’Huh, I didn’t realize you were so rich, throwing out over two hundred thousand without batting an eye. Is being a soldier really that lucrative these days?’ Shen Yibin was a little surprised. What he didn’t know was that Hong Mian came from a very well-off family. If she hadn’t joined the army, she would have been a bona fide rich girl; to her, a sum like two hundred thousand was nothing at all.
’But even so, I can’t sell him. I’d hate for something to happen to Shi Gaofei, or for his owner to abandon him after some accident. But how do I refuse her?’ Shen Yibin was at a loss for a good solution. He had tried to use the price as an excuse, but she had effortlessly dealt with that.
’Sigh, if all else fails, I’ll just have to be difficult. I’m the boss. If I say he’s not for sale, he’s not for sale. What’s she going to do, bite me?’ Having made his decision, he knew he couldn’t let Shi Gaofei stay here any longer. Otherwise, the dog might just up and run off with Hong Mian in a heartbeat. If that happened, it would be too late for Shen Yibin to cry.
So, without a word, he walked over, clipped the leash to Shi Gaofei’s collar, and tugged gently, trying to pull the dog away from Hong Mian. "It’s getting late. I should head back and make dinner."
"Boss Shen, why don’t you have dinner with us?" one of the police dog unit’s trainers asked, also a bit surprised. Shen Yibin usually ate in their cafeteria after every training session. What was different today? ’Did Hong Mian’s words upset him? It seems possible. If I had a pet like that, I probably wouldn’t want to sell it either.’
"HFF... HFF..." Shi Gaofei seemed reluctant to leave. But after all this time with Shen Yibin, obedience had become almost instinctual. His feelings for Hong Mian were just a flicker of interest, nowhere near enough to make him abandon Shen Yibin for her. So, after a brief struggle, he begrudgingly followed Shen Yibin away.
"Bin, didn’t you just say a few days ago that you wanted to find an owner for Shi Gaofei? He seems to like Hong Mian, so why did you change your mind? Is there a reason?" Bai Yanni gave the others an apologetic look, then rushed to catch up with Shen Yibin to ask. She was completely baffled by his logic.
’It can’t be because he’s too attached. He just said he wanted to sell him the other day. Besides, he’s already sold smart, adorable pets like Cheeky and Egg, so there’s no reason he can’t sell Shi Gaofei. The woman didn’t even try to haggle over the price. Even if you don’t want to sell to her, you should at least give a reason! Who just walks off without saying anything?’
’Of course there’s a reason, I just can’t say it out loud.’ Shen Yibin certainly respected a soldier like Hong Mian, but respecting her and being willing to entrust Shi Gaofei to her were two different things. It was like how many young women were fond of soldiers, but would probably hesitate if you asked them to marry one. What about the long-term separation? What if, after getting married, her husband had some sort of accident in the future? These were all very real problems.
"Sigh, I just suddenly can’t bear to let Shi Gaofei go. I think I’ll have him stay at the shop a while longer!" Shen Yibin could only give a vague excuse. ’It seems I can’t openly look for an owner for Shi Gaofei for a while. I need to figure out another way to find him a home soon.’
’Maybe I should start taking Shi Gaofei to sporting events or something?’ Shen Yibin now had a very good understanding of Shi Gaofei’s temperament. He liked people who were full of fighting spirit, who never gave up, and who were physically formidable. Hong Mian seemed to be exactly that type of person. And besides the military, people like that were probably most common on sports teams. Of course, there might be people like that in the police force too, but they faced the same problem as Hong Mian. Shen Yibin definitely still couldn’t feel at ease.
"That’s true. If Shi Gaofei went with her, we probably couldn’t just visit him whenever we wanted, like we can with Cheeky and Egg." Cheeky was in the country, so that was easy. Even with Egg, if Shen Yibin wanted to see him, it was just a half-day’s international flight to reach Sakai Kaori’s Honjin Raccoon Shrine.
If Shi Gaofei went with Hong Mian into a military base, visiting him would be much more difficult. Although the distance wasn’t as far as with Sakai Kaori, Shen Yibin would have a hard time getting in under normal circumstances. As for Hong Mian, she’s surely sent on missions all over the place, so it probably wouldn’t be easy to ask her to bring Shi Gaofei out for a visit.
"Yeah, that’s why I didn’t agree." Shen Yibin went along with her reasoning. It was for the best that Bai Yanni understood it this way. But for some reason, his ears burned as he said it. Perhaps deep down, he felt ashamed of his own less-than-honorable thoughts and actions?
Shi Gaofei usually ran ahead of him, but this time he uncharacteristically fell behind, looking back at Hong Mian with every few steps. Hah’Er also kept looking back at him, as if trying to figure out what was wrong with him today.
"Ma’am..." Seeing Shen Yibin get into his car, one of the police dog unit’s trainers approached Hong Mian and spoke hesitantly. Though Hong Mian wasn’t old, her rank and position were not low.
"Where is this Boss Shen’s shop located?" Hong Mian only spoke after watching their car start up and gradually drive away. Clearly, she hadn’t given up on her plan to buy Shi Gaofei. Of course, if she didn’t even have this much determination, Shi Gaofei probably wouldn’t have taken a liking to her, would he?
"It’s at 233 Baiyun Street. I can take you there after dinner, Ma’am?" The trainer quickly recited the address of Shen Yibin’s pet shop.
"No need, I can go by myself." After getting the information, Hong Mian got into her own car without another word. She didn’t even turn on her GPS, heading straight for Shen Yibin’s pet shop. Before she came, she had glanced at a map of Yunzhong City and committed it to memory.
She didn’t follow Shen Yibin’s car along the main roads. Instead, she continuously cut through narrow side streets, then turned onto a main artery, passed two intersections, and ducked back into another side street. This was the fastest route from the police dog unit to Baiyun Street, a route that likely only a veteran driver who had lived in Yunzhong City for many years would know. Yet, Hong Mian had figured it out clearly just by glancing at the map a few times.
"What do you want for dinner? How about some braised pork with bamboo shoots?" As they were about to reach the pet shop, Shen Yibin turned his head and asked Bai Yanni.
"Hmm, I’m in the mood for something light today. Bamboo shoots sound good, but maybe not with the braised pork?" Before Bai Yanni could finish, she saw the car parked in front of their pet shop, and the young woman standing ramrod straight beside it. "Bin, look!"
’Holy crap, looks like she’s dead set on buying him, isn’t she?’ Shen Yibin felt a headache coming on. ’I knew it. The chosen master of a Pingtou isn’t so easy to brush off!’