Chapter 647 - 537: Who Says Progress Is Slow

Chapter 647: Chapter 537: Who Says Progress Is Slow

Being a secretary isn’t easy, especially for a high-level leader.

But Secretary Chen had been Xu Jinguang’s secretary for three years and considered himself conscientious and responsible.

He managed all of Xu Jinguang’s schedules and arrangements flawlessly.

He handled every task Xu Jinguang assigned him beautifully.

He anticipated things Xu Jinguang overlooked and made thorough preparations in advance.

He even did his best to assist with matters in the director’s personal life, handling them so Xu Jinguang could focus entirely on his work.

Xu Jinguang had praised his competence countless times, saying he was a great help and put his mind at ease.

Take the case Shen Xin was handling, for example.

Secretary Chen knew that the 11·2 series of cases had always been a thorn in Xu Jinguang’s side—something he paid close attention to and considered highly important.

So, when the case was reopened and assigned to Shen Xin’s task force, Secretary Chen had been keeping a close eye on its progress.

He had instructed the local police in Wudu, over in Longzhou, to submit daily work reports detailing which case files Yang Zeran had reviewed and where he had gone to investigate and verify information.

Yang Zeran hadn’t finished reading that roomful of case files, but he himself had.

Secretary Chen wouldn’t dare say he knew the case like the back of his hand, but he wasn’t far off.

Here in Anjing, Director Xu had been too busy to meet with Shen Xin.

But Lin Wei sent a work report every day, detailing what Shen Xin and his partner did, where they went, and any progress they had made.

Moreover, Secretary Chen had conducted a comprehensive background check on Shen Xin.

He was crystal clear on every case Shen Xin had solved and every commendation he had received since becoming a police officer.

However, when Director Xu, during a break from work today, suddenly asked him what Shen Xin had been up to recently, Secretary Chen was caught off guard.

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Secretary Chen’s mind, but he didn’t know where to begin.

’What could he say?’

’That Shen Xin spent his days enjoying a peaceful life with Meng Lan?’

’That Shen Xin and Meng Lan had formed the "Justice Duo," that he’d taught Meng Lan how to rave and even how to box, and that Meng Lan had now gone viral and become an internet-famous panda?’

’That hundreds of thousands of tourists were flocking to the zoo every day to see Meng Lan?’

’That the Anjing Zoo had even bought the rights to *Kung Fu Panda*, the panda gift shop was selling merchandise, and they even had Shen Xin cosplay as Prince Shen to stage an "ultimate showdown" with Meng Lan?’

’And as if one Meng Lan wasn’t enough, the zoo was now eyeing the twin pandas, Meng Da and Meng Er?’

’They wanted Shen Xin to use his special talents to train Meng Da and Meng Er as well, so they could later play the roles of the Boonie Bears, with Shen Xin as Logger Vick?’

’And Shen Xin? He clocked in and out on time every day, accompanying Meng Lan as they greeted wave after wave of tourists, making the name "Prince Shen" famous across the internet.’

’The problem was, today was already December 9th.’

’It had been over twenty days since Shen Xin and his partner arrived in Anjing on November 16th.’

’Shen Xin had certainly put his special talents to use, becoming thick as thieves with the panda.’

’The issue was, had he gotten the target wrong?’

’The target was Walnut, not Meng Lan.’

Having studied Shen Xin’s past cases, like the Great Avenue Gold case, Secretary Chen knew that Shen Xin had previously gone to a zoo to get close to a parrot named Broo.

’He had then creatively used the parrot to re-enact a scene, cracking the case.’

So, Secretary Chen could understand Shen Xin’s approach of becoming a zookeeper to build a rapport with the panda.

’The problem was, when it came to his bond with Meng Lan, Shen Xin was in a league of his own.’

’But what about Walnut?’

’Progress there was still at a standstill.’

’If Meng Lan were a female and Shen Xin was trying to play matchmaker to find Walnut a partner, that would at least be understandable.’

’But Meng Lan was a dude.’

So, Secretary Chen truly felt that Shen Xin was "neglecting his duties," or perhaps had his priorities mixed up and forgotten the main objective.

Of course, Secretary Chen wasn’t the type to tattle.

And Director Xu disliked people like that.

But if he just glossed over the situation and said nothing, Secretary Chen worried Director Xu would end up disappointed.

After all, he had very high expectations for Shen Xin.

As his thoughts raced, Secretary Chen decided to report the facts as they were.

He would say what he knew and leave it to Director Xu to make his own judgment.

Thinking this, Secretary Chen said, "Director Xu, I’ve been keeping an eye on Shen Xin’s situation."

"He’s making fast progress. Just as you said before, he has a real talent for training animals. He’s already become very friendly with the giant panda at the zoo."

"And in the process, he’s accidentally made the panda, Meng Lan, a huge star. It’s brought a lot of publicity and revenue to the Anjing Zoo. For that alone, I think they should be paying him a salary."

Secretary Chen used a joke to tactfully explain Meng Lan’s situation.

And he wasn’t exaggerating.

In the past, daily attendance at the Anjing Zoo would only break one hundred thousand during peak holiday periods.

Now? Even on weekdays, it easily surpassed one hundred thousand.

With tens of thousands of extra visitors a day, even with tickets at only 19 yuan, that was over a million yuan in additional daily revenue.

You could say this was all thanks to Shen Xin.

"The only issue," Secretary Chen’s tone shifted, "is that progress with Walnut has been slow. I’ve looked into it, and this parrot, Walnut, has a rather introverted personality and is very hostile toward humans."

"The zookeepers there have always had a hard time approaching Walnut. It’s only been about twenty days, so while Shen Xin has made some progress, it’s not significant."

