The little one was acting cute and made a rare request.
Option one: Agree.
Option two: Refuse and gently tell the little one that he and Boss Pei might end up fighting.
Reason told him he should choose the latter. After all, he and Pei Shiyi really did clash easily.
But could he really refuse the little one?
Bo Jin’s thin lips twitched slightly, unsure of what to say, so he turned his gaze toward Pei Shiyi.
Pei Shiyi hadn’t expected Song Gao to say something like this and was also taken aback. He looked up and met Bo Jin’s eyes.
Both adults fell silent at the same time. Song Gao suddenly realized that his request was too much, perhaps putting the two people he respected most in an awkward position.
Bi’an was straightforward by nature, always saying whatever came to mind. Song Gao, however, had an unusually sensitive disposition. After realizing his own impropriety, he tried his best to break the awkwardness with the only method he could think of: “I just miss the director a little, and I also want to have the cat café’s late-night snack, so…”
Pei Shiyi’s heart softened immediately. He could never stay hard-hearted for long. Such a young child shouldn’t have to be so careful about reading others’ expressions.
Besides, both he and Bo Jin were men, so there was no question of taking advantage of anyone.
“Alright,” Pei Shiyi agreed. “But there’s only one bedroom on the third floor. Do you have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds?”
The third floor was technically an attic, but it was essentially a one-bedroom apartment. Pei Shiyi had divided the room into two spaces with a screen. The fluffy ones slept on one side, and he slept on the other. Although some of the fluffballs often ended up sleepwalking into his bed.
Bo Jin shook his head. He could even sleep leaning against the uncomfortable chairs at the Supernatural Management Bureau, so he certainly had no trouble with unfamiliar beds.
Pei Shiyi cleared his throat with a fist pressed to his lips. “Alright then, let’s go upstairs. Song Gao’s snacks are still up there.”
Bo Jin picked up Song Gao and followed him upstairs.
Song Gao seemed to be in an especially good mood. Even without being groomed or petted, he lay in Bo Jin’s arms, unconsciously kneading Bo Jin’s sleeve with his black paw pads, his eyes narrowed as he let out soft purrs.
Bo Jin lowered his gaze slightly. The gentle pressure of Song Gao’s black paw pads against his skin, kneading rhythmically, made his heart ache with tenderness. He wished he could give Song Gao everything just to make him a little happier, even happier.
Bo Jin had never been to the third floor before. Although it was part of the cat café, for anyone other than Pei Shiyi and the cats, it was a mysterious place.
The style of the third floor was completely different from the café area downstairs. The carpet was laid so perfectly that not a single wooden board was visible. Bo Jin objectively assessed the space and felt that even his tail wouldn’t fit comfortably in the living room. Yet the living room still had scratching posts and a cat tree.
A folding screen divided the bedroom into two spaces. Pei Shiyi’s bed was near the door, and beyond the screen was where the furry children rested.
When the two adults and the cat went upstairs, the other cats had already finished their snacks. Yun Chao, as usual, didn’t eat these treats. She had already brushed her teeth and cleaned her paws and was now kneading the blanket on Pei Shiyi’s bed. Miss Penny was also on the bed. The two long-haired cats spread their luxurious, soft fur across the black silk brocade quilt.
The other furry children were still eating their snacks behind the screen. A row of high, perked-up tails was silhouetted against the screen. Bo Jin carried Song Gao around the screen and found a bowl painted with Song Gao’s little face, placing him in front of it.
Fondant was just stealing a chicken leg from Yun Chao’s bowl when she noticed Song Gao beside her. She immediately placed the chicken leg into Song Gao’s bowl and, imitating Yun Chao, licked Song Gao gently. “Meow—” Eat up.
Song Gao nuzzled against Fondant.
Nine bowls specially for the big cats were lined up, with two spots left empty in the middle. In front of the other bowls, cats were buried in their meals—beef jerky from the farm paired with a bit of chicken leg meat. It must have been delicious, because as the fur babies ate with gusto, the tips of their tails swayed happily, each unique tail twisting into different shapes.
Yin Zhou, despite being the shortest among all the cats except the tortoiseshell sisters, had the longest tail. He had never eaten this kind of cooked beef jerky before, so he tilted his head and ate with intense focus.
