Chapter 169: Chapter 169: You Don’t Recognize It? Chapter 169: Chapter 169: You Don’t Recognize It? Following Mr. Fang on an outing, Zheng Tan came to understand something.

The heads of several pet hospitals in Chuhua City, which are somewhat sizable, had discussed privately establishing a Cat Lovers Association. They had been negotiating for a while and finally made a decision. The recent cat abuse incidents and the public and media’s reactions played a major role in that decision.

In establishing this association, they unavoidably had to interact with the likes of the Environmental Protection Association, Bird Protection Association, and other similar organizations. After all, the conflict between cats and birds had been deepening. People from the provincial Bird Protection Association once argued with several private cat lovers’ groups. In terms of environmental protection, some organizations dedicated to plant conservation often complained about stray cats damaging plants and the ecosystem. For these reasons, the organizers chose the theme of scientific breeding and green civilization for their activity, and named the association Green Wing, abbreviated GW, with a logo featuring a green wing and a cat paw print in the middle.

No matter what the organizers of Green Wing were thinking, at least at first mention of the name, Zheng Tan didn’t feel it was remotely related to cats.

The influence of Mingming Pet Center, owned by Xiao Guo and other organizers, was the largest among those involved in the upcoming event. Its name had become increasingly known over the years. As one of the organizers and vice president of Green Wing, Xiao Guo was so busy that he barely had time to eat. Whether it was promotional videos, public service ads, or sending notifications, he had a hand in everything, despite not being the sole person responsible for these tasks.

Xiao Guo knew of Mr. Fang’s acquaintance with the Jiao family and that Zheng Tan was quite close with Mr. Fang. Therefore, for this event, Xiao Guo set his sights on Mr. Fang, a big fish. If Mr. Fang got involved, Xiao Guo’s influence as the vice president would be significantly enhanced. Since Green Wing was newly established with several vice presidents and temporary authorities competing, no one acknowledged each other’s seniority. As people below waited for them to slip up, each was strategizing to prove themselves and firmly secure their position during this event.

Thus, Xiao Guo personally visited Mr. Fang, who didn’t act high and mighty but readily accepted the invitation because of Zheng Tan and agreed to donate a sum of money. The details could be discussed with one of Mr. Fang’s assistants.

After Mr. Fang made a deal with Old Liu, he mentioned the event. Old Liu, recalling how his son became more lively and cheerful because of a cat, took an interest. Making a donation was no big deal, he felt it akin to paying for peace of mind.

Of course, Mr. Fang probably wouldn’t have time to attend the event himself; his subordinates would go in his stead. Nonetheless, for Xiao Guo, having someone willing to donate was already the biggest success.

Mr. Fang, Old Liu, and Xiao Guo were all very busy people. As for Zheng Tan, life went on as usual, relatively comfortable and never too boring, with something to do every few days—mainly concerning making money. After all, which other cat could achieve this, even earning money to provide for its family?

On the other side of the ocean, Mr. Jiao would chat weekly through messaging apps to catch up with the family. However, with Mr. Jiao away, it wasn’t very convenient to discuss certain matters at the pet hospital. Jiao Ma had to make decisions, and she didn’t have much time either. Occasionally, Xiao Guo would send emails to Mr. Jiao about some unresolved issues with cat food advertisements. Recently, decisions related to filming a public service commercial were all made by Mr. Jiao through email.

In fact, Zheng Tan was quite famous within a certain circle, but at Mr. Jiao’s request, much information about Zheng Tan was kept confidential, keeping a low profile. Moreover, Zheng Tan didn’t have a large role in the public service ad because his appearance didn’t fit the bill.

Compared to other cats, a black cat always carried a sense of mystery, wickedness, and dominance. Zheng Tan just couldn’t seem pitiable enough, so for the desired effect, Xiao Guo and his team chose several kittens with a visual advantage. Those were most likely to evoke sympathy, particularly from women.

Zheng Tan didn’t mind; he didn’t want to act cute or pitiful anyway. However, as a cat with a fan base, he had to attend the event and wait for Xiao Guo’s arrangements. Those unaware wouldn’t connect Zheng Tan with the cats from Chuhua University’s family courtyard.

Since this was Zheng Tan’s first time attending such an event, Jiao Ma put extra effort into his meals. She had received an invitation from Xiao Guo and planned to take the kids to visit with a camera all prepared.

Many customers of Mingming Pet Center were informed about the event and decided to go would receive a free entry ticket from the Pet Center. Recently, the Pet Center had also put up advertising boards mentioning the event and distributed some tickets.

Ermao, who had recently made a purchase at the Pet Center and become a member, was personally notified.

“Sounds interesting. Okay, set aside a ticket for me; I’ll pick it up tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Ermao played with a long plastic rod, which had a string attached to one end and a fluffy toy on the other. Lounging on the bed, Ermao teased the cat, which jumped left and right, running on and off the bed.

“Daughter, daddy will take you to the cat event, okay?”

The Hua cat, not understanding Ermao’s words, grabbed the fluffy toy and bit it, pulling off the tail.

