The Crew's Inspection

From the next day on, tourists and netizens could see Director Duan's new hairstyle.

That's right, Duan Jiaze had already given up on straightening his hair again. The money spent on straightening it yesterday was as good as thrown away. At least skipping a stone on water made a sound. As for his straightened hair, besides the hairdresser, the people in the zoo only got a glimpse of it before Luya curled it up again in less than five minutes total.

He was worried that instead of Luya burning his hair with the curling, he would damage it by straightening it.

Duan Jiaze gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and decided to just stick with this hairstyle!

So, the one who appeared before everyone today was a curly-haired Zoo Director.

Duan Jiaze carried out his daily performance, running over to interact with Luya. If he didn't, Luya could stay motionless for the entire day, which Huang Qi said was very bad for maintaining his popularity.

Xiao Su was also filming on the side as usual. As soon as Duan Jiaze went in, Luya fluttered onto his head and squatted down.

Duan Jiaze: “...= =#!”

You could say he was furious! Luya must have done it on purpose to mock his hair!

But he couldn't get angry in front of the tourists, so Duan Jiaze forced a smile, first picking up the feathers Luya had shed that day, then luring him with food, “Come down, Luya.”

Luya looked at the scenery to his left and right, showing no reaction.

Duan Jiaze reached out to grab Luya, who then flew up. When he put his hand down, Luya landed again.

Duan Jiaze: “...”

Yousu posted the GIF she had filmed:

Today, the great Luya is being especially disobedient, perhaps because the Zoo Director's new hairstyle gives him the warmth of home...

Comments:

Watched it ten times hahahahahahaha the Zoo Director's new hairstyle is so cute!

Shocking! Luya is being disobedient!

Wow, the Zoo Director permed his hair, looks good looks good looks good

I'm here to raise a bird in the cloud again~~

I'm here to cloud-raise the Zoo Director, the Zoo Director's new hairstyle is so handsome =3=

Luya: This bird's nest is not bad

OP, how dare you diss the Zoo Director, do you still want your salary?

......

Duan Jiaze was struggling with Luya when Huang Qi came over to find him.

Duan Jiaze took the opportunity to shoo away the smug-looking Luya and went out, asking, “What's wrong? It's not a problem with the bank's approval, is it?”

Logically, the approval process should be over in about two weeks, and there wasn't anything that didn't meet the requirements, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

“No, I came to tell you something,” Huang Qi said with a grin. “A friend of mine contacted me and said there's progress with the film crew matter. There's a very suitable commercial crew that hopes to use our zoo as a location.”

Duan Jiaze hadn't expected a follow-up so soon and said in pleasant surprise, “Really? What kind of commercial?”

Huang Qi said, “There are no big stars, but the advertiser is a pretty big pet supply company, and the theme is a good fit for us. It's all about taking it one step at a time. It's mainly because Luya was trending a while ago that they noticed us and put us on their list of considerations. Our chances are very high; we have popularity, we're in a small place, so the price won't be too high. But the crew will still come over to inspect the place before making a final decision.”

“Then we must do our best to get them to decide on us.” Although no big stars meant no big draw, just as Huang Qi said, it was one step at a time, so Duan Jiaze was still very happy. “What do we need to do?”

“There's not much to do. I think our chances are great. The enclosure facilities are all very good. We just need to be good hosts. They'll probably discuss specific requirements when they come.” Seeing that Duan Jiaze was a little nervous, Huang Qi comforted him, “Don't be too anxious. If it works out, it works out. If not, we'll wait for the next one.”

“That's true. Stay calm.” Duan Jiaze adjusted his mentality. “Alright, when is the crew coming?”

Huang Qi said, “The producer in charge of location scouting wants to come in two days, so I came to ask for your opinion.”

“Two days from now is Tuesday. I don't have anything on, so that's fine.” Duan Jiaze said, “Let's set it for that day.”

......

Two days later, Duan Jiaze and Huang Qi went to the high-speed rail station together to pick up the producer from the commercial's crew. The producer was a woman around thirty, with her hair dyed green—very environmentally friendly. In a place like Donghai City, many people turned their heads to look at her on the way out.

