Future Pet Shop

Chapter 101: Pushing Down the Entire Universe

"Uh, why Venus?" The pandas at the Giant Panda Base were usually named Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, or something similar. This sudden change in style caught everyone a little off guard.

"This one can be Jupiter." Shen Yibin pulled out a photo of the second panda girl, then the third. "And this one will be Mercury."

"This one’s Mars." The name of the fourth was decided.

"This one’s Saturn." And then the fifth.

"The sixth is Uranus?" Professor Wu Gui had figured it out now and cut in, "There are exactly nine pandas, so you’re naming them after the nine planets of the solar system? Are the last two Neptune and Pluto?"

"But Pluto was already removed from the list of major planets, wasn’t it? There are only eight major planets in the solar system now," the girl with glasses interjected. Some new astronomical discoveries in 2005 had led the International Astronomical Union to redefine the concept of a planet the following year, declassifying Pluto from a major planet to a dwarf planet.

"Those are minor details, no big deal. We can just add a quick explanation when we do the press release. It might even be a good way to let more people know that Pluto was declassified," Professor Wu Gui said, unconcerned. "Say, Bin, why did you think of naming them this way?"

Everyone else was also a bit puzzled. When others sponsored pandas, they usually gave them names with a personal touch. Eldest Young Master Wang, for example, had named his panda Meng Qi to commemorate the internet-famous girl he was dating at the time. Why would Shen Yibin use names that had nothing to do with him? Was the friend who made the donation an astronomy enthusiast?

"No special reason. I just saw there were nine pandas and thought of the nine planets," Shen Yibin said with a laugh. But that wasn’t what he was really thinking. His dirty mind immediately thought of what the nine planets orbit: the Sun.

’These nine panda girls were like the nine planets of the solar system, basking in the warm glow of the sun. This meant Hah’Er had essentially "conquered" the entire solar system. Next year, he’d aim for twelve panda girls and name them after the twelve zodiac signs. Before long, Hah’Er would have conquered the entire universe!’

"There’s nothing wrong with these names. Let’s go with them. Liu, organize the data immediately, prepare a press release, and post this good news on our official website." Professor Wu Gui made the final decision. And so, Hah’Er obtained the glory of having the nine planets of the solar system all to himself.

"Hah’Er needs to rest well for the next two days. It’s been incredibly tough on him. Bin, you have to take good care of him," Professor Wu Gui added, turning back to remind him.

"No problem." ’I was going to do that even if you hadn’t said anything. Forget the Future Pet Shop’s requirements; after all this time together, I’ve really grown to like Hah’Er. How could I not take good care of him?’

After a long, three-day marathon battle, Hah’Er was completely spent, like dregs from boiled medicine. After dinner, he barely had the strength to go upstairs. Shen Yibin had to carry him into the elevator, up to the guest room, and place him on the bed. Hah’Er had already fallen asleep the moment he was on Shen Yibin’s back.

’Sigh, poor kid. Looks like being a stud bear is no fun at all.’ Shen Yibin gently covered Hah’Er with a blanket, then got into his own bed. He started chatting with Sun Qian on WeChat while keeping an eye on Hah’Er.

Perhaps because his estrus period was over, Hah’Er wasn’t nearly as agitated as the past few days when he woke up. He still looked listless and couldn’t muster any energy.

"Just rest in the room today. I’ll take you out for a walk once you’ve recovered," Shen Yibin said after the staff member sent by Professor Wu Gui finished checking on Hah’Er.

"Nnngh~" Hah’Er responded weakly, his large head lolling on his shoulder. He gazed at the bamboo forest outside the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the other pandas frolicking among the stalks. He wanted to go down and play too, but his limbs felt light as air and utterly powerless. He couldn’t even make it downstairs, let alone play.

’Poor kid, he’s been run completely ragged. It’s just heartbreaking.’ Shen Yibin scratched his head and decided to give Hah’Er a little reward. He got up, opened the fridge, took out a can of beer, then poured a full bowl. ’Maybe this is the only thing that can get some of his energy back?’

"Hah’Er, come on. To celebrate you getting so many girlfriends, cheers!" Shen Yibin raised the beer can.

"Mmph!" Seeing the beer, Hah’Er seemed to regain some of his spirit. He hadn’t had a chance to drink beer in all the days since he’d arrived in Sichuan. During meals, Professor Wu Gui and the others were always watching, so Shen Yibin wouldn’t have dared to give him any. Now that they finally had some private space, it was time for a little compensation.

"Cheers!" The beer can and the small bowl clinked together. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er both tilted their heads back and started chugging.

"Mmph!" The effect of the beer was immediate. After finishing the bowl, Hah’Er pushed it toward Shen Yibin, his movements now forceful, with none of his earlier listlessness.

"Alright, one more bowl for you. But if you have it now, you can only have one bowl tonight, okay?" Since Hah’Er was happy, Shen Yibin decided to give him another, getting up to fetch more beer as he spoke.

"Nnngh~" Hah’Er looked a little unhappy.

"You should think of it this way: you’ll get two bowls tomorrow at noon, right?" Shen Yibin had to resort to the old "three in the morning, four at night" trick. Hah’Er’s mind was limited, after all, and he was easily fooled by Shen Yibin.

After resting in the room for a full day, and with the help of some beer, Hah’Er gradually recovered his spirits. He was finally ready to go out and play again. A staff member took them on a tour of the base in an electric cart, then brought them to a specially vacated enclosure.

"Even though Hah’Er has recovered, for safety’s sake, it’s not a good idea for him to play with the other pandas today. So we’ve cleared out an enclosure just for him to move around in. But you, Mr. Shen, are welcome to go in and play with him," the staff member explained. He was probably worried that Hah’Er wasn’t fully recovered and might get injured while roughhousing with the other pandas.

"Mm, I understand." ’You show up and steal all the girls here. You think the other male pandas wouldn’t beat you to death?’ That’s what Shen Yibin was thinking.

"Come on, I’ll take you to the swings." The enclosure had plenty of recreational equipment, more than enough for Hah’Er to play with. After taking some disinfectant precautions, Shen Yibin led Hah’Er inside. They had a great time on the swings and wooden ladders.

’Huh? What’s going on? Why are so many people suddenly showing up?’ While Shen Yibin was on a small hill watching Hah’Er roll around, he suddenly saw a large group of people walking toward them.