’Whoa, what are you trying to do? I’m a man with principles! Even if you have a lot of power, I won’t submit to you!’ Shen Yibin immediately shrank back, hiding in the corner of the elevator.
"Mr. Bin, Charlotte’s Chinese isn’t very good. I think she expressed herself incorrectly," Lunfei’Er quickly explained. "We just want to see the Panda’s living environment and evaluate it. I’m very sorry for the confusion."
"Yes, yes, that’s right. I just meant I wanted to see where you and the Panda sleep, nothing else," Charlotte stammered, her face burning red now that she realized her mistake.
’You should have just said so! You gave me a heart attack. I thought you were after my chastity, and there’s no way I’d agree to that!’ Shen Yibin breathed a sigh of relief. "No problem, follow me." ’Director Kong set us up in a top-tier suite at a five-star hotel. If this isn’t good enough for them, I’ll be speechless.’
After that awkward moment, the tension between them seemed to ease a little. Although Narcissus and the others found it strange that Hah’Er walked on his two hind legs, they didn’t say anything and just followed Shen Yibin into the suite. Upon seeing the accommodations, Lunfei’Er couldn’t help but offer some praise. "The environment here is really quite nice. A scenic balcony, an indoor swimming pool, fitness equipment... The Panda must be very comfortable here, right?"
"Isn’t the air conditioner set a bit high?" Charlotte couldn’t let it go. She walked over to the central AC control panel and saw it was set to 26 degrees Celsius. She decisively lowered it. "I’m setting it to 21 degrees Celsius. This is better for the Panda."
"Hah’Er doesn’t like this temperature," Shen Yibin said with a shrug. ’His ability to adapt to temperatures is much better than other pandas; he actually dislikes it when it’s this cold. Oh well, they probably wouldn’t listen to an explanation anyway. I’ll just let them see his reaction in a bit.’ Shen Yibin got up to prepare drinks for them. "What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?"
"Tea, thank you. Aren’t you going to get the Panda some water?" ’These people are clearly more concerned about Hah’Er than about me,’ Shen Yibin thought.
"Uh, he drank plenty of water during his meal earlier, so he doesn’t need any right now." ’Hah’Er likes to drink alcohol. What would happen if they saw that?’ Shen Yibin ignored Hah’Er’s reproachful gaze and steeped some tea for them.
"It’s getting a little cold." After sitting for a while, Shen Yibin felt the drop in temperature. He went to the bedroom to grab a long-sleeved shirt to put on, then tossed a bath towel to Hah’Er. "Aren’t you cold?"
"I’m fine." Famite had goosebumps all over his arms, but for the sake of Hah’Er’s health, he said nothing. ’Besides,’ he wondered, ’why did Shen Yibin give Hah’Er a bath towel?’
Hah’Er took the bath towel and wrapped it around his body. He had grown accustomed to the 26-degree Celsius air conditioning over the past few days, and the sudden drop in temperature made him feel chilly. He needed something to keep warm.
"See? I told you he prefers a warmer temperature. Hah’Er is special; his habits aren’t the same as a typical panda’s." ’He’s definitely different,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’What other panda is such a picky eater? What other panda likes to drink alcohol? What other panda can charm several females in a single day? Only Hah’Er can do that.’
With Shen Yibin’s explanation and the evidence right in front of them, Charlotte and the others were at a loss for words. Their rigid beliefs began to waver. ’Could it be that what Shen Yibin and Director Kong said is true?’ They had come to protect the panda’s welfare, yet it now seemed they were the ones making him uncomfortable.
"Let’s wait until after the check-up tomorrow before we decide." After a brief, quiet discussion, the four of them stood up to leave. "In that case, Mr. Shen, we won’t disturb you and the Panda’s rest any longer. We’ll see you tomorrow morning." As she left, Charlotte made sure to stop by the central AC control panel and turn the temperature back up to 26 degrees Celsius.
’So their heads aren’t made of granite after all. At least they know how to be flexible. Maybe I can be more optimistic about tomorrow’s check-up?’ As he pondered this, Shen Yibin went to the refrigerator, grabbed a can of beer, and tossed it to Hah’Er. The little guy hadn’t had a drink all day and was probably going crazy.
"Hmph?" Hah’Er held the beer can and gave Shen Yibin a look of dissatisfaction. Ever since he had tasted the Monkey Wine brewed by Xiaoliu, his interest in beer had plummeted. He now turned his nose up at even the special bamboo-juice beer Shen Yibin bought for him.
"Look, we’re all out of Monkey Wine. It’ll be a little while before Xiaoliu brews the next batch, so you’ll just have to make do for a couple of days!" Shen Yibin grabbed a beer for himself, clinked cans with Hah’Er, and they began to drink together.
After finishing their drinks, they had a wonderful night’s sleep. 「Early the next morning」 Shen Yibin and Director Kong, accompanied by the four members of the animal welfare organization, brought Hah’Er to the Shanghai Zoo.
The film crew had contacted the Shanghai Zoo the previous day, so upon arrival, they quickly found the right staff members to take Hah’Er in for his examination. This wasn’t just a physical check-up; it was a comprehensive evaluation covering everything from his physical condition to his psychological state.
The experts at the Shanghai Zoo took the matter very seriously. They assigned their best personnel and used their most advanced equipment to carefully observe every part of Hah’Er’s body, every movement, and every minute change in his expression. As the examination progressed, more and more peculiar looks appeared on the experts’ faces.
Noticing the change in their expressions, Charlotte and her colleagues immediately grew nervous. "Professor, is this Panda in poor health?"
"No, quite the opposite. The reason I’m so surprised is that I have never seen a panda in such excellent health," the old, white-haired professor replied in fluent English. His mind was reeling. He recalled how, when Professor Wu Gui had first promoted the pilot program for keeping pandas as pets, he had been full of disapproval, afraid that the pandas’ health would suffer. ’But looking at this one now,’ he thought, ’it’s far healthier than any of the ones I have here.’
Before long, the results were out. The old professor handed the bilingual Chinese-English report to Charlotte and the others. "After our comprehensive examination, we can confirm that Hah’Er is in excellent health, both physically and psychologically. There are no problems at all." ’Hmm? Are those trace amounts of alcohol in his blood? Well, that doesn’t seem to have any adverse effects,’ he mused.
Shen Yibin and Director Kong exchanged a smile. ’This should solve the problem, right?’ Director Kong stepped forward with a cheerful smile and asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, since Hah’Er is perfectly fine, does this mean we can resume filming?"