"The client is gentle, loving, and in good psychological health. He will undoubtedly cherish his pet and ensure the panda is not harmed. Furthermore, the client is not highly intelligent and is emotionally dull, a perfect personality match for the panda. This section is worth 20 points. The client's score: 20." Shen Yibin looked at the data analysis beside him. 'This is 22nd-century high-tech, all right. It can read a person's personality from just a photo—way more reliable than those fake blind fortune-tellers on the street corner.'
'But what's with that "the client is not highly intelligent and is emotionally dull" part? Is it saying that Hah'Er and I are both simple-minded, making us a perfect match?' Shen Yibin took 10,000 points of psychic damage. 'Damn it, I'm being dissed by a piece of software!'
He read on. "A data search reveals that the client owns a pet shop, has undergone specialized pet-rearing training, and possesses the relevant expertise to ensure the panda's healthy growth. This section is worth 20 points. The client's score: 20."
'All I did was take one picture, and it's already dug up my entire personal history. Does this app double as a hacking tool?' A cold sweat broke out on Shen Yibin. 'If this were an app for tracking fugitives, would it have just called the police on the spot?'
"The client lives and works in the same location, granting him ample time to accompany his pet and preventing the panda from developing negative emotions such as loneliness and solitude. This section is worth 20 points. The client's score: 20." 'That makes sense,' he thought. Many people were too busy with work or were constantly away on business trips, leaving their pets locked up at home alone. Over time, this was extremely detrimental to a pet's mental health. Worse, some might even starve to death from neglect. Shen Yibin himself wouldn't have the heart to sell a pet to a customer like that.
The first few sections went well, with Shen Yibin earning full marks on basically everything. But he totally bombed the final major category. "In addition to psychological state, expertise, and free time, possessing other skills that promote a pet's robust growth is also crucial. This is a panda that loves exercise and gourmet food, so the client must satisfy its requirements in these two areas."
"A search reveals the client exercises infrequently and has not developed good fitness habits. This section is worth 20 points. The client's score: 15." Shen Yibin's homebody tendencies were being called out.
"Furthermore, a scan has determined that the twice-cooked pork the panda just ate contains a significant amount of unhealthy substances. While it will not cause immediate harm, long-term consumption will lead to health problems for the panda. Therefore, it is recommended that the client personally cook for and feed the panda from now on. However, the client's culinary skills appear to fall far short of the required standard. This section is worth 20 points. The client's score: 4." So, his cooking was what was really dragging him down.
It wasn't really his fault. Growing up, either his family cooked for him or he ate takeout. The extent of his own ability was making instant ramen or boiling some noodles; he truly had no idea how to cook a proper meal!
'And... judging by his reaction, Hah'Er is probably a picky eater, isn't he? Mastering a level of cooking that would satisfy him in a short amount of time... that's not going to be easy.' Shen Yibin recalled Hah'Er eating earlier. Perhaps because he was starving, he had eaten very quickly, but he hadn't shown any particular sign of enjoyment. It seemed he had treated the twice-cooked pork as a mere necessity to fill his stomach, not as a delicacy he actually liked.
This was going to be tricky. To be honest, Shen Yibin felt the takeout he'd ordered was actually quite good—one of the best among the restaurants he'd tried in the neighborhood. To surpass that level of cooking would be a real challenge.
"The client can increase his Affinity score by improving his fitness level and culinary skills. Once the score reaches 80 or above, he will be granted purchasing rights." The Affinity Test app concluded.
This was a real head-scratcher. He figured that since his fitness score was already at 15, raising it would probably be difficult. That left his cooking score of 4 as the obvious target for improvement.
"So I have to cook for you from now on? I don't even treat myself this well." The apartment did have a kitchen, though Shen Yibin had barely ever used it. It looked like it was time to give it a good cleaning.
Upon hearing this, Hah'Er dragged his round, roly-poly body over and hugged Shen Yibin's leg, rubbing against it affectionately. Seeing his utterly adorable face, Shen Yibin's complaints evaporated. He reached out and ruffled the fur on Hah'Er's big head. "Ai, I get it now. I must owe you from a past life. I've brought home a little lord to wait on."
He dragged Hah'Er over to the sofa and sat down, then opened the notepad on his phone and started making a shopping list. "Okay, I need to get you a bib and a food bowl... also spices for the kitchen, meat, vegetables... what else was there?"
"Mm! Mm!" Hah'Er tugged on his pant leg a couple of times. When Shen Yibin turned to look, the panda covered his crotch with both front paws, lowered his head, and put on a bashful expression.
Shen Yibin got it in an instant. He reached out and gave Hah'Er a light flick on the forehead. "What, you're embarrassed running around with your butt exposed? You want me to buy you clothes?"
"Mm! Mm!" Hah'Er nodded vigorously.
"Huh? I haven't even figured out if you're a boy or a girl. Here, let me check." A playful mood suddenly struck Shen Yibin, and he reached out to pull away the paws covering Hah'Er's crotch.
"Ngh— Ngh—" Hah'Er struggled with all his might, determined not to let him succeed. The panda was surprisingly strong. Shen Yibin tried to pull his paws away twice without success, and he didn't dare use more force for fear of hurting him. The two ended up just playing around.
After they wrestled on the sofa for a while, Shen Yibin patted Hah'Er's head. "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. Let's see what kind of clothes you want." 'Heh, you little rascal. If I can't win with brute force, I'll just have to outsmart you.'
He opened his phone, found a children's clothing store with a brick-and-mortar location in a nearby mall, and pulled up a picture of a little girl's outfit. He enlarged it and held it in front of Hah'Er. "Do you like it?"
"Nuh-uh." Hah'Er shook his head again and again.
'So he's a boy?' Shen Yibin found another girl's outfit and showed it to him. Hah'Er shook his head again, making Shen Yibin even more certain. After having three sets of girls' clothing rejected in a row, he found a boy's outfit with a panda and bamboo leaf print. "You've got to be satisfied with this one, right?"
"Mm! Mm!" This time, Hah'Er immediately began to nod his head rapidly.
'He really is a boy!' Shen Yibin silently congratulated himself on his brilliant deduction. "One set isn't enough, you'll need some to change into. Take a look at these other ones, how about them?"
Hah'Er chose three sets of boys' clothing. Shen Yibin then found a measuring tape to get his size, noting it all down in his notepad. "Alright, I'm going out to buy everything now. You can go wait in my bedroom and watch TV. Just don't go running all over the place, okay?"
By his calculation, there were still two hours before Bao was due to deliver the pets, so Shen Yibin decided to head out and get his shopping done first.