Chapter 449: Owing a Favor
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Just after Zhang Zian hung up the phone, Lu Yiyun rubbed off the dirt and snow on her soles on the mat outside, pushed open the door, and came in with the digital drawing board under her arm. After entering, she sniffed. "Good morning, Mr. Store Manager...hmm? Why isn't there the scent of stewed beef with potato today?"
Zhang Zian had to remind her, "You are working for a pet shop, not a restaurant. The crew is on vacation, so I don't have to be there. I'll be staying in the pet shop for the next two days."
"Oh, that's great." Hearing this, Lu Yiyun felt relieved. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to handle the situation on the weekends. She didn't care why Zhang Zian didn't go with the crew. She took Jasmine out of her backpack and let it play inside the shop, then she started cleaning the checkout counter as usual.
Zhang Zian dialed the number of Lin Qi to inform him that his cat was here, but no one answered the phone. It's impossible for such an heir of a rich family like Lin Qi to get up so early on the weekend, thought Zhang Zian.
"Right, Xiao Yun, a rare cat will be delivered here today." He put down the phone and intended to call Lin Qi again before lunch.
"What cat?" Asked Lu Yiyun curiously while wiping the keyboard and mouse with paper towels.
"An Ashera cat ordered from abroad by a very rich client. It will probably be delivered in a little while."
"Ashera cat?" It was the first time she had heard such a name.
"Yes. It is said to be a very large cat, kind of an artificial species. I've never seen it either. By the way, please go publish a message on the official account, saying that if anyone is interested in the cat, they should come by and see it soon. Since it's being purchased, after he comes to pick it up, they won't be able to see it again," Zhang Zian instructed.
"Okay." Lu Yiyun opened the computer. Because this was a message composed of text, she edited it and posted it.
Zhang Zian was planning to give Wang Qian and Li Kun a day off. After hearing this news, they also expressed their desire to come to the pet shop and see the rare cat.
While they were speaking, the shadow of a person appeared at the door. A tall, slender boy carrying a yellow and green National Geographic photography bag over his shoulder slowly pushed open the door and came in. Instead of closing the door behind him, he held the door hospitably. "Here, come in, this is the place I'm talking about."
The chilling wind in the early morning gushed into the outer area of the pet shop. Lu Yiyun zipped up her collar. Fortunately, there was an automatic door inside the shop which could effectively prevent the precious heat from escaping.
Zhang Zian wondered who was here so early. As he looked carefully, he saw it was Luo Qingyu from the photography club of Binhai University. Luo Qingyu was followed by a young lady who was 20-years-old or so, with light makeup, and a pretty good disposition.
Suddenly, Zhang Zian felt that this girl seemed a little bit familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. While he was contemplating, she took off her hat and swung her hair just like a shampoo commercial. Her long and black hair hung down like a waterfall.
He remembered now. He met Luo Qingyu for the first time in front of the church near Guo Dongyue's house. At that time, his photography club was taking cosplay photos featuring a few girls. This girl with long, black, and straight hair was one of the more outstanding ones, and took a photo with Fina. It was this very picture that made Luo Qingyu win the major prize of the photography exhibition in his school. Honestly, that photo had nothing to do with Luo Qingyu talent—he had just been lucky that day.
Zhang Zian approached them and said to Luo Qingyu, "What are you doing here?"
Luo Qingyu smiled and said a few words to the girl with long, black, and straight hair. Then he pulled Zhang Zian to the side and lowered his voice, "Mr. Store Manager, you've owe me a favor, right?"
Zhang Zian frowned. He didn't like being in debt, monetarily or in another sense. If he was in debt, he would keep it in mind until he paid it off. But as far as he knew, he had never owed Luo Qingyu a favor. So, he asked instead, "Since when have I owed you a favor?"
"Tut! Don't try to deny it! I've spent some time in the photography community, and I am very well-informed!" said Luo Qingyu, as if he was hinting something. He turned back and glanced at the girl.
"Quit the riddle. Just tell me what it is." Zhang Zian became very impatient with Luo Qingyu's nagging.
Luo Qingyu said eloquently, "All right, let me get straight to the point! I heard that something happened to your Dog Warrior crew yesterday, that a pyrotechnician was suspected of using poison. Later, I remembered that you had asked me about the smoke cake, and then I associated the incident with the yellow particles on the smoke cake. I found a junior male classmate in our photography club from the Chemistry department, and had him looked at them. He said that they seemed to be sulfur particles that would produce a lot of sulfur dioxide after ignition. So, I guessed it must've been you who revealed what happened, but I helped you with that. How dare you say you don't owe me a favor?!"
Zhang Zian was speechless. Luo Qingyu indeed had had something to do with Zhang Zian's exposing Guan Biao's trap, but his help was far from being considered a huge favor, right? Even if he hadn't asked Luo Qingyu for help, other people in the crew probably could have recognized the smoke cake, though the process might've been more troublesome.
"All right, I've owe you a small favor." Zhang Zian didn't want to fight over this issue and he asked directly, "So?"
Luo Qingyu secretly pointed to the girl with long, black, and straight hair, "She's a classmate from our school, pretty good right?"
"She's fine." Zhang Zian nodded.
"I don't know which department she's from or her real name. I only know that her ID on the school forum is Ting Ying. That's how I found her and invited her to take those cosplay photos last time," explained Luo Qingyu. "The photos received wide acclaim, so I wanted to ask her to take more photos, but she wasn't very interested. She said she was just bored and wanted to have some fun last time. Her avatar on her BBS was a cat, so I figured she was fond of cats. I asked her if she was raising a cat, and she said no. And then I asked her if she wanted to, and she said yes, but she didn't know where was the best place to buy one…"
"Oh." Zhang Zian had more or less figured out the purpose behind their visit.
"Hehe!" Luo Qingyu's smile was very disgusting. "I told her that I know a pet shop owner who she could absolutely trust and even get a discount from. You know what to do!"
Zhang Zian was annoyed and amused by him. You just want to win her favor at my expense!
"Mr. Store Manager, you'll have to show due respect for our feelings since we are here so early on the weekend. I know your cats are relatively expensive, so even after the discount, you can still earn a profit. What do you think?" Luo Qingyu softened his tone. "Besides, you must have gotten a reward from reporting that pyrotechnician, right?"
"No. Not a penny." Zhang Zian acknowledged that he was the one who reported the pyrotechnician. He thought that Luo Qingyu had made some contribution to that matter, so he said generously, "All right then, I can give you 20% off, but only once. If you bring a girl here and ask for a discount next time, I will kick you out!"
Luo Qingyu was so delighted when he heard this. He turned around and said, "Ting Ying! Come here, tell Mr. Store Manager what kind of cat you want!"