Led by Dan Huang, the café’s twenty fur babies were all clustered on the stairs.
Da Shu, whose reactions were always a beat slow, didn’t notice that the cats in front had stopped and bumped head-first into Xia Zhi.
Xia Zhi was a slender and agile jet-black little girl. She was immediately knocked down the stairs by Da Shu. The larger cats froze in a collective stupor, everyone forgetting to stop her. The two small cats tumbled down a step and landed on the first-floor deck, staring blankly at Pei Shiyi and Bo Jin.
Tong Qian was cat-shocked: Do we have to learn how to kiss, too?
Pei Shiyi always cared about his dignity in front of the fur babies. It wasn’t appropriate to lose his temper in public, so he suppressed his irritation with a darkened face. He stood up and walked away.
Lying on the rug, Bo Jin savored the image of his boyfriend’s brooding expression. Hmm, like an aged wine, so potent it burned.
Pei Shiyi had always known how to spoil people. When he wasn’t being intentionally prickly, he would display twelve-tenths of his consideration and tenderness. Bo Jin inexplicably missed the “stinging” version of the phoenix, so he insisted on stirring up some “little romantic interests” that only he could appreciate.
Tong Qian’s four paws skidded in a panic. Wait, did Director Bo just mess up?
He looked back, only to see that Bo Jin, who was testing the limits of courting death, wasn’t panicked at all. He stood up and followed Pei Shiyi like glue, step for step.
The two adults rounded the decorative wall and quickly vanished from the cats’ sight. Several of the older cats looked at each other and silently led the kittens back upstairs.
It’s still early. Let’s go back to sleep.
Tong Qian hopped off the climbing frame and hesitantly circled the decorative wall—
Bo Jin caught up to Pei Shiyi in a few strides. He grabbed his wrist, leaned in, and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Don’t be angry.”
Pei Shiyi snapped, “The kids are all there, what are you making a scene for?! ‘Hero saving the beauty’, my foot. You’re just looking for an excuse to cause trouble. Is your skin itching for a beating?”
Bo Jin’s fingers slid down, interlacing with Pei Shiyi’s, then he lifted his hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle one by one. His eyes were lowered, his features deep and handsome, a sliver of his gaze visible beneath his lashes.
“I suddenly missed you,” Bo Jin said softly.
Pei Shiyi felt his heart soften at the kiss, struggling to keep his face stern. “…Missed what?”
Bo Jin: “Missed how you used to be so fierce with me.”
At the sudden mention of the past, Pei Shiyi felt a bit embarrassed. He turned his face away and coughed into his hand.
That period was practically a “dark history” for Pei Shiyi. Although he had never been in a relationship before, he considered himself an extremely considerate and thoughtful boyfriend. He naturally felt it was a lapse in grace to have been so unkind to his own boyfriend. Therefore, since they had made their relationship official, Pei Shiyi had wanted nothing more than to spoil Bo Jin like a fur baby to make up for his previous “lack of gentleness”.
After all, in the beginning, he really had been genuinely furious with Bo Jin.
Bo Jin, however, felt differently. He didn’t need Pei Shiyi to cater to him like that.
“You really are beautiful,” Bo Jin said, his expression as unmoving as ever, yet his eyes burned with intensity. “You look good when you smile, good when you’re dazed, and good when you’re angry.”
“You look good no matter what. Don’t hide any side of yourself from me. I’m afraid I won’t get to see it all.”
Bo Jin wasn’t accustomed to smiling, but the weight of his gaze was incredibly profound.
Pei Shiyi silently clutched his chest: That really hit the mark.
Tong Qian, observing from the shadows: !
Even though it looked like he was about to crash and burn, it actually worked!
He quietly shrank back, feeling like he could follow this example.
…
Pei Shiyi had originally intended to chat with Tong Qian to prevent the silly cat from actually copying Bo Jin. Before he could decide how to approach it, the landlord of the shop he had been eyeing called to discuss the lease.
Occupied with that business, he took a few days to observe Tong Qian. Fortunately, the cat had been quite well-behaved lately and hadn’t approached Yin Zhou to add fuel to the fire.
