Future Pet Shop

Chapter 204: What Did I Fish Up?

Nestled amongst the lush green trees was a large manor, perfectly hidden away. The architect had flawlessly blended the structure with its natural environment, making it seem anything but out of place—a true masterpiece of integrating nature and man-made architecture.

The mountain villa was situated in a valley, with a small stream running alongside it. Part of the building extended over the stream, allowing one to enjoy the beautiful view of the babbling water from indoors. After flowing past the building, the stream emptied into a lake up ahead. A boardwalk extended from the house straight into the lake, allowing guests to go for a swim without even needing to put on shoes.

"This reminds me of Wright’s Fallingwater. The person who designed this must be a master," even the worldly Sylvie couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"It’s even more beautiful than our family’s mountain villa," Sakai Kaori muttered softly. She tugged at Egg, trying to calm him down. The little guy already seemed desperate to go for a swim.

’Fine, you’re all loaded,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’When I’m rich, I’ll build Hah’Er an even better place. Hmm, that plot of land by the hot springs was nice. Maybe I can talk to Director Kong and have him recommend a good architect?’

"The rooms are all ready. Pick whichever one you like. Once you’ve chosen, get some rest, then come out for lunch. After we eat, we’ll go for a swim in the lake." Xu Ye took the keys from a staff member and handed them out to everyone.

"Come on, Hah’Er, I’ll take you to change into your swimsuit." Shen Yibin took Hah’Er and chose a standard room. Sakai Kaori did the same with Egg. Sun Qian was dragged into Sylvie’s room, Qiao Wenqi naturally roomed with Mo Xiaomo, and Bai Yanni took a room by herself next to Shen Yibin. Xu Ye, of course, had his own preferred room.

"Nngh!" Hah’Er emerged from the bathroom, tugging hard at the waistband of his new swim trunks with both paws. They seemed a little awkward to wear, but a few laps in the water should fix that.

"Let’s go. Time to head to the restaurant for lunch." Shen Yibin had also changed into his swim trunks. He grabbed a nutritional drink, opened the door, and walked out. Hah’Er waddled along behind him, constantly pulling at his waistband.

’Damn, good thing I brought this nutritional drink!’ When he arrived at the semi-open-air lakeside restaurant and saw all the stunning girls in their swimsuits, Shen Yibin felt his own "nutrition" levels plummeting. He quickly opened the bottle and chugged more than half of it, which helped him return to some semblance of normalcy.

The villa staff had already prepared the meal. Xu Ye raised his glass of juice and clinked it with everyone else’s before laying out the day’s schedule. "We’re still going to the lake later, so no alcohol for lunch. We can drink to our hearts’ content tonight when we get back. After we eat, it’s free time. If you want to swim, you can head down the boardwalk to the lake. If you want to fish, you can come with me on the boat. And if you don’t feel like moving, you can just lie here and read..."

"I also prepared some glutinous rice and bamboo leaves. The Dragon Boat Festival is in a few days, right? So tonight, we can make our own Zongzi. We can make whatever fillings we want." There were plans for the evening, too. The staff had already set up a bonfire on the lakeside beach and installed a sound system. Everyone could sing and dance outdoors, which was much more pleasant than being cooped up in a KTV. And of course, there would be plenty of drinks and alcohol.

"I’ll go fishing with you. Once we catch something, I’ll show you all what I can do." After filling his stomach, Shen Yibin followed Xu Ye onto a small boat. ’I’d better not go swimming,’ he thought. ’Wouldn’t want to suffer a cramp from a sudden nutritional deficiency. For safety’s sake, I should just stick to fishing.’

Hah’Er looked at Egg, who was splashing about in the water, then back at Shen Yibin shouldering his fishing rod. He seemed unsure which to choose.

"Go play with them. Fishing on the boat is boring," Shen Yibin said, patting his head. ’Since he already changed into his swim trunks, he might as well go have a swimming race with Egg.’

"Let’s have a competition. Whoever catches less has to jump in and swim back," Xu Ye proposed after finding a good spot and stopping the boat. He was the first to cast his line into the water.

"Who’s afraid of who? Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose too badly," Shen Yibin retorted, not to be outdone. And so, the two of them took up positions on opposite sides of the small boat, staring intently at their bobbers on the water’s surface.

’Holy crap, this Xu Ye is a sly one,’ Shen Yibin cursed inwardly. ’He took the side facing away from the villa and left this side for me. My entire view is full of girls swimming in the lake. How am I supposed to focus on fishing?’

Shen Yibin’s attention was completely captivated by the girls in their swimsuits, especially Bai Yanni and Sylvie. Their figures were just too incredible, and their swimsuits were getting sexier by the second. ’Could any real man possibly focus on a bobber in this environment?’

’The worst that happens is I have to swim back. Is it really worth it to win a competition but miss out on a view like this, Xu Ye? Who’s really losing out here?’ Shen Yibin consoled himself.

"Oh ho! Got the first one! At least a pound and a half."

"Another one! This one’s even bigger, must be over two pounds."

"Haha, that’s the third! Bin, don’t tell me you haven’t even caught one yet?" Xu Ye had clearly fished here many times before. He was very familiar with the habits of the fish in this lake and was reeling in big ones one after another in no time.

"It’s still early. Don’t celebrate just yet," Shen Yibin said, though his heart wasn’t in it. In truth, his confidence was already waning.

’That lucky Hah’Er! He’s so enviable!’ Shen Yibin had just managed to turn his attention back to his bobber when his eyes were drawn to Hah’Er and he couldn’t look away. The panda was floating comfortably on the water’s surface, surrounded by a circle of girls. Sylvie, Bai Yanni, Qiao Wenqi, and the others were swimming around him. It made Shen Yibin want to fly over and take his place.

’Huh? I see Hah’Er, but where did Egg go?’ Shen Yibin finally managed to tear his gaze away from Hah’Er, only to notice another problem.

’Uh, judging by Sakai Kaori’s expression, she doesn’t seem too worried. Is that little guy swimming in the lake too?’ Shen Yibin recalled that raccoon dogs were apparently good at climbing trees and swimming.

’Hm? A bite?’ Shen Yibin suddenly felt a powerful tug on his fishing rod. He quickly gripped it tightly and began a tug-of-war with whatever was on the hook. ’Such force! This must be a heavy one. This single fish might be enough to beat Xu Ye and make him swim back!’

’But is this fish really that big? Can a lake this size even have a fish this huge?’ Shen Yibin’s rod was bent into a semicircle, and the stalemate was lasting far longer than he had anticipated, yet he still couldn’t pull the fish out of the water.

WHOOSH! The target was finally yanked out of the water by Shen Yibin. But when he saw what was on the end of his hook, he froze. ’What in the world is going on?’