It was surprising to see that the other person had cats at home.
Pei Shiyi glanced at him in surprise. The large bag was filled with various kinds of food, snacks, and even two packs of kitten milk powder.
Pei Shiyi paid for his items, picked up the bag the shopkeeper handed him, and waited for the bureau director to finish his transaction before pushing the door open to leave.
Bo Jin had bought so many things that the shopkeeper had to split them into two bags.
Both of them were males, and neither was human, so there was no question of whether they could carry the bags. Pei Shiyi felt perfectly justified in leaving Bo Jin behind, letting him walk slowly on his own with the bags.
“Come in.”
Pei Shiyi opened the door to the cat café.
The first floor had already been cleared out. With Pei Shiyi around, the entire floor was dust-free and frighteningly clean. But it was completely bare, with nowhere to entertain guests.
The cats were all upstairs sleeping. Pei Shiyi quietly went upstairs and peeked into the bedroom. The three cats were sprawled out in deep slumber, while Dan Huang was drowsily crouched by the door. The moment Pei Shiyi opened the door, Dan Huang immediately woke up.
Dan Huang carefully squeezed through the door crack. Pei Shiyi gently closed the door and whispered, “Not sleeping anymore?”
Dan Huang rubbed against his pant leg, plopping down beside Pei Shiyi’s feet. As he groomed his fur and washed his face, he said, “No. Yun Chao will be arriving this afternoon.”
With bright, curious eyes, he looked at the bureau director carrying the bags and asked, “Boss, is this your friend?”
Pei Shiyi sorted through the various cat supplies in the bag without looking up. “No, he’s a supervisor.”
“Apologies,” Bo Jin said, one hand in his pocket and the other placing the bag beside Pei Shiyi. “I’m your guardian. For the next three months, I’ll be responsible for helping you adapt to modern society, correcting certain behaviors of yours, and preventing any potential incidents.”
The more Pei Shiyi listened, the more this “guardian” role sounded like a parent. He shot Bo Jin a suspicious glance, pulled out his phone, and looked up the definition of “guardian”.
Guardian: A person responsible for the personal, property, and all other lawful rights and interests of individuals with no or limited capacity for civil conduct.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
He now felt like throwing Bo Jin out.
Dan Huang licked his paws and asked curiously, “From the Supernatural Management Bureau?”
“Mm,” Pei Shiyi replied, stacking the cans into a straight line. “His name is…”
He looked up. “What’s your name?”
Dan Huang: “??”
Bo Jin said, “Bo Jin.”
Pei Shiyi asked, “The ‘Bo’ as in ‘favoring one over the other’?”
Bo Jin glanced at him. “The ‘Bo’ as in ‘frivolous’.”
Pei Shiyi immediately recalled their first meeting: “…”
He choked back a retort, missing his chance to strike back. He could only stew over the thought of getting even next time.
Pei Shiyi was still unaccustomed to household chores. After half a day, he had only managed to tidy up a few things.
Dan Huang jumped onto the table. Despite his chubby frame, his movements were surprisingly light, though his belly wobbled like layers of rippling waves. “Boss, let me help you.”
Pei Shiyi casually stroked his fur and pulled a fish toy from the bag, tucking it under Dan Huang’s belly.
“No need. Go play.”
Pei Shiyi felt he was wasting his time. A bird like him was better off keeping his hands clean. Why bother trying to improve his manual skills?
With a wave of his hand, all the scattered cat supplies in the bag neatly arranged themselves in their proper places.
Before Pei Shiyi could catch his breath, another bag appeared in front of him. He turned to see Director Bo, who had somehow already scooped Dan Huang into his arms, one hand nestled in the cat’s belly fur while the other had just withdrawn from Pei Shiyi’s line of sight.
Clearly, this bag of items wasn’t for Bo Jin’s own cat but was intended as a gift for the cat café.
“A little welcome gift for the younger ones,” Bo Jin gestured politely, his expression still unreadable. “Please accept it on their behalf.”
Oh, so he’s this capable, yet still has to come here to pet someone else’s cats?
