Chapter 138: Chapter 128: "Big Flower" Has Good News

"We can negotiate further. The bonus percentage can be increased!"

"Or do you feel the responsibilities are too great? We can revise the contract and reduce some of the support duties for our partner zoos."

"Advisor Yang, this is a rare opportunity."

"Our Zoo’s resources and platform are much better than Donghua’s. You’ll get to work with more rare animals, which will also help you improve your skills!"

"Advisor Yang..."

"..."

Yang Qi let him chatter on endlessly, simply pushing his cart forward at a steady pace. He would occasionally grunt an "mm" or an "oh" to show he was listening, but his steps never faltered, and his resolve showed no sign of weakening.

Ye Junfang talked himself hoarse, beads of sweat dotting his temples. He had run through almost every temptation and reason he could think of, even throwing out an offer like, "our boss can provide you with a car and a house," but Yang Qi remained unmoved.

As Ye Junfang watched Yang Qi reach the lynx enclosure and prepare to start his work, ignoring him completely, he finally realized something.

’This attempt at poaching him has probably failed.’

Before coming here, he had slapped his chest and guaranteed that poaching Yang Qi would be no problem.

But now, he was forced to a halt, watching Yang Qi’s back as he opened the enclosure door and went inside. His face was a mask of helplessness, tinged with humiliated anger.

The young man and woman who had been following silently behind now slowly walked up to Ye Junfang’s side and stood there, still silent.

Ye Junfang took a few ragged breaths, glanced at the contract in his hand, then at the now-closed lynx enclosure door, and couldn’t help but mutter a curse under his breath.

"What a lunatic!"

He turned to face the two of them, as if seeking validation, his tone filled with disbelief and complaint.

"You tell me, is that Yang guy sick in the head?"

"Two million a year! Two million in cold, hard cash!"

"With his crappy permanent position, he makes two hundred thousand a year at most. The package we’re offering is worth ten years of his salary!"

"Ten years! Has he lost his mind? Or does he just not understand how good money is?"

The two young colleagues, a man and a woman, exchanged a glance and remained silent.

But deep in their eyes, an almost imperceptible, complex emotion flickered.

’If they had the choice, they’d probably also want the stability and peace of mind that came with a "worthless permanent position" paying "two hundred thousand a year, tops"...’

...

Although he had been rebuffed, Ye Junfang clearly wasn’t ready to give up easily.

He planned to find another opportunity to "run into" Yang Qi this afternoon, or even tomorrow, and try to persuade him from a different angle.

After all, he couldn’t believe that someone could be completely unmoved by the temptation of two million a year. ’Perhaps Yang Qi just hasn’t thought it through, or is just posturing?’

The trio walked in silence along the Zoo’s wide main path toward the entrance, steeped in the embarrassment of rejection and Ye Junfang’s resentment.

As they walked, a conversation drifted into Ye Junfang’s ears from the edge of a greenbelt along the path, where two older male janitors in blue uniforms were slowly sweeping fallen leaves and chatting idly.

"...Give me a break. You want to suggest to the Zoo Director that they replace the equipment? Who do you think you are, Xiao Yang? You think you can just casually bring in a donation of several million for the Zoo?"

"What’s this got to do with Xiao Yang? That Xiao Yang has real skill—he’s a master! He can even get the giant pandas to be completely docile. It’s only normal that someone would value him and want to win him over, right?"

"Don’t get sidetracked with all that nonsense. Just tell me this: Xiao Yang can bring in a multi-million donation from Dazhuang Group. Can you? If not, then just shut up and get back to work!"

"Hey, what’s with you..."

’Tame giant pandas?’

’Xiao Yang?’

’Dazhuang Group?’

’A multi-million donation?’

These few keywords made Ye Junfang stop dead in his tracks, his ears instinctively perking up.

When he heard the phrase "brought in a multi-million donation," he had assumed it was just some project funding the Zoo had secured. But the part about "the Dazhuang Group donating several million to thank Xiao Yang"...

Now *that* was a bombshell!

Dazhuang Group, a food and beverage giant famous in Donghua City and even throughout the province.

’They donated several million to the Zoo to thank Yang Qi?’

Ye Junfang’s mind raced. He quickly put on a smile, pulled an unopened pack of decent-quality cigarettes from his pocket, and walked toward the two janitors.

"Hey there, fellas, busy day? Care for a smoke break?" he said with a smile, offering the cigarettes.

One of the janitors glanced at the brand of cigarettes, didn’t hesitate, and took one. "Thanks. You need something from us?"

