Future Pet Shop

’What is going on?’ Shen Yibin was at a loss. Growing up, aside from saleswomen, no woman had ever approached him to say hello, especially not a girl this pretty. Well, except for that time during the filming of *Panda Hero*.

"Hey handsome, just let us add you. What’s there to be shy about?" As he stood there in a daze, the other girl couldn’t take it anymore. She hurried over, pulling out her phone to display her WeChat QR code. "C’mon, handsome, just scan my code. I’ll treat you to dessert."

’How depressing.’ ’Back in school, I’d offer to buy girls dessert and no one would even give me the time of day. Now a girl is offering to treat me.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but glance down at his outfit. The old saying "Fine feathers make fine birds" was really true. Just a new haircut and a change of clothes, and the way people treated him was completely different.

This kind of treatment was intoxicating to Shen Yibin. He couldn’t resist pulling out his phone. ’Damn, so many messages!’ He had a ton of unread WeChat messages and texts, plus a bunch of missed calls. He pretended not to see them, pushed the notifications aside, and opened WeChat to scan the QR code. "Ruoxi?"

"That’s me! I’m Xu Ruoxi. What’s your name, handsome?" Xu Ruoxi boldly sat down across from Shen Yibin. She shot her friend a triumphant smile, as if to say, ’See? I got him first.’

"Handsome, what about me? Scan mine too. My name is Le Yi." Not to be outdone, Le Yi sat down next to Xu Ruoxi and held out her own WeChat QR code. Without waiting for Shen Yibin’s consent, she waved a waiter over. "Two milk teas and a tiramisu, please. Handsome, is there anything else you want? My treat!"

Shen Yibin was a bit overwhelmed by the attention. "That’s plenty, that’s plenty. That’ll be all," he said quickly. After the waiter left, he continued, "My name is Bin."

"Bin, you’re here drinking coffee all by yourself so late at night. Why isn’t your girlfriend here with you?" Xu Ruoxi rested her chin on her hands, probing as she stared at Shen Yibin.

"Girlfriend? No, no, I’m still single." ’Waaaah, in a few more months I’ll be able to conjure fireballs. It’s so depressing just thinking about it.’

"Ahhh, no way! Bin, you’re so handsome, and you don’t have a girlfriend?" Le Yi drew out her words in an exaggerated tone. "Don’t tell me you’re gay? That would be such a waste."

’Get lost! I’m a bona fide straight man! It’s just that no girl has ever been interested in me! And what do you mean, "a waste"? In school, my family wasn’t well-off, so I couldn’t afford to dress well. On top of that, I was too shy to talk to girls, so I graduated college without ever dating anyone. After I started working, I was too busy saving up to open my pet shop to even think about it. That’s why I’m still single.’

"Hehe, what a thing to say. Bin would never be gay. Right?" Xu Ruoxi lightly slapped Le Yi’s arm. "Bin just has really high standards, so he hasn’t found an ordinary girl who’s good enough for him, right?"

"No, it’s just that I’ve been too busy with work to have time to think about it," Shen Yibin quickly explained. ’But is it really because I’m too busy?’ Shen Yibin felt a little lost. Ever since he’d gotten involved with the Future Pet Shop, business had been great. With his employees helping out, his days weren’t all that busy.

"Ooh, so Bin is a career-driven man! That’s so impressive." Xu Ruoxi’s eyes scanned Shen Yibin’s clothes. From her experience, she could tell they definitely weren’t cheap. ’Haha, I can’t believe I’d run into a tall, rich, handsome guy just by sitting down in a coffee shop. My luck is pretty good.’

’Sigh, I wish I’d come over by myself. Now I’ll have to fight Le Yi for him.’ At that thought, Xu Ruoxi leaned forward, getting even closer to Shen Yibin. "So, Bin, what kind of girls do you like? The pure and cute type, like me, or the sexy and alluring type, like Le Yi?" ’Shy guys with no dating experience like him usually prefer my type, right? I look like the girl next door from their school days, the perfect way for them to make up for the regret of never dating back then.’

Xu Ruoxi had actually guessed right. That was exactly what Shen Yibin was thinking. If he had to choose between the two of them, he would lean toward Xu Ruoxi. It wasn’t that he wanted to make up for any regrets, but rather that Le Yi’s aura reminded him of Xia Shixuan. He’d been so tormented by that girl that seeing Le Yi made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Hello, here are your milk teas and tiramisu." The waiter delivered the cake and drinks, giving Shen Yibin a chance to breathe.

"Bin, let me cut the cake for you!" Le Yi vaguely sensed that she was losing ground, so she quickly tried to use this gesture to show Shen Yibin her gentle and considerate side, hoping to make up for it.

’If I had been sitting here yesterday, no girl would have come up to talk to me, right? This world really does belong to the beautiful people.’ Shen Yibin was filled with mixed feelings.

With two cute girls to chat with, time flew by. Before he knew it, it was already past ten o’clock. Shen Yibin’s phone kept buzzing with new messages, but he didn’t dare, nor did he want, to look at them. It wasn’t until he accidentally glanced at his screen and saw that it was half past ten that he hurriedly stood up. "It’s getting late, I should be heading back. You two should get some rest too!"

"It’s only half past ten! How is that late? Let’s talk a little longer!" Le Yi pouted, looking very unhappy. Xu Ruoxi also had a regretful look on her face.

"In that case, Bin, let’s chat on WeChat after you get back! And when we have time, let’s get coffee together again." As Xu Ruoxi said this, she glanced at Le Yi. ’Hmph, I’m not bringing you with me next time.’

"Okay, let’s keep in touch on WeChat then. See you around." Shen Yibin waved goodbye to the two girls, walked out, and hailed a taxi to head back to the shop. On the way, the two girls kept sending him WeChat messages, and Shen Yibin replied to each one with a smile.

"We’re here, sir." The taxi stopped at the entrance. After paying and getting out, Shen Yibin could faintly see through the glass window that the light on the second-floor terrace was still on. He could also vaguely hear the sound of voices. His heart leaped into his throat again. ’Don’t tell me they’re still in there?’

Now Shen Yibin was in a bind. ’Should I go in, or should I go back out and hide for a while longer?’