Chapter Eighty-Seven: Unfolding Grand Ambitions

“Go dig up your ancestral grave.”

In the car, Song Jiawei spoke with clear irritation. He’d been running around, exhausting himself these past days, while Zhang Congwen had simply holed up in his room, refusing to come out. Even after getting in the car, Zhang Congwen had the nerve to ask where they were headed. Naturally, Song Jiawei was in no mood for pleasantries.

Grumbling aside, Song Jiawei didn’t actually feel things were unfair; he knew Zhang Congwen had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Dig up your father’s ancestral grave—what an unfilial son you are,” Zhang Congwen retorted, unfazed by Song Jiawei’s words.

Bickering as they went, the two soon arrived at the location where they planned to start their company.

Although the finances and paperwork were all in order, the dog training center was still empty—a shell awaiting transformation. This time, Song Jiawei had called Zhang Congwen out specifically to get his input on renovations and the necessary facilities.

Over the following days, the two of them, together with Zhu Qingyan, made frequent trips to the training base, busying themselves with endless enthusiasm.

After a long struggle, the renovations were finally complete. Zhang Congwen thought he might at last get some rest, but was woken up one morning by Song Jiawei knocking on his door.

“Go dig up your ancestral grave.”

Before Zhang Congwen could reply, Song Jiawei repeated his catchphrase.

But this time, instead of driving Zhang Congwen to the training base, Song Jiawei tasked him with picking out office supplies and some furniture.

When they got out of the car, Zhu Qingyan was already waiting.

The three wasted no words and dove straight in.

Though they said Zhang Congwen was picking out the furniture, in truth he was just there for show—the real decision-maker was Zhu Qingyan.

It wasn’t just because Zhu Qingyan was footing the bill, but because her taste was simply superior.

And Zhu Qingyan did not disappoint. Once the purchased items were moved into the training base, the place, which had been barren and empty, was instantly transformed—simple, elegant, and beautiful.

The three stood there, gazing at the now unrecognizable room, hope shining in their eyes.

“Isn’t it a bit empty? I feel like something’s missing,” Song Jiawei suddenly remarked.

Both Zhang Congwen and Zhu Qingyan nodded in agreement.

“Should we hire some staff?” Song Jiawei suggested. “Just the three of us feels a bit shabby.”

“We can think about hiring once the training base gets off the ground. But I do think we should add something else,” Zhang Congwen replied.

He then shared his idea: selling various dog supplies alongside training services.

Song Jiawei’s eyes lit up. “Not bad—I didn’t expect you to have a business mind!”

With Zhang Congwen’s guidance, Song Jiawei and Zhu Qingyan went on another shopping spree.

Zhang Congwen himself didn’t join them because he had other matters to attend to. Now that the training base was nearly finished, it was time to formally begin the search for a suitable assistance dog for Xiao Xiao.

To that end, Zhang Congwen contacted several dog breeders, hoping to select a truly qualified dog. Unfortunately, he never found one that met his standards.

He finally spotted a promising dog, only to learn it had already been reserved. The others were each eliminated for various reasons.

By the time all these trivial matters were resolved, and the day of the official opening of the training base arrived, Zhang Congwen still hadn’t found a suitable dog.

That morning, the two of them rose early, each meticulously grooming and dressing. Zhang Congwen even put on the new outfit Zhu Qingyan had once bought for him and entered the living room.

He and Song Jiawei inspected each other, making sure nothing had been overlooked.

“How do I look today?” Song Jiawei asked.

“Handsome!” Zhang Congwen replied with a thumbs up.

“And me?” Zhang Congwen asked in turn.

“Handsome!” Song Jiawei echoed, also giving a thumbs up.

“Still, Dad’s the handsomest,” they said in unison.

“Let’s go!”

For a moment, the two were brimming with confidence as they drove straight to the training base.

To their surprise, Zhu Qingyan was already there when they arrived.

Both men froze as soon as they got out of the car.

Zhu Qingyan’s outfit was striking—already beautiful, today she was positively radiant.

“How did you get here so early?” Only after gazing at her for a moment did Zhang Congwen come to his senses and ask.

They had hired someone to decorate for the opening ceremony; they didn’t need to worry about any of the arrangements.

“I couldn’t rest easy, so I came early to check,” Zhu Qingyan replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Her bright eyes shone, captivatingly beautiful.

Even the staff in charge of the ceremony stared in a daze. Only when their leader cleared his throat did everyone snap back to reality.

“Come on, let’s get a photo,” Song Jiawei called Zhang Congwen and Zhu Qingyan over, pulling out his phone to snap a picture of the three of them.

“With your photography skills? Forget it. If we’re going to take photos, we should hire a professional,” Zhang Congwen protested.

Song Jiawei shot him a look full of contempt, as if to say he knew nothing but how to eat. “This is what you call authenticity. The photo is for our social media—it’s our first wave of advertising.”

Click!

The photo was taken.

Zhang Congwen stood in the center, Zhu Qingyan and Song Jiawei on either side. Above them, the sign proudly bore the name “DogSpeak.”

Zhu Qingyan’s caption was poetic and fresh: “Kites soar on the wind; dogs bask in the sun. There are no bad dogs in the world—welcome to DogSpeak Training Base.”

Zhang Congwen’s caption was as concise as ever: “DogSpeak Training Base officially opens today.”

After posting, they noticed Song Jiawei was still furiously typing. Once he posted his message, Zhang Congwen took a look—nothing but classic sales pitches.

On any other day, Zhang Congwen would have felt insulted by such a style, but today he forced himself to read through it all and gave it a big thumbs up.

“Boss, it’s almost time,” the leader of the ceremony staff announced.

“Light it!” Song Jiawei declared grandly.

With a click, the fuse of the firecrackers was lit. Sparks flew, flames burst forth, and the crackle of firecrackers filled the air.

Dense smoke billowed, the scent of gunpowder wafting everywhere.

Zhang Congwen took a deep, greedy breath, his face beaming with joy.

Since childhood, he’d loved the smell of firecrackers, though in the countryside you only encountered it during New Year or weddings. Today was neither, but it was certainly a day worth celebrating.

“To great success!”

Amid the firecracker thunder, Song Jiawei shouted gleefully.

Zhang Congwen and Zhu Qingyan simply stood aside, grinning as they watched Song Jiawei’s antics, with no intention of joining him.

They were business owners now—such behavior was beneath them.

But Song Jiawei’s enthusiasm soon faded, not because he was tired or embarrassed, but because as he looked over, he saw Zhang Congwen and Zhu Qingyan standing together, watching him as if he were a performing monkey. The two looked so well-matched that Song Jiawei couldn’t help but feel like a child being observed by his parents in a moment of foolishness.

The realization stung.

“Just my imagination! It has to be!” Song Jiawei, who had always wanted to be Zhang Congwen’s godfather, could hardly accept the thought.