Daily Life in the Pet Shop Ch. 101

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"By the way, when I went to feed the cats today, I ran into Ao Ranqi. That guy needs to be taught a lesson—he keeps dumping loads of canned food at the feeding station, and the cats won't eat properly. There was still more than half of yesterday's food left," Zhou Chongwen said while playing with Melon Seed.

"It's time for that kid to come back," Fang Yi said, raising his head to glance at the squirrels nearby. The old man selling chestnuts had been handing them out for a long time, and everyone in the shop was tired of eating them.

"I think so too. Xiao Yue keeps asking me to clean the cat litter," Zhou Chongwen grumbled, clearly frustrated. His job was to train the cats, not clean their litter. Being stuck with such tasks felt like a waste of his skills.

"I'll bring him back tomorrow," Fang Yi said as he cleaned up the cat litter and headed out with his things. He had noticed Ao Ranqi hanging around the pet shop often but had never confronted him directly. Initially, he had hoped Ao Ranqi would come back on his own. Now, it seemed the kid still needed more training.

"How are you? Have you had a hard time recently?" Zhou Chongwen suddenly turned to Du Qianze after Fang Yi left.

"What?" Du Qianze was caught off guard by the question.

"Your big boss, Chi Rui, seems to have a special relationship with Hua Ziyi. I heard you were sidelined?"

Heard? From who? As far as Du Qianze knew, only Hai Yang was aware of his situation. He hadn't told anyone else. While Hai Yang was known for being chatty, he also knew when to keep quiet. Still, the fact that Zhou Chongwen knew suggested a closer relationship between the two than Du Qianze had realized.

"Hai Yang got drunk today and called me. He complained for an hour—his words were messy and all over the place, but I managed to piece together the important bits. Your boss is giving you trouble, and you've been sidelined," Zhou Chongwen explained, noticing the confusion on Du Qianze's face.

"Yeah, I've been sidelined. I won't be acting anymore," Du Qianze nodded.

"I think... I mean, I haven't seen your dramas, but you seem like a solid guy—someone who acts down to earth. Plus, with your looks, it's only a matter of time before you become famous. Isn't it a pity to retired now?" Zhou Chongwen asked, genuinely puzzled. He couldn't believe that Du Qianze didn't see the potential others clearly noticed.

"Correction. I'm not retiring—I'm being sidelined," Du Qianze replied coolly. Maybe Zhou Chongwen was right. He might have become famous eventually—but that day would never come now.

"Honestly, it's pretty much the same thing. I heard from Hai Yang that your boss doesn't just want to control you—he actually likes you. You could use that to your advantage. Date him, gain some resources, and once you're powerful enough, just kick him to the curb."

"Mr. Chi is smart. He doesn't accept failure when it comes to investments. And I clearly don't like him. No matter how good my acting skills are, I can't fake feelings like that," Du Qianze said, recalling their first meeting.

Back then, Chi Rui had just taken over the company. He was like a newly unsheathed blade—sharp and aggressive. Most opponents didn't stand a chance against him. Even though Chi Rui had since learned to hide his edge, Du Qianze knew that beneath the surface, he hadn't changed at all.

Unless Du Qianze became strong enough, going against Chi Rui would only lead to a bad ending. And right now, he wasn't ready to play that game.

"You like men—I can tell," Zhou Chongwen suddenly blurted, staring at Du Qianze for a long moment, leaving him shocked.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Zhou Chongwen added quickly, waving his hands innocently to show he meant no harm. Once Du Qianze regained his composure, Zhou Chongwen continued, "Look, since you like men, and Chi Rui is handsome, wealthy, comes from a good family, and actually likes you—why not take advantage of that?"

"Mr. Chi isn't my type," Du Qianze said quietly, shaking his head with a hint of sadness. If he didn't already have someone in his heart, maybe he could've given Chi Rui a chance. After all, when Chi Rui had confessed his feelings, it had seemed genuine—so genuine that even Du Qianze, despite his cautious nature, had almost believed it.

"I know—you like Fang Yi, that idiot, right?" Zhou Chongwen said bluntly, showing no concern for Du Qianze's feelings.

"You noticed." Du Qianze didn't deny it or act surprised. He had relied on Fang Yi's obliviousness to show his feelings quite openly. It wasn't surprising that others had picked up on it.

"You made it so obvious. Who wouldn't notice—except that idiot? What's so great about him, anyway? Strong limbs, simple mind, and stingy as hell—he won't even buy a car and insists on riding an electric bike every day. And, most importantly, he doesn't even like men. Compared to Chi Rui, he's nothing. Any normal person would know to choose Chi Rui. You're clearly not crazy, so why him?" Zhou Chongwen looked genuinely disappointed.

"Love is irrational by nature. If you can explain it clearly, it's not love—it's just interest. And Fang Yi is a great person. In my eyes, he's much better than Chi Rui," Du Qianze said calmly. Since his feelings had already been exposed, there was no point denying them—it was better to admit it openly.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Zhou Chongwen clicked his tongue in disgust. "You really don't mind talking like this?"

"What's wrong with that? When we were acting, the lines were much more dramatic than this. Besides, love is supposed to be a little poetic. What I said wasn't over the top." Du Qianze smiled.

"You actually dragged literature and art into a conversation about Fang Yi? I can't handle this." Zhou Chongwen shuddered dramatically and stretched out his arm in front of Du Qianze. "Look, I've got goosebumps."

"I need a favor from you—don't tell Fang Yi about what we talked about today." Du Qianze pushed Zhou Chongwen's hand away and spoke seriously.

"I know," Zhou Chongwen nodded. "But... hahahaha—I just can't believe someone's actually that short-sighted, falling for Fang Yi of all people. Let me laugh for a bit." Zhou Chongwen doubled over with laughter for a long time.

Even Melon Seed and Peanut seemed to dislike his mockery. Melon Seed slapped Zhou Chongwen a few times, wriggled out of his arms, then turned around, picked up Peanut, and walked away with Peanut in its mouth.

"Can I ask you something?" Du Qianze gently patted Zhou Chongwen's shoulder.

"If you're going to ask why you like Fang Yi, I definitely can't answer that. It's too deep of a question."

All credit goes to the original author
Feel free to pinpoint us if there are any grammar error or typos
Please don't use Guazi's translation to re-translate in other languages

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