Meanwhile, the cats from the cat café happily scampered toward Miss Penny. Several puppies and kittens began frolicking around her, treating her like a plush forest and playing hide-and-seek within her fur.
One puppy ran too eagerly, its head bumping into Song Gao with a sudden stop, sending both fluffy bundles tumbling into Miss Penny’s fur. Miss Penny sighed helplessly, having to lower her head to separate the rowdy little ones.
Pei Shiyi and the puppy in his hands stared at each other. The little creature showed no fear, pressing its head against the back of his hand.
Bo Jin watched for a moment before reaching out to block the puppy’s head, his palm covering the back of Pei Shiyi’s hand. It was unclear whether he wanted to pet the dog or take liberties with his boyfriend.
Pei Shiyi murmured, “Getting two advantages with one hand, impressive, Director Bo. You’d never lose money in business.”
With that, he sought Xiao Zhang’s permission and gently placed the puppy beside Miss Penny, saying softly, “Please take care of them, Miss Penny.”
Miss Penny lay down, gently rubbing against the back of Pei Shiyi’s hand before licking the puppy that had rolled in front of her. After all, she was already looking after the kittens. What harm could two more do?
The director was still waiting for them to discuss the plot. Before leaving, Pei Shiyi shot Bo Jin a warning glance: “Don’t go causing trouble.”
Bo Jin lowered his head and asked Tong Qian, “He’s so fierce, isn’t he?”
Tong Qian teared up: This scene feels all too familiar. I dare not answer such a life-or-death question!
The director explained the plot to Pei Shiyi and the others, while the props team quickly set up a small scene for the upcoming shoot. Aside from the fixed fixtures, everything was made of plastic panels, easily dismantled and reusable after filming.
After outlining the plot, the director asked Pei Shiyi if he had any questions.
Pei Shiyi replied, “It shouldn’t be too difficult.”
He turned and clapped his hands. “Come here, babies.”
The director watched in amazement as the previously playful kittens immediately ran over. “How are your cats so obedient?” he marveled. They were like dogs, coming when called.
Pei Shiyi smiled. “They always do this at feeding time.”
The director suddenly understood. “Ah, that explains it!”
…
Contrary to the director’s expectations, the commercial shoot went remarkably smoothly, except for a minor issue during the dog scenes. The plot required a large dog to play the role of a “ferocious hound” chasing the kittens. But this unprofessional actor, though trailing behind the cats, wore the goofy, endearing smile of a country dog.
This “silly dog” was General, a majestic short-haired yellow dog weighing over thirty pounds. He had a slight limp and was the epitome of a gentle soul.
The director shook his head. “No, no, this is too kind! He looks more like he wants to cuddle the cats than bite them!”
Pei Shiyi thought to himself: He does want to cuddle the cats. Look at that silly grin.
While the puppies were wary of the similarly sized kittens, the larger dogs were adorably foolish, always trying to approach the cats to play, utterly incapable of malice.
The director fretted. “This dog is just too good-natured. I thought about filming him separately and editing him into the scene with the kittens later, but he really doesn’t seem to know how to act fierce.”
Xiao Zhang chimed in, “General is usually very gentle and never bites anyone. He’s our hospital’s welcoming dog. Maybe we should switch to another dog. Our Arrow is usually fiercer.”
He called out loudly, “Arrow! Arrow!”
A large black dog approached. Though slightly smaller than General, this dog was exceptionally robust, with two yellow bean-shaped markings above its eyes. Its gaze was steady. Its expression appeared fiercer than General’s.
Sure enough, Arrow performed excellently. Xiao Zhang stood at the other end holding an open can of food. Arrow dashed toward him on all fours. Perhaps a bit hungry, its eyes held a fierce, determined look.
The director inwardly cheered. Arrow truly lived up to its name. When it ran, it carried the momentum of a pounce and bite.
Watching the scene, the director thought: This dog is really fierce. If it were truly wandering the streets, it would be dangerous for both people and other dogs.
Just as the director was about to call cut, Arrow suddenly veered off course. Not only did its pace slow, but even its gaze lost its earlier intensity.
Xiao Zhang, holding the can, called out, “Arrow! Arrow! Come here!”
Arrow glanced at him. Xiao Zhang persisted, raising his hand, “Come on, Arrow! I have food here!”
