Future Pet Shop

Chapter 102: How Could I Bow and Scrape Before the Powerful?

"Hah’Er, if you’re tired, take a rest." Shen Yibin sat on the grassy hillock and waved at Hah’Er. The panda climbed down from the wooden ladder, flopped onto its back on the grassy slope, and opened its mouth for Shen Yibin to give it some water.

"What an adorable panda!" Just then, the group arrived in front of the enclosure. The blonde girl, surrounded by her entourage, stared at Hah’Er with sparkling eyes. She instantly forgot to maintain her poise, rushing to the fence in her high heels and peering at Hah’Er without blinking through the gaps.

The pandas in the other enclosures hadn’t given her the time of day, all of them lazing about without even looking in her direction. But this one was an unexpected surprise. Hah’Er was lying on a grassy hillock just a few meters from the fence, and she could see it perfectly.

"Your Highness, please try to be more composed," the old butler behind her whispered. ’There’s a whole crowd of reporters with us. It wouldn’t be good for the royal family if they captured the princess in such an unseemly state.’

"Alfred, look! It’s eating an apple! I’m so jealous of the person next to it. Is he one of the keepers at the base? A panda keeper must have the happiest job in the world! What do you say we build a panda pavilion in our country, and I’ll go be a keeper? Wouldn’t that be great?" the princess asked in a flurry.

"The Netherlands recently completed a panda pavilion at a cost of seven million euros. If you factor in the panda lease and upkeep costs, the total expenditure would exceed ten million euros. I highly doubt Parliament would approve such a budget," Alfred said matter-of-factly.

"Then could I ask Uncle William if I can be a panda keeper in the Netherlands? Catherine and her sisters are so lucky. They get to see pandas every day," the princess asked earnestly. The "William" she was referring to was the reigning King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, and Catherine was his daughter. She was distantly related to King William and had even attended his coronation a few years prior.

"Your Highness, you have not yet completed your university studies. Besides, even after you graduate, you will have other duties to attend to." Alfred’s face darkened with exasperation. ’If Her Highness actually went to be a panda keeper in the Netherlands, it would cause a massive scandal.’ "Furthermore," he added, "I believe being a panda keeper is a highly specialized job, and you may not possess the necessary professional skills."

Their conversation reached the ears of an aide, who immediately found a staff member from the Giant Panda Base. "I recall that the First Lady of the United States once fed an apple to a panda," the aide inquired. "I was wondering if it would be possible for Her Highness to have the same opportunity?"

These aides were going to great lengths to please the princess. Hearing the request, the staff member frowned slightly. "For any other panda, that might be possible. But we don’t have the authority over this one. You’ll need to ask its owner for permission."

"Are you saying this panda is a private pet?" The aide was stunned. ’I had no idea that was even possible!’ he thought. He quickly asked, "How does one go about adopting a panda as a pet?" ’The princess would be absolutely thrilled if she received such a gift, wouldn’t she?’

"Mr. Shen’s situation is unique. It’s highly unlikely anyone else will have the same opportunity," the staff member explained. The princess’s aide had no choice but to regretfully abandon the idea and decided to approach Shen Yibin instead.

"Hello, Mr. Shen," the diplomat said in fluent Mandarin. "I am a diplomat from Sokovia. Her Highness, Princess Sylvie, would like to offer your panda a small treat. Would you be willing to grant us this small wish?"

"Hmm? You can give it a try, but I can’t guarantee it’ll accept," Shen Yibin said with a shrug. ’They probably donated a fair bit of money to the base,’ he thought. ’Might as well humor them a little.’

"Your Highness, the gentleman has given his permission for you to feed the panda," the diplomat happily reported. He then handed the princess a bamboo pole with a small basket at the end and an apple. The idea was for her to place the apple in the basket and pass it through the fence to Hah’Er.

"Thank you so much." Princess Sylvie beamed as she took the apple and the pole. With a staff member’s assistance, she slowly extended the apple toward Hah’Er.

"Huh?" Hah’Er scratched its head and looked at the apple that had suddenly appeared before it. ’What’s this all about?’

"Mr. Panda, this apple is very delicious! Please have a taste!" Princess Sylvie called out, causing Alfred to frown yet again. ’So unladylike,’ he lamented internally.

"Hmm..." The apple was big, round, and had a lovely red blush that made it look delicious. Hah’Er, however, didn’t take it. ’Aside from what Shen Yibin gives me, I don’t eat anything else. That’s a fundamental quality for a good pet!’

Perhaps finding the apple dangling before its eyes to be an annoyance, Hah’Er simply stretched out a paw and batted it aside. ’So what if she’s a princess? Pandas are global treasures. We’ve seen countless presidents, kings, and queens. How could I, a panda, bow and scrape before the rich and powerful?’

Seeing this, Princess Sylvie’s heart shattered into a million pieces. ’Mr. Panda despises me.’

"Your Highness, this panda is a private pet. Perhaps it only eats food that its owner gives it," the diplomat quickly said to console her, before proceeding to recount Shen Yibin’s story.

"I take back what I said earlier," she declared. "Being a panda keeper is the second-happiest job in the world. The happiest must be being the panda’s owner. It’s a shame I’ll never have that chance." Shen Yibin’s story was just too incredible; Princess Sylvie didn’t think she could ever be that lucky.

"Can you talk to the owner? Ask him to let me go inside and play with the panda for just a little while. Just a tiny bit," Princess Sylvie pleaded, looking pitifully at the diplomat.

"Your Highness, pandas may look cute, but they are still wild animals. For your safety, I cannot allow it," the diplomat refused. He would never dare to put the princess in harm’s way.

’But it’s so rare to find a privately owned panda,’ Sylvie thought, ’and Hah’Er seems so docile. How could it possibly be dangerous? Besides, its owner doesn’t look like a cold person. Maybe he’ll agree.’

So she began to pester him, insisting that she absolutely had to go inside for a look. Finally, she let out a dramatic sigh and declared, "If he would let me play with the panda every day, I’d even be willing to marry him!"

*PFFT!* The jaws of everyone who understood her dropped to the floor. All eyes immediately swiveled to Shen Yibin. ’A princess is proposing to him? How could someone get this lucky?’

’Huh? What’s going on?’ Shen Yibin was completely bewildered. ’Why did all those people stop looking at Hah’Er and start staring at me?’ He had absolutely no idea what was happening.