The cat cafe had successfully weathered its first two days of business. With all the promotional activities concluded, the foot traffic had noticeably decreased but had since stabilized, with regular customers frequently returning.
For any establishment, maintaining the initial opening rush of customers is unrealistic. The survival of a shop ultimately depends on its day-to-day operations, while holiday events and promotions merely serve as supplementary opportunities to boost earnings.
At 10:46 a.m., the cat cafe was fully prepared to welcome customers. Staff bustled about, closing the doors and windows before switching on the air conditioning.
Pei Shiyi retrieved the thoroughly dried information board and clipped it onto the floor-to-ceiling window. Its fresh color scheme instantly transformed it into an eye-catching sign.
Soft, soothing music began to play inside the cafe. It was a gentle cue for the cats that it was time to warm up and start their “workday”.
Fondant dashed downstairs, then turned and called up toward the second floor. Within seconds, another large, snow-white fluffball slowly descended. Fondant hurried back and buried herself in the fluffy fur, rubbing against it for a long while.
Yun Chao remained perfectly still, allowing her to indulge in the affection she had been holding back all night. Fondant’s energy was now a far cry from when she first arrived at the cat cafe. She had become much more lively. Although she hadn’t yet learned how to cultivate on her own, the entire shop was enveloped in the boss’s aura. Not only sensitive beings like them, but even dull humans would be influenced by the boss’s presence. As a result, she grew increasingly active, reverting to the characteristic traits of a “Ragdoll dog”.
Cultivating here, even without the boss formally teaching anything, had already brought significant benefits under such spiritual energy. Fondant’s vitality was proof of how well she had been nurtured during this time. She was no longer as timid as before.
Yun Chao woke up every day in high spirits. Once Fondant’s clinginess subsided, Yun Chao licked her ears and accompanied her as they made their way downstairs.
The staff moved busily around, conducting multiple checks on cleanliness and decorations before opening.
Zhou Yan, a newly hired part-time employee at the cat cafe, was wiping tables when he heard a scratching sound. Curious, he followed the noise.
Unlike the other cats who loved to sleep in, Tong Qian had come down early and was vigorously sharpening his claws on the scratching post, shaking his head and wagging his tail with enthusiasm. The rhythmic scratching sounds filled the air.
His life now was far more comfortable than before. Though he didn’t receive a salary yet, it was enjoyable. The boss was easygoing, knew how to pet cats, and grooming sessions were incredibly soothing. Where else could he find such treatment? All he hoped for now was that the cat cafe would thrive, ideally becoming famous nationwide and never closing. He diligently exercised daily to maintain his physique, making him the most proactive cat in the cafe besides Dan Huang. Even the affectionate Fondant wasn’t as active as he was.
This was his morning workout time.
Zhou Yan listened with great interest, pulling out his phone to record a short video.
Pei Shiyi fastened a small tag that read “The Manager is Here” around Dan Huang’s neck. Dan Huang stretched on the countertop, extending every claw to its fullest, then thumped down onto the floor, ready to inspect the premises in his role as cat manager.
Hearing the commotion, Pei Shiyi walked over behind Zhou Yan and asked, “What’s so amusing?”
Though the cafe hadn’t officially opened yet, being caught by the boss while playing with the cats made Zhou Yan blush. He quickly stood up and explained, “I just thought Tong Qian’s movements had a great rhythm to them. They’d sync perfectly with ‘Bad Guy’ as a soundtrack.”
As an internet-addicted youth, Zhou Yan always peppered his speech with various online slang when talking to his peers. Unfortunately, although Pei Shiyi wore the appearance of a freshly graduated university student, he was actually a living relic who had existed for who-knows-how-many years.
Pei Shiyi only half-understood him. In his eyes, Zhou Yan’s age was equivalent to that of a distant nephew eighteen generations removed. He said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “Alright.”
Zhou Yan scratched his head, remembering that his boss was actually an old-fashioned cadre at heart, and hurriedly explained, “It means I’ll record this segment of Tong Qian, add some background music, it’ll be really… uh…”
Once he stopped using internet slang, Zhou Yan actually couldn’t find the right adjective.
