Fondant was naturally sweet-tempered and clingy, soft and gentle, with hardly any temper. None of the cats in the cat café didn’t adore her, and Yun Chao especially treasured this little furball she had brought home.
Who could bear to be rough with such a sweetheart? After four months at the cat café, Fondant had already forgotten her past life.
Fondant nuzzled her head dazedly against Pei Shiyi’s chest. Her ear still hurt a little, a familiar kind of pain. She perked up her ears and stared blankly at the boy in the rattan chair.
She remembered now. This family had once taken care of her.
Fondant pressed her head against her owner’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, and let out a soft meow: “Meow.” I don’t want to leave.
Pei Shiyi lowered his head and kissed her little face, whispering gently, “Don’t be afraid, I’m right here.”
Just hearing his voice was enough to calm her. Fondant tilted her head up and touched Pei Shiyi’s cheek, then clung to his arm without moving.
Pei Shiyi glanced around at the customers. Many were already filming with their phones. Xian Chan was a popular cat café. If this matter isn’t publicly clarified, there will undoubtedly be trouble later.
The staff from the first floor of the cat café had gathered around, looking at Pei Shiyi with tense expressions and a hint of anger in their eyes.
Pei Shiyi gestured for them to disperse, then called out to one person, “Xiao Chu, go to the kitchen and bring two glasses of lemonade. I think these two are feeling a bit warm. Oh, and have Xiao Zhou bring a small table from the storage room.”
Xiao Chu quickly nodded. Soon, Zhou Yan arrived and set up a low table. Once the table was in place, he didn’t leave but found a spot to take out his phone.
Pei Shiyi gave Zhou Yan a slight nod, then, holding the cat, gestured politely to the woman, “No need to rush. Please, have a seat.”
The woman looked flustered and awkwardly sat down on the carpet.
Pei Shiyi didn’t mind, sitting down as well and saying, “I found Fondant at the entrance of the cat café. I thought she didn’t have a home, so I decided to keep her. May I ask your name? Earlier, you mentioned this is your cat. Do you have any proof?”
The woman clenched her hands tightly. “My surname is Yu. She has a small patch of white fur on her right ear, shaped like a heart.”
Pei Shiyi remained polite. “Ms. Yu, that can’t be considered proof. All our regular customers know Fondant has that patch of white fur behind her ear. Do you have any photos of Fondant from before?”
Yu Zhen looked embarrassed. “No…” She wasn’t interested in taking pictures of cats. Her phone was filled with photos of her son playing outside.
Just then, the lemonade arrived. Pei Shiyi said calmly, “You seem quite warm. Have a sip of lemon tea to cool down. It’s on me. Your home isn’t close to the cat café, is it? It must have been quite a trip to come here.”
Yu Zhen, unsuspecting, replied, “It’s very far. I live in Guishan. As soon as I saw the cat on TV yesterday, I rushed over. I even had to ask for directions for a long time.”
“Oh,” Pei Shiyi suddenly said, “The cat café is in the city center. It takes over forty minutes by subway from Guishan to here. Ragdolls are strictly indoor cats. How did she travel such a long distance to end up at my cat café?”
Customers began murmuring among themselves, “That’s right, it’s too far!”
“Ragdolls are usually kept indoors. How did she even get outside, let alone travel so far? I’ve seen people walking dogs and Maine Coons, but I’ve rarely seen anyone walking a Ragdoll.”
“Um… I think it was abandoned, thrown away by someone. Otherwise, how could a Ragdoll run so far on its own? Taking the subway is so convenient. Just toss it outside, and it can run off by itself.”
The last sentence drew agreement from many.
Yu Zhen quickly explained, “I—I just lost it. I don’t know how it ran so far. Maybe because cats are big and have a wide range of movement.”
Pei Shiyi wasn’t one to interrupt others. While brushing Fondant’s fur, he listened to her calmly and repeated nonchalantly, “As a pedigree breed, Ragdolls are very affectionate and strictly indoor cats. I think everyone here at the cat café knows that.”
The customers nodded in agreement. Ragdolls, as one of the most popular cat breeds, are widely known to require specific care.
Before Yu Zhen could speak, Pei Shiyi asked further, “After your cat went missing, did you try to look for it? Did you put up missing cat notices? Did you ask around?”
Yu Zhen was extremely embarrassed.
No need to ask. Clearly, she hadn’t.
The customers shook their heads, clicking their tongues: How could she claim to love Fondant so much? When the owner first asked for photos, she had none. When asked if she’d posted missing cat flyers, she hadn’t done that either.
Pei Shiyi took out his phone. His lock screen wallpaper was a family photo of the cat café, filled with fluffy, high-value cats that made many customers’ hearts flutter. Oh, they wanted one, too.
Pei Shiyi opened an album and began swiping through the photos one by one, starting from the first: “This is when Fondant and Yun Chao first arrived at Xian Chan. Yun Chao had been wandering outside and took good care of herself, but my Fondant was different. She couldn’t take care of herself.”
In the first photo, Fondant was huddled close to Yun Chao, skinny and frail, her long fur unable to hide her bony frame. She had bleeding wounds and looked timidly at the camera. It was a far cry from the fluffy, pampered princess the customers saw now.
In the second photo, Fondant was pouncing on a cat teaser, her face slightly rounder. The wounds were still bald, but her sea-blue eyes were bright and clear, full of life even in a static image.
In the third photo, the fur on her wounds had fully grown back. Fondant lay on a cat tree, her dark, fluffy tail hanging down as she looked up at the ceiling light, as if ready to pounce at any moment. She was full of energy.
In the fourth photo, the little princess’s beauty was on full display. She had become a glossy, plump ball of fur. Snuggled next to the big white fluffball Yun Chao, their beauty magnified together.
