The pink little dress with puffed sleeves and lace trim made female fans watching behind their screens feel their girlish hearts bursting.
Manager Dan Huang’s barely-contained pudgy belly stretched the dress into an extremely round and full curve, making people worry whether it would burst through the comfortable fabric in the next second and fly toward freedom. Probably unaccustomed to the constraint of clothing, Dan Huang started walking with a clumsy, awkward gait after just a few steps.
As the manager, although Dan Huang had never had his own solo video before, being the most “substantial” cat in the entire cat café, he left a deep impression on everyone.
Bullet comments:
“Orange Majesty! He’s walking funny. Hahahahaha.”
“Hahahaha. I’m dying! Is this outfit for real?”
“Shocking! Poor management at a certain internet celebrity cat café forces the manager to perform in women’s clothing.”
Just as the fans were thoroughly amused, two identical kittens suddenly rushed into the frame from off-camera and buried themselves in the big orange cat’s embrace, moving so fast it was hard to see clearly.
“What just went past?”
“What was that? Cat Creed?”
The two furry balls burrowed under Dan Huang’s belly and didn’t resurface. Instead, Dan Huang, shedding his earlier stiffness, lowered his head and affectionately began grooming the little balls in his embrace.
The kittens’ cute little mews mingled with the deep purring of the adult cat.
Outside the window, the sun was half-set, and the tipsy glow of twilight filtered through, casting a warm light. Dan Huang lay down, curling up with the two little ones, their fur tips seeming to sparkle with dancing light.
Dan Huang yawned, rested his head on his front paws, and slowly closed his eyes in the sunset.
His serene posture carved out a sense of otherworldly tranquility amidst the noisy city.
Subtitles slowly appeared on screen: “Sleepy? Stay and nap with me.”
Viewers felt a strong urge to bury their faces in that fluff and nap along with them!
Bullet comments:
“…I’m actually moved?”
“My heart feels so calm. I want to take a nap with them.”
“This is the kind of atmosphere a cat café should have!”
“666! Xian Chan really knows how to put on a show. Ridiculously funny yet genuinely healing.”
In just a few minutes, the video took fans on an emotional rollercoaster. They clicked on it expecting a hilarious clip of the owner in women’s clothing, only to find Manager Dan Huang as the star. The first half maintained the cat café’s signature absurd humor, while the second half took a sudden turn toward warmth, yet it felt perfectly natural.
Top comment:
“This is definitely a heavenly cat café. Even through the screen, you can feel how spirited these cats are. Xian Chan Cat Café’s videos are just like cats—both silly and heartwarming. I’m tired of all those influencers’ motivational or toxic posts. This video is truly healing.
Hmm, I’ve decided. I’m visiting Yuchuan in a few years just to check out this cat café!”
Under the top comment, people even started organizing group trips to meet up offline.
As for those viewers who were purely drawn in by the “women’s clothing” tag, they burst out laughing the moment they saw the big orange cat in a pink dress. In the end, they unanimously decided to like, share, and favorite the video, pushing it to the front page to “get back at society”.
“Charge! Let everyone see this!”
“Push it to the top!”
“Don’t stop the triple support!”
The eye-catching title featuring “women’s clothing” helped the video climb to the front page recommendations. Casual viewers who stumbled upon it couldn’t resist their curiosity, causing the view count to skyrocket.
Zhou Yan got a real taste of the joy of clickbait.
…
Dan Huang quietly opened his eyes. He picked up the phone stealthily with his mouth and slipped out of the bedroom. He opened Bishui, navigated to his follow list, clicked into the cat café’s channel, and found the newly uploaded video right at the top of the submissions.
It was already late at night after the cat café had closed. The night owls had all fallen asleep. Dan Huang stealthily turned off the media volume and clicked on the video, which by now had surpassed four hundred thousand views.
