Wei Lan’s airport photos surfaced on fan forums and social platforms the same day.
The white shirt and black trousers instantly sparked fans’ memories. This was the outfit that started the maternal (paternal) love!
“I’m crying my eyes out. This look is so youthful! It instantly took me back three years. My Wei Lan really hasn’t changed, not one bit.”
“Looking for the same outfit! The shirt is so cute! Does anyone know which brand it is?”
“Me too! I want to wear the same outfit as my baby! Ahhh, this outfit makes Wei Lan look so clean and pure, just like the boy from my dreams!”
Later that day, Wei Lan’s Weibo account posted a new update:
Wei Lan: The shirt was a gift from a fan I met on the way. It’s so nice that I couldn’t resist wearing it. Thank you to this lovely fan.
#AirportPhoto.jpg#
Top comment:
Feihong: That was me who gave the shirt (covering face). My baby looks so good in it! I was worried it might not fit, but it looks perfect.
Other fans asking about the same outfit can search Xian Chan Cat Café on Taobao or on Weibo. Interested fans could go check it out, though it was already sold out. orz1“Orz” in Chinese internet slang is a pictographic emoticon representing a person kneeling down, symbolizing defeat, despair, admiration, or “surrender” (similar to a “facepalm” or “I kneel to you”). It originated from Japanese, where ‘o’ is the head, ‘r’ the torso/arms, and ‘z’ the legs..
Xian Chan Cat Café? Why would a cat café sell clothes? Never mind, let’s search it first.
The cat café’s latest update was a Taobao link from a few days ago. Clicking on the shirt link revealed it was indeed Wei Lan’s same outfit! And the price wasn’t high. Buy, buy, buy!
Fans clicked “Buy Now”, only to see it was sold out.
Fans: ?
They went back to Weibo and finally noticed the last sentence in the top comment: It’s sold out!
Persistent fans asked customer service when it would be restocked. After getting a specific time, they secretly prepared to snag it.
But upon entering the Taobao page, they were first stunned by the seller’s photos. The models were cats!
A leopard cat and a short-legged silver tabby were playfully wearing shirts, while a golden shaded British Shorthair winked at the camera in a shirt. This shop’s models were cats! Cats! And such adorable ones at that.
The leopard cat was so handsome, the short-legged one was soft and cute, and the golden shaded one was pure sweetness. They were more irresistible than any handsome guy or beautiful girl.
Among these people was Wei Lan himself. The newly popular star didn’t want to take a fan’s gift for free and planned to follow the link to buy one for the fan as a return gift.
Originally intending to buy just one shirt to mail to the fan, Wei Lan couldn’t resist adding two shirts to his cart, only to find…
They were sold out!
So awkward.
Wei Lan nervously tapped on customer service, asking when they’d restock. Soon, the customer service replied: Available the day after tomorrow.
Wei Lan breathed a sigh of relief. He favorited the item and the shop, then couldn’t help but browse the recommended items below.
An orange cat with a chubby belly and a small face wore a ginger-yellow T-shirt, its elastic belly prominently on display. Wei Lan couldn’t help but twitch his fingers off-screen, imagining the feel of that furry belly.
Another T-shirt design featured two identical cats with unique patterns. Wei Lan wasn’t an expert on cats but vaguely knew there was a pattern called tortoiseshell, which looked incredibly luxurious.
The shop even had scarves! Goodness, where did they find such fairy-like cats? They looked like proper ladies! Buy! Buy them all! Buy them for Mom.
As Wei Lan browsed, he couldn’t help but favorite everything in the cat café’s shop, waiting eagerly for the restock.
Two days later, Wei Lan logged in during his break to make the purchase, only to find that all sizes had grayed out. Sold out!
Wei Lan: !!!
He was only five minutes late!
Frustrated, Wei Lan posted on Weibo: Are you all demons?! How could everything be gone so fast! @Xian Chan Cat Cafe, can you restock?
Attached was a screenshot from Taobao showing the sold-out status.
Fans: Ahhhh! Our baby likes this store’s stuff! Everyone, follow them. Buy buy buy!
Fans of both the cat cafe and Wei Lan: Hah, naive. Even without you guys, just us cat cafe fans couldn’t snag anything. With you added to the mix, did you really think you’d have a chance?
During this time, Wei Lan’s airport photos had already been widely shared. Even those unfamiliar with him were captivated by the clean, youthful vibe in the pictures.
Initially, this was just a matter within Wei Lan’s own circle. But within two days of the airport photos surfacing, a prominent influencer launched a campaign. “The White-Shirted Boy Who Made You Fall at First Sight”, featuring Wei Lan’s airport photo in a nine-grid collage.
This cringeworthy topic instantly exploded on Weibo. Some companies seized the opportunity to promote new talents. In this age of widespread internet connectivity, where someone could go viral overnight with just a single photo, leaping from an ordinary person to an “internet celebrity”, why couldn’t they push their newcomers the same way?