The zoo had been open for some time now but still didn't have its own car. They had rented one for the day; it wouldn't be right to have the producer take a bus or wait for a taxi.

“Producer Xu.” Huang Qi shook hands with the producer. Her surname was Xu, and her name was Xu Jinghui. Huang Qi introduced Duan Jiaze to her, “This is our Director Duan.”

“Manager Huang.” Xu Jinghui also beamed, shaking hands with Huang Qi, and then with Duan Jiaze, teasing, “Although I've heard that Director Duan is young and I've seen the videos, seeing you in person is different. Truly young and promising.”

“Not at all, of 'young and promising,' I'm only the 'young' part.” Duan Jiaze quickly invited Xu Jinghui to get in the car.

Xu Jinghui was very frank and generous, perhaps because her crew was genuinely hoping to cooperate. As soon as she got in the car, Xu Jinghui said frankly, “Actually, looking for Lingyou Zoo was a suggestion from a leader at the advertising company. He saw the videos online and thought they were great. The location quality is very high, and Lingyou Zoo's animal taming is also very advanced. We were originally going to have to rent animals from some animal performance centers...”

Filming commercials or movies with animals is very troublesome. Animals don't understand human language. After training, they can follow some commands, but complex actions are difficult to achieve, and subtleties are hard to guarantee. It often takes a lot of time and various methods to guide them to complete the shots the director envisions.

Huang Qi said while driving, “Why rent any? What we have here is enough. When do you plan to start shooting, and how many types of animals do you need?”

Lingyou Zoo's animal species weren't that numerous yet, but a new batch would be brought in soon.

After staying at Lingyou Zoo for a while, Huang Qi also had great confidence in the animals here. Although he had never seen the zookeepers training them—they were even amateurs—Huang Qi knew that Duan Jiaze was an expert. He felt that the Zoo Director must have done something.

“Of course, we want to start shooting as soon as possible; preparations are almost complete.” Xu Jinghui said, “Actually, we were also thinking that if we can get everything done here in one go, that would be for the best. It would save a lot of trouble. Especially since, while other animals are fine, we definitely hope to have Luya on screen.”

Since they had seen the videos, it wasn't strange that they wanted Luya to appear. “Animal stars” like Luya were truly rare, and in the eyes of the crew, he was especially photogenic.

The other slightly popular animals at Lingyou Zoo, like the arctic foxes and blizzard corn snakes, hadn't displayed the same level of intelligence as Luya.

Duan Jiaze asked curiously, “It sounds like Luya has quite a few scenes?”

The advertiser that hired Xu Jinghui's crew was the Chinese branch of Jiasu, an internationally famous pet supply company. Jiasu produced a series of products including cat and dog food, toys, and daily necessities. This time, they were shooting a commercial for a new natural cat food.

And the protagonist of the commercial had long been decided—a cat, of course. The zoo and its other animals were all its supporting cast.

Duan Jiaze didn't quite understand. Bringing Luya into this, was it to have him be all lovey-dovey with a cat?

Xu Jinghui revealed a smile, “Not many, but quite important.”

She stopped there. Duan Jiaze knew that of course they wouldn't reveal the specific filming plan right away, so he proactively changed the subject.

......

After arriving at Lingyou Zoo, Xu Jinghui got out of the car, looked around, and praised, “Such beautiful mountains and clear waters, a place of outstanding people and natural talent. I heard that Donghai City used to be demarcated by Cape Mountain, with one half being land and the other half the Donghai Sea. This place is right at the junction, so it must have gathered the spiritual energy of the mountains and the sea.”

It seemed Xu Jinghui had done her homework. Duan Jiaze smiled and said, “Yes, the coastline later receded, which is how we have the Donghai City of today. This way please, Sister Xu.”

Xu Jinghui went inside with Duan Jiaze and couldn't help but nod upon seeing the companion birds on the shoulders of lucky tourists. With Luya having gone viral, she wasn't surprised that the birds here were so “well-trained”.

Needless to say, the location was superb. Lingyou Zoo was situated at the foot of Cape Mountain, with blue skies, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters. Not only was the background picturesque, but it practically didn't even need color correction. The park's exhibition halls were no worse than those in the first-tier cities Xu Jinghui had inspected; some aspects were even slightly better.

