Chapter 578 - Chapter 578: Chapter 306: The Allegiance of Holy Hands, Irony_3

Chapter 578: Chapter 306: The Allegiance of Holy Hands, Irony_3

“It’s okay,” Xu Ran shook his head with a smile, glancing at the customer’s pet following behind.

Just three more customers to go.

Having come this far, there was no point in giving up halfway.

“Come on in!”

“This… okay,” the customer no longer insisted, following Xu Ran into the Washing and Protection room, “When Mr. Xu’s foster shop opens, I’ll definitely refer some friends.”

“I’ll thank you in advance then. If everything goes well, we should be officially open in a couple of days,” Xu Ran said with a smile, gesturing for the customer’s Pet Beast to wait on the grooming table for its wash and protection service.

Watching Xu Ran methodically prepare for the washing and protection, the customer suddenly remembered something, “Mr. Xu, by this time, the title of ‘Cleaning Saint’ should have been announced already.”

“In my opinion, you stand a very good chance of getting the title. Aren’t you going to check it out in person? It’s not a small honor, you know.”

“It’s fine,” Xu Ran said, shaking his head slightly.

“If it’s mine, it won’t slip away.”

—————–

“Let’s give the warmest applause to congratulate Caretaker Xu Ran for achieving the highest overall score in the Washing and Protection, being today’s top honoree and also the winner of the ‘Cleaning Saint’ title!”

In the host’s fervent voice, the venue erupted into enthusiastic applause.

However, amongst those clapping below, many eyes were filled with confusion.

Before this, they had never heard of such a person.

Where did he come from?

And as the applause on stage continued longer and longer with no one coming up, their confusion only deepened.

Where is he?

Soon, the applause began to thin, and sensing something amiss, the venue fell into silence.

The host’s face also showed a few traces of bewilderment.

The situation was clearly beyond expectation.

The most important award, and the winner is nowhere to be found?

“Does anyone here know Xu Ran, or know where he might be right now?” In desperation, he could only turn to the other caretakers in the audience for help.

The audience looked at each other; after a while, a middle-aged man stood up, “My Washing and Protection room is right next to his.”

That was Liu Cang from Green Cloud Pet Foster Care Shop, who once had the honor of the “Cleaning Saint” title as well. Now he’s one of the former “Holy Hands” present, but this time around he only achieved the eleventh spot, which elicited sighs from people.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Liu Cang fell silent, “Unless something unexpected happened, he should still be at his own Washing and Protection room.”

“When I left, there were still customers lining up outside his door.”

“It seems… he plans to finish washing and protecting all these overtime clients.”

As Liu Cang finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the crowd.

Every face showed a look of surprise.

Clearly, they had thought of every possibility, but never anticipated this.

Not long after, many faces showed admiration.

Weren’t there customers lined up outside their own shops when the bells rang?

Of course, there were.

But they never considered continuing to provide washing and protection services for these clients because the awards ceremony was about to begin.

Comparing unpaid washing that wouldn’t earn a score with receiving an award, the choice was obvious.

All they could offer was a “sorry” or a promise of a discount when clients came back to the shop for services later.

But now, someone disregarded the awards to provide free washing and protection for the queued clients.

What’s more ironic is that the most important award belonged to him.

There were also quite a few people who smirked with taunting expressions, thinking Xu Ran’s actions somewhat foolish.

With the awardee absent from the scene, the host could only resort to making small talk and awkwardly interacting with the audience to kill time.

As seconds and minutes passed by, an Association staff member eventually took the stage, receiving the microphone from the host.

“Since Mr. Xu Ran isn’t present, his award will be temporarily held by the Association. He himself can collect it later at the Association,” they announced.

“The ‘Cleaning Saint’ title is now in effect; from this moment, Mr. Xu Ran will hold the title and its corresponding honors for the next three years.”

Upon finishing, the staff member returned the mic to the host and left the stage.

“I declare this award ceremony concluded!” the host, as if pardoned, quickly followed the script to wrap things up and announced the end of the awards.

Finally, he no longer had to make awkward conversation!

When the host had also left the venue, only caretakers remained.

Without any hesitation, Du Qian stepped out of the venue and briskly walked in the direction of a certain memory.

The other caretakers in the audience turned their gaze to Liu Cang.

“Brother Cang, where is that Xu Ran’s Washing and Protection room? Lead us there?” one caretaker asked, and the others echoed the request.

“It’s over there.” Liu Cang pointed, pausing as he watched Du Qian’s retreating figure, “So, Du Qian is also going to find him.”

The crowd exchanged glances and then, one by one, they hurriedly started to follow Du Qian.

Unfortunately, they were destined not to encounter the man who had claimed the honor without showing his face.

Having been notified by the staff that the title was in effect and that he could collect his award later at the Association, Xu Ran, after completing the wash and protection for the last client, rode away on his Star beneath the grateful gazes of the customers, quickly disappearing into the night.

At that moment, his mind was only on Dawn Building No.1.

He was going to be a ruthless homebuyer.

By the time Du Qian and the other caretakers arrived, Xu Ran’s Washing and Protection room was empty, with the plaque hanging conspicuously, the words “Starfire Foster Care Shop” catching the eye.