Bo Jin watched from the side for a while. Since the black-spotted white leopard had snapped at him earlier, he reached out and stroked the tail of Dan Huang, who was closest to him.
Dan Huang paid no mind to the bureau director’s pestering. With a stoic expression, Bo Jin took advantage and continued petting.
Pei Shiyi walked around the screen, leaned down, and slapped Bo Jin’s hand away. “Don’t bother him while he’s eating.”
Having been swatted once before, Bo Jin wasn’t surprised the second time. He calmly withdrew his hand.
Pei Shiyi never hesitated to boss the bureau director around. “Don’t just stand there. Go run hot water in the bathroom. They haven’t washed up yet.”
Even cat demons don’t need to bathe every day, but brushing their teeth is still necessary. For cats like Fondant and Tong Qian, who particularly enjoy playing with cat toys, wiping their paws is a must. Self-sufficient cats like Yun Chao and Dan Huang take care of themselves. Yun Chao, especially, is a bit of a neat freak. She’s the most proactive and diligent when it comes to grooming. If she accidentally gets touched by a male cat during the day, she’ll insist on bathing at night. If Pei Shiyi tries to coax her out of it, she’ll just sit silently in the bathtub, looking up at him until Boss Pei surrenders.
Bo Jin had never stayed overnight at someone else’s home before and felt a bit awkward. Hearing Pei Shiyi’s instructions, he hesitated for a moment but still went to the bathroom to run the hot water.
At the entrance of the bathroom stood a basin rack, stacked with over a dozen small basins of different colors, each with a small towel draped over the edge, just big enough to wrap a cat’s paw. On the shelf above the sink, colorful toothbrush cups were neatly arranged, all facing the same direction. It was a cozy yet subtly meticulous touch that reflected Pei Shiyi’s bird-like, understated fussiness.
Bo Jin wandered around the bathroom, completely unsure of what to do. Song Gao always had his fur and paws wiped at the cat café, so when Bo Jin returned home, he only needed to help Song Gao brush his teeth.
When Pei Shiyi entered, he found Bureau Director Bo staring intently at the basin rack, as if pondering some matter of national importance.
Pei Shiyi couldn’t believe it. Bo Jin had been in the bathroom for two or three minutes and hadn’t even started running the hot water. Pointing at the stack of colorful basins used to coax the fur babies, he said, “Are you staring at this thing to praise my childlike heart or to reminisce about your childhood? Should I sing you a nursery rhyme?”
Bo Jin decided to change the subject. “…Do I need to fill all the basins with hot water?”
Pei Shiyi shook his head. “No, just three basins.”
The bathroom was small. With two similarly tall men crammed inside, it felt even more cramped. With the slightest movement, Pei Shiyi inevitably brushed against Bo Jin.
Fortunately, only Fondant, Tong Qian, and the little tortoiseshells needed their paws wiped today, so only three basins were filled with water.
Bo Jin asked, “Do the twins share one basin?”
Pei Shiyi tested the temperature with his hand and found it just right. “Yeah, they’re pretty clingy. Alright, stop dawdling. Once the water’s ready, come over.”
Bo Jin picked up a basin and followed him into the bedroom.
Penny looked up as the two entered, turning her head to call out gently toward the screen. Two tortoiseshell cats led the way, meowing as they trotted to the bedside, rubbing against Penny’s long, fluffy tail that hung down. Urged on by Penny’s gentle encouragement, they hopped over and crouched in front of their little bowls.
Time to wipe their paws!
Fondant and Tong Qian also emerged from behind the screen. At the first glimpse of Bo Jin, Tong Qian’s neck fur bristled. He slammed on the brakes, turned, and clung to Pei Shiyi’s leg.
Pei Shiyi was both amused and exasperated. Faced with Tong Qian’s pleading gaze, he cleared his throat lightly. “Go help them brush their teeth.”
Bo Jin was taken aback for a moment, then silently stood up and walked into the bathroom.
After washing Tong Qian and Fondant’s paws, Pei Shiyi belatedly realized something. Today, Bo Jin hadn’t retorted.
How strange. Did the sun set in the east? Or was it that Bo Jin felt… shy in his bedroom?
The latter thought popped into his head and began bouncing around wildly in his mind, like Tong Qian after a dose of catnip.