Yuchuan City had its first heavy rain of autumn. The sun didn’t come out until the next day. Yin Zhou was rarely off his climbing frame. Instead, he was sleeping in a cat bed under the window, enjoying the feeling of the sunlight on his body.
It was warm, a bit like lying in the Boss’s arms, though it lacked the faint fragrance the Boss always carried.
Yin Zhou’s chin rested on the edge of the bed, his ears showing a hint of pink in the sunlight.
Yuchuan was situated somewhat to the north. After several bouts of rain, the temperature had dropped significantly. Customers coming into the cat café were already wearing thick coats. The mid-October sun was no longer scorching. It provided a soothing warmth for both cats and humans without needing the curtains drawn.
Usually aloof and unapproachable, Yin Zhou had uncharacteristically come down from his perch. The customers wanted to get close but were afraid of waking him, so they dragged over many soft cushions and sat near the cat bed, either picking a book from the shelf or dozing in the sunlight.
This was the scene Tong Qian saw when he quietly crept up.
Yin Zhou wasn’t fully asleep but was merely resting with his eyes closed. After all, he had already napped that morning and wasn’t tired yet.
Tong Qian approached cautiously, pawing at the cat bed, trying to curl himself inside.
The bed was designed for a single cat. There were several on the second floor, usually meant for the kittens. Tong Qian was a large cat himself. Fitting just him into such a small bed would be difficult enough, let alone with Yin Zhou already inside.
Yin Zhou flattened his ears and turned his head, pretending he hadn’t noticed anything.
Tong Qian touched Yin Zhou’s paw.
Yin Zhou abruptly pulled his paw back.
Tong Qian recalled Director Bo’s instructions: “You can bite him gently, but you mustn’t bite hard enough to hurt.”
While staring at Yin Zhou, he slowly opened his mouth and took a light nip of Yin Zhou’s other paw. It wasn’t heavy.
Then came the next part: “He will definitely be angry, so you have to hurry and press close to him. Don’t give him the chance to snap.”
Yin Zhou stood up, just about to bristle his fur, when he was pinned back into the cat bed by a pouncing Tong Qian.
Yin Zhou: “…”
Tong Qian’s two front paws tightly hugged Yin Zhou. He was older than Yin Zhou. Both his body and his cultivation surpassed the younger cat’s, allowing him to hold Yin Zhou down firmly.
A low growl emanated from Yin Zhou’s throat.
Finally: “You can kiss him and lick him. When he’s dazed, lie down and act pitiful.”
Tong Qian licked Yin Zhou’s ears and began grooming him with a loud purr.
As expected, Yin Zhou was stunned. He blankly nibbled on the paw that Tong Qian had just nipped, unsure of what Tong Qian was playing at now.
Tong Qian lay down and exposed his soft belly. For a feline, exposing the vulnerable stomach was the most direct sign of goodwill.
Yin Zhou was completely baffled, his entire body stiffening like a plush toy.
Tong Qian pulled Yin Zhou into a hug, forcing two cats to squeeze into the single bed.
Yin Zhou didn’t even react until he was dragged into the bed. It wasn’t until Tong Qian had groomed him from head to tail that he suddenly realized he was sharing a bed with him.
Yin Zhou: !
He almost wanted to jump up immediately and ask Tong Qian what he was doing. But the moment he moved, he inexplicably remembered Tong Qian’s furry belly.
Exposing his belly to me means he doesn’t want to fight, right?
Tong Qian has already shown goodwill. If I’m mean to him, will he be sad?
For the first time, Yin Zhou hesitated about hitting Tong Qian. And by hesitating back and forth, he missed the best window to get angry.
Thus, Yin Zhou dazedly spent the entire afternoon sleeping with Tong Qian in the crowded bed.
…
Having finally finished dealing with the leasing and renovation matters, Pei Shiyi finally emerged from his frantic state. Tong Qian and Yin Zhou had completely reconciled, and there seemed to be a subtle change in their relationship.
As Pei Shiyi passed the second floor, he almost thought he had seen wrong. Tong Qian was grooming Yin Zhou!
“Wait,” Pei Shiyi grabbed Bo Jin, who was off-duty, in shock. “How did they make up?”
