Future Pet Shop

Chapter 231: Help! I Can’t Take It Anymore

"Shi Gaofei, can we go after we eat?" Shen Yibin was on the verge of tears. His legs were still sore, and if he had to run another three laps around the lake, he would definitely collapse.

’Look, it’s almost time for dinner, and I’m hungry. He won’t have any energy to run if he doesn’t eat, right? Yes, first I’ll coax him to eat. It’s not good to do strenuous exercise right after eating anyway, so that will buy me some more time. Ideally, I can stall until he gets sleepy and just goes to bed. Then I’ll have survived tonight’s ordeal. As for what happens tomorrow... I’ll worry about that tomorrow.’

"Hnngh... Hnngh..." Shi Gaofei completely ignored him. What was that little bit of exercise this morning to Pingtou? It wasn’t even a tenth of his usual activity on the African savanna. Back at the shop, all the other pets would cower obediently in their cages the moment they saw him, giving him no chance to pick a fight. This left Shi Gaofei utterly frustrated.

Now that it was almost dark, the entire day would be wasted if he didn’t get out and do something. So, he once again resolutely pushed the leash into Shen Yibin’s hand.

"Hey, I’m really hungry! I honestly can’t run anymore." Shen Yibin wanted to cry but had no tears. ’I knew it, none of you guys are easy to take care of! With Hah’Er, I learned how to cook. With Cheeky, my singing is almost at a professional level. Oh, and Egg is fine since he has all those aunties to dance with. But you? Are you planning to turn me into a professional marathon runner? I just run a pet shop, I never wanted to be this well-rounded!’

"Hnngh... Hnngh..." Seeing Shen Yibin hadn’t moved an inch, Shi Gaofei grew quite displeased. He let out a couple of growls, tossed the leash aside, and started heading straight for the door, planning to go out and play by himself.

"I was wrong, I was wrong!" How could Shen Yibin dare let Pingtou go out alone? If he wasn’t there to watch him, the little guy could rampage from one end of Baiyun Street to the other, and then back again.

Shen Yibin quickly picked up the leash, a miserable look on his face. "Let’s go. Let’s go work out." He then turned to Sylvie and said, "Just make whatever for dinner. I don’t think I’ll have the energy to cook. If I’m not back by dinnertime, remember to come to the park and carry me back." ’Sigh, if I have to do another three laps, I’m pretty sure I won’t have the strength to crawl back on my own.’

Leaving Hah’Er at the shop, Shen Yibin was walked by Shi Gaofei... er, no, Shen Yibin was walking Shi Gaofei out the door. They jogged off toward the park, leaving the four girls and Hah’Er staring at each other in confusion.

"Hah’Er, what on earth is going on?" Sylvie asked, stroking Hah’Er’s head. ’Isn’t he just going out to walk a pet? Why does he look like he’s heading to the execution grounds?’

A while later, it was time to close the shop. Gao Shu and Li Shiqing got busy making dinner, Xia Shixuan drove home in her Maserati, and Sylvie took Hah’Er and headed for the park. She was very curious to see what had made Shen Yibin so dejected.

’Huh, where did Bin go?’ When she got to the park, she saw all the familiar faces who came to exercise regularly. Some were practicing Tai Chi, others were jogging along the lake, but she couldn’t see Shen Yibin anywhere.

After searching for a little longer, she finally saw a sorry-looking Shen Yibin running out from a path by the lake. He was panting, drenched in sweat, and completely unable to keep up with Shi Gaofei. "Slower, slower, I’m begging you, can’t you slow down! I really can’t run anymore!"

Shi Gaofei, on the other hand, looked incredibly excited, running as wildly as if he were chasing prey on the African savanna. He was dragging Shen Yibin along, causing him to stagger and gasp for breath. It looked like he could drop dead on the spot at any moment.

"Syl... Sylvie, get me... get me a bottle of water..." Shen Yibin felt like his lungs were going numb. His throat burned as if on fire. Sweat constantly streamed down his face only to be dried by the wind, leaving a crust of salt on his cheeks.

’I’ve seen countless people walk their pets, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone look so pathetic doing it.’ Suppressing her laughter, Sylvie went to the little kiosk at the park entrance, bought a few bottles of mineral water, and handed one to Shen Yibin the next time he passed by.

Shen Yibin had just managed a "thank you" when he let out another miserable cry. "Sylvie! You have to open it for me! Do I look like I have the strength to twist off a cap right now?"

Sylvie quickly ran after him, twisted the cap off, and handed it back. Shen Yibin gulped down half the bottle in one go, then poured the remaining half over his head to cool down. Only then did he feel slightly better.

After the third lap, just like that morning, Shen Yibin collapsed onto the lawn and refused to get up. Shi Gaofei, however, still looked like he wasn’t done yet. He didn’t even have a single drop of sweat on him. He walked over to Shen Yibin’s head and let out a dissatisfied huff, as if to say, ’How can you be so useless? I’m not done having fun yet!’

’If you got your fill of fun, I’d probably be dead,’ Shen Yibin thought. He didn’t even have the strength to speak now. All he could do was struggle to lift his arm and wave it weakly a few times, signaling that he really couldn’t go on.

But even seeing him in this state, Shi Gaofei refused to let him off the hook. Perhaps Shi Gaofei thought that such a short run was nothing. ’Shen Yibin must be faking it!’ So, he once again grumbled impatiently, urging Shen Yibin to get up.

’Logically speaking, a normal honey badger might have explosive power, but its endurance shouldn’t be this good, right? Could this be the result of that pill from the Future Pet Shop? If Bear Grylls ever ran into Shi Gaofei again, he definitely wouldn’t last six hours.’

"Hah’Er, you take him for a walk!" Shen Yibin forced himself to say, passing the leash into Hah’Er’s paws. While Shi Gaofei ignored everyone else, he seemed to acknowledge Hah’Er. And so, the mad dash around the lake began again.

At first, Hah’Er seemed able to keep up by jogging on his two hind legs, but soon he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to drop to all fours and go full speed just to barely keep up with Shi Gaofei.

But this guy’s stamina was even worse than Shen Yibin’s. After just one lap, he collapsed on the lawn just like him and refused to get up. It seemed Shi Gaofei had finally, barely, had his fill, as he didn’t insist on continuing.

That night, it was Sylvie who had to help Shen Yibin back to the shop. After dinner, while washing up, Shen Yibin discovered several blisters on his feet. This was all Shi Gaofei’s doing.

The next morning, just after breakfast, Shi Gaofei appeared before Shen Yibin again, leash in his mouth, abnormally excited. This time, Shen Yibin cried out loud. ’Help me! I really can’t take this anymore!’