Free Web NovelChapter 259: Chapter 259: The Marathon Begins
"My place is already full with Hah’Er and Shi Gaofei, there’s no more room! You should go stay with the others!" Shen Yibin quickly made a run for it. If he didn’t, God only knew what tricks this girl would pull next.
"I’m really skinny! I only need half a bed! The left side, the right side, the top half, the bottom half—any of them are fine!" Xia Shixuan’s voice followed him. Shen Yibin didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until he had run into his bedroom and shut the door tight. After a moment’s thought, he locked it. Only then did he feel safe enough to take a shower and get ready for bed.
The next day was Sunday, and business at the shop was still booming. The customers from the day before had taken their pets home, where friends and family naturally saw them. They also heard about Shen Yibin’s magical pet shop and flocked to the store, either hoping to buy a pet for companionship or just to see the adorable Hah’Er.
If Shen Yibin hadn’t expanded the shop, there would have been no way to fit so many people. Shen Yibin had Gao Shu and the others warmly welcome the customers who were interested in buying something. As for those who were just there to see the panda, he didn’t look down on them. He had Li Shiqing serve them tea as well. ’After all, if they came all this way just to see a panda, it means they must like animals. They might even want to buy a pet in the future. It’s best to leave a good first impression.’
And that’s exactly what happened. After watching the panda for a while, these customers, who initially had no plans to buy anything, slowly drifted over to the pet cages. They curiously asked Xia Shixuan and the others about the animals inside. Naturally, the girls listed all the pets’ best qualities, and sure enough, one customer took a liking to an adorable Shiba Inu.
But when Xia Shixuan tried to let the Shiba Inu out of its cage, the little guy got its head stuck in the door. Shen Yibin couldn’t help but facepalm at the sight. ’Sigh, I might as well give you a Spanish name,’ he thought. ’How about Carmen?’
In the afternoon, when Shen Yibin returned from exercising with Shi Gaofei and Hah’Er, only a few customers were left in the shop. After dinner, everyone gathered to go over the day’s accounts. The revenue was a little lower than yesterday’s, but Shen Yibin had expected that. It was still a considerable amount—more than enough to feed Hah’Er.
"Alright, you can all start taking days off in shifts. Shi Qing, weren’t you just complaining that your feet were sore from standing all day? Why don’t you and Gao Shu take tomorrow off? Shi Xuan and Nan Nan can rest on Wednesday and Thursday," Shen Yibin arranged.
"Huh? It’s been pretty relaxed until now. We’ve only been this busy for two days, and we’re already getting a day off? Why don’t we wait a bit longer?" Gao Shu was reluctant to miss out on his commission.
"We haven’t been paid yet, so I can’t go on a shopping spree even if I have the day off. I’d rather wait a few more days, too," Li Shiqing added, feeling like there was nowhere to go anyway.
"There’ll be plenty of busy days ahead. Just sleep in tomorrow. I won’t be making breakfast for you two. Go wander around in the afternoon. If you’re short on cash, you can borrow from me, and I’ll just deduct it from your paychecks." ’When I had a regular job, I looked forward to days off all the time. Why are you two so different?’
After shooing them off with a few quick words, Shen Yibin brought out a chair and sat leisurely on the terrace with Sun Qian. They watched Hah’Er and Shi Gaofei play among the bamboo trees. ’Ah, Xia Shixuan went home early today. I’m safe for now.’
"Have any music companies called you lately?" Shen Yibin asked slowly, taking a sip of the fine tea Xu Ye had sent over and closing his eyes in satisfaction.
"They’ve been calling constantly. Besides the ones I met at the festival, a few new companies have reached out. But I’m not in a hurry to make a decision. I’ll talk with them properly after the Star City Music Festival is over." Sun Qian picked up a Brazilian Raspberry and offered it to Cheeky. After eating the fruit, the bird flapped its wings, flew over Hah’Er, and dropped the pit right on his head.
"Hey!" Hah’Er raised a paw and shook it at Cheeky a few times in a mock threat. This was a game they often played, so Hah’Er wasn’t actually angry.
But Shi Gaofei didn’t know that. In this shop, it was only close to Shen Yibin and Hah’Er, and in its heart, Hah’Er’s status was even higher than Shen Yibin’s. The moment it saw Hah’Er being bullied, Shi Gaofei wasn’t having it. It immediately scrambled up the tree trunk, and once it reached the top, it lunged at Cheeky. Cheeky flapped its wings frantically to gain altitude, barely escaping the attack.
"Watch out!" Shi Gaofei’s lunge missed, and it started plummeting toward the ground. Shen Yibin quickly reached over the terrace railing and caught the sloth in his arms. ’Good thing I saw that coming and was ready. Otherwise, Shi Gaofei would’ve taken a nasty fall.’
But Shi Gaofei didn’t seem to care at all. ’Back on the African savanna, I fell from places much higher than this. What’s the big deal?’ It continued to glare at Cheeky, who was now circling under the awning, too afraid to land.
’Ha, so there’s finally someone who can put you in your place?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. He stroked the fur on Shi Gaofei’s back for a while to calm it down. The sloth then climbed along a branch that extended to the terrace and went back into the bamboo grove to find Hah’Er. Only then did Cheeky dare to return to Sun Qian’s side.
Cheeky looked left and right, but ultimately didn’t dare say another word. It could only bury its head and sullenly attack the Amazonian fruits Sun Qian had bought for it, which made Shen Yibin and Sun Qian exchange a knowing smile.
True to his word, Shen Yibin didn’t make breakfast for Gao Shu and Li Shiqing the next morning. The two of them slept in until past ten before getting up and heading out to go shopping.
Not long after the two of them left, Qin Qing’s car pulled up to the shop’s entrance. ’Huh? I just saw him the day before yesterday, and now he’s back again? It must be for something important.’
Shen Yibin quickly led him up to the second-floor terrace, which had now replaced the first-floor sofa area as his primary spot for receiving guests.
Sun Qian poured them tea and then took a seat at the far end of the terrace, giving them plenty of private space. "Is something up, Secretary Qin?" The two of them were fairly familiar with each other by now, so Shen Yibin didn’t bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
"Here’s the thing. Remember I told you about organizing a marathon? Well, the preliminary preparations are complete, and we’ve set a date: next weekend." Qin Qing pointed to Hah’Er, who was playing on the swing. "We’ll need Hah’Er to make an appearance and help with the promotion."
"Sure, no problem. I’ll sign up for it, too." This had all been discussed before, so Shen Yibin agreed without hesitation. ’But if I’m running in the race... should I bring Shi Gaofei along?’
