ARIOCC Chapter 6

“So,” Dan Huang looked up at Yun Chao, hesitantly gesturing with his tail toward the ragdoll cat, “what’s the deal with… this one?”

Yun Chao hopped off the table. Hearing the movement, the ragdoll quickly turned toward her. With both Dan Huang and Tong Qian watching, she didn’t dare stand up. Instead, she crawled slowly across the floor until she reached Yun Chao’s side, immediately burying her small face in Yun Chao’s snow-white, long fur.

The ragdoll’s size was entirely due to her fluffy coat. In reality, she was light and almost weightless. Yun Chao remained unmoved even as the cat leaned against her.

Yun Chao said, “I found her. She was about to faint from hunger. I thought the boss might still need more cats, so I brought her back.”

Dan Huang sighed helplessly. “Do you really think her personality is suited for working in a cat café?”

Cats in a cat café should be friendly and adorable. Although Yun Chao was aloof and didn’t quite fit that description, she wasn’t timid. Even if a human approached, she wouldn’t shy away but would lie in place, watching the human’s ecstatic expression. If in the mood, she might even reward them with a swat. This ragdoll, however, was easily frightened. Just facing him and Tong Qian, two other cats, she was so scared she flattened herself on the ground, not daring to move.

Yun Chao retorted, “Is there any cat that wouldn’t be afraid of a bully and a ruffian?”

That leopard cat, though well-intentioned, couldn’t help but look rather sleazy. As for Dan Huang… he was too fat. Even a normal human would feel intimidated by someone twice their size.

Bully Dan Huang: “…”

Ruffian Tong Qian: “…”

Tong Qian shot Dan Huang a look: Oh my, she’s fierce.

Dan Huang: You’ll get used to it. What can we do? She’s beautiful.

Pei Shiyi watched for a while, suppressing a laugh, then reached out to soothingly pat the two orange cats on the head. Having been indiscriminately attacked, Dan Huang and Tong Qian drooped their heads and nestled behind Pei Shiyi, falling silent.

Yun Chao said, “Her name is Fondant. I… found her on the street.” She paused, skipping over the question of why such an expensive breed would be wandering the streets, and continued, “She’s been in fights with other cats, so she’s a bit afraid of them. Though shy, she’s still relatively friendly.”

Pei Shiyi’s gaze fell on the scratches on Fondant’s back, guessing that the “fights” likely meant she had been bullied. No wonder she was so fearful of other cats.

Yun Chao raised her tail and gently tapped Fondant, signaling her to approach Pei Shiyi.

Fondant walked up to Pei Shiyi and looked up at him, letting out a soft, sweet meow.

As a ragdoll, Fondant had dark fur around her ears and eyes, with a patch of dark fur on her back, while the rest of her coat was snow-white. Her eyes were a deep sea-blue, almost profound against the dark fur surrounding them, yet her gaze was as gentle as rippling water, and her meow was delicate and sweet.

No wonder ragdoll cats were also called fairy cats.

Pei Shiyi sat on the carpet, allowing Fondant to cautiously step onto his knees. He reached out his hand to stroke her satin-smooth long fur.

The soft, long fur slipped through Pei Shiyi’s fingers, carrying a slight chill from the air-conditioned room. Having recently crammed a lot of cat knowledge, Pei Shiyi immediately noticed something off. As a long-haired breed, Fondant’s fur length didn’t seem to meet the standard.

Pei Shiyi discreetly estimated the length of Fondant’s fur. Yes, it was indeed a bit shorter than the standard range, though the difference was minimal. For humans, unless measured with a tool, this slight variation would go unnoticed.

“Fondant is very well-behaved.”

Pei Shiyi gently stroked Fondant’s back in a rhythmic motion.

Hearing the praise, Fondant patted his knee with her paws, then effortlessly nestled into his embrace, her tail resting on his wrist.

Recalling what Yun Chao had mentioned earlier, that when she found Fondant, the kitten was nearly fainting from hunger, Pei Shiyi guessed she was likely an abandoned house cat. As for why she was abandoned…

Pei Shiyi ran his hand over Fondant’s not-so-thick fur collar and had a rough idea.

Fondant wasn’t a purebred Ragdoll.

But so what? What does beauty have to do with breed?

The delicate and soft Fondant rolled over in Pei Shiyi’s arms, revealing her fluffy belly, her four furry paws curled up. With her large, round sea-blue eyes, tiny pink nose, and little pink mouth, she kept meowing at Pei Shiyi.

