Future Pet Shop

Chapter 191: Can Egg Be Sold?

Since he needed a favor from Shen Yibin, Director Kong didn’t put on any airs during his visit. He adopted an approachable demeanor, which made the entire tour quite pleasant. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er followed them around, visiting all the scenic spots near Yunzhong City, sampling every local delicacy, and generally having a wonderful time.

Unfortunately, such pleasant times are always short-lived. Yunzhong City was only so big, with a limited number of attractions worth showcasing to the entire nation. Furthermore, Director Kong had many matters to attend to back in Xiangjiang, so after five days, he had to prepare to leave, his heart filled with a mix of excitement and regret.

He was excited because Yunzhong City’s scenery was genuinely exceptional, and he was confident he could produce an extremely high-quality promotional video that would significantly boost his reputation. His regret stemmed from the fact that, even as he was leaving, Shen Yibin still hadn’t agreed to let Hah’Er participate in his feature film; he hadn’t been swayed even when the offer was raised to fifty million.

However, this wasn’t enough to discourage Director Kong. He recalled that when he first broke into the film industry, the effort he’d expended to convince certain actresses to star in his movies was far greater than this. He had already made up his mind. He would go back and thoroughly research Shen Yibin’s background to figure out what he truly wanted. ’If he likes money, I’ll just offer more. If he likes beautiful women, I have plenty of actresses on hand. If he’s after fame, I can easily give him a cameo in the film. There has to be a way to convince him.’

He had also begun to brainstorm the plot for this new movie, planning to present it to Shen Yibin on his next trip to Yunzhong City. It would be a good way to demonstrate both his sincerity and his professional expertise.

"This scouting trip has been very rewarding. Yunzhong City is truly a place worth visiting and exploring," Director Kong said to Qin Qing and Shen Yibin, who were seeing him off at the airport. "Once I take care of things back in Xiangjiang, I’ll bring my team over. As for the filming plan... Hah’Er’s performance these past few days has filled me with confidence. When we start shooting, it just needs to act as naturally as it has been."

"In that case, we’ll be waiting for your arrival in Yunzhong City, Director Kong," Qin Qing replied. A weight lifted from her heart. This plan was acceptable to all three parties. Now that Director Kong himself had given the green light, the proposal Shen Yibin had put forward was sure to work. With Director Kong at the helm, the promotional video was guaranteed to be a success.

"It will probably take me half a month to handle everything back home. I’ll do my best to wrap it up within ten days, so I can make it back for the Dragon Boat Festival races. I’m sure that grand event will provide a lot of great footage for the video," Director Kong said. He was also worried that delays might bring unforeseen problems, or that another film company might swoop in and steal the opportunity.

Soon, it was time to board. A reluctant Director Kong departed, boarding the Blue Sky Airlines flight to Xiangjiang. Qin Qing then drove Shen Yibin and Hah’Er back to the pet shop.

"Sylvie, you go take a break. I can handle the customers," Shen Yibin said upon returning to the bustling shop. He felt a bit guilty for spending the last few days out having fun with Hah’Er, so he immediately took over for Sylvie, allowing her and the others to take turns resting.

The two incidents—Hah’Er’s rescue on Xiong Mountain and the filming of the zoo’s fundraising commercial—had made the pet shop increasingly famous. The store was now so crowded with customers that they nearly filled the entire main hall. It was clear now that Shen Yibin’s decision to secure the adjacent storefront for expansion had been a very wise one. ’I need to push Li Zhen and his crew to start construction soon,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, we’re going to lose a lot of potential customers.’

After the busy day ended, Shen Yibin began to tally the accounts. The number of pets sold today had already surpassed double digits, and revenue was up by fifty percent compared to before. Shen Yibin did a quick calculation. After subtracting the costs of inventory, rent, utilities, the salaries and commissions for Sylvie and the other two employees, and the expenses for feeding and caring for the pets, the net profit for the month had already exceeded one hundred thousand yuan.

’To think I’m now making over a hundred thousand a month,’ Shen Yibin mused. ’I never would have imagined this when I first opened the shop. Back then, I would have been thrilled with an annual income over a hundred thousand, but who knew that would end up being just one month’s earnings?’ At this point, Shen Yibin found he didn’t resent the Future Pet Shop quite so much anymore. ’Sure, this thing is a lot of trouble, but it’s brought me plenty of benefits, hasn’t it?’

"Lord Egg, what would you like for dinner tonight?" As he was lost in thought, he saw Sakai Kaori gently stroking Egg’s head and asking. Egg, in response, narrowed its eyes slightly, the very picture of enjoyment.

’Hmm, this little guy seems to have grown tired of that safety helmet these past couple of days. It’s tossed it aside,’ Shen Yibin noted. ’Maybe it’s because Hah’Er isn’t around to fight over it? Those two are just like that. If there’s something they both like, they’ll fight tooth and nail for it.’

’But if one of them suddenly loses interest, the other will quickly abandon the once-treasured object as well. They’re such children.’ Seeing this, Shen Yibin shook his head with a helpless smile.

When it was time to make dinner, Sakai Kaori took Egg into the kitchen, just as she had the past few days. Shen Yibin and Hah’Er had been eating out, so she had been the one cooking dinner for the shop. The culinary skills of Sylvie and Sun Qian were, frankly, a bit embarrassing.

"Oh, I do apologize. I completely forgot you were back," Miss Sakai said, only just realizing as she entered the kitchen.

"That’s quite all right. I’d love to try your cooking, Miss Sakai," Shen Yibin said. "So why don’t you prepare dinner for us today, just as you have been?"

"It really can’t compare to your cooking, sir," Miss Sakai said politely, before leading Egg back into the kitchen.

Shen Yibin watched curiously for a few moments. He noticed that Egg, unlike Hah’Er who could actually help with the cooking, just scampered about the kitchen, occasionally getting in Miss Sakai’s way. Yet, Miss Sakai didn’t seem the least bit annoyed. On the contrary, she appeared to genuinely enjoy their interactions.

Whenever Egg chirped a few times by her side, Miss Sakai would toss it a few scraps of ingredients, allowing it to have a little snack to tide it over. In these moments, Egg’s behavior seemed no different from that of any ordinary pet.

’Huh? It looks like the relationship between those two has progressed quite a bit,’ Shen Yibin thought, feeling a mix of pleasant surprise and reluctance. He was surprised because if Miss Sakai’s affinity level met the requirement, Egg could finally be sold. He was reluctant because if the sale went through, Egg would have to go back to the shrine with Miss Sakai.

’Sigh, there’s no use in just guessing,’ he thought. ’I’d better run a test and see the results.’ And so, Shen Yibin took out his phone, opened the affinity testing app, and began the test.