The perfectly marbled pork belly, mingling with the fresh aroma of garlic sprouts and the rich flavor of broad bean paste, swirled in his mouth. Gone was the greasy, smoky taste from his previous attempts. The exquisite flavor exploded on Shen Yibin's tongue, bringing him an unprecedentedly delightful experience. 'All the twice-cooked pork I made before was complete garbage!' he thought.
His chopsticks descended on the plate in a flurry. In no time at all, Shen Yibin had devoured the entire platter of twice-cooked pork, not even leaving behind the garlic sprouts or scallion segments. He was just short of licking the plate clean!
'But what do I do if I'm still not satisfied after eating a whole plate?' Shen Yibin stealthily picked up his chopsticks and reached for Hah'Er's food bowl. 'Damn it, I've actually sunk low enough to steal food from my pet. This is so shameful! But... for a delicacy this rare, maybe doing something like this isn't such a big deal?'
"Hmph!" Hah'Er, who had been busy stuffing his face with meat, reflexively hugged his bowl and dodged to the side, terrified that someone was trying to steal his twice-cooked pork. But when he saw clearly that the one with the chopsticks was Shen Yibin, he hesitated, his eyes darting between the food and Shen Yibin.
"Mmm..." In the end, Hah'Er reluctantly offered his food bowl. As much as he hated to part with it, Hah'Er was still willing to share his food with Shen Yibin.
'Holy shit, why is it so dusty in here? I think I got something in my eye!' Shen Yibin actually felt embarrassed. He used his chopsticks to pick up one small piece of the pork and put it in his mouth, then set the chopsticks down. "Okay, I'm full. You take your time. I'm going to go downstairs and see if those other guys are hungry." 'If I don't leave now, I'm afraid I really won't be able to resist!'
'You've got to be kidding me. You can't treat us so differently!' Perhaps the other animals had gotten used to Hah'Er feeding them. When Shen Yibin put pet food in their bowls, both the Chihuahua and the Siamese Cat gave it a look of disdain. They completely ignored the food, let out a couple of lazy cries, and went back to dozing in their cages.
'Damn it! Starve then, if you're so tough!' This made Shen Yibin so mad that he couldn't even be bothered to let them out of their cages. He flopped onto the sofa, picked up his phone, and took a deep breath. Once he had calmed down a bit, he opened the affinity-testing app with trepidation.
Shen Yibin closed his eyes and prayed silently. 'Please, oh please, let it be over eighty points this time! Otherwise, I'm going to end up in the slammer!' After praying to every deity he could think of, Shen Yibin finally opened the app and uploaded the photo he had secretly taken of Hah'Er eating the twice-cooked pork.
'This is it, life or death. If this doesn't work, I'm out of ideas!' With a slightly trembling finger, Shen Yibin pressed the test button, waiting anxiously for the app's analysis.
"Data search indicates the client owns a pet shop and has undergone specialized pet-rearing training. The client possesses relevant professional knowledge and can guarantee the healthy growth of the panda. Score for this item: 20. Client's score: 20."
"The client lives and works at the same location, possessing ample time to accompany the pet, which will prevent the panda from developing negative emotions such as loneliness. Score for this item: 20. Client's score: 20."
"Search indicates the client exercises infrequently and has not developed good fitness habits. Score for this item: 20. Client's score: 15."
"The client has a gentle personality, is full of love, and is in good psychological health. He will certainly cherish the pet and not allow the panda to be harmed. Furthermore, the client's low IQ and dull emotional intelligence are a perfect match for the panda's personality. Score for this item: 20. Client's score: 20." 'The first few items were exactly the same as last time,' he thought. 'Now for the last one.'
"Through the past few days of practice, the client's cooking skills have improved slightly. However, feeding the panda the same food long-term will have an adverse effect on its nutrition and health. It is recommended that the client continue to work on his culinary skills. Score for this item: 20. Client's score: 6! The sum of all five items gives the client a total score of 81, meeting the minimum affinity standard for purchase."
*Phew...* 'I can finally buy it.' Shen Yibin let out a huge sigh of relief. 'Looks like I won't be going to jail after all.' He eagerly took a screenshot of the test results, saved it, and then opened WeChat to message the Future Pet Shop. "I'm over the eighty-point passing mark now. Can I purchase the panda and upgrade to a Level 3 Partner?"
'Please, please be online. Don't be on vacation at a critical time like this!' Shen Yibin prayed again. His luck seemed to be good today. The moment he sent the message, a reply came back. "Mm, I received the feedback notification when you ran the test. Take a look at this contract first. If there are no issues, you can sign and complete the purchase."
After speaking, the Future Pet Shop sent over a contract. It was filled with numerous restrictive clauses, including mandatory proper care for the pet, preventing it from developing physical or psychological illnesses, and a prohibition on reselling it to others. The consequences for violating the terms were extremely severe; just looking at the compensation amounts, selling Shen Yibin himself wouldn't be enough to cover them.
'I'd do that even if you didn't tell me to. Hah'Er is so cute, how could I ever mistreat him?' Besides, selling a panda was against the law. Shen Yibin had no objections to these terms. But when he scrolled to the end, he saw that the price field was still blank. He quickly asked, "The contract is fine. What do I do after I sign it? And what's the price?"
After asking, Shen Yibin started to worry again. 'I sell a single Siamese Cat for over a thousand yuan. Can I even afford the price of a panda? If the Sichuan Giant Panda Breeding Base announced that pandas could be bought as pets, it wouldn't be surprising if they sold for tens of millions, right? The country leases pandas to other nations for a million US dollars a year. If the Future Pet Shop quotes a price based on that standard, there's no way I can afford it.'
"Just sign it, take a photo with your phone, and send it to me. Also, please be sure to abide by every clause of the contract. Do not question our ability to enforce it." The Future Pet Shop warned Shen Yibin first before revealing Hah'Er's price. "According to current market rates, this panda's selling price is 22,222.22 yuan. Would you like to transfer the payment now?"
THUD! Shen Yibin fell to his knees. He only had 16,000 yuan left on his card. How was he supposed to come up with a shortfall of more than 6,000? 'Do I have to borrow money from Xu Ye?' he wondered. 'And what's the deal with 22,222.22? Are you saying Hah'Er's a dummy? Couldn't you have picked a nicer-sounding number?'
"Hey, is there any chance of a discount?" Shen Yibin pleaded.
"Price is non-negotiable. Take it or leave it!" The Future Pet Shop's reply was imperious. "Also, a friendly reminder: the relevant authorities have already begun their investigation. They should be able to track you down in about three minutes!"