Future Pet Shop

Chapter 65: All Sorts of Tricks

"Boss? Is the boss in?" Just as he was enjoying the show, a saccharine voice suddenly drifted in from the doorway. He turned to see a pretty woman in her early twenties, decked out in designer brands, glancing around.

"Hello, welcome." ’Ooh, a customer. And she looks like the rich and beautiful type. I might actually make a sale.’ Thinking of Hah’Er’s meals and Cheeky’s tropical fruits, Shen Yibin quickly stood up to greet her, ready to introduce the store’s pets. "Are you interested in cats or dogs? Or perhaps chinchillas?"

"Gasp, a panda!" The woman’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Hah’Er. "I heard someone say this shop had a panda, and I thought they were pulling my leg. I can’t believe it’s actually true!"

’Wait a minute. Is she not a customer, just here to sightsee?’ Shen Yibin could practically see the sale flying out the window, but he maintained a polite and positive attitude out of courtesy.

"He’s just a dopey glutton. What’s the big deal?" Cheeky couldn’t help but snipe, his voice dripping with jealousy. ’Why does everyone freak out with joy the second they see this guy? He’s just a little on the round side, that’s all. Ugh, does talent really stand no chance against a pretty face? I despair for this superficial world.’

"What a smart parrot! Your voice is so lovely to listen to." *Yikes.* That saccharine voice sent a wave of goosebumps over Shen Yibin’s entire body. He couldn’t help but shuffle a step farther away from her.

But the woman didn’t seem to notice. In fact, she moved even closer, grabbing Shen Yibin’s arm. "Boss, hey, Boss! What breed is this parrot?"

"Oh, he’s Cheeky, a Blue-fronted Amazon Parrot. He was born in the Amazon rainforest and belongs to one of the species best known for mimicking human speech," Shen Yibin explained.

"No wonder. Oh! You know, I think I just happen to have some Jabuticaba that a friend sent me from Brazil. Cheeky, would you like to try some?" the woman exclaimed with sudden delight. She quickly opened the Hermès bag slung over her shoulder and pulled out a container of fruit that looked like grapes.

’Seriously, isn’t your performance a little over-the-top? That "delight" in her voice was so forced, so fake. Not a trace of genuine emotion.’ Shen Yibin understood at once. This woman was definitely no passing customer; she had come specifically to cozy up to Cheeky. Otherwise, the coincidence would be just too great.

’Who on earth stuffs their Hermès bag with Jabuticaba, a fruit you can barely find in all of Yunzhong City? For crying out loud, just a few days ago, I searched every supermarket in town to buy treats for Cheeky and couldn’t find that Brazilian "tree grape" anywhere. She obviously came prepared.’

"Thanks, but I just had breakfast. I don’t feel like eating right now." Cheeky seemed to have figured things out, too. He flopped lazily onto Hah’Er’s stomach, showing zero interest in getting up to eat.

The woman was instantly mortified. ’Didn’t Liu tell me this parrot’s favorite food was Amazonian fruit? I can’t believe I went to all this trouble to get some, and now, not only have I failed to get on its good side, I seem to have annoyed it.’

Now that she’d been found out, the woman was too embarrassed to linger. She offered a few half-hearted excuses and scurried out the door, not even noticing the step on her way out and nearly twisting her ankle.

’Sigh. Kids these days. Why are they so impatient?’ Shen Yibin mused, exasperated. ’It’s just a small talent show audition, right? Is it really necessary to rack your brain for all these crooked schemes?’ He seemed to be forgetting just how much of a profit Cheeky could generate.

"Uh... do you think we’re going to keep meeting people like that?" For some reason, a sense of foreboding washed over Shen Yibin. He feared there were probably a lot more people out there with the same idea as the woman who had just left.

Hah’Er shook his head, his face a mask of clueless innocence. Cheeky covered his eyes with a wing, clearly sharing Shen Yibin’s sentiment. And just as they’d predicted, it wasn’t long before a second visitor walked into the shop.

"Well now, Boss, that is one gorgeous parrot you have there." A young man with long hair walked in, but his very first sentence gave him away. ’Anyone who walks into my shop is bound to see Hah’Er first, right?’ he thought. The man had completely ignored Hah’Er and immediately started praising Cheeky’s beauty. He had definitely come prepared.

’The last woman tried to tempt Cheeky with gourmet food. What’s your angle?’ With that thought in mind, Shen Yibin began making half-hearted small talk with the long-haired man.

It only took a few sentences for the man to reveal his true purpose. "As it happens, I just bought a macaw myself! Her feathers are absolutely beautiful, and she’s a female. Let me bring her in and see if she and your parrot can hit it off." Without waiting for Shen Yibin’s reply, he eagerly trotted out to his car and returned with a Scarlet Macaw, its feathers a riot of color.

The Scarlet Macaw, also known as the "Rainbow Macaw," is beloved for its brilliant feathers and gorgeous appearance, making it one of the most beautiful parrots in the world. Combine that with the man’s earlier emphasis on "and she’s a female," and Shen Yibin instantly understood his plan. ’He’s trying to use a honey trap.’

’He wasn’t tempted by fine food, but now they’re sending in a beauty. Cheeky, surely you’ll react to this, right?’ Shen Yibin was suddenly overcome with curiosity.

However, Cheeky proved to be a noble parrot of high integrity, one who could neither be bought with fine food nor swayed by feminine wiles. The long-haired man’s plot ended in failure. Of course, the most important factor was perhaps that the beautiful Scarlet Macaw didn’t seem to fancy Cheeky in the slightest. From the moment she arrived to the moment she left, she barely glanced at him.

"BWAHAHAHA!" After the man left, Shen Yibin and Hah’Er were both clutching their stomachs, roaring with laughter. Cheeky had been snubbed by a beauty! It was a rare treat to see him get shot down like that, and the two of them were absolutely gleeful.

"She was a forty-something-year-old hag, anyway. I wasn’t interested at all. I only like young girls, the ten-year-old kind," Cheeky muttered defensively. Who knew the little rascal was a lolicon.

Those two were only the beginning. Shen Yibin didn’t have a moment’s peace for the rest of the day. A steady stream of people came to the shop, using every method imaginable to get on Cheeky’s good side before the auditions started.

Forget everything else—just in the category of Amazonian fruit alone, Shen Yibin saw dozens of different kinds that day. He had no idea where these people were digging up all these rare and exotic varieties.

As for the parrots brought in to play the part of Diao Chan, there were even more. Rainbow Lorikeets, Spotted-winged Parrotlets, Pionus Parrots, Kea Parrots, and fig parrots streamed in one after another. He had seen enough to open a parrot museum.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the other tactics. Some took an even more creative route and tried using the honey trap on Shen Yibin himself, leaving him completely worn out from dealing with them all.

’Sigh... Can’t this audition just start already!’