Chapter 84: Ruthless

“We haven’t named it yet,” Zhu Qingyan said.

“You’re kidding, after all this and you still haven’t picked a name?” Zhang Congwen, who just moments ago had been feeling a touch of hope for the future, suddenly started to doubt if Song Jiawei was really reliable.

“Nonsense. Of course we were waiting for you to help us decide,” Song Jiawei shot Zhang Congwen a disdainful look.

“Do either of you have any good ideas for a name?” Zhang Congwen asked after a moment’s thought.

“How about Twelve Pavilions?” Zhu Qingyan blurted out.

Zhang Congwen and Song Jiawei shook their heads in unison. “People will think we’re selling traditional costumes. That name’s far too artsy, it won’t do.”

“Then do you have a better idea?” Zhu Qingyan pressed after her suggestion was rejected.

“What if we combine our names?” Song Jiawei proposed. “I’m Song Jiawei, you two are Zhang Congwen and Zhu Qingyan. Our dog training center could be called Yan Wei Wen Dog Training Center. What do you think?”

Zhang Congwen gave him a withering look. “That’s even worse than Twelve Pavilions. Yan Wei Wen? Why not just call it Wrinkle Tail?”

“So what’s your suggestion then?” Song Jiawei was starting to lose heart.

Zhang Congwen pondered for a moment. “I don’t think the name needs to be particularly melodious, nor does it need to be full of profound meaning. What matters is that it’s simple and easy to remember. How about Canine Language Dog Training Center?”

“…”

“…”

Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan both looked disappointed. They’d expected some stroke of genius from Zhang Congwen, given how confidently he spoke, but all they got was something so plain.

But on second thought, his point did make sense. None of them could come up with anything better, so they settled on that name in the end.

With the name decided, Song Jiawei patted Zhang Congwen on the shoulder. “Zhu Qingyan needs to convince her dad to invest more gold coins, and I’ll be busy with the company registration these days. So you can’t just sit idle. I’ve decided to give you a task.”

Zhang Congwen looked puzzled. “What task?”

“What do you think about the location we picked?”

“It’s great.”

“Of course it is. It’s spacious, the environment is perfect, and it’s affordable. But we haven’t rented it yet.”

“Then why don’t you hurry and rent it?”

“That’s up to you.”

“Me?” Zhang Congwen was baffled.

…

Zhang Congwen never expected that the location Song Jiawei had chosen actually belonged to their landlord. He’d always known the landlord was well-off, but he hadn’t imagined that, so far from their current apartment, there was another property in his name.

The reason Song Jiawei said it was up to him was because the landlord agreed to rent them the place, but on one condition.

The landlord owned a dog, but the dog had some issues and wanted Zhang Congwen to take a look. If Zhang Congwen could solve the dog’s problem, not only would the landlord rent them the place, he’d also waive half a year’s rent.

But if Zhang Congwen couldn’t resolve the issue, Song Jiawei would have to find another place to serve as their office.

The problem with the landlord’s dog was unlike that of other dogs. It wasn’t excessive barking, food aggression, or destructive biting.

The dog was friendly to people, but exceptionally harsh toward itself.

According to the landlord, the dog—a local mutt—had been rescued off the street, covered in injuries and on the brink of death. The landlord had spent a great deal of effort and care to nurse it back to health.

He’d thought the dog would soon settle into their home, but a few months ago, it suddenly began behaving crazily, obsessively biting its own tail, to the point that once it nearly bit it off.

At first, the landlord thought it might be an illness and took the dog to several pet hospitals, but all examinations came back normal. It wasn’t until a vet suggested that the issue might be psychological.

The landlord had then sought help from several dog trainers, but none could solve the problem. Left with no other choice, he’d resorted to putting an Elizabethan collar and a muzzle on the dog whenever he left the house. But one day, the dog managed to break free from both, leaving blood everywhere.

When Zhang Congwen arrived at the landlord’s house, he began observing the dog.

The landlord’s mutt was pure white and, as described, extremely friendly to people. It stuck to the landlord like a shadow, following him wherever he went.

Not only was it friendly to the landlord, but it also greeted Zhang Congwen with a wagging tail, its eyes full of hope for a gentle pat.

Zhang Congwen noticed that a patch of the dog’s tail was already bare. Some of the wounds had scabbed over, while others were fresh and raw.

There are a few possible reasons why a dog would bite itself so severely. The first is a medical issue—some kind of itch, perhaps caused by a fungal infection. But the landlord had already had the dog checked multiple times, and its health was excellent.

The second possibility was separation anxiety.

Judging by how attached the dog was to people, there was a fair chance that this was the cause. But when Zhang Congwen voiced this theory, the landlord quickly dismissed it.

“I’ve read up on separation anxiety. I’m sure Dabai doesn’t have it,” the landlord said, glancing at the dog, Dabai. “It’s not just when I leave the house that it bites itself. Sometimes it does it even when I’m home—sometimes even in the middle of eating. There’s no pattern at all.”

Zhang Congwen frowned. This kind of unpredictable behavior was indeed tricky.

Just as he was searching for clues, the landlord’s daughter came out of her room holding a cup of water.

At that moment, Dabai began to whimper for no apparent reason, as though sensing some kind of threat.

Before Zhang Congwen could react, Dabai spun in place, frantically chasing and biting his tail.

The landlord, used to this, rushed forward to try to restrain the dog, grabbing Dabai by the neck to stop the biting, while loudly calling his name to snap him out of it.

At the same time, the landlord’s daughter put down her cup and grabbed one of Dabai’s toys, hoping to distract him. But their efforts only seemed to make the dog more agitated and aggressive.

Not only did Dabai whimper louder, but his bites grew fiercer.

Even with the landlord and his daughter pinning him to the ground, Dabai refused to let go of his tail, continuing to gnaw and whine.

Before long, blood was dripping from his tail, the flesh a mess of red and white.

After nearly half an hour of struggle, Dabai finally began to calm down. But by then, the bare patch on his tail was nothing but a mass of raw, bloody wounds.

Seeing this, the landlord’s daughter couldn’t help but burst into tears.