Future Pet Shop

At the dining table, Xie Nannan and Gao Shu were covering their mouths, trying to stifle their laughter. Xia Shixuan rolled her eyes, while Li Shiqing looked completely baffled, as if she wanted to ask something but didn’t know how. Shen Yibin finally had a pretty good idea of just how dirty-minded the girls in his shop were.

"What are you all thinking about?" Shen Yibin was exasperated. ’No matter what I say, you all manage to twist it into something dirty.’ He pointed to the corner by the pond. "Just finish your food and go see for yourselves!"

That was all the motivation they needed. Everyone immediately began eating faster, wolfing down their food in a few bites. Without even bothering to clear the table, they all rushed down to the edge of the pond and saw the work of art the woodpecker had just created.

"This is what it was doing? Boss, it looks exactly like you!" Li Shiqing exclaimed in surprise. She just didn’t understand why looking at this thing would make Wen Yuan and the others laugh so hard.

"Yeah. See these marks? They were all pecked out, one by one, by its beak," Shen Yibin said, gently stroking the top of the statue’s head. The unique texture was strangely captivating.

"Bin, this piece is truly something special! Even though it’s not finished, I can already sense its extraordinary quality. Look at these lines—they’re simple, yet they perfectly capture your essence..." Wen Yuan went on, rattling off a string of professional jargon that left Shen Yibin completely bewildered. Still, he got the gist of it: the woodpecker’s creation was good. Very good. Exceptionally good. In fact, it was unbelievably good.

"Is it really that amazing?" ’It looks like me, sure, but is there anything more to it? Is it really as magical as you’re making it out to be?’ Shen Yibin asked reflexively.

"My main field is landscape design, but I took electives in painting and sculpture in college, so I have a foundational ability to appreciate art. Plus, since I started working, I’ve frequently collaborated with some of the country’s renowned carvers and sculptors." Many of the projects he designed required large sculptures as landscape features or indoor sculptures for home decor. With his existing foundation and subsequent exposure, his eye for art had naturally sharpened.

"Look, the angle of the head tilt is incredibly subtle," Wen Yuan continued, worried Shen Yibin still wasn’t convinced. "At first glance, it gives off a lazy, relaxed vibe. Isn’t that just like your usual personality? And the curve of the lips here, it reflects that same quality..."

Now that he mentioned it, after hearing Wen Yuan’s explanation, Shen Yibin had to admit it sounded right. He really was a lazy person. Otherwise, with the amazing resources at his disposal, he would have built up a much larger fortune by now. Anyone else in his shoes probably would have been dragging Hah’Er to all sorts of commercial events, raking in cash like crazy.

But Shen Yibin’s philosophy was different. ’As long as there’s enough money to live on, that’s all that matters. Why should Hah’Er and I wear ourselves out every day? What’s the point of working yourself to the bone to amass a huge fortune if you have no time to enjoy it? Besides, my heart ached just from watching Hah’Er film one movie. How could I bear to make him work even harder? It’s much more fun to just lounge around the shop and watch him play on his excavator.’

"Hm, I guess you have a point," Shen Yibin couldn’t help but nod in agreement. An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Hey, what do you think about putting the statue in the house as a decoration once it’s finished?"

"The placement of a sculpture has to match the house’s decorative style; you can’t just put it anywhere. Imagine putting a postmodern sculpture in a classical Chinese-style room, or a pair of classical Chinese statues in a minimalist European-style living room. Wouldn’t that feel out of place?" Wen Yuan quickly gave Shen Yibin a lesson. "However, since that’s what you want, we can tailor the interior design to your needs and ensure it integrates perfectly. Um, do you want me to introduce you to a couple of designers?"

"I thought Li Zhen’s team did a pretty good job with their previous designs?" Shen Yibin hesitated. They had done a decent job renovating the shop, and he had been thinking of hiring them for the manor’s renovation as well.

"They’re just so-so. Their construction work is fine, but their design concepts are a bit dated," Wen Yuan said, not wanting to criticize them too harshly. "How about this: I’ll have a couple of friends draw up some initial sketches. You can take those to the renovation company and see what they think. I’ll just be helping you with the design; the construction can still be their job." Wen Yuan figured they wouldn’t refuse; getting to work with a master’s design would be a rare opportunity for Li Zhen’s company.

"Okay, I’ll leave it to you then." Shen Yibin was comfortable enough with Wen Yuan now to skip the pleasantries and agree directly. ’Wen Yuan is a brilliant designer himself,’ he thought. ’And as they say, birds of a feather flock together. The interior designers he knows must be top-notch, right?’

The girls also gathered around the statue, chattering away. While none of them knew much about sculpture, they all had an appreciation for beauty and could vaguely sense that this piece was something special.

"Hah’Er, go get your skateboard!" Seeing the woodpecker looked ready to get back to work, Shen Yibin remembered the skateboard. Once Hah’Er brought it over, he placed it in front of the woodpecker. "Hah’Er and I really misunderstood you this morning. I’m so sorry. Um... do you think you could finish the design on this now?"

Carving a full-figure statue from the tree root was a completely different undertaking than carving a relief on the skateboard deck. The woodpecker had been pecking away all day, and the head of the statue wasn’t even a third of the way done. In contrast, the relief on the skateboard was finished in less than half an hour.

With a rapid series of PECK PECK PECK PECK PECK sounds, a chubby panda began to emerge on the skateboard at a speed visible to the naked eye. The panda was riding a skateboard with a hamster balanced on its head, looking exactly like Hah’Er on one of his joyrides through the park. The figure’s charmingly naive and utterly joyful spirit practically leaped off the board.

"Mmm! Mmm!" Hah’Er nodded enthusiastically at the sight of the relief. He hugged the skateboard, staring at it with wide, adoring eyes, refusing to let go for anything. Suddenly, he seemed to remember throwing cherries at the woodpecker that morning. He bowed repeatedly to the bird in apology and even looked around, apparently intending to find a piece of fruit for the woodpecker to throw back at him. He finally gave up on the idea after Shen Yibin coaxed him out of it.

"Hey, Bin, you’ve had it for a while now. How come you still haven’t given it a name?" Xia Shixuan suddenly asked.

"Uh... let’s call him Marc," Shen Yibin replied instinctively. ’He’s a woodpecker, so of course he needs a French name. Marc is just right.’