"I didn’t see her following behind us, so how did she get here before we did?" Shen Yibin was baffled. ’So this is the legendary Soldier King? Unpredictable and elusive. Truly impressive.’
"She probably took a shortcut." Bai Yanni often patrolled around Yunzhong City, so she knew the route Shen Yibin took wasn’t the fastest. But even so, it was enough to impress her. "But judging by her license plate, her car is from the provincial capital. It’s really something for an out-of-town driver to find a route like that."
"So what are you going to do? Don’t get into a direct confrontation with her!" After expressing her admiration, Bai Yanni started to worry about Shen Yibin’s safety again. Although Shen Yibin looked taller and bigger than Hong Mian, if a real fight broke out, Hong Mian could probably take him on with one hand tied behind her back.
’I’m not an idiot; I wouldn’t dare provoke a Soldier King.’ Shen Yibin hesitated for a moment before opening his car door. "I’ll just pretend I don’t see her. She can do whatever she wants. In any case, I’m not selling Shi Gaofei. She wouldn’t dare try to snatch him, would she? If she does, I’ll call the police!" Shen Yibin wasn’t afraid of that, though. ’I’m a civilian, the kind the military is supposed to protect, not their enemy. If she really dares to do that, I’ll file a complaint immediately, and she’ll have to return Shi Gaofei to me.’
Of course, that was just a last resort. Shen Yibin could understand Hong Mian’s fondness for Shi Gaofei and wouldn’t easily act on that thought.
"Hah’Er, Shi Gaofei, let’s head back. After a short rest, I’ll take you to the park to exercise!" Well now, in order to win Shi Gaofei’s favor, Shen Yibin was now willingly and proactively suggesting exercise.
Seeing them approach, Hong Mian didn’t say a word, instead following them into the store. When she saw the indoor jungle, she was also slightly surprised. ’Looks like this owner has some real resources.’ She had originally been wondering if she could just throw money at Shen Yibin until he gave in and let her take Shi Gaofei, but now it seemed that might not be a good idea.
"Ma’am, what type of pet are you interested in? We have..." Li Shiqing thought a customer had arrived and hurried forward to greet her enthusiastically.
"No need. I’m just looking." Hong Mian, however, paid her little mind, her eyes fixed on Shi Gaofei. And today, Shi Gaofei wasn’t playing on the swing with Hah’Er either; instead, it was perched on the wooden bridge, staring intently at Hong Mian.
"Wow, that girl is so handsome!" Xia Shixuan’s eyes sparkled from a distance. "I feel like hitting on her. Do you think she’d say yes if I asked her to a bar?"
"Hey, she’s a girl! Why are you looking at her with that lecherous expression?" Xie Nannan waved her fingers in front of Xia Shixuan’s face, as if trying to snap her out of her daze.
"What’s wrong with her being a girl? Man or woman, as long as they’re handsome or beautiful, I’m interested," Xia Shixuan said nonchalantly. After speaking, she suddenly turned and hooked Xie Nannan’s chin with her finger. "Hm? I hadn’t noticed, but Nannan, you seem to have gotten prettier lately. How about I grace you with my presence tonight?"
Yikes! Xie Nannan shuddered and quickly jumped to the side, getting far away from this pervert. At the same time, she secretly glanced at Hong Mian, afraid that her words might have reached the customer’s ears and caused offense.
Of course, those words didn’t escape Hong Mian’s ears, but she didn’t seem to care in the slightest. She just kept standing there, staring at Shi Gaofei, seemingly pondering how to take it with her.
’Damn, the way you two are looking at each other, it’s like a steamy illicit affair! No, I have to get Shi Gaofei out of here, or she’s going to lure him away!’ Seeing the way Hong Mian and Shi Gaofei were, Shen Yibin couldn’t take it anymore. He took out his phone to check the time and decided to start today’s exercise half an hour early.
"Hah’Er, let’s go," Shen Yibin called out in a drawn-out voice. He went to the storage room to get the protective gear and the skateboard, then left the pet shop with Hah’Er and Bai Yanni, leading Shi Gaofei by its tether.
"Exercising so early today?" By now, Bai Yanni was very familiar with Shen Yibin’s routine, so she couldn’t help but be a little curious seeing him head out so early.
"Sigh. If we stayed in the shop any longer, I was worried she’d snatch Shi Gaofei away when I wasn’t looking!" Tsk tsk, they were already outside the shop, but Shi Gaofei was still looking back reluctantly. Shen Yibin followed Shi Gaofei’s gaze and saw Hong Mian following them at an unhurried pace. It looked like she planned to follow them to the very end.
Shen Yibin subconsciously picked up his pace, but this little trick was utterly useless. Hong Mian seemed to have maxed out her skill points in tracking. Forget him, even highly trained foreign spies wouldn’t be able to shake her. So, by the time they reached the park, the distance between her and Shi Gaofei was exactly the same as when they had left the store—not a meter more, not a meter less, as if it had been measured with a ruler.
"Hah’Er, you go first today!" Shen Yibin put the skateboard on the ground and sat on the lawn, watching as Shi Gaofei started jogging along the lake, pulling Hah’Er behind it. ’I’d like to see what other tricks she has up her sleeve.’
His butt had barely touched the grass when he saw Hong Mian zip past him like a gust of wind. She quickly caught up to Shi Gaofei and moved alongside it. Hong Mian seemed to be saying something, prompting Shi Gaofei to nod in response from time to time.
’Uh oh, I think I messed up. I thought I was taking Shi Gaofei away from her, but I ended up creating a better opportunity for them.’ Shen Yibin wanted to give himself a hard slap across the face right now.
’No, I can’t let them keep this up.’ So, he had no choice but to stand up. When Shi Gaofei started its second lap, he seized the opportunity and, with a neat maneuver, squeezed into the space between Hong Mian and Shi Gaofei, starting to run along with them.
"Shi Gaofei, how about I make you some honey-glazed char siu later? I just got some wild honey, and the flavor is absolutely amazing." While running, he tried to distract Shi Gaofei with the promise of delicious food. At the same time, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but keep sneaking cautious glances at Hong Mian out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction.
Unfortunately, Hong Mian didn’t interrupt, nor did her expression change at all. She just kept running alongside them at the same unhurried pace, leaving Shen Yibin unable to read her.
After three laps, Shen Yibin’s breathing started to grow heavy. He no longer had the strength to speak, while Shi Gaofei’s and Hong Mian’s breathing remained steady. It looked like they could run another three laps without any problem at all.
’Hey, don’t you usually stop by now? Why are you still running today?’ Watching Shi Gaofei press on at full speed, Shen Yibin complained silently to himself but could only grit his teeth and use all his strength to keep up.