Bo Jin: “Because I gave Tong Qian some pointers a few days ago.”
Pei Shiyi was incredulous: “That kind of ridiculous method actually worked?!”
Bo Jin looked at him silently.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
Fine, he seemed to have fallen for it, too.
Bo Jin took his hand and said, “The ‘hero saving beauty’ thing was a joke. There are thousands of ways to reconcile in this world. I just picked the one that suited Tong Qian best.”
Pei Shiyi gestured for him to continue. “And?”
Bo Jin said, “Shut up and act.”
Cats have their own ways of showing goodwill. Tong Qian knew them all—grooming and showing the belly. He just had to follow his heart and keep his mouth shut, as that was what usually ruined things.
If you don’t know how to speak, then don’t. Emotion exists in actions and eyes.
Pei Shiyi lightly tilted Bo Jin’s chin. “You’re different, Director Bo. I think you’re very good with words.”
“Not really,” Bo Jin said. “I just naturally become sweet-talked whenever I see you.”
…
The public service ad that Xian Chan had filmed earlier was finally released. Pei Shiyi had almost forgotten about it. It wasn’t until he was reminded by the official Happy Pets account that he remembered his cats had participated in the shoot.
The finished advertisement was two minutes and sixteen seconds long and would be broadcast on Yuchuan’s local television station.
Only then did Pei Shiyi realize that the TV station had also been involved. In other words, this PSA was a joint production between a well-known local enterprise, a popular local “influencer” shop, and the local TV station.
As it happened, Yuchuan was currently airing a hit show called Cute Pets in Charge. It was currently on its seventeenth episode and was the local station’s breakout hit of the year.
Though it was a low-budget production, the excellent plot, filled with both tears and laughter, had not only won the hearts of young people but also earned the praise of the older generation. It became a high-quality production that entire families would gather to watch, exploding in popularity before it had even reached ten episodes.
The PSA was scheduled to air right before the show started.
On the day of the release, many loyal viewers waiting in front of their TVs were petting their own fur babies and discussing the previous plot while waiting for the commercials to pass.
Suddenly, a soft, high-pitched meow from the TV caught their attention. They turned their heads one after another. Wait, has the show started already?
A single look told them it hadn’t, but the images on the screen still firmly held the viewers’ attention. And why wouldn’t they? It was a box full of kittens!
They were of various colors. Their fur is a bit messy, while pawing at the edge of the box and meowing helplessly.
However, the kittens weren’t in a cozy indoor setting but next to an outdoor trash can. One look told you they had been abandoned. Along with the sound of approaching barking, a large black dog neared the kittens and bared its teeth at them.
The viewers subconsciously grew tense, crying out in their hearts: Run!
The kittens scrambled out of the box, rolling and crawling as they fled. Fortunately, the big black dog didn’t seem interested in chasing them. As soon as the kittens ran, it buried its head in the trash can to scavenge for food.
Stroking their own sleek, well-fed fur babies, the viewers felt a pang of heartache: Those poor things.
The kittens hadn’t run for long before they bumped into a large ginger cat also scavenging through trash. The big cat didn’t drive them away. Instead, it led them to a place where they could hide. Not long after the kittens ducked inside, other stray cats and dogs poked their heads out from various corners, seemingly observing the new arrivals.
A moment later, heavy rain began to fall.
Some stray animals had no shelter from the rain and curled their bodies in the torrential downpour, shivering in the wind and storm.
From then on, the ginger cat would bring back food every day and groom the kittens. But one day, the ginger cat went out and never returned.
The kittens went out to search for it, following its scent to a four-way intersection. A familiar large ginger cat lay on the road, motionless, surrounded by a dark red pool.
Unaware, the kittens rushed straight to the ginger cat, meowing and sniffing around it, hoping it would get up and accompany them home.
There was no response.
The kittens waited from daylight until the sky grew dark. At some point, it began to rain again. The kittens shivered and curled up beside the ginger cat, refusing to leave. Suddenly, a bright light shone on the cats, followed by the screen going dark and the piercing sound of screeching brakes.
The viewers were jolted awake, only to realize with a start that their eyes were brimming with tears.
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1