"Boss, you’re amazing! You take one beauty out and somehow manage to come back with another one. I’m starting to worship you!" Xia Shixuan teased, clasping her hands to her chest with a starry-eyed look.

"Hello, Miss Sun. Are you back for the grand opening ceremony?" Xia Shixuan didn’t know Sun Qian, but Gao Shu and Li Shiqing had studied under her for a time, and they hurried forward to greet her.

"Gao, Shi Qing, long time no see." Sun Qian looked around the familiar shop, a sense of warmth washing over her. ’After being away for so long, this place still feels the most comfortable.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Shi Qing, help me carry Miss Sun’s luggage to the room. She’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight, so come with me and we’ll get it ready." Sylvie had Li Shiqing help her carry Sun Qian’s luggage to the second-floor bedroom. The bed didn’t need much preparation, just a fresh set of sheets and pillowcases.

"I’m going to pick up Shi Gaofei and grab some groceries. Sun Qian, what do you want for dinner?" Shen Yibin took a sip of water, ready to leave immediately. ’I wonder what kind of trouble Shi Gaofei has gotten into at the police dog unit these last few days.’

"Anything. Everything you make is delicious. Oh, right, could you buy a few cans of beer? We could have skewers and beer tonight." Who knows if Sun Qian was recalling that night when everyone got completely wasted.

"Okay, no problem! Hah’Er, get in the car!" Afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle any trouble Shi Gaofei might have caused on his own, Shen Yibin brought Hah’Er along just in case. ’Hopefully, it’ll be some help.’

Not long after setting off, Shen Yibin figured that since they were going to be drinking, it would be more fun with more people. He called Bai Yanni, who happened to have the day off. He took a detour to pick her up, and then they headed to the Yunzhong City police dog unit together.

Thankfully, Shi Gaofei had been fighting to its heart’s content and hadn’t caused any real trouble... well, aside from the pack of bruised and battered police dogs. When Shen Yibin picked it up, it seemed a bit reluctant to leave. ’It probably hasn’t had its fill of fighting yet,’ he guessed. ’Here, it gets to beat someone up every day. It’ll probably be bored back at the shop, right?’

"You guys wait in the car; I’m going to buy some ingredients." After picking up Shi Gaofei, he didn’t go straight home. Instead, he drove to the wet market and supermarket, where he bought a huge pile of food. He made sure to get snakes for Shi Gaofei, bamboo shoots for Hah’Er, and Jabuticaba and Brazilian Raspberries for Cheeky. ’It’s been so long since everyone was together,’ he thought. ’We have to have a real feast.’

"You guys relax for a bit downstairs. I’ll make a few side dishes first." Shen Yibin figured just having skewers would be a little plain and decided to whip up some appetizers. But he hadn’t taken two steps before he felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking back, he saw Shi Gaofei biting his cuff, trying to drag him outside.

’Damn it! I got off the plane less than two hours ago, and you’re already trying to make me go to the park to train with you? Have you no humanity?! Oh, right, it’s an animal. I guess it wouldn’t have any.’

After many failed attempts in the past, Shen Yibin knew it was impossible to reason with Shi Gaofei. He threw his hands up in surrender. Head hung in defeat, he found a leash, looped it around Shi Gaofei’s neck, and prepared to be taken for a walk. Meanwhile, Hah’Er, ignoring its travel-weariness, excitedly pulled its skateboard out of the storage room. It had missed this thing for a long time.

"What’s Hah’Er going to do?" Sun Qian asked, watching it curiously. She’d never seen Hah’Er play with a skateboard before. Cheeky flew onto Hah’Er’s shoulder and squawked, "Fatty, whatcha up to?" ’Man, this guy’s only been in Sichuan for a short while, and he’s already picked up the local dialect.’

"If you’re curious, come and watch," Shen Yibin said, his head hung low. ’Great, now I have to look pathetic in front of someone new,’ he thought glumly. ’This is so frustrating.’

Once they got to the park, Shi Gaofei took off at a full sprint, dragging Hah’Er along on the skateboard. The sight drew gasps of surprise from Sun Qian and Cheeky; neither had imagined that the tiny mongoose could unleash such incredible power.

"That’s nothing. It’s done way crazier stuff!" Sylvie said, pulling out her phone to show a video of Shi Gaofei dominating a lion on the African savanna. The clip terrified Sun Qian. ’They’re keeping such a dangerous animal in the shop? Isn’t that asking for trouble?’ Even Cheeky fell silent, suddenly afraid to heckle Shi Gaofei. The next video showed the mongoose climbing to a treetop and launching itself into the air to attack a vulture trying to steal its cobra.

Cheeky was confident in its own abilities, but it had to admit its flight speed and altitude were probably no match for a vulture’s. ’If Shi Gaofei tried the same attack on me,’ it thought, ’I’m not sure I could get away.’

Next, it was Shen Yibin’s turn to run and spar with Shi Gaofei. The harsh scraping sound of the mongoose’s claws against the protective suit made Sun Qian’s heart leap into her throat, terrified that Shen Yibin would be injured.

Luckily, Shi Gaofei had gotten its fill of fighting with the police dogs, so it seemed a little listless when sparring with Shen Yibin. After about ten minutes, it unceremoniously let him off the hook.

"Bin, are you hurt?" The moment the session ended, Sun Qian rushed over to help Shen Yibin remove the protective suit. She rolled up his sleeves to inspect his hands and arms, letting out a soft sigh of relief only after confirming that, aside from some thick calluses, he was perfectly fine.

Back at the pet shop, Xia Shixuan had already directed Gao Shu, Li Shiqing, and Xie Nannan to set up the grill. She’d organized plenty of these before. The only problem was that with double the people, the balcony felt a bit cramped. Once the renovations next door were complete, though, they would have a much larger terrace, with more than enough room for even bigger barbecue parties.

Shen Yibin deftly whipped up several side dishes, then came out to the balcony with an armful of beers. Everyone gathered around the grill, watching Hah’Er expertly flip the various skewers.

"Here’s to Sun Qian’s successful performance!" Shen Yibin was the first to raise his glass. The seven girls and Hah’Er all raised their glasses to clink against his. Over to the side, Cheeky leisurely munched on a long-awaited fig salad, while Shi Gaofei lurked in a corner, tearing into a piece of snake meat like it was jerky. Neither had any interest in skewers or beer.

"And the second is to a booming business after the renovation!" Down went the second round of drinks. After three quick toasts, Xia Shixuan got everyone started on some games.

With Sylvie about to leave and Sun Qian back for a visit, the atmosphere was a bittersweet mix of joy and sorrow. No one held back on their drinking, and soon, everyone was getting tipsy.

"Mmmph..." Hah’Er was the first to keel over, followed by Sun Qian and Li Shiqing... Before long, everyone had passed out drunk—everyone except Bai Yanni, who had to work a shift later and hadn’t touched a drop.