Tao Yang, stared at by the cats and the two Pei bosses, stumbled nervously over his words: “It’s just, um… in terms of style…”
Pei Huang glanced at Pei Shiyi, who shook his head. “I don’t know. Before, we just filmed the footage and gave it to Zhou Yan.”
Tao Yang immediately felt he had failed in his duties, hugging his camera pitifully.
The big black cat, Li Mo, wrapped around his calf, rubbing his cheek against Tao Yang.
Pei Huang probably found Tao Yang’s nervousness adorable and grinned, extending a mischievous hand.
Yuan Jing knew exactly what he was up to as soon as he reached out. It was nothing more than patting heads or pinching cheeks. Pei Huang’s seniority was too high. He considered everyone present as juniors, often indulging his overflowing paternal instincts.
Yuan Jing grabbed Pei Huang’s slender, bony wrist and pulled him back. “Alright, stop causing trouble.”
Pei Huang simply smiled at him.
Bo Jin silently took two steps forward, positioning himself between Yuan Jing and Pei Shiyi.
Pei Shiyi didn’t notice Pei Huang’s antics. After all, his unreliable little uncle had been like this for ages. He patted Tao Yang’s shoulder with a smile. “Don’t be nervous. Honestly, we’re not that particular. Just film whatever you can capture in the cat café, and then work with the footage however you like. There’s no need to worry about style. As long as each video has a memorable point, it’s already a successful piece.”
Pei Huang, who never took anything seriously, strolled out from behind Bo Jin and nodded. “Don’t be nervous.”
Just as Tao Yang was about to sigh in relief, the door of the cat café was pushed open. The person didn’t enter but held the door open politely instead. To Tao Yang’s astonishment, a line of cats walked in with steady, unhurried steps.
It was the beloved cats from the first branch of the cat café.
After all the cats had entered, the man holding the door transformed into a large orange cat in the shadowy area without windows, waddling over with his plump belly.
It was Dan Huang, who had cultivated under Pei Shiyi for a year and could now take human form. Although his transformation time was still short, he never had issues like cat ears or tails popping out during it.
Tao Yang looked at Pei Shiyi in shock. “Aren’t Dan Huang and the others working today?”
Pei Shiyi found it strange. “Even though we’re opening a second branch, there will definitely be interactions in the future, so I specifically invited them over to say hello and get acquainted. Didn’t my little uncle tell you?”
Tao Yang hugged his camera and slowly shook his head.
Pei Huang: “I forgot about it later.”
Pei Shiyi sighed, “…I should have told Yuan Jing.”
…
The meet-and-greet between the two groups of cats went surprisingly smoothly. Miss Penny and Miss Catherine, who had traveled across the ocean, hit it off immediately, chatting warmly about the magic witches use.
Dan Huang, meanwhile, shared his management philosophy with Guan Zizai, the other branch manager, on “how to lead a group of unreliable little cats to grow and strengthen the cat café”.
Fondant and You Ling were engrossed in playing with a ball, while Yun Chao rested with her eyes closed, occasionally getting up to retrieve the lost ball.
Du Shui, Hu Lu, and Mao Yuan Long discussed cat trees with Yin Zhou and Tong Qian.
Sui Shou and a few older cats watched the little Siamese kittens with fascination. Their father was likely also a Siamese, probably a chocolate point, which explained why three of the four kittens had dark faces. Only Zuo Bai took after their mother, a tabby.
The other little kittens curled up together on the windowsill of the bay window and fell asleep.
Finally, the gathering came to an end. Tao Yang held up the camera to record the scene. The initial nervousness is long forgotten. Infected by the lazy, cozy atmosphere of the fluffy creatures, he relaxed completely.
Carefully sitting on the bay window sill, Tao Yang watched the hurried pedestrians outside under the sunlight. Amidst the colorful flow of people and vehicles, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace.
…
Amid the fans’ eager anticipation, the introduction video for the new store was finally released. The account of the first cat café also reposted the video, and fans who frequently refreshed their feeds hurried to watch the new clip.
To their delight, the video was a full twelve minutes long. It was much longer than the five or six minutes typical of the first cat café’s videos. Even before watching, dozens of comments had already flooded in, all saying, “Please keep them this long!”
