Superstars of Tomorrow

The "little lost puppy" felt that he had found the right place. His physical ability, which he had been proud of, had taken a beating, and whatever pride he’d had had been completely wiped clean. People who only found out about Mazhou’s competitions through word of mouth or through online files would never understand what rationality was. Now he felt that all that exaggerated bragging by others in the past was normal. Hadn’t that just been a "Stranger B"? Then there would surely be even more impressive strangers, or perhaps the person had been keeping a low profile and wasn’t used to competition, and thus he didn’t belong to the competing category.

A harsh reality was indeed the most painful, and Fang Zhao, the one who had given him the harsh wake-up call, simply didn’t know that when the symphony orchestra in his head had been surging with momentum, someone had been beaten into submission in the chilly night.

After Fang Zhao had finished his run, he had returned to the hotel to do a simple washup but hadn’t gone to sleep right away. Although he hadn’t slept the whole night, his mental state was stirred up and inspiration was overflowing in his brain. He had already amended the score in his head many times, and it was almost done. Now what he would do was to write out what was in his mind.

When the draft was sorted out, the sun was already high up in the sky.

When Nanfeng saw Fang Zhao come out, he quickly got someone to send over the prepared breakfast.

When the hotel staff had seen Nanfeng ordering a table’s worth of food, they had naturally thought that it was for a number of people and had specially prepared extra utensils. Nanfeng hadn’t bothered explaining, just flashed a sheepish smile.

Nanfeng and the others were already used to their boss having a huge appetite. Fang Zhao had disappeared for a night and had shut himself in his room after returning. They had asked randomly, but they had only received a simple reply of "night run."

All right, if Boss says that it is a night run, then it’s a night run . However, Nanfeng and the other two didn’t believe it one bit.

Naturally, Fang Zhao could see the three’s unconvinced looks, but he didn’t bother explaining. After running for an entire night, his body and brain had consumed a lot of energy and he was very hungry.

While having his meal, Fang Zhao received news from Will.

Will was going to go to an art exhibition and wanted to bring Curly Hair along.

During this period, Will had been taking care of Curly Hair in a bid to nurture his inspiration, and he was unwilling to leave Curly Hair’s side. He was also unwilling to waste any time. If not for his father personally calling Will to attend on his behalf, Will wouldn’t have wanted to leave the campus. He already had no time to mull over his own works; how could he have the energy to ponder others’? Besides, the style of this person’s works wasn’t to his liking.

Fang Zhao listened to what Will had to say and thought about it. He then turned on video mode to check on Curly Hair’s condition. This little thing could already understand words. When Will had made the call, Curly Hair had been by his side. His tail was wagging vigorously and it was obvious that he wished to go out and have fun.

Fang Zhao pondered, then asked, "Can you bring a dog to an art exhibition?"

Will explained, "It’s a private exhibition of works. It is handled by a friend of my father’s. The exhibition is being held at his own personal manor. Only some people from the industry have been invited, and it isn’t open to the public. I have asked already and there are quite a number of people bringing dogs."

It was rare for the reticent Will to say so much.

Since this was the case, Fang Zhao didn’t reject it. Will also had bodyguards when traveling, so it should be safe. Besides, Curly Hair spent every day absorbed in gaming. Going out to stretch his legs would be good too.

"All right, let him have more interaction with his kind and get to know some new friends," Fang Zhao said.

After ending the call with Fang Zhao, Will immediately went to prepare.

Previously, Will’s father had told Will, "I know that you don’t really like the paintings there. You don’t have to stay long, just go over and express your thoughts. I have matters that I can’t drag myself away from, so I can only send you over on my behalf. Of course, don’t leave the art exhibition too early. At least stay for an hour before leaving, at least show some face to the host, got it?"

Will could accept an hour. Since his father had requested it, Will had agreed. However, he wanted to bring the dog with him.

Will’s father knew he couldn’t change Will’s mind. Thus, he had helplessly said, "All right, as long as you have the dog’s owner’s approval, you can do as you wish. After all, it will be fine as long as your bodyguards attend the exhibition as well."

When Will’s father had been making that call, a certain relative beside him had heard the conversation and later brought it up in a chat with friends. "Do you know that nephew of mine? The one who got into HuangArt’s Twelve Tones? I don’t know if he has gone mad from painting so much, but he is actually keeping a dog! Keeping a dog, sigh! The sort that smells if you don’t give it a bath every day, digs up the floorboards, and destroys flower vases. The sort that barks at the slightest movement, a devil!"

After ridiculing the dog, he continued, "That nephew of mine is surely being kicked around by the dog! Today he actually said that he wants to bring the dog to an art exhibition! Goodness, how unimaginable is that! That is really a disaster! Having to be in the same space as a dog during an art exhibition...? Are there places solely designated for dogs? That won’t do. I get goosebumps all over my body just imagining a dog being close!"

