Daily Life in the Pet Shop Ch. 183

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"Yeah, I put on makeup. It's less likely I'll be recognized outside. It would be troublesome if reporters caught me. It's fine for me since I've already come out, but it'd be more of a hassle if others found out about your personal details, so it's better to be cautious," Du Qianze explained. He had specifically learned makeup techniques. Before, when he wasn't famous, it was rare for him to be recognized when he went out, so he didn't bother with makeup. But recently, after his latest movie and TV show became hits, he'd gained more recognition, so now he needed makeup to avoid being recognized.

"To think you can even make someone look bad with makeup. That's impressive," Fang Yi remarked. The only makeup he knew was to make someone look better, but this was the first time he had seen makeup used in such a different way.

"I don't really like wearing masks or sunglasses. They're uncomfortable," Du Qianze said casually. He grabbed Fang Yi's hand as they went out, his mind set on one thing: he could hold hands now. Fang Yi didn't seem to mind at all, and that made him even happier.

After giving some quick instructions downstairs, Fang Yi left with Du Qianze. They went to buy two sesame cakes, which he handed to Du Qianze. "You didn't eat much earlier. You must be hungry. Have these to tide you over."

At the restaurant, Fang Yi ordered two bowls of wontons for Du Qianze but only a small bowl for himself, leisurely eating beside him.

Seeing Fang Yi's thoughtful actions, Du Qianze felt warm inside. There had been a lot of people eating earlier, many of them big names, so he had been more reserved and didn't eat much. He hadn't expected Fang Yi to notice and intentionally bring him out to eat.

After they finished eating, Du Qianze bought a bag of chestnuts from a street vendor and handed it to Fang Yi, asking him to peel them. He had seen Fang Yi peel chestnuts before—it was incredible how, with just one squeeze, the entire chestnut would come out perfectly.

"Let's go for a walk in the park. Show me where the stray cats gather, so I can come visit them when I'm free," Du Qianze said, walking beside Fang Yi. He felt deeply content. His ambitions had never been high. Acting was his passion; although he'd dreamed of becoming a big star, he wouldn't regret it if that didn't happen. As long as he kept getting scripts, he would be happy. Being with Fang Yi, his requirements were few. He didn't even compare himself to Naima.

Naima had been with Fang Yi for a long time, even changing Fang Yi's life. Du Qianze felt that Fang Yi wasn't meant to live the way he did now. It was Naima's presence that had caused Fang Yi's life to take a sharp turn, leading to the person he was now. Naima was definitely the most important in Fang Yi's heart, and even if Fang Yi eventually liked him, Du Qianze knew he would never surpass Naima.

Though it was a bit sad to think about, Du Qianze didn't mind at all. He liked Naima a lot—really, a lot. And if it weren't for Naima, the Fang Yi he liked wouldn't have existed either. So he would stay with Fang Yi and take good care of Naima together.

If Du Qianze's love for Fang Yi was deep, it wasn't to the point of obsession. Although he liked Fang Yi's looks and physique, what truly made him fall for Fang Yi was how he treated animals. He wasn't foolish enough to care how much he meant to Fang Yi compared to Naima.

As long as he could stay with Fang Yi and help run the pet shop, he was content.

Talking about the stray cats in the park, Fang Yi couldn't stop sharing their stories with Du Qianze. In the beginning, there hadn't been a fixed gathering spot for the strays. When Fang Yi had first moved here, he noticed a lot of cats around, so he made it a habit to bring cat food every day. It took over half a year, but eventually, the spot where he fed the cats became a regular feeding point.

"Knowing there was food in the park, more and more cats started showing up. Fang Yi found several other places in the park where the cats gathered and began leaving food. At first, when he started feeding the stray cats, they were very cautious and didn't eat. It wasn't until half a month later that they slowly began to accept the food. Over time, more cats showed up, and then, the cats began bringing him gifts.

Fang Yi often found little scraps of paper, balloons, wrappers, plastic bags... and other items at the feeding spots. Though he was puzzled about how these things ended up in such a secluded place, he didn't think much of it. It wasn't until Naima came over and brought these items to him that he realized the stray cats had been gifting them to him. Even now, he still receives gifts, and nearly all the stray cats in the park know him. Whenever they see him, they always meow to greet him.

"That's so nice," Du Qianze said, feeling envious. When he encountered stray cats outside, they would usually glance at him and quickly run away, not even bothering to look at him, let alone greet him. Du Qianze always thought he had a good relationship with cats, and he wasn't bad-looking either, so the stray cats shouldn't run from him. But the reality was much harsher.

"Not great," Fang Yi said as he handed Du Qianze the peeled chestnuts, not very satisfied. "It'd be fine if these cats didn't remember me. But if they do, they could give me dozens of gifts at once. Every day I come here to feed them, I end up picking up trash too."

"Most people can't even get a gift if they wanted one," Du Qianze laughed. "Being greeted by stray cats with gifts—how many people would envy that? Even cats raised at home don't always act that nice. Haven't you noticed how 'cat slave' and 'poop scooper' are becoming trendy terms lately? You can tell from these buzzwords that, when cats and humans are together, cats are the ones in charge."

Du Qianze thought the term "cat slave" was a bit exaggerated, but it was mostly true. Cats were proud, and they had very high standards for people. They could get mad at you, but you couldn't get mad at them, or they'd get even angrier. When they were happy, they'd act cute, and it could melt anyone's heart. When they were upset, they'd slap you a couple of times, and you couldn't even slap them back. Big Bai had found Du Qianze back then, and although Big Bai treated him well, it wasn't the kind of indifferent attitude some cats had. But Du Qianze had still taken many of Big Bai's slaps.

"That's true. I've been feeding these cats for over a year now, and only recently have I earned this kind of treatment from them. But they still don't really like me. Most of the feral cats, I've tricked them into the shop for neutering," Fang Yi said, greeting a cat perched on a tree. The cat wagged its tail, as if acknowledging him.

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