578 Winning with Virtue (1/2)

Chapter 578: Winning with Virtue

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

”What are you two up to?” Zhang Zian asked.

Lin Qi was standing in the outer room, playing with all sorts of pet bowls on the shelf while talking with his friend. After seeing Zhang Zian, before doing anything else, he pulled him to the side and said with a bitter expression, ”Manager Zhang, the Ashera cat that you sold me last time is such an a**hole!”

”What happened?” asked Zhang Zian in confusion.

”The cat makes such creepy sounds at night, and it looks mean. Nobody dares to spend the night with it. Now, it's staying in the villa by itself. It used to be a vacation villa for our family, but now it belongs to that cat,” complained Lin Qi. ”Oh, right. Snowy told me that you have a way to keep dogs quiet. Do you know how to keep cats quiet as well?”

Zhang Zian shook his head. ”I can't really help you. Dogs are trainable, but cats are very difficult to train.”

”But aren't you a cat trainer?” Lin Qi didn't give up asking for help.

”That cat is an artificial created species with too much wild nature in it. It doesn't really count as a regular domestic cat. In fact, it's more closely related to wild cats,” explained Zhang Zian seriously. The actual reason was that the Ashera cat's species was too distant from the domestic cat, and thus Fina couldn't control it.

Lin Qi was speechless.

He looked around and didn't see anyone else. He lowered his voice even more and said, ”Manager Zhang. . . if I secretly release the cat, will it be better off?”

Zhang Zian replied, ”You better not. That isn't releasing, but killing. That cat was raised since it was a kitten, and I'm afraid it's lost its hunting instincts a long time ago. If you release it, it'll starve to death. Don't be scared. That cat looks mean and sounds creepy, but it's actually quite cute.”

”Where exactly is its cuteness?” Lin Qi was almost in tears.

Zhang Zian added, ”Besides, if you release it and other people see it, they might call the police.”

”Call the police?” Lin Qi was stunned.

Zhang Zian recalled the story. ”Don't you remember the news? In 2016, a serval was released in the Suhang area. Someone saw it searching for food in a residential area, and the witness thought it was a cheetah that ran away from the zoo, so they called the police in fear. It made the local residents nervous. After hunting it down, the serval from the African prairies was finally captured by the invincible urban management team. If you release the Ashera cat, would you want to make the same issue in Binhai City? If they find out that you released it, don't rat me out and tell them that I sold it to you.”

Lin Qi's face was frozen, as if something was stuck in his throat. He said worriedly, ”Manager Zhang, let's talk in private.”

He waved at his friend, who was about the same age as him. He was wearing famous brands and looked quite fashionable. He looked just as worried as Lin Qi. After hearing Zhang Zian's advice, he looked even more concerned.

Zhang Zian wondered what Lin Qi was up to, being so shady. He followed him to a corner of the shop to avoid the other customers picking pets in the store.

”Manager Zhang, this is a good friend of mine, Gao Zhuo.” Lin Qi introduced his friend.

”Hi, Manager Zhang, I've heard about you for a while!” Gao Zhuo appeared to be very polite. He took out a pack of premium cigarettes out of his pocket, and handed one to Zhang Zian.

”No, thanks. I don't smoke.” Zhang Zian politely declined. ”Let's get straight to business and cut the back-and-forth. You don't have to say that you've heard about me already. I'm not that famous at all!”

”No, no, no! Manager Zhang, you're too modest! We've been to a few pet shops and cat kennels, and they all recommended your place. Then I talked to my friend, and it turns out that he strongly recommended your place as well. If this isn't considered being famous, then I don't know what famous is.” Gao Zhuo didn't seem to be faking his admiration and curiosity.

This was weird.

Zhang Zian knew well that everyone in the same line of business were competitors, and everyone hoped they could be the only pet store owner in Binhai City, or even the entire world. Why would the other pet shops and cat kennels recommend his place to Gao Zhuo unanimously? Could this be the so-called ”winning by virtue”?

Lin Qi also spoke for his friend. ”Yes, Manager Zhang, don't be so modest. Your quality service is well known throughout Binhai City. Who doesn't know the famous cat trainer? The only shame is that this shop is a bit small.”

Zhang Zian interrupted him. ”Cut the crap. What do you want?”

Lin Qi and Gao Zhuo looked at each other and exchanged a few signals with their eyes. They both wanted the other to go first.

Gao Zhuo's gaze was firmer. Lin Qi had met Zhang Zian a few times already, and had bought a cat from him. He should start first.

Lin Qi couldn't fight back anymore, and finally said, ”Manager Zhang, we first met each other in the dog market, didn't we?”