Future Pet Shop

"Officer, what’s going on?" Shen Yibin pulled over to the side of the road, rolled down his window, and watched the approaching police. ’Sigh, someone must have seen Hah’Er and called it in. We’re way outside of Yunzhong City now. These cops aren’t going to recognize me like Bai Yanni’s colleagues do. Looks like this is going to take a while to sort out.’

"Please step out of the vehicle for an inspection!" A few officers surrounded the car. The one in the lead gave a salute, switched on his body cam, and kept his eyes fixed on Shen Yibin, wary of any sudden, dangerous moves.

"Alright." ’Sigh, bringing a panda on a road trip is bound to cause this kind of trouble.’ Shen Yibin said nothing more, simply opening his door and stepping out.

The officers only seemed to relax then. One of them quickly ducked into the car and stared at Hah’Er and Xiaoliu for a good while. Snapping back to his senses, he reported excitedly, "Captain, it’s really a panda! Oh, right, and there’s a monkey, too." Maphario was completely ignored. It’s not like hamsters are a protected species, after all.

"I knew you were here for Hah’Er." Shen Yibin shrugged resignedly and pointed to the glove compartment. "All the legal documents are in there. You’ll understand once you have a look." ’Good thing I came prepared. I brought all of Hah’Er’s and Xiaoliu’s paperwork. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be spending the night at the station.’

"Go take a look!" The captain deliberately positioned himself between Shen Yibin and the vehicle, blocking his path back to the car. He waved, gesturing for the same officer to get back inside.

"Yes, sir!" The officer ducked back into the car and opened the compartment, revealing stacks of documents. He pulled them out, flipped through a few pages, and his expression immediately turned to one of surprise. "Captain, they look real."

"Hmph!" Hah’Er glared at the humans, displeased. ’My tummy’s still rumbling! Do you have to hold us up like this?’ If it weren’t so used to seeing Bai Yanni in uniform, it probably would have thrown a tantrum by now. Xiaoliu was just as impatient, glaring at the officers and chittering nonstop. It wanted to eat, too.

"Huh? Aren’t you Mr. Bin?" A female officer seemed to recognize Shen Yibin. She quickly pulled out her phone and did a quick search, then handed it to her captain. "Captain, this is Mr. Shen Yibin from Yunzhong City. That panda must be his pet. A while back, he and the panda even had an audience with Queen Elizabeth II." Looks like this officer spends a lot of time online.

"Let me see." The captain took the documents first. As he flipped through them, his expression turned to shock. ’Holy crap, someone can actually keep a panda as a pet?’ Compared to Hah’Er’s paperwork, Xiaoliu’s was nothing. He then glanced at the phone and was practically blinded by Shen Yibin’s tens of millions of followers. Looking at the social media posts, he saw a photo of Hah’Er with Queen Elizabeth II, an appearance at the Berlin Olympic Stadium... Every post proved that the man’s ownership of the panda was completely legitimate.

"I have a few old classmates from the police academy in Yunzhong City. Let me give them a call to confirm." Seeing all the evidence, the captain finally let his guard down. He took out his phone and made a call. After some pleasantries, he described Shen Yibin’s appearance and gave his license plate number, asking for a verification check. Was there anyone on the Yunzhong police force who didn’t know Shen Yibin? Of course not. He immediately received a positive confirmation, and the misunderstanding was finally cleared up.

"So sorry about that. It was all a misunderstanding," the captain apologized profusely.

"It’s no problem. You’re just doing your jobs." Shen Yibin was understanding. If the police saw a panda and *didn’t* investigate, that would be a dereliction of duty. "So, can I go now?"

"Um, Mr. Shen, where are you headed? How about I give you an escort? It might prevent another misunderstanding later." The captain glanced at Hah’Er and Xiaoliu. ’If they just drive around town like this, they’re bound to get stopped again.’

"Oh, I’m just taking these little guys out for some fun. I heard there’s a nice historic town around here." Shen Yibin didn’t refuse. He knew that he and Hah’Er were far too eye-catching. So, with a police escort leading the way, Shen Yibin arrived at Guzhen without any further trouble. The police captain even enthusiastically recommended several local restaurants with unique specialties, where Shen Yibin, Hah’Er, and the others ate to their hearts’ content.

After that little interlude, Shen Yibin decided not to stop in any crowded towns the next day. The car was spacious enough for all of them to sleep in, plus he had brought a tent. They could easily camp out in the wild, which Xiaoliu and Hah’Er would probably like even more.

"Alright, let’s rest here for the night!" After a full day of driving, Shen Yibin had crossed into Zhongnan Province. By noon tomorrow, he should be near the orange dot on his map. The sky was gradually darkening, so Shen Yibin found a secluded spot and parked. He grabbed the tent and got out, preparing to camp for the night on the scenic mountaintop.

"Hmph!" Hah’Er stretched, plucked Maphario up and set him on its shoulder, then waddled out of the car. The moment Xiaoliu was out, it scampered up a large tree, apparently planning to sleep there for the night.

"It’s not a good place to start a fire, so let’s just have some of our rations. We’ll pass through a few towns tomorrow; we can get a hot meal then." ’Sigh. I hope we don’t run into any more cops.’

Shen Yibin pitched the tent and even hung a hammock for Xiaoliu beside it. Then he took out their rations. The group sat cross-legged on a waterproof mat, munching away and sipping fine wine. In the end, Shen Yibin couldn’t resist the temptation of the Monkey Wine, but he only took a few small sips. By the time he woke up, the alcohol would have worn off completely, so it wouldn’t affect his driving.

With their bellies full, none of them were in a hurry to sleep. Shen Yibin lay back on the mat with his hands behind his head, gazing at the myriad stars in the night sky. Xiaoliu dashed into the woods and returned a moment later with an armful of fruit, which it tossed to Hah’Er and Shen Yibin. Maphario carefully collected the pits, apparently planning to plant them when they got back.

Hah’Er copied Shen Yibin, placing its two thick paws behind its neck and propping up its legs as it lay back on the mat, gazing at the stars with the same curiosity.

’Sigh, other guys bring girls out to stargaze, but here I am, stuck watching with a panda,’ Shen Yibin lamented. Still, if someone offered to trade a girl for Hah’Er, he wouldn’t agree in a million years. You could find girls anywhere, but the only panda in the world who would watch the stars with him was right here in front of him.

Munching on the fruit Xiaoliu had found, enjoying the forest breeze, and watching the stars... life was simply wonderful. Shen Yibin didn’t reluctantly lead them back into the tent until the moon was high overhead.

’I should be able to find that animal tomorrow, right?’