Buy a Pet Dog

"Are you aware of what you're doing?"

Ziyan let out a cold laugh and said, "Let's put that aside for now. What was going on this morning? Don't you know how hot Hong Kong gets at noon? You took Mengmeng to that mountaintop to be blown by the wind and baked by the sun. Do you think that was a good idea? Look at the sweat all over Mengmeng's face. How could you bear to do that?"

"The temperature on New Moon Mountain isn't high," Zhang Han replied calmly.

"You're lying again, Zhang Han. Even when you're fooling people, you should at least have some basis for it, shouldn't you? The weather is hot all over Hong Kong, but your New Moon Mountain isn't?" Ziyan said indignantly.

"You'll know the next time you go," Zhang Han said indifferently. After thinking for a moment, he added, "You went at night last time, so you couldn't really tell. Go during the day and you'll know. Besides, you'll be able to see even more beautiful things there during the day."

Ziyan's expression paused. Her lips twitched, and her tone softened by a third as she asked, "Are you inviting me?"

But Zhang Han said something that completely ruined the mood:

"I suppose so. Whether you go or not is up to you."

"Hmph!" Ziyan glared at him, then took off her denim jacket, revealing the white shirt underneath and displaying her graceful figure. She sat down on a chair, fixed her eyes on Zhang Han, and said, "You've changed."

"How have I changed?" Zhang Han said as he dropped into the chair beside Ziyan.

Ziyan glanced at his slightly dirty clothes, then at the chair that might get rubbed dirty. If it had been anyone else, she would definitely have stopped him, but facing Zhang Han, she said nothing. After pondering for a long while, she slowly began:

"You used to be one of the Four Young Masters of Shangjing. I'd heard some things about you. My friends in Shangjing all said you were competitive and combative, extremely arrogant, always getting into trouble, and constantly surrounded by beautiful women."

"I was just young and reckless, and rather immature," Zhang Han said with a slight shake of his head.

There's a saying that goes like this: When older people face an arrogant youngster, they say, "Young people shouldn't be so reckless." The youngster immediately fires back, "If I'm not reckless, can I still call myself young?"

That saying spoke to the feelings of many people. Everyone had been young once. Young people were passionate, emotional, and placed great importance on loyalty.

When a friend was bullied, a young person would immediately charge forward and stand by their friend no matter the reason, without considering the consequences. As people grew older, however, they developed ties and responsibilities. They thought twice before doing anything. Even if they wanted to help, they wouldn't force their way forward if they lacked the ability.

Of course, nothing was absolute. Plenty of adults still had their blood boiling all day long. Today, they wanted to stab you, and tomorrow, you wanted to blast them with a cannon.

Returning to the matter at hand, when Ziyan heard Zhang Han's words, she smiled faintly and said:

"Later, I heard that something had happened to you and that you'd been driven out of the Zhang family. I thought that with your personality, you would move somewhere else, but I never expected you to stubbornly remain in Shangjing. You stayed for five whole years. It seems that, as the Young Master, you still have your own backbone."

"If I think something needs to be done, then even if it means running into a wall, even if there's no way back, I'll still do it," Zhang Han said with a faint smile.

At that moment, the atmosphere between them became somewhat subtle. It felt like two friends opening their hearts to each other, yet it seemed this was actually the first time they had ever talked like this.

"By the way, you... You were so popular back then. Why did you choose to retire and give birth to Mengmeng?" Zhang Han asked. He didn't really understand Ziyan's decision. In this era, abortions were common, and people even had to queue at the hospital. Ziyan had been about to earn the title of Best Actress, yet she had chosen to give birth to the child. It truly felt rather strange.

"I..." Ziyan's expression froze, and a trace of melancholy appeared in her eyes. She said, "When I was little, I suffered from an illness. The doctor said I might not be able to have children in the future. If I was lucky, I might become pregnant once. Then there was... that accident with you. Afterward, when I found out I was pregnant, I did consider having the child aborted, but I didn't dare take the gamble..."

Ziyan stopped there, and Zhang Han suddenly understood.

"Why didn't you tell me back then?" Zhang Han asked in a deep voice.

"What would have been the point?" Ziyan let out a mocking laugh. "We were an accident to begin with, and we didn't even know each other. Why should I have told you? Even if I had, do you think you would have left Shangjing?"

Zhang Han fell silent when he heard that. After a long while, he nodded and uttered a single word: "I would have."

Ziyan was slightly stunned and said nothing more. Silence descended over the room.

After a long while, Ziyan looked at Zhang Han and said softly, "Thank you."

"Hm?" Zhang Han asked, not understanding.

"Thank you for everything you've done for Mengmeng. Ever since she started spending time with you, she's become much more cheerful and her smiles have grown happier. You don't have anywhere to stay these days, so you can stay here for the time being." Ziyan's voice carried a hint of awkwardness.

"Oh, there's no need to thank me. She's my daughter," Zhang Han replied casually.

"What do you mean?" Ziyan raised her brows and said unhappily, "From the way you said that, are you trying to claim Mengmeng? Let me tell you, Zhang Han, I raised Mengmeng all by myself. You've only been around her for a few days, and you think you can take her away from me? No way!"

"Why is your imagination so wild? When did I ever say I was going to take Mengmeng away?" Zhang Han looked completely bewildered.

"Your tone just now clearly implied it!" Ziyan said, glaring at him.