Xu Jinguang, who had been sitting and reading an internal reference document, looked up and asked curiously what he meant by "made Meng Lan a huge star."

"Well..."

Anticipating the question, Secretary Chen said, "How about I find some videos for you to watch? You’ll understand as soon as you see them."

After Xu Jinguang nodded, Secretary Chen stepped forward and took out his phone.

He didn’t even have to search for it specifically.

On all the major online platforms—search engines, Weibo, even short-form video apps—related content popped up as soon as you opened them.

The short-form video apps were more direct. Secretary Chen tapped one open.

Number five on the trending list was about Meng Lan.

[This Winter, I Was Healed by a Panda]

Secretary Chen had been following this. It was yesterday’s hot topic.

He tapped on a random one.

It was just a single photo, set to elegant, warm music.

Snowflakes fluttered down.

Just yesterday, Anjing had its first snow of the winter.

It was a cold year, and the first snowfall was a heavy one.

Amidst the swirling snow, Meng Lan sat on the ground, head tilted back.

Before him stood Shen Xin, snow dusting his hair. He was bent over, one hand behind his back, the other gently stroking Meng Lan’s head.

A doting smile was on his face.

The man and the panda, facing each other with eyes only for one another, framed by the falling snow—the moment was captured in a photo, posted online, and immediately went viral.

Any repost of it received tens of thousands of likes.

Xu Jinguang’s eyebrows shot up. A chord was struck deep inside him, and he was suddenly captivated.

"Are there more?" he asked.

Secretary Chen nodded, searched for Meng Lan, and with a simple tap, a flood of related videos appeared.

There was Shen Xin and Meng Lan leisurely swinging together on a swing set.

Him raving with Meng Lan.

Pandas prefer the cold and dislike heat, so they can bathe even in the dead of winter. In the enclosure’s pool, Meng Lan got so excited while bathing that he started a water fight with Shen Xin.

He was like a child, seemingly showing all his joys and sorrows in front of Shen Xin.

When Shen Xin was working, arranging bamboo stalks, Meng Lan would follow his every step. When Shen Xin turned around, the panda would quickly spin away as if playing hide-and-seek, covering his eyes as if to say, "You can’t see me."

When he got too carried away and wouldn’t listen, Shen Xin would scold him to stop.

Meng Lan would get upset, turning his back in a huff and ignoring Shen Xin.

But as soon as Shen Xin picked up a toy, he’d come running right back, hopping on the wooden horse and rocking back and forth, wanting Shen Xin to push him.

Of course, the most explosive videos were of him raving, practicing boxing with Shen Xin, and playing the part of a kung fu panda.

At the funny parts, Xu Jinguang couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

When he saw Meng Lan’s bewitching rave moves, Xu Jinguang exclaimed, "Well, I’ll be."

"This is pretty interesting."

Xu Jinguang’s spirits soared. He pointed at the video and said, "Xiaochen, you see? He really does have some very special abilities."

Secretary Chen quickly nodded in agreement, silently observing Director Xu’s reaction.

It seemed Director Xu wasn’t too concerned about the slow progress.

He probably knew that since the case was so old, a breakthrough wasn’t likely to happen overnight.

Xu Jinguang took the phone and scrolled for a while, even reading many of the comments. As he watched, his interest was completely piqued.

He glanced at the time. It was a little after one in the afternoon.

"Xiaochen, are you free this afternoon?" he asked, turning his head.

Secretary Chen quickly ran through the schedule in his head and nodded. "Director Xu, if you want to go to the zoo, we have time. Now would be a good time to leave."

Xu Jinguang stood up. "Then let’s go. The kid’s been in Anjing for so long, and I haven’t even had a chance to see him."

Secretary Chen nodded and hurried off to get their coats and arrange for a car.

At that moment, Shen Xin was still in Meng Lan’s outdoor enclosure, completely unaware that Director Xu was already on his way.

He was even more unaware that in Secretary Chen’s mind, his priorities were a bit mixed up and his work progress was slow.

If he had known, Shen Xin would have definitely argued.

’Who said progress was slow?’

During this time, Shen Xin had not only made Meng Lan a star but had also become a favorite of the zoo administration.

Zhu Fengmao agreed to every request he made.

For instance, Shen Xin had just taken action.

The Olympic Hall’s layout had three outdoor yards—left, center, and right—which were perfect for Meng Lan and his two brothers.

Meng Lan lived in the rightmost yard, with Meng Da in the center and Meng Er on the left.

Shen Xin had made a request: he wanted Walnut moved from the Asian Games Hall to the center yard.

It wasn’t to put Walnut back on public display.

Shen Xin’s plan was this: the three yards were adjacent, separated only by wire mesh and fences, so the occupants could actually see each other.

By placing Walnut in the middle yard, the parrot could watch him interact with Meng Lan.

This would help the parrot realize that Shen Xin wasn’t a threat and that he could be friendly with other animals.

It was like setting an example for him.

Coincidentally, Zhu Fengmao also had plans to have Shen Xin make Meng Da and Meng Er famous, and even have the three brothers interact together.

Shen Xin agreed to it.

After getting to know them, he discovered that Meng Da had a more extroverted and affectionate personality. His information plaque even described him as a "classic sunny boy."

Meng Er, on the other hand, was more zen, lazy, low-key, and introverted. He was friendly toward Shen Xin but wasn’t very active.

That worked out perfectly. Once Meng Da’s affinity for him had increased, he could have the two of them interact with tourists in one of the outdoor enclosures during the day.

And Walnut would serve as the audience.

And what do you know, the move actually worked.

Just the day before yesterday, six days after moving into the center yard, an affinity icon finally appeared above Walnut’s head.

When Shen Xin saw the icon, he was so happy he almost cried tears of joy.