"That’s right. See? I told you Hah’Er isn’t affected by the weather at all. His diet is very healthy too. I care more about Hah’Er’s health than any of you," Shen Yibin chimed in.
Seeing the examination results, the four members of the animal protection organization were divided. Famite and Lunfei’Er were inclined to accept the old professor’s findings, while Narcissus and Charlotte remained reserved. They gathered in a corner of the room for a brief argument, and in the end, Charlotte and Narcissus won out.
Narcissus walked over and said diplomatically, "The test results are indeed fine, but we believe we should be more cautious for the Panda’s health. Therefore, we’d like to conduct a second examination."
"Heh." The old professor was instantly displeased. He was a panda research authority on the same level as Professor Wu Gui, and now someone was questioning his results. He gave a cold laugh and said, "When it comes to research on other animals, perhaps you Americans are ahead. But in panda research, China is without a doubt number one in the world. I’m curious, who do you plan on finding to perform this check?"
He wasn’t wrong. Even if foreign scientists wanted to study pandas, they’d need pandas to begin with. Without a subject to study, it didn’t matter how advanced their equipment was or how brilliant their scientists were—it was all completely useless.
Charlotte and Narcissus looked embarrassed. ’How could we have forgotten about that?’ Director Kong also chimed in to support the professor. "Ma’am, Sir, even if you found someone, they’d probably have to come to Shanghai and use the equipment here to run the tests. It’s unlikely the results would be any different." Seeing that they still seemed to want to speak, Director Kong added, "As for taking Hah’Er abroad, that’s even more impossible. China has a strict review process for pandas leaving the country. You can forget about that happening anytime soon."
That shut down all their arguments. The four of them stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for words. It was true. First, they questioned Hah’Er’s health, but the old professor’s test results showed Hah’Er was perfectly healthy. Then, they questioned the zoo’s testing capabilities, only to discover that in this field, the US was completely outclassed by China. They couldn’t find a single authority in all of America who could challenge the old professor. Finally, they couldn’t even take Hah’Er to the US for an examination.
"Everyone, how about this?" Seeing the awkward stalemate, Shen Yibin stepped in to smooth things over. ’They’re just looking out for Hah’Er, and there’s no point in staying deadlocked like this.’ So he offered his own proposal. "We’ll resume filming tomorrow. You can monitor the entire process. If we do anything wrong, or if Hah’Er shows any signs of discomfort, we’ll stop filming immediately. How does that sound?"
The group huddled together again to discuss in low voices for a moment. Lunfei’Er then stepped forward and said, "We will notify experts from our association to come and conduct their own inspection. Until then, we will proceed according to Mr. Shen’s proposal!"
"Alright, then we’ll restart filming tomorrow." A day and a half’s delay was still within Director Kong’s acceptable range. ’As for the foreign experts,’ he thought, ’I’m not worried at all. The old professor shut them down so completely they were speechless. When it comes to panda research, Chinese scientists dominate the rest of the world.’
"Let’s go, Hah’Er! We’re back to filming tomorrow!" Shen Yibin beckoned to Hah’Er, and the little guy waddled over. His adorable, clumsy appearance instantly melted the hearts of the four foreigners.
"Bin, don’t be in such a hurry to leave! I have something I’d like to discuss with you!" Seeing that they were about to leave now that the inspection was over, the old professor grew anxious. He quickly stood up and blocked Shen Yibin’s path.
"Please, go ahead. If there’s anything I can do to help, I certainly will!" Shen Yibin quickly nodded in agreement. ’After all, he just helped me out in a big way. It wouldn’t be right not to show any gratitude.’
"Here, sit down. Let’s talk." The old professor gave an embarrassed smile and personally pushed Shen Yibin down into a chair. "I heard you took Hah’Er to Sichuan before, to that old tortoise’s place?"
"Yes." ’They’re all in the same circle, so news from the Sichuan Giant Panda Base probably couldn’t be hidden from the old professor.’
"And you helped the Sichuan Giant Panda Base with breeding? I heard the cubs that were born are exceptionally healthy? With a very high survival rate?" The old professor fired off a series of questions, his eyes practically glowing. Shen Yibin just kept nodding like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Well then, Bin, you can’t play favorites! Our Shanghai Zoo has several female pandas too. Next year, when they go into heat, you have to bring Hah’Er to Shanghai to help with breeding!" The old professor beat around the bush for a long time before finally revealing his objective. Horse breeders flock to purebred stallions, and it’s the same for those of us who raise giant pandas. A panda as healthy as Hah’Er... among horses, he’s Red Hare; among men, he’s Lü Bu; among pigs, he’s... uh, let’s not go there.
Lü Bu among men, Red Hare among horses, and Hah’Er among pandas—all of them prime breeding stock! The old professor had been studying pandas for so long; how could he possibly let a prize specimen like Hah’Er get away?
’Sigh, why are you all so fixated on Hah’Er’s dick? Professor Wu Gui has already booked him for next year. I guess Hah’Er will have to go to the Sichuan Giant Panda Base and get wrung dry by those female pandas again. Can’t you guys give Hah’Er’s junk a break! We can’t just drain the pond to catch the fish!’
"Professor, it’s really not that I’m unwilling to help, but Professor Wu Gui has already made arrangements with me in advance. Why don’t you talk to him? See if you can squeeze out a day or two from his schedule?" ’I can’t afford to offend either of you, so you two had better just fight it out yourselves.’
"Then it’s a deal! I’ll call Wu Gui right now. Once we have a result, you can’t back out." The old professor seemed incredibly confident, as if he had some kind of dirt on Professor Wu Gui.
The old professor went off to fight with Professor Wu Gui over Hah’Er’s dick, waving Shen Yibin and the others out of the room. As Shen Yibin led Hah’Er away, he mused, ’This little guy is really in high demand. I bet every institution in the world with a female panda is waiting for him. If he were willing, spreading his seed across the globe would be a piece of cake!’
"Huh?" Hah’Er still had no idea what was going on. It looked at Shen Yibin in confusion. ’Why is Bin looking at me with such envy today?’
With the four people from the animal protection organization settled for now, the film crew could resume shooting. The next morning, Director Kong led the crew to another outdoor location to begin filming. Narcissus, Charlotte, and the others tagged along to supervise the production at all times.