While the boss and his “buddy” were giving each other the stink eye, many students at Yuchuan University found their social media feeds flooded with posts. The posters were bursting with excitement. Those scrolling through were thoroughly enjoying the photos and videos.
What makes a cat cafe?
Cats, desserts, and ambiance.
Xian Chan Cat Cafe excelled in all three aspects. Their desserts were carefully crafted and reasonably priced, and as for the ambiance… you’d be completely captivated the moment you stepped in!
And the highlight of the cat cafe, the cats, drove cat lovers wild.
The official account of the cat cafe also gained a significant number of followers. In the age of social media, posts on WeChat Moments, QQ Space, and video vlogs became powerful tools for recommendations.
“Hidden gem alert! Every cat here has its own name! The white lion cat Yun Chao is an absolute fairy. How is she so beautiful and so tolerant? We surrounded her for ages, petting her, and she didn’t get annoyed at all! I could film her all day, wuwuwu~”
“Fondant is such a sweet little princess! She even helped us pick up a phone. Hahaha. She’s practically a dog in a cat’s body. The desserts are great, and the drinks are pretty good too! But the real stars are the cats!”
“Dan Huang truly lives up to being the shop manager! He greets everyone who walks in! I’m usually not a cat person, but he noticed how lonely I looked and stayed by my side for the longest time!”
“The leopard cat is so gorgeous, wuwuwu~ His tail is so long! I love how agile and graceful he is, and his temper is amazing. I’m totally smitten. What a divine cat!”
“Is no one talking about the golden British shorthair? It smells like milk and still seems like a baby. It’s so good at making biscuits. Ahhhhh!”
“What about the twins? Aren’t they adorable?!”
“To the person above, the twins were clinging to the boss the whole time. They’re still too young to be petted.”
But there are always those whose thoughts diverge from the mainstream—
“I’m spinning 360 degrees while fangirling over the boss! What kind of heavenly beauty is this?!”
Attached were over a dozen photos.
Comments: “Spinning 360 degrees while fangirling over the boss’s buddy!”
“Everyone else is here for the cats, but I’m here for the boss.”
“???”
“Wait, are you sure you’re at a cat cafe?”
Fun content tends to spread like wildfire. Among these comments, some were particularly cute or hilarious. They were widely reposted across social media, reaching more and more people. Parents saw them, classmates saw them, and even teachers saw them…
The video of Pei Shiyi and his companion bottle-feeding the kittens went viral on WeChat Moments and QQ Space.
With his good looks and charming personality, plus his patience as the kittens climbed all over him, he became the ideal type in many girls’ hearts.
Who wouldn’t love the combination of a handsome guy and adorable pets? Especially when the handsome guy is also a “cat dad”! So handsome and cute. It’s absolutely killing me! After meeting Pei Shiyi up close, many girls couldn’t help but post on their Moments, “I want to marry him!” Some even got an earful from their parents after forgetting to block them.
…
In the era of big data, casual reviews on social media can easily spread far and wide, attracting even more attention. When recommendations are sincere, people will come flocking out of curiosity.
Among them, one particularly lengthy article of nearly a thousand words was widely reposted by countless people. It was a heartfelt confession from a balding senior student, written in exaggerated language. The student explained that while working on their graduation project, they repeatedly revised it but remained unsatisfied. Then, after visiting the cat cafe, it was as if their meridians had been unblocked. Inspiration surged, and within two nights, they successfully completed the revisions. After recharging at the cat cafe, they were now full of energy and vitality.
At the end, the article concluded with: “Thank you, boss and cats, for saving my dog’s life!” (with a fist-and-palm salute)
Once this article was published, it was frantically shared by senior students from various universities. The comments section was filled with people hoping to catch some of the good luck, wishing for their own designs to pass and their thesis defenses to go smoothly… Thus, in just a few days, the cat cafe suddenly went viral, boosted by its perceived mystical benefits!
Many universities were located in distant provinces and cities, so students could only “catch the vibes” from afar, while also expressing envy for the students of Yuchuan University.
At Yuchuan University, there were plenty of people who had no interest in the cat cafe initially. However, after seeing the longing comments online, they inexplicably felt a sense of pride and began inviting friends to add the cat cafe to their itineraries.
Moreover, during the first few days of its opening, there were numerous promotions. Upon entering the cafe and inquiring about the various activities, customers learned that spending a certain amount would earn them vouchers, and specific drinks and snacks were even discounted. Some who had only come out of curiosity ended up feeling like they had scored a great deal.
This unintentional boost from Yuchuan University brought substantial traffic to the cat cafe and even raised its profile among some netizens.
…
The cat cafe opened at 11:30 AM and closed at 7:30 PM.
At 9:30 in the morning, Pei Shiyi flipped the sign on the glass door of the cat cafe from “Closed” to “Open”. By this hour, other shops had already opened as well.
Zhang Yu, who had just walked in, changed his shoes and said, “Boss, I brought some breakfast. Would you like some? They’re all custard buns, not too strong in flavor.”
He was the chef, a young man who had only recently graduated.
Pei Shiyi was busy working on a hardboard, surrounded by over a dozen pigment dishes, and couldn’t free up his hands. “I’ve already eaten. You all can have them.”
The three servers cheered and gathered around to share the buns.
