Future Pet Shop

Chapter 71: Money Is Like Floating Clouds to Me

"The company’s phones have been ringing off the hook since last night—they’ve completely blown up." Li Yinchen looked at Hah’Er, his eyes filled with envy. ’That’s not a Panda; that’s the God of Wealth on two legs. Even the lowest offer is more than I’d make in ten or twenty years. If only this Panda were mine!’

"Shooting commercials?" Shen Yibin glanced hesitantly at Hah’Er. ’This is probably his decision to make, isn’t it?’

"This is the preliminary list of offers we’ve compiled. Please take a look. Of course, these are just the initial figures. If you’d like, we can have our people negotiate for you to secure the most favorable terms." Seeing Shen Yibin’s slight hesitation, Li Yinchen quickly pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and handed them over.

Of course, he wasn’t just playing the part of a Good Samaritan. Based on the audience’s reaction yesterday, he had already seen Hah’Er’s massive influence. If he could get Hah’Er to start streaming on his platform, it would absolutely blow up. To secure this opportunity, he decided to get on good terms with Shen Yibin first.

"Um, I can’t really make a decision on this right away. Can you let me think it over?" Shen Yibin resisted his curiosity and didn’t look at the documents.

"No problem. Our company has professional lawyers and negotiators, so please feel free to call me anytime if you need them." Li Yinchen knew this wasn’t a decision that could be made on the spot, so he didn’t press the issue. He politely stood up and took his leave.

After seeing him out, Shen Yibin returned to the shop. He began flipping through the documents while rubbing Hah’Er’s head, and then... he was stunned by the numbers with their long strings of zeros. "Hah’Er, this company wants you to endorse a cola and is willing to pay two million a year. This one wants you to endorse an online game—they’ve even started designing a panda character for it—and they’re offering three million a year. And this one! A cell phone endorsement for five million a year..."

"That silly panda only likes beer, not cola," Cheeky chimed in, sounding bored. He was lying listlessly on a cushion, presumably still exhausted from the show last night and not yet recovered.

"Hey, I’m trying to discuss this with you! How come you’re not reacting at all?" He looked back at Hah’Er, who seemed completely uninterested in what he was saying. The panda was stretching out a paw, trying to snag a piece of fruit from the basket on the coffee table.

"Hm?" Hah’Er turned around, a bewildered expression on his face. It was clear he hadn’t been listening at all.

Shen Yibin sighed in defeat and pulled the fruit basket closer. "Here, take your pick. You just finished breakfast and you’re already going for fruit. Aren’t you worried about getting fat?" ’Then again, for a Panda, maybe getting fatter just makes him cuter.’

"Hand me that Jibbasu," Cheeky demanded, crossing his legs with the air of a king.

"Hmph!" Before Shen Yibin could react, Hah’Er picked a Jibbasu from the basket and placed it on the cushion. However, he didn’t seem to realize one thing: the Jibbasu was quite large, especially for Cheeky. As soon as the oval-shaped fruit was placed on the cushion, it started to roll away, and Cheeky had to struggle to get a hold of it.

"You expect me to eat it like this? You’re not even going to crack it open for me?!" Cheeky was exasperated. The Jibbasu had a hard outer shell; it would be impossible for him to open it himself.

"Oh!" Hah’Er scratched his head sheepishly, took the Jibbasu back, and clasped it between his paws. With a squeeze and a loud CRACK, the shell split open, revealing the fruit inside.

’Damn, this guy’s strength stat is pretty high,’ Shen Yibin thought, breaking into a nervous sweat. It had taken him a lot of effort to crack a shell for Cheeky yesterday, yet Hah’Er had done it with such ease.

The two of them started munching on their fruit, leaving Shen Yibin completely ignored. He had no choice but to roll up the documents and tap them on the sofa to get their attention. "Hey, I was hoping for some input here. Hah’Er, would you like to shoot that cola commercial?"

"Hm? Mmm-mmm." Hah’Er paused for a second, then shook his head vigorously. It looked as though he had only registered the word "cola" and paid no mind to the "commercial" part.

"Alright, we’ll pass on that one then." Shen Yibin tossed the cola company’s offer aside. ’There goes a two-million-dollar endorsement fee.’ "How about this one? The gaming company."

"Mmm-mmm." Hah’Er continued to shake his head. ’And there goes another three million.’

"The cell phone company?"

"Mmm-mmm." ’Five million, gone.’

"And this one... and this one..." Shen Yibin went through every company on the list, but Hah’Er just kept shaking his head, showing no interest whatsoever.

"A beer company... they’re promising an unlimited supply of beer... How about that one, Hah’Er?" Shen Yibin said, drawing out his voice teasingly.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Hah’Er instantly perked up, nodding eagerly. He abandoned his fruit and snuggled into Shen Yibin’s arms, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"That one doesn’t actually exist!" Shen Yibin shrugged innocently. The paper in his hand was still the offer from the cell phone company; there was no beer company.

"Hmph..." Hah’Er flopped back onto the sofa, all signs of life gone. He couldn’t even be bothered to look at Shen Yibin.

"Sigh, I knew you’d be too lazy for any of this. Fine, I’ll call President Li and turn them all down." ’My heart is bleeding,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’Tens of millions in endorsement fees, all gone in the blink of an eye.’

’But what could I do? Hah’Er had zero interest. Besides, Hah’Er already helps clean the shop, feed the other pets, and even takes them out of their cages for exercise to keep them happy and healthy. I already feel guilty about how much he does. Making him shoot commercials to earn money on top of all that would be going too far, wouldn’t it?’

’Wouldn’t that make me just like Huang Shiren or Zhou Bapi?’

"President Li, sorry to bother you. I’ve thought it over, and it seems Hah’Er isn’t interested in these activities. I don’t want to make him do anything he’s not happy with, so let’s just forget about it. If you get any more calls like this in the future, could you please just turn them down for me?" *RRRIP.* It was as if Shen Yibin had just torn up checks worth tens of millions.

"Mr. Shen, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?" Li Yinchen felt dejected. ’I wish that money was being offered to me. I served all these opportunities up on a silver platter, thinking it would build a good relationship, and this is what I get.’

"There’s no need. I’m not someone who cares much about money. Hah’Er’s happiness is the most important thing." ’Waaah! But I have over twenty thousand in credit card debt to pay off! And I have to feed Hah’Er and Cheeky, these two picky eaters! I’m desperate for money!’

No matter how Li Yinchen tried to persuade him, Shen Yibin remained completely unmoved. In the end, Li Yinchen had no choice but to agree to reject the offers on his behalf. After hanging up, Shen Yibin comforted himself. ’It’s fine. I’ll still get a cut from the talent show draft anyway.’