Chapter 148: Half to You

Lin Luyou looked up and saw a few people carrying cat carriers past their storefront. The cats inside seemed frightened, letting out distressed meows all the way.

That pathetic sound drifted in through the glass door, making the little kitten currently eating somewhat restless and anxious.

Lin Luyou turned to Qin Shishen with a questioning look in her eyes.

Qin Shishen put down the small scoop in his hand, picked up a kitten that had already finished eating, cradled it in his arm, and explained leisurely:

"I forgot to mention this to you earlier. Although Qian Bin runs a pet shop, he has expanded into another business over the past two years. Do you remember what was written on the signboard at their entrance before we came in?"

"You mean... 'Half of You'?"

Lin Luyou thought for a few seconds before asking.

It wasn't because she was particularly observant or had an exceptional memory, but rather that the name was so poetic and romantic that it immediately stuck in her mind.

"Yes, exactly, 'Half of You'." Qin Shishen nodded, then sat down on the floor to continue introducing it to Lin Luyou.

Aside from the pet shop's routine sales, grooming, and care services, Qian Bin had taken the lead over the past two years in organizing a stray cat rescue project. The name of this project was "Half of You."

"So that's the name of the stray cat rescue project. I thought it was just the name of their shop."

"Their shop has a much fancier name, 'Veselry'."

Qin Shishen went on to share the story behind "Half of You" with Lin Luyou.

He mentioned that Qian Bin came up with the name primarily to convey the meaning that "whenever one has a place to call home, they must also provide a home for a stray cat."

Perhaps women are inherently more emotional than rational. After listening to Qin Shishen's introduction, Lin Luyou's eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight:

"This initiative is so meaningful!"

Qin Shishen nodded.

When Qian Bin first started the project, public awareness regarding stray pet rescue in the country was still quite low, and most of the cats he rescued suffered from various illnesses.

Although Qian Bin and his team were constantly looking for new adoptive families for these rescued little ones, most people refused to adopt them because they lacked pure breeding or even because their coat colors were unappealing.

Consequently, during that initial period, the number of rescued souls in Qian Bin's shop grew so rapidly that it even surpassed the number of purebred puppies and kittens awaiting sale.

To pay for medical treatments and ensure basic nutritional meals for those little ones, he had almost burned through all the pet shop's profits, to the point where he couldn't even afford to pay the wages of the veterinarians and staff.

"Ahem, I must say... you don't need to portray me as being quite that noble."

Qian Bin did not know when he had arrived at the doorway of their "apartment," listening to Qin Shishen recount his past "glorious achievements."

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Leaving aside the fact that the truly difficult times are already behind us, even during the hardest days, it wasn't as exaggerated as he makes it sound... Besides, didn't I have financial support from my brother here at the time!"

Qian Bin also sat directly on the floor and gave Qin Shishen a light punch on the shoulder.

"He also participates in the 'Half of You' project?"

Lin Luyou asked with some curiosity.

"I knew this guy loves to stay behind the scenes!" Qian Bin wore an expression that said he had known it all along, and continued, "Qin Shishen definitely didn't tell you just now, but he is one of the earliest initiators of our 'Half of You' project. All those early cat rescues—like descending into deep wells or climbing high walls—he did personally on the front lines. Well, given my build, the venue probably wouldn't allow me to show off anyway!"

Qian Bin glanced at his increasingly expanding waistline and made a self-deprecating joke.