Future Pet Shop

Shen Yibin sat outside blankly for over two hours, his eyes dazzled by the endless parade of outfits the girls kept trying on. When they finally emerged from their shopping, he was about to celebrate, but the sight of all the bags in their hands made him want to drop to his knees. ’This is going to be the death of me.’

"Bin, we’re counting on you!" Mo Xiaomo came over, patted Shen Yibin’s shoulder, and handed him her shopping bags. Then came Qiao Wenqi, followed by Xia Shixuan, Li Shiqing, and Bai Yanni. In no time, both of Shen Yibin’s hands were completely full; Hah’Er couldn’t even hold his hand.

"So many clothes... You girls really know how to shop." If he hadn’t built up his stamina from training with Shi Gaofei, Shen Yibin probably would have been crushed by the weight of all these bags. He lifted them with some effort, ready to head downstairs. "Now that you’re done, we can head back just in time for lunch."

"Hey, Bin, are you still half-asleep?" Mo Xiaomo waved a hand in front of his face. "We’ve only just gotten started, okay? It’s way too early to go back."

"That’s right. When I go shopping by myself, I usually spend the whole day. It wasn’t easy getting Scarf to come out with us today, so how could we possibly go back this early?" Xia Shixuan waved her hand dismissively. "Bin, carry the bags and follow us. We’re going to the next store. Let me tell you, there’s a boutique upstairs. The owner has amazing taste, and it’s full of clothes from lesser-known designers that are an incredible value. If I’ve timed it right, she should be back with new stock. We absolutely can’t miss it."

"Oh, come on, Bin has never had a girlfriend before, so it’s normal that he doesn’t get it. You guys should cut him some slack." Mo Xiaomo casually came to Shen Yibin’s defense, then linked her arm with Xia Shixuan’s and asked eagerly, "Shixuan, that outfit you posted on social media last time, did you buy it at that shop? I searched for it online forever and couldn’t find it. I hope I can find something just as cute there this time!"

’That one stung, my friend. Are you trying to explain things for me, or are you just putting me on blast?’ Shen Yibin was so hurt by Mo Xiaomo’s words he nearly teared up. ’You don’t have to be so brutal!’

’Wait, the boss—Bin—has never been in a relationship?’ The comment was made casually, but to those who heard it, it was full of meaning. Several of the girls’ imaginations began to run wild. ’No wonder... he never reacted when I hinted at things before. So, it’s just because he’s inexperienced and didn’t get what I meant! Looks like I’ll have to change my strategy. Maybe I should be a little more obvious?’

"Hey, hurry up!" Mo Xiaomo was almost at the escalator and, seeing that they hadn’t caught up, couldn’t help but shout back at them.

"Oh, coming, coming!" The girls snapped out of their reverie and hurried over in a light jog. They could mull over these new developments later. The most important thing right now was finding the perfect outfit to make themselves look beautiful. ’Yeah, I’ve got to outshine the others and make a deep impression on Bin,’ each of them thought.

"Bin, you’re working so hard! I’ll treat you to ice cream later." Pitiful Shen Yibin could only trail behind them, dragging a mountain of bags. He was miserable to the point of tears. ’Sigh, this was only the first store... There must be at least a few dozen clothing stores in this mall. Am I going to make it out of here alive?’

"My dear Empress Dowagers and Old Buddhas, could you take some pity on this humble servant and let me put these things in the car first?" Shen Yibin pleaded. ’It’s so inconvenient carrying all these shopping bags!’

"Don’t leave things in the car. It’ll attract thieves, especially in a crowded place like this." Bai Yanni mercilessly shot down Shen Yibin’s suggestion from a professional standpoint.

Sighing, he could only resign himself to his fate and follow them upstairs. When they reached the boutique Xia Shixuan had mentioned on the third floor, he dropped the bags, collapsed onto a chair, and began to pant heavily. HUFF, PUFF. His sorry state once again drew curious stares from passersby, but this time, they weren’t feeling jealous. Instead, they were secretly wondering, ’This isn’t a wholesale market, so why on earth did that young fella buy so much clothing?’

After another two-plus hours of waiting numbly, the girls returned with even more shopping bags than before. The sight scared Shen Yibin so much he dropped the melon seeds he was snacking on. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I can’t possibly carry all that!"

"Don’t worry, we’ve already figured it out! Here, stand up and hold your arms out straight!" Without another word, Mo Xiaomo hauled Shen Yibin to his feet, stretched his arms out like a human coat rack, and then proceeded to hang the shopping bags on them one by one. And wouldn’t you know it, the method actually worked. Mo Xiaomo managed to get every single bag hung on Shen Yibin. The only problem was, now he couldn’t lower his arms.

He looked like one of the Martial Monks from the Shaolin Temple carrying water buckets on a yoke. He had to keep his arms stretched out wide, the shopping bags dangling from them, as he slowly trudged behind the girls toward the third store.

By the time they finished at the third store, Shen Yibin was putting his foot down. He refused to carry any more for them. "My arms are completely full! There’s no more space!"

"Aww, I guess we have to go back to the store for now," Mo Xiaomo said regretfully.

’Back to the store?’ Shen Yibin thought. ’Does this mean the afternoon shopping session is canceled?’ But before he could even crack a smile, Qiao Wenqi ruthlessly shattered his dream. "That works too. We can head back to the store first for a bite to eat, drop off the clothes for now, and then come back out empty-handed to continue shopping this afternoon!"

"Great idea! Bin, I want honey-glazed ribs for lunch!" Mo Xiaomo raised both hands in enthusiastic agreement.

’Damn it! Being their pack mule is bad enough, but now I have to cook for them too? Is there any justice in this world?! Is there no law?!’

However, his opinion was destined to go unheard. The group hauled their loot downstairs, piled into the car, and returned to the store. As soon as they got back, Mo Xiaomo and the others began showing off their latest acquisitions to Xie Nannan and Gao Shu, who had stayed behind. Meanwhile, a miserable Shen Yibin trudged back to the kitchen and got to work.

"Whew, shopping this morning was exhausting! Good thing we have Bin to make us all this delicious food," Mo Xiaomo said, gnawing happily on a rib. "I’ve got to eat as much as I can so I’ll have enough energy to shop, shop, shop and buy, buy, buy this afternoon!"

’If I’d known this was coming, I would’ve put laxatives in the food. Let’s see how much energy you have for shopping then!’ Shen Yibin thought resentfully. And yet, his chopsticks moved even faster to grab more food. ’Sigh, I have to build up my strength for the next round of shopping, too!’

After lunch and a short rest, the legion of girls had their energy restored. They dragged Shen Yibin out the door to the car, where Mo Xiaomo raised a fist and shouted, "Who are we?!"

"SHOPAHOLICS!" the rest of the girls roared in unison.

"What are we going to do?!"

"BUY! BUY! BUY!"

"And what’s our strategy?!"

"ASK SCARF!"