Future Pet Shop

"This vodka isn't bad, but don't give it to Hah'Er. With his low tolerance, he'd probably pass out just from the smell." After the promotional event at Luzhniki Stadium, they returned to their hotel, where the owner had sent over a special gift. Director Kong accepted it, but he didn't give it to Shen Yibin. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely worried Hah'Er might accidentally get drunk or if he just wanted to keep the good liquor for himself.

"Then you can just keep it for yourself. I'm not used to hard liquor anyway," Shen Yibin said, not really caring. 'I'll be home soon drinking Monkey Wine brewed by Xiaoliu,' he thought, 'so why would I care about vodka?'

"You and Hah'Er have worked hard. Go home and rest well for a few days. I'll contact you once the premiere is arranged." Shen Yibin's work was more or less done, but Director Kong still had a mountain of things to do: adjusting the promotional plan based on feedback from the recent events, preparing for the premiere, and so on. It would keep him busy for quite a while.

Carrying Hah'Er back to his room, he realized the little guy had already fallen asleep in his arms. Shen Yibin couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. 'Sigh, all this running around lately… this kid is just too tired. He really needs a good, long rest.' All the promotions were draining, and coupled with the constant travel, it was even more exhausting than filming the movie. The sight pained Shen Yibin. He quickly and gently placed Hah'Er on the bed and covered him with a blanket.

Even when he woke up the next day, Hah'Er still looked listless. The accompanying film crew members felt their hearts ache seeing him like this. Director Kong also apologized repeatedly, assuring them that if they filmed a sequel, he would definitely control the pace of the promotional tour so Hah'Er wouldn't have to work so hard. Luckily, no one from an animal protection organization was with them this time, or they would probably have raised a fuss.

"Well, we'll be heading back first, then. You guys keep up the hard work," Shen Yibin said to Director Kong and the others, a little apologetically. His and Hah'Er's mission was complete, but after returning to the country, Director Kong's team still had to go on a promotional tour of major cities. In truth, they had it much tougher than he did.

"It's fine, we're used to it. Besides, if the movie does well at the box office, it'll be a huge benefit to all of us. A little hard work now is nothing," Fang Yuanshan said humbly. If *Panda Hero* became a global hit, he would be promoted from a domestic A-lister to an international star. His status in the film industry would ascend to a height others could only dream of. For that, he'd be willing to work himself to death.

Director Kong and his team were flying to the Capital City, while Shen Yibin was flying to Shanghai, so the group parted ways at the airport. Shen Yibin was the first to board the plane with Hah'Er and Maphario. As soon as they were on board, he covered himself with a blanket and conked out. By the time he woke up, they had already landed at Shanghai's airport.

This trip had been a bit too exhausting, so instead of returning directly to Yunzhong City, they rested for a night in Shanghai. It wasn't until noon the next day that they finally boarded a flight to Yunzhong City. Lately, Hah'Er had been flying all over the place, almost turning into a flying panda. The excitement he'd felt on his first flight was long gone. His listless appearance was truly heart-wrenching.

"What happened to Hah'Er? You're so irresponsible! You didn't take good care of him at all." Even Xia Shixuan, who had come to pick them up, complained at length when she saw Hah'Er's condition. She stroked Hah'Er's head pitifully. "Hah'Er, I think you should stop following this heartless boss. From now on, just come live with me!"

'Hey, is it really okay to poach him so openly?' Shen Yibin rolled his eyes at her. 'You want to raise Hah'Er? Can you even cook? With your skills, there's no way in hell Hah'Er would be interested.'

"Mmm~" Hah'Er didn't even have the strength to protest. He slowly shook his head, pushed Xia Shixuan's hand away, and settled comfortably into Shen Yibin's arms. This infuriated Xia Shixuan, who shot several glares at Shen Yibin. She couldn't bear to show any displeasure toward Hah'Er, so she could only vent her anger on Shen Yibin.

"You guys go on with your business, I'm going to my room to rest for a bit. Shi Xuan, can you help hand out the gifts?" Back at the store, Shen Yibin barely had the energy to greet Li Shiqing, Wen Yuan, Xiaoliu, and Bald Qiang. He tossed the suitcase to Xia Shixuan, dragged himself and Hah'Er upstairs to the bedroom, and flopped onto the bed.

He slept all the way until five in the afternoon. Shen Yibin gently lifted the blanket, got dressed, and tiptoed out of the room. He used another bathroom to wash up before starting to cook. 'It's been a while since Hah'Er had a meal I cooked myself. I have to make a few of his favorite dishes this time.'

Twice-cooked pork was a must, along with stewed pork with bitter bamboo shoots, Great Panda Magical Mapo Tofu, and other Sichuan specialty dishes, which Shen Yibin prepared one after another. After the dishes were on the table, Shen Yibin went to the bedroom to wake up Hah'Er and Maphario.

"Whoa, it hasn't been that long, how did you get fat again? And you, Xiaoliu, you haven't been bullying Bald Qiang and the others while I was gone, have you?" Shen Yibin greeted each of the little guys one by one. Hah'Er, having recovered a bit of his energy, lazily sat down in his chair.

"Hmm?" Seeing all the food, Hah'Er didn't rush to eat. Instead, he looked eagerly at Xiaoliu. He felt like something was missing from the table.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Xiaoliu grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth. He reached a paw behind his back and pulled out a bottle of wine. As soon as he opened the stopper, an intoxicating aroma immediately filled the air.

"Mmm! Mmm!" Hah'Er nodded repeatedly with his mouth open, drool nearly dripping onto his chest. This was exactly what the little guy wanted.

"Come on, come on! Everyone, fill up. Let's have a toast first." Shen Yibin took the wine pot from Xiaoliu's paw and filled everyone's cups. Before he could even raise his own, Hah'Er was already holding his bowl and gulping it down. GULP, GULP, GULP. He hadn't had Monkey Wine in so long, and the craving was killing him.

"Mmm!" With one bowl of wine down the hatch, all of Hah'Er's fatigue instantly vanished. He let out a vigorous grunt and held his bowl out to Shen Yibin.

'What the hell, are you drinking wine or a giant red health potion?!' Shen Yibin didn't know what to say. He rolled his eyes, took the bowl, and poured Hah'Er another one.

Any other time, he wouldn't have been so quick to oblige, worried that Hah'Er might get drunk. But today, he didn't overthink it. 'Hah'Er has worked incredibly hard lately. I'll let him indulge just this once!'

After two bowls of wine, Hah'Er finally recovered his usual spirit. He hugged his food bowl and began to eat heartily, occasionally picking up his wine bowl to drain it in one go. Before long, his head flopped into Shen Yibin's lap, and he started snoring. The little guy was drunk.