Future Pet Shop

Chapter 228: Continuing Recruitment

"Stop running, stop running! I really can’t run anymore," Shen Yibin said, collapsing onto the lawn, panting for breath. He felt like his lungs were on fire. Those three laps had nearly been the death of him. The pug was in a similar state, also lying on the ground exhausted, its tongue lolling out as it gasped heavily.

"GRR~ GRR~" Shi Gaofei didn’t seem to have any intention of letting it go, straining forward with all its might. If Shen Yibin hadn’t been holding the leash for dear life, it probably would have killed the pug by now.

"Hm?" The spot where Shen Yibin had collapsed happened to be where Hah’Er was playing. Seeing Shen Yibin’s condition, it slid down from the tree with a SWOOSH and walked over, staring at Shen Yibin with wide, concerned eyes.

"I’m... I’m fine. I just need to rest a bit, just a little rest," Shen Yibin said between gasps. He was wheezing heavily, which was surprisingly similar to the breathing technique Cheeky had taught him before.

Seeing its master tormented by Shi Gaofei like this, Hah’Er felt very distressed. It immediately ran in front of Shi Gaofei and chuffed and grunted, saying who-knows-what. The usually short-tempered Shi Gaofei seemed to have listened to Hah’Er, gradually stopped its howling, and ambled back to Shen Yibin’s side, also lying down on the lawn to rest.

"You’re really going to be the death of me," Shen Yibin said weakly. In contrast, Shi Gaofei, despite running so far, seemed completely fine. As expected of a creature that could chase Bear Grylls for hours. Moreover, the long run seemed to have satisfied it completely. Its Essence, Qi, and Spirit looked much better than they had the past few days. The fatigue from its journey was completely gone, and even its fur seemed to have a healthier sheen.

Seeing it like this, Shen Yibin’s legs couldn’t help but twitch. The honey badger had probably gotten addicted to running like this. It looked like they’d have to do this again tomorrow! ’Thinking about it, it makes sense,’ he mused. ’Back on the African savanna, this thing would wake up and immediately go looking for other animals to fight. Now that it’s in Yunzhong City with no opponents, it has no outlet for all its energy. Only this kind of intense exercise can let it blow off some steam.’

’Great. I guess from now on, I’ll have to take it out for a run every morning. Er, or rather, be taken for a run by it.’ Shen Yibin wanted to cry but had no tears left. As expected, none of the pets from the Future Pet Shop were easy to care for. Hah’Er demanded all sorts of gourmet food, Cheeky needed someone to sing to it every day, Egg felt uncomfortable if it didn’t dance for a day, and now Shi Gaofei needed to be taken on daily long-distance runs. This was going to be the death of him.

’But I don’t think I have a choice. Shi Gaofei’s energy has to be vented somewhere, right? Am I supposed to just let it go out and pick fights? If I do that, I can expect the police to show up at my door with victims demanding compensation every day. I’d probably go bankrupt from the payouts in no time.’

"Let’s go, time to head back." After resting for over half an hour, Shen Yibin had finally recovered. He struggled to his feet, planning to take Hah’Er and Shi Gaofei back to the shop. A small incident had occurred while they were resting. The pug’s owner, seeing the miserable state of her pet, had wanted to start trouble with Shen Yibin, but he shut her down with a single sentence.

Shen Yibin told her that her pug had bitten Hah’Er first, and Shi Gaofei had only retaliated. If she wanted compensation, fine, but she’d have to compensate for Hah’Er’s damages first. The woman was speechless. A panda was hardly comparable to a pug. Besides, she was the one in the wrong for walking her dog without a leash. There was no way she could win that argument, so she just slunk away in defeat.

’Sigh, people with no class are the worst. If I hadn’t had Hah’Er with me today, I wouldn’t have been able to use the panda’s status to shut her down. Who knows how long it would have taken to get rid of that trouble.’

Back at the shop’s entrance, Shen Yibin didn’t go inside right away. Instead, he went next door to check on the renovation progress. The second-story floor had been half-demolished, with a transparent sun-roof above. Below was a large pit, over two meters deep, with a pile of what looked like very fertile soil next to it, presumably for planting large trees and a bamboo grove.

"Morning, Boss Shen," said Li Zhen, who was supervising the construction, hurrying over to greet him. Noticing Shen Yibin’s gaze on the soil, he offered an explanation. "We had this specially brought in from a nursery. The original soil here lacks nutrients and can’t support large trees or bamboo. So, we have to replace the subsoil first. That way, the transplanted trees and bamboo will have a better chance of survival..."

"Hah’Er, in a little while, you’ll be able to climb trees at home," Shen Yibin said, patting Hah’Er’s head after listening to the explanation. The thought of Hah’Er playing there in the future made Shen Yibin happy. ’But,’ he wondered, ’when the time comes, I hope Hah’Er doesn’t eat all the bamboo...’

’What the hell? What are you doing?’ While Shen Yibin was engrossed in his chat with Li Zhen, he suddenly felt a strange tug on the leash. He quickly looked down and saw Shi Gaofei digging a hole in the pile of soil. In just a few moments, it had already burrowed halfway in.

’Tsk, I completely forgot Pingtou had this hobby. Is the little bed in the bedroom not comfortable enough for you? You have to sleep in a hole?’

"Hey, stop that! Get out of there! When the renovations are done, I’ll have them make a special dirt pile just for you to dig in." Shen Yibin didn’t dare linger any longer. If they stayed, Shi Gaofei might actually refuse to leave the hole. How would Li Zhen and his team continue renovating then? ’Better get these two knuckleheads back home quickly.’

"Sigh, I just gave you a bath this morning, and now you’re filthy again. We’re giving you another bath as soon as we get back." Seeing Shi Gaofei covered in dirt, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. ’This little guy is a real master at making trouble for me.’

Back in the shop, Shen Yibin left Hah’Er downstairs and took Shi Gaofei up to the second floor. He gave it another bath and toweled its fur dry before bringing it back downstairs. While wiping its paws, Shen Yibin started to worry. ’This little guy isn’t going to scratch up my sofa and carpets, is it? Should I get some little gloves or something for it to wear?’

"Bin, someone’s here for an interview. You should come over," Sylvie called out, getting up from the sofa just as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Sitting on the sofa across from her was a young woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six, wearing a short skirt. The nylons under her skirt revealed a pair of rather alluring legs.

’Why is it another woman? Xu Ye, couldn’t you have found a couple of guys for me?’ Shen Yibin complained silently, but a smile appeared on his face. He walked briskly to the sofa. "I’m so sorry. I was tied up with something upstairs. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long."