Future Pet Shop

Chapter 61: Sharp-tongued Judge Cheeky

"Won’t this be too much trouble?" Shen Yibin had wanted to use the internet to find a suitable owner for Cheeky, but he never imagined it would cause such a huge stir.

"Not at all." A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the livestreaming platform executive who had proposed the plan. For internet companies like them, the last thing they were afraid of was a huge commotion. The bigger the stir, the more traffic they’d get.

’He had already thought it through. This talent show... oh, no, Cheeky’s matchmaking event... uh, that wasn’t right either. Whatever, it doesn’t matter what it’s called. This event must be livestreamed, and the longer we can drag it out, the better. That way, even if we can’t get Cheeky in the end, we can still bring in a nice wave of revenue for our platform, right?’

The executives from the other livestreaming platforms beside him instantly understood his intentions. They exchanged glances, knowing deep down that it would be impossible to monopolize such a great opportunity. It was better to join forces and make the event even bigger.

"Mr. Shen, don’t you worry. We won’t cause you any trouble. Just leave everything to us. When the time comes, all you’ll need to do is bring Cheeky to the venue to review their performances. We’ll have a proposal ready for you first thing tomorrow morning." ’We’ll get this proposal done tonight even if we have to pull an all-nighter,’ they thought.

Where to rent the venue, how to screen the singers and musicians, how to handle promotion, how to sign partnership agreements, how many resources each company needed to contribute, how many singer slots each would get, how to divide the profits... these were all massive headaches, but they couldn’t be bothered with the details right now.

Shen Yibin had just barely cracked the door open for them, and of course, they had to seize the opportunity immediately. If they waited until he changed his mind, all of this would be gone. They’d be kicking themselves then.

"No way, you have to include me in this." The wealthy patrons weren’t happy. ’So you’re just going to cast us aside, is that it?’ "We have to be a part of this. Name your price. How much to buy a ten-percent stake in your company?"

"I think I have a stake in some entertainment company. I can find professional singers, too. You have to let me in on this." The sound of arguing carried outside, drawing in even more executives and wealthy patrons.

"Everyone, everyone! Since Mr. Shen has already agreed to our request, let’s not stay here and disturb him any longer. Why don’t we all find a hotel, book a conference room, and discuss this at length? I’m sure we can come up with a plan that satisfies everyone, right?" Seeing Shen Yibin starting to frown again, the executive who had first proposed the plan quickly stepped forward to speak.

"Yes, yes, please, go find a place to sort this out. I need to close up and get some rest." Shen Yibin quickly agreed. The day had utterly exhausted him.

And just like that, the crowd of wealthy patrons and executives reluctantly left Shen Yibin’s pet store. They drove off in their various luxury cars, heading for the most opulent hotel in Yunzhong City. A fierce debate would unfold there, but none of it had anything to do with Shen Yibin anymore.

After a great deal of persuasion, he finally managed to convince the customers still lining up outside to leave. He then cleaned up, fed the pets, took a short break to recover his energy, and cooked a lavish dinner for Qiao Wenqi, Mo Xiaomo, and Xu Ye.

"Anyway, it’s the weekend, and none of you have to work tomorrow. Why don’t you come out for some karaoke with me tonight?" Shen Yibin extended the invitation. ’Singing for four hours straight by myself is just too much. I wonder if they can step in and help me out?’

"Okay! I want to dance with Hah’Er!" Mo Xiaomo raised both hands in agreement.

"No problem. Cheeky will be singing too, right? How about we do a duet?" Xu Ye was a decent singer and had even been in a band in college. Unfortunately, Shen Yibin had just secretly used the Affinity app to test him and found his compatibility with Cheeky was far below 80, so he had to regretfully scrap that idea.

"Sigh, compared to our school days, we have so few chances to really go out and have fun after starting work. I’m definitely going to sing my heart out tonight," Qiao Wenqi added in agreement.

What were they waiting for? The group got ready, secretly pulled back a corner of the curtain to check that the crowd outside had thinned out, and then quickly opened the door and dashed out.

They went to the same KTV they always did. The only difference was that this time, they’d upgraded from a mini room to a medium one. The moment he was inside, Xu Ye rushed to the song selection kiosk, calling out to the staff, "A dozen beers to start, and some sunflower seeds and pistachios."

"Mmm!" Hah’Er’s eyes lit up again at the mention of beer.

"Uh, maybe we shouldn’t drink tonight? You have to drive, and it’s not safe for Qiao Wenqi and Mo Xiaomo. We can get skewers and drinks some other time," Shen Yibin quickly interjected, otherwise Hah’Er would go on another drunken rampage.

"Right, a few bottles of juice will be fine. We’re just here to sing today," Qiao Wenqi chimed in, pulling some tropical fruit for Cheeky out of her bag.

"I’m sorry, but outside food and drinks aren’t allowed in our establishment," the staff member said, quite exasperated. ’If you’d just waited for me to leave before pulling it out, I swear I wouldn’t have said a thing. Was it necessary to be so brazen about it?’

"Here, you sell any of these?" Mo Xiaomo asked, pointing to the passion fruit, guarana, and Jibbasu. "If you do, I’ll put these away right now and buy them from you."

’What in the world are those fruits? I don’t recognize any of them.’ The staff member was instantly flustered. "What kind of juice can I get for you all? I’ll go grab it right now." ’It’s better if I just pretend I saw nothing.’

By the time the juice and snacks arrived, they had already picked their songs. Ladies first, as always. Qiao Wenqi and Mo Xiaomo started with a duet of "Minuet," and then it was Shen Yibin’s turn.

"A lonely lamp of parting sorrow stands in the window, I pretend behind the door that you haven’t yet left. Returning to old places feels new, the full moon makes it lonelier, the candlelight, awake at midnight, can’t bear to blame me..." After several days of coaching from Cheeky, Shen Yibin’s singing technique had improved by leaps and bounds. As he sang, Qiao Wenqi and the others forgot to even cheer, listening quietly to his performance. Only Hah’Er kept the beat, shaking a tambourine.

When the song ended, everyone broke into applause. "I never would’ve guessed, Bin! Your voice has gotten so much better than in our school days. If you keep this up, you might even have a shot at becoming a singer."

Cheeky, comfortably pillowed on the fruit, let out a few cackles. ’This is all thanks to my excellent coaching,’ it thought.

"My turn, my turn! Hey Cheeky, if I’m any good, let’s sing a duet next," Xu Ye said, eagerly grabbing the microphone.

However, he had barely sung a few lines before Cheeky cut him off. "Sigh. With a voice like that, I couldn’t help you even if I wanted to. I can’t give you a chance even if I try." After speaking, it feigned sorrow, covering its forehead with a wing and shaking its head, the very picture of regret.

Xu Ye was instantly crushed. Qiao Wenqi and Mo Xiaomo, on the other hand, collapsed in laughter. Shen Yibin was already starting to pray for the singers currently rushing to Yunzhong City. He could only hope they would be able to endure the torment of the poison-tongued judge, Cheeky.