novelnext Chapter 15 Fraudsters
Chapter 15 Fraudsters
"Hey! Chen Rang, what are you doing? Have you eaten yet?"
While Chen Rang was leisurely playing with the cat, his mother suddenly called.
She briefly inquired about her son's life before quickly changing the subject, asking about what had happened that day and the current situation of the cat cafe.
"The police have accepted the case, and now it's just a matter of whether they can find the person. If they can't find them in a while, the case will probably have to be put on hold for now. Anyway, this has nothing to do with us. Did Aunt Xie ask you to inquire about this?"
Chen Rang used his chopsticks to break off a braised egg, put half of it in his mouth, and talked while chewing.
The old lady quickly confirmed that Aunt Xie was indeed worried. However, Aunt Xie's reason for worrying was different from Chen Rang's guess. It was simply because the lease for the cat cafe still had more than a month left, and she hoped to resolve the matter as soon as possible and rent the house out again.
In other words, she planned to pocket a month's rent from the unscrupulous cat cafe owner.
Furthermore, the deposit is definitely non-refundable. After all, that unscrupulous landlord has made a complete mess of the place, and the deposit might not even cover the cleaning and repair costs. The reason for withholding one month's rent is also for this reason.
"Oh, I see! I'll keep an eye out for it when I have time, and if I see anything, I'll ask the police station for her. I can only help find someone to clean up the cat cafe, so don't bother me with anything else."
"What are you saying? Aunt Xie has been our neighbor for years, what's wrong with helping her out?"
Chen Rang spoke lazily, only to be chuckled and scolded by his mother on the other end of the phone.
However, his mother still cared for her son and didn't demand that Chen Rang resolve the entire matter for Aunt Xie. She simply told Chen Rang to lend a hand when he had time, then changed the subject, reminding him to be careful of the temperature and not to catch a cold.
Compared to Chen's father, who had been away for more than half a month without making a single phone call, Chen's mother was undoubtedly concerned about her son.
Although there was a condition that it could not affect her happy retirement life, it had already made Chen Rang very satisfied.
After hanging up the phone, Chen sent Li Shiwei a WeChat message to inquire about the progress of the case. The key point was that the police station had not yet identified the cat cafe owner; because these days, once someone's identity is verified, it's not difficult for the police to arrest them.
"Your situation is a bit troublesome!"
Li Shiwei replied a while later, making a video call and saying, "Based on our analysis, that person is likely a professional scammer. The rental information registered with the landlord doesn't match his appearance and age at all. Furthermore, questioning the shop assistants and analyzing other information he left at the shop has confirmed that almost everything is fake. He wasn't interested in doing business properly; he was only trying to make a quick buck."
Seeing that Chen Rang did not respond, Li Shiwei paused for a moment.
Looking up at her phone, Li Shiwei saw Chen Rang staring blankly into the video. She smiled proudly and puffed out her chest.
"Is it pretty?"
"Looks good my foot! These thick pajamas cover you completely, what can you see?"
Chen Rang rolled his eyes.
But what he didn't tell the truth was that the way Li Shiwei tilted her head and combed her hair while speaking did give him a touch of allure. Even with just a short hairstyle, the girl's delicate, pinkish complexion after a bath was especially captivating.
Moreover, a girl's alluring features are not limited to her breasts. Li Shiwei's fair neck, accentuated by her pink pajamas, and her delicate collarbone, partially concealed by the neckline, are equally dazzling.
As a 23-year-old man who had already graduated from university, Chen Rang could not deny that he was attracted.
But men have pride, how could they possibly admit it?
"Hehe... I won't show you!"
Li Shiwei chuckled smugly, tightened her collar, and refused to let Chen Rang take advantage of her.
But if she knew that even just this ordinary home decor and youthful vibe were enough to seduce Chen Rang, she would be hard to believe.
After teasing her, she coughed and put on a serious expression again.
"Alright! I'm not kidding anymore. Anyway, if that cat cafe owner really is someone who travels around defrauding cat lovers through prepaid contracts, then he's a criminal suspect involved in economic crimes. However, the exact amount of money defrauded and the number of victims still need to be carefully tallied to determine the final scope of the case. And it's important to note that if this person is a professional fraudster, he will definitely use methods to resist the police. In other words, it's quite difficult to identify and apprehend him quickly; because if the report is filed late, the suspect has ample time to flee..."
At this point, Li Shiwei looked at Chen Rang with a serious expression and said, "Chen Rang, you need to understand the difficulties the police face. We also hope you have other victims and can give us more time to investigate. Don't rush us, okay?"
"Don't worry, I have no interest in putting pressure on you for no reason."
Chen Rang waved his hand dismissively.
He would certainly understand and support the work of the public security authorities, after all, he is a reasonable person no matter what.
On the other hand, this matter actually had nothing to do with him. The reason he took in those six cats for treatment and care wasn't for the compensation money after the case was solved! In fact, if he were obsessed with money, he wouldn't have chosen to become a veterinarian!
In this industry, I've never heard of anyone becoming extremely wealthy!
Even in those super famous high-end pet hospitals in first-tier cities, the real money is made by the companies themselves, not by the animals that treat the pets.
He asked the question simply because he didn't want the bad guys to have a chance to escape the law, nothing more.
"If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to contact me anytime. After all, they run a cat cafe, and I went there a while ago to help check up the cats and even treated one with enteritis. Although I didn't see the owner then, I might have noticed some clues, right? Oh, and I can also provide a clue: I'm about 90% sure these cats aren't breeding cats."
Chen Rang suddenly thought of something.
"What do you mean?"
Li Shiwei was stunned for a moment.
"Generally speaking, cat cafes do not have the qualifications or technology to breed kittens or purebred cats. This is because cat cafes don't have frequent turnover of cats, and it's not their primary source of revenue. Do you understand what I mean?"
Chen Rang's expression became more serious.
Seeing Li Shiwei nod, he continued thoughtfully, "The vast majority of cats in cat cafes are purchased from either legitimate or illegitimate catteries. These catteries have the technology and can collaborate to breed more and better-looking cats of various well-known breeds. The cats they breed have an inherent advantage in disease resistance. They also provide training for kittens and young cats for sale, reducing their aggression and cultivating their affectionate nature. Whether it's a legitimate cattery, an illegitimate cattery, or a backyard breeder, the general direction remains largely the same. To open a cat cafe, the owner only needs to select some affordable, easy-to-care-for, and distinctive pet cats from catteries of various levels to meet all the requirements."
"So... how did you determine that the cats at that cat cafe didn't originate from a cattery?"
Li Shiwei understood Chen Rang's meaning, but she was a little annoyed by his rambling. "No need to go on with all that technical stuff, just get to the point, you idiot!"
"Of course it's because... I adopted an employee cat from this cat cafe last week."
Chen Rang turned his head to look at Dou Dou, who was already asleep in the flight case.
This cat is undoubtedly a mixed breed, with the majority of its bloodline being that of a Chinese domestic cat. It has a few characteristics of foreign cats, but frankly, not many. Even its personality seems more independent; it's not a purely pet cat.
And yet, it was one of the employees of this cat cafe.
The fact that the cat cafe owner chose to have "this kind of cat" work there clearly shows his casual attitude. And by looking at the close relationship between DouDou and the female silver shaded cat, it's clear that DouDou isn't an "outsider" who was just picked up and put to work at the cat cafe temporarily.
Therefore, DouDou likely came to the cat cafe with the other cats there.
And it will definitely not be the breeding target of the cattery.