Shen Yibin still wasn’t able to drag Bernanke to play tennis that day. The guy could barely even stand steadily, so how could he possibly handle hours of suicide runs on a tennis court?
"What a shame. I guess I’ll just have to ask the hotel for help." Shen Yibin let Bernanke off the hook, took Hah’Er for a quick swim, and then called the hotel’s concierge.
"Good day, Mr. Shen. How may I help you?" A sweet voice came from the other end of the line. So-called high-end hotels weren’t just about lavish decorations; their service was equally meticulous.
"I want to play tennis, but I don’t have anyone to play with. Could you find two practice partners for me?" Shen Yibin ordered. This was no difficult task for the hotel; since they had tennis courts, they would certainly offer such accompanying services.
"Certainly, sir. Do you have any specific requirements for the practice partners?" Some clients liked to test their skills against experts, while others played tennis merely to appreciate the sight of a young woman’s fluttering skirt. She didn’t know which type Shen Yibin was.
"Uh, they should be reasonably skilled, but the most important thing is they need to have excellent stamina." The average person couldn’t handle hours of continuous suicide runs.
"Very well, sir. The practice partners will be waiting for you at the tennis court in ten minutes." ’I’ve never heard a request like that before.’ The staff member immediately hung up and went to make the arrangements.
By the time Shen Yibin arrived at the tennis court with Hah’Er, two practice partners were already waiting. Next to them stood two pretty attendants holding towels and drinks, ready to serve Shen Yibin at a moment’s notice.
’It feels so good to be rich. Back in college, I couldn’t even find anyone to play a game of DOTA, but now I can find tennis partners with a single phone call.’ Shen Yibin reflected for a moment before starting his warm-up.
"Alright, which of you is up first?" After he finished his warm-up, the two practice partners glanced at each other. The shorter one stepped onto the court opposite Shen Yibin, and the two began their match.
This practice partner was a student from Yunzhong City Sports University. His tennis skills were genuinely impressive, and he still maintained a professional training regimen, making him far stronger than Bernanke. Because of this, he initially wondered how he might let Shen Yibin win a few points to avoid embarrassing him. But once they officially began, he was astonished. No matter how tricky the angle he hit, Shen Yibin was able to return the ball, and his returns seemed utterly effortless.
’Who on earth taught him tennis? Why did he only learn defense and no offense?’ Both practice partners were utterly flummoxed. The match dragged on for over three hours, yet they didn’t even finish a single game. Shen Yibin had brutally worn down both partners, who were now sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, Shen Yibin looked as if nothing had happened.
"You guys did great. Come back again tomorrow at the same time." Shen Yibin pulled some tip money from his wallet and handed it over.
’He wants us again tomorrow?!’ The two partners looked at each other in dismay. Shen Yibin was generous, but wasn’t the physical toll just too much? Should they come tomorrow or not?
After tormenting others, he returned to the shop to be tormented by Xiaoliu, Hah’Er, and Cheeky. The next few days followed the same pattern: during the day, Shen Yibin would take Hah’Er out for the shoot, then go to the hotel tennis court to torment the practice partners. Finally, he would return to the shop to endure the torment from Xiaoliu and the others, living a life of painful pleasure.
"Bin, the shoot will be over in three more days. When you get back, ask Sun Qian if her musical piece is ready. If it is, she can come back with me to Xiangjiang to record it!" Director Kong said to Shen Yibin after filming wrapped up for the day.
"Alright, I’ll head back early then." ’Ah, I guess I’m too lazy to torment those practice partners today.’ After enjoying a meal prepared by the hotel’s master chef with Director Kong, Shen Yibin returned to the shop with Hah’Er and relayed the director’s words to Sun Qian.
"It’s almost done. There are just a few minor details to polish. It should be finished by tomorrow." Sun Qian’s voice held a trace of reluctance. ’If that’s the case, I’ll probably have to leave in a few days. I’m actually a little sad to go.’
"Great! Once this piece gets out, music companies will be lining up to agree to your terms," Shen Yibin said joyfully, completely oblivious.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back and continue my revisions." Sun Qian was quite vexed. ’Are you really that eager for me to get lost?’ She promptly stood up and left Shen Yibin alone on the terrace.
’Sigh, has Sun Qian been under too much pressure lately?’ Still not realizing what he’d done wrong, Shen Yibin dazedly scratched his head, wondering.
"CHIRP! CHIRP!" Before he could think any further, Xiaoliu had already scrambled over from a branch to hurry him along. And so, Shen Yibin’s inhumane training began once again.
"Hmph!" Hah’Er tossed an orange his way. The bamboo branch in Shen Yibin’s hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, skewering the orange straight through. Before he could celebrate, Cheeky’s dive-bombing attack came next. An apple flew right at his nose. The bamboo branch thrust out again, and the apple was impaled as well. In no time at all, Shen Yibin’s bamboo branch had turned into a super-sized Tanghulu. The last few days of training hadn’t been for nothing; his accuracy had greatly improved.
The training session ended. Today, Shen Yibin had been hit far fewer times than yesterday. ’At this rate, it might not be long before I can avoid the punishments entirely! Uh, but given Xiaoliu’s lack of principles, he’ll probably come up with new moves for me after I’ve mastered stabbing, won’t he? Swordsmanship includes over a dozen basic postures like hacking, stabbing, dotting, flicking, and sweeping... Do I really have to go through them all?’
"Time for bed! See you tomorrow!" Waving goodbye to Xiaoliu and Cheeky, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er and Maphario back to his bedroom, filled the bathtub, and soaked blissfully inside.
After his bath, Shen Yibin lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep. ’Did I forget something important?’ After racking his brain for a while, he finally remembered. ’Oh, crap! Today’s the deadline to purchase Xiaoliu! I almost forgot!’
He quickly opened his phone and saw that it wasn’t midnight yet. Shen Yibin breathed a sigh of relief, immediately opened WeChat, found the Future Pet Shop, and sent a purchase request. The Future Pet Shop was straight to the point, directly sending back a price quote. "A total of 77,777.77 yuan!"
’That price isn’t expensive at all.’ For the wine that Xiaoliu brews, people would be fighting to buy a single bottle for 777,777.77 yuan. ’Getting him for just over seventy thousand is an absolute steal!’ Shen Yibin quickly tapped to pay.
The transaction was completed successfully. Shen Yibin didn’t close his phone right away, though. He wanted to see what the conditions were for the next upgrade.