After eating his breakfast, he had to wait for the elves in the store to finish their meals. Zhang Zian was ready to go out.
Although Richard wanted like to come along, Zhang Zian figured that an audition was a very serious matter, and those shakers and movers in the film and television industry must be tough guys who might be annoyed by Richard's nonsense and then disqualify or give a low score to Famous. In the end, he decided to leave Richard at home.
Wang Qian and Li Kun would not come today, and Lu Yiyun believed that she was going to be alone in the shop. In fact, she was not alone, for there were a few elves here with her, so Zhang Zian was not worried about that. Even if her clumsiness caused customer dissatisfaction, without such an employee, Zhang Zian could only lock the door today, and there would be no customers at all.
Before going out, Zhang Zian took a brush to run through Famous’s fur and comb fleas off of it, making Famous look more spirited — it was very important to impress the judges at the audition. Famous was very obedient. It not only remained still during the brushing, but also specifically asked Zhang Zian to comb through the furs on its head and face with a smaller brush.
"If you still want to go to the audition, there’s something I need to tell you," he said gravely, combing its fur.
Famous gazed at him.
"Because of the dog raising regulations in Binhai City, for the safety of pedestrians, a large-sized dog must be leashed when going out in public, otherwise it will lead to unnecessary trouble, so..."
It wasn’t that Zhang Zian was worried that Famous would bite people. Famous was an elfin, not just an ordinary German Shepherd. He was afraid that someone would report him if Famous was seen outdoors without a leash. After all, a person in a high position was liable to be attacked. With his pet shop gaining momentum recently, it was easy to arouse jealousy from his competitors.
Famous looked at the colorful leashes in the pet supplies exhibition area. "Those things?"
"Yes, just for show," he explained, a little bit nervous. He wondered if Famous would be upset by this.
Fortunately, there were no cat raising regulations in Binhai City yet. If anyone tried to put a leash on Fina, it would be a complete tragedy for that person… As for Old Time Tea, it would definitely fight against anyone who touched it with its Wing Chun Kung Fu.
"Okay." Unexpectedly, Famous agreed quickly.
From the pet supplies area, Zhang Zian carefully selected a black leather collar and a light gray nylon leash. A black leather collar would be hard to differentiate from Famous’s black neck, thus protecting its pride.
"How about these?" He placed the collar and the leash in front of Famous, asking for its advice.
"Okay." Famous looked up and stretched its neck so that Zhang Zian could put the collar on.
The collar could be fastened too tight — a gap at least two fingers wide must be left between the collar and the neck, otherwise the dog will be uncomfortable and it could suffocate.
The set actually looked quite good on Famous. The black collar and the silver buckle made it look even more mighty.
For fear that Famous was uncomfortable, Zhang Zian comforted it, "It’s okay. When you retrieve your origin and remember your real name, you can go out in the invisible state, so you will no longer have to wear these."
Famous contemplated for a moment, shook its head and said, "It does not matter, I feel like I have worn a collar before, and there is a very familiar and cordial feeling from wearing the collar. So be it."
Zhang Zian carefully observed the fur on its neck. It seemed that there were indeed traces of being pressed there before, probably from wearing a collar.
When he had gotten everything ready, Zhang Zian brought the dog raising license with him too, just in case. He said goodbye to Lu Yiyun, telling her about some precautions, and told her to call him should anything happen. Lu Yiyun was completely immersed in painting, and without looking at him, she just nodded lightly a few times. He wondered if she had listened to what he just said.
Pulling open the glass door, the cold air poured in. Fina was awakened from her nap, angrily glaring at him with denouncement. Richard’s feathers fluttered because of the wind, and it almost fell off the bar… Before they lost their tempers, Zhang Zian quickly left with Famous, and then closed the door.
It was damn cold outside. Zhang Zian tightened up his clothes, stretched out his hand and stopped a taxi.
Worrying about being bitten by the dog and that the dog’s feces would ruin his car, the driver was reluctant to take Zhang Zian’s order. Zhang Zian tried his best to persuade him, guaranteeing that Famous would not bite and that he would shorten the leash all the way. If it ruined his taxi, Zhang Zian was willing to pay for the loss, He even told him that he was the owner of this pet shop, so if he didn’t keep his word, the driver could always come back and find him here. The driver finally agreed to let them in.
After getting in the taxi and hearing that Zhang Zian was destined for Binhai Studio, the driver's face brightened a little. Because Binhai Studio was located on the outskirts of the city and there were no direct bus routes there, he could earn a lot of money going back and forth to that area.
"So, you are taking your dog to the audition?" the driver stared at Famous in the rearview mirror.
Zhang Zian was surprised, "Mister, do you know about the audition?"
"Of course. Drivers exchange information all the time. I remember some people told me that recently they have been taking lots of German Shepherds to Binhai Studio. Some German Shepherds are raised privately, some are from kennels or pet shops like yours, and some are raised by the government… with so many dogs being sent over there, they are probably all aiming for the audition…"
Seeing that Famous was really very quiet, did not bark, and did not reveal its teeth to look scary like ordinary German Shepherds, the driver was somewhat relieved.
"So there are many dogs attending the audition?" Zhang Zian felt that the chance of Famous getting selected was slim.
The driver chuckled to himself, "Everyone goes there with the same purpose, right? When a dog is selected to star in the movie, the salary naturally belongs to the dog owner. Not to mention that when the movie becomes popular, all kinds of commercials will line up seeking endorsements. The dog owner can lie in bed while making money!"
This was indeed the truth, Zhang Zian thought. No wonder people were flocking to the audition — the competition was presumably unprecedentedly fierce.
The driver added, "I was reluctant to drive you because I heard that a driver was bitten by a German Shepherd yesterday, and what’s most infuriating was that the dog owner took off and ran away with his dog without paying the fare or compensating the driver… as drivers, we just want to earn some modest fares from these trips, yet that driver was not only bitten by a dog, but also had to get a rabies vaccine from his own expenses. It’s just not worth it!"
Zhang Zian frowned. What a wicked dog owner!
"My driver friend called the police and has mobilized the drivers of the city to catch the man!" The driver shook his head and sighed. "But I don’t think it’s possible. Where would we find him in such a big city?"
There was nothing Zhang Zian could do, either. Every German Shepherd looked almost the same, and it was really hard to identify one from the other.