Even though netizens were constantly green with envy, they couldn’t help but keep watching.
The quality of the video was exceptionally high. The background music and editing perfectly set the mood. There was no dip in standards just because it was a rush job. Most importantly…
Every freeze-frame was wallpaper-worthy! The image quality was superb, and the cats were stunning. Although the white subtitles occasionally blocked the view, viewers could feel the warmth and affection flowing through the words. Even if they felt the text was a bit in the way when taking screenshots, they couldn’t bring themselves to crop it out.
The tone was different from previous subtitles. Long-time fans of Xian Chan noticed the change in voice and began discussing it in the comments, eventually reaching a conclusion:
This incredibly doting and tender tone was, without a doubt, the Boss himself. After all, the social media manager usually referred to the cats as “Shop Manager Dan Huang”, “Boss Yun Chao”, “President Tong”, or “Baby Fondant”.
But so what? That didn’t change the fact that the Boss was showing off!
Over the following week, the cat café’s account gained over a hundred thousand followers. While the trending topics and celebrity endorsements played a part, the café’s ability to retain so many fans was due to the high quality of the videos themselves.
At this rate, the café would likely evolve into a major influencer with a million followers on Weibo and a top-tier uploader on Bishui Station before the end of the year.
The video also achieved great results. Although the theme was the serious issue of copyright, the lighthearted and fun content smoothed over the awkwardness for buyers of pirated goods, reducing the chance of them lashing out in shame. It also sparked a discussion on intellectual property rights. Some Bishui Station uploaders who had their own brands plagiarized even appeared in the comments section.
After consulting with Pei Shiyi, Zhou Yan cautiously replied to them one by one.
For a video creator, receiving love and affirmation for a meticulously edited video while being able to convey positive values was a delightful surprise.
By now, Xian Chan Cat Café was a bona fide “internet famous” shop. People specifically traveled there to “check in” at the landmark. To manage the crowd, the café switched from a semi-reservation system to a full reservation-only policy.
As Dan Huang walked downstairs, he said, “I heard a customer say yesterday that you have to snatch a reservation three days in advance now. Boss, when are we opening a branch?”
Pei Shiyi replied, “There’s no rush for a branch. Sui Shou and the others haven’t grown up yet. We’ll have to wait until at least next year.”
It was mainly because the “kids” were still temperamental and hadn’t settled down. They might have different ideas for their futures later on. However…
Dan Huang nodded. “True. We at least need someone steady to lead. Sui Shou has a great temperament. He’s like a big brother who can look after the younger ones.”
Pei Shiyi leaned down and picked him up. “But Sui Shou himself is still a child who needs looking after. Opening a branch requires caution. We’d need to find at least one more steady elder like Dan Huang.”
Currently, the only ones in the café suitable to be a shop manager, besides Dan Huang, was the beautiful Miss Penny.
As for the other big cats—
Tong Qian was too flighty and prone to “glitching” at any moment.
Yun Chao’s favoritism for females over males was too severe. It wouldn’t be good if she treated customers with such obvious bias.
Fondant, Yin Zhou, Dai Dai, and Mao Mao all shared the same issue. They were too young to anchor a shop on their own.
Miss Penny was indeed a responsible elder cat. But the thought of leaving her alone to manage a group of “kids” seemed like a terrible idea.
Pei Shiyi added, “However, regarding expansion, I’m thinking of opening a pet boarding facility.”
Boarding had originally been a plan for next year. But plans often change. The café’s development throughout the summer had exceeded Pei Shiyi’s expectations. Now, profit wasn’t just coming from the café itself. Merchandise, Weibo, and Bishui Station accounts were all generating revenue.
The café was fully ready to expand into other physical businesses, like pet boarding.
This idea hadn’t come out of nowhere. Many customers who visited the café had pets at home and often mentioned the headache of having no one to look after them during business trips.
Many people in Yuchuan kept pets. Besides the retired older generation, a large portion of young people had them, too, especially white-collar workers living alone who kept a pet for companionship. Regardless of gender, these professionals often faced business trips. During those times, the “furry kids” left home alone became a major concern.
The man and the cat reached the second floor. Pei Shiyi pointed toward a small alley behind the café. “I took a look. That beauty salon back there is closing down soon.”
Dan Huang peered over. Sure enough, the salon in the back alley had its doors shut. Only a nail salon next to it was still in business. “Going bust again? Didn’t that one just open last month?”
Pei Shiyi said, “Because there’s no business. I’ve been contacting the landlord these past few days. I should be able to rent it. Once we fix it up, we can start hiring.”
The salon was about fifty square meters. It’s more than enough for a small boarding facility.
However, a boarding house required more professionals. The selection process would take time. Fortunately, the lease hadn’t been finalized yet. It would likely be around the Lunar New Year before it could open.
Dan Huang nodded and rubbed against Pei Shiyi’s hand. “Then I’ll go wake them up for work now!”
He bounded up to the third floor to drive the pack of lazy cats downstairs.
While Boss Pei was preparing the new shop, two of the furry kids at home were having a silent falling out.
To be precise, Yin Zhou was unilaterally angry.
Tong Qian couldn’t understand why Yin Zhou had suddenly taken such a dislike to him. Sure, they used to fight often, but fighting didn’t mean being ignored, right? What did humans call this… cold violence!
For a cat who loved warmth, “cold violence” was far too terrifying.
He scratched his scratching board a few times, then suddenly sped up, scratching furiously.
“It’s here! President Tong’s ‘Bad Guy’!”
“This rhythm… is it ‘Wild Wolf Disco’?”
“Our President Tong is a true goofball. Hahaha.”
“Why hasn’t President Tong been going to the second floor lately? I remember he used to love the climbing frame there.”
