Pet King

Yue Yue’s voice was very sharp, and when she cried, it made people’s hearts ache. Customers who were looking to purchase pets and pet supplies heard her, and everyone looked towards her.

Liu Wenying panicked. She apologized to the other customers with a smile and bent over to console Yue Yue.

“Yue Yue, don’t cry. Fluffy won’t die. We’ll head down to the pet clinic in a while and get the doctor to cure Fluffy, okay?”

Zhao Qi passed some tissues over. Liu Wenying accepted them gratefully and wiped off Yue Yue’s tears.

Initially, everyone had thought that it was a minor illness, but listening to Yue Yue cry in such a heartbroken manner, they started to wonder if her Siamese cat was suffering from a serious illness.

Liu Wenying wiped off Yue Yue’s tears. She saw that there were no trash cans around her, so she stuffed the wet tissues into her pocket. She pulled on Yue Yue and said, “Yue Yue, let’s go. We’ll take Fluffy to the doctor. Say bye-bye to the uncles and aunties.”

Yue Yue’s eyes were still red. She raised her small hand and waved it, then softly whispered, “Bye-bye, uncles and aunties.”

“Goodbye, little one.”

“Bye-bye, Yue Yue.”

Regardless of whether they knew her or not, everyone was friendly and waved to her.

“Shop Manager Zhang, it’s so lively here today, so I won’t bother you further. I shall take my leave first.” Liu Wenying said her goodbyes to Zhang Zian. She pulled Yue Yue and was about to leave.

Just then, a customer who had just arrived kindly notified her, “Big sister, I think you should wait a little while before heading over. I just came over from the clinic, and there were several people there waiting with their pets. Even if you head over now, you’ll probably have to wait for some time.”

Liu Wenying sighed with worry. “Even if that’s the case, I can only join the queue. I’ve been busy recently, and the weekends are the only free time I have to take the cat to the vet.”

Everyone knew that pet clinics and hospitals were always busy on the weekends, because the young people were all working during the day, and the clinics were closed at night. As long as they were not particularly urgent, like ordinary minor illnesses and minor operations––such as routine physical examination or sterilization surgery––they would usually visit the clinic on the weekends. So, it was normal to see a number of people waiting in line.

Zhao Qi had a good relationship with Yue Yue, and she couldn’t sit idly by while Yue Yue was heartbroken. She quietly poked Zhang Zian and said, “Hey, don’t you know the veterinarian who opened the clinic? Why don’t you talk to her and get her to look at Big Sister Wenying’s cat.”

Zhang Zian shook his head. “Whose pets are not treasures to their owners? Whose time is not precious? To keep things in order, you’ll have to follow the queue. Would you be happy if someone cut your queue while you were at the hospital to see a doctor?”

“Stubborn.” Zhao Qi rolled her eyes. “If you didn’t have connections, I wouldn’t have said anything. But who wouldn’t use their connections when they have one?”

Liu Wenying hurriedly smoothed out the dispute. “Qi Qi, don’t make things difficult for Shop Manager Zhang––what Shop Manager Zhang said is right. Those who are willing to spend money and time to bring their pets to the vet must treat their pets like their own precious treasures. No one is more important than the others… I can only blame myself for not having time during the weekdays. I’ll just join the queue.”

She was willing to wait, but Zhao Qi’s temper made her even more willing. She noticed Shi Shi playing with the mini poodle, so she pulled on Shi Shi’s arm and forcibly pulled her up.

“What?” Shi Shi was in a blur. “Are we leaving?”

Zhao Qi picked up the mini poodle and stuffed it into her arms. “Since you have nothing to do, hold this dog and head to the pet clinic in the north, then join the queue for consultation.”

Shi Shi was not paying attention to their conversation earlier, so she asked, “Is this dog sick?”

“It’s not sick. I’m just asking you to join the queue. Don’t ask so much––just go. I’ll treat you to a big meal tonight!” Zhao Qi coaxed.

“Really?” Shi Shi’s eyes shone brightly. “Qi Qi, you’re not allowed to lie!”

“I’m not lying, just go now. Someone will take over you in a while,” Zhao Qi said. She then turned her head and said to Zhang Zian, “I can borrow this dog for a while, right? It’s not like I won’t be returning it.”

Zhang Zian shrugged his shoulders and thought to himself, Zhao Qi’s really good at making use of her friend…

“When it’s about to be your turn, send a message to let me know,” Zhao Qi shouted.

“Okay!” Hugging the mini poodle, Shi Shi happily left the pet shop for the clinic to join the queue.

Zhao Qi sent Shi Shi away and said to Liu Wenying, “Big Sister Wenying, you can play around here with Yue Yue for now. Save yourself the trouble of waiting there.”

“I feel bad about this…” Liu Wenying was very grateful; she didn’t know what to say.

