Future Pet Shop

Chapter 226: Should We Take It Out?

"You had a blast on this trip, huh? I would’ve gone with you if I’d known! I can’t believe you even ran into Bear Grylls. Did he say when that episode will air? I want to see if you get any screen time." Xu Ye helped Shen Yibin stuff the luggage into the car. It was worth noting that he wasn’t driving his own Mercedes today. Instead, he had come to pick them up in Shen Yibin’s Wuling Hongguang. Who knew if he’d actually grown fond of this car.

"I brought you a local specialty. Remember to take it with you when you leave." Shen Yibin pointed to the bag of Mysterious Fruit. This guy came from a wealthy family and didn’t want for anything, so only strange things like this would pique his interest. Shen Yibin closed the car door, then carefully opened the travel crate and let Shi Gaofei out.

"Whoa, so this is the reason you ran off to Africa?" Xu Ye looked back from the driver’s seat at Shi Gaofei. "You actually brought it back? Aren’t you afraid it’ll tear up your shop?"

"It shouldn’t be that bad. As long as you don’t mess with him, Shi Gaofei’s temper is actually quite good." A honey badger wasn’t some rabid dog that bit everything it saw. Shen Yibin had discovered over the past few days that as long as you didn’t provoke it, a honey badger generally wouldn’t go out of its way to attack people. "Of course, don’t expect to be able to pet him whenever you want like Hah’Er or Egg. He’ll chase you from the store all the way to your house."

"By the way, its specialty is clawing at... well, testicles. I personally saw it castrate a lion in Africa, so you’d better be careful." Shen Yibin was afraid Xu Ye wouldn’t take his warning to heart, so he brought up this case study. ’If even the king of the African savanna ended up like that, you’d better just give up any funny ideas.’

"Alright, alright, I’ll worship him like a king from now on." Xu Ye raised his hands in surrender. His nightlife was far too rich and colorful; he had no desire to become a eunuch and serve the emperor.

"The company you found is pretty reliable. They haven’t tried to pull any fast ones, and I reckon they might even finish ahead of schedule... The two girls are working really hard... I’ve collected a new batch of résumés for you, so find some time in the next couple of days to interview them... People have been asking every day when you’re going to reopen for business. I think once the date is set, you should post a notice on the door..." On the way, Xu Ye updated Shen Yibin on everything that had happened at the store while he was away. Before long, they arrived outside the pet shop.

"Whoa, they really are fast." Looking from the car, he could already see a large hole they had made in the roof where they were installing the sunroom ceiling. Shen Yibin patted Shi Gaofei’s back. "Come on, let’s get out. You’ll be living here for now. Remember, you can’t just go around bullying the other animals inside."

Shen Yibin opened the car door and got out with Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er. Despite being in a strange new place, Shi Gaofei showed no signs of fear. It held its head high and sauntered inside with an arrogant gait. Once in the shop, it roamed like a king in front of the display cages, sizing up the pets inside.

The pets in the cages had varied reactions. A few cats lay lazily in their cages, not bothering to pay it any mind. The dogs, however, all stood up, curiously observing this creature that looked rather strange to them.

"WOOF! WOOF WOOF!" One of the dumb dogs mistook Shi Gaofei for a new companion... well, which was technically true... It seemed to want to show the newcomer who was boss, so it started barking from behind the bars of its cage.

The honey badger wasn’t about to take that. It immediately lunged at the cage, attacking it with both tooth and claw, looking like it would tear the cage apart to get inside and kill the dog. By the time Shen Yibin rushed over and managed to calm it down with a great deal of coaxing, it had already ripped a large opening in the cage. As for the dog that started it, it had long since been scared into submission by the honey badger’s sheer dominance, and was now trembling in the corner of its cage. The other dogs also quickly lay down, adopting a subservient posture.

"Holy crap. I thought all those stories online were just hype, but now I’m a believer. Bin, sell him to me." Xu Ye’s eyes instantly lit up. What man wouldn’t love a domineering animal like a honey badger?

"Sure, as long as you can handle him. But I’ll say it again: be careful with the future of your family jewels," Shen Yibin said with a wicked grin. He didn’t believe Xu Ye would dare take the risk.

"On second thought, never mind." As expected, Xu Ye threw his hands up in surrender. He got up to leave. "I’m heading back now. Call me when you’re ready to do the interviews. And hey, that bag of Mysterious Fruit is mine, right? I’m taking it with me!"

He seemed carefree on the surface, but he was actually quite considerate. He knew Shen Yibin must be exhausted after such a long trip, so he didn’t want to keep him from resting.

"Let’s do it tomorrow morning. Since the renovation is moving faster, we need to get the staffing sorted out sooner rather than later." According to Shen Yibin’s plan, he would need at least four employees after reopening. He only had two right now, so he needed to hire at least two more to have just barely enough.

"Got it. I’ll arrange for someone to make the calls in a bit." After saying that, Xu Ye got into his own car and left with Alfred. Alfred would continue staying at the hotel until Sylvie left Yunzhong City.

"Here’s a little specialty from Africa. You two should try some." After seeing Xu Ye off, Shen Yibin took out two bags of Mysterious Fruit and handed them to Li Shiqing and Gao Shu.

"Thank you, Boss." The two young women were a little surprised; they hadn’t expected Shen Yibin to bring them gifts.

"Xu Ye told me you two have been doing a great job. Keep it up. Tomorrow morning, I’ll check on your learning progress from the past few weeks. In the future, you two might be the ones training the new hires," Shen Yibin said encouragingly.

After a few quick words, Shen Yibin threw together a simple meal. Once he’d hastily filled his stomach, he took Hah’Er and Shi Gaofei back to his room to rest. Egg’s little bed hadn’t been moved yet, so it was just right for Shi Gaofei.

He slept straight from seven in the evening one day to seven in the morning the next. When he woke up, Shen Yibin was fully recharged.

He went to the kitchen and made some breakfast, then woke Sylvie up to eat with him. Afterward, Shen Yibin patted Hah’Er’s head and said, "Come on, let’s head back to the park for our workout. Nuomituan and the others have probably missed you to death."

"Mhmm!" Hah’Er nodded with a goofy smile, then looked in Shi Gaofei’s direction, as if asking Shen Yibin if they should bring this guy along.

"Well..." Shen Yibin hesitated. ’Logically, an energetic animal like a honey badger would go stir-crazy if it was cooped up inside all day. It would be good to take him out for a run every morning. But with that temper of his, will he just cause trouble for me if I take him out?’