Pei Shiyi asked curiously, “How did you dare to come here and recommend yourself like this?”
Xu Tuzhi scratched his head, “We saw the videos online and thought you seemed easy to get along with.”
Before coming, he had worried that showing up unannounced might be too presumptuous, so he pretended to be a customer instead. He planned to make contact first and even deliberately chose an auspicious day to avoid running into Bo Jin. To his surprise, not long after entering the cat cafe, he spotted Bo Jin and was immediately terrified.
In his panic, the rabbit spilled everything without holding back.
Pei Shiyi couldn’t help but laugh, genuinely puzzled as to how the Tu’er Beast clan—a race skilled in weaving lies and maneuvering among other species with their intelligence—could produce a rabbit with Xu Tuzhi’s temperament. Though they resembled rabbits in appearance, their boldness was anything but rabbit-like. Still, for Xu Tuzhi to seek him out without a thorough investigation wasn’t exactly timid either.
Xu Tuzhi pulled samples from his small bag, opening each box one by one. A faint spiritual energy drifted from the ingredients inside. In these times of scarce spiritual energy, cultivating such produce was no easy feat.
Xu Tuzhi explained, “I run a farm with Dang Kang. Our output isn’t very high, and other non-humans can’t buy from us regularly. We were hoping to find a more stable client. Besides… although these are excellent products, they’re troublesome to grow. Ordinary humans don’t understand their true value. They only care about taste and aren’t willing to pay the price…”
Bo Jin interjected, “If you can’t sell them, why not go to the Supernatural Management Bureau?”
Xu Tuzhi looked bewildered. “Why would we go to the Supernatural Management Bureau? We’re just doing business, not causing conflicts with other beings.”
Pei Shiyi couldn’t hold back a laugh. “See? That’s the image your Supernatural Management Bureau has in their eyes.”
This bird never missed a chance to pick a fight.
Bo Jin’s thin lips twitched. “…Childish.”
Pei Shiyi took it as him having no retort and felt unusually pleased.
Unable to decipher the dynamic between the two powerful figures, Xu Tuzhi continued timidly, “Our products are all agricultural, unprocessed. Wholesalers refuse to take them if the price is even slightly higher, preferring ordinary goods instead.”
He poured out his grievances, “Although they are a bit more expensive, it’s really not by much. The main issue is that the wholesalers who come to us don’t have the right connections. With higher costs, they can’t sell them either.”
It all boiled down to a lack of channels.
After some thought, Pei Shiyi said, “Let’s discuss the specifics in a bit.”
If nothing else, he could at least upgrade the fluffballs’ meals.
They finalized an order including fresh milk, seasonal fruits, and various meats.
For Xu Tuzhi’s small farm, this order was substantial. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he left all the samples he had brought, stammering, “J-just for you to taste.”
He was then made to leave.
Pei Shiyi found it both amusing and exasperating. “Don’t run off. You’ve already paid for all that food. You should at least finish it.”
Xu Tuzhi scratched his head and found an empty seat. A server quickly brought over desserts and drinks, covering the table.
Pei Shiyi checked the time. They had been talking for hours. Dusk was settling in. It was time to prepare snacks for the fluffballs.
Just then, Fondant pounced on a cat teaser and bumped into Pei Shiyi’s leg. He immediately rolled over, belly up, performing an on-the-spot “accident” act: “Meow.”
Fondant opened her mouth, revealing a hint of pink tongue tip. She looked up at Pei Shiyi and let out a coquettish meow: “You made me drop my toy when I bumped into you!”
A customer who witnessed the staged “accident” couldn’t help laughing: “So she really is a Ragdoll dog after all, hahaha.”
That tongue-sticking gesture really did resemble a dog’s, and the way she retrieved balls and pounced on cat teasers was utterly adorable.
Her sweetness made Pei Shiyi hesitate to leave. He bent down to pick up the cat teaser for her, then waved it playfully before Fondant.
Two colorful ribbons attached to the teaser curled into waves as they swayed. Feline instinct made Fondant fix her gaze intently on the ribbons while crouching low—a posture every cat owner recognizes as the prelude to a projectile launch.
