Future Pet Shop

Chapter 254: Renovation Completed

"Officer Bai, I’m sorry to trouble you, but could you take Shi Xuan and Nannan home?" Shen Yibin said, struggling to stay on his feet. He was in no condition to drive, and he didn’t trust sending them back in a taxi.

"Alright. Help me get them into the car," Bai Yanni readily agreed. For some reason, she also let out a sigh of relief. ’Maybe it’s because Xia Shixuan was acting so wild earlier, and she was worried about leaving her at the shop?’

"After you drop them off, you can just drive my car to work. Just bring it back whenever you have time." Shen Yibin glanced from Xie Nannan to Xia Shixuan, finally deciding to help Xie Nannan himself and leave Xia Shixuan to Bai Yanni.

He helped them slowly downstairs, unlocked the car, and handed the keys to Bai Yanni. He then got both women settled in their seats and buckled their seatbelts. After giving Bai Yanni their addresses, he closed the door, made a "call me" gesture to her, and watched the car disappear around the corner.

’That’s two of them taken care of, but what about Sun Qian, Sylvie, Gao Shu, and Li Shiqing?’ Watching the girls swaying as they walked, Shen Yibin scratched his head in frustration. He didn’t have Alfred’s number, and he had no idea which hotel room Sylvie was staying in.

’Sigh... I guess you two will just have to share for the night. You really can’t drink this much again,’ Shen Yibin thought, shaking his head. He helped Sun Qian up and laid her on Sylvie’s bed, then helped Sylvie in as well. Finally, he turned to the relatively sober Gao Shu and Li Shiqing. "I’ll have to ask you to look after these two tonight. Could you tuck them in and leave a glass of warm water by the bed? If anything comes up with them during the night, please keep an eye on them. If it’s something you can’t handle, just come knock on my door next door!"

"You’re so considerate, Boss!" Gao Shu praised him. "Don’t worry. I used to work in a restaurant, so I have some experience taking care of drunk people. I promise nothing will go wrong." With that, she led Li Shiqing into the bedroom, closed the door, and began looking after Sun Qian and Sylvie. As for Cheeky, he had long since gone back to his nest in the bedroom to sleep. ’Hmm, Sylvie could never bring herself to move Cheeky’s nest to the storage room. Who would’ve thought it’d be useful again so soon?’

He had no energy left to clean up the mess on the balcony. Shen Yibin dragged Hah’Er along as he staggered back to his bedroom. Shi Gaofei followed behind, huffing and puffing continuously. ’It must be disgusted by the reek of alcohol on me.’ This was one petty creature; Shen Yibin was definitely in for it tomorrow.

He hadn’t been in bed for long when Bai Yanni called to let him know everything was okay. She had dropped off both Xia Shixuan and Xie Nannan. The ride had sobered them up a bit, and they were now tucked in bed. With his mind finally at ease, Shen Yibin slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, just as he was sleeping soundly, Shi Gaofei ripped off Shen Yibin’s blanket, waking both him and Hah’Er from a pleasant dream. It was time for morning exercise again! Shen Yibin knew Shi Gaofei wouldn’t listen to any of his excuses, so he had no choice but to drag himself out of bed. He took a cold shower to clear his head, then headed to the park with Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er.

That morning, Shi Gaofei forced Shen Yibin to run four laps around the lake, then put him through a grueling twenty-minute workout before finally letting him off the hook. Afterward, it went off with Hah’Er to play on the skateboard.

"No wonder you look like you’re in better shape lately. So you’ve been doing workouts this intense twice a day!" Sun Qian said, draping Shen Yibin’s left arm over her shoulder and helping him walk back.

"Can’t be helped. That’s just its personality." ’Didn’t Cheeky used to force me to sing for two hours every day?’ ’But then again,’ he thought, ’after all this training, my physique and stamina have improved significantly. At this rate, I’m actually confident I could finish a half-marathon.’

Hah’Er was a foodie, so it only accepted him after his cooking improved. Cheeky loved to sing, which was why it was so fond of a music lover like Sun Qian. Egg was passionate about dancing, so Sakai Kaori had won its approval by going square dancing with it every day. ’So, what kind of owner would Shi Gaofei like?’

’Time sure flies. I guess I should start thinking about this now.’ ’An owner who loves to fight? A reckless one? Someone who scoffs at death and throws down at the slightest provocation?’ ’Er, maybe not that last one. If the new owner got himself killed in a fight right after taking Shi Gaofei home, how devastated would it be?’

’Forget it. I won’t think about it for now. I’ll deal with it after Sylvie leaves,’ he decided. So, for the next two days, Shen Yibin put the store out of his mind. Instead, he drove Sun Qian and Sylvie all over Yunzhong City, visiting every scenic spot, sampling all the local delicacies, and buying a pile of local products as gifts for Sylvie.

On the morning of the third day, Shen Yibin and Sun Qian took a reluctant Sylvie to the airport. Alfred was already there waiting. Upon seeing Shen Yibin and Sun Qian, he spoke first with impeccable courtesy, "Thank you both for taking care of Her Highness the Princess during her stay. I hope you will both visit Sokovia in the future."

"Mm, I’ll definitely go! Princess Sylvie promised to show me the folk music of Sokovia!" Sun Qian said, her nose starting to tingle.

"Not at all. If anything, we were the ones who troubled the princess," Shen Yibin said with a forced smile, not wanting the mood to turn somber.

But such emotions weren’t something he could control. Sylvie was so choked up she could barely speak. She hugged Shen Yibin, then Sun Qian. "You have to keep in touch! I’ll be waiting for you in Sokovia."

"And Hah’Er, you can’t get any fatter! If you do, I won’t be able to pick you up anymore. And Cheeky, I’ll mail you some fruit to eat after I get back home!" she continued, patting Hah’Er on the head and kissing Cheeky’s feathers.

Sylvie’s eyes were moist as they said their goodbyes, and Shen Yibin and Sun Qian felt a pang of sadness as well. Sylvie’s status was, after all, rather special; who knew when they would ever see her again. Thankfully, with the internet, they could still share their lives with each other through social media.

Back at the store, Shen Yibin was about to start pondering where he could find a suitable owner for Shi Gaofei when his plan was abruptly interrupted by some news.

Li Zhen from the renovation company came and told him that the only thing left for the project was installing the storefront sign. The whole thing would be finished in three days at most. Now, Shen Yibin had to get busy preparing for the grand reopening!