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“Here, your little name tags are ready.”
Pei Shiyi sat on the carpet, a braided cord with rustic little pendants strung along it draped over his wrist. It was the same style as the tags worn by the big cats.
Twelve kittens sat lined up in front of him, their fluffy tails of various patterns swaying gently.
Surrounding them were customers, crouching as close as possible while holding up their phones to capture the scene.
Pei Shiyi took one of the braided cords from his wrist. “This one is for Sui Shou.”
A cat with a black patch on its back immediately scooted over, allowing Pei Shiyi to fasten the little pendant around its neck.
“The second one is for our Ling Ze.”
The calico kitten rubbed affectionately against him.
“The third is for Jing Zhe…”
Each time Pei Shiyi called a name, a fluffy little one would come forward to claim the tag engraved with its name.
The customers filmed while squealing in delight:
“They’re so well-behaved! How can they be this good? My little troublemaker at home only knows how to shred toilet paper and knock cups off the table. Wuwuwu.”
“Their names are so lovely. They sound like the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, all from the same series! Jing Zhe, Ling Ze… so poetic.”
“Am I in heaven? Seriously?! So many fluffy babies. They’re just too adorable.”
After distributing the tags, Pei Shiyi clapped his hands softly. “Alright, go play now.”
The kittens meowed and scattered. Most of them had only explored the second floor before. Several had never been to the first floor. They were full of curiosity about the ground level but too timid to venture alone. So, the customers watched as Dan Huang, the shop manager, came trotting over and led away the bewildered little kittens.
The kitten-obsessed customers immediately followed along. Thus, Dan Huang led a string of rolling furballs on their exploration, trailed by a crowd of adults snapping photos.
Pei Shiyi chuckled to himself: their shop manager was always so devoted to the kittens.
A customer who had stayed behind nearby asked with a smile, “Boss, why haven’t we seen that red bird these past couple of days?”
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Ever since the boss had taken a shift in his bird form, he kept hearing customers mention it over the following days:
“Huh, no bird again today? Boss, did you send that bird away?”
“I heard there are owl cafes abroad where you can pet owls? Why not start one here, boss?”
“Birds are great to pet, too!”
The most troublesome part was that whenever anyone brought it up, the furry little ones nearby would inevitably turn their shining eyes toward Pei Shiyi, their gazes filled with longing as if saying, “We want to work with the boss, too.”
Pei Shiyi thought to himself: Right, they just want to take advantage of work hours to pet the boss.
Facing the inquiring customer, Pei Shiyi raised an eyebrow. “Sir, you’re petting a cat while thinking about a bird. Isn’t that a bit fickle?”
Wanting both cat and bird right in front of them. Tsk, these people.
The customer didn’t blush at all. Instead, he lifted Song Gao and said, “Our Song Gao likes pretty little birds too, right?”
Song Gao: “Meow.”
Yes, I like them. I like the boss the most.
He stepped onto the back of the customer’s hand and leaned over to give Pei Shiyi a little kiss.
Pei Shiyi, lightly “smeared” by this sweet little cake, could only smile helplessly.
Clearly, not only were the customers addicted to petting the bird, but the furry little ones had also suddenly developed a fascination for it.
Of course, the most troublesome one was Bo Jin. As if he’d taken the wrong medicine, he kept hovering around Pei Shiyi for no reason. Pei Shiyi suspected he wanted to tuck the phoenix into his pocket like a cat.
These past couple of days, Pei Shiyi got a headache just seeing Bo Jin. As soon as he stood up and glanced over to see Bo Jin coming downstairs, he immediately turned and slipped into the kitchen.
Ever since that day when Bo Jin scooped him into his arms, he felt uncomfortable all over whenever he saw Bo Jin.
…
The kittens who had received their little name tags now considered themselves no longer mere babies. They began imitating the older cats in their “work”, growing increasingly unwilling to stay cooped up in the glass room. Perhaps influenced by the aura of the phoenix, this litter of kittens was unusually clever. They could already argue with Tong Qian through the glass, who had a similar level of intelligence. After quarreling, they even knew to go complain to Pei Shiyi.
The cat café was always filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Recently, customers visiting the café had clearly noticed that there were more cats around!
Before, if you wanted to pet a cat, you either had to go upstairs and gaze longingly through the glass room or search around the two floors. Xian Chan was a standalone building, said to have once been a villa. With two spacious floors, such a large Xian Chan only had nine wandering cats. Apart from easily running into the shop owner at the entrance and spotting Yin Zhou on one of the two cat trees, finding the other cats required some effort.
But now, with the kittens joining in, cats could be seen everywhere at any time!
A customer wearing high heels crossed the street to find Xian Chan. Upon entering, she first sat down on a low stool. Suddenly, something furry brushed against her bare calf, startling her so much that she jumped up and quickly moved away from the stool, bending down to inspect it.
The stool was actually hollow inside, painted with a deep blue-almost-black starry sky. There was nothing else inside.
The woman was puzzled. “What just touched me? Was it an illusion?”
A soft “meow” came from the empty stool, and a black furry paw stretched out, brushing against her calf again under her astonished gaze.
The customer slowly crouched down to look inside the stool. It was still pitch black, as if the cat paw she had just seen was merely her imagination. Suddenly, a pair of bright green eyes blinked twice, startling her once more.
There was actually a black cat curled up inside the stool! It was completely black without a single speck of color, perfectly blending into the deep blue background. The black cat had bright green eyes, an incredibly sweet face, and an extremely lively gaze.
Clearly, this little troublemaker was the culprit.