Arrow withdrew its gaze. It took two slow steps and stopped in front of Miss Penny.
Miss Penny, who had been basking in the sun with her eyes closed, opened them and looked curiously at the large black dog before her.
Arrow let out two soft barks. It lay down in front of Miss Penny, rolled onto its back, and wagged its tail enthusiastically. It stretched its head to lick Miss Penny’s furry face, but was swiftly swatted away by the quick-reacting Yun Chao.
Arrow tucked its tail and whimpered, lying beside Miss Penny and refusing to move.
The director chuckled awkwardly, “…Seems it’s not that fierce after all. Haha.”
…
Filming wrapped up in the afternoon. Xiao Zhang and Pei Shiyi exchanged contact information. Xiao Zhang said cheerfully, “I’ll take the dogs back now.”
Pei Shiyi smiled, “Let me help you carry the dogs to the car.”
Xiao Zhang: “Well…”
Bo Jin appeared silently behind him, “I’ll help you.”
Xiao Zhang immediately stammered, “N-no, that’s not necessary. General and the others are very obedient.”
Xiao Zhang forced a laugh and hurried off to gather the dogs himself.
Pei Shiyi whispered, “He has several dogs. He can’t carry them all alone.”
Bo Jin retorted, “You and him, carrying his puppies?”
Pei Shiyi hadn’t expected him to be jealous over something like this, “…Are you serious?”
Bo Jin: “Somewhat. If you ignore me and go find another man, then I’d be very serious.”
Pei Shiyi felt as if he had taken a sip of aged vinegar, the sourness lingering. After a moment, he managed to shake off the feeling and clicked his tongue before strolling toward the parking lot beside the park. Besides filming the promotional video, today was also a team-building day for the pets. They had brought plenty of snacks and cans, letting the pets roam freely in the park. Pei Shiyi was now retrieving the items they had brought.
Bo Jin followed him. He took the basket of cans from his hands and handed him a camera instead, saying, “I’ll handle this. Go take some photos.”
Pei Shiyi glanced around and, shielded by the vehicles, quickly kissed Bo Jin on the cheek. “How diligent, Director Bo.”
After teasing him, Pei Shiyi walked away, tucking the camera under his arm as he returned to the park.
It was a team-building day, after all, so they needed to capture some memories. While filming the promotional video, he had also taken some behind-the-scenes clips and photos. Once the promotional video aired, they could release them directly.
Well, for Zhou Yan, this would be a great opportunity to post some casual updates.
Pei Shiyi switched the camera to recording mode, planning to secretly film the pets while they were off guard.
However, when he arrived at the park, he couldn’t help but fall silent. Xiao Zhang was chasing after General, running and shouting, “Time to go home! We’ll come out to play again tomorrow! General, stop running!”
All the other big and small dogs were lying beside Miss Penny. Dan Huang had somehow secretly scooped up a little puppy and was also lounging on the grass. The kittens were still staying close to Miss Penny, while the other cats had long since run off.
General’s stamina was clearly far superior to Xiao Zhang’s. Xiao Zhang quickly ran out of breath and, panting heavily, went to find Arrow: “Arrow! Come on, let’s go home!”
Arrow paid no attention. Noticing Xiao Zhang approaching, he promptly stood up and ran. The moment Xiao Zhang gave chase, General crawled back to Miss Penny’s side, panting with his tongue hanging out.
Pei Shiyi watched with a subtle expression as the dogs led Xiao Zhang on several laps around the park without managing to take a single one home. The most infuriating part was that whichever dog Xiao Zhang chased would run away. As soon as he switched targets, the previously chased dog would crawl back to Miss Penny’s side.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Was his Miss Penny some kind of cat-shaped catnip for dogs? Speaking of which, was there even such a thing as dognip?
While sympathizing with Xiao Zhang’s plight, he held up his camera and took photos for quite a while. Only when Xiao Zhang truly couldn’t run anymore and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up, did Pei Shiyi casually tuck away his camera. He cleared his throat and restrained his expression to avoid laughing too obviously.
“What’s going on here?”
Having witnessed the entire scene, Pei Shiyi walked over with a serious expression and thoughtfully asked Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang smiled bitterly, “General and the others seem to really like your cat. They’ve been staying by her side the whole time. I can’t get them to go back.”