Pei Shiyi shook the bag lightly, letting the contents settle where they belonged. Feeling thoroughly pleased, he even offered Bo Jin a slight smile and said, “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of my cats.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “my cats” and politely addressed Dan Huang, “Be sure to entertain our guest properly.”
Bo Jin: “…”
Given that he was still holding Pei Shiyi’s cat, Bo Jin refrained from retorting immediately.
…
In the afternoon, as dusk approached, the lion cat Yun Chao finally arrived.
But she hadn’t come alone. She brought Pei Shiyi a surprise: she had picked up another cat along the way.
Just as Dan Huang had described, Miss Yun Chao was a purebred lion cat. Her apricot-shaped eyes were not only striking but also heterochromatic—one yellow and one blue, commonly referred to as gold-and-silver eyes. Her fur was entirely white, without a single speck of impurity, as if sculpted from freshly fallen snow. Her ears were a delicate pink. The luxurious ruff around her neck looked incredibly soft to the touch.
As she stepped inside, the sunlight outlined her fluffy silhouette. She sat gracefully before Pei Shiyi, her fluffy tail elegantly curled around her front paws, and nodded to him in greeting.
Dignified and composed, her pristine, unblemished long fur only enhanced her regal aura. Even among her own kind, this lion cat was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful.
Pei Shiyi returned her smile.
However…
Pei Shiyi glanced at the fluffy bundle trailing behind Yun Chao, slightly surprised. She hadn’t come alone after all.
Behind the snow-white fluffball was another small ball of fur, hiding so closely behind Yun Chao that it didn’t even dare to peek out. Only two dark-tipped ears occasionally twitched from behind her.
Yun Chao sat at the entrance, looking up at Pei Shiyi.
Since they were at the café’s doorstep, with people coming and going on the street, she couldn’t speak.
Pei Shiyi stepped aside to make way for the two cats. “Please, come in.”
Yun Chao let out a soft meow and led the cat clinging to her into the café.
As the two fluffy creatures passed by him, Pei Shiyi finally noticed that the cat behind Yun Chao was a seal-point bicolor Ragdoll. Seemingly terrified of strangers, its tail drooped low as it pressed tightly against Yun Chao’s side. Its sea-blue eyes cautiously watched Pei Shiyi.
Why was this Ragdoll so thin? It looked almost emaciated.
Sensing Pei Shiyi’s gaze, the Ragdoll lowered its head even more timidly, shifting its eyes away to avoid meeting his.
Pei Shiyi tactfully averted his gaze and bent down to stroke Yun Chao’s ears. “You’ve worked hard. Go upstairs and rest for a while. Dan Huang is up there, too.”
Yun Chao rubbed against his palm, then turned and meowed twice to the Ragdoll. Together, the two cats made their way upstairs.
Pei Shiyi followed them up.
Yun Chao probably didn’t have any issues with adaptation, but the Ragdoll she brought back might get frightened by the other cats. That scrawny little Ragdoll carried a faint trace of demonic aura. It’s clearly a young, newly awakened spirit who had stumbled into enlightenment and knew nothing about the world.
Upstairs, there was also the director of the Supernatural Management Bureau. What if he bullied his little cat?
What? The Ragdoll wasn’t his yet?
Well, that didn’t matter. Since it had entered his territory, it was his now.
Pei Shiyi followed them upstairs.
Second Floor
The three cats in the house, having finished their afternoon nap, were already awake and circling the new Ragdoll. The Ragdoll was far too thin, though at least it was relatively clean. It was a bicolor Ragdoll with pointed ear tips. It seemed to have been wandering outside for a long time, with patches of missing fur and scratches from other stray cats. As soon as it left Yun Chao’s side, it huddled trembling on the floor.
Dan Huang was nearly twenty pounds, twice the size of the Ragdoll. When he moved, the fat on his belly swayed in gentle waves. The hefty orange cat, capable of collapsing a bed, was one thing, but Tong Qian, transformed into a leopard cat, was also a larger breed and exceptionally robust. Even next to the still-growing Ragdoll, he exuded an intimidating presence.
