Future Pet Shop

After a delicious meal and a good walk, the pets returned contentedly to their cages to rest. Shen Yibin also took Hah'Er and Maphario back to the bedroom, washed up, and fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he saw Li already sitting on the terrace sofa, busy with something. Seeing Shen Yibin come out, she pulled out a jar and handed it to him. "Good morning, Mr. Shen. I saw you all seemed to enjoy these pickled vegetables, so I brought some more today."

"Oh, perfect! I was just wondering what side dish to make for breakfast, and now I don't have to. Please, have a seat. I'll go start cooking." Shen Yibin accepted it cheerfully. Now that everyone was familiar with each other, there was no need for such formalities. "It's perfect timing, actually. We have a few guests coming today. I'll let them try some at lunch!"

"Guests? Who's coming now?" Xia Shixuan, who had just come out of her room, heard this and her eyes lit up. Her inner gossip-monger flared to life. 'It's not the person Bin went on a date with yesterday, is it?'

"Oh, Director Kong, Sun Qian, and some other members of the film crew." Shen Yibin had no idea what she was thinking and answered casually, "The movie has finished its theatrical run, so they can finally relax for a while. They're coming to Yunzhong City to unwind and check on their newly built villas. Oh, right, can you tell Wen Yuan to come over for lunch too? I don't think he's met Director Kong yet. Also, you'll need to come to the airport with me. I don't think one car will be enough for all of them."

"No problem. I miss Sun, too! And Cheeky. Ugh, when will I ever get a pet this smart and cute?" As she spoke, Xia Shixuan kept her eyes fixed on Shen Yibin, trying to catch any hint that she might have a chance to get Scarf.

"Okay, I'll call you when it's time to go." Shen Yibin opened his mouth but changed his mind before the words came out. 'There's still a month, anyway. No need to rush it. I'll give her a surprise then.' In Shen Yibin's mind, it was 99% certain Scarf would go to Xia Shixuan, but he still held out a sliver of hope for Lv Tiantian. 'You have to have dreams, right? What if a miracle really happened? This might not be great for Xia Shixuan, but it would be a good thing for both Scarf and Lv Tiantian.'

Shen Yibin truly wanted his pets to find the most suitable owners. As for Xia Shixuan, he'd just have to find a way to make it up to her in the future. 'Sigh, why am I overthinking this? It's not like I can actually sell Scarf to Lv Tiantian anyway.'

After breakfast, he went to the park for his usual workout. Upon returning, he took Hah'Er around to the major food markets in Yunzhong City to search for top-quality ingredients for the lunch banquet. By the time they got back with the groceries, it was almost time to leave for the airport. He called Xia Shixuan, and the two of them each drove a car toward the airport.

They arrived at the airport and parked their cars. Shen Yibin, Xia Shixuan, and Hah'Er went to the passenger arrivals area to wait for Director Kong's party. What Shen Yibin didn't notice was that in the coffee shop behind him, two acquaintances were talking about him.

"Ruoxi, why the sudden trip?" Le Yi had her back to Shen Yibin and hadn't seen him yet. She was sipping her drink through a straw and grumbling to Xu Ruoxi. "Also, have you contacted Bin recently? If you're not interested, I'm going to make my move."

"Sigh. I thought he was rich and handsome, but yesterday I found out it's all just for show. Do you know what kind of car he drives? A Wuling Hongguang minivan! I'm not even asking for a Maserati or a Ferrari, but he could at least drive a BMW or something, right? It'd be so embarrassing to be seen with him otherwise." Xu Ruoxi listlessly stirred her coffee with a spoon. "So I just blocked him yesterday. It put me in such a bad mood that I had to go on a trip for a change of scenery."

"Huh? Really? But the clothes he wears and the watch on his wrist don't look cheap at all," Le Yi asked in surprise.

"I bet he spent all his money on that outfit to trick some girl..." Xu Ruoxi trailed off and froze. 'Huh, what's he doing at the airport? And who's that girl next to him? Her looks are one thing, but her clothes and handbag are gorgeous!' In reality, Xia Shixuan's looks and figure were far superior to Xu Ruoxi's; it's just a common tendency to mentally downplay the appearance of other women.

"Whoa, what a coincidence," Le Yi said, noticing something was off with Xu Ruoxi. She followed her friend's gaze and saw Shen Yibin. "Is he here to pick someone up?"

"Hmph. Maybe he's working as a rideshare driver, picking up a customer," Xu Ruoxi said, unwilling to admit defeat and desperately searching for an explanation. 'But if he were a rideshare driver, why would he bring a girl along? And... is he holding hands with a panda?'

"Haha, Bin! It's been a while!" While she was still in a daze, a commotion erupted at the exit. Director Kong walked over, gave Shen Yibin a hug, and the camera flashes from the surrounding reporters lit up the area.

"Director Kong, hope you had a good trip. Sun Qian, welcome back. Cheeky, I bought Jabuticaba just for you. Mr. Fang, we'll have a casual meal at the store later. Miss Murong, you've gotten even more beautiful..." Shen Yibin cheerfully greeted them one by one.

"No way... Director Kong? Fang Yuanshan? Murong Li?" Xu Ruoxi and Le Yi were completely stunned. Director Kong had been famous for years, and Fang Yuanshan and Murong Li were the two hottest young stars of the past couple of years. How could they not recognize them? 'Why are all these people so close to Bin? And why does each and every one of them seem so respectful toward him?'

"Is that Hah'Er?" At that moment, they finally seemed to remember who Shen Yibin was. "That... Don't tell me Bin is... *the* Shen Yibin?"

Le Yi looked at Xu Ruoxi with an expression full of sympathy. "Ruoxi, you dumped Shen Yibin for being poor? His salary for one movie is in the hundreds of millions, you know." Well, she was mistaking Hah'Er's salary for Shen Yibin's, but it wasn't an entirely incorrect assumption.

Outside, Shen Yibin and Director Kong's group were cheerfully greeting each other and taking questions from reporters. Inside, Xu Ruoxi felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss. 'Why did I do that yesterday? If I'd just played along for a bit, it wouldn't be so impossible to go back now, would it?'

"Ruoxi, you wouldn't be mad if I asked Bin to hang out in the future, would you?" Le Yi asked, her tone half-sympathetic and half-gloating. 'Thank goodness I didn't delete him,' she thought.

"Go if you want to go!" Xu Ruoxi's voice was practically spitting fire. She subconsciously pulled out her phone and opened WeChat, wondering to herself, 'Can I still add Bin back now?' Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, but she couldn't bring herself to make the final move.