The reunion between Tong Qian and Yin Zhuo, these childhood rivals, could hardly be called a coincidence.
Mengji were rare and difficult-to-breed mythical beasts. Their numbers are scarce. In the Classic of Mountains and Seas, there were only so many Mengji, and almost all of them lived in the snowy regions. In the whole of Yuchuan, the only Mengji family was likely Yin Zhuo’s. And among the young, immature Mengji, Yin Zhuo was probably the only one. So, the Mengji that had fought with Tong Qian in Yuchuan couldn’t possibly have been anyone else.
As soon as Tong Qian met Yin Zhuo’s eyes, he immediately recalled the grudges and entanglements of the past.
Back in the day, before he had left the mountains to make his way in the human world, he and Yin Zhuo had lived on the same mountain. For some reason, this short, chubby little fellow had always taken a dislike to him. Tong Qian racked his brains but couldn’t remember how he had ever offended him.
Now, here they were, rivals reunited at the cat café. This little chubby guy was also a leopard, and he even shared the same “setting” as Tong Qian. If he also turned into a leopard cat, then Tong Qian wouldn’t be one-of-a-kind anymore.
Tong Qian flopped down on the spot, stuck out his tongue, and began playing dead. After finally seeing off the director of the Supernatural Management Bureau, how could another rival show up? Could life go on like this? He might as well just die.
Yin Zhuo huddled behind Pei Shiyi, clinging to his calf, his gaze exceptionally wary.
Pei Shiyi suppressed a laugh. Since almost all the cats in the café had gathered, with only Miss Penny still sleeping upstairs, he took Yin Zhuo’s large paw and gently pulled him out from behind, introducing them one by one: “This is Dan Huang, the manager of the cat café. If there’s anything you’re not used to, you can talk to him or me. This is Yun Chao—isn’t she beautiful? And Fondant, Song Gao… In terms of age, you all are probably around the same, though Song Gao is a bit younger…”
The cats sat quietly in a semicircle. As Pei Shiyi introduced each one, they leaned forward slightly. Even the sulky Tong Qian gave Pei Shiyi face. Although he only scooted half a butt’s length forward, at least he moved.
Yin Zhuo had never seen so many cat spirits of different forms before. The varied scents flooding his damp nose made him instinctively tense, a habit from years of marking territory for self-preservation.
Dan Huang walked over, cautiously sniffing.
Yin Zhuo sprang up, hopping twice in a row before retreating behind Pei Shiyi again.
Dan Huang: ??
So Tong Qian wasn’t lying. He really could jump! A jumping cat!
Fondant, being more timid, was startled by Yin Zhuo and leaned into Yun Chao, who responded with a tender lick.
Pei Shiyi crouched down, rubbing Yin Zhuo’s head. Once Yin Zhuo relaxed a little, he gave him a gentle push.
The fluffy, solid furball took a step forward, glancing back every few paces as he entered the circle of cats.
Tong Qian huddled at the far end of the circle, looking utterly miserable.
Bo Jin sat beside Tong Qian, mimicking Pei Shiyi’s usual way of comforting the tortoiseshell kittens, patting Tong Qian’s head.
Pei Shiyi swatted his hand away. “Why are you patting him like a dog? Be gentle.”
Emboldened by his boss’s support, Tong Qian shot Bo Jin a half-dead glare: Exactly! If you pat me silly, won’t I just get bullied by the Mengji later?
Bo Jin: “…”
Director Bo’s hand froze mid-air. He looked up at Pei Shiyi in disbelief. This bird usually picked fights, but today, he even resorted to physical action?
Did wiping his hands at the Supernatural Management Bureau make this phoenix think he could walk on air?
That light, airy pat—so gentle it wouldn’t even startle a mosquito—somehow sent Bo Jin’s thoughts spiraling. By the time he snapped back to reality, Pei Shiyi had already managed to soothe Tong Qian and Yin Zhou. They were now discussing what form Yin Zhou should take at the cat café.
Well, it was mostly Yin Zhou pondering the question alone.
Pei Shiyi hadn’t brought Yin Zhou back just to add another cat to the café. When he’d said at the Supernatural Management Bureau that he “wanted to take care of Yin Zhou”, it wasn’t just empty talk.