The place was a little small, but like a sparrow, though small, it had all the vital organs. It was more than enough to shoot their commercial.

The more Xu Jinghui saw, the more satisfied she became. Duan Jiaze even told her that if she felt the place was too small, there was another forty-mu plot under construction next door. The landscaping was almost done, the construction was very fast, and it would be completed next month. Their newly acquired animals would move in then.

“I don't think the area is a problem. Let's go inside and have a look.” Xu Jinghui first entered the aviary. She thought Luya would be in there, only to find out after asking that Luya had been moved.

However, the peacocks in the aviary still left a deep impression on Xu Jinghui. She stared intently at the two male peacocks, “They're just like phoenixes, so magnificent!”

Even their posture was extremely proud. No wonder the other birds all submitted to them; this was definitely not Xu Jinghui's imagination.

Xu Jinghui was also very satisfied with the layout of the enclosures in the exhibition hall. It wasn't very clear in the video, but seeing it in person, the completely ecological scenery inside the enclosures made it seem as if another world lay just beyond the glass. She felt that they could even save on set design.

At that moment, a few tourists were interacting inside the enclosure, and the harmonious scene made Xu Jinghui's heart flutter even more.

When they reached the reptile house, Xu Jinghui enthusiastically requested that Duan Jiaze interact with the animals here—in addition to Luya, there were also three pythons. After all, unlike the aviary, they couldn't see tourists interacting here.

Duan Jiaze suppressed the bitterness in his heart and entered the pythons' territory first.

Duan Jiaze figured that Bai Suzhen was gentler and more composed, so after entering, he slowly walked towards her, “Lady Bai...”

Xiao Qing suddenly lunged down from the tree, giving Duan Jiaze a fright.

Duan Jiaze: “...Go away.”

Xiao Qing flicked its forked tongue and mischievously coiled once around Duan Jiaze's neck.

Duan Jiaze: “...”

He looked outside. Huang Qi and Xu Jinghui were smiling and giving him a thumbs-up, and the tourists were even taking pictures.

Duan Jiaze was furious. He supported Xiao Qing's heavy body, feeling its cold and strange touch, and persisted for thirty seconds before squatting down, freeing himself, and hanging Xiao Qing back on the tree.

When he came out, his legs felt a bit wobbly. Duan Jiaze forced a smile and walked into Luya's office.

Without a doubt, Luya flew over and sat on Duan Jiaze's head. Duan Jiaze no longer had the strength to resist. He sat directly on a decorative tree stump and let Luya be.

Xu Jinghui was stunned for a moment outside, then burst out laughing, “So Director Duan's hairstyle has such a wonderful use.”

After touring Lingyou Zoo, Xu Jinghui was extremely satisfied with the place. Seeing it with her own eyes allowed her to appreciate the charm of these animals even more. The most magical thing was that they possessed a kind of spiritual liveliness that Xu Jinghui had not seen in animals at other zoos. In particular, their every move seemed not to be the result of deliberate cultivation or training, but to stem from their own will, naturally.

By now, it was noon. There were no big restaurants nearby, so they simply invited Xu Jinghui to have a home-cooked meal.

—Of course, though it was called a home-cooked meal, the ingredients were incredibly impressive, including purple bamboo shoots from the Purple Bamboo forest of Guanyin, irrigated with Willow Branch Nectar.

This delicacy seemed to be the final blow for Xu Jinghui. Holding her chopsticks, she said, “Just for this stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, I want to sign the contract with you right now!”

Xu Jinghui still had to report to the rest of the crew, but since her inspection was satisfactory, the matter was pretty much in the bag. After all, everyone from the advertiser to the director had already thought it was a good idea, so her trip could be considered the final confirmation.

Xu Jinghui had already sent back the photos and videos she took today. The director's reaction was very good. Once the other team members had a look, they could basically start discussing the contract.

Under these circumstances, Xu Jinghui revealed a bit about the commercial's content.

Why look for a zoo as a location? Because this cat food commercial would use a complete plot to showcase the product. The protagonist, a cat, discovers a bag of Jiasu's new natural adult cat food—chicken flavor, nice and crunchy.