But another figure moved faster than Fondant. Tong Qian leaped from the cat tree and clamped onto the teaser with his mouth, hanging fully extended beneath it like a long strip.
Fondant: “??”
Pei Shiyi: “…”
He truly couldn’t comprehend Tong Qian’s thought process. Was this how one courted a lady?
After coldly observing from nearby for a moment, Yun Chao jumped onto a shelf, knocked down a fish toy, and presented it to Fondant.
Delighted, Fondant pinned down the fish, licked Yun Chao’s ear, then snuggled closely against her as they walked away together.
Tong Qian released his grip and dropped down, staring blankly at their retreating figures.
Pei Shiyi almost felt bad about crushing his spirits. But clearly, to Fondant, Yun Chao was her savior while Tong Qian was just a silly cat who fell from the sky.
To prevent workplace romance drama from traumatizing both cats and humans, Pei Shiyi could only offer solemn advice: “Silly boy, fairy princesses only play with other fairy princesses.”
Dejected, Tong Qian turned his back and sulked.
Bo Jin knelt and stroked his fur: “Silly cats can be quite cute, too.”
Tong Qian: “…” Screaming internally: I’m still a youthful and handsome young man! How dare you call me a silly cat?!
Meeting Bo Jin’s gaze, Tong Qian: “Meow.”
…
As a part-time employee, Xiao Zhou only worked four-hour shifts. Having worked the morning shift the previous day, he was on evening duty today and had just arrived at the cat café. Rushing in to relieve the daytime part-timer, he was greeted by the other’s cheerful remark: “You seem especially happy today!”
Xiao Zhou grinned: “Yeah! I watched a hilarious video right before coming.”
The truth was, he had edited Tong Qian’s scratching board footage into a video the previous night, when inspiration struck. After reviewing it twice himself, he nearly laughed himself silly.
After exchanging pleasantries with his coworker, Xiao Zhou entered the cat cafe: “Take care on your way home. I’m heading in now.”
The moment he stepped inside, Xiao Zhou sought out Tong Qian and bowed obsequiously: “Good evening, President Tong.”
Having suffered the greatest setback of his cat life that afternoon, President Tong looked up with exceptional aloofness.
Xiao Zhou immediately became more sycophantic: “President Tong, I’ve added background music and edited your improvisational performance from yesterday. The final product is ready. Would you care to review it?”
Tong Qian tapped his paw: Present it.
Zhou Yan unlocked his phone and positioned it before Tong Qian.
After a brief black screen, the video began playing. A large ginger cat with its back to the camera stretched into an elongated pose. Unlike the chubby orange cats most netizens imagined, this leopard cat possessed a well-proportioned, muscular build. Its black spots accentuated the predator’s physique, making it appear even more formidable.
The leopard cat on the screen scratched the scratching board with a scratch-scratch sound, followed by the muffled beat of a drum. The agile body of the leopard cat twisted rhythmically with each scratch, perfectly synchronized with the background music. Through clever editing, every twist of the leopard cat landed precisely on the drumbeat.
As a female voice joined the background music, singing in a low, melancholic tone, the leopard cat continued to wiggle joyfully. With the progression of the music, the leopard cat’s long tail rose high, and the scratching sounds blended seamlessly with the melody, creating no sense of discord. Strangely, the scratching sound felt incredibly satisfying and stress-relieving.
Although Zhou Yan had already watched the video twice, he couldn’t help but laugh again.
Tong Qian didn’t quite understand human humor but felt the video showcased his charming physique from multiple angles. Satisfied, he patted Zhou Yan’s arm as a gesture of approval for the video’s quality.
With Tong Qian’s blessing, Zhou Yan eagerly scurried off to find Pei Shiyi.
“Boss, I’ve finished editing the video, and Tong Qian has given his approval. Would you like to see it?”
Pei Shiyi hadn’t expected Zhou Yan to actually produce a video of Tong Qian scratching the board. “Sure, let’s take a look,” he said.
