Future Pet Shop

After seeing the two of them off, Shen Yibin called Director Kong to explain what had happened and ask for his help. Director Kong readily agreed. "Don’t worry, Bin. I’ll have my agent come find you in a bit. Give him the letter of authorization, and I guarantee he’ll negotiate the best and most flexible terms for you."

"Thank you, Director Kong. The main thing is the three conditions I brought up. As long as they can agree to those, the other terms are negotiable," Shen Yibin said. "I’ll be heading back to Yunzhong City tomorrow, then. Let me know once the cities and schedule for the fan appreciation tour are set, and I’ll bring Hah’Er out again."

"Okay. I’ll do my best to coordinate the locations and times so it won’t be too exhausting for Hah’Er." Director Kong was still hoping Hah’Er would agree to film a sequel, so of course he wouldn’t let the panda get overworked.

Not long after he hung up, Director Kong’s agent rushed over. Shen Yibin gave him his list of requirements and the letter of authorization. "I’ll leave this in your hands, then." Shen Yibin also subtly hinted that if the deal was successful, there would naturally be a reward for the agent’s efforts.

"That won’t be necessary, Mr. Shen. You’ve already done most of the talking with Disney. I’ll just be there to haggle a bit. Besides, you’ve helped Mr. Kong so much, and the benefits that has brought me are already more than enough." The blockbuster success of *Panda Hero* was a huge windfall for Director Kong, and his agent also made a killing. "If you insist on being so courteous, Mr. Shen, then just gift me a couple of bottles of good wine. I haven’t been able to forget the taste since I had some at Mr. Kong’s place. But Mr. Kong is so stingy, he refuses to share. I’ve been craving it ever since."

"Of course, no problem. I’ll bring you a few bottles next time. However, work deserves reward. If you keep refusing, I’m afraid I won’t feel right about troubling you." It was one thing for the agent to be polite, but Shen Yibin had no intention of skimping on what he owed. After some back-and-forth, seeing Shen Yibin’s sincerity, the agent finally agreed.

After resting for a night, Shen Yibin once again boarded a Blue Sky Airlines flight back to Yunzhong City. The explosive debut of *Panda Hero* had caused Hah’Er’s already high popularity to skyrocket even further. Throughout the journey, people kept spotting Hah’Er and shrieking with delight. If it weren’t for the help of airport security, Shen Yibin probably wouldn’t have even been able to board the plane smoothly.

’This is kind of terrifying,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’I guess being famous isn’t always a good thing. I should try to avoid crowded places like this from now on. If Hah’Er gets scared, I’ll be heartbroken.’ He secretly made up his mind.

When he arrived at the airport, Xia Shixuan, who was there to pick him up, immediately launched into a tirade of complaints. "Boss, I demand a raise! And a commission! If this keeps up, I’m going to work myself to death!"

"What’s going on?" ’I’ve only been gone for a few days, how did things get like this?’ he wondered, immediately growing tense. "Did something happen at the store?"

"Duh! Have you seen how insanely popular *Panda Hero* is right now?! Ever since it premiered, our store has been packed with fans from all over the country. The four of us are busy from morning till night and we still can’t serve everyone. I’m about to lose my mind!" Xia Shixuan quickly recounted recent events at the store. All these people had caused sales to skyrocket, but they had also pushed the four of them to their breaking point.

"A raise, a raise, a raise! I’ll give you all bonuses when I get back! If you’re tired, let’s just close the store for a couple of days and go hang out at Xu Ye’s manor." ’Sigh, my own manor isn’t finished yet, so I have to borrow someone else’s,’ he thought. ’Anyway, from what Xia Shixuan said, the pets in the store are almost sold out, and they haven’t had time to restock. We might as well just take a break for a couple of days.’

"You dare go back now? If those people see Hah’Er, they’ll block the entire street! You’d better find a place to lay low for a few days until this blows over!" Xia Shixuan warned. If this many people came when Hah’Er wasn’t even there, the die-hard fans would go absolutely crazy if he suddenly appeared.

"To the countryside it is, then. Bald Qiang, Xiaoliu, and the others are there, right?" Shen Yibin immediately took Xia Shixuan’s advice and had her turn the car around and head for the manor in the suburbs.

"Obviously. There’s no way they could stay at the store now. They took off with Wen Yuan first thing in the morning." Xia Shixuan rolled her eyes, seemingly annoyed that she couldn’t run off with them too.

"After you drop me off, go back and close the store. If any customers refuse to leave, get Officer Bai to help. Send the remaining pets to be boarded at Bao’s for the time being. We’ll reopen after you’ve all had a good rest. I’ll call Xu Ye to ask about borrowing his place," Shen Yibin said, leaning lazily in the passenger seat while massaging his temples.

"There were only a few left when I came to pick you up. I reckon they were sold out long ago, which gives us the perfect excuse to close up," Xia Shixuan said with a nod.

"Okay. I brought gifts for you all in my luggage. I’ll hand them out once everyone is there. Oh, right, ask Officer Bai if she has any days off and wants to come hang out at the manor with us." As he spoke, Shen Yibin picked up his phone to call Xu Ye. In just a few words, they’d settled the matter of borrowing the manor; the man himself would also be coming over to join them. After a moment’s thought, Shen Yibin decided he might as well invite Qiao Wenqi and the others, too.

"Boss, Officer Bai sounded a little upset just now," Xia Shixuan said, hanging up the phone with a suggestive smile. "She asked why you didn’t invite her yourself."

"Uh, is there a difference between you calling and me calling?" Shen Yibin, completely clueless, looked at Xia Shixuan with a baffled expression.

"Sigh. Just stay single forever, then!" Xia Shixuan shook her head, at a loss for words.

Before long, the car stopped at the entrance of a construction site. Shen Yibin got out with Hah’Er, his gaze immediately falling upon the Totem Pole. Unfortunately, it was covered in green netting, obscuring the work’s progress. He could only faintly make out a few dark figures bustling about; it seemed they had already started carving the fourth animal.

He called Wen Yuan and had him lower the elevator. Shen Yibin went up with Hah’Er and the others, and discovered they were already carving the statue of Egg.

’Sakai Kaori would be blown away if she saw this, right?’ Shen Yibin thought to himself. ’It’s way bigger than the Raccoon Cat statue in her Shrine.’

As the elevator slowly rose, he looked at the statues one by one. Marc, Hah’Er, Cheeky, and Egg were all rendered with lifelike, vivid detail. The only slight shame was that they hadn’t been painted yet. ’Maybe it’s time to find someone to paint them?’ he wondered.