Future Pet Shop

'What was it I figured out yesterday?' Waking up in the morning, Shen Yibin rubbed his still-fuzzy head, unable to recall a thing. He just stared blankly at Carmen, feeling that whatever he'd forgotten had something to do with it. Yesterday, he'd taken Carmen to play in the maze, and then it had gotten stuck in the bushes. 'What happened after that?'

'Whatever. If I can't remember, I'll just let it go. Time to wash up and make breakfast.' He went to the bathroom to wash up, then headed to the kitchen and cooked up a huge breakfast for all the people and pets. After the meal, everyone went about their business. The manager of Xishi Pavilion took the female staff back to the shop to get on with business; Qiao Wenqi and Bai Yanni also had to go to work; Mr. Long Sheng and Marc stayed in the courtyard with Bald Qiang, continuing to carve statues of Egg and Carmen; Sun Qian and Cheeky were in the music room, perfecting their songs. That left Shen Yibin and Sakai Kaori with some free time.

He sat on the terrace for a while, basking in the sun and drinking tea to aid his digestion. Just as he was starting to feel comfortable, his phone rang. He answered it and heard Mrs. Wang on the other end. "Bin, is Egg coming over today? We're all waiting at the square. If you're not busy, you should come over soon!"

"Sure, I was just thinking of heading out for a bit anyway." After a brief exchange, he hung up. Shen Yibin called over to Sakai Kaori, "Mrs. Wang is asking for us. Do you want to go to the square and dance again today?"

"Of course. Lord Egg is very fond of dancing." Sakai Kaori readily agreed. It wasn't just Egg; she herself was also very fond of square dancing. She immediately went to change her clothes and got into the car with Shen Yibin. This time, besides the two of them, only Egg, Hah'Er, and Carmen went along. Maphario had to stay in the yard to look after the saplings, Xiaoliu had to brew his Monkey Wine, and the other critters all had their own tasks.

Shen Yibin gave Sun Qian some instructions, asking her to take the other critters to the shop for lunch. As for transportation, Wen Yuan could drive them over. With all arrangements made, Shen Yibin drove his "divine chariot" to the square at the entrance of Baiyun District. As soon as they saw his vehicle, Mrs. Wang and the others greeted him enthusiastically. They respectfully escorted Egg onto the platform at the front. "We just practiced a few more times. We'll perform for you now, so you can see if anything needs improvement."

With that, music with a powerful rhythm began to play. Dozens of middle-aged and elderly women started dancing to the beat, and Sakai Kaori joined them. When the song ended, Egg began to demonstrate his own dance moves on the platform. The women quickly jotted down the new choreography, their process smooth and professional.

After watching for a moment, Shen Yibin felt at ease. He decided it was time to fulfill yesterday's promise: to take Carmen to the large maze at the amusement park. He called Sakai Kaori over and said, "I'm taking Hah'Er and Carmen out to play for a bit. I'll come back and get you around lunchtime."

"Okay." Although she was reluctant to part with Shen Yibin, Sakai Kaori couldn't complain since Egg was having such a good time. She just waved and returned to the dancing troupe.

He got in the car, turned on the GPS, and set the destination. Following the directions, Shen Yibin soon arrived at a large amusement park on the outskirts of the city. He went to get in line for tickets. Although such amusement parks usually have restrictions on pets, this was naturally not a problem for Shen Yibin and Hah'Er. The management quickly ushered them inside and even assigned a dedicated staff member to be their guide. If Hah'Er hadn't already signed an endorsement deal with Disney, they probably would have snapped photos of him to post at the entrance for publicity.

"Let's see... the maze should be this way. Come on, we'll do the maze first, and then I'll take you to the other attractions," Shen Yibin said, stroking Hah'Er's head. The little panda seemed rooted to the spot at the sight of so many rides, perhaps reminiscing about his time at Disneyland.

"Carmen, let's go! To the maze!" Shen Yibin pointed toward the maze entrance up ahead, keeping a tight grip on the leash. He was afraid that if he let his guard down for even a second, it would get stuck somewhere again.

"WOOF! WOOF!" Hearing that there was a maze to play in, Carmen grew incredibly excited. It dragged Shen Yibin along at a trot, and they quickly reached the entrance. The staff member escorting them immediately launched into his spiel, "Mr. Shen, this is the largest maze in Yunzhong City, and in our entire province, for that matter. It was designed by a veteran international maze expert, and its difficulty is ranked among the highest in all of China. Any guest who makes it out within an hour receives a fine gift. And if you break the record for the fastest time, there's a grand mystery prize. Please, feel free to give it a try."

"Oh? What's the current record for the fastest completion time?" Shen Yibin's interest was piqued. It wasn't because of the prize; he just wanted to test just how magical Carmen really was.

"Thirty-two minutes and fifteen seconds. It was set by one of the country's top maze enthusiasts," the staff member explained with a smile. "Many people have tried to break it since, but no one has succeeded. You can see if you can break the record, Mr. Shen." He smiled, but inwardly, he was skeptical. 'Plenty of maze experts have tried and failed, so what hope does an amateur like Shen Yibin have?'

"Alright, let's go in! Carmen, whether we get a prize today is all up to you!" Shen Yibin patted Carmen's head and plunged into the maze with Hah'Er.

The moment he stepped inside, Shen Yibin realized this maze was far more formidable than his small one at home. As far as the eye could see were countless forks in the path, each one leading to yet another. It was utterly bewildering, and he had no idea which way to go. It made his head spin.

"WOOF! WOOF!" Before Shen Yibin could even process it, Carmen unhesitatingly charged toward the second path on the left, then veered right, dragging him along so forcefully that he stumbled and nearly fell.

"Hah'Er, quick, keep up!" Shen Yibin immediately spun around and grabbed Hah'Er's front paw. 'If I lose Hah'Er in here, who knows how long it'll take to find him again.'

They trotted along behind Carmen. It was as if the dog had a complete map in its head. It would reach a fork and charge ahead without the slightest hesitation, weaving left and right before veering right again, running with sheer glee. Shen Yibin and Hah'Er struggled to keep up.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he suddenly saw light up ahead. Before he knew it, they had already burst through to the exit. Shen Yibin instinctively glanced at his watch. 'Huh? It hasn't even been half an hour, has it?'