Chapter Twelve: What a Small World

"I haven't even agreed yet, and you're already making decisions for me—do you think that's appropriate?" Zhang Congwen said helplessly.

"If you pass up a chance to make money, you're a fool. Besides, I specifically came here today to watch you train dogs, but I haven't seen a thing. Instead, you've been leading me around like I'm some clueless kid. Don't you think you owe me a bit of compensation?" Song Jiawei replied, sounding perfectly justified.

"The problem is, I'm not a professional dog trainer. What if I can't handle it?" Zhang Congwen said. He was painfully aware of his own limitations—he had some theoretical knowledge, but his practical experience was sorely lacking. After all, what you read in books is always superficial; he didn't have much faith in himself.

"Stop being modest, Master Zhang the Dog Trainer. If you're really not confident, why not just go over and take a look first?" Zhu Qingyan chimed in, also trying to persuade him.

"Fine, I'll go and see," Zhang Congwen finally relented after a moment's thought. After all, Song Jiawei was right—a fool turns down easy money. And right now, he was in dire need of it.

After lunch, Zhu Qingyan got an address from her father, and the three of them piled into her car, driving straight to their destination.

The moment they stepped out, Song Jiawei muttered, "Sure enough, the circles of the rich are filled with nothing but the rich. The housing prices in this community might not match yours, Zhu Qingyan, but it's still somewhere we ordinary folks could never afford."

"But you're not even in real estate sales. How do you know so much about property prices?" Zhang Congwen asked.

"Obviously, because I dream of owning a home in this city one day. Naturally, I've kept an eye on the prices." Song Jiawei gazed longingly around the community, his yearning more than evident. "Imagine if I could afford a place here—how wonderful that would be."

Zhang Congwen, however, was unmoved. If he were to describe himself, he was someone who didn't strive for more than what was necessary. He preferred a quiet corner of the world, a comfortable and peaceful life. Money didn't interest him much—just enough to get by was sufficient.

The only reason he came to this city in the first place was to save up enough to return home and enjoy a simple, undisturbed life.

"When you’re training the dog, I'm not being your assistant," Song Jiawei suddenly nudged Zhang Congwen. "I'll just stand by and watch. Don't even think about tricking me into doing all the grunt work again."

"Sure," Zhang Congwen agreed readily.

But who said just standing by and watching the dog training couldn't be grunt work too?

"This should be the place," Zhu Qingyan said confidently, checking the apartment number as they stepped out of the elevator.

Knock, knock, knock!

Zhu Qingyan rapped on the door, and almost immediately, it was opened by a woman dressed with meticulous care.

Zhang Congwen froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile. He had always thought this city was vast, never expecting the world to be this small.

The woman at the door was equally taken aback when she saw Zhang Congwen. Her expression shifted as if something had just occurred to her, and she was the first to speak. "Why is it you? How did you get our address? I'm warning you, the matter of Andy biting someone has already been settled with the police. If you're here to try and extort money, you'd better leave now—or I'll call the police."

Her words tumbled out in a barrage, leaving Zhu Qingyan and Song Jiawei momentarily stunned.

"Do you know her?" Song Jiawei whispered to Zhang Congwen.

"We've met once before," Zhang Congwen replied.

Seeing the two of them whispering, the woman's temper flared even more. "Why are you still here? Do you really want me to call the police?"

As she spoke, she actually took out her phone.

Zhu Qingyan realized what was happening and quickly turned to Zhang Congwen. "What's going on?"

"Remember why we met at the hospital entrance?" Zhang Congwen replied.

In a flash, Zhu Qingyan understood: the owner of the Alaskan Malamute that had bitten someone was the woman standing before them. She hurried to explain, "We were sent by Uncle Wang to help train your dog. You must be Ms. Chen Na?"

The woman paused, gave Zhang Congwen a suspicious look, then finally grunted, "Come in."

Once inside, Chen Na didn't say a single word to any of them. She didn't even offer them a seat or water, leaving them standing awkwardly in the entryway.

"Tsk, this one's going to be tough to train," Song Jiawei muttered under his breath after they had stood there in silence for five minutes.

Although Zhang Congwen was uncomfortable, he kept his thoughts to himself and focused on the dog. After all, he was here to train a dog, not get into a standoff with its owner. If Chen Na had outright refused to let him try, he would have left without a word. But since she hadn't, and he'd already agreed, he felt obligated to do his best—otherwise, it would reflect badly on Zhu Qingyan's father.

The Alaskan Malamute named Andy was completely different at home from the fierce beast Zhang Congwen had first encountered. Here, the dog was docile to the point of indifference, barely acknowledging the arrival of Zhang Congwen and his companions.

This, in itself, was a sign that something was wrong.

A healthy dog, when strangers enter its home, will at least be curious enough to sniff them out before losing interest. Even the timid ones will keep a wary eye on new arrivals from a distance.

Yet Andy, the Alaskan, seemed to only have eyes for its owner, completely ignoring Zhang Congwen and the others. This wasn't a sign of loyalty, but rather the result of intense pressure that had crushed the dog's natural instincts.

The same could be said of Chen Na. After letting them in, she behaved as if Zhang Congwen and the others didn't exist, pouring all her attention into Andy.

She cuddled him, kissed him, lifted his paws, and made him do all sorts of tricks, never tiring of it. To an outsider, Andy was less a pet and more a plaything for his mistress.

This situation was both good and bad for Zhang Congwen. On the one hand, he could observe the natural interactions between dog and owner. On the other, the real challenge in training Andy was clearly not the dog, but the owner.

"Sweetheart, open your mouth so Mommy can check your teeth," Chen Na cooed as she tried to force Andy's mouth open, not caring whether the dog agreed or not.

Andy clearly disliked this and even snapped at her a few times to show his displeasure. Yet Chen Na persisted, prying open his mouth by force.

Occasionally forcing a dog to do something it dislikes is one thing, but in just a few minutes, Chen Na had done this three times.

Anyone would be annoyed by such treatment, let alone a dog.

Andy struggled symbolically, but when Chen Na suddenly barked, "Behave!" her voice was so sharp that even Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan jumped.

But the threat worked—Andy whimpered miserably, then submitted to her will.

Pleased with her own authority, Chen Na beamed, sat down on the couch, and pulled Andy’s front paws onto her shoulders, hugging him tightly.

The position was extremely uncomfortable for the dog, yet cowed by pressure, Andy dared not resist.

After a long observation of their interactions, Zhang Congwen finally spoke. "I heard your dog bit a family member. May I ask who it was?"