Future Pet Shop

’Why does the atmosphere feel so weird today?’ Shen Yibin found himself eating slower and slower. Even someone as dense as him had noticed the bizarre shift in mood. ’It looks like all these girls are treating Scarf like a priceless treasure. There’s bound to be a fierce fight after dinner, right? So what am I supposed to do?’

’There’s no way they’ll be able to convince each other to back down. That means the thankless job of deciding who Scarf styles first will fall on my shoulders. Damn it, is there any perfect solution to this kind of problem? Their complaints will probably all land on me. Looking around, Li Shiqing, Xie Nannan, and Gao Shu are my employees. Meihong is Wen Yuan’s wife. Qiao Wenqi and Mo Xiaomo are my classmates. Bai Yanni and I have always been on good terms, and she’s helped me out a lot before. Who am I supposed to help?’ Shen Yibin’s mind instantly descended into chaos. ’No matter who I help, I’ll end up completely offending everyone else! What kind of terrible luck is this? Why did this have to happen to me?’

Shen Yibin’s eating pace grew slower and slower. He dawdled, refusing to finish, just poking at the rice in his bowl. He didn’t dare clean his plate because he knew that as soon as dinner was over, the conflict would finally erupt. If he handled it even slightly wrong, he would face a miserable fate.

’Anyone, please, just call and get me out of here! Director Kong, hurry up and tell me there’s a new city that needs Hah’Er for a thank-you tour. I won’t find it tiring at all. I’ll take Hah’Er there overnight, how about that?’

’Disney, aren’t you guys supposed to be coming to build amusement park rides at my estate? Why aren’t you here yet? Hurry up and tell me you’ve already landed at Yunzhong City’s airport. I’ll drive over to pick you up and take you to a hotel right away. Then I’ll throw a huge welcome banquet for you, and we won’t go home until we’re drunk!’

’Sun Qian, you’ve been gone so long, you must be back from abroad by now, right? Are you holding a concert somewhere again soon? Just one call, and I’ll be on the next plane to go support you!’ At this point, Shen Yibin would rather be roasted by Cheeky’s sharp tongue than stay here and suffer this torture.

’Sakai, didn’t you say you were going to bring Egg to Yunzhong City to hang out with me? I happen to have time right now, so hurry up and come! I’ll take you camping in the mountains!’

’Xu Ye! Where the hell have you been lately? You haven’t come to hang out at all! You used to always try to drag me to bars, and I’d always refuse. This time, I promise I’ll say yes. Let’s go have some real fun!’

However... even though Shen Yibin kept praying to all the gods in heaven, it seemed to have no effect. His phone, sitting beside him, remained silent. Not a single one of the people he’d just thought of called him. What was even more terrifying was that everyone else at the table had finished eating. They had put down their bowls and chopsticks and were now silently watching Shen Yibin.

’I absolutely can’t stay in the store any longer.’ Shen Yibin’s bowl was also nearly empty. His mind raced, racking his brains for any way to escape. Finally, he gritted his teeth, snatched his phone, and, without even thinking about Hah’Er, shot up and ran downstairs. "My stomach feels a little upset! I’m going to the hospital to see a doctor! You guys have fun!"

"Bin!"

"Boss!"

"Mr. Shen!" The sound of scraping chairs immediately erupted from upstairs as the ladies at the table all shot to their feet. But by the time they reacted, Shen Yibin was already gone.

"Haha, if I were Bin, I wouldn’t dare stay in the store either!" Xia Shixuan was amused by Shen Yibin’s shameless display. Her hair was already done, putting her in a much more detached position than the others. However, she didn’t want to stay here any longer either. She picked up her small purse and stood up to leave. "I’m meeting a friend for drinks at a bar, so I won’t keep you company. Anyone want to come with me? We can leave right now."

Of course, there were no takers. They could go to a bar anytime, but their hair had to be done right away! From Meihong to Li Shiqing, from Qiao Wenqi to Bai Yanni, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Scarf. No one was willing to leave. Xia Shixuan shrugged, pushed open the main door, and walked out. She glanced left and right, but Shen Yibin was long gone.

’Huh, he didn’t even take his car. Bin really left in a hurry. I wonder where he went?’ Xia Shixuan didn’t believe for a second that Shen Yibin was actually sick. ’He definitely ran off to hide from the trouble. If it were me, I’d probably find a familiar bar and have a good drink. But Shen Yibin rarely goes to places like that, so where on earth could he be?’

’Sigh, where should I go?’ At a street corner, Shen Yibin was starting to get a headache over that very question. ’A walk in the park? Too close to the pet store, and who knows if someone might come looking for me. Oh, right, I should set my phone to silent first, so it doesn’t get blown up with calls.’

’Go to the movies? It’s so weird to go to the movies alone. I don’t want people laughing at me. Besides, because of *Panda Hero*’s release, a lot of other blockbusters have shifted their schedules, so there aren’t many good movies to watch right now.’

’A bar? No, that won’t work either. It seemed like Xia Shixuan left just now, too. She’s definitely going to a bar for a drink. How awkward would it be if I ran into her by chance?’

’I should just find a café to sit and have some tea. I’ll try to kill these next few hours. I’ll go back when it’s almost bedtime. The fighting should be over by then, right?’

He opened the map on his phone, found a café in a secluded area, and flagged down a taxi. After giving the address, he was dropped off at the café’s entrance a little over ten minutes later.

Pushing the door open, he saw the café was dimly lit. People were whispering over the soft, gentle music. The atmosphere was exactly what Shen Yibin was looking for. He found a seat in a corner, casually ordered a cup of tea, and sat there, sipping it while admiring the night view outside the window.

He didn’t dare look at his phone. There were bound to be tons of messages from people, and it was better to just not see them. ’Out of sight, out of mind.’

Shen Yibin’s arrival had also caught the attention of quite a few people in the shop. His new hairstyle and the clothes meticulously chosen by Scarf made many people’s eyes light up. Even the café’s dim lighting couldn’t hide Shen Yibin’s charm.

For instance, two teenage girls at the next table, about eighteen or nineteen years old, huddled together and started whispering. They kept stealing glances at Shen Yibin. They nudged each other back and forth, as if arguing about something.

Before long, their argument finally produced a result. The girl with the shorter hair mustered up her courage, walked over to Shen Yibin’s table, and offered a sweet smile. "Hi, could I get your WeChat?"