Yin Zhou insisted, “I don’t want to be a freeloader. I want to work.”
If even Tong Qian could have a job, then of course he could, too.
The young, underage snow leopard had a pride he wasn’t willing to voice.
Pei Shiyi went along with his wishes. “How about a silver tabby?”
He pulled up a few pictures of silver tabbies. American Shorthair tabbies were the breed that most closely resembled the Mengji in appearance—silver-gray fur with black markings and a sturdy build. Though it was a bit of a shame to lose Yin Zhou’s nearly body-length fluffy tail and his thick, snow-treading paw pads.
Song Gao, ever the professional, was well aware of human preferences and chimed in, “But then Yin Zhou-gege’s big tail would disappear.”
Tabby cats certainly had sizable tails, but how could they compare to a Mengji’s? Living in high mountains and excelling at jumping, Mengji had impressively large tails to maintain balance. Tails that put all other cats to shame.
Even Song Gao, who considered himself no longer a kitten, couldn’t help stealing glances at that magnificent tail. How could humans resist?
Yin Zhou looked hesitant. “Can I just stay like this?”
He was currently in his shrunken form, about the size of a domestic cat. Could he pass as a cat? He really wanted to be liked, too.
“That won’t do,” Pei Shiyi tapped his little ear. “A little leopard is still a leopard, not a cat.”
More importantly, Mengji looked exactly like a snow leopard, one of the famously protected species. While Pei Shiyi wouldn’t hesitate to care for a real leopard, there was no need to reveal that, was there?
Yin Zhou glanced sideways. Tong Qian, disguised as a leopard cat, scurried up the cat tree. “No! Absolutely not! You can’t! I’m already a leopard cat. If you copy my look, it won’t be good for either of us. The cats at the café should be diverse. Unique traits make humans remember us.”
Yin Zhou huffed, “I don’t want to look like you either. That ‘short-haired’ thing sounds fine.”
After studying the pictures Pei Shiyi had pulled up for a moment, he spun around in place, and what appeared before the cats was an exceptionally beautiful American Shorthair.
But… Tong Qian glanced down from above and suddenly burst into laughter. “Your legs are so short!”
To maintain balance, Mengji not only had long, thick tails but also… four slightly short, chubby legs, with the front legs a bit shorter than the hind ones. On the Mengji’s originally stocky build, these short, stout legs weren’t very noticeable. But little Yin Zhou hadn’t observed carefully enough before transforming and overlooked the legs. So, the American Shorthair that appeared before everyone had four short, chubby legs.
Yin Zhou: “…”
The young, underage Mengji was full of youthful vigor. Flustered and angry, he leaped onto the cat tree. The Mengji’s astonishing jumping ability allowed him to scramble to the very top in just a few bounds. Soon, he and Tong Qian were rolling together, play-fighting.
Bo Jin seemed thoughtful and asked the other cats, “Does Tong Qian get beaten up often at the café?”
Dan Huang: “…Well, he gets beaten up by Yun Chao a lot.”
Yun Chao retorted, “Can’t I hit him?”
Dan Huang immediately yielded under the big boss’s intimidating aura. “Yes, yes, of course you can.”
Pei Shiyi could tell at a glance that the two paws on the climbing frame hadn’t extended their claws, nor had they used their teeth. Leaning back against a cushion, he watched the commotion with amusement. “Serves him right for running his mouth.”
Bo Jin remarked, “By that logic, you must have been like that since childhood…”
Pei Shiyi cut him off. “Thanks for your concern, but no one could ever beat me. Or would you like to give it a try?”
Bo Jin replied, “Your risk assessment report comes in duplicate. I haven’t signed the second copy yet.”
Pei Shiyi scoffed, “…Childish.”
Bo Jin thought to himself: Where does he get off calling anyone else childish?
…
The humiliated little Yin Zhou ultimately failed to exact revenge for the “short arms” insult. The cat café staff had already arrived for work. As footsteps and voices echoed from outside, the senior cats who had been watching the spectacle stretched lazily and greeted Pei Shiyi one by one.
Dan Huang whispered, “Boss, we’ll head over first.”
Pei Shiyi nodded. “Go ahead.”
Dan Huang liked to patrol the cat café before work. Pei Shiyi didn’t want to delay him. He fastened the manager’s badge onto Dan Huang and let him go.
