Future Pet Shop

Chapter 74: Officer Bai, How About an Outing Together Tomorrow?

If the store gets busier in the future, I’ll have to greet customers, cook, buy groceries, and regularly visit Bao’s breeding center to pick out pets. There’s no way I can handle all that by myself.

For now, I’ll just have to tough it out. If business is still this good after the selection event ends and I haven’t found anyone suitable, then I’ll spend some money and try my luck on a recruitment website.

Just then, a few more customers entered the store, and Shen Yibin hurried over to greet them. Cheeky had been working too hard these past few days, so Shen Yibin had mostly stopped letting him introduce the pets. During the day, he could just lie on his cushion, rest, and eat some fruit to soothe his throat.

After lunch, Shen Yibin didn’t rush to open the store. He sat at the dining table, lost in thought. ’No, I can’t keep this up. I’ve been working around the clock, and I’m at my breaking point. What if I take a day off tomorrow? I could take Cheeky and Hah’Er out somewhere. Those two haven’t had a chance to explore the area around Yunzhong City since they arrived.’

’I could ask Xu Ye if I can borrow his car. We could take the barbecue grill to a scenic spot in the suburbs and have a cookout. Hah’Er and Cheeky would love that, right?’

"Hah’Er, how about I take you out to have some fun tomorrow?" Shen Yibin asked, pulling out a napkin to wipe the grease from the corner of Hah’Er’s mouth.

"Go out? Where?" Before Hah’Er could even process the question, Cheeky piped up, "Yes, let’s go, let’s go! Let’s find a place with some fresh air. The air here is so much worse than the Amazon rainforest. I’ve been feeling cooped up for days, and now my throat is even starting to bother me."

That was true. Although Yunzhong City was known for its abundant green spaces and pleasant air, it was nothing compared to the Amazon rainforest. The two weren’t even in the same league.

Shen Yibin took out his phone, found a few photos of the suburbs around Yunzhong City, and showed them to Hah’Er. The panda nodded eagerly, clearly wanting to go out as well.

"Alright then, we’ll close the store for the day tomorrow. We’ll feed the pets in the morning and get back in the afternoon before they get hungry again." Since both of them were so eager to go, Shen Yibin made up his mind. ’So what if I lose a day’s worth of business? As long as these two are happy, a small hit to my income is worth it.’

’But going to the suburbs isn’t so simple,’ he thought. ’Xu Ye would definitely lend me his car, no question. But is it safe to just take Cheeky and Hah’Er out like that? One is a Class I nationally protected animal, and the other is a Great Ming macaw worth tens of millions. If we ran into any thugs, my scrawny self wouldn’t stand a chance.’

’Should I ask the event organizers to lend me a couple of bodyguards? I’ve seen plenty of them around lately. But that would turn it into a big production. More people means more noise, and it’s never that relaxing to hang out with strangers.’

"Bin, are you in the store? How come the door is still closed?" Just as he was wrestling with this problem, a WeChat message from Bai Yanni suddenly popped up.

"Oh, you’re here for the tickets, right? I’ll be right down to open the door. Hang on." Bai Yanni had also asked Shen Yibin to get her a few tickets, and they had arranged for her to pick them up in the afternoon. He opened the store’s door and saw that Bai Yanni was wearing casual clothes today.

"Come on in, have a seat. I just finished lunch and was cleaning up upstairs." He led Bai Yanni to the sofa, then took the tickets from a drawer and handed them to her. "I was actually planning to drop these off on my way to karaoke later."

"I’m on leave today and tomorrow, so you wouldn’t have found me at work. Good thing I know you! Otherwise, I would’ve had to pay a fortune for scalped tickets." As she said this, Bai Yanni transferred the ticket money to Shen Yibin on WeChat.

"On leave? No wonder you’re not in uniform. Honestly, I almost didn’t recognize you." Bai Yanni was dressed casually, and compared to her sharp police uniform, she had traded some of her imposing aura for the fashionable style of a city girl. It was a different, yet equally captivating, charm.

"Yeah, cops need days off too. We’ve been working tons of overtime lately because of this whole situation of yours. I practically had to slam my fist on the table in front of Captain Sword God to get this leave approved." As she said this, the happy expression on Bai Yanni’s face faded. She sighed. "But all my besties are only free on weekends. I have no idea what to do or where to go by myself. I’ll probably just sleep in tomorrow."

Her words sparked an idea in Shen Yibin’s mind. ’Hey, wait a minute... she’s perfect! With a police officer tagging along, I wouldn’t have to worry about Cheeky and Hah’Er’s safety, right? Plus, they’re both already familiar with Bai Yanni, so they wouldn’t feel uncomfortable around her.’

"Um... Officer Bai," Shen Yibin began, testing the waters. "I’m planning to go for an outing in the suburbs tomorrow. Would... would you like to join me?"

"What’s this? Trying to ask me out?" Bai Yanni looked up, a half-smile playing on her lips. ’If I became his girlfriend, I could pet the Panda every day, couldn’t I? That actually sounds pretty good...’

"Uh, no, no! Officer Bai, you’ve got it all wrong! It’s just—I’m planning to take Hah’Er and Cheeky with me tomorrow, and I’m worried I won’t be able to handle everything on my own if something happens, so..." Shen Yibin waved his hands in a flurry, quickly explaining his reasoning.

"So I’m that unappealing, am I? You don’t have the slightest interest in asking me out?" Who knew that his explanation would make things worse? The entire mood shifted abruptly. Bai Yanni’s expression suddenly turned melancholic, a look so unsettling on her usually cool and composed face that Shen Yibin was completely thrown off. He had no idea what to say.

"No, that’s not what I meant..." ’Damn,’ he thought, ’the more I try to explain, the deeper I dig this hole.’

"Okay, okay, I’ll stop messing with you," Bai Yanni said, waving a hand to cut off Shen Yibin’s stammering. "I get it. You just want a free bodyguard, don’t you? For Hah’Er and Cheeky’s sake, I’ll accept. But you have to treat me to a delicious meal tomorrow to make it up to me."

"No problem, no problem at all!" With the bodyguard issue finally settled, Shen Yibin eagerly laid out his plan. "I’ve got a full set of barbecue gear upstairs. We can go fishing at the Yunshui River, and we’ll grill whatever we catch on the spot. It’ll be super fresh!"

"Sounds good. I’ll go home and get some things ready. Pick me up in your car tomorrow morning." With that, Bai Yanni rattled off an address and left with her tickets.

’Sigh. Her expressions change faster than the White Bone Spirit. I’ll never understand what goes on inside a woman’s head,’ Shen Yibin thought, scratching his scalp. He gave up trying to decipher Bai Yanni’s motives and stood up to greet the customers who had just come in. "Hello, welcome to the store! What kind of pet are you interested in...? Uh, no, the Panda is not for sale... The parrot isn’t for sale either... You’re welcome to look at our other pets, though..."