Hong Mian was a little surprised to hear this. Shen Yibin had been giving her the cold shoulder for the past few days, so why would he suddenly invite her for tea? She raised her hand to look at her watch. "Alright, you guys go on in. I need to make a call."
’Your time really is precious, isn’t it? You must already have plans for tonight. But to be willing to make a call specifically to get out of it, just so you don’t miss this conversation with me... you really want to take Shi Gaofei back with you, don’t you?’ Shen Yibin opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he just waved his hand and entered the store.
"Shi Xuan, find that tea Xu Ye gave us last time. Brew two cups and bring them upstairs," Shen Yibin ordered. Xia Shixuan’s tea-making skills were excellent; whenever she was around, Shen Yibin couldn’t be bothered to brew it himself.
He went upstairs and sat down. Before long, Xia Shixuan came up with two cups of tea. Just then, Hong Mian also entered the store, walked straight up to the second-floor terrace, and sat down opposite Shen Yibin.
"Have a taste. This is this year’s freshly harvested Taiping Houkui Tea." Shen Yibin pushed a teacup toward her, his mind already working on how to begin.
"It’s quite good." Hong Mian took a delicate sip, then cut straight to the chase. "Boss Shen, you didn’t invite me in just for tea, did you? Have you decided to sell Shi Gaofei?"
’You’re a Soldier King, for crying out loud. Who would dare ask you over just for tea?’ Shen Yibin hadn’t expected her to be so direct and was momentarily at a loss. He quickly took a sip of tea to hide his awkwardness. The clear tea settled him, and he finally recovered. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I’ve seen how fond you are of Shi Gaofei these past few days, and he seems to be very fond of you as well."
Hong Mian nodded silently, not interrupting. She knew that this kind of opening was usually followed by a "but." It was best to let Shen Yibin finish. In any case, just sitting here and talking was progress.
"But..." As expected, the "but" came out quickly. "But considering your profession, I don’t believe you would be a suitable owner."
"Officer Bai told me a little about your background. Although she doesn’t know your specific duties, she knows a bit. You must be an important member of some secret military unit. I’m guessing your daily training and missions are quite intensive, right? Under those circumstances, how much time would you have to spend with Shi Gaofei? If you’re apart from him for long periods, I imagine his physical and mental health would surely be affected, wouldn’t they?" Once he started laying his cards on the table, Shen Yibin’s words began to flow more smoothly.
"I’m not just a pet store owner; I’m also someone who loves animals deeply. I don’t want to sell pets just for the money. I also want them to grow up healthy and happy. Do you understand what I mean?" Having voiced his concerns, Shen Yibin felt much more relaxed.
"I understand what you mean. I can’t disclose my specific unit or position, but my daily life is more or less as you imagine," Hong Mian did not deny his speculation. "However, there are some differences in the details. Generally, we spend far more time on training than on missions. During training periods, we stay on base. Shi Gaofei could stay on the base with me in the future. If that’s the case, the problem you just mentioned would no longer exist. I’d have plenty of time to be with him. And I believe he would love life on the base."
Hong Mian seemed very certain. A single-minded guy like Shi Gaofei would definitely love life in a military camp. Shen Yibin couldn’t deny that, so he raised his second question. "So, are you buying Shi Gaofei just to be your pet, or do you have other uses for him?" ’I absolutely will not agree to let Shi Gaofei go on missions with you. No matter how tough he is, he can’t stop a bullet.’
"I’m not, in fact, getting him purely as a pet, but his specific purpose might be different from what you’re thinking." Hong Mian also had considerable expertise in psychology; she quickly guessed Shen Yibin’s worries and explained, "I came to Yunzhong City because I heard about Shi Gaofei’s effectiveness in police dog training. When he gets to the base, he will continue to do that kind of work."
"We do occasionally have some military dogs participate in missions, but it’s usually just to gather clues and for tracking. We don’t have them confront enemies directly. We have soldiers for that. Shi Gaofei would only be training them so that the dogs have some ability to protect themselves in a worst-case scenario." They focused more on the military dogs’ sense of smell; dealing with the enemy was naturally a job for the soldiers. Hong Mian stated frankly, "I will not put Shi Gaofei in a dangerous situation."
Now that she put it that way, half of his previous worries disappeared. If it was just about helping to train military dogs, Shi Gaofei’s safety shouldn’t be an issue. For some reason, Shen Yibin didn’t doubt for a second that Hong Mian might be lying.
He nodded slightly to show he understood her meaning. "That puts my mind at ease, but I have one more question. If I don’t get a satisfactory answer to this one, I still can’t agree to sell you Shi Gaofei."
"Please, ask. If it’s something I can answer, I won’t hesitate," Hong Mian replied. She also realized this question would decide whether or not Shi Gaofei could go with her, so she gave her solemn promise.
"Um, this might be a bit impolite, but for Shi Gaofei’s sake, I think it’s best I ask this beforehand." Shen Yibin’s hand unconsciously toyed with his teacup as he asked slowly, "Let’s just assume... um, this is just a hypothetical, but let’s assume you have some kind of... accident... during a mission... then Shi Gaofei..."
Shen Yibin didn’t finish his sentence, but he knew Hong Mian would understand exactly what he meant.
"Ever since the day I stepped into the military, I’ve considered that possibility. That’s why I train so relentlessly." Hong Mian did, indeed, understand. She answered solemnly, "The goal is to eliminate the enemy before they can even find me, and that is exactly what I have done in all my previous missions. Based on the confidence I have in my comrades and my own abilities, I believe there are very few people who could defeat us on the battlefield."
’Now that’s a badass thing to say.’ But there’s always a chance of a "what if," isn’t there? Shen Yibin didn’t respond, waiting for her to continue.
"Once Shi Gaofei is at the camp, my comrades will also treat him like family, just like we did with our previous military dogs. I’m sure he will grow to like them, too. So, even if something were to happen to me in the future, they would take my place and look after him." After she finished, Hong Mian stared intently at Shen Yibin.
’Well, she’s laid all her cards on the table. Wouldn’t it be unreasonable of me not to agree now? Is this it? Am I finally going to sell Shi Gaofei?’