It has been nearly three days since the Ningnan City's city-wide public voting for the mascot event began.
The final results were about to be announced.
On the very day the results were to be announced, Ningnan City also simultaneously unveiled the participating events for this special sports meet.
As soon as the events were announced, they immediately attracted the attention of a large number of curious onlookers.
"Good heavens, this is truly the first time I've seen a sports meet where humans and animals compete on the same field."
"Is Ningnan's official team serious, or are they just messing around?"
"The co-organizer is Xihong Zoo; they should be serious, right?"
"This is interesting. Humans and animals competing together. I want to sign up too, what should I do?"
"If you want to sign up, you can! Didn't the officials say they opened online registration channels? Anyone who wants to can sign up."
"Holy crap, you can actually sign up! I just registered for the 3000-meter race."
"What I'm concerned about isn't what events *we* can sign up for, but what events the animals will sign up for."
"Exactly. What if they send cheetahs for the sprints and elephants for weightlifting? Then what's the point of playing?"
"Not necessarily. While animals have innate advantages in certain aspects, they can't undergo formal training like humans. So, humans might not necessarily lose."
"That's right. Moreover, in some events like archery, table tennis, and basketball, how could animals possibly be opponents for humans?"
"Whatever, I'll sign up first. Anyway, I think it's pretty interesting."
"I'll sign up for one too. I'm determined to wrestle with a tiger this time."
"I won't bully those animals; I'll just lightly participate in a basketball game with them."
...
As the registration channels opened, countless netizens filled with curiosity and novelty immediately participated in the online sign-ups.
Initially, it was limited to local netizens from Ningnan and Changxi. However, as the heat of the special sports meet rose, netizens from all over the country gradually joined in.
In less than an hour, all event registration slots were filled to capacity.
As for this outcome, Yang Lin was not surprised at all.
He could already foresee the sensational scene when the sports meet officially opened a few days later.
"Kexin, have the merchandise plush toys arrived? These merchandise of ours will not only be sold as products but also as prizes for the athletes."
"Everything is settled. The last batch of plush toys was just delivered to the warehouse. The warehouse is already piled high."
As she spoke, Chen Kexin raised her small face with a proud expression.
"That's good. Also, have the custom-made clothes for the animals been finished?"
"They are mostly done. Apart from the clothes for those few big guys being a bit troublesome, the clothes for other animals are all ready."
"Perfect. This time, we must let audiences from all over the country witness the splendor of the animals from Xihong Zoo."
Just as the cousins were discussing the details of the upcoming sports meet, a zoo employee suddenly rushed into the office.
"It's out, it's out!"
"What's out? Did another animal give birth?" Hearing the employee's shout, Yang Lin's first thought was that Xihong Zoo had a new addition.
"No, it's the mascot voting results that are out?"
"Oh?"
At almost the same moment, Yang Lin and Chen Kexin leaned their heads towards the phone screen.
The next second, the official announcement of the results from Ningnan City appeared before them.
Looking at the final results on the screen, the two felt a sense of both inevitability and surprise.
It was inevitable because the final mascot was one of Shi Di Fu and Li Hei.
The surprise was that the vote counts for the two were only separated by one vote.
Shi Di Fu: 13,057,846.
Li Hei: 13,057,847.
That's right, Li Hei, the albino cub, narrowly won by a single vote to be elected as Ningnan City's mascot.
However, Yang Lin felt that the result was somewhat suspicious.
It wasn't just him who felt this way; Shi Di Fu's fans felt the same.
As soon as the results were announced, the netizens exploded.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible! Our entire class voted for Shi Di Fu, how could Shi Di Fu lose!"
"Scam, a definite scam! I even bound my 98-year-old grandfather's ID to vote for Shi Di Fu, how could Shi Di Fu not be elected."
"Exactly! I was just short of hacking to get Shi Di Fu more votes. There's no way he could lose."
"It must be that cub's fans who hacked overnight to get votes."
"Damn it, they stole the tower at the critical moment."
"Shi Di Fu not being elected, everyone present here is responsible."
"I can attest, everyone I know voted for Shi Di Fu. Shi Di Fu couldn't have lost."
"You guys just dislike Shi Di Fu, dislike my Brother Xing!"
"Is there a possibility that the folks from Ningnan stepped up?"
"No way. Ningnan only has a population of over eight million. How could they get so many votes? Unless they got help from our friends in Liuzhou."
"I think Ningnan's officials must have manipulated this behind the scenes. If they don't give us a reasonable explanation this time, we, the vast number of Shi fans, will not accept it."
"??? Is Shi Di Fu's fan club called that? Who on earth let you come up with that name? Not allowed next time."
"Yes, yes, yes, we must be given an explanation, or we will never agree."
"Ningnan officials are really going too far. We in Taiwan really wanted a gorilla as our mascot."
...
Just as the netizens were in an uproar online, Ningnan officials soon issued a notice.
"We sincerely thank everyone for their attention to this city mascot event. We have also seen everyone's love for the animals."
"We also feel regret for the animals that were not elected. Considering Shi Di Fu's final vote count, we have decided to make Shi Di Fu the mascot for the first special sports meet."
"All athletes and spectators who attend will receive a Shi Di Fu plush toy. Additionally, Xihong Zoo's online sales channel has been opened. Anyone who participated in this vote will receive a 9.8% discount on animal merchandise."
As soon as the announcement was posted, the previously agitated netizens immediately calmed down.
"Oh, it's okay, it's okay. It lost, it lost. We Shi Di Fu fans are very magnanimous."
"Exactly, exactly. And being the mascot for the sports meet is also great. I accept it."
"I can see that Ningnan officials are very sincere this time. I am very satisfied with the election results (5 cents per post, content in parentheses to be deleted)."
"Holy crap, I'm both an athlete and a spectator. Won't I get two then?"
"Book the tickets, book the tickets!"
"I declare, Shi Di Fu has lost but won! Truly amazing!"
"Excuse me, is this 9.8% super discount rate set by the zoo director? I want to send him something."
...
Thus, Ningnan City's mascot was officially decided. The image of a cute and cuddly bear soon appeared on the streets and alleys of Ningnan City.
The name "Bear City" gradually spread. The only ones who might be a bit unhappy were the stock investors in Ningnan.