Future Pet Shop

"You have someone suitable in mind, Bin?" Qin Qing was stunned for a second, then quickly composed herself and nodded. "Right, there’s only one place in Yunzhong City that fits the description. And you’re a big celebrity in our city now, Bin, so it’s perfectly normal for you to know a couple of people familiar with the local conditions."

’Hey, the one I know isn’t a *person*,’ Shen Yibin thought. But before he could explain, Qin Qing had already finished her meal and was getting up to leave. "Okay, I’ll go register you. What car are you planning to use for the race? The terrain this time is incredibly complex, so a regular car won’t do. You’d better get a decent one. Once you’ve decided, let me know the make, model, and license plate number so I can get it on file. But think it over carefully before you tell me; once it’s submitted, you can’t change it."

"The one parked out front will do. I’m just going to join in on the fun, not to win any prizes," Shen Yibin said with a chuckle, pointing to the Wuling Hongguang parked outside his shop. ’This is great,’ he thought. ’Now I don’t have to go to Qiuming Mountain to see top racers; the best drivers in the country are coming right here to Yunzhong City.’

"Oh, Bin, you’re really something else..." Qin Qing was at a loss for words. ’Seriously, even if you’re just doing it for fun, can’t you at least be a bit more professional about it? Racing against them in a Wuling Hongguang? Is that really a good idea?’

"I don’t have any other car," Shen Yibin shrugged. Although his net worth had skyrocketed and he should have upgraded to a better vehicle, he usually traveled with a big group. Nothing was more suitable than the Wuling Hongguang, so he kept driving it. The van had been a trouper, though, giving him virtually no problems since the day he bought it.

"Oh, you!" Qin Qing shook her head, giving up. ’Anyway, my task here is done. He can do whatever he wants now!’ she thought. "Alright, then. I’ll go register you and the car. I’ll let you know when the other competitors get here so you can go get a feel for the course in advance."

"You got it! I’ll be waiting for the good news," Shen Yibin said. He walked Qin Qing to the door, watched her car leave, and then went back inside. Stroking Carmen’s head, he said, "You’re going to be my navigator. Whether we get a good result is all up to you!" ’Even if I’m just here for fun, I can’t afford to lose *too* badly, right?’

"WOOF! WOOF!" Carmen, still looking as simple and honest as ever, barked twice before ditching Shen Yibin and running back to its food bowl to continue chowing down. Perhaps from its perspective, this whole thing was a trivial matter hardly worth a second thought.

"Bin, the navigator you mentioned... is *him*?" Xia Shixuan pressed her hand to her forehead. "I’m serious, Bin, can’t you be a little more reliable for once? You’re going to enter an off-road rally with your ’legendary’ van and a dog? Just try not to get so lost you can’t find your way back, okay? How about this: I’ll go get my SUV for you to use. I know the place Qin Qing was talking about. I can even find you a local to be your navigator."

"No, no, that’s not necessary. We’re just in it for the experience, to have a little fun. We don’t need to be that professional. Besides," he added, "any navigator you find is not necessarily going to be as good as Carmen." ’My dear,’ he thought, ’can the navigator *you* find come with a built-in GPS and real-time traffic data? Can they automatically calculate the best route? I doubt they’d be as capable as Carmen, right?’

"Xia, Carmen is actually really incredible! On our way here just now..." Unwilling to let anyone doubt Shen Yibin’s decision, Sakai Kaori immediately stood up and vividly recounted Carmen’s heroic exploits from earlier. Her story left everyone dumbfounded and looking utterly incredulous.

"You’re sure this thing can navigate? It gets itself stuck just walking around, and it’s supposed to guide someone else?" Xia Shixuan pointed at Carmen, her expression clearly saying, ’Are you freaking kidding me?’

"When it’s on its own, it has a habit of ignoring whether its body can actually fit through the path it’s planned. But as soon as someone has it on a leash, that problem disappears. We even ran a test this afternoon," Sakai Kaori said, and proceeded to tell them what had happened near the manor.

"The evening rush hour shouldn’t be over yet! Come on, Carmen, let’s go for a ride!" Xia Shixuan’s interest was suddenly piqued. Ignoring whether Carmen had finished eating, she coaxed the dog into her car, hit the gas, and merged into the sea of traffic. She was going to test this for herself.

"Lord Egg, let’s go dancing. Sun, do you want to come too?" With dinner finished, the group began to go about their own business. Sakai Kaori and Sun Qian took Egg and Cheeky to the square to dance, Li Shiqing and the others started clearing the table, and Lv Tiantian headed out to the school for a study session. Shen Yibin, meanwhile, went with Xiaoliu to a corner by the pool to practice his Swordsmanship. If Mr. Liu Sheng could see this, he would undoubtedly be green with envy.

"Oof, that’s it, I can’t take anymore! Let’s call it a day, I’m exhausted!" After more than half an hour of practice, Shen Yibin had been whacked by Xiaoliu’s staff countless times. He threw his hands up in surrender and retreated to the terrace to rest with a cup of tea. He had just sat down when he heard the sharp squeal of brakes outside. A moment later, Xia Shixuan burst in excitedly with Carmen in tow.

"Boss! Boss! Last time, I did you a favor and let Tiantian have Scarf, so this time you have to sell Carmen to me!" Xia Shixuan yelled, still on the ground floor.

"Well, well. What’s all this? Did Carmen do a good job navigating for you?" Shen Yibin asked with a laugh. It looked like Xia Shixuan’s little test drive had gone well.

"’Good’ doesn’t even begin to cover it—he was phenomenal! It’s 7:30 PM, peak rush hour, and I drove a huge loop around the city without hitting a single traffic jam or red light. Can you even believe that?" Xia Shixuan’s face was flushed with excitement. For any driver, there was nothing more frustrating than getting stuck in traffic or at a red light. With Carmen, she could avoid all of it. How could her heart not be swayed?

"Boss, please, just sell him to me! Name your price, I swear I won’t haggle!" By this point, Xia Shixuan had already stormed upstairs. She plopped down beside Shen Yibin, grabbed his arm, and began shaking it back and forth.

"WOOF! WOOF!" Carmen had followed her up, and once again, he flopped down comfortably at Shen Yibin’s feet. The dog was a bit of a slacker; he’d lie down rather than sit, and sit rather than stand.

"Whether I can sell him or not isn’t my call; it depends on whether Carmen likes you! I’m just going to use the restroom." Shen Yibin stood up and ambled slowly toward the bathroom. He pulled his phone from his pocket, opened the Affinity Test app, and began calculating the affinity between Carmen and Xia Shixuan. If their affinity level was high enough, this would be a great outcome. The next time a new animal appeared, he could take Carmen along with him on the mission.