Mr. Jiao's university classmate, known as Yuan Zhiyi, invested in the venture along with Mr. Jiao and Wei Leng. Another classmate who worked in Chuhua City, named Fei Hang, also put in a portion of the investment.
After Mr. Yuan passed away, Yuan Zhiyi began his own business in earnest. Recently, Yuan Zhiyi had been traveling abroad; many precision instruments had to be obtained from overseas, and he went to learn the ropes. Though Mr. Yuan was no longer present, his connections remained, making things easier for these young people just starting in the industry.
Zheng Tan didn't understand much about the professional knowledge, but he knew that those precision instruments were counted in tens of thousands, and that too in US dollars, not RMB. Zheng Tan rarely went to the laboratory; whenever he did, he would just quickly glance at the equipment, all labeled in English. Even if there were Chinese characters, they were merely remarks or marked with the owner's name as if staking out territory.
Some time ago, Zheng Tan heard that the Life Science Institute had invested another two million RMB in equipment. However, when he went to find Mr. Jiao yesterday, Zheng Tan crouched outside and observed, feeling no significant change.
No wonder Mr. Jiao said they were short on funds; the project grant they had obtained could not be touched. The available funds, accumulated over several years, wouldn't exceed two million and couldn't buy many precision instruments.
That day, after receiving a phone call, Mr. Jiao told Zheng Tan that there was an urgent job at Xiao Guo's place.
The tasks at Xiao Guo's were all related to shooting commercials, which Zheng Tan didn't mind. Recently, most of the work involved storyboards and videos, all of which were not difficult for Zheng Tan. However, since it was an urgent job, they would definitely have to negotiate a higher price. Mr. Jiao would handle the pricing negotiation, while Zheng Tan just needed to make an effort and strike a few poses as a formality.
That same afternoon, Xiao Guo came to the hospital with some tonics, visited Jiao Ma, and then went with Mr. Jiao to the corridor to discuss the advertisement. Zheng Tan remained inside the bag, carried by Mr. Jiao.
"Kitten food?" Mr. Jiao asked in confusion.
"Yes. This time, my brother has a client whose cat has given birth to five kittens. The mother cat got injured while outside and has been receiving treatment at my brother's place; the kitten litter is also about six weeks old, already teething and weaned. The client mentioned they would give away the kittens and only keep one in a few days. I've had a look, and all five kittens are in good condition and look quite beautiful. They have Siberian Forest Cat bloodlines, so I thought it'd be a good opportunity to shoot a commercial for kitten food," Xiao Guo explained.
Xiao Guo's brother is a veterinarian, and before the pet center was built, his animal hospital and Xiao Guo's pet supply store were separate entities. Now they have merged into one-stop service, so Xiao Guo was aware of some customers from his brother's side. Initially, Xiao Guo wasn't planning to shoot a kitten food commercial so soon. After all, filming a kitten advertisement to achieve the effect he wanted wasn't as easy as a commercial for adult cat food. Kittens that had not been trained wouldn't cooperate with you.
"Kitten food, what would you need Heitan for?" Mr. Jiao wondered.
"I was thinking to shoot the mother cat with the kittens together. If it's just the kittens, those little guys won't listen, but with a mother cat present, she can keep them in check to some extent. Although it will be difficult, it's still better than just putting the kittens alone."
"And what do you mean by that?" Mr. Jiao still didn't quite understand. Firstly, their family cat was a male, and he had heard that in the wild, male cats could kill kittens, and some domestic cats might do the same which wouldn't be safe for the kittens. Secondly, there were several cats in Xiao Guo's store that were much more affable and gentle, including pedigree cats, which would be a better option than their bad-tempered local cat.
"What I mean is, let's take Heitan there to give it a try and see how it goes. Yesterday, we tried with several cats from our store, but none of them met my standards. That's why I thought of Heitan."
Hearing Xiao Guo's explanation, Mr. Jiao nodded and didn't ask for more details, proceeding to talk about the price.
Mr. Jiao and Xiao Guo were discussing the price, but Zheng Tan, squatting in the bag, wasn't feeling too good. Aside from the Jiao family's two children, he didn't really like kids, not to mention those little kittens, so annoying!
After Mr. Jiao had finished negotiating with Xiao Guo, Xiao Guo left and would come to the courtyard the next morning to pick up Zheng Tan. If Zheng Tan could take the job, the price would be the one Mr. Jiao had negotiated. The kitten food at Xiao Guo's shop was quite expensive, but the quality was definitely guaranteed. As long as it could sell, there was certainly a good profit to be made. That's why the price they negotiated this time was higher than before.