Of course, Tong Qian wanted to go to the second floor. Ever since the climbing frame was built, he and Yin Zhou practically lived on it. But Yin Zhou’s anger hadn’t subsided yet. If Tong Qian went up there, he’d be met with a freezing reception.
Tong Qian was baffled: Why is he mad? It seems like it started the day we filmed the video. Was it because of the ‘short paws’ comment?
What’s wrong with short paws? He couldn’t really be mad about that, could he?
Tong Qian scratched the board, but it didn’t feel right. It’s not as good as the one on the second floor. After holding back for a while, he couldn’t take it anymore and began slinking upstairs.
Second Floor
Yin Zhou wasn’t at the top of the climbing frame today. Uncharacteristically, he was lounging on the middle-lower levels, his fluffy, massive tail hanging down, making the customers’ eyes go green with envy.
Xiao Man was getting some good exercise today, accompanied by Da Shu, who was gradually becoming overweight.
Da Shu was a short-haired black-and-white cat with a round black patch on his forehead and a solid black tail, while the rest of his body was white. This pattern was also elegantly known as “Whip-hitting the Hydrangea”.
Unfortunately, Da Shu himself lacked the grace of his poetic namesake. He was a chubby little cat whose reactions were always two beats slow.
Da Shu was the most earnest of all the cats, just a bit dim. Usually, he would eat whatever amount he was given. No matter how much food was in the bowl, he would finish it all, never leaving a crumb.
He had no concept of being full.
Because Da Shu’s weight gain was “progressive”, weighing just a bit more each time, Pei Shiyi hadn’t realized there was a problem at first, firmly believing the boy was just having a growth spurt.
That was until one day, when Da Shu and Song Gao were quietly lying on either side of Bo Jin’s chest. Bo Jin felt the weight was asymmetrical. Da Shu seemed way too heavy.
So, the two adults gave Da Shu a thorough check-up and concluded that he was only growing fat. His bones hadn’t grown at all.
As a result, Da Shu was now ordered to exercise with Xiao Man, with Yin Zhou acting as the supervisor.
Xiao Man didn’t want to move after jumping a few levels. She looked up and acted spoiled toward Yin Zhou: “Meow.” Brother, I’m scared I’ll fall.
Yin Zhou stood on the platform. He hesitated for a moment, then hardened his heart: “Meow!”
Come up yourself. You won’t fall. I’ll definitely catch you.
Xiao Man gave a thin cry. She was a girl who knew exactly how much to push her luck. She glanced back at Meng Xia waiting below. She mustered her strength and continued jumping upward.
Da Shu was always a bit slower than Xiao Man. Yin Zhou comforted him: “Meow.” No rush, take it slow.
Da Shu stared at him blankly for a while before grunting: “Mee.” Okay.
When Xiao Man and Da Shu reached the same level as him, Yin Zhou would move up one tier, swishing his tail to entice the kittens to jump higher.
A crowd had gathered several layers deep in front of the climbing frame. Zhou Yan was there with his camera. He was preparing a video for Yin Zhou, so he had been hovering around him lately.
This kind of heartwarming daily life was very touching. The café mostly had “goofball” videos. It was time for a few more serious, healing ones.
To avoid startling the kittens, people spoke in whispers:
“Is Yin Zhou encouraging Xiao Man and Da Shu to jump up?”
“Our Yin Zhou is such a gentleman. I saw a short clip of him on Weibo before. He proactively touched a girl’s hand, even though he was clearly very shy.”
In the gap between their words, Yin Zhou had already jumped to a tier with a wider gap.
Xiao Man flopped into a cat nest, her little head resting on the edge, half of her pink tongue hanging out. She was done. She really couldn’t do it anymore. She needed Meng Xia to lick her.
Da Shu nodded slowly. He braced himself on the platform and jumped hard—then his paws slipped. He flew less than five centimeters into the air before falling with a heavy thud.
The customers gasped: “Ahhh! It’s really high now!”
The silver tabby leaped down from the heights!
Yin Zhou had been keeping a close eye on Da Shu because the boy was truly sluggish and made him nervous every time. As soon as Da Shu started his jump, Yin Zhou noticed his power and direction were off.
As a Mengji, he was a predator naturally skilled at leaping. He could walk on vertical cliffs as if they were flat ground, let alone a climbing frame.
Yin Zhou bit into the scruff of Da Shu’s neck but suddenly realized something was wrong: Da Shu was significantly heavier than Xiao Man!
Having miscalculated the “load”, Yin Zhou lost his center of gravity and was pulled down. Fortunately, his reactions were lightning-fast. He twisted his body mid-air with Da Shu, aiming his paw pads toward the ground. Just as he was about to land successfully, a swift shadow charged out, triggering a wave of exclamations.
“Holy crap, what was that?”
“I think it was Tong Qian!”
Tong Qian, who had been observing from the shadows: The perfect chance for a hero to save the beauty! Once he sees how agile and strong I am, Yin Zhou will definitely stop being mad. He might even give me half the climbing frame!
How can there be such a brilliant cat in this world!
However, President Tong miscalculated the angle, the speed, and the timing of his charge. With a loud bang, he collided with Yin Zhou, who had just adjusted his landing posture.
Yin Zhou’s landing failed.
Da Shu was pressed on top of Tong Qian, looking around in complete confusion: “Meow?”
I thought I saw Brother Tong Qian just now. Where is he?
Tong Qian: “…”
So this is what “unlucky brat” feels like.
He lifted his head slightly and met Yin Zhou’s gaze. He then buried his face back down in despair. He messed up. He’d made him even angrier.
Author’s Note:
Tong Qian: A total “straight man” (clueless) cat.
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2