Chapter 143: The Good Cop and the Bad Cop

After a long silence, Zhang Congwen spoke again. "If crying could solve this dog's problem, I wouldn't object to you crying. But you already know very well whether it can truly solve anything, and I don't need to remind you of that. There is another point I must make: no matter how tearful and pitiful you look, this dog cannot understand your behavior. Instead, it will perceive you as weak and unworthy of being the master of this house. Therefore, it is best for you to conceal your emotions."

"I have said my piece. Think about it yourself."

With that, Zhang Congwen actually sat back down on the sofa and said no more.

Song Jiawei exchanged a glance with Qiu Tianshi, who nodded and stepped forward to comfort his girlfriend.

Xia Lu was not unaware of these principles; she simply could not untie the knot in her heart.

The only one who could untie this knot was not Zhang Congwen, but herself. And the only one who could truly help her was Qiu Tianshi, the person present who was closest to her.

Therefore, while Zhang Congwen was giving Xia Lu a mental pep talk, Song Jiawei quietly slipped over to Qiu Tianshi's side and began giving him a mental pep talk as well.

Obviously, Qiu Tianshi's heart was on Zhang Congwen's side, and he agreed with Zhang Congwen's perspective. However, there were some things he could not say too harshly, so he had to let Zhang Congwen act as his surrogate voice.

Seeing that the timing was right, Qiu Tianshi began to comfort his girlfriend while gently guiding her through her thoughts.

Zhang Congwen and Qiu Tianshi played good cop and bad cop. The effect of their combined persuasion was far better than what Zhang Congwen could have achieved alone.

Yet, even with Qiu Tianshi assisting on the sidelines, it took a long time for Xia Lu to stabilize her emotions.

Following Zhang Congwen's repeated instructions and Qiu Tianshi's soothing words, Xia Lu's actions this time were noticeably more decisive, gradually meeting the standards Zhang Congwen desired.

Under Zhang Congwen's guidance, Xia Lu successfully blocked the Pomeranian several times.

This time, the Pomeranian finally understood that its owner was no longer standing by its side at all. With a look that suggested it knew how to read the room, it retreated into its doghouse and began to watch covertly from within.

Only then did Zhang Congwen explain to Xia Lu, "What I said earlier might have been a bit harsh, and I apologize to you here. You should know that my coming to train dogs for you this time is different from the usual commissions I accept from dog owners. My time is limited. The fact that this dog almost disfigured your boyfriend is enough to show the severity of its problems, so I don't have much time to slowly work through your psychological barriers.

Furthermore, given the nature of this dog's issues, if the owner doesn't personally step in to train it, the effectiveness of the training will be greatly diminished. That is why I asked you to follow my instructions and do it yourself. On the other hand, with a dog as problematic as this, biting an innocent passerby on the street would also be a tremendous trouble. Even if you say you are wealthy and can afford compensation for anything that happens, I still don't want you or anyone close to you to be bitten by this dog again.

You should also know that I won't make a single penny from this training session. But out of professional ethics and my own conscience, I want to prevent the scenarios I just mentioned from happening. If you were to encounter someone with a hot temper, and your dog displayed aggression, and the other person kicked it to death in self-defense during the attack, how would you feel? I don't know what your thoughts are, but in my view, even if such a thing were to happen, the owner should still apologize to the passerby attacked by their dog. Because that is the fate deserved by an owner who fails to properly train their dog.

To love a dog is even more to properly train one's dog. Doing so is actually a way of protecting your beloved pet. Therefore, raising a dog requires rules, so the dog understands who the true master of the house is, rather than endless pampering and indulgence."

As soon as Zhang Congwen finished speaking, Song Jiawei hurriedly chimed in. "I heard from Qiu Tianshi that you two plan to get married next year, and after marriage, you want to have a child as soon as possible. Think about it: if you have a child, will you treat your child the same way you treat this dog, without any education or discipline whatsoever? I won't make assumptions about that, but I want to say this: regardless of whether you educate your child or not, if this dog's behavior does not change, it will eventually harm your child as well.

I suppose this is a situation you wouldn't want to see either. Of course, this is not just my conjecture; in fact, your boyfriend Qiu Tianshi has always worried about this, which is why he insisted on having us train the dog."

Xia Lu bit her lip, glanced at Qiu Tianshi, gave no verbal response, and simply nodded silently.

At that exact moment, the Bichon Frise—which had hidden itself in the doghouse earlier—walked out and approached Xia Lu's feet once more.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Congwen said to Xia Lu, "If you are ready, use the method from just now to drive it away again. It would be best to chase it back into its doghouse."

Xia Lu nodded, stood up, and initiated her second attempt at driving the dog away.

Throughout the process, the Pomeranian did not bark a single time. It had already realized that its owner had made up her mind and would no longer stand by its side.

It could only lift its head, watching its owner's reaction with rolling eyes as it tried to figure out Xia Lu's intentions. Its tail hung lower and lower, completely devoid of its initial arrogance.

This time, Xia Lu did not have to exert much effort. Realizing the game was up, the Pomeranian turned around on its own and crawled back into its doghouse.

However, just as its body was halfway inside, the sound of someone passing by echoed from outside the room. The Pomeranian, which was about to slip into the kennel, immediately backed out.

This development required no guessing: the Pomeranian had not completely given up.

Because of its conflict with Zhang Congwen and the suppressing reversal of its mistress's attitude, the Pomeranian had already accumulated a bellyful of anger. It was simply because everyone present seemed difficult to mess with that it had kept its temper in check.

The commotion coming from outside the door provided a timely outlet for it to vent its rage.

How could Zhang Congwen not know what the dog was thinking?

A stranger outside the door could not become the target for it to release its anger. Otherwise, it would develop the bad habit of taking out the frustration it felt at home upon strangers outside.

Zhang Congwen immediately shouted at Xia Lu, "Step forward and suppress it. Stand in its path and stare it down."

Startled by Zhang Congwen's sudden shout, Xia Lu was momentarily at a loss. But she quickly regained her composure, took a large stride forward, placed herself directly in front of the dog, and blocked its line of sight toward the door.

Zhang Congwen instructed, "Don't scold it, and don't lecture it. Do nothing at all. You only need to convey your firm attitude to it and make your intentions clear. Randomly scolding it, talking to it, or making meaningless gestures will only prevent it from concentrating on learning what the master wants to teach it."

Clearly, the Pomeranian had completely understood what its owner wanted it to do. Therefore, this time it did not make any excessive reactions; instead, it simply lay down on the floor, raised its head to look at its owner, and awaited further commands.

Zhang Congwen asked, "How does it feel to see your Pomeranian being suppressed like this?"

To his surprise, looking at the Pomeranian lying on the ground with an obedient expression, the mistress couldn't help laughing out loud. "It's so cute..."