Chapter 83

Around 10:30 in the morning, the pet performance competition began. Su Jing placed the Goddess of Light butterfly in a glass tank, covered it with a black cloth, and then, along with the tabby cat and Zhu Jianhua, headed to the competition venue. The crowd that had gathered around the Goddess of Light butterfly reluctantly dispersed, but the thin old man, the burly man, and the short-haired middle-aged woman followed Su Jing.

The competition venue was bustling with activity. The dog competition area was the most crowded, as it was the most entertaining, but the cat competition area was also lively. Although cats generally couldn't perform as many tricks as dogs, they still managed to charm the audience with their appearances and cuteness, which many people loved.

"This tabby cat is also quite impressive," the short-haired middle-aged woman, who had been captivated by the Goddess of Light butterfly, finally noticed the tabby cat and couldn't help but show her surprise. At first glance, the cat's appearance was something she had never seen before.

"This isn't a tabby cat, it's a Chinese Li Hua cat," Su Jing corrected her.

"Nonsense," the short-haired middle-aged woman said, clearly disbelieving.

"How could a Chinese Li Hua cat look like this?" the petite and charming woman added.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you," Su Jing shrugged. He had just noticed her name tag, which read "Cen Yin," the vice president of the provincial pet industry association and a judge in many pet competitions. He wasn't sure if she was here to judge this time.

"I'll take a closer look later," Cen Yin said, staring at the Chinese Li Hua cat for a moment before walking towards the judges' seats. The petite and charming woman followed her and was seated in the middle of the five judges by a server, confirming that she was indeed here to judge.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to the judges, contestants, and guests..." The female host delivered a brief opening speech in standard, sweet Mandarin, then announced the start of the competition. One by one, beautiful and adorable pet cats entered the arena with their owners, but most didn't perform any tricks, just showing off their appearances and cuteness. The judges spent more time observing the cats' appearances, which was an important standard for evaluating any pet.

"Mr. Su, do you know what kinds of cats are participating this time?" the burly man suddenly asked.

"No, I don't," Su Jing shook his head.

"I see that your cat has an excellent appearance, which could easily surpass most of the other cats. However, I heard that one of the cats is from a cat acrobatics troupe and can perform acrobatics, which will earn a lot of points in this performance competition," the burly man kindly reminded him. However, from his expression, it was clear he wasn't particularly interested in cats; he was probably just making small talk to build rapport, with his ultimate goal being the Goddess of Light butterfly.

"Mr. Su, are you willing to sell this cat?" the thin old man kept looking at the Chinese Li Hua cat, his eyes growing brighter with each glance.

"No, I'm not selling it," Su Jing shook his head. He had raised this cat for so long and had grown attached to it; no amount of money would make him sell it. Besides, for the long-term benefits, it wouldn't be wise to sell it. This cat could earn a lot more by appearing in movies or performances. Su Jing was already thinking about choosing a live streaming platform to start a live stream, performing live, and even forming an animal acrobatics troupe for a national tour.

A look of regret flashed across the thin old man's face, but he didn't press the issue, showing no obsession like he did with the Goddess of Light butterfly.

Su Jing, of course, could tell that they were following him for the Goddess of Light butterfly, but he wouldn't change his mind. He was still determined to sell only the specimen, not the live butterfly. He would talk to them separately later to see how much they were willing to pay for the specimen.

"Wow!"

At that moment, the entire venue erupted in cheers. Su Jing and Zhu Jianhua looked up to see a tattooed woman in the center of the competition area directing an American Shorthair cat to perform various tricks. The cat was truly remarkable, performing handstands, walking on a tightrope, and jumping through hoops, among other acts, leaving the audience in awe and earning countless applause.

"That cat is no simple one," Zhu Jianhua said, looking a bit nervous.

"It's okay," Su Jing smiled calmly.

"Is this cat as smart as Xiao Li?" Zhu Jianhua asked. If this cat was as smart as Xiao Li, there was no need to worry, even if the American Shorthair was impressive. The only concern was if this cat was much less intelligent than Xiao Li.

"Don't worry, Ah Li is smarter," Su Jing smiled.

"The 19th contestant is the Chinese Li Hua cat from Perfect Pet Paradise—Xiao Li," the host announced. Su Jing then brought Ah Li onto the stage, where Ah Li sat calmly on his shoulder, curiously observing the surroundings. Its perfect appearance and adorable eyes instantly charmed the audience, drawing all their attention.

"Ah, isn't that the Xiao Li who can do finger dancing?"

"It looks the same as the Xiao Li in the online video."

"Hey, young man, let Xiao Li perform a finger dance."

Most of the people in the audience were cat lovers, and many had seen Xiao Li's online videos and recognized it. Of course, they didn't realize that this wasn't Xiao Li but its brother, Ah Li. If it were an ordinary cat, even if it looked similar, no one would have dared to say it was the same cat. But Xiao Li was different; it was like a leopard, and everyone believed it was one of a kind.

"Finger dancing has been seen before and isn't very novel. Today, Xiao Li will perform a new act," Su Jing said, placing a small battery-powered electronic keyboard on the ground and setting Ah Li down.

This left Zhu Jianhua, Cen Yin, the thin old man, the burly man, and the surrounding audience puzzled. What was he going to do? The woman who had just performed with the American Shorthair cat also looked curious.

The Chinese Li Hua cat stood in front of the electronic keyboard, extended its front paws, and began to play the keys lightly, producing a cheerful tune: "Ding ding dang, ding ding dang, jingle bells..."

"Wow—" The entire audience gasped, and the five judges, including Cen Yin, stood up in unison.

"My goodness, am I dreaming?"

"Is it normal for cats to play the piano these days?"

"Of course not, do you think you're watching Tom and Jerry?"

No one clapped because they had completely forgotten to do so. They were so shocked that their eyes were nearly popping out, and their jaws were almost hitting the ground. They began to discuss loudly, expressing their excitement.

"This... this..." The female host was speechless with shock. Normally, she would say something to praise the pet and liven up the atmosphere, but at that moment, she couldn't speak. Of course, even if she had said something, it wouldn't have mattered; the entire audience was already in a frenzy.