That afternoon, He Wenjie paid for a chartered taxi to drive him around. It wasn't that he didn't want to buy a car, but Beijing license plates were truly a headache. Although the situation wasn't as tight as it would be in later years, plates still weren't something you could just get whenever you wanted. He had already asked a 4S dealership to help figure something out, for which he had even paid a deposit of 100,000 yuan for a BMW 7 Series. With the license plate and everything else factored in, the total came to over a million yuan, to be paid in full once the license plate was sorted out.
After checking out a storefront, He Wenjie was just about to leave when he saw a dirty Border Collie tied to a van parked by the roadside. Seeing He Wenjie walk over, the dog grew very lively, wagging its tail and trying to win his favor. He Wenjie was quite fond of small animals, but his original self was someone who lived hand-to-mouth and naturally lacked the conditions to keep a dog. Seeing the dog today, he instinctively stopped in his tracks and started playing with it.
"Boss, I can see you really like this dog. Take it for 2,000 yuan."
He Wenjie looked stunned. "This dog belongs to you?"
The other party answered vaguely, "My kid raised it. Now they've gone off to college and nobody's looking after it, so I figured I'd sell it."
He Wenjie almost laughed, thinking to himself that judging by all those wrinkles on his face, the man had to be at least sixty years old—just how many years had his kid been held back in school? One look at the dog told him it was no good, either stolen or picked up, with picking it up being the more likely probability. People who stole dogs usually didn't sell them out in the open; they had their own distribution channels.
"Old man, I'll buy it for 1,000 yuan. I'm guessing you've been standing here quite a while. Normally, people looking to buy a dog want a puppy, and a dog of dubious origin like this can only be sold to a dog meat restaurant. I bet you've asked around for prices, and I'm sure no one's offered you more than I am."
The old man tried to haggle, but He Wenjie turned around, got into the car, and prepared to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, young man, it's a deal, it's a deal."
He Wenjie led the dog into the car, paying an extra 200 yuan for the car wash.
The taxi took him to a nearby pet store. Leading the dog through the front door, he was met by a stout young man with dyed blonde hair. "Boss, can this dog get a wash?"
"No problem. Whoa, this dog looks like it rolled right into a mud pit."
"Just bought it by the roadside. I figure it probably wandered off and got snatched by someone. I took a liking to it, so I bought it. If I hadn't bought it, I reckon it would've ended up at a dog meat restaurant."
"You're a pretty stand-up guy, buddy. I'll do a good deed myself then—I won't charge you for the bath."
"Don't do that, you guys have overhead too. How about this: help me pick out some dog food, treats, and whatever else you have, and give me a discount on the whole lot."
"Alright, thanks for supporting my business."
"By the way, buddy, do you guys in this line of work have a group chat? Can you help post some info in there to see if we can find the dog's original owner? Buying it was a pretty impulsive purchase, and I haven't figured out how to settle it in yet."
"We do. Once I get it washed, I'll snap a couple of photos and post them in the group. If I hear anything, I'll get in touch."
"Great, let's exchange contact info then. My name is He Wenjie. What's your surname, buddy?"
"I'm Hu Qixing, and this is my wife Piaopiao," he said, gesturing toward the woman walking over to take the dog.
Hu Qixing and Piaopiao—what a coincidence. He wondered if he'd run into Guo Ran today. While Qixing and Piaopiao gave the dog a bath, He Wenjie didn't leave; he just hung around chatting with the two of them.
Upon learning that He Wenjie was planning to open a fitness club and was currently looking for a storefront, the couple promised to help him keep an eye out for a suitable location.
Once the dog was bathed and a pile of pet supplies was bought, the final bill came to 1,000 yuan. The taxi driver waiting outside was practically falling asleep, and after driving He Wenjie to his rented residential complex, he left.
He Wenjie led the dog into the complex, played with the little dog for a while, and then left. Since he had never planned to live there permanently, he hadn't bought any bedding yet. You could say the dog's gear was more complete than his own.
Over the next few days, He Wenjie woke up early to walk the puppy, then returned to the hotel to find opportunities to chat with Yang Tao. After several days of contact, their relationship had grown noticeably closer. He Wenjie began preparing for the next phase of his plan: the days of becoming neighbors with Yang Tao.
That day, just as He Wenjie woke up, he suddenly received a call from Hu Qixing. "Brother Jie, as soon as I opened the shop today, someone came in looking for me, saying that the Border Collie you bought belongs to them. The person is right here in my shop now."
"Have them come over to identify it then. I'll send you my address. I was just about to have breakfast and take the dog for a walk anyway. If I'm running late, have them wait a few minutes."
When He Wenjie arrived, he saw Qixing waiting at the complex entrance with a man and a woman. After exchanging greetings, He Wenjie led them upstairs.
The moment the door opened, they were greeted by a chubby Border Collie. Looking further in, they saw cotton scattered all over the floor and a sofa with a giant hole chewed through it.
Seeing their owner after days apart, the dog grew even more excited, continuously leaping all over the pair.
"Looks like this really is your dog."
"Thank you for helping us find our dog, and I'm so sorry for making such a mess of your place. Let us know how much it costs and we'll compensate you right away."
"Forget it, I quite like it anyway. Just give me a hand carrying that sofa downstairs in a moment. Oh, and beauty, take all these dog treats and toys with you when you leave; they're no use to me."
"We can't do that, we still need to pay for the damages."
"It's fine, I just rented this place and haven't had time to move in yet. I was planning to replace the furniture anyway, I've just been too busy lately to get around to it. If you really feel bad, help me find a couple of cleaning people to tidy up the place. Once it's cleaned, it'll be easier for me to buy furniture."
At this point, Qixing chimed in from the side, "Alright, my friend, you can see Brother Jie isn't someone hard up for cash. He just got to Beijing and has a lot of things on his mind with no clue where to start. Just listen to him and help find someone to clean the place up."
The three men carried the sofa downstairs and found a spot to put it, and He Wenjie handed the dog owners a spare key. The two sides then began contacting cleaning services to tidy up the apartment. Qixing took He Wenjie back to the hotel.
"Brother, you've been staying at the hotel all this time?"
"Yeah, I booked it for a month. I'm not staying here because of this incident, though my stay is almost up anyway."
"By the way, Brother Jie, have you found a suitable storefront yet? I have an older brother who has plenty of resources in that area. When you have time, do you want to come over to my place for hot pot and I'll introduce you two?"
"Sure, I'm not busy lately."
"Then let's make it this weekend. Come over to my place for hot pot on weekend evening."
"Alright, I'll have to trouble you then, brother."
"Don't mention it. I'll just say this now: you only need to bring your appetite, I'll handle the rest."
As they spoke, the car pulled up to the hotel. He Wenjie got out and walked away.
That afternoon, He Wenjie received a call saying the apartment had been cleaned. When he took a taxi back, the girl had already left with the dog, and the guy handed him the key. After a brief chat, the two of them left.