Future Pet Shop

Chapter 235: I’ll Teach You a Way to Make Money

That morning, a whole new world opened up for Shi Gaofei. It seemed to have found a great way to vent its energy. From that day on, every morning it would first drag Shen Yibin for a few laps around the park lake before pouncing on him for a good tussle. Gradually, Shen Yibin realized that Shi Gaofei was actually holding back, always leaving him enough time to dodge. Otherwise, with Pingtou’s combat prowess, how could it possibly fail to take him down?

But even these toned-down attacks were more than Shen Yibin could handle with ease. He had to give it his all just to keep from getting hurt. Still, a fresh change of clothes was unavoidable every day, forcing him to buy a pile of cheap outfits on Taobao just to keep up.

"Ugh, when will this ever end? I hope someone buys Shi Gaofei soon!" Shen Yibin sighed, heading back to the store with his groceries. He wondered what kind of person Shi Gaofei’s future owner would be. ’Probably a masochist, right? Who else could put up with this kind of abuse?’

As he was walking, Shen Yibin suddenly felt a rush of air from behind. He instinctively spun and grabbed in the direction of the sound, only for a warm hand to land in his.

"Oh? Getting pretty sharp, are we? I was just about to tap you on the shoulder, and you caught me?" Bai Yanni said, grinning at Shen Yibin. She made no move to pull her hand away.

"You scared me! Come on, let’s get you inside." Shen Yibin led Bai Yanni into the store. ’Wait, something’s not right,’ he thought. ’A few days ago, I definitely wouldn’t have been this perceptive or reacted so quickly. Is this the result of my "training" with Shi Gaofei? I’m on alert from just a slight rush of air... Don’t tell me playing with Shi Gaofei can actually awaken my Observation Haki?’

"I was away on a case for a bit. Just got back yesterday... Are these all your new employees?" As she stepped into the store, Bai Yanni’s smile froze. ’Why the heck are there more girls here every time I visit?’

"Oh, right. Sylvie is leaving in a few days, so I needed a couple of new people to take her place. This is Xia Shixuan, and this is Xie Nannan," he said, then turned to the new hires. "And this is Officer Bai Yanni. Officer Bai has always been a great help to the store..." Shen Yibin quickly made the introductions.

’Just "a great help to the store"?’ Bai Yanni froze when she heard that. While she exchanged pleasantries with the newcomers, Shen Yibin had already carried the groceries upstairs.

A little while later, Shen Yibin came back downstairs holding a cardboard box with a smaller box stacked on top. "Here are some souvenirs I brought back from Africa."

"What’s this?" Bai Yanni didn’t hesitate, opening it on the spot. Inside were several strange-looking fruits.

"They’re Mysterious Fruits. Give one a try. It’s not that sweet when you eat it, but afterward, anything you eat or drink will taste sweet." Then, Shen Yibin opened the smaller box. "A Cat’s Eye Stone necklace. It’s also a local specialty."

’Is this for me, or is everyone getting one?’ The question was on the tip of her tongue, but Bai Yanni swallowed it. ’Forget it. I know what Bin is like. Why ask and make myself miserable with an answer I already know I won’t like?’

"Sigh, you guys have it so good. You make good money and have time to travel everywhere," Bai Yanni said, changing the subject a little abruptly. "Unlike us, working ourselves to death all day with no time for fun and not even much of a salary." She added, "Thanks for the gifts. I’ll take them back for my colleagues to try." ’Hmph. You put me in a bad mood, so I’ll mess with you a bit, too.’

"Okay. Good things are meant to be shared with friends." Bai Yanni nearly choked when she heard his reply. ’What kind of answer is that? What guy gives a girl a present and wants her to go share it with other people? Ugh, now I get why you’re still single. You’re destined to be alone forever!’

Perhaps sensing the suddenly awkward atmosphere, Shen Yibin decided to tell a joke to cheer her up. "Erm, so you were saying your salary doesn’t quite cover everything?"

"Yeah. My monthly salary is so small. After food and expenses, there’s hardly anything left. If my family hadn’t bought me a house, I probably wouldn’t even have money for clothes!" Bai Yanni said, sounding dejected. "Forget about going out for fun." ’Come on, ask me out. I promise I won’t say no.’

"Well, if you want to make money, I actually have a great idea," Shen Yibin said, completely missing the hint in her words as he launched into his joke. "Right now, a full course of rabies shots costs four thousand yuan, and it’s effective for two years. That means for those two years, you don’t have to be afraid of getting bitten by a dog."

"So, after you get the shots, you can go out and let dogs bite you, then demand compensation from their owners. Let’s say you get an average of four thousand yuan each time. If you get bitten once a day—taking weekends and holidays off, of course—you could make 2.9 million yuan in two years. That’s enough to buy three three-bedroom apartments in Yunzhong City with cash. The rental income alone would cover your daily expenses, and you could use your entire salary to travel all over the country." Shen Yibin finished with what he clearly thought was a very humorous smile.

’What the hell?! I’m this gorgeous, and you have the heart to suggest I go get bitten by dogs? Every single day for two years straight? If I actually did what you said, forget saving 2.9 million—I’d be lucky to even be alive!’

Bai Yanni was so furious with Shen Yibin she was at a loss for words. It took all her willpower not to curse him out loud. After a long moment, she squeezed out a tight smile. "Heh. That really is a great idea. Don’t tell me that’s how you earned the money to open this shop, is it?"

"Er, I also brought a new pet back from Africa. Want to see it?" Even someone as dense as Shen Yibin could tell that his joke hadn’t landed. He quickly used Shi Gaofei as a diversion.

He called Shi Gaofei over. "This is a honey badger. Online, everyone calls them Pingtou. Don’t let its small size fool you; it’s an incredible fighter. I saw it wound a lion with my own eyes."

"Oh, this is the one you posted on your WeChat Moments, right? I can’t really tell," Bai Yanni said, eyeing Shi Gaofei with curiosity. ’This little guy seems less intimidating than the dogs in the K-9 unit. Is it really that powerful?’

"I’m serious! Look at these scratches on my arm—it’s done all this in just the past few days!" Shen Yibin pulled up his sleeve. Even though Shi Gaofei held back, there were times when he was too tired to dodge properly. He didn’t have any major injuries, but a few bloody scratches were inevitable.

"How did this happen?" Seeing the marks, Bai Yanni immediately forgot her earlier anger and asked with concern.