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

"He woke up this morning." Before coming here this morning, Lu Fang made a special trip to Meiji Pet Hospital to check on him. The police chief was recovering well. Although he couldn't get out of bed yet, he looked to be in good condition.

He didn't know why, but he always felt that the sheriff's gaze was a little strange.

However, he dismissed it as his own imagination and didn't take it to heart.

"When can I go see the sheriff?" Tanuki had been thinking about the sheriff these past few days. The two cats were always inseparable, and suddenly one of them was missing, which made Tanuki feel a little uneasy.

"Next month, I guess." Lu Fang considered the sheriff's post-operative condition: "The human doctor told me that the sheriff needs to rest for a while longer. It's easier to monitor his vital signs in the hospital. He should be able to be discharged for observation next month. Then I can take him home, and you should be able to come and see him."

"Alright." Tanuki nodded. "We've never met before, so let's take this opportunity to get to know each other."

"We will never forget this kindness; you'll be my brother for life!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Fang's heart tightened. What a joke! If Brother Li came over, wouldn't his entire identity be exposed?

But before he could even open his mouth to refuse, Tanuki had already logged off.

This is really going to be a disaster.

Lu Fang was a bit overwhelmed, but even if something bad happened, it would be a month from now. Right now, the most important thing was to deal with this troublesome guy, Qin Zhiqiang.

At this very moment, Qin Zhiqiang and Qin Sheng were squatting at the entrance of a nearby dilapidated alley, blaming each other for their unsuccessful start.

"It's all your fault! You insisted on putting up banners. Now look what's happened, the police have their eyes on us. What are we going to do now?" Qin Sheng was exasperated.

"How was I supposed to know that hanging banners wouldn't work in the city? In our village, we hang banners whenever something happens, and the village chief doesn't dare to do anything to us. He can only try to negotiate politely. Who knew it wouldn't work here?" Qin Zhiqiang was furious. Why did the village rules not apply in the city?

"It's all your fault! You insisted on gambling last night. We could have lasted seven more days, but now we only have three left!" Qin Sheng was furious whenever he mentioned it.

"I was just having bad luck gambling. Believe me or not, I'm sure I can win it all back tonight!"

Just as the two were arguing, half a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes was suddenly handed to them from the side.

"Gentlemen, if you want to get your hands on that pet shop, your old tricks of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide won't work in Yanling City."

Qin Zhiqiang looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a bald man smiling at them.

"Who are you?" Qin Sheng was a little wary, but Qin Zhiqiang didn't care. He snatched the half-pack of cigarettes, took one out, lit it, and took a satisfying puff.

"Who I am is not important, but what is important is that I can help you." Faced with Qin Zhiqiang's actions, Cui Ding was not annoyed. Instead, he slowly took out a new pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, tore it open, and lit one for himself.

"I see you two are honest people, and you probably don't have any other options right now, so why don't you listen to my thoughts?"

Hearing this, the father and son exchanged a glance. Qin Sheng no longer resisted and asked curiously, "Brother, what good idea do you have?"

Cui Ding lowered his voice and leaned closer to the two, completely unaware that a pair of bright green eyes were shining in the shadows behind the three of them.

"If you take a hard line, the police will intervene; but if you take a softer approach, it's a different story."

"You are her biological father and brother, blood is thicker than water. What young girl doesn't yearn for family affection? Tomorrow, go to the shop and act pitiful. Say that you know you were wrong and just want to help her. Then say that your family is really struggling to make ends meet and that you want to stay here and help out. You will definitely work hard and just give her some food."

"Me, pretending to be her grandson? What a joke!" Qin Zhiqiang exploded the moment he heard this.

He's been a tyrant at home for over a decade; there's absolutely no way he'd act like a grandson now.

"Do you still want your money?" Cui Ding frowned. Normally, he wouldn't even glance at these guys. If he didn't need their help now, he wouldn't even have the desire to talk to them.

"Alright then." Upon hearing the word "money," Qin Zhiqiang instantly deflated. There was no way around it; money was his lifeline.

"So what if you act like a pushover?" Qin Sheng pressed. "You can't keep acting like a pushover forever."

"What's the rush?" Cui Ding frowned. "After you infiltrate, the first step is to gain their trust. Then, find a way to access the Ark Selected goods in the store. I'll prepare some cat and dog food with added ingredients for you. Sneake in when they're not looking, and as long as you kill a few cats and dogs, immediately report them to the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Health Bureau."

"Then the overwhelming negative reviews and public opinion will completely drown them out, and the store will definitely have to close down." Cui Ding sneered twice. "Then I'll step in, buy their store at a low price, and we'll split the profits 50/50."

"Fifty-fifty?" Qin Zhiqiang immediately became agitated upon hearing "fifty-fifty": "Why should you split it fifty-fifty with us?"

Who wouldn't be anxious if their hard-earned money slipped through their fingers?

"If I give you the shop, do you know how to run it?" Cui Ding looked down at Qin Zhiqiang. "Would you be happy if the shop went to waste and you didn't make a single penny?"

"If you ask me, why not just sell the shop to me, you take the money and leave, and I'll keep the shop? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Qin Sheng nodded in response to Cui Ding's words.

He knows his own character perfectly well. This shop could be run well under Qin Zhuyan's management, but it's uncertain whether it will be successful under his own.

Why not take some money and go back to the village to live a carefree life?

"Okay, let's do it that way!" He immediately made up his mind.

Qin Zhiqiang reluctantly agreed after seeing that his son had agreed.

"I won't say more. You two go apologize to Qin Zhuyan tomorrow. Get into the store first, and then we'll discuss things further."

Having achieved his goal, Cui Ding didn't linger. Before leaving, he took out his phone and added Qin Sheng on WeChat: "If you need anything, just contact me through this. Don't send messages, just call me."

He gave his instructions.

"Alright, I still don't know how to address you, brother?"

"My surname is Jian, you can just call me Brother Jian." Cui Ding was cautious and didn't reveal his real name.

"Brother Jian, then it'll be a pleasure working with you."

With Cui Ding gone, only the Qin father and son remained in the alley.

"Can this guy surnamed Jian be trusted?" Qin Zhiqiang looked at Cui Ding's back and felt uneasy.

"There's no other way right now. Let's do as he says for now, and whether we'll actually sell to him in the end is still uncertain."

"He's asking for 50% without even asking. Keep dreaming."