The cold war between Yin Zhou and Tong Qian escalated into physical violence.
The two large fluffballs rolled from the east side of the second floor to the west. Tong Qian had messed up and was feeling guilty and defensive, so it was basically a one-sided beating by Yin Zhou.
Zhou Yan had originally intended to film a heartwarming video. But in the end, it still fell apart. President Tong had his own unique style. Anyone who got involved would be led astray.
Zhou Yan stared blankly as the two big cats remained still for two seconds before Yin Zhou suddenly pounced, wrestling with Tong Qian.
As the one responsible for editing, adding subtitles, and managing the content, he couldn’t force a silly video into an emotional one.
He never expected that as a content creator, he would come to understand the difficulties celebrities face when trying to change their image.
Zhou Yan watched numbly as the two big cats rolled in front of the camera: “This is too hard.”
…
The cat café’s weekly update happened to coincide with mealtime.
The video thumbnail featured Yin Zhou, and the title read, “If Your Coach Were a Fluffy Ball…”
Fans: Is today’s video really about Yin Zhou?!
Eagerly clicking on the video, the first thing they saw was a cat tree. For long-time fans of Xian Chan or netizens who had visited the cat café, it was immediately recognizable as the one on the second floor.
As the camera zoomed in, three fluffy balls on the cat tree came clearly into view on the screen.
Xiao Man and Da Shu kept trying to jump up. But due to being overweight and small in size, they could only manage a few centimeters before plopping back down. They couldn’t leap gracefully like the other big cats, effortlessly scaling several levels of the cat tree.
The two chubby cats clung to a higher level, stretching themselves into round, elongated cat strips. They tilted their heads upward, staring at the level above. They remained in that position for a long time, unwilling to move.
Comments:
“Hahahaha. This is exactly like me when I exercise.”
“LOL. Their little bellies are so obvious in this pose. Xiao Man and Da Shu have the potential to become like the shop manager!”
“Touching my own belly, it’s just as prominent as Da Shu’s.”
“No, no, you’re not this cute.”
In the video, Yin Zhou seemed a bit helpless. He jumped down to demonstrate for the two kittens, then gently licked their ears to encourage them to jump higher.
Comments:
“If I had such an adorable coach QAQ, I could do it, too!”
“Yin Zhou, come supervise Mom while she exercises. With a cat like Yin Zhou, I could walk ten of them!”
“If Yin Zhou were personified, he’d probably be a gentle little boy… Wow, I’m totally into it! Imagining him looking helplessly at me, urging me to work hard…”
“Stop imagining things, guys! Yin Zhou is just a fluffy ball!”
Although Da Shu was even chubbier than Xiao Man, compared to the clingy Xiao Man, he was a well-behaved cat that all the adults could rely on. When Xiao Man slacked off, Da Shu could still persist in jumping on the cat tree.
However, Da Shu’s reactions were a bit slower than those of normal cats. Even when he realized his claws were slipping and he was about to fall backward, his body couldn’t keep up.
The moment he fell, Yin Zhou leaped down.
He was faster than the average pet cat, descending like a silver-gray arrow.
Many commenters who had visited the cat café typed confidently:
“He definitely caught him! Our Yin Zhou is amazing and super agile! He caught Xiao Man like this last time!”
“I’ve always felt Yin Zhou doesn’t seem like a Munchkin cat but more like a snow leopard. His habits are quite similar, too.”
However, this time, although Yin Zhou caught Da Shu, he didn’t do so steadily.
Netizens clearly saw that after Yin Zhou grabbed Da Shu with his mouth, he suddenly sank downward. When he landed on the platform, his center of gravity shifted, and he fell before he could steady himself.
The footage suddenly slowed down, allowing viewers to clearly observe Yin Zhou’s movements mid-air. Yin Zhou, carrying Da Shu, skillfully adjusted his landing posture. As he twisted his body, he demonstrated an astonishing degree of flexibility, both soft and agile. Even without any leverage in mid-air, he effortlessly changed his position.
Yin Zhou had a pair of exceptionally clear golden eyes, his pupils subtly contracting and dilating with the changing light. In slow motion, they revealed a calm and resolute demeanor that contrasted with his adorable appearance. Fans watching on screen did not doubt that Yin Zhou, even while carrying a cat nearly his own size, would land steadily.
Despite being just a little cutie, his temperament was unexpectedly composed, like a gentle older brother. This contrast in charm was enough to captivate the “cloud parents” watching from their screens. Comparing Yin Zhou to their own mischievous fur babies at home, they couldn’t help but think—wait, they didn’t actually have cats.
But! Cloud cat parenting is still parenting! The cloud parents cheered: Even if our Yin Zhou makes a small mistake while landing on the cat tree, he’ll definitely land safely!
Then, the slow motion ended, and a shadow suddenly darted over, colliding smoothly with Yin Zhou just as he was about to land.
The screen went completely dark. A piece of music from a popular anime played in the background. In the bottom right corner, an arrow appeared with the words “to be continued.”
The fans: “…”
Those who were eating while watching the video nearly choked on their food.
This sudden shift to absurdity is too much!
We’re still eating at this hour!
…
“So, you want to make up with Yin Zhou?”
Pei Shiyi raised Tong Qian, amused.
The dejected leopard cat hung his head: “Meow.”
But it failed. Not only did the reconciliation not succeed, but Yin Zhou seemed even angrier.
Tong Qian gestured animatedly: “When I tried to climb the cat tree this afternoon, he was squatting on top. Then, with a smack, he pushed me down. It hurt my head so much. I sat at the bottom of the cat tree all afternoon. Every time I tried to jump up, he pressed me back down. Now the whole cat café knows I made him angry.”