Pei Shiyi pursed his lips, suppressing a smile. “Can I take a photo first?”
Xiao Zhang nodded, still catching his breath.
Pei Shiyi deliberately took out his phone and snapped a picture of the fluffy creatures scattered across the grass, capturing a moment of serene tranquility. After saving the photo, he bent down and picked up the little puppies. The aura of a phoenix was beloved by living beings. The puppies nestled quietly in Pei Shiyi’s arms.
“Let me help you.”
Xiao Zhang said gratefully, “Thank you so much.”
Pei Shiyi, at least, wasn’t as heartless as Bo Jin, so he silently helped bring the big dogs to the car Xiao Zhang had driven.
“Can you drive alone?”
Pei Shiyi looked at the three big dogs in the back seat. The puppies were all in pet carriers and wouldn’t disturb Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang replied, “It’s fine, it’s fine. They’re usually very well-behaved.”
Pei Shiyi nodded and waved goodbye to him.
…
By the time the sky had completely darkened, Pei Shiyi finally brought the furry kids back to the cat café.
Bo Jin went to park the car, while Pei Shiyi and the furry kids waited by the flower bed.
Having spent the whole day running around, most of the furry kids were already tired, except for Tong Qian, who was still bouncing around energetically. Song Gao was perched on Pei Shiyi’s shoulder, Tong Qian was pouncing on a pendant hanging from his belt, and Dan Huang was crouching beside Pei Shiyi with a few of the bigger cats.
Pei Shiyi carried a temporary cat carrier backpack on his back, where several of the smaller ones were sleeping. He held a few more in his arms, another one was curled up on his head, and the rest were dozing off next to the bigger cats.
Boss Pei resembled a handsome, elegant cat tree.
At this hour, Shiliu Street was bustling with increased foot traffic. Passersby and tourists couldn’t help but take out their phones to snap pictures of him. Regular visitors to Shiliu Street recognized Pei Shiyi, and frequent customers of the cat café would come over specifically to greet him.
Moreover, small groups of pedestrians had gathered not far away, whispering among themselves while their eyes kept drifting in this direction. Some avid fans of fluffy creatures or those captivated by good looks could barely contain their surging emotions, almost stepping forward to strike up a conversation.
This exceptionally handsome “cat tree” was simply too eye-catching. Few ordinary people would take so many cats out for a stroll. After all, walking cats is about as challenging as walking a purebred Husky.
Yet these cats were different. The smaller ones obediently stayed in the bag or on the shoulders, while the larger ones, though glancing around, never strayed far from their owner. Only the leopard cat was a bit unruly, persistently nudging against the cat owner’s waist.
But the cat owner’s waistline was truly something to admire, heh.
Meanwhile, some people found these cats both beautiful and oddly familiar.
A tourist from out of town scratched his head, wondering why the leopard cat hanging from the waistband seemed so recognizable. Suddenly, it clicked. Wasn’t this the famous internet-famous cat café, Xian Chan? Damn, this was interesting! He had actually run into a celebrity cat during his trip!
The tourist quickly raised his phone to snap some photos.
The exceptionally handsome “cat tree” himself, after playing a couple of games, finally spotted Bo Jin approaching. Tucking away his phone, he remarked, “You’re so slow. I’ve already died twice in the game.”
Bo Jin hurried over, taking a few of the cats into his arms. Song Gao, who had been drowsily nestled against Pei Shiyi’s face, woke at the commotion and stepped onto Bo Jin’s shoulder to kiss him.
As the streetlights of Shiliu Street began to glow in the evening, Bo Jin glanced up. His ever-enthusiastic boyfriend, eager to get the “kids” to bed, was already two steps ahead of him.
“Boyfriend,” Bo Jin called softly.
Pei Shiyi turned back. “Hmm?”
A faint smile curved Bo Jin’s lips. “Don’t walk so fast.”
Pei Shiyi raised an eyebrow, extending a hand toward him. “Always dawdling, day in and day out.”
Bo Jin quickened his pace. Under the dim glow of the streetlights, their hands intertwined.
If you enjoy my works and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on Ko-fi. Thank you for your support.
1 ko-fi = 1 chapter (0/5)
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1