adult, and Meng Lan, who practiced martial arts, did sit-ups, dug tunnels, and even tried to escape, earning the nickname "Kung Fu Panda."

Yuan Yuan's behavior was equally charming, even if it was a bit vain. Its poses were just too cute.

More and more tourists started filming, and the more they filmed, the more surprised they became, quickly uploading their videos online.

However, while the tourists were focused on Yuan Yuan, the Black Bear Spirit, Xiao Hei, felt something was off.

This wasn't how things usually went.

Despite its +1 intelligence, Xiao Hei couldn't quite figure out what was different.

But it sensed that the tourists were ignoring it and focusing on the new arrival. So, it started sliding over in its ice skates, often appearing in the camera frame when Yuan Yuan struck a pose.

This seemed to give the tourists an unexpected surprise.

Especially when they recalled the new content on the sign, their minds started to wander, and they quickly uploaded their videos online, writing little essays: "The Black Bear Spirit's attention was stolen by Chi You's Iron-Eating Beast, and it's actively trying to win back its audience..."

With Liyuan Farm's popularity, such entertaining videos naturally went viral, and so did the many videos of the panda, Yuan Yuan.

Because so many tourists were filming, its behavior of always striking a pose for the camera, no matter what it was doing, quickly made it as popular as the internet-famous pandas Hua Hua and Meng Lan.

Combined with Liyuan Farm's popularity, Yuan Yuan became an overnight sensation, much like Guo Moucai had been a short while ago.

Liyuan Farm's fan base also grew significantly thanks to this national treasure panda, drawing more and more people from You City to come and see it.

The people of You City took immediate action. Because the Black Bear Spirit's fruit store didn't sell tickets, the area around it quickly became packed, with people unable to squeeze in, causing a complete traffic jam.

Liu Shan, having received instructions from the park director, rushed to the location of the panda, Yuan Yuan, but was stuck in the dense crowd, unable to move.

The crowd was so dense that he couldn't even budge, witnessing the immense enthusiasm of the people of You City for the giant panda.

Lin Muxue was shocked by the dense, congested crowd and hurriedly instructed Ye Ling to take the security team to the area to maintain order. She had received the latest update that due to the panda, the flower sea and bamboo maze were seeing much fewer visitors, as everyone was flocking to see Yuan Yuan.

The You City authorities were also closely monitoring Yuan Yuan's viral popularity.

Zhao Han rushed to Liu County's office, saying, "Liu County, Yuan Yuan has completely gone viral. People online are saying it could become the next internet-famous panda. According to the internet, this single panda could bring thousands of tourists to You City daily, and possibly tens of thousands during holidays. This is still a conservative estimate, considering the combined effect of a viral panda and Liyuan Farm."

”

  “Yeah, I’ve seen the video,” Liu Xian nodded and handed a document to Zhao Han. “Take a look at this. It’s the support plan I’ve drafted for the Liyuan Farm Zoo.”

  Zhao Han took the document and was immediately stunned. Liu Xian was planning something big.

  “Liu Xian, are you confident you can bring in another giant panda?”

  “If we improve the breeding environment and conditions, and given that Liyuan Farm already meets the criteria, plus some connections, the chances are high. Now that Yuan Yuan has become a potential internet sensation, the chances are even better. You know the impact those internet-famous pandas can have, right?”

  “I’ve seen it, which is why I’m in a hurry. The provincial zoo will do everything they can to get the panda back once they know Yuan Yuan is healthy and so popular.”

  “Mr. Zhang has all the necessary permits and documents in order. They don’t stand a chance. Besides, I’ve already used my connections to ensure everything is smooth.”

  Zhao Han felt relieved. Mr. Zhang wasn’t foolish; it wouldn’t be easy for the provincial zoo to take the panda back. With Liu Xian’s strong stance, things were looking stable.

  ...

  It wasn’t just the city of Youcheng.

  After a long wait in line, Liu Shan finally saw Yuan Yuan and confirmed that the panda was indeed healthy.

  This left him unsettled. He couldn’t understand how a panda that was half-dead in their zoo could become so lively here.

  Moreover, seeing the dense crowd of tourists around him, he realized they had made a huge mistake.

  After squeezing out of the crowd, he hurriedly drove back to Min Province. Upon returning to the zoo, he met with Director Li. “Director Li, we’ve really made a huge mistake. We sent Yuan Yuan away, even if it was just two days later, it would have been better.”

  “Sigh, we were too hasty, really too hasty.” Director Li sighed repeatedly. While Liu Shan was in Youcheng, he had been closely following the news online and knew just how popular Yuan Yuan had become.

  With proper promotion, Yuan Yuan would definitely become an internet-famous panda.

  Director Li was well aware of the value of an internet-famous panda. Take Hua Hua, for example. Because of its internet fame, it had single-handedly made the entire base popular. Every day, countless people bought tickets to see it, often waiting in line for an hour just to catch a three-minute glimpse.

  The base’s annual income had exceeded 130 million yuan because of Hua Hua.

  That was just the base’s income. The surrounding online sales had surged by 906% due to one panda, creating a panda economy. The tourists it attracted brought even more economic benefits to the city.

  Therefore, their zoo had always wanted to promote the few pandas they had.

  However, just as not everyone can become an internet sensation, not every panda can become an internet-famous panda. Without some unique traits, most pandas, like most people, remain ordinary no matter how many videos are posted or how many dreams are dreamt.

  Their zoo’s pandas were no different, and no amount of promotion could make them famous.

  But now, they had sent away Yuan Yuan, who had a real chance to become an internet-famous panda.

  Seeing Yuan Yuan’s popularity online, he felt a deep pain, a pain so intense he wanted to slap himself.

  Liu Shan quickly reminded him, “Director, Liyuan Farm has just taken Yuan Yuan. We should think of a way to get it back. We can’t let Liyuan Farm benefit from this.”

  Director Li nodded immediately. “Right, we need to think of a way. The owner of Liyuan Farm is easy to fool. We fooled them into taking Yuan Yuan before, and maybe we can do it again. We can use the argument that our zoo has better breeding conditions and more advanced technology, which would be beneficial for the pandas, to morally pressure them!”

  Liu Shan wasn’t optimistic about this plan. “Director Li, I don’t think this will work. They will definitely see Yuan Yuan’s value now.”

  “We have to try. This task is yours.” Director Li instructed Liu Shan and then added, “Even if this doesn’t work, we can try to use official channels. I’ll ask my brother to help contact the Youcheng officials. Even if Liyuan Farm refuses, they are still under the jurisdiction of Youcheng. If the Youcheng officials step in, it will put pressure on Liyuan Farm.”

  We must do everything we can to get Yuan Yuan back!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end