Future Pet Shop

"Huh? What’s going on?" Shen Yibin was completely baffled. He had no idea what Xia Shixuan was talking about and subconsciously reached up to touch his hair.

"Don’t move! You’ll mess up such a great hairstyle!" Xia Shixuan quickly grabbed Shen Yibin’s hand. "Boss, which stylist did your hair? They’re amazing! They didn’t even cut it, just combed it a few times, but you look like a completely different person. It’s a world of difference from your old, dorky hairstyle! Quick, tell me where the salon is and what the stylist’s name is. I’m going right after work."

"When did I get my hair done? You know me. Whenever my hair gets long, I just find a random, empty barbershop nearby. I’ve never cared about my hairstyle before." ’What in the world is happening? Huh, could it be...’

"You really didn’t go? Here, see for yourself." Without another word, Xia Shixuan pulled a small mirror from her bag and handed it to him. But she wasn’t done. She grabbed Li Shiqing, who was walking by. "Shi Qing, what do you think? Doesn’t the boss’s new hairstyle look way better than before?"

"It really does! Boss, where did you get it done? I want to go too!" Girls really were all the same—they couldn’t control themselves when they saw a chance to look prettier. Li Shiqing stared at Shen Yibin’s new hairstyle, her eyes sparkling, and joined Xia Shixuan in pestering him for the stylist’s name.

"I really didn’t get a haircut," Shen Yibin mumbled as he took the mirror from Xia Shixuan. The moment he looked, he was so shocked he almost dropped it. ’Holy cow, is that really me in the mirror?’ His hairstyle hadn’t changed much. It was just the way his bangs were parted that was different. But that tiny change completely altered his aura, making him look much more energetic and cheerful—a far cry from the dorky guy he was before.

’Wait, Scarf’s paw was just scratching around in this exact spot earlier. Could it have been him? Was it on purpose or an accident? I knew the pets from the Future Pet Shop were never simple, but if Scarf really did this intentionally, then that skill is just insane, isn’t it?’

"Boss, just tell us already! Where’s the salon? Please, I’m begging you!" Xia Shixuan wheedled, pulling on his arm. Xie Nannan and Gao Shu, who had come over to see what the commotion was about, also urged him to spill the beans.

"I really didn’t go to a barbershop. It was just Scarf. He was messing with my hair for a bit while he was on my shoulder. I don’t know if he did it on purpose or not." Shen Yibin put down the mirror and told them the truth.

"Boss, if you don’t want to tell us, just say so. Is it fun teasing us like this?" Xia Shixuan pouted, looking completely unconvinced. ’A fox that can do hairstyles? Who would believe that?’

"Yeah, it’s not like we’d go during work hours. Besides, if we look good, the customers will feel more comfortable, and that could even boost our sales, right?" the other girls chimed in.

"Believe it or not. It happened on the drive back. My hair was the same as always when we left. If you don’t believe me, go ask Mr. Wen." Shen Yibin shrugged, not bothering to argue with them anymore. He handed the mirror back to Xia Shixuan and turned to head upstairs to the kitchen. On his way past the terrace, he saw Scarf curled up in the freezer again, an ice cream bar in his mouth. "Just one is enough for now," Shen Yibin called out. "I’m about to make you some grilled fish!"

"Mr. Wen, did you notice a change in the boss’s hairstyle?" Unwilling to give up, Xia Shixuan followed him upstairs and found Wen Yuan sitting and drinking tea.

"His hairstyle?" Wen Yuan frowned and thought back for a moment. As a designer, he had an excellent memory for detail. So even though he hadn’t noticed at first, now that Xia Shixuan mentioned it, he immediately recalled it. "I think so, yes. When Bin got in the car at the construction site, he had his old hairstyle. But after he got out, the position of his bangs had changed. Hmm, it looks much better than before." With his exceptional aesthetic sense, it only took Wen Yuan a moment of reflection to make his judgment.

"So his hair really changed in the car? And Scarf was on his shoulder the whole way back?" Xia Shixuan fired off a series of questions, staring at Scarf in the freezer with a look of utter disbelief.

"It seems so. I didn’t see Bin touch his hair himself, but it looked like this when we got back." At this point, Wen Yuan also found it strange. ’Could Bin’s new hairstyle really be Scarf’s doing?’

"I get it now! Thanks, Mr. Wen!" Without another word, Xia Shixuan crouched down in front of the freezer. Braving the cold air blasting her face, she put on a winning smile and said to Scarf, "Hey, Scarf, sweetie, did you do the boss’s new hairstyle just now? Could you please give me a new hairstyle too? I’ll buy you Häagen-Dazs, how about that?"

How would Scarf know what Häagen-Dazs was? He just stared at Xia Shixuan with a baffled look. Xia Shixuan realized this and pulled out her phone, found a picture of Häagen-Dazs ice cream, and showed it to Scarf. "Look, it’s this. It’s ice cream too, but it’s much tastier than what you’re eating!" Seeing the pictures of ice cream, Scarf did indeed seem interested.

But that wasn’t all. Afraid that Scarf wouldn’t know what a hairstyle was, Xia Shixuan then found the candid photo she had secretly taken of Shen Yibin earlier. Pointing at his bangs, she asked, "Did you do this for Bin just now?"

This time, Scarf understood. He gave a slight nod. Xia Shixuan was overjoyed and immediately stuck her head in front of Scarf. Pointing at her own hair, she asked, "Do you think my hair has any room for improvement? If you fix it up for me, I’ll go buy you ice cream right away!"

Xia Shixuan had stuck her head right into the freezer. The cold air blew against her, making her cheeks start to go numb, but what was a little discomfort in the pursuit of becoming more beautiful?

Scarf reached out a paw and pawed at Xia Shixuan’s hair a couple of times, but the angle seemed awkward. So, he climbed out of the freezer, hopped onto the sofa, and gestured for Xia Shixuan to sit there. Xia Shixuan immediately obeyed. Once she was seated, Scarf leaped onto her shoulder and started fiddling with her hair again.

So, when Shen Yibin came out after finishing the cooking, he was greeted by the sight of Scarf perched on Xia Shixuan’s shoulder, helping her fix her hairstyle. And what do you know, even Shen Yibin, who was completely clueless about aesthetics, could tell that after this little adjustment, Xia Shixuan looked even more beautiful.

’Man,’ Shen Yibin thought, ’if I’d known you could do this, I wouldn’t have named you Scarf. I would’ve just called you Neymar!’