The customer locked eyes with the black cat, feeling as if those bright green eyes were gleaming with pride, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.
After snapping out of her daze, the customer picked up her phone, laughing as she took photos. “I thought it was some kind of supernatural event, but it was just a black cat.”
She couldn’t help but recall an online joke: When you stare into the abyss, the abyss meows back.
It was just too fitting for a black cat!
The black cat wore a small name tag around its neck. The customer cautiously reached out her hand. Seeing that the cat showed no sign of resistance, she gently patted its head before carefully picking up the tag and whispering, “Xia Zhi.”
She smiled. “Is your name Xia Zhi? Hello there.”
The little black cat sat inside the stool, puffing out its chest and raising its head, letting out a long meow. “Meow.”
That’s me. My name is Xia Zhi, given to me by the master, meow.
…
Most of these kittens were local breeds, but their names were poetic and touching. Curious new customers who noticed that the names seemed to follow a theme would be “educated” by the regulars:
“They’re based on the twenty-four solar terms! The boss chose them himself.”
Just then, a cat with a pure black upper body and snow-white fur from the neck down slowly walked by. Though only a few months old, its fur was exceptionally lush, flowing like clouds or snow as it moved.
A girl exclaimed in admiration, “This must be the ‘black clouds covering snow’ pattern! So beautiful. It’s just as lovely as any pedigree cat!”
The customers nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Cats are just adorable. No matter the breed, they’re cute as long as you care for them with love. And the shop manager has a particularly lovely name, Jin Bei Yin Chuang. Doesn’t it sound majestic?”
Those who hadn’t heard the name quickly pressed for details.
A customer explained, “Jin Bei Yin Chuang means the upper body is orange, while the chin, neck, belly, and legs are all white. And Dai Dai and Mao Mao are tortoiseshell patterned. Tortoiseshell cats seem to have a particularly beautiful name, called…”
The speaking customer couldn’t recall it for a moment, scratching their head in frustration.
“Rolling Brocade.”
A deep male voice supplied the answer for the customer.
The customer nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, that’s it! Our Dai Dai and Mao Mao look especially noble.”
After speaking, they quickly looked up to thank the person who had reminded them. But the words of gratitude stumbled on their lips as soon as they saw him. This man was just too handsome!
The handsome man was holding a tortoiseshell cat in his arms. It was unclear whether it was Dai Dai or Mao Mao. It leaped down spiritedly, sitting side by side with another tortoiseshell cat that had scurried over in front of the customer.
Dai Dai and Mao Mao were primarily black and yellow in color, with ears a deep orange that was almost golden. Their fur was like black satin, interspersed with golden-orange patches, while their paws were white. The color combination was exquisite. The two of them were so lively, resembling a pair of spirited young masters raised in a noble family.
No wonder they were called Rolling Brocade. The three words alone exuded an endless sense of nobility, perfectly fitting this pair of twins.
The customer stammered, “Wh-what is this? Are they letting me pet them?”
As they reached out their hand, the cats dodged, and the tortoiseshell on the left meowed at them.
The handsome man—Bo Jin—never interfered with the twins’ mischief. He only stood by to ensure their safety while watching the human customers get utterly bewildered by the little troublemakers.
The customer had only recently discovered Xian Chan and had visited just a few times. They had no idea what the twins were up to. Wanting to pet them but being denied, yet the cats refused to leave.
Pei Shiyi had been standing by the storage room under the stairs for a while. He was waiting for Bo Jin to leave, but Bo Jin seemed rooted to the spot. Pei Shiyi estimated that even if he transformed back into his original form, he wouldn’t be able to shoo this nuisance away with a single flap of his wings.
He hesitated for a moment, feeling increasingly perplexed: This was his cat café, so why was he hiding from Bo Jin?
With that thought, Pei Shiyi straightened up confidently, ignoring Bo Jin as if he were a human-shaped post. He walked over to tap the twins on their foreheads. “Playing this trick again? Under normal circumstances, who could tell you two apart, hmm?”
The one on the left was Dai Dai, who rubbed affectionately against Pei Shiyi’s hand before prancing away with its tail held high. Oops, caught by the boss again!
Mao Mao meowed as it followed: Sister is so annoying, always running off without calling me!
Pei Shiyi couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head, explaining to the bewildered customer, “Dai Dai and Mao Mao are quite mischievous. If they squat in front of you, you can pet them as long as you can tell who is Dai Dai and who is Mao Mao.”
Customer: “…”
Who on earth could tell them apart? They couldn’t even distinguish human twins!
The customer said sincerely, “They’re so clever. Are they sure they haven’t become spirits?”
Pei Shiyi smiled on the surface but sighed inwardly: The kittens were still young. Their intelligence was often on full display. He and the older cats doted on them too much, so they didn’t know how to hold back.
He smiled and brushed it off with a casual remark. “Furry kids are sometimes just like human children.”
The customer didn’t think too much about it and nodded in agreement.
Pei Shiyi actually had a bit of a headache, feeling that he should also start worrying about the children’s education, lest they remain clueless even after being let out into the world. Although he ran a cat café, he was raising children, not pets. He needed to plan more for the furry little ones.
An idea was swirling in Pei Shiyi’s mind. But since the cat café hadn’t fully taken off yet, he had to set it aside for the time being.
While Pei Shiyi was busy with new ideas, Zhou Yan uploaded this week’s video update of the cat café on J Station. The title was so explosive, even more sensational than a muscular man cross-dressing.
【Xian Chan】Cat Bathing Causes Handsome Young Man to Flaunt Wet Temptation in Public?!
Fans: Yooooo
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2