Listening to the price Mr. Jiao quoted, Zheng Tan decided to endure it after all. It was just a commercial shoot, and it would only take a few hours.
"Heitan, I've been keeping track of the money you've invested into your account, who knows, maybe one of these days you'll become a major shareholder. And remember, when you're shooting the commercial, don't let yourself be pushed around. You're there to shoot a commercial, not to take abuse. If it's too much, we just won't do it."
Zheng Tan snorted, indicating that he got it. Mr. Jiao's first remark was obviously more in jest, and Zheng Tan didn't take it seriously, while the latter part was exactly what Zheng Tan himself was thinking; no pressure at all. In any case, he would still sleep when it was time to sleep and eat when it was time to eat.
The next morning, Zheng Tan didn't go for a run and instead waited on the tall sycamore tree in the courtyard. He had done the same thing during the previous few times, so every time Xiao Guo arrived on time, he didn't need to go into the building, but just look up at the biggest sycamore tree.
Now that many of the sycamore tree's leaves had fallen, Xiao Guo could easily spot Zheng Tan with a glance upward.
After seeing Zheng Tan, Xiao Guo's face once again flashed that grin as if he had seen gold. Patting the black travel bag on his back, he said, "Heitan, let's go, time to start work!"
Zheng Tan didn't like those special pet carrier bags, so whenever Xiao Guo came to fetch him, he brought a spacious travel bag or a slightly larger backpack.
Since the Pet Center wasn't too far from there, Xiao Guo rode a small electric scooter over, with the bag placed in the scooter's front basket, and Zheng Tan stayed inside the bag but with his head poking out to watch the scenery.
Xiao Guo's "Mingming Pet Center" was doing better and better, supported by loyal customers and several months of advertising effect, the Pet Center had become increasingly well-known. After advertising a few times on some online forums, people even approached him to make bulk purchases, and some of them became regular customers.
They didn't enter through the main entrance of the Pet Center, but through a side door instead, which was closer to Xiao Guo's studio where he filmed commercials and didn't have any unrelated people coming in and out.
The employees were already familiar with the store manager treating this Black Cat as if it were the God of Wealth. Xiao Guo explained to them that the Black Cat had been specially trained, so it was very well-behaved, making the commercial shoots quick, and that it was hired at a high salary. When he first introduced it, Xiao Guo particularly emphasized "hired at a high salary" to make sure the employees treated the Black Cat well. It was their store's God of Wealth, after all. The quick sales of those cans of cat food were mainly due to the advertising effect; of course, the cat food produced by their own shop was also guaranteed quality, and while raising others up, Xiao Guo didn't forget to elevate his own as well.
Others didn't doubt the store manager's explanation and regarded the "highly paid hired" Black Cat similarly to the trained cats in a circus. If Zheng Tan knew that these people categorized him together with those circus cats in their minds, who knows what he would have felt?
Zheng Tan, as usual, ran into the studio on his own after hopping off the electric scooter. The same people were there, and so were the few cats sitting by to watch, along with Xiao Guo's own golden retriever. However, one thing was clearly different from the usual.
In one corner of the studio, an area had been fenced off, about seven or eight square meters in size. The props that were originally there had been moved to one side.
Within this area, enclosed by plastic boards, five fluffy kittens were playing, three with distinct stripes and the other two black and white. Xiao Guo had mentioned that these five cats had Siberian Forest Cat lineage, so their fur was a bit longer compared to ordinary cats.
Next to the enclosed area, an adult American Shorthair Cat perched on a cat climbing frame, its front legs resting on the edge of the shelf, watching the five kittens inside.
This American Shorthair was named "Prince," a resident cat of Xiao Guo's shop. Its catchy name was also Xiao Guo's doing; its image graced the cat food cans produced by the shop.
The primary reason for featuring this cat on the product label was its breed advantage. The cheeks of the American Shorthair are fuller, and its physique is somewhat more robust compared to many cats, with sturdy bones, giving it a meaty appearance. Its broad back makes it look strong, not skinny like a domestic shorthair — the kind that people refer to as mongrel cats. At first glance, it seems quite imposing yet approachable, which makes it several streets ahead of Zheng Tan in terms of appearance. That's why many pet food manufacturers prefer using the American Shorthair as their brand image.
Of course, if we were comparing intelligence, Zheng Tan would beat it by several cities. But that's not something you can really compare, since Zheng Tan has always prided himself on having a human's mentality; he didn't bother comparing IQs with a mere cat.