This silly cat, getting into character, reenacted the scene for Pei Shiyi and Bo Jin, playing both cats himself.
Bo Jin: “How did you make him angry in the first place?”
This was truly strange. Although Yin Zhou and Tong Qian often roughhoused, it was usually just playful. This time, it seemed serious?
Pei Shiyi laughed: “When we were recording the video last time, he said Yin Zhou had short legs. Our Yin Zhou is at that age where he cares about his pride, so of course, he got angry.”
Bo Jin rubbed the cat’s head: “And then?”
Tong Qian: “…”
Pei Shiyi never held back when teasing Tong Qian: “Then he came up with a foolish idea of a heroic rescue. Today, when Da Shu was exercising, he fell from the cat tree…”
He briefly explained what happened.
“Heroic rescue?” Bo Jin pinched the cat’s ear, slightly surprised. “You even know about that?”
Tong Qian whined pitifully: “I heard humans talking about something called the ‘suspension bridge effect’. It means the person who gets rescued feels grateful toward their rescuer and is willing to share the cat tree with them afterward.”
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Bo Jin: “…”
The two exchanged a glance, somewhat confused: Why would humans need to share a cat tree? What kind of things has this kid been listening to at the cat café?
Bo Jin pondered for a moment: “It doesn’t necessarily have to be a heroic rescue. Let me teach you.”
Tong Qian: “Huh?”
Pei Shiyi didn’t quite catch on: “Teach him what?”
Bo Jin: “Teach him how to make up with Yin Zhou.”
Pei Shiyi took a sip of ice water, feeling quite pleased: This guy who spends all day cooking and petting cats finally knows how to care about the psychological well-being of the fur babies.
…
Director Bo was true to his word, taking Tong Qian to the second floor to teach him how to be a hero and save the beauty. Bo Jin even set up a barrier to keep others from eavesdropping.
Yin Zhou quietly snuggled into Pei Shiyi’s arms. Pei Shiyi lifted the blanket to let him poke his head out and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong?”
Yin Zhou clung to his pajamas, tilting his head in confusion: “I don’t know why, but I keep feeling cold.”
Song Gao, who was also nestled in Pei Shiyi’s arms, leaned over and licked him: “It’s okay, it’ll warm up under the blanket soon.”
The two furballs curled up together and quickly fell asleep under Pei Shiyi’s gentle strokes.
In the middle of the night, Bo Jin returned to the bedroom with Tong Qian in his arms and lay down beside Pei Shiyi. Pei Shiyi silently opened his eyes. He turned to face Bo Jin and asked curiously, “What were you two talking about? Can’t even I know?”
Bo Jin lowered his eyes and kissed him: “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Pei Shiyi thought to himself: What kind of mystery is he playing at now? He’s not really planning some hero-saves-the-beauty act, is he?
The next day
As usual, Pei Shiyi poured himself a glass of water with ice in the morning and carried it downstairs.
Even though the cat café now had plenty of staff, he, as the owner, wasn’t completely idle. Before the employees arrived, he would air out the café and change the carpets.
While pulling open the curtains on the first floor, he casually placed Tong Qian, who had been perched on his shoulder since morning, onto the climbing frame.
Tong Qian was anxious on the climbing frame: Why did he put me on the climbing frame? Director Bo said he’d demonstrate how to show affection today. What if I can’t see clearly from so far away?
Pei Shiyi had no idea what Tong Qian was thinking. He pulled open the curtains, opened the window, and was about to turn around when Bo Jin, who was passing by, suddenly changed direction.
Pei Shiyi nearly bumped into his arms but managed to stop in time. While he reacted quickly, the water in his cup followed its momentum and splashed all over Bo Jin’s clothes.
Pei Shiyi: “?” What’s wrong with suddenly bumping into someone when you were walking just fine? Looking for trouble first thing in the morning, huh?
Tong Qian, on the climbing frame, widened his eyes: Here it comes, here it comes! The live demonstration is starting!
Bo Jin: “My clothes are wet.”
Pei Shiyi retorted irritably: “Didn’t you bring it on yourself?”
The great phoenix Pei was thoroughly disgusted by his dripping wet boyfriend and pushed him aside: “Go change your clothes yourself.”
Tong Qian thought to himself: Director Bo’s method of playing pitiful isn’t working. So next is the hero-saves-the-beauty part, right? Director Bo said if there’s no opportunity, you have to create one. So now we’re setting the stage!
Bo Jin gently tripped Pei Shiyi and, before Pei Shiyi lost his balance, pulled him down onto the carpet.
Pei Shiyi narrowed his phoenix eyes, genuinely annoyed for the first time since getting together with Bo Jin: “What’s wrong with you today? Do you really want to fight?”
Bo Jin, pinned beneath him, propped himself up slightly and kissed the corner of Pei Shiyi’s mouth.
This was the time when all the cats came downstairs for breakfast, so the fur babies were all on the first floor. The commotion had already caught their attention. So, in front of the fur babies, Pei Shiyi was kissed by his boyfriend.
Pei Shiyi froze.
Bo Jin: “This is a hero saving a beauty.”
Pei Shiyi was incredulous: “Have you been infected by that silly cat Tong Qian?!”
He looked up and scanned the surroundings, only to meet pairs of round, wide-eyed feline gazes.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Got it. This jerk just wanted to show off in a big way.
Author’s Note:
Director Bo: Is it just about showing off? No, it’s just laying the groundwork for someday whisking your boss away.
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2