The cat happily carries the food home but is stopped while passing by a zoo. To show how good the cat food is, and also to create a grand scene, these animals, who have nothing to do with cat food, actually escape from their cages to snatch the bag.

And so, the cat goes through countless hardships to escape their pursuit and finally encounters the final boss, the bird Luya. It vanquishes the demon lord and returns victoriously with the cat food.

—Look at that, the final boss! How fitting for Luya's image in people's minds!

This commercial was indeed very suitable for Lingyou Zoo. Many of the animals here could be in the shot, and the filming difficulty would be very low; they could perform any action.

The more Duan Jiaze thought about it, the more he felt that this commercial would bring a lot of exposure. It was definitely worth doing. If Lingyou Zoo could secure it, it would be an absolute win-win.

Both parties were willing, and it was a match made in heaven. Xu Jinghui immediately told Duan Jiaze to wait for her good news.

......

Good news, good news, great news! Daoist Lord Luya is going to shoot a commercial, as the final villain boss.

Duan Jiaze happily announced the news.

But Luya said angrily, “What? I'm going to be defeated by a common cat?”

Hearing Luya's point of focus, Duan Jiaze said weakly, “Strictly speaking, it's not a common cat. They supposedly hired an American Shorthair that has won awards. You can't even buy one for several thousand yuan...”

Luya: “Won awards? Let's see it shoot down a sun first!!”

Duan Jiaze: “...”

Yousu said languidly, “Daoist Lord, you have it pretty good. You're the main villain. We're just the minor villains along the way.”

Luya huffily crossed his arms, not wanting to pay any attention to Yousu.

Duan Jiaze didn't expect to get stuck on Luya. But it was impossible for him to ask them to change the ending, not to mention he had no say in the matter... This was a cat food commercial! Were they supposed to have Luya holding a bag of cat food at the end, munching on it and saying it's great?

Duan Jiaze said helplessly, “Bro, you're being a bit argumentative now. Who in this world can shoot down a sun...”

The one who could died long ago.

Luya said smugly, “So now you know how amazing I am.”

Duan Jiaze: “...”

...Impossible to guard against! It was all just to brag!

Luya said, “Even though it's fake, if this gets out and the people of the Three Realms find out, where will I put my face?”

Duan Jiaze: “You're joking again. Hasn't that kind of thing been gone for a long time?”

Luya: “...”

Duan Jiaze: “Daoist Lord, think about it. As long as you cooperate with the promotion and let more people know about our Lingyou Zoo, with your graceful bearing, we will definitely be rolling in money. Once we're rich, forget about gold leafing your office, I'll build you a golden statue. Wouldn't that be wonderful?”

Luya's originally ugly expression gradually softened under Duan Jiaze's praise. After some thought, he realized that it did make sense, so he nodded and said, “Alright, it's a deal!”

Having resolved the biggest obstacle, Duan Jiaze breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Luya was willing to cooperate, there would definitely be no problem with filming this commercial.

......

The sound of sandalwood clappers echoed, and Sanskrit chants lingered in the air.

Before the mountain gate of Huaxia's famous Wuliang Temple, Abbot Reverend Jishan was alone, seeing off the head monk, Zhao Xing.

In the temple, there are four senior positions: the head monk, the west hall master, the rear hall master, and the hall master. In ancient times, they governed the monastery together with the abbot, and it is the same now; they also form the temple's management committee.

Compared to other religious sites, Wuliang Temple had a much weaker commercial atmosphere. Therefore, not only in the cultivation world but even in the secular world, many people believed the monks here were devoted to cultivating Buddhism.

Reverend Jishan said kindly, “Junior Brother Zhao Xing, on this journey of a thousand-li pilgrimage on foot, you will pass through many places like Nan Shan, Donghai, Lingchuan, and Yedu. You will certainly have to endure some hardships...”

“Amitabha,” Reverend Zhao Xing said with his palms pressed together. “Without practice, one cannot hear the Dharma. Abbot, there is no need to see me off further. I will be on my way now.”

“Wait, let me give you one more thing, Junior Brother.” Reverend Jishan took out a smartphone from his robes and handed it to Zhao Xing. “Junior Brother, you have a terrible sense of direction. When you're out and about, you should swap out your senior's phone. If you can't find the way, just turn on the navigation...”