Huineng walked over with seven young monks from afar, and the crowd imdiately parted to make way. Holding both positions as a leader in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the Buddhist Association, Huineng's status was higher than most of the so-called leaders present. After shaking hands with everyone, he joined Wang Jian She, Suming, and Mr. Song for a commorative photo.
Reporters have the most up-to-date information, and two interview vans had already arrived outside the zoo. Several reporters sprinted towards the zoo entrance with the speed of a hundred-ter dash.
"Eh? I didn't see your little friend," Zhao Yun said, tilting his head and smiling at Suming in the crowd.
All of this had been arranged by Suming in advance. Departnts that could really make money could be restructured discreetly. Since the economy would not be an issue in the future, keeping a high profile would only invite gossip and speculation.
However, departnts like the zoo, which weren't profitable, had no need to be discreet. If the event was too quiet and subdued, it could evoke a sense of desolation and bleakness among people. On the contrary, making the restructuring vibrant and bustling could inspire hope for the future, boost morale, and unite people internally; externally, it could use the opportunity to further increase the zoo's visibility. It would be an auspicious start.
Zhao Yun, already in on the secrets, jokingly asked Suming if he had decided to "hide his beauty in a golden house" and prevent Nangong Yan from showing up and grabbing the spotlight when he noticed her absence amongst the reporters.
In the past, Nangong Yan was the first to be notified of any news related to Suming—she was practically becoming Suming's exclusive reporter.
Suming hadn't really planned that. He didn't notify Nangong Yan simply because this wasn't major news, and it didn't matter who reported it. Besides, he could be quite considerate. The space at the zoo's entrance was neither too small nor too large, and it was already packed with people. The reporters had forcibly squeezed their way through the crowd, and Suming didn't want Nangong Yan to suffer that ordeal. There would be plenty of opportunities for better news stories in the future—there was no need for her to struggle in a crowd here.
"Excuse , Master Huineng…" A reporter finally pushed through the crowd, not bothering to fix his coat, which was partially torn from the scuffle, and stretched his microphone towards the stage, raising his voice to ask, "Are you also here to celebrate the restructuring of the zoo today?"
"Amitabha, please kindly make so room for these reporter friends," Huineng began with a warm smile and palms pressed together, gracefully asking the tourists gathered around to let the reporters through. Once all the reporters reached the stage, he continued with a cheerful smile to the question from the fastest reporter, "Deyuan Temple and the zoo are half a mountain apart; we're practically neighbors. As an old monk, I've co to join in the fun and congratulate my old neighbor."
"Hello, Master Huineng..." A young reporter from the Yangchuan Evening News hurried to ask, "Ever since the Fox Ho was established behind the zoo, even the Wishing Tree, which had been ignored for a long ti, has beco popular. Every weekend, many people go there to make wishes. What are your thoughts on this?"
After this question, the other reporters stopped jostling to ask their own questions and instead extended their microphones toward Huineng. Clearly, they were all interested in this topic.
Reporting and journalism are ultimately about conveying information and uncovering truths; but more often than not, they're also about attracting attention, generating sales, viewership, readership, and bringing in economic benefits. Therefore, sotis reporters play the role of soone who fears the world is not chaotic enough, and their questions can be quite tricky and peculiar.
For example, the question just posed was a trap.
If Huineng's response was to deny the Wishing Tree's powers, that would be akin to slapping the zoo in the face and undermining its efforts, making his previous remarks about congratulating his "old neighbor" seem insincere. On the contrary, if Huineng affird the Wishing Tree's powers... that would be even more inappropriate. With Huineng's status, how could he suggest that an old tree possesses magical powers? That would indeed be advocating feudal superstition.
So, whether Huineng responded directly or indirectly, he would be falling into a trap. The reporters would then have ample material to sensationalize upon their return.
If it wasn't a public event, Suming would have almost felt like kicking that reporter. The question was intentionally provocative and poorly crafted.
But Huineng wasn't encountering this kind of situation for the first ti. As a worldly famous monk, Huineng had faced many tricky questions before. So reporters even prepared to give him a hard ti whenever they saw him approaching. Over ti, Huineng had honed his skills in dealing with them.
Huineng gave Suming a nod and then, smiling at the reporter, said, "Whether it's chanting scriptures and Buddha's na or burning incense and making wishes, the ultimate goal is to express one's sentints and yearn for a happy and beautiful life, to build a harmonious society together. Good indeed, good indeed!"
After a slight bow with palms pressed together, Huineng continued with a smile, "From this perspective, as long as one harbors good intentions, there is no difference between Buddhist disciples and believers, people outside Buddhism, or even all living beings."
Listening off to the side, Suming couldn't help wanting to laugh. The old monk's response embodied the essence of a spokesperson's savvy—politically impeccable on a broad level, unchallengeable on the details, and ambiguously non-committal.
This left a huge 'space for imagination.' The power of human imagination is boundless, and as long as neither Huineng nor the zoo explicitly defined their stance, there would always be endless speculation amongst the people.
...
"Look, isn't that Dong over there? Dong, you're grinning like a flower..."
"Ah, there's Zhao! Zhao, you look much fatter on TV, not like in person..."
"Deputy Director Suming is so stylish, just like a big star, full of charisma!"
"Of course, the Deputy Director and the big stars from Xiangjiang are good friends... Oh, that's our warehouse staff in the photo, when was this taken? Quick, record it to show my wife at ho, I'm on TV too, a celebrity now..."
The zoo's restructuring ceremony was supposed to be rely an internal affair, but under Suming's managent, it beca a dium-sized news event in Yangchuan City, even making it onto the city's evening news at seven. This news program held a status in Yangchuan City similar to that of CCTV's News Simulation perhaps.
When it was broadcast, the zoo specifically organized the off-duty staff to watch the program together in the conference room. Most of the zoo's personnel made a brief appearance on the news. For ordinary people, appearing on television was quite exciting, and the conference room was filled with laughter and cheers throughout the viewing.
The number of followers on Suming's "Taoyuan Intentions" Weibo account finally broke through the 50,000 mark, approaching 60,000.
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