The words had barely left his mouth when Shen Yibin understood why he didn’t want Shi Gaofei to go with Hong Mian. It was all because of what Bai Yanni had said earlier. Bai Yanni had mentioned that although Hong Mian was a woman, she had earned numerous merits. Thinking about it more carefully, something felt off. As a soldier, the only place for her to earn merits would be on the battlefield.
’She must have completed many dangerous missions to receive those military awards, right? She must have risked life and limb to earn those honors.’ Shen Yibin immediately recalled the images of special forces soldiers he had seen in movies, novels, and even pulp fiction. These people disregarded their own safety to protect their country. While such actions were certainly respectable, it was precisely for this reason that Shen Yibin didn’t want to sell Shi Gaofei to her.
First off, the reason she wanted to take Shi Gaofei was probably because she recognized its combat capabilities. She might even take Shi Gaofei with her on various dangerous missions in the future. Shen Yibin couldn’t bear the thought of Shi Gaofei being in danger. He had been with Shi Gaofei for so long and had already grown attached. If he were to hear one day that Shi Gaofei had died in the line of duty, he would surely be heartbroken.
’Shi Gaofei is from the African savanna. There’s no reason it should be helping to protect China.’ Yes, that was the logic. Shen Yibin thought, looking for a justification.
Secondly, even if Shi Gaofei didn’t participate in missions and wasn’t in danger, Hong Mian certainly would be, right? Even if Shi Gaofei was safe, judging by its current behavior, it seemed quite fond of Hong Mian. If he sold Shi Gaofei to her, their bond would only deepen over time. He could easily imagine this just by looking at the relationship between Hah’Er and himself, or Cheeky and Sun Qian.
’In that case, if something were to happen to Hong Mian in the future, Shi Gaofei would surely be devastated, right?’ Shen Yibin didn’t want Shi Gaofei to suffer such heartbreak. In that brief moment, Shen Yibin had figured it all out. He thus mustered his courage, looked Hong Mian in the eye, and said, "I’m sorry, but I can’t sell Shi Gaofei to you."
"Oh? Why not? Don’t you run a pet shop? Why can’t I buy one of your pets?" Hong Mian frowned slightly. She also couldn’t understand why his attitude had suddenly turned so cold when things seemed fine just a moment ago.
"Uh... because... because it’s too expensive. So I don’t think it would be a good fit for you." Shen Yibin couldn’t just come out and say what he was really thinking, so he used the price as an excuse.
’Huh, with a sale price of over two hundred thousand, I could get a commission of twenty thousand. But I wonder if the Future Pet Shop will reimburse me for the travel and accommodation expenses to Africa?’ After a quick calculation, Shen Yibin figured that the twenty thousand or so would probably only be enough for the cheapest round-trip flight. Once in Congo, he’d likely only be able to afford the cheapest hotel and rent the junkiest car. Otherwise, he’d lose money on this deal. ’As for Sylvie, she was an unexpected factor. I can’t expect to have that kind of luck every time I go looking for a pet, can I?’
"Name your price. Whether I think it’s expensive is my business," Hong Mian said coolly. She seemed quite confident in her financial situation and didn’t believe she couldn’t afford Shi Gaofei.
"The total is two hundred twenty-two thousand, two hundred twenty-two yuan, and twenty-two fen. Not a single cent of discount," Shen Yibin stated. He didn’t dare bluff on the price. Who knew what kind of punishment the Future Pet Shop would dish out for a fraudulent quote? After all, he had even donated all of Shi Gaofei’s marathon prize money to the Yunzhong City Zoo.
"Heh, so specific, down to the last cent," Hong Mian chuckled, though it was unclear if she was being sarcastic or not. The figure did surprise her a little, but she didn’t say anything more. A Mongoose isn’t a dog, after all; there was nowhere for the average person to inquire about the price. If she passed on this one, finding another would not be easy.
"Bin brought this one all the way back from Africa. Just the cost of plane tickets, hotels, and renting a helicopter to search the African savanna was substantial. The price is actually quite reasonable," Bai Yanni chimed in from the side. She was afraid Hong Mian would misunderstand and think Shen Yibin was trying to rip her off.
Shen Yibin had posted on his Moments every day when he was in Africa, and Bai Yanni had liked and replied to almost every single post, which is why she knew these details so clearly. Of course, she still didn’t know that most of those expenses were covered by Sylvie pulling some strings, and he hadn’t actually spent that much money. ’Then again, maybe she wouldn’t say anything even if she did know, right?’
"That’s right. Just the one-way ticket to Congo was fifty or sixty thousand. And we had to rent a helicopter and fly back and forth over the savanna several times before we found this little guy. All things considered, over two hundred thousand is a bargain," Shen Yibin chimed in, explaining. "Besides, I’m quite fond of the little guy myself. I don’t plan on selling him anytime soon." ’It’s not that I don’t want to sell him, it’s that I don’t think you’re a suitable owner. If you were an athlete or something instead of a special forces soldier, I would have agreed in a heartbeat. The price couldn’t be a penny less, but I could have done what I did for Sun Qian—loan you the money and let you pay me back in installments!’
"Calculated that way, it really is a fair price." Hong Mian nodded slightly, seemingly accepting Shen Yibin’s explanation. Her gaze shifted to Shi Gaofei, her thoughts unreadable.
"Uh, I have a full set of legal documents for both its export from Congo and its entry into the country. It also passed all customs inspections," Shen Yibin quickly added, afraid she was getting some funny ideas. Thanks to Sylvie’s status, all the paperwork had been handled perfectly, without a single issue.
"What kind of person do you take me for? Did you think I was going to take it by force?" Hong Mian was clearly displeased with his comment. "I was just observing its physical condition."
"Haha, I was just clarifying. I’m a law-abiding citizen, you know." Shen Yibin gave a dry laugh. It was always a bit awkward to have your less-than-noble thoughts exposed. But then again, he was currently in Mayor Wang’s good graces. The average person couldn’t touch him. His previous worries were indeed unnecessary.
Hong Mian ignored him, walked over to Shi Gaofei, and squatted down, reaching out to stroke its head.
"Be careful!" Bai Yanni cried out a warning. Others had tried to do the same before, but the consequences had been dire. She was terrified that Hong Mian would get hurt just like them.
This time, however, Shi Gaofei didn’t attack. Instead, it lowered its head and let Hong Mian stroke it, even closing its eyes slightly with a look of pure bliss. It had clearly accepted Hong Mian. The surrounding trainers clicked their tongues in amazement. Bai Yanni, on the other hand, was green with envy. ’Why don’t I ever get treated this well?’
"Two hundred twenty-two thousand, two hundred twenty-two yuan, and twenty-two fen, was it? Can I use a card? I’ll take it!" Hong Mian suddenly stood up and declared.