“A good match, right?”
Pei Shiyi caught Tong Qian as he jumped up and said casually, “Why don’t you make one when you have free time? Once it’s done, you can show it to Tong Qian. If CEO Tong approves, we can play it occasionally after work.”
Zhou Yan nearly burst out laughing, thinking that although the boss didn’t really surf the internet much, his mindset was actually quite open-minded and youthful.
He cupped his hands toward Tong Qian: “I’ll ask CEO Tong to review it in a couple of days.”
Joking aside, there was still work to be done. Zhou Yan went to check the shop’s facilities and suddenly said, “Wait, boss, aren’t we missing a rug here?!”
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Did that Bo Jin actually clean the rug properly yesterday?
“That one got dirty. There’s a spare in the storage room. Go get it.”
Pei Shiyi hugged the cat and silently turned to leave.
Mentioning the rug made him think about snatching the paintbrush. Thinking about snatching the paintbrush reminded him of holding hands…
Pei Shiyi felt thoroughly annoyed. Even more annoying was that as soon as he turned around, he saw Bo Jin bringing Song Gao to work.
Song Gao stretched out his furry paw toward Pei Shiyi: “Meow.” Good morning, sir.
To Song Gao, Pei Shiyi was more like a teacher than a boss.
Pei Shiyi bent down to hold Song Gao’s front paw, smiling as he said, “Good morning, Song Gao.”
After chatting quietly with Song Gao for a while, he felt Bo Jin’s gaze lingering on him, unlike usual, when he would immediately go find other cats upon entering.
Pei Shiyi had Dan Huang take Song Gao for their morning snack, then asked quietly, “Where’s my rug?”
Bo Jin, who had been working on it all night, rubbed his temples: “I washed it. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
He hadn’t expected acrylic paint to be so difficult to clean. That small stain had taken two hours of soaking with laundry detergent and vinegar. After washing, it still smelled sour. If he dared to bring it over, Pei Shiyi would probably pour vinegar on him.
Pei Shiyi smiled: “That would be best.”
The small incident about the rug was thus settled. Once business hours began, Pei Shiyi didn’t have time to argue with Bo Jin over a rug.
However, a very special guest arrived today. Even from the kitchen, Pei Shiyi could sense a faint spiritual energy. But since he was preparing lunch for the furry ones and the other party wasn’t making any moves for now, he pretended not to notice.
After all, if anyone dared to cause trouble here, the furry ones wouldn’t stand for it. Moreover, the shop had its restrictions. Anyone he didn’t approve of who dared to use spiritual power recklessly would definitely be burned to ashes on the spot.
Pei Shiyi continued shredding his chicken breast, while Bo Jin, who was pouring cat food, turned and went out instead.
In the shop, Xu Tuzhi nervously ordered one of everything on the menu but stood at the counter instead of taking a seat, looking around as if searching for someone.
The cashier found this customer quite peculiar. He had ordered one of everything on the menu as soon as he arrived, yet instead of sitting down, he kept looking around. If not for his fair and delicate appearance that didn’t seem confrontational, the cashier might have suspected he was here to pick a fight.
The cashier asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Xu Tuzhi quickly replied, “N-No, nothing.”
He stumbled away from the counter, his legs trembling as he sat down at the low table.
Surprisingly, the café was quite crowded. Almost everyone had ordered a drink.
After glancing around, Xu Tuzhi withdrew his gaze, only to be startled by an approaching large orange cat.
Dan Huang, upon seeing a new face, prepared to greet him as usual. But after a few steps, he sensed something off and hesitantly looked up at the newcomer—
There seemed to be a faint aura of spiritual energy around this person.
Even Yun Chao slowly approached, her heterochromatic eyes fixed intently on Xu Tuzhi.
Dan Huang grew even more nervous. Yun Chao’s cultivation was far superior to his. If even she was taking this spirit seriously… it must be powerful! He nearly turned around to fetch the owner.
