Future Pet Shop

"Oh, so you’re saying I wasn’t handsome before?" After the new hairstyle and what had just happened in the shop, Shen Yibin was now basically immune to this kind of teasing. He puffed out his chest and replied, feigning composure, but the corner of his mouth couldn’t help but curve into a slight smile. ’Who could ever get tired of compliments, anyway?’

"Tch. Look at the clothes you used to wear, and then look at this outfit. Your fashion sense wasn’t even in the same league before, okay?" Xia Shixuan mercilessly pricked Shen Yibin’s bubble, pursing her lips. When she saw Scarf perched on Shen Yibin’s shoulder, she instantly understood where the clothes came from. "Boss Shen, Scarf picked these clothes out for you, didn’t it?"

’Hey, couldn’t you just play dumb for a bit and let me enjoy my moment?’ Frustrated that his showing off had been cut short, but not brazen enough to take Scarf’s credit for himself, Shen Yibin could only reply sullenly, "Yeah. I bought them when I went to get it some Häagen-Dazs."

"Alright, I’m going to make dinner. You all get back to work!" ’Hmph, can’t even let me enjoy my moment. Careful, or I might get angry and fire you one of these days!’ Thinking this, Shen Yibin turned to take Scarf upstairs.

"Boss Shen, wait a second!" Xia Shixuan quickly grabbed Shen Yibin and pleaded in a wheedling voice, "Boss, you can go make dinner by yourself. Just leave Scarf with me, okay?" Needless to say, she was planning to take Scarf to the department store for a shopping spree. A glance at Li Shiqing and the other girls revealed they all had the same idea; no one cared about dinner at all.

"Hey! It’s not closing time yet. Look at yourselves! Go tend to the customers. Scarf has been out in the heat for most of the day and needs to rest!" Shen Yibin was in a foul mood now. He shook his arm free from Xia Shixuan’s grasp and stomped up to the second floor. He placed Scarf in the freezer, and as he stood up, he thought he saw a few extra tubs of Häagen-Dazs ice cream inside. ’Perhaps Xia Shixuan ran out to buy them for Scarf just now.’

’Hmph. Abandoning your post during work hours for personal errands. I’m definitely docking your pay later!’ Shen Yibin fumed as he walked into the kitchen and started to prepare dinner.

"Bin, I brought my wife and kid over to bum a meal. You’re not mad, are you?" Shen Yibin was in the middle of stir-frying when he heard Wen Yuan’s voice from the other room. He turned off the stove and went out to see Wen Yuan, his wife, and their child just reaching the top of the stairs to the second floor. ’Huh, why is his wife blushing? She seems a little embarrassed.’

"Mr. Shen, please don’t listen to my husband’s nonsense. It’s just that the little one and I haven’t seen you in a while, so we brought some local specialties from our hometown to pay you a visit." Her words were polite, but Shen Yibin saw Wen Yuan’s wife, Meihong, sneaking glances at Scarf. The purpose of their visit was self-evident.

"It’s a rare honor to have you visit! Please, have a seat and some tea. Dinner will be ready soon." But Wen Yuan wasn’t one of his employees, and he had helped Shen Yibin out a great deal with building the manor. Shen Yibin couldn’t really object, so he just offered a few pleasantries with a smile, asked Li Shiqing to come up and pour them tea, and then returned to the kitchen to get back to work.

After preparing a few Northeastern specialty dishes, Shen Yibin called for the girls to serve the food and get ready for dinner. As he came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of chicken and mushroom stew, he saw Meihong crouching by the freezer, trying to cozy up to Scarf with some ice cream. Li Shiqing and the other girls looked thoroughly dejected, but Meihong was a guest, not a coworker, so there was little they could say.

"Come on, dinner’s ready! Come and taste the new skills I picked up from the Northeast." ’Sigh, it’s best not to get involved in women’s business. You’re wrong no matter what you do.’ Shen Yibin pretended not to notice and called everyone to the table. His cooking skills had become increasingly superb. After eating Northeastern cuisine a few times and chatting with the chefs there, he had grasped its essence. His chicken and mushroom stew, stewed pork with glass noodles, and crispy sweet and sour pork were all perfectly authentic, easily rivaling those from many century-old restaurants in the Northeast.

On any other occasion, the girls would have been showering his cooking with praise. But today, their minds were not on the food at all. They stared at Scarf without blinking, plotting how they could be the first to get their hands on it, have it style their hair, and take it out for a shopping spree!

’A new hairstyle and outfit aren’t enough. I need to pick out lip gloss, a handbag, jewelry... Since Scarf can create such an amazing hairstyle and find such great clothes for Boss Shen, it must be good at picking these things out too. After I buy everything, I’ll put it all on, take a ton of pictures, and post them all over my feed to show off! Let all those little bitches eat their hearts out!’

In an instant, gazes clashed across the table, sparks flying. Shen Yibin couldn’t stand to watch anymore. He lowered his head and shoveled rice into his mouth, hoping that what he couldn’t see couldn’t bother him.

"Having dinner, Bin?" He had just finished a small bowl of rice and was about to get up for a refill when he heard a voice call from downstairs. It sounded like Bai Yanni.

"Yeah, Officer Bai! Have you eaten yet? If not, come on up and join us. I made Northeastern food today." Shen Yibin stood and peered down through the railing, where he saw Bai Yanni in her police uniform looking up at him.

"I just got off work and was passing by, so I thought I’d drop in. Bin, that outfit looks great on you," Bai Yanni praised him sincerely, though she felt a pang of disappointment. ’Sigh, he’s still calling me Officer Bai... When will he finally call me by a different name?’

’Hmph. "Passing by?" Yeah, right!’ Xia Shixuan grumbled inwardly. She was starting to regret posting a picture of her new hairstyle on her feed. Now she had another rival to deal with.

"Well, come on up and eat then. I’ll go get you a bowl and chopsticks." Completely oblivious, Shen Yibin simply assumed Bai Yanni was telling the truth about passing by. He hurried to the kitchen to grab a fresh set of dinnerware for her.

"Bin, what’s for dinner? It smells amazing!" Just as he set the bowl and chopsticks down for Bai Yanni, another familiar voice drifted up from downstairs. He walked over to the railing and looked down to see Qiao Wenqi and Mo Xiaomo arriving together.

"Northeastern food! You couldn’t have timed it better. Quick, come up and join us!" ’Huh, why is everyone showing up today?’ For a moment, Shen Yibin couldn’t figure it out. He shook his head and returned to the kitchen once more to get bowls and chopsticks for the two of them.

"Bin, is this the new pet you brought back from the Northeast? What a gorgeous little thing!" The moment they saw Scarf, both of them exclaimed in unison.

’Sigh... the competition tonight is going to be unprecedentedly fierce!’ Xia Shixuan leaned back in her chair, completely dejected. It looked like there was no hope of taking Scarf shopping today.