Buying cats?

Qi Hao froze for a moment, then immediately put on a polite and excited expression.

"Oh, so you’re from the live stream! I was wondering why anyone would want to take over a cat cafe for no reason these days. It’s a money-losing business!"

"Come! Let me show you the cats. Is there one you have your eye on?"

"..."

Lin Shen glanced at Lin Ping. Being quick on the uptake, she instantly understood her boss’s intention, stepped forward, and shook Qi Hao’s hand with a smile.

"Hello, my name is Lin Ping. The cats in your cafe all look to be in excellent condition."

"Of course."

Lin Ping followed Qi Hao to where the cats were gathered and crouched down. She found that they weren’t afraid of people at all; in fact, they actively approached, rubbing their cheeks against her hand.

Their temperaments seemed exceptionally gentle, with none of the ferociousness some tabby cats can have.

One long-haired calico, in particular, was stunningly beautiful, with a thick, glossy coat.

Lin Ping could tell at a glance that these cats were very well-cared for. Their diet was clearly nutritionally balanced and not just limited to dry kibble.

Every one of them was healthy, with bright, clear eyes.

After sitting on the tiered seating and playing with the cafe’s cats for a while, Lin Ping turned and nodded at Lin Shen, signaling that there were no problems with them.

"How long have you been in the cat cafe business?"

Lin Shen sat down next to Lin Ping and began to probe, but the answer he received took him by surprise.

"About half a year. Not long."

Perhaps because he was so eager to sell the cats and ensure they’d be cared for, Qi Hao let his guard down completely around Lin Shen. He sat beside him and cheerfully shared his story.

"I’d just returned from overseas and wanted to find a job related to my field of study. I ended up losing every penny."

"What was your major?"

"Veterinary medicine."

The moment the topic turned to his major, Qi Hao’s confidence swelled. He adjusted his glasses and said proudly,

"I got my PhD from the Royal Veterinary College, London. It’s the best university in the world for veterinary medicine."

"That’s impressive!"

As someone in the pet industry himself, Lin Shen was naturally familiar with the Royal Veterinary College, London.

Qi Hao wasn’t wrong. While it might not definitively be "the best," graduates from that school absolutely had the highest employment rate among veterinarians worldwide.

You could find their alumni in almost every famous veterinary hospital.

And Qi Hao was a PhD, no less. That credential alone was incredible.

"So why not work as a doctor in a veterinary hospital?"

Lin Shen was curious.

"If you were a doctor, earning forty or fifty thousand a month shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"It would probably be even more than that, but I don’t want to."

Qi Hao shook his head, his tone suddenly growing serious.

"Because there are even more shady practices in veterinary hospitals than in regular hospitals!"

"In a regular hospital, you can at least communicate with the patient to understand the treatment process and quality. But it’s nowhere near that straightforward in a veterinary hospital."

"To make more money, the vast majority of vet hospitals on the market engage in excessive treatment. And since there’s no government safety net, they’re completely unscrupulous."

"I couldn’t stand it, so I didn’t want to be a part of it."

"..."

Lin Shen was, of course, well aware of the industry secrets Qi Hao was exposing.

A single surgery could cost four or five thousand at the drop of a hat, and a course of medication could run several hundred.

Even humans don’t get treatments that expensive.

But everyone tacitly accepted it.

It was a case of a willing seller and a willing buyer, after all!

Most customers at veterinary hospitals were middle-class; spending a few thousand to treat their beloved pet wasn’t a big deal to them.

But this was the first time Lin Shen had ever met a veterinarian with such strong professional ethics as Qi Hao.

"So I opened my own cat cafe and took in some unwanted purebreds and strays."

As he spoke, Qi Hao fed a cat treat stick to the feline on his lap, stroking its fur with a look of pure tenderness in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, business at the cat cafe is terrible now. I can’t afford to keep them, so I have to sell them off one by one."

"I feel like we get along pretty well. Which one do you have your eye on? I’ll give you a discount."

"I’ll take them all."

?

Qi Hao looked at Lin Shen in confusion, his expression a mixture of surprise and a hint of wariness.

"You’ll take them all? What do you do?"

"The same as you."

Lin Shen smiled faintly and patted Qi Hao’s shoulder, dispelling his concerns.

"I’ve just opened a new cat cafe and was planning to buy a batch of cats that are friendly with people. That’s why I came to you."

"Oh, so that’s what this is about!"

The realization dawned on Qi Hao, and he broke into a happy laugh.

"Absolutely! If you really intend to buy all the cats and continue taking care of them, I’d have no problem giving them all to you for free."

"That won’t be necessary."

Lin Shen waved his hand dismissively.

"You’ve incurred costs raising these cats, not to mention all the time and effort you’ve poured into them. Besides, I’m not short on money."

"I can tell."

From the moment Lin Shen had walked into the store, Qi Hao could tell this young man was no ordinary person.

Everything from his words and actions to his clothes and style, not to mention the gleaming gold watch on his wrist.

Even though Qi Hao didn’t recognize the watch’s brand, he knew it must have been expensive.

All of this was enough to show that Lin Shen wasn’t someone who needed to worry about money.

Besides, you wouldn’t dare take the risk of opening a cat cafe when the market was this bad unless you had some serious cash on hand.

"Then let’s say one hundred per cat. I won’t ask for much. That calico might be a little more—three hundred. She’s my favorite, and I was originally planning to keep her myself. But I thought about it, and she’ll probably be happier in a cat cafe with so many companions."