Future Pet Shop

"Over there... not this way... Fine, go wherever you want!" Shen Yibin had originally planned to take Carmen for a walk in the park. All his acquaintances were there, so it would be a good chance to say hello. But the moment they got outside, the dog excitedly dashed off in the opposite direction. Shen Yibin tried to pull him back several times but failed, so he had no choice but to let him have his way.

Carmen looked at the pedestrians on both sides of the street with a curious expression; you didn't see scenes like this on the mountains of Totoro Forest. Although he was wearing a muzzle, Carmen's good-natured look still attracted many passersby. "Mr. Shen, is this your new dog? He looks so cute!" people kept greeting Shen Yibin along the way.

"Yeah, he's pretty cute," Shen Yibin replied with a smile. In his head, however, he was already complaining. 'If it weren't for his bad habit of constantly getting stuck, Carmen would really be a great pet.'

"Mr. Shen, what's that on his mouth? Does he bite people?" Someone's attention was drawn to Carmen's muzzle, and they looked on with confusion.

"He doesn't bite. This guy is as good as gold." This was actually true. From the moment he was brought down from the mountains of Totoro Forest to when he crossed the ocean to arrive in Yunzhong City, Carmen hadn't just not bitten anyone, he hadn't even barked loudly.

"Then why does he have to wear that? Isn't it uncomfortable for him?" the person asked, puzzled. In her view, it was only necessary to put that thing on a dog if it was a biter.

"I know he doesn't bite, but other people don't. What if someone who isn't familiar with him sees him suddenly and gets frightened?" Shen Yibin explained patiently. "Things like this are essential when you take a dog out in public. It's part of being a responsible dog owner—you don't want to cause trouble for other people. You can really see a person's character in these details, which is why I always impress this upon new owners when I sell pets at my shop. If someone doesn't take it seriously, I'd rather not make the sale."

Because if he handed a dog over to someone like that, something Shen Yibin would hate to see might happen down the line. That wouldn't be good for the pet. For that reason, Shen Yibin would rather lose a few sales.

"Mr. Shen, you're so thoughtful." After hearing Shen Yibin's explanation, the person praised him sincerely. Walking a dog might be a small thing, but it can reflect a person's character. Without a doubt, Shen Yibin's conscientious behavior had won her admiration.

After saying goodbye to the person, they continued on. Carmen was full of curiosity about everything. One moment he was running to a shop entrance to take a look, the next he was over by a fire hydrant. No matter how ordinary something was, it was new and exciting in his eyes. Shen Yibin explained the purpose of the shops and objects while carefully holding the leash, afraid that Carmen would get a sudden impulse and get stuck somewhere again. He absolutely refused to let him get near dangerous places, especially railings, fences, and bushes.

"AWOO~ AWOO~" Carmen whimpered and turned to look at Shen Yibin with a pathetic expression. But Shen Yibin absolutely would not let him have his way. 'Getting stuck would be a huge hassle.'

Still a little worried, Shen Yibin had Hah'Er and Egg flank Carmen on his left and right. The grand procession moved forward, and thankfully, nothing happened. By the time they were approaching Baiyun Square, Shen Yibin really had to use the restroom. He glanced around, saw a McDonald's nearby, and quickly handed the leash to Hah'Er. "You watch him for me. I'm just popping in for a second, I'll be right out. Don't let this guy run off!"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Hah'Er nodded repeatedly to show he understood. He reached out a paw, took the leash from Shen Yibin's hand, and held it tight. Egg, meanwhile, was gaping at something up ahead, who knows what interesting thing it had spotted.

"Good boy. I'll buy you an ice cream later!" Shen Yibin patted Hah'Er's head and dashed into the McDonald's. But there was a line for the restroom. He had no choice but to hold it in and slowly shuffle forward. Thankfully, men take much less time to solve their problem than women, so it wasn't long before he got into a stall and took care of business with great relief.

He came out, washed his hands, went to the counter to buy some food for Hah'Er and Egg, and walked out of the store with the treats in his arms. Then he looked around and almost had a heart attack. 'Holy crap, where did those three run off to?'

He quickly ran to the roadside and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Carmen was sitting obediently on the ground. Nearby, Hah'Er and Egg were roughhousing in a small alley. Who knew what those two were up to now.

'Sigh, I told you to watch Carmen, but you went off to play by yourself. You're definitely not getting any ice cream later!' Shen Yibin shook his head and was about to walk over to get Carmen.

But who would have thought that before Shen Yibin could even get there, an old man would timidly sidle up to Carmen, glance around furtively, and seeing that no one seemed to be paying attention, throw himself to the ground. He started wailing, "Whose dog is this?! It tried to bite me! It scared me so bad, I think I broke my leg when I fell!"

'Holy crap, people actually pull this kind of stunt?' 'I mean, come on, Gramps, my dog has been sitting here perfectly still without moving an inch!' Shen Yibin was completely dumbfounded. 'You clearly fell on your own, okay? Is this one of those legendary insurance scams?'

Shen Yibin was furious. He immediately ran over and patted Carmen's head. The little guy seemed a bit scared by the old man. While petting him, he soothed him, "It's okay, it's okay, don't be scared. I won't leave you by the roadside again." 'Sigh, Hah'Er, can't you be a little more reliable? If people saw you holding Carmen's leash, they probably wouldn't dare to pull a scam like this, right?'

"Is this how you raise a dog? Why weren't you watching it? Look at my leg, I think it's broken!" Finally seeing someone arrive, a flash of delight crossed the old man's eyes, and he hurriedly started laying into him.

"Look, sir, if you're going to pull a scam, at least make it look convincing. My dog has been sitting here obediently the whole time and hasn't moved an inch. If you don't get up, I'm going to have to call the police. Extortion is a serious crime, you know!" Shen Yibin said helplessly. 'Looks like my only option is to call Bai Yanni, huh?'

"What's that attitude? I was just walking down the street! If your dog hadn't rushed at me, would I have fallen like this? You think it's fun for me to lie on the cold ground in this weather?" The old man was a seasoned pro; he wasn't about to be intimidated by Shen Yibin. He immediately started wailing, and his cries quickly attracted a crowd of pedestrians. Seeing people gather, the old man became even more animated. "Oh, my wretched life! Just trying to take a nice stroll and I get knocked over by a dog..."

"Young man, if you have a dog, you need to keep it on a leash!"

"Hurry up and take the poor man to the hospital!" These people hadn't seen the old man fake his fall, so they immediately started blaming Shen Yibin.