Future Pet Shop

"Mr. Wen, you should come take a look too. I’ve never really seen what a totem pole looks like before." Shen Yibin gestured for Wen Yuan to come over and inspect it. At the same time, he wondered to himself, ’Should I take Hah’Er to see a Native American tribe’s totem poles the next time I go to the US?’

"I just looked up some information on Native American totem poles and called a few of my old female classmates in America for advice. Then I finished the coloring based on the style of those totem poles," Mr. Long Sheng said, full of confidence. His artistic talent was far superior to his skill at picking up girls.

"It does look quite similar." Wen Yuan took the totem pole model and set it aside, examining it carefully. Mr. Long Sheng’s work was remarkably similar to what he had seen when visiting a Native American tribe in the US. Moreover, it had been modified to incorporate the features of Marc, Hah’Er, and Cheeky, highlighting their unique characteristics while preserving the sculpture’s exaggerated style.

"Hmm, it looks really good." Shen Yibin was also very pleased. He thought for a moment, then called over his pets—Marc, Bald Qiang, Hah’Er, and the others—to let them have a look too. After all, it was their likenesses that had been carved.

"Huh?" Hah’Er shuffled closer and hugged the small totem pole, grinning foolishly at the panda carving on it, turning it over and over in his paws. Bald Qiang instinctively wanted to grab the wood and start gnawing on it, but just as he was about to, he realized the spot he was aiming for was Gao Lujie’s statue. He quickly snapped his mouth shut. Who knew the little guy was henpecked?

"KIK! KIK!" Marc chirped twice and landed on Mr. Long Sheng’s shoulder. He looked at the woodpecker carving at the top and nodded. Maphario stood on Hah’Er’s arm, desperately standing on his tiptoes as if comparing his height to the hamster statue. Shen Yibin couldn’t help but shake his head. ’It’s no use standing on your tiptoes. There’s still a six-meter-tall hamster statue to be completed. You think you can be taller than that?’

"Bin, it looks like they all really like it. Why don’t you just let Mr. Long Sheng do it?" After all, Wen Yuan worked in design and had a keen eye for color and aesthetics. This piece gave him a good sense of Mr. Long Sheng’s abilities; he was confident Mr. Long Sheng was up to the task.

"Okay." Shen Yibin walked up to Mr. Long and asked, "Mr. Long, your skill is truly impressive. If you’re willing, the job is yours. Do you have any specific requirements?" Now that it was decided, it was time to talk price. Shen Yibin wasn’t the least bit afraid of him naming an exorbitant price; he had plenty of money now.

"If it were anyone else, I’d definitely charge a fortune. But Shi Xuan and I grew up together, and she works for you, so we’re practically family. I’ll just give you an honest price." Mr. Long Sheng chuckled and named a figure. "This includes my labor, the cost of the paint, and all other expenses. What do you think, Mr. Shen?"

"No problem. I’ll have my lawyer draft a contract. We’ll sign, and I’ll pay you half upfront, then the other half upon completion and inspection." The figure was even lower than Shen Yibin had expected, so he agreed immediately. He then called his lawyer, Zhang Danxuan, and asked her to draw up the contract and bring it over.

"Deal. Let me borrow your car again. I need to buy some tools. I can’t use paintbrushes on a pillar this thick. I also need to figure out a way to keep the paint from dripping everywhere." Mr. Long Sheng already had a plan for painting the Totem Pole. He took the keys from Shen Yibin and headed downtown to get busy.

By the time he returned, Zhang Danxuan had already delivered the contract. Shen Yibin and Mr. Long Sheng gave it a quick look, had no objections, and signed their names. The job was officially his. Mr. Long Sheng immediately got to work, taking a large pile of tools up the elevator to the section being carved and began to paint.

’Huh, why did Marc land on his shoulder just now? Could it be...?’ Just as Shen Yibin started to ponder this, his train of thought was interrupted by his ringing phone. He answered it and heard it was someone from Disney. ’Have they finalized the contract already?’ Shen Yibin quickly asked.

"No, no, no, we’ve agreed on the major points, but there are still a few minor details to iron out. Don’t worry, though, it’ll be settled soon. I’m calling about something else. Headquarters has already sent a senior designer to Yunzhong City to conduct a preliminary site inspection. It’s a gesture of our sincerity. He just boarded his flight to Yunzhong City, and we were hoping Mr. Shen could provide some assistance when he arrives." ’Sending someone over before the contract is even finalized? They really are sincere.’

"No problem. Send me his name and contact information, and I’ll go pick him up at the airport right away!" Shen Yibin was naturally happy to hear such good news and readily agreed.

"His name is Lance, his phone number is..., and his flight number is... I’ll send you his photo on WeChat in a moment." After receiving the information, Shen Yibin checked the flight’s real-time status and saw it would be landing soon. He called Hah’Er, and they got in the car and headed for Yunzhong City Airport.

After arriving at the airport and waiting a short while, the flight landed smoothly. Shen Yibin left Hah’Er in the car and went to the arrivals exit alone. He dialed Lance’s number. He didn’t dare bring Hah’Er out at a time like this; the airport was crawling with reporters and fans of *Panda Hero*.

Just as the call connected, Shen Yibin saw Lance walk out of the exit, followed by a translator. After a brief exchange to confirm their identities, Shen Yibin led them to the parking lot, opened the car door, and invited them in.

"Whoa, Panda!" When they saw Hah’Er in the passenger seat, both of them lit up with surprise. They leaned over the back of the seat, staring eagerly at Hah’Er.

"Ooh," Hah’Er turned around, raising a paw to wave a welcome at them.

"Building an amusement park for Panda must make me the luckiest designer in the world!" Lance said joyfully.

"Mr. Lance, shall we head to the hotel for you to rest first? Which one did you book? If you haven’t booked one, I can make arrangements for you!" Shen Yibin said as he started the car.

"We already have a reservation, but we don’t need to rest right now. I want to go see the plot of land you’ve prepared and start thinking about what facilities we can put there," Lance said, looking eager to get started.