’Please, don’t let it be abroad!’ Shen Yibin prayed again, then started zooming in on the map to continue his search. It wasn’t in the province where Yunzhong City was located. He zoomed out; it wasn’t in the entire southwestern region of China either. He zoomed out further; it still wasn’t anywhere in China, or even East Asia! Shen Yibin’s heart sank. It looked like he had no choice but to go abroad this time.
’What on earth did I do to offend you in a past life for you to torture me like this?’ Shen Yibin stared at the Future Pet Shop on his WeChat, feeling utterly dejected. ’I have to take Hah’Er all over the world for the promotional tour, and now you’re just deliberately messing with me, aren’t you?’
With his hopes of easily finding the pet dashed, Shen Yibin had to settle for the next best thing. He just hoped this Mutant Animal would be in a relatively convenient country, so he could still keep up with the promotional tour’s schedule.
He zoomed the map all the way out, bringing the entire world into view on the pet radar. The orange dot representing the Mutant Animal appeared somewhere in Central Europe.
That was a bit better. Shen Yibin breathed a small sigh of relief. According to Director Kong’s plan, Western Europe was an important promotional stop anyway. Since Europe wasn’t that large, traveling from Central to Western Europe would be easy. If everything went smoothly, he could definitely make it in time for the tour and even save himself the trouble of a separate trip.
The only problem was that getting the paperwork for Hah’Er to travel abroad would likely be a hassle. ’Looks like I’ll have to call Professor Wu Gui and Director Kong for help again,’ Shen Yibin thought, his head starting to ache at the prospect.
’I should see which country this Mutant Animal is in first.’ Shen Yibin adjusted the scale of the pet radar map again, centering it on Europe. As he zoomed in, the country where the orange dot was located gradually came into view.
’Holy crap, it’s a small world!’ Shen Yibin stared, dumbfounded, when he saw the country’s name. The orange dot was right in Sokovia! Well, that made everything convenient.
’No need to bother Director Kong or Professor Wu Gui then. I’ll just call Sylvie directly. Sokovia is her turf, after all. She’d be delighted if I brought Hah’Er to visit her, right?’
Shen Yibin checked the time. It should still be morning over there. He dialed Sylvie’s number, and she picked up after just a few rings. "Hello! Did you mail me some new wine?"
’Dude, you’re the princess of a nation, not a karaoke hostess. Is it really okay to ask about booze the moment you answer the phone?’ Shen Yibin broke into a cold sweat before replying, "The new wine is ready, but I haven’t had a chance to send it to you. I was planning to use a different delivery method this time. It doesn’t seem appropriate to always have people from your embassy come pick it up."
"Oh? What method are you planning to use this time? Let me guess!" Sylvie was very sharp and immediately caught on. "Aha, are you coming to Europe? Is it for the Panda Hero promotion? But I don’t think I’ve heard anything about that. Did they change the tour schedule?"
"No, no, no, it’s a private matter. Similar to our trip to the Congo, you understand?" Shen Yibin’s head throbbed. ’How am I going to explain this to Sylvie later?’
Fortunately, Sylvie understood that everyone has their secrets, so she didn’t press for details. "When do you plan on coming? I happen to be in Sokovia right now, so I can assist you with everything. Are you bringing Hah’Er with you? I miss it so much. Also, don’t forget the wine."
"No problem. As long as you can help me with Hah’Er’s exit permit, I’ll leave as soon as the paperwork is ready. Also, it won’t just be Hah’Er this time. I’m also bringing a monkey and a panda hamster. I’m sure you’ll love them." ’After all, that Monkey Wine is brewed by Xiaoliu. You’ll probably want to meet this master brewer, won’t you?’
"Okay, I’ll get in touch with them right away. I’ll have the Sokovian Embassy in China coordinate directly with your Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Given the precedent from last time, it should be settled very quickly." After saying that, Sylvie eagerly hung up. Shen Yibin couldn’t tell if she was more excited to see Hah’Er or to get her hands on the Monkey Wine.
About ten minutes later, Sylvie called back. "The embassy staff are already working on it. According to my sources, the paperwork should be ready very soon, so I’ve already sent a staff member to Yunzhong City ahead of time. He’ll accompany you on your flight to Sokovia. Also, all your travel expenses will be covered by the Sokovian royal family. My father and mother will absolutely love Hah’Er."
’Tsk, tsk. Look at how she gets things done—so thorough. Well, this saves me a lot of money again.’ Shen Yibin said gratefully, "Thank you so much. I’ll cooperate with your staff."
"No need to thank me. This is also a good opportunity to enhance the prestige of the Sokovian royal family. Think about it—the people of Sokovia love pandas. If they learn that the royal family has invited a panda from the distant East to be a guest at the Royal Palace, it will do wonders for our public image. Compared to that benefit, this small expense is nothing." So, the expenses were being covered for Hah’Er’s sake; Shen Yibin was just along for the ride.
"You probably have a lot to prepare, so I’ll let you go. We can chat properly when you get to Sokovia. And remember, don’t forget to bring that delicious wine." With that, Sylvie hung up.
"Hah’Er, I’m taking you on a trip!" Shen Yibin put down his phone and called out to Hah’Er, as well as Xiaoliu and Maphario. The whole crew was going this time.
"Boss, where are you off to now? Can you take me with you?" Hearing there was a trip involved, Xia Shixuan immediately perked up.
"Uh, sorry. I’m going abroad this time, so I’m afraid I can’t take you along. How about we all go on a trip for a few days when I get back?" Shen Yibin said apologetically, then started giving instructions for the shop. "Take good care of the store while I’m gone. I’m going to see Bao in a little while to get a new batch of pets. Call me anytime if you run into any problems."
"Also, remember to water and fertilize the saplings Maphario planted every day." These were all familiar chores for them, so he didn’t need to explain further.
He drove to the outskirts of the city and brought back a large batch of pets. That evening, he cooked a sumptuous dinner that everyone enjoyed. A little after ten o’clock, the staff member from the Sokovian embassy arrived at Shen Yibin’s shop and informed him that all the paperwork was complete; he could depart for Europe tomorrow.
Shen Yibin quickly packed his luggage, making sure to bring along all of the newly brewed Monkey Wine, and got ready for his trip to Europe.