In Xiangjiang, and indeed the entire Chinese-speaking film industry, Director Kong had it all—status, prestige, and money. He had few ambitions left, but he was particularly irked by Hollywood’s long-standing domination of the global box office. Now that he had this opportunity, he felt he could create a blockbuster with ticket sales rivaling the *Avengers*. He was taking this extremely seriously. The moment he returned to Xiangjiang, he had his finance department wire the first installment of twenty million to Shen Yibin’s account.

After receiving the notification text, Shen Yibin stared blankly at his phone, counting the zeros several times. It wasn’t the first time he’d received such a large sum; Cheeky’s talent show had brought him over thirty million in income last time. But that money had merely passed through his hands before being donated to the Sichuan Giant Panda Base.

This time, however, was different. According to the Future Pet Shop, Hah’Er was now his own pet, which meant Shen Yibin had full control over the money he earned. It had been a little while since the money arrived, and the Future Pet Shop hadn’t contacted him. ’It must have tacitly approved of me keeping this money, right?’

He logged into his online banking to check the balance. The number—20,378,245.39—reminded Shen Yibin that the money was, in fact, real.

The Future Pet Shop might not be looking for Shen Yibin, but he was going to look for it. Once he was sure, he opened the dialogue box and began to type. "By the way, this money was earned by Hah’Er, right? I should be able to use it to buy that panda hamster, shouldn’t I?"

"Although the movie has not yet started filming, according to the contract, this payment does not need to be returned even if filming is canceled later. Therefore, this money does indeed belong to your panda." The Future Pet Shop acknowledged this point; Director Kong had spared no expense to get Hah’Er to participate, even agreeing to such a contract. "Since it now possesses the ability to purchase and raise this panda hamster, and its affinity level is far above the passing mark, it has indeed qualified to purchase the panda hamster. Would you like to purchase it now?"

"Of course..." Shen Yibin had just typed the two words when he hesitated. ’Why am I in such a hurry to buy Maphario? There are still two months left on the three-month deadline. Finalizing the deal now is just a matter of a few clicks. I no longer have to stress about finding the right owner for a pet like I used to. It’s rare to have this much time without any pressure, so why should I rush to finish and create more trouble for myself?’

Shen Yibin recalled his first job. As soon as a work plan was made, he would rush to complete it. The moment his boss saw he was finished, he would immediately assign him more tasks, leaving him swamped all day. Later on, he learned to slack off and drag his feet, never completing a task before its scheduled deadline. Life became much more relaxed that way.

’It’s the same thing now. If I buy Maphario right away, I’ll have accumulated fifty thousand in commission and get promoted to Level 2 Partner. Upgrading would certainly bring more privileges and benefits, but knowing the Future Pet Shop’s usual antics, it would probably just pile on more sales tasks for me, right?’

’So why should I be in a hurry to help Hah’Er buy Maphario? He’s in the shop and isn’t going anywhere. I might as well drag this out until the two-month deadline is almost up. I can enjoy two more months of leisure.’ The thought alone was bliss. With a slight smile, Shen Yibin deleted those two words and typed a new message. "Let’s wait a bit. I want them to interact for a while longer and see how high their affinity level can get."

The Future Pet Shop didn’t seem to see through Shen Yibin’s little scheme. "Alright, then come find me when you’re ready to make the purchase. Once you complete this transaction, you will be promoted to a Level 2 Partner. You will then have greater privileges and receive more of our support. So, please try to do it sooner rather than later."

"Got it, I’ll do it as fast as I can!" ’Fast as I can, my ass! I want to slack off for another two months,’ Shen Yibin thought. He typed out a casual reply, tossed his phone aside, and flopped onto the sofa to enjoy his leisure time.

After lounging for a while, Shen Yibin started pondering how to spend the money. Since Hah’Er had earned it, most of it should be spent on him. That guy loved to eat and drink—oh, and skateboard. Shen Yibin had never been stingy with Hah’Er’s food, and the same went for his drinks. Hah’Er now drank custom-ordered bamboo juice beer daily, and Shen Yibin would also collect delicious beers from around the world for him to taste. He even dragged him around the park for two laps a day. In terms of eating, drinking, and playing, there wasn’t much room for improvement.

In that case, he should improve Hah’Er’s living environment. Other pandas lived in luxurious enclosures. While his small shop had undergone significant improvements, it was still a far cry from those. ’At the very least, I should build an indoor pool for Hah’Er, right? And maybe add a few rockeries for him to climb up and down.’

Shen Yibin opened his tablet and started looking up panda enclosures around the world for reference. The newly built, Chinese imperial palace-themed enclosure in the Netherlands and the 5,500-square-meter landscape garden in Belgium that simulated the Sichuan basin were a real eye-opener. ’Sigh, if only I could build a place like that for Hah’Er someday.’

However, the money Shen Yibin had on his card was nowhere near enough for something like that. He put down the tablet with a sigh of regret and first gave Mrs. Wang a call. The properties next door were also hers, so if he wanted to renovate, he would have to acquire them from her. This time, however, Shen Yibin didn’t plan on renting; he intended to buy his current shop and the two storefronts next to it.

Of course, twenty million was far from enough to buy these storefronts. The property price in this area was over twenty thousand yuan per square meter, and the total area he wanted to buy exceeded 1,500 square meters. But that wasn’t a problem. The subsequent payments would arrive soon enough. Worst case, he could just pay in installments.

"Mrs. Wang, are you still going to the square to dance tonight? I have something I need to talk to you about. Do you think you could stop by the shop for a bit before you go dancing? I’ll make a few of your favorite dishes." This was too important to discuss over the phone, so Shen Yibin planned to invite Mrs. Wang over.

"Sigh, our dance team doesn’t have any competition in Yunzhong City anymore, and Egg is gone, too. I just can’t get enthusiastic about dancing these days." Mrs. Wang still missed Egg dearly.

’Wow, I didn’t realize you’d become so unrivaled,’ Shen Yibin thought. "As it happens, Sakai sent me a few videos of Egg yesterday. If you come over, I can show them to you." To persuade Mrs. Wang to visit, Shen Yibin had no choice but to use Egg’s cuteness as bait.