Future Pet Shop

What will be, will be. There's no escaping it anyway. 'I might as well just go in!' Shen Yibin bit the bullet, pushed open the shop door, and walked inside. He silently raised his head to look at the second-floor terrace, bracing himself for the coming storm. But after standing there for several minutes, forget a storm—not a single person even greeted him. Shen Yibin was being spectacularly ignored.

"Bai, I think your new hairstyle is so dashing! It's a perfect match for your vibe. Mine, on the other hand... it makes me look like I haven't even graduated. I feel so childish with this hairstyle." That sounded like Li Shiqing. Though her words were a complaint, her tone held no trace of actual unhappiness.

"You should be happy with it! If I could get a new hairstyle and look two or three years younger, I'd be so thrilled I could die laughing," Xia Shixuan scoffed from the side. It was a rare occasion for her to be back from the bar so early.

"Mine is nothing. Meihong's new hairstyle makes her look at least five years younger." 'Hey, she's so much older than you and you're still calling her "sister"? That really messes with the generational lines, doesn't it?'

On the terrace, Xia Shixuan, Li Shiqing, and Bai Yanni were huddled together, chattering away. They went from complimenting one person's new hairstyle to discussing another's new look, completely oblivious to the floor below. Shen Yibin couldn't help but shake his head. 'If a thief were to walk in, they could probably strip the place bare and no one would even notice.'

'Oh well, looks like they've sorted everything out, so I don't need to worry anymore. I might as well feed the pets.' Shen Yibin walked to the edge of the bamboo grove and woke up Hah'Er, who was dozing on the wooden bridge. The two of them went to the storage room, took out the pet food, and began feeding the animals one by one, opening their cages to let them stretch their legs.

This time, the commotion finally drew the attention of the group upstairs. Xia Shixuan leaned over the railing, a teasing smile playing on her lips as she looked down at Shen Yibin. "Feeling better, Boss? What did the doctor say? They didn't tell you to check into the hospital?"

'Hospitalize my ass! Are you trying to jinx me?' Shen Yibin was fuming internally but couldn't say it out loud. He could only reply vaguely, "I'm fine. I think eating that ice cream this afternoon just upset my stomach. It'll pass."

"Oh dear, that won't do at all. Boss, you're the backbone of this shop! If anything were to happen to you, we'd all starve to death. You must take better care of your precious health! I know a few excellent specialists. How about I call and book an appointment, then take you for a follow-up exam tomorrow?" Xia Shixuan still wouldn't let Shen Yibin off the hook, pulling out her phone and making a show of dialing.

'If you were really so concerned, why didn't you call from the start? What's the point of saying this now?' Shen Yibin waved his hand dismissively. "I feel fine already. Let's not bother them."

"Boss, let me help you!" Li Shiqing finally realized that feeding the pets was also part of their duties. She quickly trotted downstairs and took the basket full of pet food from Shen Yibin's hands.

Xie Nannan and Gao Shu also sprang into action. One grabbed a broom, the other a mop, and they began cleaning the entire pet shop. Xia Shixuan shot Shen Yibin a look before joining the work as well.

"Oh my, I didn't even notice it's almost eleven o'clock. We should get going. So sorry to have kept you this late, Bin," Wen Yuan said apologetically as he checked his watch. He took Meihong's arm and bid Shen Yibin farewell. The look in his eyes was brimming with deep affection for Meihong. 'Looks like the new hairstyle really improved their marital relations. Wen Yuan's probably in for some 'hard labor' tonight.'

"I should get going too. I'm on duty tomorrow. Bye, Bin." Bai Yanni also rose quickly and left with Wen Yuan.

"Bin, we came all this way and you actually ran off! Next time, you have to treat us to a meal to make up for it. Oh, and you have to let Scarf go shopping with us!" Mo Xiaomo was much more direct. She came stomping down the stairs and glared at Shen Yibin. The poor girl still had her old hairstyle; it looked like she hadn't gotten her turn.

"Alright, alright. Just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you tomorrow. You can come straight over for dinner," Shen Yibin said, throwing his hands up in surrender. He really didn't dare say anything more.

"Hmph. Good, you know what's what. Qiqi and I will be over tomorrow as soon as we're off work. And don't you dare lend Scarf out to anyone else!" 'Great,' Shen Yibin thought. 'She's not coming for dinner, she's coming to get her hair done.' After serving as a restaurant and a barbecue stand, his pet shop had now acquired a new function: a hair salon—or to use a more fashionable term, a hairstyling studio.

Before long, the shop was completely empty, leaving only Shen Yibin and the four girls. Shen Yibin finally dared to go upstairs to check on Scarf. 'I hope the little guy isn't too exhausted.'

He went up to the second floor and peeked through the door of the cooler. Scarf was lying on its bed, blissfully licking ice cream, showing no signs of fatigue. Thinking back, only Meihong, Bai Yanni, Li Shiqing, and Xie Nannan had gotten new hairstyles. He didn't know how they'd decided, but it seemed they had been considerate enough not to overwork Scarf.

'That's good. After getting so many people done today, we can probably finish up the rest of the girls tomorrow. But... they wouldn't start thinking about coming back for a new hairstyle every week, would they?' A smile had begun to form on Shen Yibin's lips, but at that thought, it froze solid.

'They really might do something like that. Li Shiqing and the others might be one thing, but Xia Shixuan gets her hair done every week. If she passes that habit on to everyone else, Scarf won't have time for anything else. It'll just be stuck in the shop all day as a 'wash-cut-and-blow-dry' boy, won't it? That's not the kind of treatment a pet should be getting!'

"Get a good rest tonight. I'll take you out to have fun again tomorrow!" This was the only way Shen Yibin could think of to avoid the trouble. By taking Scarf out and only returning at night, its workload would surely be much lighter.

Scarf gave a lazy nod from its bed and went back to licking its ice cream. It was starting to grow fond of the Yunshui River, especially its inexhaustible supply of fish and shrimp—a far richer bounty than it had back in its old home.

'Alright, you're about to fall asleep, so I won't bother you. I should get some rest, too.' Shen Yibin helped Hah'Er herd the pets they had let out back into their cages. He then took Hah'Er and Maphario upstairs to get ready for bed. Li Shiqing, Xia Shixuan, and the others had also finished cleaning up and followed behind Shen Yibin toward the dormitories.

Just as he was stepping into his bedroom, he heard Li Shiqing suddenly shriek, "Oh no! How am I supposed to sleep tonight?"