Chapter 146 She is My Guest-A Cat for Every Cat Owner(Wise as snow, cold as ice.)

The pet store was indeed not far from University A.

It took only the time of two songs for Qin Shishen to bring the car to a steady stop by the roadside.

The two of them got out, and each carrying a cat carrier, they walked into the shop.

This pet store was larger than any Lin Luyou had ever encountered before. Aside from selling and fostering cats and dogs, the shelves were lined with an array of food, toys, and health supplements for the furry little ones.

Judging by the overhead signs, it also housed the grooming center they were heading to, as well as a small pet clinic and a rescue station.

"Hey, don't just stand there in a daze at the door. Make sure you don't get lost in a minute."

Seeing Lin Luyou standing at the entrance looking mesmerized, Qin Shishen waved a hand in front of her.

Coming back to her senses, Lin Luyou couldn't help but stick out the tip of her tongue, thinking to herself how old she was—how could she possibly get lost so easily? Did he take her for a little kid?

Still, she reined in her wandering thoughts and followed closely behind Qin Shishen as he walked further in, refraining from casting curious glances to either side.

As the two stepped into the grooming center, a staff member immediately hurried over to greet them.

"Mr. Qin, you're here! Are we doing the regular grooming routine for them today?"

"Yes, that's right. I called to make an appointment a couple of days ago." As he spoke, Qin Shishen took the cat carrier from Lin Luyou's hands and handed them both over to the attendant.

Watching as the staff carefully lifted Cola and Ke'ai out of their boxes, Qin Shishen continued, "Just a bath and deworming. Oh, and give them both a styling session as well."

It had been nearly a year since the two had their fur trimmed last. Ke'ai's long fur, in particular, required meticulous care.

The two little ones crouched quietly in the attendant's arms, perfectly well-behaved and making not a single fuss.

Qin Shishen stood by and watched for a moment, then, as if remembering something, he leaned down and whispered in Lin Luyou's ear:

"Would you like to look around?"

Lin Luyou turned her head and found herself staring directly into that almost flawless face, making her heart skip a beat:

"I'd love to! But... don't we need to stay and watch?"

Qin Shishen glanced at the progress inside and explained, "You can't really see much from the outside while they're being bathed anyway. We'll come back in an hour when they're ready for their haircut."

Hearing this, Lin Luyou decisively nodded and tactically "abandoned" the two little darlings for the time being.

Following behind Qin Shishen, the two of them headed up to the second floor.

The second floor was the pet clinic, which was much quieter than the grooming center on the first floor.

"Well, what brings you here today, busy man? And you even brought a young lady with you?"

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, a doctor emerged from his office. Seeing that the visitor was Qin Shishen, a smile immediately spread across his face as he greeted him. Catching sight of the girl standing quietly behind Qin Shishen and looking around with curious eyes, he couldn't help mouthing silently to Qin Shishen:

"Your girlfriend?"

Qin Shishen shook his head, took a slight step sideways, and introduced her:

"This is Lin Luyou, a customer from my shop. She happened to be interested in cats and dogs, so I brought her over to take a look."

Qin Shishen had originally intended to introduce her as "this is a friend of mine," but he hesitated, feeling uncertain: if even he couldn't bring himself to like who he was, would anyone still be willing to be his friend? So, before the words left his lips, he changed them to say she was a customer of his.

Hearing Qin Shishen introduce her in that manner, Lin Luyou couldn't quite decipher her own feelings.

To call it a relationship between a customer and a store owner wasn't quite right, since she frequented his shop for far more than just buying coffee.

Yet to call themselves friends made the two of them seem far too polite with one another. Compared to her relationships with Jiang Xiaohan, Yu Yuan, or even Chen Xujia and the others, the two of them... at best, were only slightly better than strangers.

Therefore, logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with how Qin Shishen had introduced her.

Then why did she feel a strange sensation welling up inside?

This feeling... it was almost as if she felt a little disappointed.

But what on earth was she disappointed about?