The fans happily clicked on the video. As the gentle music began, they immediately recognized it. It was 《Long-Lasting Affection》 from Wei Lan’s new album.
This song, rumored to have been written for Yun Chao and Fondant, was the second-most-streamed track on the album, just behind 《My Dear You》. Though also a title track, its tone was vastly different from 《My Dear You》.
The intro featured a cold, elegant guqin melody intertwined with a light, lingering piano tune. As the music approached its climax, the two sounds blended seamlessly. By the end, listeners were almost moved to tears.
This magical music had captivated countless people. Even those who usually avoided paying for music couldn’t resist purchasing and downloading the song, falling into an endless loop of single-track replay.
Most of the cat café’s fans had listened to all the songs on the album, so as soon as the intro began, some couldn’t help but hum along softly to the background music.
Finally, the cat café’s new branch appeared on screen. It’s a classic Chinese style, yet entirely different from the second floor of the original café.
It had a vibrant, luxurious aesthetic: opulent carpets, red-lacquered furniture, and even the cat beds were made of solid redwood. The curtains, of an unknown material, filtered the sunlight, filling the entire space with a radiant glow…
Yet this brightness wasn’t overwhelming. Instead, it conveyed a sense of warm, welcoming energy that made it impossible to look away from the café’s decor.
Unless a cat appeared—
A Siamese cat popped its head out. Though this cat lady had white paws, her delicate face exuded an air of elegance. Soon, three pitch-black little heads emerged from the cat bed.
Subtitles displayed the names of the cat lady and her kittens.
The comments section erupted with laughter:
“Hahaha. They’re so dark! Did these cats just come back from a coal mine?”
“Even the heating couldn’t stop these cats from turning black, lol.”
“Temperature-sensitive Siamese. The colder it gets, the darker they become. Hahaha.”
The little “coal miners” dashed out of the cat bed, heading straight in one direction. The camera followed their movement, zooming in as they nestled into the embrace of another fluffy creature.
As the camera slowly pulled back, viewers finally got a clear look at the cat receiving this “affectionate assault”. It was an exceptionally large cat, even bigger than Dan Huang, with golden eyes and tabby markings on its back and front paws, giving off the aura of a feline boss.
The cat boss stood up and stretched, revealing its short, stubby tail.
Despite its stern, intimidating appearance, the big cat gently licked each kitten, revealing a surprisingly tender side.
Subtitles labeled the short-tailed cat’s name.
Comments flooded in:
“Whoa, a tattooed boss cat!”
“The name Guan Zizai is hilarious. Hahaha.”
“In my mind, there are only these words: Tough guy with a tender heart.”
Guan Zizai leisurely glanced at the camera, then began strolling around the entire cat café. Whenever he encountered other cats, he would pause. It was only then that the audience belatedly realized the cat café was using this method to “tour” them through the branch location. With each cat introduced, it would follow behind Guan Zizai until, by the time he had explored the entire café, seventeen cats were trailing behind him.
Each of the seventeen distinct cats had its own charm, sitting obediently behind Guan Zizai as they posed for a group photo.
The viewers felt as if they had truly arrived at the cat café, guided by the shop manager, Guan Zizai, freely exploring the yet-to-open establishment.
Bullet comments:
“Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, is this cat a spirit or something?”
“Is this a post-production editing effect, or is it real?”
“Definitely editing and voiceover. How could it be real? It’s not like they’ve actually become spirits.”
However, at this point, the video’s progress bar had only just passed the halfway mark. Suddenly, the screen went black, and subtitles popped up: Next, let’s welcome the cats from the main store for a meet-and-greet.
Audience: !
As the black screen faded, sure enough, across from the branch cats stood the familiar twenty-one cats from the main store.
The audience tensed, fearing the scene would spiral into an all-out brawl, with cats fighting uncontrollably. At that moment, a red warning subtitle appeared: Do not imitate!
Seeing this line, the viewers grew even more anxious. Are they really going to fight? If it happens, should they cheer for Dan Huang or for Guan Zizai?
