He saw that his bedroom had been tidied up spotlessly. The quilt on the bed was folded neatly, his novel and phone charger were placed by the pillow, and all the dirty clothes had vanished without a trace.

’My bed can be this clean and tidy?’ Shen Yibin even stepped back out and took another look. If it weren’t for Hah’Er’s and Egg’s little beds right next to his, he would have almost thought he’d walked into the wrong room.

’Wow, I never realized Sakai was so considerate and sensible. She’s so much better than those other two who only care about themselves.’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but compare her to Sun Qian and Sylvie. One was obsessed with music, the other was a princess; neither of them would ever do something like this.

"Ah, Sir, I noticed the room was a bit... messy earlier. I was worried that living in such an environment wouldn’t be good for Lord Raccoon Cat’s health, so I took the liberty of tidying up a bit." Just then, Sakai Kaori returned from hanging clothes on the balcony. She chose her words carefully as she spoke, "I am very sorry if I have caused you any trouble."

’Damn it, and here I thought you did all this for me, but it turns out it was all for Egg.’ Shen Yibin could almost hear his own heart breaking. So everything Sakai Kaori had done was to give Egg a comfortable living environment, not for him.

’If Egg didn’t live in my bedroom, she probably wouldn’t have even given my room a second glance, right? This is really... I’m being treated worse than a pet!’ Shen Yibin felt incredibly frustrated now. The little bit of touched emotion he’d felt moments ago had completely vanished.

"Uh, it’s fine. I just came up to take a look. You can carry on with what you’re doing. I’m going out to buy some groceries for dinner." A moment ago, Shen Yibin had planned to ask her what she liked to eat, but now he wasn’t in the mood at all.

’So frustrating. Cheeky has Sun Qian, Sylvie treats Hah’Er like a treasure every day, and even Egg has a cute shrine maiden fawning over it. Not to mention all the aunties on the street who look after it. Doesn’t anyone care about me?’ Shen Yibin trudged downstairs, feeling dejected.

"Hah’Er, come on. Let’s go out and buy groceries." ’Since I’m this depressed, I have to eat two extra bowls of rice tonight, or else I just won’t feel better.’

"Mmm!" The moment it heard the word "eat," Hah’Er instantly perked up, slid off the sofa, and made to run outside. Egg also started yipping and followed along. Seeing this, Shen Yibin’s mood finally improved a little. ’Hmph, hmph, no matter how well you serve it, at least for now, it’s clear Egg still likes me more.’

"Let’s go. I’ll buy you some big bullfrogs tonight." Shen Yibin decided to give Egg a proper reward, and also use the delicious food to soothe his own wounded soul.

After buying a bunch of things and letting Hah’Er and Egg carry some of it, the three of them swaggered back to the store. Sakai Kaori had already finished her chores and was waiting by the door for Egg’s return.

The moment she saw Egg carrying so many things on its back, she hurried over. "Ah, Lord Raccoon Cat, please allow me to carry those." After speaking, she looked at Shen Yibin, hesitating, as if she wanted to reprimand him for making Egg do such things.

’Hah’Er and I are carrying a ton of stuff too, you know! Why aren’t you offering to help us? Besides, Egg is clearly happy to do it. It’s carrying its favorite food, the bullfrogs!’

"GWAK?" Seeing someone trying to touch the bullfrogs on its back, Egg was instantly displeased. It darted back a few steps in a flash, arched its back, extended its claws, and prepared to attack Sakai Kaori at any moment.

"Egg, she just wants to help you carry things, she’s not trying to rob you." Shen Yibin quickly intervened. ’Since Egg was able to catch such a long snake the other day, its combat ability must be pretty strong. If it landed a couple of hits on Sakai Kaori, she probably wouldn’t be able to take it.’

"You two, take the stuff upstairs. I’ll be right up to cook for you." Shen Yibin then handed the groceries he was carrying to Hah’Er as well. The two critters immediately took the items and went to the second floor, while Sakai Kaori, who hadn’t seemed to recover from the awkward moment, remained standing there blankly.

"See? This is why I can’t sell Egg to you right now," Shen Yibin reminded her at the opportune moment. He ran a pet store, after all. An attitude like Sakai Kaori’s, which involved worshiping a pet like a god, was simply not acceptable.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance. I will continue to find a way." Sakai Kaori bowed deeply again.

"You’ve been busy all afternoon, go rest on the sofa for a bit." Shen Yibin led Sakai Kaori to the sofa and poured her a cup of tea. ’Whatever her reasons were, the fact that she helped clean the house is undeniable. This tea can be my thanks.’

"Arigato." After taking a sip of tea, Sakai Kaori seemed to have recovered a little. She pointed to the hiring notice outside and asked, "Excuse me, Sir, are you currently hiring staff?"

"That’s right. Business at the store has been pretty good, and it seems like too much work for just Sun Qian and Sylvie. So I was thinking of finding some more people to help them out." ’Besides, the renovations can start soon. Once the store is expanded, our current staff won’t be enough to handle it.’

"In that case, would you consider me?" Sakai Kaori put down her teacup and stared at Shen Yibin without blinking, as if terrified he would refuse.

"Miss Sakai, don’t you already have a job?" ’Judging from her actions earlier, this girl is hardworking and knows how to care for pets. She’s completely qualified for the job. But her background made Shen Yibin hesitate.’

"I have not yet inherited my family’s duties. My most important task right now is to respectfully bring Lord Raccoon Cat home. However, it seems it will take some time to persuade Lord Raccoon Cat, so I was hoping I could work here to be closer to it." This was Sakai Kaori’s plan; she intended to use time to win Egg’s approval.

"That doesn’t seem very appropriate, does it?" Shen Yibin was hesitant, but he couldn’t withstand Sakai Kaori’s pleading and had no choice but to agree. ’Sigh, the store already has a princess from Sokovia, so what’s one more shrine maiden from Japan?’

Having achieved her goal, Sakai Kaori was naturally overjoyed and expressed her immense gratitude. She proactively offered to help with cooking, rushed to clean up after the meal, and even went downstairs to mop the floor and feed the pets. Her diligence made Sylvie feel a little awkward. ’Have I been a bit too lazy lately?’ she began to wonder.

’Sigh, if only all the employees in the store were as capable as Sakai Kaori,’ Shen Yibin lamented to himself.

Soon, it was time to rest. But only then did Shen Yibin realize a serious problem: where exactly was Sakai Kaori going to sleep tonight?