Zhang Yu, munching on a bun with one hand, scooped up the still-sleepy Dan Huang with the other. “Boss, what are you writing?”
He leaned in for a closer look and exclaimed, “Wow… Boss, you can draw, too?”
On the hardboard were five vivid half-body portraits of cats! Pei Shiyi was adding backgrounds and decorations to the board. The background color was the same mint green as the storefront, with light green vines painted along the white border.
Zhang Yu said, “This is so beautiful, boss. What is it for?”
Pei Shiyi put down his brush and explained, “It’s an introduction board. Once the paint dries, it’ll be hung at the entrance.” As a phoenix who particularly loved showing off, he had mastered all the talents that might come in handy for “displaying his feathers”, such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Though he wasn’t highly skilled in many modern painting techniques, his foundational skills were solid. Drawing half-body portraits of cats was no challenge for him.
The reason he thought of making this was that, a few days prior, many people couldn’t find the photo albums corresponding to the fluffy cats and thus didn’t know their names. So, Pei Shiyi decided to hang a prominent board introducing the cats in the cafe.
Zhang Yu leaned in a bit closer and pointed to the red decorations on the border. “Is this… a bird? It’s drawn so small.”
Pei Shiyi glanced at the simplified version of the little phoenix and said without changing his expression, “Hmm, it’s a bird.”
Zhang Yu laughed heartily, “Boss, cats are natural hunters of small animals! Birds and cats can’t coexist peacefully. Why didn’t you draw dried fish instead?”
Pei Shiyi: “…” Just because it swims in water means it can live harmoniously with cats?
He choked back his words, unable to explain that he himself was a bird. Instead, he shot Zhang Yu a meaningful glance and said, “The tea should be ready, right? I can smell the aroma.”
Zhang Yu quickly stuffed the last of his steamed bun into his mouth, put down Dan Huang, and hurried back to the kitchen.
Pei Shiyi stared at the board for a while, then silently added two more birds: Who said birds and cats can’t coexist? Was he an ordinary bird? If he revealed the truth, it would scare this unlucky kid to death.
While he was busy drawing birds, Bo Jin had already changed his shoes and walked up behind him, observing the entire process. He then asked, “Since you’re drawing birds, why not draw me?”
Pei Shiyi tightened his grip on the pen. “This isn’t a bird. It’s a phoenix.”
Was he doing this on purpose? Looking for a fight?
Bo Jin knelt beside him, pointing at the border. “Here, can you add me?”
Pei Shiyi was both annoyed and amused. “I’m drawing a cat cafe. Since I run a cat cafe, of course, I’m in it. What does that have to do with you? Are you a cat?”
Bo Jin: “I’m not a cat, but I’ve bought food and drinks for the cats. I’ve handed out flyers and given out free samples for the cat cafe.” After all he’d done for the cat cafe, didn’t he deserve a spot?
The heartless capitalist Pei Shiyi remained unmoved and planned to use a little trick to make the paint dry faster.
Bo Jin, the fake domineering CEO but genuine cat lover, wasn’t actually complaining about his recent efforts. He just wanted to place himself next to the fluffy creatures.
Seeing Pei Shiyi’s indifference, Bo Jin picked up a brush and dipped it in black paint.
His grip on the brush clearly showed he was an amateur. Pei Shiyi couldn’t let him ruin the board, so he reached out to snatch it back.
With ordinary customers still in the shop, the two relied purely on strength and skill to wrestle for the brush, without using any spiritual power. Neither of them was easy to deal with. The brush, being a mortal-made object, couldn’t withstand the struggle between a Zhulong and a phoenix. With a crisp crack, it snapped.
The brush handle and bristles flew apart in two directions. The bristles, still coated in paint, landed on the light-colored carpet and immediately left a spreading ink stain.
Pei Shiyi was sitting on the carpet, and the ink blot landed less than two centimeters from his pants. He had been reaching out to catch the brush but retracted his hand the moment the bristles fell, accidentally bumping into Bo Jin, who had also pulled his hand back.
For a moment, their hands were almost clasped together.
Pei Shiyi: “…” His expression went blank for two seconds.
Born into nobility, aside from his parents, no living being had ever touched him skin-to-skin in human form. He stared blankly at Bo Jin for a moment, unsure what expression to adopt.
Bo Jin hadn’t expected this turn of events either and quickly withdrew his hand. The warm, dry sensation of the other’s touch lingered in his palm, like a ray of perfect sunlight. Bo Jin instinctively clenched his fingers.
Should he lose his temper? But technically, Bo Jin hadn’t done it on purpose… No, wait. It was because Bo Jin had tried to grab the brush that this happened…
Pei Shiyi glared at Bo Jin, convinced he had every reason to be angry. He snatched up the carpet and threw it over Bo Jin’s head. “Go clean the carpet for me.”
Bo Jin asked, “If I clean it, will you draw me on the board?”
After considering that provoking Pei Shiyi might get him kicked out directly, Bo Jin scooped up the passing Song Gao: “I’m an employee’s family member.”
If force doesn’t work, try soft tactics. Director Bo certainly had the resilience of a true gentleman who could bend without breaking.
Suddenly lifted into the air, Song Gao: “??”
Pei Shiyi looked him up and down in disbelief. In all his bird life, he had never encountered such a thick-skinned, relentlessly resourceful divine being. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
After a pause, he finally managed a dry: “Get lost.”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152