Nine high-definition photos instantly drained the netizens’ blood pressure reserves. The real cat and the plushie appearing together were practically a heart attack for cat lovers. Double the cats! Double the cuteness!
Though netizens knew leaving comments under this Weibo post wouldn’t change anything, they couldn’t help typing out strings of “ahhh” on their keyboards.
If they couldn’t steal the real cat home, taking the plushie would do! Absolutely!
Moreover, the cat café’s official account detailed the plushie’s materials and dimensions, even describing how it felt to hold it in the photos. Things like “stuffed full, just as solid as the shop manager”, “the plush texture is very fine, feels just like Yin Zhou’s fur”, “always feels like there’s a milky scent of Song Gao”, “the Q-version little face’s expression is super similar, just looking at it makes you feel good”.
This was too much, wuwuwuwu. They could already imagine how the plushie would feel. Holding it would probably be like cuddling Dan Huang, as soft as Yin Zhou’s fur, with the milky scent of Song Gao.
Why wait for the giveaway? They wanted it now!
On Wednesday, the giveaway on Weibo was posted. Comments flooded in within seconds, with people constantly asking for likes in their friend circles or personal spaces. If they couldn’t be the lucky winner, they could at least be the one with the top comment!
However, there was also a more composed group that carefully read the giveaway requirements. Instead of rushing to comment or like, they confidently headed to the cat café with their best cameras or highest-pixel phones.
The official account had said it required short essays related to the cat café or comments with photos. If they couldn’t write essays, they could at least take photos.
So, in the past few days, the cat café seemed to have attracted a group of photography enthusiasts. Customers holding cameras or phones wandered between the two floors. Those who hadn’t followed the cat café’s official account wondered what these people were doing. But after learning about it, they immediately picked up their phones, opened the camera app, and joined the shooting team. Such a great opportunity had to be taken! What if they won?
But not everyone was interested in participating in the event.
Today was the third day of the cat café event. The café welcomed a rather different guest.
The girl in the plaid skirt entered and silently found a place to sit, forming a stark contrast with the enthusiastic customers coming and going to take photos, and also clashing with the cat café’s relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
She wore a crumpled plaid skirt, and her hair was messy. After entering, she buried her face in her knees without saying a word.
Dan Huang, who habitually greeted customers, immediately hesitated: Had something happened to this girl? Then why would she come to the cat café? Because she had made an online reservation and didn’t want to waste the money? But no, reservations could be canceled.
Dan Huang shook his head: Well, it didn’t matter. Since she had come to the cat café, she was a guest. He should think about how to properly welcome her.
Dan Huang licked his paw, thinking to himself: I wonder if my plump body could comfort the girl’s wounded heart.
With that thought, he tidied himself up from head to toe, feeling like a sleek and shiny big cat ready to receive guests, and walked over.
But something moved faster than him—
A feather-tied cat teaser ball rolled past Dan Huang’s feet, all the way to the girl in the plaid skirt, bumping against the base of the sofa with a dull thud.
The plaid skirt shifted. Lifting her head slightly, her expression was blank as she stared at the ball rolling gently on the floor.
Dan Huang knew who was about to arrive as soon as he saw the ball. It had to be Fondant’s ball. She would definitely come to retrieve it soon.
In the cat café, each cat had its own preferences. The owner let them indulge in their hobbies as long as the café could accommodate all the little trinkets.
Dan Huang himself had hidden quite a few snacks, often pulling them out from various nooks and crannies to share with the kittens.
Tong Qian had collected several scratching boards, hiding them here and there. Oh, and he loved climbing towers, too, often fighting with Yin Zhou over them.
Yun Chao didn’t have many preferences, but she adored Fondant, doting on her endlessly.
Miss Penny loved woolen items, with several knitted sweaters in her cat bed. The owner had even bought her knitting needles.
Yin Zhou was obsessed with climbing towers, spending most of his time perched on them. The rest of the time, he was usually play-fighting with Tong Qian.
Song Gao wasn’t interested in playing. He loved the owner and the Director the most, quietly sidling up to them for affection.