The sheer size of these two clearly made the Ragdoll uneasy. It curled into a tight ball on the spot, not even daring to hiss.
Dan Huang wanted to be friendly and give it a lick, but his massive orange bulk made him look like a bully. The Ragdoll couldn’t bring itself to look at him, turning its face away only to come face-to-face with Tong Qian.
Tong Qian, who considered himself dashing and handsome, the feline equivalent of a heartthrob, gave what he thought was a friendly smile and sauntered over gracefully.
Don’t be afraid, meow—
Unfortunately, the little Ragdoll had only recently gained sentience and couldn’t understand Tong Qian’s attempt at a human-like smile. All it saw were his sharp teeth.
It’s over. It’s going to be eaten.
The Ragdoll closed its eyes, slumped to the floor in despair, and let out a soft plea for mercy.
Tong Qian: “…”
Facing Dan Huang’s accusatory glare, he stammered, “I didn’t—I didn’t threaten her. I just thought she was pretty…” He’d only wanted to show a bit of gentlemanly charm. After all, this was the one and only soft, adorable little sister in their cat café.
Dan Huang snorted disdainfully, “Pervert.”
Yun Chao, as the new cat, showed not a hint of timidity. The moment she went upstairs, she leaped onto a table on her own, lounging lazily as she looked down on the two foolish cats sniffing around the Ragdoll, her large tail lightly tapping the tabletop.
Bo Jin didn’t interfere with them. Instead, he leaned against the table, intently watching Yun Chao. Two little tortoiseshell kittens perched on his shoulders, one on each side. Bo Jin allowed them to cling to him, calmly serving as the “director-brand cat tree”.
Just as Pei Shiyi came upstairs, he happened to witness this scene.
The two little tortoiseshells turned their heads at the sound, their tiny faces wearing identical expressions: “Meow?”
Pei Shiyi’s smile froze for a couple of seconds the moment he laid eyes on this six-foot-tall human cat tree.
The little tortoiseshells, however, weren’t about to let him off. Perched on Bo Jin’s shoulders, they pawed at each other anxiously and called out to Pei Shiyi.
Having been bottle-fed by Pei Shiyi for a couple of days, the two kittens regarded him with the same affection as they would a milk bottle.
Bo Jin glanced back at him and reached out to lift one of the little tortoiseshells, offering it to Pei Shiyi.
The little tortoiseshell: “Mew—”
Pei Shiyi couldn’t bring himself to stay stern. With a smile, he took the kitten into his arms.
Bo Jin sent off a little clingy pest, gently removed the small tortoiseshell cat from his right shoulder, and softly stroked its back, his gaze falling upon the three cats on the carpet.
On such a fine sunny day, one ought to find a soft spot for a nap.
Bo Jin glanced at the nearby sofa, thinking it would be quite nice to lie down there for a while.
Pei Shiyi, holding the small tortoiseshell cat in one arm, bent down with a smile and greeted Yun Chao: “Hello, Yun Chao, I’m Pei Shiyi.”
Yun Chao stood up, her tail once again curling in front of her, and extended a paw with dignified restraint: “Hello, I am a lion cat named Yun Chao. I received Huang’s message earlier and heard that you are willing to teach cultivation, so I came. May I discuss cultivation matters with you after work hours?”
Yun Chao was clearly a cat who took great care of her appearance. Despite her journey, she remained impeccably groomed, with clean, pink paw pads free of dust.
Pei Shiyi bent down slightly and gently shook Miss Yun Chao’s paw: “Of course, you may.”
Though this rare creature had lived in the mountains for who knows how long, she carried herself with such grace that she was in no way inferior to the so-called “gentlemen” of the outside world.
Bo Jin gently squeezed the small tortoiseshell cat’s paw, thinking to himself: So this one really is a relative of Long Que. Just a shake of the feathers, and it could put on a phoenix “display”.
Author’s Note:
Pei Shiyi: I am graceful and refined, polished and honed…
Bo Jin: In summary, a phoenix showing off.
Pei Shiyi (grabbing his collar): Do you want to fight?
This fish: Hugging Miss Yun Chao while watching the drama.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152