Future Pet Shop

Chapter 232: I Don’t Believe I’m Out of Options

"Why the long face so early in the morning, boss?" Just as he was looking dejected, Xia Shixuan walked in. She hadn’t driven her Maserati this morning, nor the Phaeton she mentioned yesterday. Instead, she’d pushed a bicycle into the shop. She looked around. "Boss, can I put my bike in the storage room?"

Since she’d been riding a bike, she wasn’t wearing a short skirt but had changed into a pair of denim shorts. She was still wearing stockings, however, which perfectly accentuated the lines of her legs.

"Oh, sure, you can just..." Shen Yibin forced his eyes away and started to get up to help her wheel the bicycle inside. But as his hands touched the handlebars, an idea suddenly struck him. ’Wait a minute... I can’t keep up with Shi Gaofei on foot, but I should have no problem on a bike, right?’

So, he immediately changed what he was about to say. "Shi Xuan, could I borrow your bike for a little while? I’m taking Hah’Er and Shi Gaofei out for some exercise. Er, you should come with us if you’re interested. We’re just going to the nearby park."

"I’d love to go, but I just rode all the way here and I’m out of energy. I think I’ll just stay at the shop and rest for a bit," Xia Shixuan said with regret. She really wanted to go play with Hah’Er, but unfortunately, the distance from her villa to the pet shop was anything but short. She was already exhausted from riding so far.

"I’ll go with you. I’ll probably have to prop you up on the way back again," Sylvie said, shrugging as she walked over. If no one went with him, who knew when Shen Yibin would actually make it back.

Leaving Xia Shixuan, Gao Shu, and Li Shiqing at the shop, Shen Yibin left with Sylvie and Hah’Er, leading Shi Gaofei out of the pet shop. He leisurely pushed the bicycle toward the park. As for Xie Nannan, she was probably still on the bus.

"HUFF... HUFF..." The moment they left the pet shop, Shi Gaofei became exceptionally excited, constantly lunging forward. This forced Shen Yibin to repeatedly shout, "Wait up, wait up, I need to buy something!"

’If it weren’t for Sylvie yesterday, I might have died of thirst halfway through. I have to prepare some drinks in advance today.’ Arriving at the convenience store entrance, Shen Yibin figured it would be a hassle to take Shi Gaofei inside, so he tasked Sylvie with the shopping. "Uh, go buy a few bottles of water, a bottle of juice for Hah’Er, a bottle of honey water for Shi Gaofei, and get me two cans of Red Bull and two bottles of mineral water. Get whatever you want for yourself." With that, Shen Yibin pulled out some cash and handed it to her.

’Since I can’t outrun Pingtou, I might as well get a little boost first. I wonder if Red Bull really works as well as they say in the commercials?’ After waiting a bit, Sylvie came out holding a pile of drinks. Shen Yibin grabbed a can of Red Bull, popped it open, and GULP, GULP, GULP, chugged the entire thing. He wasn’t sure if it was the drink or just a placebo effect, but he did feel like his strength had increased.

"Sylvie, you play with Hah’Er for a while. I’m taking Shi Gaofei for his workout." Once they were in the park, Shen Yibin gave out the instructions. Sylvie nodded and took Hah’Er to the grassy area where it usually exercised, while Shen Yibin hopped on the bike, tied the leash to the middle of the handlebars, and started riding around the lake with Shi Gaofei.

Haha, riding a bike was so much easier than running! Shen Yibin’s mood soared as he felt the breeze on his face. He could keep up with Shi Gaofei with just a few casual pushes of the pedals. This was infinitely more enjoyable than yesterday’s grueling run.

’Sigh, if Xia Shixuan hadn’t ridden her bike over this morning, I’d probably be lying on the side of the road, unable to get up by now. Why on earth didn’t I think of this yesterday? If I had, I would’ve gone out and bought a bike yesterday afternoon, and I wouldn’t have been so dog-tired last night.’

Shi Gaofei ran ahead, panting heavily. After just half a lap, it sensed something wasn’t right. ’Yesterday, I kept feeling a tug on my neck, and I don’t think we were going this fast? Why is today different?’

"Shi Gaofei, faster! We’re already half a lap in, and I haven’t even broken a sweat yet," Shen Yibin got a little carried away. He pedaled forward quickly, loudly urging Shi Gaofei on, a complete contrast to his near-death state from the day before.

"HUFF... HUFF..." Hearing his shouts, Shi Gaofei not only didn’t speed up but actually stopped, turned around, and glared at Shen Yibin, panting heavily.

"Huh? What’s wrong? Why’d you stop running?" Shen Yibin quickly squeezed the brake levers and brought the bike to a stop. He kept one foot on a pedal and propped himself up with the other, looking at Shi Gaofei in confusion. ’We’re having such a nice run today, what could you possibly be unhappy about?’

Shi Gaofei ignored Shen Yibin’s question. Instead, it circled the bicycle a few times, then suddenly rushed forward and bit down on the tire. The front tire immediately let out a HISS and began to deflate at a visible rate.

"What the fuck, what are you doing!" Shen Yibin quickly got off the bike to try and stop Shi Gaofei, but his speed was no match for Pingtou. Shi Gaofei nimbly dodged his attempt to intercept it, darted to the rear wheel, and bit down hard again. The rubber tire was no match for Shi Gaofei’s sharp teeth, and in no time, the rear tire was also completely flat.

"HUFF... HUFF..." After doing all this, Shi Gaofei stood triumphantly in front of Shen Yibin, shook its head, and tugged on the leash a few times, as if urging Shen Yibin to start running again.

’Damn it, you just can’t stand to see me take it easy, can you?’ Shen Yibin wanted to cry but had no tears. He never imagined Shi Gaofei had a trick like this up its sleeve! ’This thing is determined to run me to death!’

And so, when he finished the first lap, Sylvie, who was playing with Hah’Er by the lawn, was surprised to see that the bike Shen Yibin had been riding was gone. He was once again panting and struggling to keep up with Shi Gaofei, running for his dear life.

After three laps, Shen Yibin couldn’t run another step. He stuffed the leash into Hah’Er’s paws, collapsed onto the lawn, and refused to get up.

Before long, Hah’Er was also lying on the lawn just like him, tongue out, panting heavily. It couldn’t take it anymore either. But even then, Shi Gaofei still wouldn’t let him off the hook, once again picking up the leash in its mouth and presenting it to Shen Yibin.

On the way back, Sylvie had a terrible time. She had to support Shen Yibin with her left hand and drag Hah’Er with her right. As for the bicycle, she had to call the shop and ask Li Shiqing to come and help get it back.

Back at the shop, Shen Yibin and Hah’Er both flopped onto the sofa and refused to get up. Shen Yibin struggled to turn his head to look at the still-energetic Shi Gaofei. That thing had been running for so long and wasn’t even the slightest bit tired.

’I have to think of something. I refuse to believe I can’t handle you!’