Chapter 547: All Is Fair In War
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"According to your situation, I suggest you raise a British Shorthair," Zhang Zian said to a customer who was hesitating about buying a cat.
"OK, let me consider." The customer had not decided yet.
"Eeek!"
Zhang Zian was startled, and he looked back to the stairwell to the second floor. He saw Pi extend its little head and beckon to him quietly, and then immediately withdrew its head.
"What is that sound?" The customer looked around and wondered. "Mr. Store Manager, do you have other pets besides cats, dogs, and birds?"
"No, I don't. It is the old stairs that creak when they are stepped upon." Zhang Zian made up an excuse. "Feel free to look at the pets here, and if you have any problems, you can ask the cashier for help. Now excuse me, I need to go upstairs."
After he finished the words, he quickly went back upstairs.
Recoiling in fear, Pi was waiting for him in front of the living room.
"What's wrong, Pi? Did something happen? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
He asked a series of questions.
Prior to this, Pi had never gone downstairs to find him. That was why he worried that something had happened to Pi. His greatest concern was that Pi may fall ill. He didn't know how to cure an Imaginative Elfin. Even if he could find a way to cure it, others would know about the fact that he was raising a monkey.
"Eeek!"
Pi pointed to the tablet computer anxiously, but it didn't look like it was sick.
Zhang Zian didn't understand what it was trying to say. "Go type on the desktop computer."
They entered the living room together. Pi jumped onto the swivel chair and typed in the Word document: I have tried several books, and only parts of the books could be read.
Zhang Zian didn't understand anything at first. He looked at the tablet computer, and he immediately relaxed and laughed. "Because the following chapters are only accessible until I have recharged my account. And I haven't, of course you can't read them."
Puzzled, Pi typed: Recharge?
"Yes, although web novels are not written on paper as the physical books are; just like rice, computers, drinking water, and clothes, they are also the products of the labor of others. Readers need to pay for most of the relatively exciting web novels. If the authors could not get paid for their labor, who would sit on the computer every night? Who does not know that playing games or watching movies is more comfortable than writing novels?" Zhang Zian explained.
Pi typed: Is it very expensive to recharge?
Zhang Zian said to himself that the price of reading online novels was indeed inexpensive, but the reading speed of Pi was too fast… However, he did not want Pi to have a psychological burden. So, he said casually, "As a pastime, reading online novels is very cheap, at least it is much cheaper than looking for a girlfriend... Pi, in which app do you mainly read online novels? I'll put some money in that app."
Pi was pointing at an icon on the screen of the tablet computer.
"Well, let me see how I can recharge my account in it." Zhang Zian took over the tablet computer, deliberately avoiding the eyes of Pi, and estimating how much money should be put in the app according to the reading speed of Pi. Finally, he made up his mind and added 1,000 Yuan into his account.
"Well, Pi, you can choose whatever books you like." He handed the tablet back to it.
"Eeek!"
Pi took over the tablet and tried to open the previously locked chapters. Sure enough, it could read those chapters now. It immediately sat on the wicker hanging chair and enjoyed reading the novels.
Intimidated by the rapid reading speed of Pi, Zhang Zian felt sorry for his wallet. Pi really liked online novels so much that it actually went downstairs to find him for help.
Despite spending 1,000 Yuan on the reading app, Zhang Zian felt the money was well spent. Because Pi could read online novels from now on, it would not have such a great demand on physical novels, thus saving him a lot of time. He could devote more of his time to the day-to-day operations of his pet shop.
The only thing he was not sure of, was reading online novels a senseless measure for Pi? There were numerous online novels that even Pi could not finish reading in the foreseeable future. Would Pi increasingly isolate itself?
For the time being, he could not think of any other way. He had no choice but to let time tell him how Pi would turn out.
...
Pi gradually let its guard down in the pet shop. It no longer kept holding the untitled book all the time. When it was reading in the wicker hanging chair, it would casually put the untitled book next to the laptop on the desk.
Staring at the screen of the tablet intently, it was reading a wonderful part of a novel. It had just finished reading a chapter and swiped the screen gently with its finger as the page jumped to the next chapter.
"Pi, don't spend all your time reading books; get up and move around."
Pi looked up and saw that Zhang Zian had come to the wicker hanging chair and was looking at it with worry.
"Eeek!"
It waved its hand, suggesting that it would rest after finishing the current chapter. And then it lowered its head and continued reading.
"Pi!"
Pi felt that Zhang Zian's tone sounded unusual. It looked up blankly, as if asking him what was going on.
Zhang Zian said seriously, "Pi, you have been reading books for five consecutive hours, and you need to get up and move. Otherwise, you may be subject to some health issues. I'm playing hide-and-seek with Galaxy. Do you want to join us?"
"Meow!"
Galaxy appeared from behind him, staring at Pi with its silver-gray eyes.
"Meow! Pi, come and play hide-and-seek together?"
Pi looked alternately at both of them. Their expressions were very serious. Their eyes were full of fear and anxiety. They were clearly worried about Pi.
"Eeek?"
