Future Pet Shop

Chapter 115: Asking for a Hug

"Hah’Er, keep up!" Shen Yibin immediately grabbed the portable lamp and rushed toward the sound, not forgetting to call for Hah’Er. After all, pandas were technically fierce beasts. If there was real trouble, Hah’Er might be even more useful than him.

"Princess, are you all right!?" Fortunately, she hadn’t gone far. After rounding two large trees and a boulder, he saw the beam of a flashlight. The Princess seemed to be right behind it.

"Don’t... Don’t come any closer." But when he got near, Sylvie stopped him. "Just wait right there. And don’t go anywhere."

’Huh? What’s she playing at? She was just screaming for help, and now that I’m here, she won’t let me get close? Has she been kidnapped? Is someone holding a knife to her throat?’ Shen Yibin’s imagination ran wild. Ignoring her shouts, he hurried around the boulder and shone the light directly on Sylvie.

The sight made Shen Yibin freeze on the spot. The Princess was squatting on the ground, her jeans pulled down around her knees, revealing her fair thighs. Only then did Shen Yibin realize he’d made a terrible mistake.

’Of course. She drank all that beer earlier, and her face flushed red when I asked what she was doing. How could I have been so stupid?’ Shen Yibin stood there, dumbfounded, completely forgetting to move the light or turn his head away.

"You pervert!" The Princess was about to lose her mind. Thinking Shen Yibin had done it on purpose, she threw her flashlight at him, hitting him squarely in the chest.

"Oof." The impact finally snapped Shen Yibin back to his senses. He ignored the pain and quickly turned around, stammering, "I... I didn’t see anything."

If he’d just kept his mouth shut, it would have been fine. At least he wouldn’t have brought the whole thing out into the open. Sylvie knew he was just worried and hadn’t done it on purpose; the awkwardness would have faded after a moment. But he just had to open his mouth, which only confirmed his guilt.

Furious, Sylvie yanked up her pants, rushed over, and started pummeling him. Fortunately, Hah’Er had caught up by then. It saw someone attacking its master—that was unacceptable! It immediately summoned the same courage it had shown when confronting Shen Dalong and body-checked Sylvie, sending her stumbling back. That was the only thing that saved Shen Yibin from being beaten to death.

"Grrph?" Hah’Er stood between them, utterly bewildered. Why had the Princess suddenly gotten so violent with Shen Yibin?

"Uh, sorry. I was just really frightened, so I... overreacted." Sylvie also snapped out of it, vaguely blaming the shadowy figure that had just appeared. She couldn’t very well admit that Shen Yibin had seen something he shouldn’t have, could she? How could she ever show her face again?

"Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. I just rushed over because I heard you," Shen Yibin said, rubbing the spots where she’d hit him. Inwardly, he was crying foul, but thankfully, his brain hadn’t completely short-circuited. He knew he couldn’t mention what had just happened and quickly changed the subject. "What did you see, anyway, that you were that scared?"

’Wait, didn’t you say you served in the mountain troops? How can you be this timid? I didn’t see anything strange just now...’

"I saw a dark shadow standing right on top of that boulder." Sylvie picked up the flashlight and aimed it at a large boulder ahead of them. It was empty.

Sylvie gestured, trying to describe the shadow. "It was about 60 to 70 centimeters tall. It looked a bit like a fox and had a tail about a third the length of its body. When I saw it, it seemed to be performing some kind of mysterious ritual facing the moon? It was hopping and jumping..."

"It was probably just some small forest animal then, right? Nothing to be afraid of." Shen Yibin breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t anything too strange, he was fine.

"Maybe? It’s just that its movements were a little strange, and it appeared so suddenly... That’s why I was frightened. I should be fine now." Though she said she was fine, Sylvie still seemed scared. She held tightly onto Shen Yibin’s arm the whole way back, refusing to let go.

"Okay, it’s getting late. Let’s get some rest. You’ll feel better after sleeping on it." Back at the tent, Cheeky was apparently already asleep, completely undisturbed by the commotion. Hah’Er, however, was yawning repeatedly, looking extremely tired. A glance at the moon confirmed it was time for bed.

But how were they supposed to sleep in such a tiny tent? The mountain nights were still a bit chilly; sleeping outside would probably mean catching a cold.

"Boss, I’m still a little scared... Can we just squeeze in together?" After a moment of hesitation, Sylvie took the initiative and extended the invitation.

’If I catch a cold, the others probably won’t be able to get back tomorrow,’ he reasoned. ’Besides, the Princess already invited me. What am I being so reserved for?’ After giving himself a few more excuses, Shen Yibin finally convinced himself and crawled into the tent after Sylvie.

He hung Cheeky’s cage from the top of the tent, then called Hah’Er inside too. Sure, the panda’s thick fur meant it probably wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t appropriate for an unmarried man and woman to be alone in a tent. It was better to have Hah’Er squeeze in with them.

"Hah’Er, you sleep in the middle. I’ll sleep on the left. Princess, you take the right side, okay?" Shen Yibin made the arrangements. It was a tight squeeze, but at least this way was much less awkward. Besides, Hah’Er’s fluffy fur would add some extra warmth, wouldn’t it?

The faint, sweet scent coming from Sylvie made Shen Yibin’s mind wander, and the awkward scene from earlier kept replaying in his head. He had just managed to push those thoughts away and was about to drift off.

"Boss... Bin, I’m still a little scared. Can you put your arm over here for me to hold while I sleep?" Just then, Sylvie suddenly spoke up.

"Isn’t Hah’Er here too? Its arm is all fluffy. Wouldn’t that be more comfortable to hold?" Shen Yibin mumbled in a daze, regretting his words the instant he said them.

"Okay." It seemed Sylvie had mustered all her courage to even ask. After being rejected like that, she was too embarrassed to insist. She pulled Hah’Er’s arm over, hugged it to her chest, and gradually fell asleep.

’Uh, did I just miss my chance? Was the Princess actually asking me to hold her?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but listen intently for any other sounds from the tent, but unfortunately, Sylvie didn’t say another word.

’Ah, I should just get some sleep. I have to get up bright and early tomorrow to go down to the bottom of the cliff and continue searching for the third pet.’ A strange thought suddenly occurred to Shen Yibin. ’What was that creature that terrified Sylvie earlier? It couldn’t be the one I’m looking for, could it? If it is, then what is it? And what was it doing?’