Thus, white shirts inexplicably became a trend.
“Wei Lan-inspired” turned into a genuine hit.
…
The traffic brought by the phrase “celebrity-inspired” was terrifying. The cat cafe’s newly restocked items sold out again within minutes, sparking a trend of “clean, white-shirted boys”. Online knockoffs proliferated like weeds.
A casual search for “white shirt” on Taobao would bring up various listings labeled “Wei Lan-inspired”. Some even tagged with “Xian Chan Cat”, creating plenty of confusion.
To make matters worse, some noticed that other styles from the cat cafe were also selling well and were clearly in short supply. Seizing the opportunity, they “brilliantly” decided to produce knockoffs of other merchandise as well.
The quality of these knockoffs varied, but they shared one common trait: the prints were all wrong. Customers who bought them for cheap or couldn’t find the originals discovered that the stitching was mediocre. Most importantly, the prints were unattractive! Most were blurry, faded after washing, and bore no resemblance to the shirt in Wei Lan’s airport photo. Some even replaced the cat in the print, photoshopping in random orange cats from who-knows-where.
Some who bought knockoffs contacted customer service on Taobao, but most of these low-quality shops were just out to make a quick buck. Even when criticized, they simply ignored the complaints.
Customers who got scammed felt like they were punching cotton. Returning the items wasn’t worth the hassle. They had bought them cheaply, with no shipping insurance. Returning them would cost time and money. So, they turned to Xian Chan Cat Cafe’s Weibo or Bishui Station account and started venting in the comments.
Many cat cafe fans were baffled. What’s your problem? Our products are great, beautifully packaged, high-quality, and exactly as advertised. Are you just a hater, or did you buy a knockoff?
Knockoff buyers fell into two categories: those looking for a bargain and those genuinely unaware they were buying fakes. The latter were particularly incensed by the fans’ rebuttals.
“No wonder this kind of UP can open a store. It’s because they have brain-dead fans like you defending them, right?”
“Keep washing, go ahead and wash. I have pictures as proof. Your products are absolute trash, full of loose threads everywhere, and the prints don’t match the images at all.”
“May this shady shop go out of business soon!”
Fans with better tempers tried to explain a thing or two, while those with shorter fuses started cursing right away, sparking heated arguments that piled up dozens of comment threads.
…
Zhou Yan had been in charge of managing the cat café’s account on Bishui Station. Recently, malicious comments under their videos had been increasing. Similar remarks were popping up under their Weibo posts as well.
Zhou Yan was frantic. After spinning his wheels all day without finding a solution, he had no choice but to seek out Pei Shiyi.
The unflappable Boss Pei was wearing the cat café’s merchandise shirt while cleaning his camera. A few days ago, Mr. Bo had brought over a camcorder, which Boss Pei handed to Zhou Yan, while he himself reclaimed the camera. Photos capturing the daily lives of the café’s cats had already filled an entire box.
Zhou Yan: “Boss, stop cleaning! Take a look at the comment section. So many people who bought knockoffs are coming to curse us out!”
He took a couple of breaths and sat down opposite Pei Shiyi. Although he saw his boss’s face every day, he was momentarily stunned by Pei Shiyi’s outfit—a black cat café merchandise shirt with a row of mochi prints on the buttons. The front hem was slightly raised, revealing a hint of his waistline, while the back featured a large mochi print.
Sitting on a cushion with one leg bent, the top two buttons of his collar were undone, and the skin below disappeared into the black fabric. He was as elegant as fine jade, his demeanor even more refined than a pristine jade mountain.
Perhaps due to his striking handsomeness, whatever Boss Pei wore always carried an extra touch of charm compared to others.
Pei Shiyi set down the camera he cleaned daily: “I know.”
Zhou Yan snapped back to attention: “Should we still release a video then?”
“Mm,” Pei Shiyi casually scooped up Dan Huang and kissed his ear. “I’ve already figured out how to film it.”
Zhou Yan scratched his head: “Do you want me to film it?”
Pei Shiyi said, “You’ve been helping with customer service these past few days. Today was supposed to be your day off. If I keep making you work, wouldn’t I be a slave driver? If you’re not in a hurry to leave, you can hang out at the cat café for a while.”
After the cat café’s merchandise went back on sale, Zhou Yan had also pulled an all-nighter and was genuinely exhausted. He said, “Alright then. Boss, call me if you need anything.”
Zhou Yan chuckled softly. He carefully reached out and scooped up Dan Huang in his arms. Glancing up at his boss and seeing Pei Shiyi merely raise an eyebrow, he grinned foolishly and carried Dan Huang away: “Boss, I’ll take Dan Huang downstairs to work!”
Dan Huang: “Meow?”
