Future Pet Shop

Chapter 205: Time to Say Goodbye

Shen Yibin had indeed hooked a sizable fish, one that looked to be over two pounds. But he wasn’t the only one with eyes on it—Egg was biting into the fish’s belly, pulling with all its might, seemingly trying to snatch it off Shen Yibin’s hook.

’If you want the fish, just say so! I could take it off the hook and toss it to you. What’s with all this pulling? Are you trying to drag my whole fishing rod away? Besides, there’s still a hook in its mouth. What if I gave it to you and you swallowed it?’

So Shen Yibin had no choice but to continue the tug-of-war with Egg. In the end, his strength won out, and he pulled both the fish and Egg into the small boat.

Xu Ye could only stare, dumbfounded at the scene. "Bin, we’re supposed to be fishing today, you know. Catching a Raccoon Cat doesn’t count, does it?" ’That thing is so fat! How many fish would I have to catch to match its weight?’

"I heard you loud and clear," Shen Yibin immediately shot back. "You said whoever’s *catch* is smaller has to swim back, not whoever catches more *fish*." ’You think you’re such a great fisherman? Let’s see you catch a few dozen pounds this afternoon then, if you’re so good!’

The two argued for a long time, but neither could convince the other. Finally, in a fit of pique, Xu Ye kicked Shen Yibin into the water. Not to be outdone, Shen Yibin grabbed Xu Ye’s ankle and dragged him in as well. The two of them then immediately started splashing toward the girls by the lake. With beautiful women around, who gave a damn about fishing?

After a rowdy afternoon, the group returned to their rooms with their haul, took showers, and then came out to make Zongzi together. They made all sorts of flavors: fruit, red bean paste, jujube, taro, pork, shiitake mushroom, and lotus seed. Shen Yibin, for the hell of it, even made a few of the notoriously... unique five-nut Zongzi. ’We’ll see which lucky person gets to enjoy *that* delicacy.’

"Hah’Er, this Zongzi is sweet, and this one is savory. Which one do you want?" Shen Yibin held a fruit Zongzi in his left hand and a meat Zongzi in his right, offering them to Hah’Er. He wanted to see what it would choose. ’I’m also really curious if you’re on Team Sweet or Team Savory.’

"Hmm?" Hah’Er looked left, then right, before decisively choosing... both. As long as it tasted good, that glutton couldn’t care less about picking a side between Team Sweet and Team Savory.

That evening, brilliant lights and a crackling bonfire lit up the lakeside. It was Sun Qian, Cheeky, and Egg’s turn to perform. Sun Qian and Cheeky grabbed a microphone and belted out a song, while Egg led Sylvie and Sakai Kaori—the two who’d been bitten by the square-dancing bug—in a dance. The others repeatedly raised their glasses to cheer them on.

The revelry continued until the moon was high in the sky. Shen Yibin and Xu Ye had been plied with drinks until they were wasted, Egg and Hah’Er had passed out one after another, and Sun Qian and Sakai Kaori had started talking nonsense. Fortunately, Sylvie and Bai Yanni were still sober enough to drag them all back to their rooms.

Hearing Egg’s earth-shattering snores, Bai Yanni and Sylvie threw their hands up in despair. In the end, they had no choice but to open the most remote room and toss Egg inside. If they’d let it stay in Sakai Kaori’s room, nobody would have gotten any sleep that night.

These blissful, relaxing days continued for two more days, but on the morning of the third day, it was time for everyone to leave. Qiao Wenqi, Mo Xiaomo, and Bai Yanni had to go to work, Xu Ye had to preside over his company’s weekly meeting, and Shen Yibin needed to check on the progress of his renovations.

The pet store currently had no pets for sale, making it feel rather empty. But Shen Yibin wasn’t in a hurry to restock. The renovations next door were so noisy that any new pets would be stressed out, and customers visiting the shop wouldn’t be in a good mood hearing such a racket either. As a result, business at the store had slowed to a crawl.

"I’ll call Bao and have him send over a few samples. The three of you can just focus on properly training Li Shiqing and Gao Shu." Shen Yibin posted a "Temporarily Closed" sign on the door, allowing them to relax a bit longer. "That way, not all three of you have to be in the shop at once. Sakai and Sylvie, you two should go see the sights around Yunzhong City. And Sun Qian, when you’re free, go to the recording studio and practice. You need to be in top form for your debut performance."

Sakai Kaori and Sylvie would be leaving soon anyway. He wanted them to use this time to see the city and buy some souvenirs for their friends and family.

So, for the next few days, one senior employee stayed at the shop each day to train the two newcomers, while Shen Yibin took the other two out to explore. Sun Qian also began preparing for her performance at the Dragon Boat Festival.

One day, after a trip to the hot springs with Sakai Kaori and Sylvie, Sakai Kaori, holding Egg, said to Shen Yibin on the way back, "Sir, I just received a call from my family. Our family shrine’s important annual festival is coming up, and I must return to preside over it, so..."

’Ah, so Egg is leaving with her now? I’m actually sad to see him go.’ Shen Yibin paused for a moment before replying, "Alright, then. When I have the chance, I’ll bring Hah’Er to visit your family’s shrine. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the market to buy some of Yunzhong City’s local specialties to bring back as gifts for your family."

"Thank you, Sir," Sakai Kaori said, lowering her head. "But I’ll wait to leave until after Mrs. Wang and the others have their competition. In the future, if you come to Japan, you must call me beforehand. Lord Egg and I will come to the airport to greet you."

"Then it’s a deal," Shen Yibin said solemnly. And so, tinged with a hint of sadness, he led them back to the store.

However, not long after he returned to the store, another piece of news arrived. Sun Qian found him. "Bin, the organizers of the Strawberry Music Festival just called me. They received the demo I recorded and have invited me to perform in Sichuan next month, so I..."

"Ha! I thought you wouldn’t get an opportunity like this until after the promotional video aired. I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. But you have the talent; it was only a matter of time before you became famous." Shen Yibin fought to control his tone, trying not to sound too sad. "Well then, keep up the great work."

"Thank you, Bin," Sun Qian said earnestly. "If it weren’t for you, I doubt I would have formally entered the music scene so quickly. I only received this invitation because of a recommendation from Director Kong and the organizers." By her calculations, she would be leaving around the same time as Sakai Kaori, right after the Dragon Boat Festival.

After talking with Sun Qian for a little longer, Shen Yibin returned to his bedroom and took out his phone. ’Sigh... since they’re all leaving, I suppose it’s time to see what the fourth pet will be? Without Cheeky and Egg around the store, Hah’Er is bound to get lonely, right?’