Future Pet Shop

After breakfast, Bai Yanni, Qiao Wenqi, and Mo Xiaomo left for work. Qin Qing had a meeting to attend, so she also bade Shen Yibin farewell. Xia Shixuan drove Li and Li Shiqing back to the store to prepare for opening, and Scarf went along with them. The rest of the group stayed at the villa to relax. They took a walk along the Yunshui River for some exercise before returning to the villa to enjoy their own pastimes.

Some continued their game of mahjong in the entertainment room, others grabbed fishing rods and went down to the Yunshui River to fish, while a few changed their clothes and went for a stroll in the forest. Here, free from the worries of work, everyone felt exceptionally relaxed and cheerful.

Shen Yibin stayed at the villa for a full three days before a phone call finally drew him out. It was Dong, the director of the Yunzhong City Zoo, with good news: the paperwork for the research institute was complete, the plot of land had been secured, and he wanted Shen Yibin to come to the zoo to discuss the next steps.

"That was fast!" Shen Yibin was surprised. 'This isn't a small matter, so how did it get done so quickly? Does Dong really have that much pull? No, that can't be right. If he really had connections, the zoo wouldn't have been so run-down before, right?'

"Those are two different things. Renovating the zoo costs money, but you're the one funding the research institute. Two hundred million is no small project; the Yunzhong City Government is thrilled to have it. Besides, you're a celebrity now. I just mentioned your name, and the documents went straight to Mayor Wang, who approved them on the spot," Dong said happily. "Come on over now. We'll go take a look at the land first, and then we can discuss recruitment."

"You got it! I'll bring Hah'Er right over!" After hanging up, Shen Yibin called for Hah'Er, Maphario, and Xiaoliu to get ready to go. He also brought some gifts for the family of three black bears. Just as he was about to get in the car, Shen Yibin had another thought and called for Wen Yuan to join them. 'A research institute needs to be designed first, right? It'd be a waste not to take advantage of having a master like him here. Even if I can't ask Wen Yuan to design the whole thing himself, getting his opinion would be great. If I'm going to do this, I want to do it right. I'm not about to build some plain, drab research institute. It has to be impressive.'

"A research institute? I've never designed one of those. I've mostly designed resorts, villa communities, and shopping centers. It's not a project most designers ever get the chance to work on." Sitting in the car, Wen Yuan's interest was immediately piqued when he heard about it. "I may be a layman when it comes to its functional requirements, but I'm sure even researchers would appreciate a beautiful working environment. In that regard, I have absolute confidence."

"In that case, I'll take you up on that! I'll be leaving that aspect of the work to you!" Having spent the last few days at the estate, Shen Yibin had come to feel that a beautiful environment could truly lift one's spirits. 'If the research institute can be just as beautiful, the researchers will definitely be happier and their inspiration will flow. It's worth spending a little extra for that.'

The car arrived at the entrance to the zoo, where Dong, having gotten the message, was already waiting outside. After getting out of the car, the group first took Hah'Er to Xiong Mountain. They watched it go through a small gate and start playfully roughhousing with the three black bears. Next, they took Xiaoliu to the back mountain area and watched as it began to tease the female monkeys. Only then did Shen Yibin and Wen Yuan go to inspect the plot of land.

"Look, from here to here, and from there to there... this entire area is for our research institute." Dong stood on a small knoll and gestured expansively. All the land within sight was now an asset of the institute. "Even though it's land in the far suburbs and isn't worth much, getting such a large plot wasn't easy. I bet Mayor Wang only approved it as a favor to you."

"Mhm, I'll transfer the first payment into the institute's account as soon as I get back. You can go ahead and start looking for a few design firms to bid on the project. By the way, this is Mr. Wen. He's a renowned landscape design master in the country and has considerable achievements in architectural design as well. We'll have Mr. Wen handle the institute's landscape design, and we should also respect his opinions when evaluating the bids." Shen Yibin gave Wen Yuan a grand introduction, presenting him to Dong.

"It's truly our honor to have a master like Mr. Wen. We welcome your guidance, Mr. Wen." Dong immediately expressed his welcome, then began to explain the institute's design requirements to Wen Yuan. "This institute of ours will mainly be engaged in animal research, with a particular focus on genetics. Therefore, there are some special requirements for the design..."

Dong spouted a long string of technical terms that made Shen Yibin's head spin. Wen Yuan, however, listened with great interest, even taking out a notebook to start taking notes and occasionally asking Dong a few questions.

"Mr. Wen truly lives up to his reputation as a master. Those questions touch on the very key issues that have been troubling us. Here's what I was thinking..." The vocabulary Dong used grew increasingly abstruse, so Shen Yibin decided to just leave them to it and began to wander around the land by himself. Although this plot was far from the city center, it had its advantages.

There were no industrial factories for several miles around—only farmland and forests—so the level of environmental pollution was very low, which was a good thing for scientific research. Furthermore, there weren't many other populated areas nearby, which guaranteed the institute's tranquility. The surrounding scenery also had several nice spots, so the researchers wouldn't lack for places to go when they wanted to relax.

The only slight drawback was the lack of commercial and entertainment facilities. The institute would probably have to build its own cafeteria in the future, but that was no big deal. There was a direct bus line from Yunzhong City, and the trip to the city center took less than an hour. If need be, they could even get a shuttle bus for the institute down the line.

While Shen Yibin was lost in thought, Dong and Wen Yuan finished their discussion. Dong walked over to him. "Mr. Wen gave me a lot of sound advice and also recommended two design firms with experience in this area. I'll go back and contact them right away. When the proposals are ready, we'll still need you to give the final approval, Mr. Shen."

"I'll just take a look," Shen Yibin replied. According to their prior agreement, the institute's financial staff would be appointed by him. He had already asked Director Kong to recommend a few people, so he wasn't worried about any foul play during the bidding process.

"The land and building issues are more or less settled for now, but the personnel problem isn't," Dong began to lament. "I can contact some PhD and Master's students from Yunzhong University, but they'd probably only be good enough for assistant roles. I'm afraid they can't take the lead on their own."

"I'll take a trip to Sichuan." 'Looks like I'll have to ask Professor Wu Gui for help!'