Just like every other child, Yue Yue didn’t like to visit the hospital. She hated taking injections and medicines. She even felt timid when she saw doctors and nurses in their white coats or felt like crying when she smelled the smell of the hospital’s disinfectant.

Although the pet clinic was not a hospital, the doctors and nurses in white coats and the smell of the disinfectant were the same. Liu Wenying was certainly happy to be able to shorten the waiting time at the clinic. Moreover, there were many cats and dogs there, so Yue Yue would be happier over there, too.

Liu Wenying had even considered leaving Yue Yue at the shop temporarily while she took Fluffy to see the doctor… But after thinking about it, she decided not to. She didn’t want to bother Zhang Zian, and she would not be able to feel at ease if she left Yue Yue there.

Snowball was not done with its haircut yet. Snowy was still hugging it close to her––and had been since she brought it to the entrance to watch the disruption earlier. Because Snowball was heavy, Snowy’s arms were sore from hugging it for a while. When her grip loosened, it slipped down from between Snowy’s arms.

“Shop Manager, please come over for a second. Can we discuss the price for this Ragdoll kitten? I really like it, and I’m really sincere about buying it!” A young lady was captivated by the Ragdoll cat, but the price exceeded her budget. She tried to bargain with Zhang Zian.

The condition of the Ragdoll cats from the Blue Climax was excellent, and they were very popular among the customers; however, the high price had stopped most people from buying them. After all, Binhai City was not a super first-tier city like North Canton. There were not many people who were willing to spend 30,000 dollars on one cat; they still had to take their budget into consideration.

Zhang Zian walked over and told her that it was already at a discounted price for the day and it could not be any cheaper; he was, however, able to throw in some pet supplies and cat food in the purchase. That method was commonly used in mobile phone stores, where one could buy a mobile phone and the staff members would give them a bunch of small gifts, making it look like the customer had gotten a great deal.

The young lady was really fond of the Ragdoll kitten. The blue eyes, the symmetrical mask, and the slightly raised hair on its cheek made it look like a princess, and it seemed especially gentle and obedient. She was concerned about her budget, yet she was also unable to bear the thought of it being bought by someone else.

Any cat was fine to pet––the breed and its appearance did not matter. Its beautiful hair was just a layer of skin, and it depended on whether one was willing to pay more for better-looking skin. In fact, people were also like that––the beautiful and handsome people were more popular, although it was just a layer of skin. Some people were willing to spend more for good-looking skin… and it wasn’t just a small number of people.

The girl who wanted to buy the cat was trying to bargain with Zhang Zian. Wang Qian was busy dealing with other customers, Lu Yiyun was busy with the cashier, and Zhao Qi and Liu Wenying are talking to one another. The other customers were busy picking out their products or pets.

Liu Wenying’s cat bag was placed under the cashier counter, not far from her feet.

Yue Yue was attracted by the weird looking Snowball. With a smile on her face, she scrambled after it.

Liu Wenying looked at Yue Yue from time to time; it was not that she was afraid of Yue Yue getting lost, but she was afraid that Yue Yue would be knocked down by moving customers.

Snowball, who had slipped out of Snowy’s embrace, ran next to Liu Wenying’s cat bag and circled around it a few times, occasionally patting the cat bag with its paw.

“White Kitty…” Yue Yue smiled. She wanted to play with Snowball.

Snowy was not in a hurry to chase after Snowball. Instead, she interacted with the audience in the live broadcast room.

Old Time Tea was watching television. Famous was taking a nap by the reclining chair. Fina was annoyed by the bustling customers; she covered her ears with her front paws. Snowy Lionet was lecherously observing the female customers who were coming and going. Richard flapped its wings, flying around to look for any relationships between the male customers. Pi was on the second-floor living room, concentrating on typing. Sihwa was sleeping in the bathroom with her live broadcast on, her audience only increasing and never decreasing.

The pet shop was calm, like usual.

Snowball heard Yue Yue’s footsteps. It turned and looked at her; it judged that Yue Yue was not a threat, so it did not run away and continued to pull on the cat bag with her claws.

There was a strange sound coming from the cat bag––growling sounds from the depths of its throat. Snowball had never heard such a sound.

The store was full of people––only Snowball, who was closest to the cat bag, heard the sound.

Yue Yue came to the side of Snowball. She knelt down and rubbed the long hair on the back of its neck with her small hand, and poked its back where the hair had been cut.

“White Kitty… Fluffy’s inside,” she muttered and patted the cat bag gently.

Snowball didn’t understand what she was saying; it was only curious about the sound coming from the cat bag.

“White Kitty, do you want to play with Fluffy?” Yue Yue thought that Snowball wanted to play with Fluffy, so she smiled happily.

She extended her small hand towards the cat bag, pinched the zipper, and pulled it open.

It was a little dark inside the cat bag, and the inside couldn’t be seen clearly by the human eye. Snowball’s pupils enlarged slightly to get used to the lighting, and it peered inside where the source of the sound was coming from.