The Tortoiseshell sisters were fond of pranks, their favorites being a box that popped out a fist and a music box that started with “Für Elise” but ended with ghostly screams.
Only Fondant had collected a whole box of balls of all kinds—plastic, woolen, never the same. If you saw an unfamiliar cat toy ball in the café, it was definitely Fondant’s.
Sure enough, the fluffy ball soon appeared, followed closely by a devoted Zhou Yan. As a die-hard Fondant fan, after getting the owner’s permission to pet her, he practically wanted to stick to her tail.
Just as Dan Huang was about to stop Fondant, the big fluffy ball zipped past him in a flash, followed closely by Zhou Yan, who also passed by and gave Dan Huang a quick head pat. Dan Huang lifted a paw to cover his face, thinking, “Am I really too fat and slow?”
Everyone was so agile! Were they secretly practicing some kind of technique with the owner behind his back?
As soon as Fondant stepped onto the cat toy ball, she felt a gaze fall upon her. She looked up and met the eyes of the girl in the plaid skirt.
This girl… was she about to cry?
Fondant sat down. She thought for a moment and stretched out a paw to rest on the girl’s leg.
The cool touch of the paw pad against her skin made the girl in the plaid skirt slowly realize there was a cat in front of her. Tears welled in her eyes. But before they could fall, she roughly wiped them away.
Fondant carefully stood up, placing both front paws on the girl’s knees. She leaned her little face closer, imitating Yun Chao’s way of comforting: “Meow.” Little girl, don’t cry.
When someone is upset, they can hold it in alone. But if something comes to comfort them, their forced strength shatters like paper. The girl in the plaid skirt could no longer hold back. She crouched down and hugged Fondant, burying her face in the cat’s soft, fine fur.
So warm, so gentle.
The girl felt the tears she had been holding back threatening to spill again. She hurriedly wiped her face, afraid her tears would dampen the cat’s luxurious long fur. But she wasn’t quick enough. A few tears had already rolled into the fur and disappeared in an instant.
The girl quickly looked up. Fondant lay sprawled in her arms, exposing her snow-white belly. As soon as the girl loosened her arms, Fondant placed her front paws on the girl’s shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“Meow.”
Fondant gives kisses, so don’t cry.
The girl in the plaid skirt: “…”
The tears she had just held back nearly welled up again.
Little Fondant, feeling she had offered comfort, was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she curled up on the girl’s lap, dozing in the sunlight by the window.
The girl in the plaid skirt couldn’t help but smile, gently stroking Fondant as she thought to herself amidst the purring: To hell with that scumbag man. Cats are so much better!
She picked up Fondant. The soft, sweet fluffball simply shifted her position, snuggling close against her. Fondant’s sea-blue eyes were clear as water, reflecting a unique kind of focus.
No one could resist such a gaze—soft and shimmering, her eyes pooling into a gentle warmth, as if they could hold only the person before her.
In Fondant’s eyes, the girl in the plaid skirt could even feel a sense of being cherished.
If such a beautiful, adorable treasure likes me, then let that cheating scumbag go to hell! He doesn’t deserve me.
The girl buried her face in Fondant’s furry belly and took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure if it was the scent of the cat or the shampoo, but she always felt she could smell something incredibly soothing.
Holding Fondant, she poured out all the grievances she had kept bottled up inside for so long.
Fondant didn’t understand complicated human relationships, but she knew the girl in the plaid skirt had been betrayed by her boyfriend. She immediately meowed along, joining in the condemnation.
The girl said, “I’m really afraid no one will like me. Does Fondant like me?”
Fondant rested on her shoulder and let out a very certain meow: “Meow!” I do!
She leaned in and kissed the girl’s cheek again: You will definitely have many people who like you.
Zhou Yan, crouching not far away while filming, had been squatting so long his legs went numb. Yet, the little sweetheart remained in the girl’s arms without any sign of struggle, even “chatting” with her.
Zhou Yan: “…”
He recalled a popular online experiment about how long a cat would tolerate being held. Fondant had been held for nearly twenty minutes and showed no impatience whatsoever. Judging by her demeanor, she could easily endure another twenty.
