Future Pet Shop-Chapter 50: Posting on Weibo

"Ngh... Mmm..." Still half-asleep, Shen Yibin felt a furry paw scratching at his face. He reluctantly opened his eyes and came face-to-face with Hah’Er’s big head.

"Hah’Er!" Shen Yibin was suddenly wide awake. ’Did this little rascal get into some kind of trouble again?’ he wondered. But a quick glance showed nothing seemed out of the ordinary with Hah’Er, so he relaxed.

"What time is it? You should get up and get back to practicing!" Cheeky squawked while preening its magnificent feathers in the mirror. It was clearly displeased with Shen Yibin for sleeping in—or, more likely, it was just eager to watch him practice his panting exercises in public again.

’And whose fault is it that I barely slept last night?’ Shen Yibin thought, ruffling Hah’Er’s head. "Do you have any idea what you were up to last night?" he said. "When we get back from our workout, I’m going to make you watch!"

Shen Yibin got dressed and washed up, helped Hah’Er with his morning grooming, made breakfast, and served his two "masters," Hah’Er and Cheeky. After cleaning the dishes and feeding the other pets, an hour had passed. The man, the panda, and the parrot left the shop together and headed for the park. The shopkeepers along the road had grown used to them over the past few days. They no longer gawked at Hah’Er, instead greeting them warmly. At the park, they found the usual crowd: Nuomituan and the familiar group of seniors. The only difference today was that many of the seniors were accompanied by new pets from Shen Yibin’s shop.

"Hah’Er, you’re a little late today. Did you sleep in?" Nuomituan asked, making a ’shame-on-you’ face. "My mommy says sleeping in is for naughty kids."

"Ngh..." Hah’Er scratched his head in embarrassment. It seemed that during breakfast, he had begun to recall some of the previous night’s events.

"Come on, let’s do a couple of laps first." Shen Yibin took Hah’Er by the paw and began their walk around the lake. ’Ugh, why are there so many people in the park today?’ he thought. ’I really don’t want to practice my breathing exercises here.’

While Shen Yibin strolled leisurely around the lake with Hah’Er, Nuomituan, and her Chihuahua, Rice Ball, Cheeky flew up into a treetop to do some vocal exercises. Perhaps inspired by a nearby opera aficionado who was warming up, Cheeky wasn’t singing his usual pop hits today. Instead, he joined in with the old man, singing a piece of Beijing opera. "From the tower, I gaze upon the mountain view, my ears filled with the chaos outside the walls. Banners and flags flutter, casting empty shadows... ah, it is Sima’s army that has arrived..."

The parrot’s every note rang with powerful confidence, and his transitions between vocal styles were smooth and natural. He instantly stunned the group of elderly Beijing opera fans. They held their breath, swaying their heads to the rhythm and unconsciously tapping out the beat. The moment the last line ended, a thunderous cheer erupted. "Bravo! A fantastic performance!"

"Tsk. I’ve been an aficionado for thirty years, and today I got shown up by a parrot." The old man who had been singing nearby was at a loss for words. It would have been easy enough to accept being out-sung by a professional opera singer. But losing to a bird? What was the world coming to?

"Bin, is this parrot for sale? How much is it?" After Cheeky showed off his talent, a crowd immediately gathered to inquire about the price.

’Sigh, I wish I could sell this guy sooner rather than later,’ Shen Yibin thought. But buying Cheeky wasn’t so simple. As soon as they heard the price tag—a steep 38,384.38 yuan—everyone backed away. This generation’s spending habits were different from those of young people; they couldn’t easily bring themselves to spend tens of thousands on what was essentially a luxury pet.

Shen Yibin didn’t hold out much hope. Based on his observations, even if someone here could afford the price, they probably wouldn’t be able to meet the affinity requirement. After all, these seniors were getting on in years. Playing an instrument or singing for two hours every day was physically demanding, and they likely lacked the necessary stamina.

After they finished two laps around the lake, Hah’Er scampered off to climb a tree, while Shen Yibin remained on the lawn, huffing and puffing through his panting exercises. Technically, climbing trees in the park was strictly forbidden. However, when a park warden came over, he took one look, saw that the culprit was a panda, and walked away without a word. It seemed he knew Hah’Er’s story.

After a night’s sleep, Hah’Er was completely sober, so Shen Yibin wasn’t worried about him falling from the tree—climbing was a panda’s signature skill, after all. When their workout was over, a few people still followed them back to the pet shop, but the crowd was much smaller than it had been on the previous days. Most of the potential customers had already come by, and the number of new visitors would probably only decrease from here on out.

’I’ve got to find a way to bring in new customers,’ Shen Yibin thought as he watched Cheeky endlessly chattering to a potential client about the other pets. ’Otherwise, how am I ever going to sell him? Several days of the three-month deadline have already passed, and I still don’t have a single interested buyer.’

Thanks to Cheeky’s silver tongue, they quickly closed a few more sales. They had at least earned enough to cover food and their afternoon karaoke session, but it still wasn’t enough. He still owed over twenty thousand yuan on his credit card from when he bought Hah’Er, not to mention rent, utilities, and other expenses.

"Hah’Er, come over here and see what you were up to last night." Once the customers were gone, Shen Yibin called Hah’Er to the sofa, pulled out his phone, and began playing the video of the panda making a fool of himself in the main room the night before.

"Ngh..." After only a few seconds, Hah’Er shyly covered his eyes with his paws. It was just too embarrassing. Cheeky, however, was cackling with laughter beside them. Yes, at that moment, he finally couldn’t resist reverting to a sound more befitting a bird.

"Are you still going to drink alcohol after this?" Shen Yibin asked, seizing the opportunity to warn him.

"Ngh..." Hah’Er seemed conflicted. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself, but the taste of beer was simply too good to forget. After a moment of hesitation, he held up a paw and raised two fingers.

"Only two bowls?" Shen Yibin and Hah’Er had such a good rapport by now that he instantly understood the panda’s meaning. It seemed the little guy still couldn’t give up the delicious taste of beer.

"Mhm! Mhm!" Hah’Er nodded repeatedly.

"Uh, alright then. But if you still make a scene after two bowls, that’s it. I won’t give you any more, no matter what." ’Judging by his tolerance, two bowls should be fine, right?’ he thought.

With that matter settled, Shen Yibin uploaded the video online, then opened Weibo and posted it. After the previous incident with the accidentally posted photo, his follower count had skyrocketed into the tens of thousands, and this new video would undoubtedly attract even more.

Of course, this meant the shop would inevitably face more disturbances in the future. However, in his quest to find a suitable owner for Cheeky, Shen Yibin couldn’t afford to worry about such things. The real priority was avoiding jail time.