Zhou Yan excitedly played the video. The peculiar music immediately caught Pei Shiyi’s attention. Raising an eyebrow, he focused intently.
Initially, Zhou Yan worried that Pei Shiyi might not be accustomed to this type of music and explained, “This song is called ‘Bad Guy’. It has a unique style. Some people love it, while others don’t. But it’s really popular. Many people click on it just because of the title.”
He had misjudged Pei Shiyi, who was generally open to most novel things.
Although the melody of the song was entirely different from the music Pei Shiyi was used to, it was undeniably interesting. It evoked a lazy, unmotivated feeling, yet it was strangely captivating. It felt…
Pei Shiyi suddenly turned around. Bo Jin was right beside him, likely deprived of cats to pet and had reverted to his half-dead expression, eyes drooping as if he could fall asleep at any moment.
Pei Shiyi tapped the table with his knuckles and whispered to Zhou Yan, “Look at him.”
Zhou Yan, confused, followed Pei Shiyi’s gaze to the boss’s friend and looked puzzled. What’s up, boss?
Pei Shiyi said, “Don’t you think this song suits him quite well?”
Zhou Yan thought it over carefully. The song “Bad Guy” did have a melancholic vibe, and the boss’s friend also seemed melancholic… But why did he feel like the boss’s comment sounded a bit… gay?
After watching the video, even Pei Shiyi, who rarely laughed, curved his lips into a smile and nodded. “It’s quite amusing. I didn’t expect Tong Qian to have such musical talent. You edited it well, and the background music fits perfectly.”
Zhou Yan, praised by his boss, blushed—a fair-skinned young man turning red in an instant. “Actually, I work in self-media, though I’ve never really made it big, just enough to get by. If you don’t mind, Boss, I can register an account for our cat cafe on the platform and upload the video as a form of promotion.”
If it weren’t for his self-media work, he wouldn’t have such a keen eye for editing and trending topics. He enjoyed making videos, and this job brought him joy and a sense of accomplishment.
Pei Shiyi had already glimpsed the power of online promotion when the cat cafe opened. Having an additional promotional channel was clearly a good thing. He patted Xiao Zhou’s shoulder and said, “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. And since you’re putting in the effort, you’ll get a bonus this week.”
Zhou Yan cheered, “Thank you, boss!”
After he left, Bo Jin said calmly, “He’s a part-timer. Do you really trust him? Once the account is registered, it belongs to him. Aren’t you afraid he might cause trouble after leaving?”
Pei Shiyi took a sip of tea and replied leisurely, “No matter how good his videos are, the cats are still mine. Besides… I think he’s a good kid.”
As supernatural beings, they could perceive what others couldn’t. Their judgment of people was sharper and more accurate. Moreover, Pei Shiyi was a phoenix. While his lineage was illustrious, it also made him more complex than ordinary demons. Having encountered countless spirits and monsters, he couldn’t be easily deceived by mere humans who hadn’t even attained spiritual awareness.
Still, Pei Shiyi accepted Bo Jin’s subtle reminder and poured him a cup of milk tea.
Bo Jin, however, disagreed: “Human hearts are fickle.” No matter how keen supernatural beings were, countless mountain spirits and demons had fallen into the hands of humans, all tripped up by the word “change”.
In a good mood, Pei Shiyi took it as an unconventional form of concern. Finding Bo Jin unusually agreeable for once, he pushed the milk tea toward him and chuckled, “Don’t give up eating for fear of choking.”
…
That evening, Zhou Yan registered an account for the cat cafe on Bishui Station. After passing the mind-numbing questionnaire, he eagerly submitted the first post with the freshly created account.
Thus, a few minutes later, Xian Chan Cat Cafe’s first official video quietly entered the vast network data stream, completely unnoticed.
Now it was up to the website’s review process. The video would be visible by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Then, using his well-established personal account of several years to share it, they could gain a small amount of exposure.
As for what to do after gaining that exposure… He believed the video’s bizarre charm would leave a deep impression on the viewers.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152