Zhou Yan watched Fondant longingly through the screen. She was just too affectionate.
He found a stool and sat down. Over half an hour later, the girl in the plaid skirt finally released Fondant. The fluffy little sweetheart then trotted off, pushing a ball with her paws.
Zhou Yan, who had never been so thoroughly ignored, muttered sourly, “Finally left.”
His camera followed Fondant. Beside a low sofa, he spotted a snow-white, long-haired cat with heterochromatic eyes—Yun Chao. She waited quietly until Fondant bounced over to her, then gently licked Fondant’s ear.
Fondant snuggled up to Yun Chao, letting out soft, delicate meows. The gentle, sweet little darling from earlier had now turned into an endlessly coquettish chatterbox.
Zhou Yan glanced back at the girl in the plaid skirt. She had already tidied herself up while looking at her phone and was now crouching on the floor, stroking a passing tortoiseshell cat. He couldn’t help but smile. This was the kind of atmosphere a cat café should have, where unhappiness simply drifted away with the cats’ footsteps.
Zhou Yan put away his camera, feeling he had captured enough suitable footage.
What Zhou Yan couldn’t understand was that Fondant was recounting to Yun Chao everything the girl in the plaid skirt had told her, ending with a worried meow: Do you think she might do something rash? Should we go keep her company again?
A hint of amusement flickered in Yun Chao’s eyes: She won’t. She has your affection now.
With someone’s love and care, she’ll understand how precious she is. So don’t doubt yourself, my dear girl.
…
The custom-ordered pillows Pei Shiyi had commissioned arrived in batches. There were so many that he had to arrange for delivery by truck. Pei Shiyi set aside the pillows intended for the prize draw, then gave one to each cat, letting them play as they pleased.
Seeing him busy sorting the pillows, Bo Jin silently reached toward the last box. None of the other boxes contained the square phoenix-shaped pillows, so they were likely all packed in this one.
Without even looking up, Pei Shiyi slapped his hand away with a crisp smack.
“Have you no shame? There are exactly twenty-one, just enough for the kids. Are you really going to fight children for one?”
Bo Jin replied, “Then give me the real thing.”
Pei Shiyi almost thought he’d misheard. “What real thing?”
As if to ensure he understood, Bo Jin slowed his speech. “A real… bird.”
Pei Shiyi slowly raised an eyebrow, then suddenly hooked a finger under Bo Jin’s chin, leaning in close to murmur, “Director Bo, are you looking for trouble?”
Though they had always enjoyed teasing each other, with the instigator shifting depending on who lost the last argument, the one who hadn’t gotten the upper hand last time would inevitably strike first next time, becoming the troublemaker. The dragon and phoenix were like perpetual motion machines, never truly at rest.
But lately, Bo Jin’s teasing had taken on a different flavor—light and feathery, provoking Pei Shiyi in a way that stirred his temper. Though Pei Shiyi was gentle and considerate by nature, lacking the aggressive tendencies of other males, he was still inherently dominant. Once his irritation built to a certain point, it had to be released.
“Ever since you saw me transform back into a phoenix that day,” Pei Shiyi forced Bo Jin’s head up, “you’ve been circling me, even your temper has softened. Director Bo, those who know you might say you’re an extreme plushie enthusiast, but those who don’t would think you’re flirting with me. That’s easily misunderstood, isn’t it?”
A phoenix’s body temperature ran high, and the hand gripping Bo Jin’s chin was firm.
Bo Jin shifted his gaze from the pale wrist before him to meet Pei Shiyi’s eyes. The esteemed director of the Supernatural Management Bureau, held by the chin in a posture of being teased, showed no panic. Instead, he countered, “And what are you doing now?”
Pei Shiyi thought for a moment, then declared resolutely, “Being a rogue!”
He’d been harassed by this dragon so many times. This time, he was determined to get even.
Author’s Note:
Introducing the ultimate sweetheart, Fondant.
Director Bo: Flirting blindly.
Pei Shiyi: Something feels off… Time for counter-teasing.
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Meow meow On TPH Chapter 26.1