Wait, I wanted to hear how the boss plans to make the video!
Pei Shiyi shook his head with a smile and headed downstairs with the camcorder.
He had also checked out the knockoffs from other shops and even bought a few to examine. The best-selling knockoffs were indeed decent in quality, but the prints were subpar, fading after washing. Most importantly, the prints were blurry or didn’t even feature Xian Chan’s cats at all.
Although the digital versions of the cat café’s photo shoots were available online, the backgrounds were watermarked and quite noticeable. It was fine for fans to save and view them privately, but if enlarged and printed on clothing, the watermarks would stand out awkwardly. The photos printed on the café’s merchandise had all undergone secondary processing.
Any shop could sell shirts, but only Xian Chan had Xian Chan’s cats.
When he went downstairs to gather footage for the video, it happened to be the cat café’s busiest time. As usual, the café was immersed in a faint, soothing fragrance.
As the afternoon edged towards evening, the cats grew unusually active. Without needing customers to seek them out, they began wandering around on their own.
Pei Shiyi went downstairs to check on them, making sure he knew which furballs were on the first floor. Song Gao, Dan Huang, Yun Chao, Fondant, Sui Shou, Jing Zhe, Qing Ming, Ling Ze, Xiao Zhi, Ru Fu, and…
Well, and his boyfriend.
Bo Jin was also wearing the cat café’s merchandise shirt today, though his was white. He walked in carrying a bag of who-knows-what: “Are we filming a video?”
“Yeah,” Pei Shiyi glanced at the bag, filled with random odds and ends, then looked down to fiddle with his camera. “I thought you said you were working overtime today?”
Bo Jin set the bag in a nearby cabinet and took the camera from him to adjust the settings. “I dumped it all on Bai Jue.”
Pei Shiyi reached for the camera: “…”
Vice Director Bai truly made significant contributions for their sake.
Bo Jin looked up. No one was around the storage area, so he leaned down and nipped Pei Shiyi’s fingertip. “I told him that I hadn’t won you over yet. Once I did, I could ask you to help out at the Supernatural Management Bureau.”
Pei Shiyi’s fingertip tingled. He raised an eyebrow. “So you just sold me out?” And to help the Supernatural Management Bureau? He could barely keep up with taking care of his own furballs.
“Not exactly,” Bo Jin was truly a crafty dragon. “Once the cat café reaches a certain level of development, I’ll tell him you agreed, but you’re too busy to be a hands-off manager.”
Pei Shiyi: “…Bai Jue is a failed Bai Ze. How did he end up with a boss like you?”
The Bai Ze, a divine beast who understood all things, was an auspicious creature that warded off evil and disasters. Even mortals who brushed against its fur could live smoothly for a year or two. It was just a mystery why Bai Jue had such rotten luck, ending up with Bo Jin as his bureau director.
Bo Jin: “Then you’re the lucky one.”
Pei Shiyi couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Get lost! Bragging about yourself, have you no shame?”
With that, he walked past Bo Jin and headed to the main area.
Bo Jin followed him. “What are we filming today?”
Pei Shiyi said, “There are too many knockoffs of the cat café’s merchandise. We should at least post a comparison between the genuine products and the fakes.”
Bo Jin: “How do you film cats for a comparison?”
Pei Shiyi smiled slightly. “Well, since the cat café’s account started, it’s never followed the usual path.”
Pei Shiyi wanted to film a compilation video featuring all the furballs. After all, wasn’t the most distinctive thing about a cat café the cats themselves? There were so many cat cafés and dog cafés out there. The differences in decor were like superficial appearances, something that could be covered up with clothing. It wasn’t what made a cat café unique.
The cats were the soul of the cat café.
Everything derived from the cat café revolved around the cats. Even if the imitations of the T-shirts, shirts, and scarves were nearly identical in detail and craftsmanship, the cats on them were always wrong.
Were the fans buying white shirts? T-shirts? Scarves?
No, they were buying shirts, T-shirts, and scarves with cats on them.
…
For the cat café’s fans, today was a day of mixed emotions. The good news was that the cat café had updated twice this week. The bad news was that it had been receiving a lot of negative comments lately.
As soon as they opened the video, they saw a flood of comments at the beginning: “Scam shop must shut down!”
Fans: Growing increasingly angry.
Fortunately, after the opening sequence, the video quickly began.
First, a black screen appeared with a line of white text:
Heard some people have been copying our shirts?
Fans suddenly felt tense. Was this a clarification video?
White text: Hmm (shaking head emoji) No, you can’t copy my cats.
Many fans nearly laughed out loud when they saw these captions. Today’s subtitle editor seems particularly playful, with such an adorable tone.
The black screen of the video ended here. Before the image appeared, the soft, quiet voice of a person was heard first, followed by the scene: an orange cat sitting upright on a cushion, surrounded by people, lifting its head and allowing gentle strokes.
