Chapter Forty-Three: The Celebrity

A certain renowned figure, who neither bore the surname Lu nor the given name Xun, once remarked that if you complain a room is too dark and propose opening a window, no one will permit it. But if you suggest tearing off the roof, people will come to a compromise and agree to open a window.

Though young, Xie Caizhe understood this principle well.

In his eyes, Zhang Congwen was no ordinary man. Since he was not ordinary, he certainly wouldn’t agree to things easily.

The obscure knowledge Zhang Congwen had previously taught Xie Caizhe had already won him quite the reputation among his friends. Children’s thinking is simple: if you can help me show off in front of others, you must be more impressive than I am.

But had it been only this, Xie Caizhe would merely think Zhang Congwen was impressive, though not quite extraordinary. What truly convinced Xie Caizhe that Zhang Congwen was different was his way with dogs.

Given Da Hu’s nature, even the most talented dog trainer couldn’t have shown results in such a short time. Yet the scene of Zhang Congwen’s battle of wits and strength with Da Hu had left a deep impression on him.

What mattered even more was the time Zhang Congwen went to train his little brother’s family corgi. Xie Caizhe had wanted to watch, but his little brother wasn’t interested, insisting on dragging him inside to check out his new remote-controlled car. As a result, Xie Caizhe thought he’d missed some spectacular training session.

When he came back out, he only saw Zhang Congwen exchanging a few words with his little brother’s mother before leaving. At the time, Xie Caizhe was anxious about Song Jiawei being bitten by Da Hu, and didn’t bother to ask more. Only after everything settled down did he remember the incident and ask his little brother about it.

That’s when he learned from his little brother’s father, Li Hui, that Zhang Congwen hadn’t actually trained the dog at all—he simply glanced at it a few times before offering a training plan. Of course, Li Hui didn’t mention Zhang Congwen had seen through his fear of his wife, so the explanation was vague and muddled.

Sometimes, when you witness something ordinary with your own eyes, you don’t think much of it. But if you hear a clouded, confusing account from someone else, it leaves much to the imagination. That was exactly Xie Caizhe’s case.

Moreover, Zhang Congwen’s plan was effective; by the next day, the results were evident and the dog’s behavior markedly improved. With proof in hand, Zhang Congwen’s reputation was instantly established.

After Xie Caizhe’s own embellishments to his group of friends, Zhang Congwen’s image had become that of a miracle-worker who could train any dog with just a few words. Thus, Zhang Congwen had now become a celebrity in Xie Caizhe’s entire grade.

Now that Zhang Congwen was a celebrity at Xie Caizhe’s school, and also his own elder brother, he was by no means an ordinary person. That was why Xie Caizhe was so worried that Zhang Congwen might refuse his request, and decided to play a minor trick.

“Which two people?” Zhang Congwen typed curiously on his phone and sent the message.

Zhang Congwen had no idea that simply training a dog had caused such a stir at Xie Caizhe’s school. If he’d known, he would surely brag to Song Jiawei at the earliest opportunity. Though, truth be told, even if he knew, he wouldn’t think it worth bragging about.

Upon receiving Zhang Congwen’s message, Xie Caizhe immediately sent back two names.

Both names had three syllables; it was obvious one was male and the other female.

Xie Caizhe then explained, “Sun Zimu is a buddy of mine. I sang your praises to him. His family’s dog is having some issues, and he wants you to help train it. You have to agree, otherwise all my boasting will come to nothing. Not only will I lose face, you will too, Brother Zhang.”

“Just go and train my buddy’s dog, that’s all I’m asking. His family is well-off, so you can name whatever price you like—they won’t mind.”

Zhang Congwen was both amused and exasperated. So that’s how you treat your good buddy? If he really were to help Xie Caizhe’s friend, he certainly wouldn’t overcharge, so he simply ignored that part and asked, “What about the other one?”

Xie Caizhe hurried to reply, “The other is a female classmate who also wants your help with her dog. At first I didn’t want to agree, but she kept pestering me, and in a moment of weakness, I promised. So you must say yes, Brother Zhang—don’t let me lose face in front of a girl!”

He quickly added, “Her family isn’t as well-off as my buddy’s, so when it comes to payment, just do me a favor and charge her around a thousand or so.”

Now Zhang Congwen finally understood Xie Caizhe’s little scheme. He wanted Zhang Congwen to charge the female classmate less, and to make up the difference by charging Sun Zimu more.

“I could hear your calculations all the way from my house,” Zhang Congwen replied.

Xie Caizhe feigned ignorance: “What calculations, Brother Zhang?”

Zhang Congwen typed: “What’s your relationship with this female classmate?”

Xie Caizhe protested: “Just ordinary classmates!!!”

Zhang Congwen threatened: “If you don’t tell the truth, I won’t help you.”

After a long pause, Xie Caizhe finally replied, “Don’t tell my dad, okay? Actually, she’s the most popular girl in our class, does well in school. I just want to get closer to her, so I can ask for help if I don’t understand something.”

Zhang Congwen chuckled at his phone. Xie Caizhe was clever, but still too young—the way he tried to cover things up was almost painfully naïve.

“All right. I’ll help you,” Zhang Congwen replied.

In fact, even if Xie Caizhe hadn’t tried all these tricks, Zhang Congwen had already intended to help. Not only was there money to be made from training dogs, but Zhang Congwen also enjoyed spending time with energetic students like Xie Caizhe—and secretly envied them.

Many people look back fondly on their school days, but not Zhang Congwen. His own schooldays were uneventful, with little worth remembering. Starting from elementary school, he studied away from home, only returning once a month. Each time he went to or returned from school, he would board the long-distance bus alone, riding for over an hour by himself. He had one friend he got along with, but even then, loneliness never left him.

In middle school, he continued studying away from home. Because of his personality, he remained on the fringes of his class. It was only when he experienced his first love that those years gained a touch of color.

Later, in high school, he returned to his hometown, but his only good friend fell out with him. Ridiculously, he still doesn’t know why. Not only did he lose his companion, his budding feelings also withered during high school. To this day, he doesn’t know the reason—he almost dropped out over it.

College life was much the same: aimless, drifting. Only after starting work and meeting Song Jiawei did he feel himself changing. Yet looking back, Zhang Congwen saw just how much he’d missed out on.

Perhaps that was why he envied lively students like Xie Caizhe.

“When?” Zhang Congwen typed.

“The evening after tomorrow. Help my female classmate first—I’ll send you an address, we’ll meet there,” Xie Caizhe replied.