Future Pet Shop

Upon closer inspection, while both Xia Shixuan's and Lv Tiantian's compatibility scores with Scarf were eighty-two, the composition of those scores differed. Neither of them was lacking in love. When it came to pet care, Xia Shixuan had more experience from spending so much time at the shop, but Lv Tiantian was more meticulous, putting them on roughly equal footing.

The biggest differences lay in two areas. Economically, Xia Shixuan was undoubtedly leagues ahead of Lv Tiantian; the amount she might spend on a single night of partying was probably enough to last Lv Tiantian a whole year. However, Lv Tiantian's talent for fashion far surpassed Xia Shixuan's. Xia Shixuan could only appreciate fashion, picking out suitable clothes from various brands, but even her appreciation wasn't very nuanced—otherwise, she wouldn't have had to beg Scarf to help her shop. Lv Tiantian, on the other hand, had an exceptional eye for color and style and could even innovate based on her own instincts. A talent like hers was perfectly suited for fashion design. Given time, with the right teachers and a proper platform, she could probably carve out a career for herself in the international fashion world.

'What a dilemma.' Seeing the analysis for the two of them, Shen Yibin started to get a headache. Before, his worry was not being able to find suitable owners, which would result in a penalty from the Future Pet Shop. Now, however, he was torn over who he should give Scarf to. In the short term, Xia Shixuan was undoubtedly the better option; she could give Scarf a comfortable and easy life of luxury.

But in the long run, Lv Tiantian was the better choice. Xia Shixuan's compatibility score composition had a clear flaw: in fashion, she could only ever be a passable admirer, never a creator. Her compatibility score with Scarf would probably max out at eighty-two. It was a different story for Lv Tiantian, however. Her only shortcoming right now was her financial situation. As soon as her finances improved, her compatibility score would naturally skyrocket.

Based on his interactions with her over the past few days, Lv Tiantian was brilliant and possessed an extraordinary talent for fashion. She was also kind and sensible. She would definitely be well-liked by her teachers when she got to university. If Shen Yibin and Xia Shixuan were willing to help, her entry into the fashion world would be a matter of course, and her financial situation would improve dramatically in less than two years.

However, the immediate problem was unchangeable. Although he hadn't checked Scarf's price tag yet, based on past pets, it would be at least five figures, and six figures wasn't out of the question. Leaving aside whether Li could even come up with that much money, Lv Tiantian herself would probably refuse to let her grandmother pay such a huge price just for a pet. The family's meager savings were all earned by Li through her hard work, braving the elements on the pedestrian overpass. How could Lv Tiantian bear to use that money for this? Even if Li was willing, Lv Tiantian herself would never agree.

Besides, even if they bought it, the daily cost of caring for Scarf wasn't low. Forgetting everything else, Shen Yibin himself had spent a lot of money just buying and modifying the large freezer. On top of that, there was the daily electricity bill for the freezer, plus the cost of the ice cream, honey, and meat that Scarf ate. All of this would add up to a considerable expense over time.

'Sigh, what a shame.' If only he could push back the deadline. Once Lv Tiantian got into university and created a piece or two, she could earn enough to buy Scarf. But Shen Yibin couldn't give her two years. There was only about a month left before Scarf's two-month time limit was up.

'It seems my only choice is to sell Scarf to Xia Shixuan, then?' Since discovering the Future Pet Shop, this was the first time Shen Yibin had felt so conflicted when he actually had a buyer. 'Sigh... to have a better, more suitable owner right in front of me, but be forced to settle for second-best because of money... This is so frustrating!'

Lv Tiantian's situation was different from Sun Qian's. Sun Qian hadn't had much money back then either, but Cheeky's price wasn't high. She only needed to work at Shen Yibin's shop for a few months and had both the ability and the time to earn the money. But Lv Tiantian couldn't do that. She had to focus completely on preparing for her college entrance exams, and she had no way of earning that kind of money quickly. In the short term, she had neither the time nor the means to solve her financial problem, which greatly frustrated Shen Yibin.

From what he'd seen over the past two days, Shen Yibin had a rough idea of the finances of Li's weaving business. Moving her operation to the pet shop had caused the prices and sales of her handicrafts to soar, a world of difference from her time on the pedestrian overpass. But with only Li doing the weaving, the scale of the business couldn't grow. Furthermore, Li was a person of great integrity and insisted on paying rent and giving a commission to Li Shiqing and the others, which meant she took home even less money.

This money was likely just enough to cover daily living expenses for Li and Lv Tiantian, plus Lv Tiantian's future university tuition. The expenses for a fashion design major were notoriously high. You had to buy a computer for design work, a camera for photographing models, travel funds for attending fashion shows, and materials for creating samples. Any major in the arts was bound to be expensive.

Previously, Lv Tiantian had planned to cover these costs by cutting her own living expenses, applying for student loans and scholarships, and working part-time. Now that her grandmother's business had improved, she could at least focus more of her energy on her studies. However, scraping together the money to buy and care for Scarf was probably out of the question.

'Sigh, I'll just have to wait and see,' Shen Yibin thought. 'There's still some time before the two-month deadline. I'll see if anything changes. If not, then I'll have no choice but to sell Scarf to Xia Shixuan.'

Lv Tiantian, however, had no idea that so many thoughts had run through Shen Yibin's mind during the short meal. She was happily picking up pieces of food and giving them to Scarf.

After dinner, it was almost time for evening self-study, but Lv Tiantian still squeezed in some time to help her grandmother finish the day's weaving. Her delicate fingers moved nimbly as multicolored threads shuttled back and forth. The process itself was mesmerizing. Scarf lay on the coffee table, watching her movements without blinking. Eventually, the two developed a silent understanding. Whenever a thread was about to run out, Scarf would pick up the exact color Lv Tiantian needed and pass it to her, never once making a mistake.

'Alright, I'd better stop watching.' Shen Yibin turned away, dejected. He was afraid the more he saw, the guiltier he would feel.