There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

The middle-aged man with a non-local accent jumped out of the car, walked into the store with a smile, and greeted Lu Fang, who was tidying up the shelves.

"Brother Lu, the matter is settled. We got three truckloads of goods at the lowest price, even lower than we expected. That bald guy did a great job."

"Station Chief Zhou, thank you so much for going to all this trouble." Lu Fang handed over a bottle of cola: "Let me help you unload the goods."

"Station Chief Zhou, what brings you here!"

Qin Zhuyan, who was inside the house, came out when she heard the sound. She stared at the man from out of town with wide eyes in surprise.

It turns out that the man from out of town wasn't a clearance seller at all, but rather the former director of an animal rescue station that Qin Zhuyan had previously helped. After learning this, Lu Fang specially commissioned him to put on a good show.

In retrospect, the play was a great success.

"Xiao Fang said you had something at your shop that you might need my help with, so I came over." Zhou Hui took the bottle of Coke and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I've brought all the goods for you. Let's find a place to unload them."

"Things? What things?" Qin Zhuyan's eyes widened, clearly unaware of what Lu Fang was up to.

"It's just some cat food, canned food, treats, and stuff like that." Zhou Hui asked curiously, "Didn't Xiao Fang tell you?"

"Canned food?!" Qin Zhuyan rushed to the bread cart in three steps, and her mouth was agape as she looked at the mountain of familiar brand cans inside.

"Where did you buy all this stuff? It must have cost a lot of money." She looked at Lu Fang, her face full of concern. "I know you care about the store's development, and it's true that these goods are in short supply, but you absolutely cannot take out a loan!"

Lu Fang chuckled to himself.

He didn't expect Qin Zhuyan to connect it to his loan. But then again, she knew he didn't have much money, so it was understandable that she was suspicious after he suddenly bought so many goods.

"Xiao Qin, you've misunderstood this kid." Zhou Hui chuckled and came over to defuse the situation: "He bought these from the vet and pet store."

"Bought it?" Qin Zhuyan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this explanation.

"To be precise, it's about getting supplies at low prices." Lu Fang picked up a box of canned food: "Right now, the pets in Tiancheng Community only recognize our Fangzhou Yanxuan. They won't eat the supplies from other vendors. They're losing money if they're stuck with these, so they definitely want to sell them off."

"But we can't show up ourselves. If I did, even if Cui Ding threw all of these into the trash, he would never give them to me. So I asked Station Chief Zhou to mediate between us, and it worked really well."

"That's right, they agreed to a 15% discount." Zhou Hui helped Lu Fang unload the boxes of canned goods.

"Xiao Fang, you're a born business genius!" Qin Zhuyan exclaimed sincerely, watching Lu Fang's busy figure.

After all these years of struggling in society, I'm not as effective as a young man's quick thinking.

In just one month, Hello Pet Shop has firmly established itself in Tiancheng Community, attracting a constant stream of customers and generating substantial profits.

"What kind of business genius am I? At best, I'm just a little clever." Lu Fang knew in his heart that his brilliant ideas were only made possible by the pet chat group in the community.

If someone else had done it according to their own ideas, they probably would have lost everything long ago.

The three chatted along the way and soon had moved most of the items.

A gentle breeze blew by, and the wind chimes outside the shop suddenly rang out with a crisp sound.

"I saw it all in the group chat. Bald Cui really got the short end of the stick this time. Everyone was outsmarting him! It's all thanks to Brother Fang!"

With a burst of cheerful footsteps, Xu Yi darted in like a ragdoll cat. She had changed into a light yellow short-sleeved shirt and overalls, radiating youthful energy.

She approached the mountain of cans, picked one up, and stared at Lu Fang with bright, admiring eyes.

"Brother Fang, you've really pulled this off! Bald Cui hasn't had time to deal with us these past few days. He's probably heartbroken and crying in bed."

"Stop flattering me. Since you're here, don't just sit around. Help me carry some lighter stuff over there," Lu Fang joked, handing her a cardboard box filled with chicken breast.

Xu Yi obediently took the cardboard box, but didn't move immediately. Instead, she moved closer to Lu Fang and asked in a low voice, "But Brother Fang, how did you do that? It's amazing!"

"I've checked a lot of veterinary literature and animal behavior data these past few days, but it just doesn't make sense! Even if you put some special palatability enhancer on the can, some customers buy sealed toys, and even though Baldy Cui removed the outer packaging, those furry friends still only recognize Ark Choice."

"You wouldn't happen to be... some kind of giant dog reincarnated as a spirit, would you?!"

Upon hearing this question, Qin Zhuyan, who was counting the items, stopped what she was doing and pricked up her ears.

Good grief, it's bad enough that I lost my human identity with Tanuki, but why am I losing it here too?!

He gently patted Xu Yi's head: "How can you talk like that? Don't you know that animals aren't allowed to become spirits after the founding of the People's Republic of China?"

"This is called the perfect combination of precision scent marketing based on big data and animal reflex conditioning. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you. This is our Ark Selection's top trade secret. If you steal it, how will I ever be able to work again?"

"Tch, stingy!" Xu Yi pouted, made a face at Lu Fang, and jogged over to Qin Zhuyan's side. The two chatted and laughed, leaving Lu Fang standing aside.

"Really?" Qin Zhuyan covered her mouth and subconsciously looked at Lu Fang beside her, carefully comparing Xu Yi's phone.

"What are you whispering about?" Having finished his work, Lu Fang noticed the two acting mysteriously and became curious.

"Brother Fang, do you remember that dachshund you brought to the hospital for emergency treatment in the middle of the night last time?"

"Of course I remember. This guy is recovering well now and is being cared for at Sister Qin's house. We visit him every day, and he has a stray orange cat to keep him company. Life is much more comfortable than before."

"Do you know how comfortable it was before?" Xu Yi held the phone screen up to Lu Fang's eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Fang looked down, somewhat puzzled.

On the screen is a very eye-catching high-definition lost dog notice.

The dachshund in the photo has a glossy coat and lively eyes. Although it looks much rounder than the skinny Charlie now, the drooping corners of its eyes and the very distinctive crescent-shaped white spot on the edge of its left ear are almost identical.

At the very bottom of the lost dog notice, a line of large, bold red text reads:

[A reward of 100,000 RMB will be given to anyone who provides clues or helps find your lost dog! We promise!]