"Nothing major. I was just passing by and heard you two mention Xiao Yang... You mean Yang Qi, Advisor Yang, right?" Ye Junfang asked with a beaming smile.

"Yeah. You know Xiao Yang too?" the janitor who took the cigarette said casually as he lit it.

"You could say that. I’m a relative from his hometown, just came to see how he’s doing."

Ye Junfang casually invented an identity and continued to fish for information. "I heard this gentleman say that Advisor Yang brought in a multi-million donation for the Zoo? Which company was it? That’s incredibly generous."

"Why, it was the Dazhuang Group!"

The janitor was clearly a simple man. He took a drag from his cigarette and said without a second thought, "They said it was to thank Xiao Yang. They specifically donated five million to the Zoo to improve the animals’ feed. Because of it, even the food in our cafeteria has gotten a lot better recently!"

"Dazhuang Group?"

Ye Junfang feigned surprise. "That’s a huge company. What did Advisor Yang do to make the Dazhuang Group so grateful to him?"

"Who knows? But he must have helped them out with something big..."

The janitor who took the cigarette was still muttering, but the other janitor, who had been quiet all along, suddenly had a change of expression. He shot Ye Junfang a wary look, grabbed his partner’s arm, and snapped in a low voice, "Can’t you keep your mouth shut! You’ll tell this stuff to anyone!"

"What did I say wrong? Everyone at the Zoo knows Dazhuang Group donated five million," the janitor who’d been grabbed retorted, still unconvinced.

"Alright, alright, that’s enough. Let’s get back to work."

The other janitor didn’t allow for any argument, dragging his companion away, grabbing his broom, and quickly walking off in another direction.

Before leaving, he even shot a wary glance back at Ye Junfang.

Ye Junfang stood frozen on the spot. The smile on his face slowly vanished, replaced by shock, dawning realization, and utter disbelief.

Behind him, his young male and female subordinates stared at each other, their faces filled with astonishment.

Dazhuang Group donated five million to Donghua Zoo to thank Yang Qi!

’What did this mean?’

It meant that if Yang Qi weren’t an official employee of this Zoo, bound by rules against accepting large private gifts...

...then that five million would likely have gone directly into Yang Qi’s own pocket!

A man who could "give up" five million because of his employment status...

...would he care about their offer of a "two million" annual salary that came at a great cost and with immense responsibilities?

Realizing this, Ye Junfang felt his face burn. His earlier confusion, disbelief, and even his humiliated anger now morphed into deep embarrassment and a hint of self-mockery.

It wasn’t that the man didn’t understand the value of money, nor that he had lost his mind. He simply scoffed at their "high price" that came with such harsh conditions!

A heavy silence enveloped the three of them.

After a long moment, Ye Junfang sighed, his shoulders slumping.

He waved a hand, his voice hoarse.

"Let’s go back."

This time, his tone held none of its previous confidence or resentment. All that remained was utter resignation and the powerlessness that comes from accepting reality.

...

Meanwhile, Yang Qi had just finished cleaning the lynx enclosure.

He was washing his hands when his phone rang.

He pulled it out and saw it was a call from Jiang Kai.

"Hello, Minister Jiang?"

"Xiao Yang, drop what you’re doing for a moment and come to the conference room on the second floor of the administration building." Jiang Kai’s voice sounded a little excited.

"Okay, I’ll be right there."

Yang Qi hung up, a little puzzled.

He wiped his hands, straightened his work clothes, and walked quickly toward the administration building.

He knocked and opened the door to the second-floor conference room. Several people were already seated inside.

Besides Minister Jiang, Cheng Xiaoou, two veterinarians, and other staff members were also there.

"Xiao Yang, you’re here. Have a seat."

Minister Jiang gestured for Yang Qi to sit in an empty chair at the conference table.

Once Yang Qi was seated, Minister Jiang cleared his throat, glanced around the room, and finally let his gaze rest on Yang Qi. "Xiao Yang, I’ve called you here because there’s a situation I want to discuss with you. We were hoping you could help."

"It’s about our Zoo’s leopard, Big Flower. The keepers and veterinarians have been monitoring her condition closely."

"Based on continuous observation of her body condition, behavioral records, as well as yesterday’s physiological tests and hormone level analysis..."

Minister Jiang looked to an older Veterinarian wearing glasses beside him.

The old Veterinarian took over, his voice filled with unconcealed excitement.

"Based on all the indicators and behavioral changes, our preliminary assessment is that there is an extremely high probability that Big Flower has successfully conceived. She’s pregnant with cubs!"