The image froze at this moment.
The white captions appeared again: My dear Manager Dan Huang, a very responsible elder, dedicated to the cat café, with a coat pattern known as “golden blanket, silver bed”. He has amber eyes, a soft little belly, and a gentle gaze. He does not look like this: (accompanied by an image: a distorted orange cat printed on a counterfeit product).
As the captions slowly faded, the cat in the video changed.
A golden shaded cat nestled against the back of a hand, gently rubbing as if utterly enamored, unwilling to part for even a moment, until someone called out: “Song Gao.”
The golden shaded cat turned its head, its eyes deep green. It tilted its head slightly and slowly narrowed its eyes in a gentle, deliberate blink.
White captions: My precious Song Gao. Doesn’t he look like a fluffy, freshly baked cake? My Song Gao is gentle, quiet, and rarely makes a sound. If he likes you very much, he will quietly come to your side and stay with you until you leave. My sweetheart in this world does not look like this: (again, a counterfeit image)
As the captions faded, the next to appear was a long-haired large cat.
A pure white cat without a single speck of color, with a magnificent, lion-like ruff around its neck, sat upright with its paws nearly touching the ground. Its fluffy tail curled around its front paws. It lowered its head, its gold and silver heterochromatic eyes coldly staring into the camera, until a Ragdoll cat jumped up. Without looking at anything else, it nestled against the white cat and curiously lowered its head, its eyes sea-blue, pure and clear.
The white cat turned and gently groomed the Ragdoll.
In the frozen frame, captions appeared:
My pure white fairy, Yun Chao, and the sweet, clingy Fondant. Do you know about the Linqing Lion Cat? My Yun Chao is one. Her name comes from the line, “Quietly waiting for the mist to form mountains, sitting to watch the clouds rise like tides”. However, the fairy is quite aloof and only likes young girls. Gentlemen, keep your distance.
Our Fondant is a cheerful little princess who adores humans. If you visit the cat café, you can play ball with her. Unlike other cats, she’s a little girl who will fetch the ball and bring it back.
My fairies do not look like this: (counterfeit image)
The next cat, no, the next pair of cats, both had black patterns.
A leopard cat lowered its head to gaze at the short-legged silver tabby beside it. The height difference between the two cats was somewhat stark. The leopard cat, being a large breed, and the silver tabby’s short legs further reduce its height, made them look like an adult with a child. As the two cats stared at each other, the atmosphere grew quiet and gradually ambiguous…
Suddenly, the leopard let out a meow, and the tabby leaped up, wrapping its front paws around the leopard cat’s neck and pulling it down.
The cozy background music suddenly turned silly, the screen darkened and froze again, with an arrow appearing in the bottom right corner: TO BE CONTINUED.
White captions: Leopard cat Tong Qian and silver tabby Yin Zhou are childhood friends who grew up together. Aside from frequent fights, there’s no lack of affection between them. Generally speaking, Tong Qian starts the mischief. For the record, what Tong Qian just said was: “Your paws are short.”
It’s impossible for these two to appear in such a harmonious scene: (counterfeit image)
The subtitles fade away, revealing two identical tortoiseshell cats crouching before the camera. They stand up and swap positions several times, then tilt their heads in unison, staring intently at the lens and letting out identical meows: “Meow?”
New subtitles appear: My most mischievous little darlings, Dai Dai and Mao Mao, are sisters from the same litter and look exactly alike. Their favorite prank is making humans guess which is Dai Dai and which is Mao Mao. Can you tell them apart? Friendly reminder: If you visit the cat café, please don’t casually touch anything they bring you. You might get a scare. Tortoiseshell cats have unique black and yellow patterns, not calico: (counterfeit image)
The video continues, the progress bar nearly exhausted, with only one star left to make an appearance.
A blue tabby and white Forest Cat, its eyes reflecting lakes and mountains, descends the stairs, followed by an orderly line of kittens trailing behind like a group of children following their teacher to class.
Hmm, one smoky-colored cat is huge!
The frame freezes and, with a “Duang Duang” sound effect, thirteen small arrows appear on the screen, each labeled with the name of a cat.
White subtitles: It’s incredibly difficult to capture a solo photo of Miss Penny. She’s always surrounded by the cat café’s little ones. Feeling overwhelmed? Miss Penny can recognize every single one of them without fail. As the gentle older sister, she worries endlessly about the kittens every day.
My Miss Penny has eyes like winter snow, not like this: (counterfeit image)
The screen gradually fades to black, with white subtitles appearing: Your dream cat is here with me, not with the counterfeiters.
Netizen comment: Showing off! This is pure showing off!
Author’s note:
Boss: Want to hit me? Not possible. You can’t beat me.
If you enjoy my works and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi. Thank you for your support.
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2