’And here I was, busting my ass to get information for you the second I heard the news, only to come to the store and see this scene.’ A sour feeling welled up inside Bai Yanni. How long had Shen Yibin’s shop even been open? Why was it that every time she came, there was a new girl? And another new girl after that? And every single one of them was so good-looking! Were you running a pet shop or a... you-know-what?

"Oh, this is our shop’s new recruit, Sakai Kaori. Thanks to her the other day, those two thieves didn’t get away. Who knows what would’ve happened otherwise," the oblivious Shen Yibin said, failing to notice the edge in Bai Yanni’s tone. Instead, he continued with his enthusiastic introduction. "You wouldn’t have guessed it. Miss Sakai looks so gentle and frail, but her martial arts skills are something else. Man, if only I were that capable..."

"Oh? Is that so? If you want to train, it’s not impossible. We have a fighting gym at the station. How about I take you there to practice sometime?" A chill crept into Bai Yanni’s voice.

"Sure! Let’s bring Miss Sakai along, too. I wonder which of you is the better fighter," Shen Yibin replied, still completely missing the hidden meaning in her words.

"Fine. No problem. I’ll take you both when I get a day off," Bai Yanni said through gritted teeth. ’If I don’t beat you both black and blue then, my name isn’t Bai.’

"It’s a date, then! Right, what ever happened to those two thieves from last time?" Shen Yibin finally remembered the important stuff and quickly asked. ’Please, officers, you have to lock those two guys up for a good long while. If they come back after Sakai Kaori leaves, I won’t be able to handle them!’

"Right. The investigation is complete. The two of them were indeed after the pets in your shop, but not Cheeky or Hah’Er. They wanted to steal your Egg." A strange expression appeared on Bai Yanni’s face as she spoke. "The mastermind is the owner of a jade shop. He insists that your Egg can identify jade. He approached several people trying to buy Egg, but you always refused to sell, so he decided to resort to burglary."

"Hahaha, how is that possible? I think this guy has lost his mind," Shen Yibin said with a dry laugh. ’So that’s why his build looked so familiar that day. It was the owner of that jade shop. Sigh, looks like I’ll have to be more careful from now on.’

"Mhm, we also think he’s gone crazy with greed. But that doesn’t affect the proceedings. We’ve collected all the evidence and are preparing to hand the case over to the other departments for the next steps. Based on what we have, the charge of burglary is solid. Although it was an attempted crime, the amount involved is considered substantial. They’ll get three years of prison time, at the very least..." Bai Yanni’s answer helped Shen Yibin relax a little. Three years from now, Egg would be long gone. The guy wouldn’t still be pestering him then, right?

"Thank you, Officer Bai. Are you on a day off today? Then please stay and have a meal with us. I’ll go buy groceries right now," Shen Yibin said, thanking her profusely. Even though he would have gotten this news eventually without Bai Yanni, knowing it sooner put his mind at ease. It was a favor he knew he had to acknowledge.

"This is all part of our job. Besides, if the officer in the guard post that night hadn’t been lured away by them beforehand, what happened later wouldn’t have happened. After this incident, we will pay more attention in our future work. We absolutely will not allow something like this to happen again, so you can rest assured." Bai Yanni gave him another dose of reassurance.

"As for lunch..." Bai Yanni hesitated slightly. Shen Yibin’s cooking was undeniably excellent, but the thought of eating with so many other girls left a bad taste in her mouth. Then again, if she didn’t eat, it would just make her look insecure. ’So what if you’re young? I’m not that old myself. So what if you’re pretty? My figure is way better than you little girls’!’ "Fine. I’ll go with you to buy groceries."

"Great! If we go early, we can pick out the freshest ingredients. Hah’Er, let’s go." With that, Shen Yibin stood up. Everything was going fine, but as he was heading out the door, he just had to add one more thing, "Sylvie, Qian, Miss Sakai, what do you all want for lunch?"

CRACK. Bai Yanni clenched her fists. Even though she knew these girls would obviously be eating with them, hearing him say it like that was still infuriating.

’Forget it, I’m not eating!’ Bai Yanni’s anger flared. But just then, Hah’Er came waddling over. He was quite familiar with Bai Yanni, so he came right up and hugged her calf to say hello. Seeing Hah’Er’s adorable, fluffy face, Bai Yanni’s earlier displeasure vanished into thin air.

’Hmph. Look how good and considerate Hah’Er is. Bin, you’re really falling short.’ With that thought, Bai Yanni reached down and took Hah’Er’s paw. "Hah’Er, what do you want to eat today? I’ll buy it for you."

Meanwhile, Shen Yibin had frozen completely, his eyes fixed on Hah’Er. Bai Yanni was wearing a short skirt and stockings today. Seeing Hah’Er hugging her tightly stocking-clad calf filled him with immense envy. ’Coach, I want to be a panda, too! I want to hug beautiful, stocking-clad legs, too!’

"Bin, what are you standing there spacing out for? Let’s go," Bai Yanni urged impatiently when she saw he hadn’t moved.

"Oh, oh, coming, coming!" Shen Yibin finally snapped out of it, quickly calling for Egg to follow them.

At the fruit and vegetable shop, Hah’Er was rummaging everywhere for the freshest, most delicious ingredients. If anyone else had done that, the owner would definitely have been upset. But Shen Yibin and his crew had come with the top dog of Baiyun Street, Master Egg. Not only was the owner not angry, but she even helped them pick things out and gave them a huge discount at checkout.

As they left, she didn’t forget to add a reminder, "Egg, come early tonight! It’s the competition, so we’ve all been getting there half an hour early to practice."

"Don’t you worry, ma’am. I’ll bring him over right after dinner." ’I just wonder what kind of bizarre songs I’ll be hearing tonight.’ Ever since Egg joined the square-dancing squad, Shen Yibin’s eyes had been opened, and he had been subjected to countless songs that he had no idea how to even describe.

After returning to the shop and resting for a bit, it was about time for lunch. Shen Yibin took Hah’Er upstairs and quickly and skillfully whipped up a table of exquisite dishes. Then he called Bai Yanni, Sun Qian, Sylvie, Sakai Kaori, Egg, and Cheeky to come upstairs to eat.

’Huh? Why do I feel like the atmosphere at the table today is a little... strange?’ He hadn’t noticed it at first, but as they ate, Shen Yibin started to feel that something was off.