Future Pet Shop

Chapter 198: This Price Won’t Do

Fortunately, by the time the incantation was finished, nothing strange had happened. Sakai Kaori, Sylvie, and Sun Qian hadn’t sprouted any bizarre organs, nor had any demons from the Otherworld been summoned.

"Then, I will pay now, sir!" Sakai Kaori said with another bow. "But, sir, could you perhaps change the price? It’s far too low. Please, I’m begging you to raise it. Even a million would be fine." After speaking, Sakai Kaori bowed deeply, pressing her forehead to the back of her hands.

’Damn, who haggles like this?’ Shen Yibin wanted to cry. ’This girl is just too earnest!’ Unfortunately, he didn’t have the authority to set the price; otherwise, this one sale would have earned him enough commission for an upgrade. "Miss Sakai, you’ve worked at the shop for so long, so you must know that my prices are always firm. This price absolutely cannot be changed."

"But a mere 180,000 yuan is nowhere near enough to match Lord Egg’s status! Please, just make an exception. In truth, even a million wouldn’t be enough to reflect Lord Egg’s dignity, but that’s all the money I have right now." Sakai Kaori still refused to yield. "Oh, right! If you include the salary and commission you’ve paid me, I can come up with 1,011,251 yuan."

’Hey, if you give me all your money, how are you planning on getting Egg home? Are you going to have to beg all the way? Uh, then again, with Egg, she probably wouldn’t be short on cash, right? Even if she didn’t have a single cent, she could just take Egg out for a stroll and he’d find countless lost banknotes and jewels for her, wouldn’t he?’

"If you keep insisting, then I’ll have to take back my offer," Shen Yibin said, making a show of putting away his phone. "This transaction is terminated. I’ll just find a new owner for Egg."

"Huh?" Lying on a chair, Egg seemed to hear his name being called. He sat up, his eyes darting about. He looked from Sakai Kaori to Shen Yibin, completely baffled as to what the two of them were doing.

"Mmm!" Hah’Er slid off his chair and waddled over to Egg’s side, hugging him tightly. He couldn’t seem to bear the thought of his best bro leaving.

"Yeah, good one, Bin! Cancel the deal and let Egg stay at the shop!" Cheeky chimed in. Although he usually teased and tormented Hah’Er and Egg, in his heart, he didn’t want Egg to leave either.

"I’m so sorry! I was being presumptuous!" By now, Sakai Kaori understood Shen Yibin’s determination. Not daring to insist further, she quickly stood, took out her phone, and transferred exactly 188,888.88 yuan to Shen Yibin, not a single cent more.

The Future Pet Shop collected the payment and returned a commission of 18,888.89 yuan to Shen Yibin. Adding the 3,838.44 yuan he received from selling Cheeky to Sun Qian, Shen Yibin’s total accumulated commission had reached 22,720.33 yuan, nearly half of the 50,000 yuan needed for an upgrade.

’Gotta keep pushing. I hope the next pet’s price is even higher! That way I can upgrade sooner and gain more privileges from the Future Pet Shop.’

After indulging in a brief moment of happiness, Shen Yibin didn’t rush to request the fourth pet from the Future Pet Shop. He had too much on his plate at the moment; it was better to wait until he had handled everything else.

"Alright, Miss Sakai, from now on, you can take Egg home whenever you’re ready." ’Sigh. It’s only May, but it already feels like the season for goodbyes. Sun Qian and Sakai Kaori no longer have a reason to stay at the shop, and Sylvie’s internship is ending soon. Is this whole pet shop going to be just me and Hah’Er fending for ourselves again?’

"Sir, although my dream has been realized, the shop is so busy right now. How could I possibly leave right away? Please let me stay a while longer. I can leave after a new employee is trained to take my place," Sakai Kaori said insistently. ’Since he wouldn’t accept my offer to raise the price, I’ll repay his kindness with my hard work. It won’t be enough to repay even a ten-thousandth of his generosity, but it’s a gesture from my heart.’

"Well, thank you, Miss Sakai. The timing is perfect, then. We can all go see Sun Qian’s performance at the opening ceremony of the Dragon Boat Race." ’If she wants to stay a few more days, let her,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’I can see Hah’Er doesn’t want Egg to leave right away, either. Besides, Mrs. Wang’s square dancing competition hasn’t started yet, and they still need Egg for their final training.’

After this, Sakai Kaori became even more excited than Sun Qian, repeatedly raising her glass in thanks until she was a little tipsy. Shen Yibin quickly urged everyone to wrap it up for the night. Sun Qian and Sylvie helped Sakai Kaori back to her room to rest, while Egg followed Shen Yibin to sleep in his little bed next to Hah’Er’s.

Even though he had officially been sold to Sakai Kaori, the room across the hall already housed three young women and a parrot. There was simply no space to squeeze in a Raccoon Cat, especially one that was so excessively plump.

’Sigh, just let him stay here a few more days. After Egg leaves with Sakai Kaori, who knows when I’ll see him again?’

Despite being tipsy the night before, Sakai Kaori still had breakfast ready the next morning before Shen Yibin even woke up. ’Perhaps this is her way of showing gratitude,’ he thought.

After breakfast, Shen Yibin left the three young women, Cheeky, and Egg at the shop and headed to the predetermined filming location with Hah’Er. The film crew and Hah’Er were developing great chemistry, and they once again finished the day’s work ahead of schedule. At this rate, they might just wrap up all the filming by the morning after next.

Although the shoot was going smoothly, Director Kong showed no signs of relaxing. To him, this promotional video was a trivial matter. The most important thing on his mind was how to convince Shen Yibin to allow Hah’Er to participate in his new film.

So, whenever he had a free moment, he would pull Shen Yibin aside to tell him about his script, hoping to move him. And it had to be said, Shen Yibin’s resolve was gradually weakening. Perhaps with the right opportunity and the right conditions, Director Kong’s dream might actually come true.

On the third day, all the filming was successfully completed. All that was left was to record the theme song, after which the footage could be taken back to Xiangjiang for post-production. In other words, it was nearly time for Director Kong to leave, but Shen Yibin still hadn’t made up his mind.