…
From a trembling little creature to the little princess she was today, it was clear how meticulously the cat café owner had cared for her and how much he adored her. Customers who had always loved Fondant even felt their eyes sting, tears nearly falling:
“It’s so lucky she met the owner. That’s wonderful. Good people and cats should always be safe.”
“It’s heartbreaking to see. Our Fondant went through so much hardship, yet she’s still so sweet and affectionate.”
“This is infuriating. Leaving aside whether this woman is falsely claiming Fondant, even if it really was her cat, wasn’t Fondant abandoned? Can’t people take responsibility? If you’re going to raise something, you should be responsible!”
“I always thought Fondant’s clinginess meant she was spoiled from a young age. Damn, this hurts. Thank goodness for the owner and Yun Chao. I’m about to cry. Fondant should always be this happy.”
Pei Shiyi’s photo album contained hundreds of images, so he couldn’t possibly flip through them one by one. After showing a few, he turned off his phone and said, “There are too many photos to go through each one in detail.”
His words were laced with hidden barbs, each sentence a trap. Earlier, Ms. Yu couldn’t produce a single photo, yet he could effortlessly pull up an entire album of Fondant.
Yu Zhen grew anxious. “But this really is my cat. I wouldn’t come here to cause trouble over just a cat.”
Pei Shiyi replied, “Ms. Yu, I’ll say it again: you have no evidence to prove she’s your cat, nor can you explain how your lost cat traveled so far to the city center. But I can prove I brought her here. The surveillance footage outside the cat café hasn’t been cleared yet. Would you like to review it with me? I also have the receipts for Fondant’s medication.”
At the time, Fondant was malnourished and dehydrated, requiring several days of IV drips at the hospital.
Pei Shiyi rested his chin on his hand, his deep black eyes fixed on Yu Zhen. His tone was as smooth as a bewitching fragrance. “Ms. Yu, did your cat go missing, or was she abandoned?”
Under such a gaze, a person’s true intentions were laid bare, as if a blazing fire illuminated every hidden thought, making them feel ashamed. Yu Zhen couldn’t bring herself to look up, and the truth slipped out: “It was my husband… who abandoned her.”
The onlooking customers were outraged:
“So it’s true! I can’t stand irresponsible people!”
“If you didn’t want to keep her, you could have found her a new home! Why abandon her?”
“Hah, you couldn’t take care of her properly, and now that Fondant is beautiful, you want her back?”
Yu Zhen insisted, “But she was originally mine! I raised her for a while, too! You should return her to me now.”
“By that logic, should all stray cats taken in by kind-hearted people be returned to their original owners?” Pei Shiyi said calmly. “Let’s start with the most basic issue: will you compensate me for the money I spent on Fondant? You can ask how expensive the pet hospital on Baimei Street next door is. We can set aside the money, but can you compensate me for the care and affection I’ve given her?”
At the mention of money, Yu Zhen suddenly fell silent.
Pei Shiyi suppressed a flicker of anger. He exhaled slowly, not wanting to lose his composure in front of the cats or set a violent example for them.
He straightened his fingers, maintaining his graceful demeanor. “Are you willing to compensate?”
Yu Zhen shrank back. Humans have insurance for medical expenses, but cats don’t. How much would a trip to the hospital cost?
Pei Shiyi stood up. “In that case, let’s make a verbal agreement today, in front of everyone and all the cats in the café. I don’t need your compensation, but from now on, Fondant is the little princess of our cat café.”
Yu Zhen instinctively stood up as well, and as she did, she was startled. Behind the café owner, several cats had gathered, all staring intently at her.
A chill ran down Yu Zhen’s spine, and she quickly said, “Fine, I won’t come looking for her anymore. You… you can keep her.”
Pei Shiyi turned around. “Did everyone hear that? Can you bear witness for me?”
The customers were about to respond when they suddenly heard a chorus of synchronized meows: “Meow!” The sound seemed to come from the ground.
They looked down and were astonished to find that all the cats in the café had gathered on the first floor, lined up in two rows, crouching on the floor. The meows had come from them.
The customers: I suspect they’ve become spirits, and I already have evidence!
Having resolved the issue, Pei Shiyi said calmly, “Your ordered milk and complimentary lemon water are here. Please enjoy them at your leisure. I won’t disturb you further.”
He turned to apologize to the customers: “I’m very sorry for interrupting your relaxation time. Today, the cat café will offer each customer a complimentary glass of fruit juice. I sincerely apologize.”
The customers waved their hands, indicating they didn’t mind. The fruit juice at the cat café wasn’t cheap, and it tasted especially good. They had already enjoyed the spectacle and were in a good mood. Getting a free glass of fruit juice on top of that? How could they not be happy?
Pei Shiyi carried Fondant upstairs, deciding not to let his little princess continue working for the day.
Yu Zhen sat restlessly, urging her son to quickly finish the milk and lemon water so they could take the rest to go.
While the boy drank his milk, Yu Zhen found herself facing the cat café’s big cats. Eight pairs of large eyes stared at her, sending a chill down her spine.
Tong Qian bared his teeth at the boy. This was a cat café, so he couldn’t hiss at people, but he could still look menacing: Drink? With my face staring at you, don’t even think about swallowing a single drop!
The boy couldn’t help but shrink back.
Even Dan Huang stared coldly at Yu Zhen, no longer bothering to entertain guests. He sat there, eyes fixed on her: Bully Fondant and think you can just walk away? What kind of place do you think Xian Chan is? Business? What business!
Six large cats and two little tortoiseshells sat quietly in front of Yu Zhen. It was a full lineup of fierce felines.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152