Though she had been abandoned, having been raised by humans, Fondant still loved being close to people.

Bo Jin walked over to Pei Shiyi’s side, observed for a moment, and remarked, “She’s quite the expert at acting cute.”

Rarely hearing such a pleasant comment from Bo Jin, Pei Shiyi set aside his usual urge to retort. He bent one long leg, cradled Fondant’s little face with one hand, and gently scratched under her chin. “She really lives up to her name.”

Fondant, a type of Western pastry craft used in cake decoration, often results in expensive and beautiful creations. But the kitten Fondant was far sweeter than any Fondant cake.

The little tortoiseshell kitten on Bo Jin’s shoulder stared intently at Fondant’s gently swaying tail. Climbing down the director’s expensive shirt and trousers, it pounced playfully at Fondant’s tail.

Startled, Fondant turned her head and, upon realizing it was just a kitten, meowed softly, allowing the little tortoiseshell to pounce and play to its heart’s content.

The twin tortoiseshell kittens—one chasing the tail, the other snuggling in the Ragdoll’s embrace.

Left without a single kitten, Director Bo Jin rubbed his fingers together, bent down, picked up Tong Qian—who was eyeing the tortoiseshells with envy—and tucked him into his own arms.

The leopard cat’s fur was also top-notch in texture.

Tong Qian lay stiffly in Bo Jin’s arms, frozen from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail, like an orange-and-black French baguette.

He hadn’t forgotten who had dragged him back to the Supernatural Management Bureau, nor had he forgotten that this man was the real big boss.

Why pet me? Wouldn’t it be better to pet that naive and sweet Dan Huang?

Tong Qian held back tears: Life is so hard.

When it was time to clock out, Tong Qian finally watched with tear-filled eyes as Bo Jin left for the day.

Dan Huang asked curiously, “Do you like that Mr. Bo that much?”

“I like…” Tong Qian swallowed the last two words with difficulty, “…him so much.”

His survival instinct had kicked in just in time. Someone of Bo Jin’s caliber might very well know even if he were mentioned behind his back.

Pei Shiyi, who was busy caring for the twin tortoiseshell kittens, said, “…You’ll be seeing him every day for the next three months. Excited?” He, for one, was not excited.

Tong Qian let out a wail and burst into tears.

Dan Huang was startled. “What’s wrong?”

Yun Chao said, “Probably overjoyed.”

Tong Qian, tears in his eyes, replied, “…Yeah, overjoyed. Really overjoyed.”

Evening.

After Pei Shiyi had coaxed the two kittens who insisted on sticking to him to sleep, Yun Chao knocked gently on the door.

Pei Shiyi had just finished showering. Hearing the sound, he buttoned his pajamas all the way up. “Come in.”

Yun Chao slipped quietly through the door, followed closely by Fondant.

Fondant leaned against Yun Chao as the two white furballs sat on the carpet, looking up at Pei Shiyi.

Pei Shiyi got out of bed and sat down in front of the two beauties, smiling. “What’s up?”

Fondant meowed and snuggled into Pei Shiyi’s embrace—a soft, sweet ball of fur that even Pei Shiyi couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Yun Chao said, “Fondant has something to tell you, but she’s worried you won’t understand, so she asked me to come along.” Fondant had unexpectedly awakened her spiritual intelligence. Though clever, her cultivation was still too low to speak human language. The boss was highly skilled in cultivation, but no one knew what species he was, so there might be a language barrier.

Pei Shiyi gently held Fondant’s front paws and gave them a little shake. “I understand you, little Fondant. What did you want to tell me?”

Fondant’s ears gradually drooped, unsure how to begin. She looked helplessly at Yun Chao.

The seated lion cat gazed at her calmly.

With her awakened intelligence, Fondant had come to understand why she had been abandoned by the family that once adored her. She was a mixed-breed, not a purebred Ragdoll cat. She didn’t have the luxurious, beautiful long fur of others of her kind.

During her half-month of wandering, she had finally found a new home, but she was deeply afraid of being abandoned again because of her lineage.

But… if she didn’t speak up, wouldn’t that be deceitful? How could she deceive such a kind person?

Fondant looked up at Pei Shiyi, then slowly lowered her head and let out a soft, timid meow: “I’m a mixed-breed cat. If you keep me, people in the know will laugh at you.”