"You're really impossible. If you weren't Mengmeng's mother, I wouldn't even bother talking to you!" Zhang Han shook his head slightly.

"I can't be bothered with you either!" Ziyan huffed. Then she said, "Hurry up and change out of those filthy clothes. It makes me uncomfortable just looking at you."

"Mm." Zhang Han nodded, stood up, and walked out.

Ziyan gave his back a soft snort. After he left, she also went to find some pajamas to change into.

That night, Zhang Han played with Mengmeng until eleven o'clock again before Mengmeng finally went to bed at Ziyan's urging.

The next day, after breakfast, Ziyan and Zhou Fei went to work.

This time, when Zhang Han took Mengmeng out, Wang Juan didn't stop them. She even saw them to the door with a smile and took a blue, round elevator card from her pocket.

"Mr. Zhang, you should take this elevator card. It'll make going up and down more convenient."

"All right." Zhang Han accepted the elevator card and nodded.

When they reached downstairs, Zhang Han settled Mengmeng in the back seat and drove away from Cloud Sound Garden.

"Daddy, you're so silly. You went the wrong way," Mengmeng said in her childish voice as she looked at the streets. She still remembered the route very well and knew this wasn't the way to New Moon Bay.

"We're going to buy some pets. Yesterday, I promised Xiao Hei that I'd bring it some companions," Zhang Han said with a smile.

"Buy pets? Yay, yay! Ah!" Mengmeng suddenly cried out.

"What's wrong, Mengmeng?" Zhang Han asked with a smile.

"I... I forgot to bring Xiao Hei some toys..." Mengmeng looked anxious and guilty.

"It's fine. Shall we go back and get them?" Zhang Han immediately pulled the car to the left, preparing to turn around and return to Cloud Sound Garden.

Little Princess was delighted when she heard that and repeatedly said, "Okay, okay, okay! Daddy's the best."

Judging by her excitement, if she had been in Zhang Han's arms, she definitely would have given him a great big kiss!

After returning to Cloud Sound Garden, Little Princess picked out ten small stuffed toys before happily going downstairs with Daddy.

Zhang Han drove to a pet shop in the eastern district called Love Pet Pavilion.

The shop had a fairly large storefront. Inside was a square room of more than a hundred square meters. Along one side were several dog cages and cat cages, all containing adult pets.

After entering, they could still smell some unpleasant odors. After all, all the pets were kept in the same room, so it was unavoidable.

"Hello, sir. What can I help you with?" A bespectacled man in his mid-twenties approached with a smile.

"Buy, buy pets," Mengmeng answered in her childish voice.

"Oh, what a cute little girl." The man smiled and praised Mengmeng, then turned to Zhang Han and asked, "What kind of pet would you like to buy, sir?"

"Let's start with some pet dogs." Zhang Han swept his gaze over the animals in the cages.

There were quite a few breeds: Alaskan Malamutes, Huskies, Samoyeds, Golden Retrievers, Chow Chows, Toy Poodles, and more.

Zhang Han had some understanding of the personalities and traits of these pet dogs.

For example, he had raised an Alaskan Malamute and a Golden Retriever before. Alaskan Malamutes were clever, very close to their owners, and highly obedient. Golden Retrievers, meanwhile, were famous for being gentle. They were extremely friendly toward both their owners and strangers, and very intelligent. When they saw that their owner's expression was off, they would immediately lie on the ground and act pitiful.

As for the other breeds, Zhang Han mostly knew their temperaments as well. Whenever he took a dog out for a walk, he would run into other dog owners, and after spending a few days with them, he could get a general idea of what they were like. Take the notoriously lustful Toy Poodle, for example. If it could, it would probably even try to have its way with the heavens.

"What kind of dogs would you like, sir? The ones we sell here are all around a month old, and they've received all three vaccinations. We also have some purebreds with certificates, but they're somewhat more expensive," the man said with a smile.

"We're going to buy lots and lots!" Mengmeng said, blinking her clear, bright eyes.

"Mm, probably a few dozen," Zhang Han added.

The man was slightly stunned, then became delighted. It looked like he was about to make a big sale today. He turned to the woman sitting behind the counter and said, "Sister Zhao, I'll take the customers to choose some dogs."

"Go ahead." The woman nodded.

"Sir, this way. Our smaller pets are next door." The man led the way outside.

When they reached the neighboring room, they saw rows of small cages, each containing a one-month-old puppy.

"Sir, the blue cages inside contain purebreds. They all have labels and prices. The ones on the outside are ordinary breeds," the man explained.

"Mm."

Zhang Han nodded and went straight toward the inner side.

There was ultimately a difference between purebred and ordinary dogs. Otherwise, they wouldn't sell for more. In terms of both build and appearance, purebreds were generally better-looking.

"This one and this one." Zhang Han pointed at a male and female Alaskan Malamute.

The male cost eight thousand, and the female cost eight thousand eight hundred.

"All right, all right." The bespectacled man's face lit up with delight. He hurriedly took out the two cages containing the puppies and placed them in the aisle.

Those two dogs alone had sold for sixteen thousand eight hundred. He would also receive a commission from the sale.

"This one and this one." Zhang Han pointed at a male and female pug.

They cost five thousand and five thousand six hundred respectively—almost another ten thousand yuan!

"This one and this one." Zhang Han pointed at two Beagles.