As soon as the video started, a soft shade of pink filled Dan Huang’s vision, followed by the familiar, hefty figure. Though the dress was custom-made and not tight enough to squeeze out rolls of fat, it still perfectly outlined his plump, rounded shape.
When other cats wore slightly tighter outfits, they instantly looked half their size, especially long-haired cats like Yun Chao and Fondant, who appeared large but were mostly fluff. But Dan Huang was different. Wrapped in the little dress, he didn’t look any slimmer at all. He was solidly chubby!
Dan Huang stomped his paws in distress. Just then, the big orange cat on the screen turned his face toward the camera—round almond eyes, a round face, and a body that was plump from head to toe, except for his ears.
Dan Huang sprang up in shock. Ahhhh! He really did look weird in a pink dress! The customers must all be laughing at him! This is so embarrassing! How can he ever show his face again?
Dan Huang quickly closed the video and returned to the cat café’s submission homepage, where he happened to see the thumbnails of previous posts. The leopard cat’s agile and powerful physique is admired by both cats and humans alike. As for Yun Chao, does it need to be discussed? Wherever she sat, it was like a painting.
Only his thumbnail was a soft pink dress. And the title was “Tough Guy”. Would people think he was a pervert when they saw him?
Dan Huang pushed his phone aside and stared gloomily downstairs.
The cat café was doing better and better. More new cats would come in the future—more delicate, more adorable, more affectionate ones… He, the chubby manager, would slowly be forgotten.
Among pedigree cats, there were plenty of stunningly beautiful kittens. And among mythical beasts and yokai, there was no shortage of talented individuals. Not just among cats. Even in the entertainment industry, didn’t newcomers always outshine the old?
Dan Huang licked his front paw, growing sadder the more he thought about it. Suddenly, he caught the savory aroma of cat food, and his stomach immediately rumbled.
Dan Huang’s ears drooped, and he hung his head dejectedly: Eat, eat, eat. Still thinking about food at a time like this. No one would put up with this.
He buried his face in his paws, trying to block out the delicious scent of meat. But instead of fading, the aroma grew stronger.
Dan Huang pricked up his ears and quietly turned toward the source of the smell, only to meet the eyes of his boss.
Dan Huang: !!!
Why was the boss out here? Was he being too loud?
Pei Shiyi, noticing he’d been spotted, picked up the plate in his hand and walked over, sitting down beside Dan Huang, who nearly jumped in fright.
“What’s wrong? Am I that scary?”
Unlike Bo Jin, Pei Shiyi, with his level of cultivation, no longer needed sleep. He had noticed when Dan Huang quietly left the bedroom.
In truth, ever since filming the cross-dressing video yesterday, Dan Huang had been in low spirits, a far cry from his usual diligent work ethic. He hadn’t even scolded Tong Qian for sneaking beef jerky.
Though Pei Shiyi didn’t say anything, he had been keeping an eye on Dan Huang, making sure the little furball didn’t get stuck in a spiral of overthinking.
Sitting beside Dan Huang, Pei Shiyi said softly, “I got hungry at night and came out for a snack.”
He tore open a piece of beef jerky and handed half to Dan Huang.
The closer the meat got, the more fragrant it smelled. This beef was sent from Xu Tuzhi’s farm, made from top-quality ingredients, and personally cooked by Chef Bo Jin. It was so delicious that Tong Qian tried every day to sneak a bite.
Such fragrant meat. Even Dan Huang was tempted! But he gained weight more easily than Tong Qian.
Dan Huang tearfully refused the jerky.
Pei Shiyi chuckled inwardly. The bird tribe was naturally beauty-loving and neat, much like cats. Besides, having grown from youth to this age himself, he understood well what his furry little ones worried about.
There was the stunningly beautiful Yun Chao and Fondant, the cheerful and “talented” Tong Qian, the naturally noble Song Gao as one of the nine sons of the dragon, and the twin kittens Dai Dai and Mao Mao, who drew constant attention from customers…
It seemed like Dan Huang was the most ordinary in the entire cat café—good-natured, a gentle old cat, diligently working and caring for the kittens every day.