Xu Tuzhi couldn’t hold back a sob, his eyes reddening as if on the verge of tears.
Dan Huang: “??” Oh no! How did he manage to make the guest cry? He quickly jumped onto the low table and rubbed against Xu Tuzhi.
Xu Tuzhi stiffened completely, letting out a tearful hiccup from fright.
Yun Chao: “…”
She glanced at this crybaby and thought that rather than worrying about him causing trouble, she should worry about him flooding the cat café with tears. Yun Chao flicked her tail, feeling somewhat bored, and slowly walked toward a small group of girls.
Bo Jin happened to emerge at that moment.
Seeing him, Xu Tuzhi nearly leaped out of his seat.
Dan Huang, startled by the sudden movement, jumped in sync and cast a suspicious glance at Xu Tuzhi: This guy must be part rabbit.
Bo Jin smoothed Dan Huang’s fur, signaling that he would handle the situation.
Dan Huang tilted his head to rub against Bo Jin’s hand, then proudly lifted his tail and went to attend to other guests.
Bo Jin sat opposite Xu Tuzhi and, with one glance, identified his true form: “Tu’er Beast.”
Tu’er beast—a creature with the form of a rabbit, a human face, and the ability to speak human language. Those who take human form often appear as exceptionally beautiful men or women but are inherently cunning and skilled at weaving lies.
Although Bo Jin kept his aura perfectly restrained, the mere thought of his true form made Xu Tuzhi burst into tears: “I-I’m Xu Tuzhi, I-I’m h-here to… to…”
Moreover, Bo Jin often wore a world-weary expression, looking listless and generally displeased, exactly the type of person Xu Tuzhi feared the most. He was terrified that one wrong word would lead to being skinned and turned into a plate of cold rabbit salad.
“How did you scare him like this?”
Xu Tuzhi lifted his tear-filled eyes to see an exceptionally kind-faced young man smiling at him: “If you have something to discuss, please come upstairs with us.”
Xu Tuzhi felt as if he had encountered a living savior and nodded eagerly.
Pei Shiyi led him upstairs. The layout of the second floor remained unchanged: the master bedroom served as a fluffy resting area, the side bedroom was Pei Shiyi’s room, and the former living room had been arranged as a playroom.
Xu Tuzhi cautiously sat down and stammered, “I-I’m Xu Tuzhi, a Tu’er beast. I came here today because… because…”
Pei Shiyi found it laborious to listen, thinking to himself: Although Tu’er beasts aren’t known for their combat prowess, as a prominent clan among mystical creatures, how did they raise such a timid descendant?
Too afraid to mention Bo Jin, Xu Tuzhi timidly shifted his eyes and glanced in his direction.
Pei Shiyi turned around: “Him?”
Xu Tuzhi hastily said, “N-no, not to find the director. We’re here to see you… We heard you and the director have a very good relationship, so… so…”
He lowered his head in shame.
Pei Shiyi and Bo Jin exchanged glances, unable to comprehend how the phrase “very good relationship” had come about.
Xu Tuzhi pulled out a tissue and wiped his tears fiercely: “So we guessed you aren’t human either. We want to do business with you…”
Pei Shiyi was slightly taken aback: “You’re selling kittens?”
Xu Tuzhi quickly shook his head: “We wouldn’t dare traffic supernatural beings! We’re farmers!”
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Xu Tuzhi suddenly mustered his courage and blurted out a long string: “We sell premium milk, high-quality tea leaves, top-grade chicken, shrimp, fish, pork, and fruits with excellent texture and appearance. The taste is superior to what humans cultivate, more spiritual and delicious.”
As if he had suddenly grown several extra doses of bravery, his voice grew louder: “Director, we’re all licensed! I’ve brought samples and certificates. Would you like to inspect them?”
Bo Jin: “…”
Pei Shiyi felt a stir in his heart: The cat cafe’s food and beverage aspect did indeed need these things. As for the meat… meat containing spiritual energy would be the best food for the cats.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152