Amidst this tense atmosphere, Dan Huang and Guan Zizai were the first to stand up. After sniffing each other for a moment, they let out soft meows and rubbed against each other in a friendly manner.
The other cats gradually gathered around as well. After initial sniffing and cautious probing, they quickly confirmed that the others were just as amiable as they were, and soon played together joyfully. Far from fighting, the scene was harmonious and even somewhat heartwarming.
Many viewers who had introduced new cats into their homes felt a pang of envy:
“Wow, they’re so gentle? When my second cat first came home, it got hissed at so badly.”
“Same here… the older cat bullied the little one.”
“I had to keep them separated for three months before daring to let them out…”
Suddenly, two people walked into the frame, each picking up a cat and bringing it before the camera.
One of them held Dan Huang’s front paw, waving it toward the camera: “Cat Café Branch Two opens on April 16th. Please, give my Dan Huang some face and remember to come support us.”
That affectionate, smiling voice was unmistakably the boss!
The other person also held Guan Zizai’s front paw: “Shop Manager Guan Zizai and the other little cats are waiting to meet you at Yingnan Square.”
Bullet comments:
“That voice—I’m sold!”
“Ahhh! The way he speaks sounds so much like Boss Pei!”
“Licking hands. Hand fetishists are exploding on the spot.”
“Want to see their faces, want to see their faces, want to see their faces.”
The cameraman clearly understood the audience’s desires, as the lens slowly panned upward, capturing the faces of the two bosses.
Two men in burgundy shirts were each holding a cat, their eyes smiling and lips curved upward.
The boss of the main store gently pressed Dan Huang’s paw against Guan Zizai’s large paw: “It’s settled. You must come.”
Guan Zizai and Dan Huang seemed to share a telepathic bond, meowing in unison: “Meow!”
You must come!
The audience, utterly enchanted by the handsome men and adorable creatures, responded eagerly: We’ll come! We’ll definitely come!
…
The day the branch opened was a brilliant, sunny one. A high-quality red carpet was laid out in front of the cat café branch, and a small stage was set up. It is just big enough for two people at most.
The crowd gathered around didn’t dare step onto the red carpet. Some content creators who specialized in exploring new shops had made a point of visiting the cat café branch that day, all speculating about who the small stage was meant for.
Soon, the answer was revealed. The two café owners, who could easily have debuted as idols based on their looks alone, each held their respective shop managers in their arms.
The branch manager was a large tabby cat with a short tail. Older generations called such cats “Qilin cats”, said to symbolize wealth and prosperity, much like white cats in folklore.
Manager Guan Zizai sat on the small stage, head held high and chest out. With his dignified and imposing presence, seated on the red-carpeted stage, he could have ascended the throne with just a crown.
Dan Huang jumped from Pei Shiyi’s arms onto the stage, carrying a small wooden plaque engraved with the words “Manager Guan Zizai”.
Dan Huang handed the plaque to Pei Huang, who patted his head.
Pei Huang: “Thank you, Dan Huang.”
Dan Huang: “Meow.”
You’re too kind.
Pei Huang placed the plaque around Guan Zizai’s neck. Dan Huang stood up and rubbed against Guan Zizai: “Meow.” The heavy responsibility of the branch is now yours!
Guan Zizai rubbed back, purring in his throat: Don’t worry, brother.
Pei Huang removed the dust cover from the cat café’s sign, revealing the mint-green characters “Xian Chan Cat Café” clearly to the crowd.
The crowd erupted in cheers: “Xian Chan!”
Dan Huang and Guan Zizai sat side by side on the stage, gazing out at the crowd.
They could feel the anticipation and affection from the people before them. Guan Zizai flicked his short tail. Since you’re asking me for joy and peace, of course, I’ll do my best to fulfill your wishes.
Amid the applause and the flashing cameras and phones, Pei Shiyi smiled faintly. His gaze swept over the crowd and suddenly met a pair of deep eyes.
Bo Jin, who had made a special trip to be there, unconsciously slowed his steps. Across the crowd, he locked eyes with the person he loved, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
The April breeze was gentle against the skin, and the sunlight was brilliantly warm.
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Meow meow On TPH Chapter 26.1