Future Pet Shop

"Vacation?" Qi Jian broke into a sweat. He'd already thought about where Carmen would live after joining the search and rescue team, who would look after him, what his food allowance would be—he'd even considered finding a few female dogs for breeding. The one thing he hadn't thought about was the very issue Shen Yibin just raised. The current search and rescue dogs on the team were always on duty, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice. And even if they were given a vacation, it's not like they'd know where to go have fun!

"That's right. There has to be a balance between work and rest, doesn't there?" Shen Yibin said, full of conviction. "Look at you. You've been working for so long without a break that the circles under your eyes are pitch black. You look completely drained. You probably can't keep this up for much longer. And just a minute ago, quite a few people on your team were grumbling about how long it's been since they had a day off. Since you all need a vacation, why can't Carmen have one? He can come over to my place and rest for a few days when he's on leave, can't he?"

'Hmm, Shen Yibin's plan wasn't just about getting to see Carmen occasionally. The more practical reason was so that when the next pet appeared, he could have Carmen lead the way. With his help, it would be far more effective than just searching aimlessly on his own.'

"You have a point." What Shen Yibin said made so much sense that Qi Jian couldn't argue. "Sigh. Once the new recruits are on board next year, I'm definitely taking a proper vacation. Honestly, being on duty in the mountains saving people day in and day out is really starting to wear me down! So how about this: Carmen can have two days off a week, just like us. As long as there are no emergencies, he can take his break whenever. If a mission interferes with his vacation, we'll make sure he gets that time back later."

"Alright, it's a deal. But if you don't make good on that vacation time, I'm holding you to it!" 'Now that Carmen will have days off, I can go get him when I need his help.' Having settled the last issue, Shen Yibin stood up and shook Qi Jian's hand. "In that case, I'll bring Carmen over to you after the New Year. If you have free time between now and then, you should come over to my place. Spend some more time with Carmen to build up your bond, you know?" Shen Yibin added, worried that the bond between them would weaken if they didn't see each other for a while.

"Sounds good, no problem. I'll call you as soon as I have a free moment." Qi Jian saw Shen Yibin to his car, waving as he watched him drive away. He then headed back into the hospital; the search and rescue team's mission wasn't quite over yet.

After spending so long running around the mountains, on top of the whole rescue mission, Shen Yibin was exhausted. The moment he got home, he didn't even bother showering and just dove into his blankets for a deep, satisfying sleep. He was up at the crack of dawn the next day to prepare a lavish breakfast spread. Once breakfast was ready, he didn't immediately call Sakai Kaori and Sun Qian over to eat. Instead, he took Hah'Er and Maphario out to the bamboo forest to dig up some Winter Bamboo Shoots. He also filled two flasks with wine from Xiaoliu's tree hollow. Sakai Kaori was leaving today, and these would be a farewell gift for her to take home and share with her family.

Today, both Sakai Kaori and Egg seemed particularly listless. It wasn't because they were overly tired from the mountain climbing these past few days, but simply because they were sad about the impending separation. Sakai Kaori listlessly picked at her Winter Bamboo Shoot porridge, taking a sip now and then. Egg ignored the food piled high in its own bowl and insisted on snatching food from Hah'Er's. It seemed this was its way of expressing its reluctance to leave.

Normally, Hah'Er would have been upset and would have immediately started a tussle with Egg. But today, not only did he not stop him, he even had Shen Yibin place some of Egg's favorite food into his own bowl so Egg could eat more happily.

"Hey, do you guys have to be like this? It's not like you're never coming back again. Transportation is so convenient these days, you could decide you want to visit in the morning and be here by evening. There's no need to be so sentimental, is there?" Shen Yibin couldn't help but chide them. 'You're making me lose my appetite. Can't you just be a little bit happier?'

After Shen Yibin's coaxing, the atmosphere at the table finally brightened up a little. Once they finished eating, Shen Yibin helped Sakai Kaori and Egg finish packing their luggage, and then it was time to set off. Shen Yibin had already made arrangements with Blue Sky Airlines, and Egg had even managed to snag a first-class seat.

"It's still early. Why don't we head to the shop for a bit? With Carmen driving, we don't have to worry about traffic jams making us late." 'If we go to the airport this early, we'll just end up waiting forever in the departure lounge, and Mr. Bin can only walk me as far as the security checkpoint anyway. It would be much better to stay at the shop a little longer... and I could spend a few more minutes with Mr. Bin.' Sakai Kaori was too embarrassed to voice her true feelings, so she found an excuse. "Besides, I haven't said goodbye to Xia and the others, and Egg hasn't thanked Scarf yet."

"Miss Sakai, you're certainly very particular about etiquette." Shen Yibin took her at her word. He said a few words to Carmen, and the car changed direction, heading for the pet shop.

Upon arriving at the shop, Sakai Kaori went one by one to say her goodbyes to Xia Shixuan, Li Shiqing, Gao Shu, Xie Nannan, and Li. Her mind, however, was entirely on Shen Yibin. Unfortunately, the oblivious Shen Yibin didn't pick up on her hints at all. He just sat on the sofa playing on his phone, leaving Sakai Kaori feeling quite dejected.

"Alright, it's getting late. If we don't head out now, you're going to miss your flight." After spending an hour at the shop, Shen Yibin led Sakai Kaori back to the car.

"Boss, are you coming back to the shop later?" Xia Shixuan was, of course, very concerned about lunch.

"Yeah, I'll be back. There's something very important I need to discuss with all of you later. Stay in the shop today; don't go anywhere," Shen Yibin nodded and replied.

Shen Yibin dropped Sakai Kaori off at the airport. He watched as she reluctantly led Egg through the security checkpoint until they disappeared around a corner. He waited at the airport for a while longer, not returning to his car until her flight had safely taken off.

Before long, Shen Yibin reappeared at the pet shop. Xia Shixuan and the others immediately swarmed around him. "Boss! Boss! What's the important news? You're not... planning on closing the shop, are you?" they asked nervously.

After all, Shen Yibin was a billionaire now. He could easily just kick back and enjoy life; there didn't seem to be any reason for him to keep toiling away at this little shop. For them, however, a job that was this interesting and paid so well wasn't easy to come by.

"What are you all thinking? When did I ever say I was closing the shop?" 'Never mind the fact that I actually love this line of work. With the Future Pet Shop keeping an eye on me, I probably couldn't close up even if I wanted to.'

"Then what is it?" Everyone relaxed slightly.

"Chinese New Year is just around the corner, isn't it? So shouldn't we start making plans for the holiday?" Shen Yibin said with a grin. "How would you all like a vacation? How would you all like a year-end bonus? And how would you all like a big gift package?"