Little Yin Zhou wanted to follow, but after taking two steps, he looked down at his stubby legs, feeling too self-conscious to shift back to his original form.
Pei Shiyi stepped forward and picked him up, leaning close to Yin Zhou’s ear to whisper, “Look at Tong Qian. Even with his long legs, he can’t out-jump you. So, having long legs isn’t everything. Didn’t Yun Chao still beat him up? Sister Yun Chao really likes you.”
Yin Zhou’s ears twitched excitedly, and his eyes lit up.
For a prideful little leopard, what could be more comforting than knowing his rival was inferior to him?
Instantly soothed, Yin Zhou puffed out his chest and let out a proud cry at Pei Shiyi.
Mengji creatures couldn’t roar. Their calls resembled a more robust version of a cat’s meow, carrying a unique charm.
Pei Shiyi lifted Yin Zhou and examined him from all angles before suddenly saying, “Short-legged cats are quite nice, too. We don’t have to stick strictly to the American Shorthair proportions.”
Short-legged cats were originally a genetic variation, with no strict limits on leg length. Some were extremely low to the ground, while others were just slightly shorter. Wouldn’t it be perfect for Yin Zhou to be a slightly stubby-legged Munchkin?
Yin Zhou looked confused.
Pei Shiyi tapped him lightly on the forehead and set him down. By then, Yin Zhou had shed most of his fierce beast features. Pei Shiyi retained most of Yin Zhou’s characteristics, making him look like a short-legged cat with a white base and black markings—stocky and proportionally scaled down, though not as extremely short-legged as the popular “floor-hugging” cats online.
The stubby legs paired with Yin Zhou’s sturdy build, broad forehead, and large nose gave him an adorably clumsy appearance.
When Yin Zhou first transformed, Pei Shiyi hadn’t considered the issue of body proportions. It was only after Tong Qian pointed it out that Pei Shiyi realized something was off.
Forcing a short-legged creature to walk on stilts all day, pretending to have long legs, must have been an awful experience.
Yin Zhou’s transformation had distorted his proportions, stretching his originally short and stout frame into something relatively normal, which must have felt unnatural to him. Moreover, this transformed appearance was meant to be maintained long-term. How could Pei Shiyi let Yin Zhou live uncomfortably like that?
Pei Shiyi had brought these cats home to pamper and cherish them. How could he let them suffer?
He picked up little Yin Zhou and kissed his forehead. “Isn’t this just as cute?”
Hearing human voices, Yin Zhou didn’t dare speak. He tilted his head in Pei Shiyi’s hands and let out a soft, “Aow?”
Pei Shiyi turned him to face Bo Jin. “Let Director Bo tell us. Is our Yin Zhou adorable or not?”
Yin Zhou lifted his fluffy little round face to look at Bo Jin, his pale golden eyes still filled with confusion. He didn’t yet know what changes had come over him. Pei Shiyi’s cultivation was too profound. Even with the transformation spell cast upon Yin Zhou, the little one didn’t feel anything amiss.
Pei Shiyi smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. Afraid that Bo Jin might say the wrong thing, he even gave him a meaningful glance: Don’t just stand there. Come on, say something nice.
He was born with a naturally expressive face. When serious, he could perfectly conceal that striking allure. But when he smiled, even if it was just a flicker in his gaze, it seemed to carry a thousand sentiments within.
Bo Jin usually struggled to withstand Pei Shiyi’s gaze. Director Bo didn’t think there was any issue with his own self-control, firmly believing it was because this bird loved to flaunt his feathers too much, dazzling the dragon’s eyes.
This wasn’t entirely Pei Shiyi’s fault. He wasn’t deliberately trying to seduce anyone. It was just that birds, whether flamboyant or elegant, were always meant to be beautiful. Pei Shiyi, a fully grown adult phoenix, had a bit of a habit of unintentionally exuding charm. Over time, even without any deliberate effort, there was always a hint of allure about him.
But with Pei Shiyi making such an expression and specifically asking him to look at the cat, it truly put Director Bo in a difficult spot.
Bo Jin only felt the back of his hand, which Pei Shiyi had patted earlier, growing warm again. He avoided Pei Shiyi’s gaze and muttered, “Mm, cute.”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152