Not using Zheng Tan's image as the brand mascot was also due to the black cat factor; after all, not everyone accepts black cats, and many people are still superstitious about them.
So, appearance does matter. However, as for that, Zheng Tan couldn't change his, and he wasn't about to dye his fur.
At that moment, "Prince" was staring straight at the five kittens inside, its paws occasionally twitching, wanting to go down but reluctantly holding back.
"Same as usual?" Xiao Guo asked a few employees as he entered.
"Business as usual. Once 'Prince' enters, the kittens act like they're facing a class enemy. It's the same with the rest of the cats in the shop, regardless of gender. But boss, didn't you say Heitan has a bad temper? Will it bite the kittens if we let it in?" one employee remarked.
Zheng Tan, who had leapt onto a cat climbing frame, turned his head to look at Xiao Guo upon hearing this.
Slandering me behind my back! I have a bad temper, huh?! Where exactly is it bad?
While thinking, Zheng Tan left deep claw marks on the climbing frame, tearing off the furry covering, causing "Prince" nearby to move away to the opposite side, wary of the bad-tempered black cat's potential swipe.
Seeing the claw marks on the frame, Xiao Guo's face twitched. There was a moment of hesitation, but he quickly suppressed it, calling several employees to watch over the scene. If it looked like a fight was about to happen, they'd rush in to save the kittens.
Zheng Tan sat high on the climbing frame, looking at the five little kittens below. At six weeks old, the kittens were starting to show their curiosity and nervousness. Anything could become their teething toy, and everything could be treated as a toy: stuffed mice, scratching posts, balls of yarn, and so on; they liked them all. When not playing with toys, they'd sometimes play with their own tails or paws, biting and scratching as if they were fighting an imaginary enemy, which Zheng Tan thought resembled a symptom of schizophrenia.
Watching the little ones below, Zheng Tan really didn't feel like going down to join these little furballs of neurosis. However, since he was there, he figured he should at least go through the motions, pretend to do something, even if he didn't want to participate; better days were ahead if this ad didn't work out.
Having steeled himself, Zheng Tan eyed an open space among them and leaped down.
Startled by Zheng Tan's sudden arrival, the five kittens playing by themselves froze in place, two of them even arching their backs and puffing up their fur in a defensive posture.
Outside the enclosure, Xiao Guo and the other employees watched nervously, ready to intervene if the black cat showed any sign of starting to bite. Xiao Guo had promised a customer he would temporarily keep these five kittens safe.
After jumping down, Zheng Tan didn't make a move; he knew his every action was being closely watched by the people outside. He couldn't risk any "dangerous actions" like brandishing claws or baring teeth; so he simply stood still, waiting for the kittens to show their rejection so he could take his leave.
However, to everyone's surprise, the largest of the five kittens gradually smoothed down its puffed-up fur and started to approach Zheng Tan. At first, it moved tentatively and slowly, then quickened its pace, its tail held high.
Zheng Tan watched the tabby kitten approach, momentarily unsure how to react. It was so small, seemingly easy to flip with just a flick of his paw.
After reaching Zheng Tan's side, the tabby kitten reached out its tiny paw to touch Zheng Tan's forearm, tapping it repeatedly. Then, it rolled over, lying on the ground and playing with one of Zheng Tan's paws.
Zheng Tan quivered his whiskers, wishing he could flick this Little Point aside with his paw.
Where there's one, there's another. Soon, the other four kittens came over, some playing with Zheng Tan's paws, some with his tail.
Zheng Tan felt he couldn't remain indifferent any longer; he stepped over the kitten next to his paw. After Zheng Tan moved, the five kittens promptly followed, with the larger one even darting forward to bat Zheng Tan's tail.
Quite impatient now, Zheng Tan wanted to shake off these "little tails" following him. He quickened his pace, and the five kittens behind him began to cry, making it seem as if Zheng Tan had done something deeply offensive.
And so, the scene unfolded: the black cat walked circles along the plastic board enclosure, with five kittens trailing behind. When they couldn't keep up, they would start crying. Once the cat in front stopped, they would immediately catch up once again.
"Is this judging a cat by its cover?" one employee remarked. After all, none of the several cats in their store had been treated like this, and yet this black cat was an exception.
Xiao Guo pointed at the black cat circling and tugging at its ear inside, "Looks? Do you find the cats in our shop prettier or that black cat?"
The employee fell silent.
Another employee then asked, "Then why don't the five kittens reject Heitan?"
"... Don't try to guess a cat's thoughts," said Xiao Guo after pondering for two minutes before squeezing out this sentence.