A Siamese cat was hiding in the deepest part of the cat bag.

It was originally not easy for the lively Siamese cat to gain weight, but in the case of adult cats, the Siamese cat seemed to be too thin. Its size wasn’t even comparable to Snowball, who had its hair cut. Aside from being too thin, the Siamese cat also seemed to be out of spirits.

When the cover of the cat bag was opened by Yue Yue, the outside light shot in, and the Siamese cat turned its head over as if it hated the light. When it turned its head, Snowball noticed that its eyes were not clear blue like the other Siamese cats in the store, but gray, like they were covered with a veil.

“Fluffy, come out. Come and play with White Kitty,” Yue Yue called out into the cat bag.

The Siamese cat’s ear moved a bit as if it heard the voice of its master, but its body did not move.

“Fluffy,” Yue Yue called out again. The Siamese cat still didn’t move.

Yue Yue got impatient, so she stuck her little hand into the cat bag, intending to take the Siamese cat out.

Snowball suddenly opened its eyes wide, because it saw the Siamese cat’s body convulse violently. It opened its mouth, revealing its pointed teeth.

The situation didn’t seem right.

Snowball cried out. It turned around to look for Snowy, but Snowy was speaking to her phone and did not notice the situation that was going on.

Suddenly, the listless Siamese cat suddenly bit Yue Yue’s little hand! Blood, particularly eye-catching, pooled on her delicate, white palm.

“Waa!” Yue Yue let out a heart-wrenching cry. “Mommy, mommy!”

She wanted to pull her hand out, but the Siamese cat still had her hand in its mouth. A spread of deathly grayness covered its pupils; they were filled with madness and ruthlessness.

All the people present who had heard the sound turned to look––even the snoring Famous and Fina were startled awake.

“Yue Yue! Yue Yue! What’s wrong?” Liu Wenying’s face instantly turned pale. She lunged over and hugged Yue Yue.

“Mommy! It hurts…” Yue Yue shouted as she cried.

Liu Wenying pulled on Yue Yue’s arm and took her little hand out of the cat bag.

The Siamese cat came out of the cat bag, exposed under the eyes of everyone. It had yet to adapt to the strong light, causing the force on its teeth to slightly loosen, which was why Yue Yue’s hand could be pulled out from its mouth.

Dark red blood rushed out from the four deep holes.

Everyone was stunned, and almost no one understood what had happened.

Viscous saliva dripped out from the corner of the Siamese cat’s mouth, and it went into a manic frenzy. It abandoned Yue Yue and pounced towards Snowball. Its eyes, deathly gray, were wide open.

Snowball was caught off guard. It fell on the floor after it was pounced on, and the two cats rolled into a ball.

The Siamese cat was crazy strong. It was scratching and biting, and in just a few seconds, Snowball, who had lost its natural layer of protection from its long hair, had been bitten and bruised.

Thump!

Thump! Thump!

Thump, thump, thump!

Time seemed to have frozen. Everything became slow motion, and everyone’s heartbeats were clearly audible.

Snowy’s phone slipped from her fingers and circled in the air before smashing to the ground. The front camera had caught the look on her face. Snowy was overwhelmed with utter shock.

“Quick—call—an—ambu—lance––” Liu Wenying looked terrified. She hugged Yue Yue tightly in her arms, protecting her with her own body. Her mouth opened and closed. Every word she spat out seemed as though it had a very long pause in between.

Zhang Zian’s body erupted with all his strength. Each muscle contracted, and he charged towards the Siamese cat with his highest speed, trained from Old Time Tea’s Chinese boxing lessons. With his left foot as the fulcrum, he concentrated all the power on his right foot, and like kicking a football, he whipped his right leg towards the crazy Siamese cat.

But, he wasn’t the fastest––he was far from being the fastest!

A golden stream of light shot down from the sky!

The enraged Fina unreservedly displayed her unparalleled speed. She was unable to tolerate any feline causing hurt in her presence, especially if it was to an innocent little girl.

Being the furthest away from the scene, Old Time Tea removed its bamboo hat and hurled it out. The bamboo hat was spinning at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air. It went over Fina’s body and hit the Siamese cat.

If it was like usual, the Siamese cat wouldn’t have been able to avoid any of the blows, especially when it had suffered injuries during Snowball’s counterattack.

However, it did not seem to feel any pain, and it broke out with an unbelievable reaction speed. In a split second, it dodged the incoming bamboo hat. Even after it had suffered a blow from Fina, it didn’t seem to know any fear; instead, it ferociously engaged Fina head-on.

Zhang Zian was forced to pull his leg back because Fina would also be sent flying if he were to go ahead with the kick…

It was a mess in the pet shop.

******

“White Kitty…” Yue Yue smiled; she wanted to play with Snowball.

Galaxy sat by the stairway, blinking it’s silver-gray eyes as it watched the events that had yet to unfold.