Will was oblivious to his relative ridiculing him. He was delighted to have gotten permission from Fang Zhao and no longer hated the idea of attending this private art exhibition that he didn’t really like. He felt that this could be a way of cultivating new inspiration, and he was looking forward to bringing the dog to take part in the exhibition.

However, Will’s good spirits didn’t persist long. After bringing the dog over to the manor where the art exhibition was being held, he found out that dogs couldn’t be brought inside the exhibition hall. Will wanted to have his driver turn the car around immediately, but ultimately, he alighted the car while pulling a long face.

Will personally carried Curly Hair out of the car. Other people wanted to come over and pet Curly Hair, but Will didn’t allow them to do so. This was his source of inspiration; he couldn’t allow others to touch Curly Hair, in case the dog was damaged as a result.

A friend of Will’s strode over. "Wow! Isn’t that the dog worth 200 million?" He didn’t own dogs, but he followed the pet periodical and knew about Curly Hair’s valuation of 200 million.

"How did this dog land in your hands?" the friend asked.

"Borrowed it," Will said. "Are dogs really not allowed inside the exhibition hall?"

"Definitely not! Dogs can be allowed to run elsewhere in the manor, but they can’t be brought into the exhibition hall. Why are you still holding on to this dog? Are you rearing a dog or an ancestor? Although I don’t keep dogs, I know that dogs cannot be pampered this much. Dogs need to exercise too," the friend said as he eyed Curly Hair covetously. "Can I hold him?"

He especially wanted to touch the dog with a value of 200 million, hoping to have a change in fortunes.

Will rejected him mercilessly.

"All right, so be it. Oh, let me bring you to the place designated for dogs." Will’s friend excitedly led the way and sneakily touched Curly Hair when Will wasn’t paying attention.

When they arrived at the designated location for dogs, Will saw others who had brought their dogs.

A few dog owners were gathered together and were discussing whether dogs with long legs or those with short stubby paws were more appealing.

Will didn’t have any interest in these things. He felt that long legs and chubby paws were all transient. He was only interested in one.

The designated area was like a large warehouse filled with large cages. There were already seven or eight dogs inside. There were two that were rather lively, raising their heads in revolt as they howled at the other dogs and people.

Before Will even had time to consider, Curly Hair tugged on the leash and walked over to an empty cage, pawing the door before entering.

Will’s friend laughed when he saw this. "What great foresight, this cage was just tidied up and is the neatest. The lighting here is great as well."

Will studied the place designated for dogs fussily and saw Curly Hair enter the cage.

The cages were all very big. Even large dogs would have a lot of space to move around. The allocated facilities were comprehensive, so there wasn’t any need to worry about the dog going hungry or thirsty.

What worried Will was the large dog that was as round as a ball in the cage beside Curly Hair. It was one of the most energetic dogs here. It was rather large to begin with, and its fluffy fur made it appear even more sturdy. When compared with Curly Hair, it made Curly Hair seem like a miserable pocket-sized mutt.

Will watched Curly Hair lie on the soft cushion in the cage, and he could only sigh helplessly. "If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have attended the exhibition."

Will decided that he would only stay for an hour before leaving with the dog. He still needed to make the most of his time with Curly Hair to foster inspiration.

"Don’t worry, the supervision here is not bad. The dogs here are fed natural dog feed produced in Muzhou. There aren’t any preservatives; it’s expensive stuff. The dogs have even better food than me," said a dog owner beside Will.

Another dog owner chimed in, "It’s true. There are also cameras on the sides and men in charge of watching over the area. You don’t have to worry about losing your dog. Every dog here is easily worth millions, especially so for the one you brought. With a value of 200 million, won’t they watch it even more carefully?" As he spoke, he pointed out the cameras to Will.

Nobody noticed that Curly Hair, who was quietly lying in his cage, pricked his ears and raised his head to glance in the direction of the surveillance cameras before lying back down again.

After assigning a place for Curly Hair and registering, Will looked back as he was leaving with his friend. Compared to that majestic and imposing dog, Curly Hair was so small and so obedient.

Barely five minutes had passed since they’d left when Will came back. He was worried that Curly Hair wouldn’t be used to the food here, so he had specifically brought over a can of the dog food that Curly Hair normally had.

The moment Will stepped in, he realized that the designated area had become much quieter. The previously clamorous barking had stopped, and when Will looked at the two large dogs that had been barking the most, he saw that they were making low whimpers in the corners of their cages and that their eyes were making sneaky glances at him.

Will didn’t really pay much attention to it. As before, he still had a limited understanding of dogs. He felt that this place had become a lot quieter, but he didn’t think anything was abnormal.

After putting down the can, Will checked Curly Hair’s condition and didn’t notice anything wrong. Will didn’t really feel like leaving, but the exhibition had already started and he needed to rush over.

When Will left, the place once again fell silent. Only the sounds of Curly Hair eating from the can could be heard.

When the large dog next door smelled the fragrance, it inched two steps closer to check it out.

Curly Hair raised his head from the bowl and bared his teeth.

The large round dog retreated toward the corner furthest from Curly Hair with all its strength, whimpering in fear.