Pi stretched out a palm. It was asking if it had been reading for five hours.
Zhang Zian nodded. "Yes, when I got up in the morning, I discovered that you were reading. At that time, it was before 7 o'clock. Now it is 12 o'clock noon. I have just finished lunch and you haven't moved for at least five hours."
"Eeek."
Pi put down the tablet and jumped off the chair. Suddenly, it staggered and almost lost its balance.
Zhang Zian rushed to support it. "Pi, are you okay?"
After reading books in the same posture for a long time, Pi found that the joints all over its body were stiff, especially the joints of its neck. Every time Pi moved its neck, it would creak like a rusted bearing. Its legs were already numb and couldn't move freely.
"Eeek…"
Leaning its whole body against Zhang Zian, Pi put out a finger and wrote words in his palm: I'm fine. I will recover after taking a rest.
Zhang Zian looked at the frail Pi and could not help secretly regretting his choice. Why did he let Pi read online novels? Since Pi had nothing else to do, it would be fascinated by books. If Pi finished reading the limited number of physical books, it could take a rest. However, there were too many online novels. That was why it kept reading one book after another without resting.
He helped Pi into the wicker hanging chair to let it lie down and rest. He and Galaxy stood next to it to guard it.
"Eeek."
Pi turned its head inwards, covering its face with its hands.
Zhang Zian guessed that it was saying "I'm sorry". So, he comforted it, "There is nothing to be sorry for, Pi, you just need to pay attention to the time you spend in reading."
Pi nodded.
After a while, the numbness in its legs vanished, and Pi jumped up from the wicker hanging chair despite Zhang Zian's concern.
"Eeek?"
It repeatedly raised its hands to cover its eyes and then removed its hands.
"Pi, do you want to play hide-and-seek with us?" Zhang Zian guessed its meaning.
Pi nodded, looking at Zhang Zian with uncertainty. "Eeek?"
"Of course, you are welcome to join us at any time." Zhang Zian laughed. "Right, Galaxy?"
"Meow! Welcome!" Galaxy said happily. "Let's play hide-and-seek together!"
"Wait a minute, I'm going to ask Famous to play with us. That guy has been sleeping all day long. It's time for it to wake up." Zhang Zian rushed downstairs.
After a while, he returned to the second floor with the sleepy Famous and asked, "Who is going to be the seeker? Let's decide by playing rock-paper-scissors! Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!"
Before anyone had time to refuse, he had arbitrarily decided that the seeker would be selected through rock-paper-scissors.
"Meow! Paper!"
"Eeek!"
"Excuse me?" said Famous.
As a result, both Zhang Zian and Pi formed scissors with their hands, while Famous and Galaxy formed paper with their hands.
"Wow, ha-ha. Either of you will become the seeker!" Zhang Zian smirked.
Famous stared at its claws helplessly. "You're cheating! Galaxy and I can only form the shape of paper with our hands..."
"That I don't care!" Zhang Zian scoffed. "Anyway, which one of you will be the seeker? I don't think you two can decide by playing rock-paper-scissors. Would you like to flip a coin?"
He magically pulled out a coin and bounced it into the air. The coin fell back into his palm and was covered by his other hand.
"Heads or tails? Who will guess first?" he asked.
"Meow! Heads!" Galaxy answered first.
Famous was even more speechless. Isn't it obvious that I will lose to Galaxy when it comes to guessing heads or tails? The probability of me winning is simply zero!
Zhang Zian looked at Famous mischievously and asked, "Famous, so you will choose tails?"
"No, I don't choose either side. I admit defeat." Famous sighed. "Forget it, I'll be the seeker. Why are you bullying me today?"
"What are you talking about? We were not bullying you! You lost in the rock-paper-scissors!" Zhang Zian laughed. "Just go to count—right, you must not use your sense of smell to seek us, you will be cheating if you do!"
"You are in no position to accuse others of cheating!" Famous reluctantly found a corner. Facing the wall, it closed its eyes and said, "1,2,3,4..."
Galaxy first sought a place to hide. Zhang Zian squeezed its eyes to Pi and gestured that they should hide in different places.
Pi had seen Zhang Zian and Galaxy play hide-and-seek before, but it was the first time that Pi personally participated in this game. It had been staying in the living room almost all the time and was not familiar with other rooms. Since it did not know where to hide, it finally hid itself under the desk.
After counting to 100, Famous opened its eyes and looked around. If Famous could use its sense of smell, it would be very easy for Famous to find the hiders. Even if its sense of smell was not allowed in this game, Famous just needed to spend more time to find them. After all, the pet shop was not a very large space.
Famous had a bright idea. It yelled, "Stop hiding, I saw you!"
"Eeek!"
Since Pi was playing hide-and-seek for the first time, it didn't know that Famous was playing tricks. Believing that Famous had really spotted it, Pi got panicked and got out from the desk. Bang! It moved too fast and its head slammed into the desk.
"Eeek!"
Pi was in so much pain that it fell and sat on the ground, grabbing its head and sobbing.
The desk swayed twice, and the untitled book at the corner of the desk fell to the floor and spread out.