"Hah’Er, play with Egg for a bit. I have something to take care of." Back in the shop, he tossed Egg directly to Hah’Er and bolted upstairs, not even sparing a glance for the store’s business.

The most important thing right now was to see if he could actually keep the 1.2 million yuan. Compared to that, the shop’s business was insignificant.

Back in his bedroom, he opened his phone. The Future Pet Shop on WeChat still hadn’t sent him any messages. Shen Yibin couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief. ’Given how sensitive the Future Pet Shop is, there’s no way it doesn’t know about this huge sum of money I’ve acquired. Since it hasn’t said anything, does that mean I can consider this money legitimate income?’

’Should I ask it or not?’ Shen Yibin opened the chat window but hesitated, unable to make up his mind. ’It’s one thing if it already knows, but if it doesn’t and I bring it up myself, wouldn’t I be shooting myself in the foot?’

’It has to know, right? It’s better to ask. Even if it takes the money back now, that’s still better than the Future Pet Shop reclaiming the funds after I’ve already signed the contract with Mrs. Wang. At least this way, I won’t be liable for breach of contract, right?’

Gritting his teeth, Shen Yibin made his decision and started typing in the chat box, "Um, so, I made 1.2 million today. Did you know?"

"Idiot, did Hah’Er teach you math? You spent fifty thousand and got back 1.2 million. You clearly made 1.15 million, okay?" Shen Yibin was then subjected to the Future Pet Shop’s merciless scorn.

"So you did know!" Instead of feeling ashamed, Shen Yibin was actually a little happy. ’Since it knew about this and didn’t tell me to donate the money, doesn’t that mean I can pocket it?’ He quickly asked, "So, you’re saying I can use this million-plus?"

"The nature of this situation is slightly different from last time. That 35 million-plus was earned entirely by Cheeky. You didn’t contribute any capital, so you weren’t allowed to keep a single cent. This time is different. You put up fifty thousand yuan, and Egg merely provided you with some information. You bore the cost and the risk, and you made the decisions. Therefore, you are entitled to keep a portion of the earnings," the Future Pet Shop replied.

’Ugh, so it’s still going to take a cut?’ Shen Yibin felt a pang of disappointment, but he quickly came to terms with it. ’If it weren’t for Egg, where would I have gotten this 1.2... oh, right, 1.15 million? It’s only fair to give up a portion.’ So he went on to ask, "So how exactly should the money be split?"

"A 70-30 split. Seventy percent of the net profit is yours. Thirty percent is what Egg earned. You should donate it, just like last time." The Future Pet Shop was being unusually generous this time.

’What’s seventy percent of 1.15 million?’ Shen Yibin counted on his fingers but couldn’t figure it out. In the end, he had to open his phone’s built-in calculator. 1,150,000 times 0.7 equals 805,000. ’So that means I need to donate 345,000.’

’I have about a hundred thousand on my card right now. Add this eight hundred thousand, and I’ll have over nine hundred thousand. It’s not quite a million, but it should be enough for the first payment.’

’The rent and security deposit for Mrs. Wang have to be paid in one lump sum, but the payments to the renovation company don’t. I can pay them according to their work progress, which will spread out the payments over a longer period. In the meantime, my own pet shop will keep generating income, so I should be able to maintain a healthy cash flow for all the expenses.’

’So, should I take Egg to gamble again? But that feels a little too risky. The slightest unexpected problem at the shop could break the cash flow chain, and I’d face the danger of bankruptcy.’

But then he remembered the thrilling, nerve-wracking experience of cutting the raw stone today and quickly dismissed the thought. It seemed Egg’s ability was limited to knowing that there was something good inside a stone, but it had no idea how much of it there was or what it was worth. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to decisively transfer the unfinished stone to Professor Ouyang that morning, and the next cut had ruined the jade, he never would have gotten that 1.2 million.

What if next time he went, he spent hundreds of thousands on a raw stone only to cut it open and find a few tens of thousands worth of jade? That kind of thing wasn’t impossible. Besides, doing it once in a while was one thing, but if he went too often, he’d probably attract trouble. So he decided against it. Little did Shen Yibin know, he was already being followed.

Getting this eight hundred thousand was already a wonderful surprise; he really couldn’t ask for more. As for the remaining 345,000, he’d find some time to donate it to the Yunzhong City Zoo.

Last time, he had donated over 35 million to the Sichuan Giant Panda Base. In the future, if Hah’Er ever had any issues, Professor Wu Gui definitely wouldn’t ignore him. Besides, he was counting on Hah’Er to come back for breeding next year.

But if Cheeky, Egg, or any of his future pets got sick or injured, the Sichuan Giant Panda Base probably couldn’t be of much help. That’s why he had to build a good relationship with the zoo. This was the main reason Shen Yibin chose the Yunzhong City Zoo.

With the money issue resolved, Shen Yibin was in a great mood. He immediately went downstairs and took Hah’Er and Egg to the fruit and vegetable shop to buy groceries, planning to reward Egg with a great meal later.

Grass carp, bamboo shoots, and a few other ingredients. Shen Yibin quickly picked out his items, pulled out his phone, and prepared to pay the owner.

"It’s just a few things, what are you paying for? Take it, take it! Consider it my treat for Egg. As long as Egg can teach us how to dance properly, I’ll give you a month’s worth for free." The owner immediately covered the QR code with her hand.

’Hah’Er never got this kind of treatment when he came here. Is square dancing really that captivating? One person after another is giving Egg free food, and now this one won’t even let me pay. Even Princess is enjoying it.’ Shen Yibin found it all a bit hard to believe.

"Mrs. Wang, if you keep doing this, I’ll be too embarrassed to come back next time." Shen Yibin refused to take advantage of her generosity and insisted on paying in the end.

Back at the shop, he made lunch and worked through a busy afternoon. By the time they had finished dinner, Mrs. Wang had arrived at the shop right on time, ready to pick up Egg to go dancing again.

"We’ll be ready in a moment. We can go over together once they’re done cleaning the kitchen." Shen Yibin quickly brewed a pot of tea for Mrs. Wang, planning to use this opportunity to continue asking about renting her shop.

"Bin, this tea is just so-so. I’ll bring you some of the good stuff tomorrow," Mrs. Wang said, not holding back.

"Well, thank you then, Mrs. Wang." Shen Yibin didn’t refuse this time. ’I’m about to give her several hundred thousand yuan, so what’s a little free tea?’

However, before he could speak, Mrs. Wang beat him to it. "So, Bin... is your Egg for sale?"