Pei Shiyi stared at the doorway in astonishment for a while, then, holding Dai Dai’s paw, he chuckled softly. “Do you think he’s shy?”
Dai Dai: “Meow?”
Pei Shiyi declared decisively: “Yes! He’s definitely shy!”
Dai Dai stretched out all four paws, revealing a snow-white belly: “Meow!”
By the time the two little ones had their paws washed, the other older cats were already lining up to brush their teeth. Yin Zhou had already brushed his own teeth and had long since pounced onto the big bed. Too shy to snuggle with Yun Chao and Penny, he lay alone at the foot of the bed, his pale golden eyes fixed intently on the two long-haired cats, his tail hanging over the edge of the bed, still gently swishing.
Just then, Mao Mao, having washed his paws but not yet dried them, stared at the fluffy tail by the bed, meowing anxiously. Seizing the moment when Pei Shiyi went to scoop up her sister, Mao Mao boldly stepped on Pei Shiyi’s shoulder and leaped onto the bed, leaving a trail of wet paw prints.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
He glanced sideways at his shoulder and sighed wistfully. Back in the day, he was dashing and stylish, not a single hair out of place. Now, he could even accept saliva marks and paw-washing water.
It seemed even divine beings couldn’t withstand the erosion of time, grinding down this dream lover of many young girls into a weary, seasoned cat dad.
Shaking his head with emotion, he stood up to fetch water.
Meanwhile, Bo Jin was holding a cup, brushing each of the furry children’s teeth one by one.
Actually, he didn’t need to do much. Apart from the tortoiseshell kittens, who were still too young and needed supervision, the other cats could brush their own teeth.
Ever since realizing Bo Jin might be shy, Pei Shiyi had been in an unusually cheerful mood. He even took the initiative to pull out an unworn set of pajamas and tossed them to Bo Jin, generously saying, “Go take a shower.”
Bo Jin, as expected, didn’t say a word and turned to enter the bathroom.
Pei Shiyi then went downstairs to the bathroom on the second floor to take a shower. When he returned wearing black pajamas, Bo Jin had just finished his shower and stepped out of the bathroom.
Although Pei Shiyi’s appearance was anything but restrained, his taste wasn’t flashy. His pajamas were all of the same style, in low-saturation dark colors, mostly black. With his fair complexion, he looked like white porcelain against snow in the black pajamas. His gaze was unusually lazy, unlike during the day when he appeared gentle but still held a sharp edge in his eyes.
Pei Shiyi and Bo Jin were of similar stature, with Bo Jin just slightly taller. The pajamas, originally a loose and casual style, actually fit Bo Jin quite well. Zhulong was naturally lazy. The top two buttons of the pajamas were left undone, revealing a patch of skin from the hollow of his neck downward. Hearing Pei Shiyi’s footsteps coming upstairs, he lifted his eyes and glanced over. At that moment, he resembled a well-fed dragon coiled up, appearing surprisingly gentle.
When Pei Shiyi tossed the clothes to Bo Jin, he hadn’t given it much thought. After all, they were two grown men, and he couldn’t imagine anything ambiguous about it. But now, suddenly seeing Bo Jin standing at the door in his pajamas, he felt a subtle, peculiar sensation.
Even though he had never worn these pajamas himself, it still felt oddly strange.
Pei Shiyi cleared his throat and quickly walked into the bedroom, saying, “There’s only one bed in the bedroom. You’ll have to make do with me for the night.”
Song Gao sat on the bed, his bright eyes fixed on the two adults.
Bo Jin: “…”
Indeed, children were debts from a past life.
He let out a very soft sigh, closed the bedroom door behind him, and sat on the edge of the bed.
Pei Shiyi turned his head slightly, and the two locked eyes for a moment, feeling an almost suffocating awkwardness. Before Pei Shiyi could figure out how to break the silence, the little rascals who had just brushed their teeth came running from behind the screen, clutching their favorite toys. They threw themselves onto the bed like dumplings dropped into boiling water. Soon, no one could tell who was squishing whom, as meows erupted into a chaotic chorus.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Bo Jin: “…”
Well, no need to feel awkward anymore.
Moonlit: Aaaahhh!!! I also want cat cuddles~
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152