The event organized by Green Wing was six or seven stops away from Chuhua University, and there were charity billboards at all seven bus stops on the way from Xiao Guo’s Pet Center to the event venue. The funding for the ads came entirely from donations from various parties, and even some advertising companies offered a significant discount.

Zheng Tan had been taken backstage early by Xiao Guo, along with a few others who regularly took part in advertising. They waited to be placed in the exhibition area. The others looked calm, but Zheng Tan couldn’t manage that.

Because several of the cats, including Zheng Tan, were all wearing a little prop—a green wing similar to the Green Wings Association’s logo, to represent the image of Mingming Pet Center. Wearing these wings, Zheng Tan felt like a bunch of idiots. However, those cats probably got used to being “messed with” by Xiao Guo and weren’t very interested in the wings on their backs.

Zheng Tan resisted the urge to tear off the green wing on his back. Xiao Guo had mentioned that morning something about nominating an image ambassador for the Pet Center, which Zheng Tan had absolutely no interest in. Whoever wanted to be the image ambassador could go ahead; it was all just botheration and annoying. He just hoped that today’s event would end soon.

In the exhibition area, the cats from the Pet Center just had to lie on the large cat climbing frame that displayed the names of the association and the Pet Center. As soon as Zheng Tan was brought out, he fixed his eyes on the cat resting board at the very top. The first to be brought over was the Pet Center’s representative cat, a British Shorthair named “Prince,” who indeed had an advantage in appearance, looking robust and strong.

But Zheng Tan didn’t care. Right after “Prince” jumped onto the resting board he had set his sights on, before it could even strike a pose, Zheng Tan also leaped up.

The climbing frame was custom-made, a large model, and each resting board could accommodate at least three cats lying on it together, so when Zheng Tan jumped up, it didn’t seem too crowded.

Seeing Zheng Tan, “Prince” shifted to the side, but Zheng Tan neither spoke nor lifted a paw; he just looked at him. In a few seconds, “Prince” pressed his ears down and voluntarily jumped down to another resting board below. Then, Zheng Tan alone occupied the highest spot on the cat climbing frame, lying on top with a sour face. He wasn’t in a good mood, so he wasn’t showing a pleasant face to anyone. Nevertheless, this attitude made people passing by the climbing frame think the same thing: This cat has a strong aura.

“Hey, dude, what’s up with that black cat?” asked an employee from another pet hospital. They often dealt with cats and could tell who was the leader among them. They’d initially thought it was the British Shorthair, but now it didn’t seem that way. The British Shorthair just looked a bit overbearing, but as soon as the Black Cat jumped up, it was clear who was superior.

A staff member from Mingming Pet Center who was arranging items said in surprise, “You don’t know it? That’s BC!”

“BC?” The person was puzzled.

The Pet Center employee didn’t say much, just pointed to one of the billboards nearby, which featured a storyboard set of cat food ads that Zheng Tan had recently modelled for.

“No way! It’s that guy!”

Over at the main event area, after several of the organizers and guests gave their speeches, a series of promotional activities began.

This time the focus was on spreading the word about the TNR program to the public, giving those who were unfamiliar with it a chance to learn about it. The TNR concept stands for Trap → Neuter → Release, which aims to replace euthanasia for managing and reducing the number of stray cats and dogs. It involves scientifically managing the breeding of stray animals in a humane way.

Although the TNR program isn’t perfect and the association’s capabilities are limited, there is considerable controversy with this method. After all, cats that have gone through TNR may continue to cause nuisances, catch birds, and some stray cats and dogs may attack people and livestock. One can only say that the event tries to ensure the public adopts the correct concept of keeping animals, but if abandonment is absolutely necessary, please leave them in the designated TNR areas set by the association.

Some well-known companies, such as Shaoguang Group, have donated funds for the construction of rescue stations for stray cats and dogs. The event also received government support, and the media were quite active. If it hadn’t been for the recent uproar, the effects might not have been as significant.

There were many people who brought their pet cats to the event. These pet cats were familiar with humans, mostly not very afraid of people, and had their owners beside them, so they were fairly calm. It was just the reporters who annoyed them by crowding around, causing them to retreat into their owners’ arms instead of stretching out their claws like some of the more temperamental cats. After all, at an event like this, it’s better to have more docile cats; the ones with bad tempers were not allowed to be brought along. It was for this reason that the event went so smoothly.

“Dad, look, it’s BC!”

Liu Yao dragged Old Liu toward Mingming Pet Center’s exhibition area. Because Old Liu had instructed him beforehand, Liu Yao didn’t call out Zheng Tan’s cat name in front of the many people at the site but used the stage name “BC,” which had a certain fame within the circle.

Old Liu was very low-key today, his attire was quite ordinary, and just like Mr. Fang, he had his assistant represent him in making the donation in the name of the company. Meanwhile, Old Liu cheerfully took his son around the exhibition areas, with Xiao Guo being unaware that the Boss had indeed shown up. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep