Future Pet Shop

Chapter 192: What Will the Fourth Pet Be?

"Based on recent interactions, the client has corrected her mistakes and has earned the pet’s preliminary approval. Score for this item: 20. Client’s score: 15." ’That score shot up fast.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but glance at Egg. ’I didn’t expect you, you big lug, to switch sides so quickly.’

The four previous scores hadn’t changed—20, 18, 15, and 15. Adding the new score of 15, Sakai Kaori and Egg’s affinity had reached 83. This was even higher than his own affinity with Hah’Er when he first got him, and higher than Sun Qian’s was with Egg when they first met.

Of course, Shen Yibin and Hah’Er’s current affinity was far beyond what it had been at the beginning. Their bond was now over ninety points, much stronger than Sakai Kaori and Egg’s.

’So I can sell Egg now?’ He did some quick mental math. There was still a while before the Future Pet Shop’s three-month deadline. ’Compared to all the twists and turns of finding a home for Cheeky, how did things go so smoothly this time? Not only did a suitable candidate show up on her own, but she even knew how to correct her mistakes to raise her affinity with Egg.’

Shen Yibin smacked his lips, feeling a little reluctant. ’I’m selling Egg without even breaking a sweat? I just don’t feel right about it.’ Although he would immediately get a commission of 18,888.89 yuan for selling Egg, that amount of money didn’t seem very attractive compared to the shop’s usual income.

’Maybe I should wait a bit before telling Sakai Kaori the good news?’ But that felt a little dishonest. ’Then again, it wouldn’t be good if she left with Egg right now. Mrs. Wang’s square dancing competition hasn’t started yet, and she can’t do without Egg. If he leaves early, Mrs. Wang might get mad and refuse to rent the place to me anymore.’

’Besides, the shop is getting more and more customers. The three employees are already struggling to cover all the shifts. If Sakai Kaori leaves, I at least have to wait until I’ve hired someone new, right?’

The thought of it put immense pressure on Shen Yibin. He calculated the timing. Sakai Kaori would be leaving around the same time as Sylvie. And Sun Qian could leave to pursue her music career at any moment. Even though the shop had three employees now, if the timing was bad, they could all be gone in a single day.

’I’d better hurry up and start recruiting! I’ll ask Xu Ye to make a recruitment ad for me next time. As for Sakai Kaori... I’ll sell Egg to her after I’ve found a suitable replacement, right?’

’Huh, exploiting my employees like this... I’m starting to sound like Zhou Bapi.’ Shen Yibin felt a pang of shame for his decision. But then he had another thought. ’Right, Hah’Er can’t really bear to part with Egg, either. I’m not doing this for myself, I’m doing it for Hah’Er. And anything for Hah’Er is forgivable.’

With that thought, his mood finally improved. A smile returned to his face during dinner, and he occasionally praised Sakai Kaori to ease his own guilt.

After dinner, he and Sun Qian cleared the table. Then he took Egg and Hah’Er to the plaza at the entrance of Baiyun District. ’Sigh, you guys better make the most of this time and practice hard. Master all these moves, because in a little while, you won’t be able to find a coach even if you want to,’ Shen Yibin mused while sipping his coffee.

"Bin, how are the renovation plans coming along? Let me know when you’re reopening. I’ll send you a flower basket," Mrs. Wang said. She was much warmer now than when they first met. Egg was probably responsible for half of that. Without him leading Mrs. Wang and the others in their square dancing every day, Shen Yibin probably wouldn’t have been able to get close to her so easily.

"The plans are all designed, and they can start work soon. I’m planning to spend a little extra to speed up the process." Thanks to the tax exemption he got from Qin Qing, his tax burden was lifted, and his budget was much more flexible. He could easily afford to pay more to shorten the construction period.

"That’s great. Don’t forget to let me know when you open. And when the competition starts, you have to bring Hah’Er and Egg to cheer us on." Mrs. Wang seemed full of confidence that they would win the championship this time.

"Of course. You’ll definitely bring home the championship, Mrs. Wang." ’Whew, good thing I don’t own a crow, or I wouldn’t dare say something like that.’

"You’ve all worked hard these past few days. I’m giving you two the day off tomorrow. Go do some shopping or something. Sun Qian and I will watch the store. Then Sun Qian can take her day off the day after," Shen Yibin said on the way back to the shop.

"We really need to hire someone new for the shop. How are just a few of us supposed to manage?" Sylvie said. She calculated that her internship was already halfway over. She had grown quite fond of the little pet shop during her time there and hoped someone could smoothly take over her position after she left.

"Right. I’ll tell Xu Ye when I get back and have him post an ad online." He had already paid for a monthly subscription on a recruitment site, so he might as well use it.

Sakai Kaori looked at Shen Yibin, her mouth opening slightly as if she wanted to ask something, but in the end, she said nothing.

"When you get to work tomorrow, can you use your account to post the job ad for me? You already know the specific requirements and salary, so I won’t go into detail," Shen Yibin sent to Xu Ye on WeChat after returning to the shop.

"Doesn’t your shop already have so many people? Why are you hiring again?" Xu Ye was a little confused.

"Sigh, who knows when these three will leave. I have to prepare in advance, right? Otherwise, I’ll be left alone in the shop and worked to death." ’Hopefully, he’ll bring me some good news,’ Shen Yibin thought.

"Alright, I’ll post it for you tomorrow when I wake up and get to the office. Hmm, probably around two o’clock," Xu Ye replied. Now that the zoo promotion was over, the guy had gone back to being lazy.

’When will I ever get to sleep in until I wake up naturally?’ Shen Yibin was extremely envious. Of course, with the three girls in the shop now, he could technically sleep in. However, first, he had to take Hah’Er and the others out for their morning exercise. And second, he would feel a bit embarrassed sleeping in while everyone else was already busy working.

And with that, the matter was settled. After tidying up, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er upstairs to rest. Lying in bed, listening to the sound of Hah’Er and Egg’s breathing, Shen Yibin found it hard to fall asleep.

’Sigh, it looks like Egg will be leaving before long. In the future, if I want to see him, I’ll probably have to go all the way to Sakai Kaori’s Honjin Raccoon Shrine.’

Something else was also bothering him. The third pet could be sold at any time now. So, after the transaction was complete, what kind of fourth pet would the Future Pet Shop send him?