But that was only how it seemed.
Tong Qian, Fondant, and even Song Gao had all been guided step by step by Dan Huang to become familiar with the cat café and learn how to run the business. New customers were no exception. Dan Huang was usually the one to welcome them in, find them seats, and even approach to comfort them when they couldn’t find a cat to pet.
Even the aloof and proud Yun Chao had no objections to the “business tips” Dan Huang shared.
But Dan Huang, being in the thick of it, often overlooked his own endearing qualities. In the presence of his dazzling companions, he couldn’t help but feel a bit down.
Pei Shiyi wasn’t actually hungry. Since Dan Huang didn’t want to eat, he pushed the plate away.
There was only so much beef jerky, and the little ones had to ration it. He couldn’t possibly compete with a bunch of kids for their snacks.
“Zhou Yan just messaged me saying the cat café’s new video has been approved for several hours now,” Pei Shiyi said leisurely, pulling out his phone as if he hadn’t noticed Dan Huang’s suddenly perked-up ears. “I haven’t watched it yet.”
Dan Huang quickly burrowed into Pei Shiyi’s arms. “Don’t.”
Pei Shiyi casually set his phone aside, leaned against the window, and placed the plump little manager of the house on his lap. “Why not?”
Dan Huang buried his head, kneading Pei Shiyi’s wrist for a while before mumbling, “…Ugly.”
Pei Shiyi lifted Dan Huang’s head, studying him intently until Dan Huang couldn’t take it anymore and twisted away, burrowing back into his arms. Only then did Pei Shiyi laugh. “Well, it seems like everyone in the cat café, humans and spirits alike, including me, has terrible taste.”
“Dai Dai and Mao Mao adore you the most. Even though they’re not kittens anymore, they always try to squeeze in and sleep next to you.”
“Fondant secretly hid a piece of beef jerky yesterday, half for you and half for Yun Chao, keeping none for herself.”
“Last week, when Tong Qian broke the vase, wasn’t it you who quietly cleaned it up? Did you think I wouldn’t notice just because you threw the trash out?”
“And Song Gao—you’re the one who raised him. He’s way more attached to you than to Bo Jin.”
Dan Huang peeked up quietly.
Pei Shiyi leaned close to his ear and whispered very softly, “Really don’t want to see the comments?”
Dan Huang’s ears trembled.
Pei Shiyi: “Then I’ll just watch them myself.”
With that, he picked up his phone and opened the video’s comment section.
Dan Huang waited and waited, but the person holding him made no sound at all. He looked up. His boss was actually scrolling through the comments, with no intention of sharing any of it with him.
Dan Huang grew anxious, clawing at Pei Shiyi’s arm to climb up and peek at the screen.
Pei Shiyi had been watching him the whole time. The moment Dan Huang’s paws touched his arm, he noticed. He gently encircled Dan Huang between himself and the phone.
His phone screen was still paused on the top comment, not scrolled down at all. With just one glance, Dan Huang knew he had fallen for his boss’s trick.
Pei Shiyi swiped to the second most popular comment. “Look at this, sweetie.”
Second most popular comment:
Vanilla Coffee: My favorite shop manager, ahhh! He’s such a super warm-hearted guy! He really takes care of every customer. When Dai Dai and Mao Mao fight, he’s the one who breaks it up. Every time it’s mealtime, he makes sure all the cats are gathered before they start eating! Such a gentleman, so considerate. He always avoids stepping on phones, bags, or drink trays when he jumps onto the table. He’s just too good, ahhh! I’ll love him forever!
Pei Shiyi lowered his head, resting it against Dan Huang’s fluffy face, and chuckled. “Our shop manager is really amazing.”
Dan Huang slowly curled up all four paws, feeling a little shy from the praise. “Meow.”
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152