Pei Shiyi stroked Fondant’s back gently and replied, “They’re just jealous that I’m taking care of a little fairy.”

Fondant was taken aback and whispered, “Do you still want to keep me? I’m not as adorable as other Ragdolls.”

Pei Shiyi said, “Fondant, you’re adorable, not because you’re a Ragdoll. You’re adorable because you’re Fondant.”

He chuckled softly and added, “You’re our little fairy.”

Fondant wrapped her furry paws tightly around Pei Shiyi’s arm, burying her face shyly in his chest.

With that, the cat café now had four adult cats. Pei Shiyi hadn’t managed to recruit any other grown cats in the short term, and the renovation officially began.

During the renovation period, Pei Shiyi took the cats from the café to shoot a photo album.

After the photoshoot, Dan Huang sneaked into Pei Shiyi’s arms and nibbled on the dried meat he had brought along. “Boss, why did we take so many photos? It’s so expensive.”

Their funds weren’t exactly abundant.

Pei Shiyi kissed his ear and smiled. “You’ll find out in a little while.”

Xian Chan was located at the end of Shiliu Street. Unlike the other shops, it was a standalone building. The space was large, but the layout was rather unconventional. It’s not a neat rectangle but somewhat winding compared to the neighboring stores.

After several discussions with the designer, Pei Shiyi settled on a fairy-tale style for the renovation. Several new windows were added, with lightweight curtains hanging on either side. Though not heavy, they provided excellent shading. Even before the other decorations were in place, the windows alone created a dreamy atmosphere.

The seating arrangement was inspired by bubble tea shops: a row of high tables and barstools near the counter, and low tables with sofas by the windows. Small tabletop games were casually placed on the low tables. The floor was covered with beige thin rugs, and shelves were mounted on the walls, connected by wooden ladders, allowing the cats to jump around freely. Green plants that could coexist with humans were selected as accents, tucked away among the varying heights, making clever use of the terrain to create a sense of mystery.

Wrought-iron wall lamps, solid wood furniture, subtle little decorations… The finished cat café was like a treasure trove full of delightful surprises.

None of these ideas came from Kong Fanyang. They were all the brainchildren¹ of his employer, Pei Shiyi.

Kong Fanyang watched as the tall, slender figure ahead reached for a plush toy from the high storage shelf and tucked it into the leopard cat’s embrace. The leopard cat, startled, leaped into the air on the spot. Mr. Pei, having successfully pulled off his prank, leaned against the high table and laughed heartily.

The cat café, much like its owner, was full of delightful surprises.

But the owner himself outshone even the cozy café.

The renovated cat café felt reborn, transformed inside and out.

Kong Fanyang marveled, “I never imagined it could turn out this well.”

Pei Shiyi cuddled Fondant in his arms. After a few days at the cat café, this little treasure had regained a healthy weight, her long fur now smooth as satin. The little princess’s beauty was back in full force.

Having not seen anyone other than her owner for a long time, Fondant was quite sociable and gazed at Kong Fanyang with curious eyes.

Pei Shiyi looked down with a smile and asked, “Fondant, do you want to go over to him?”

Fondant let out a soft meow: “Meow.” Yes.

Kong Fanyang was pleasantly surprised. “Does that mean I can hold her?”

“Of course. Our little princess seems to like you.”

Pei Shiyi gently passed Fondant into Kong Fanyang’s arms.

Kong Fanyang, being an experienced cat owner, quickly found the perfect way to hold her.

The sensation was like holding a large, fluffy cloud, with a sweet, cotton-candy-like fragrance wafting from her. Kong Fanyang sighed blissfully, “It’s just wonderful to have a cat.”

Pei Shiyi walked over to the counter and poured two drinks, sliding one toward Kong Fanyang. “Won’t your cat at home scratch you when you get back?”

Kong Fanyang was now covered in the scent of cats. He knew his British Shorthair at home would likely ignore him for days. “It’d be worth it, even if she scratches me to death.”

He approached Pei Shiyi and, glancing down, noticed an open album on the counter. He nearly choked. “What is this?”

The item stood upright, resembling a large photo album. It was beautifully made, but that wasn’t the main point. The pages were filled with blue-background photos!

Each one looked like an ID photo, except the subjects weren’t people. They were cats.

Taking ID photos for cats? You’re truly a genius.

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