Because the manager couldn’t figure out Pei Shiyi’s intentions, this Jianzhou cat wasn’t kept inside. Instead, it was moved to the reception hall and locked in a cage.
This Jianzhou cat was still a juvenile, a little boy. Its entire body was a rare shade of gray with tabby markings. It had a patch of white protective fur on its chest. It had a broad forehead, pointed ears, a narrow muzzle, and alert eyes. It has a very handsome appearance.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary cat, but Pei Shiyi felt something was off. After carefully examining it, Pei Shiyi raised an eyebrow. This kitten had some cultivation, about the same level as Dai Dai and Mao Mao. Even though it was still daytime and the boarding shop was brightly lit, its pupils were contracted into thin slits.
The manager scratched his head: “This is the one. It’s quite fierce. None of the other boarding cats dares to approach it. It doesn’t get close to any other cats either. Fortunately, it doesn’t bully the others.”
Otherwise, it would be a headache.
Pei Shiyi stood outside the door. His aura perfectly concealed the manager, so the Jianzhou cat hadn’t noticed them. It was still sitting on the carpet, staring blankly at the wall, occasionally turning its head alertly at the sound of a noise.
Pei Shiyi: “What about the agreement that was signed at the time?”
The manager quickly handed the agreement in his hand to Pei Shiyi: “He came to board the cat not long after our boarding shop opened, for twenty days. Actually, according to the rules, if he doesn’t pick it up, we can continue caring for it and charge accordingly. The problem is, we can’t get in touch with him.”
Pei Shiyi flipped through the agreement a few times and asked, “Have you tried all the contact methods?”
The manager: “We’ve tried many times, but we can’t reach him at all. This cat is named Jian Zhou. The boarding period expired over a week ago, and no one has renewed it or contacted us.”
Pei Shiyi thought to himself: So the Jianzhou cat is just called Jian Zhou? That’s too straightforward.
He picked up the agreement, brought it to his nose, and sniffed it, then felt a bit at a loss for words. It was a bad habit he’d picked up from his unlucky boyfriend. He was a phoenix, not a dog, so he didn’t have such a keen sense of smell. Nor did he have the ability of a Zhulong to distinguish scents. He could only differentiate “auras”.
The agreement carried the “aura” of the person who signed it. It has a faint trace of demonic energy.
With the aura present, it was possible to trace it forcibly, but this technique might be among the forbidden spells. He wasn’t sure if he could use it.
Pei Shiyi quickly gave up on the idea of tracing it, not wanting to cause trouble for his boyfriend.
Although Bo Jin wore an expression every day that said, “Work is annoying, why hasn’t the Supernatural Management Bureau shut down yet?”, the Zhulong barrier above the Supernatural Management Bureau remained unbreakable. He still went to work every day, never shirking any tasks assigned to him.
The Zhulong was a divine being guarding this realm. Glaciers couldn’t freeze its heart. Instead, it seemed to have a not-so-obvious kindness born from extremity.
It looked extremely cold, but its temper could be described as quite good.
Pei Shiyi liked this kind of personality. Every day, the low-pressure atmosphere when Bo Jin left the cat café gave Pei Shiyi something to savor for a while.
The manager observed Pei Shiyi’s expression: “So, should we keep caring for it or…”
He showed a hint of reluctance on his face. This cat was likely abandoned, but why would someone send it to a boarding facility instead of just discarding it?
Although this Jianzhou seemed fierce, it was still a domestic cat. If it were abandoned, it probably wouldn’t fare too well. But if they cared for it for free… if the boarding shop set this precedent, would they later be forced to “adopt” more such kittens?
At first, everyone treats fostering as temporary. But once they no longer want the cats, they just abandon them? Then they vanish without a trace. That’s just unacceptable. Running a shop isn’t charity. They’ll do what they can within their means, but whether this “precedent” should be set is a big question.
Pei Shiyi waved his hand. “Let’s keep him for now. You go about your work, and I’ll go… communicate with him. If it works out, I’ll take him back to the cat café directly.”
After all, this wasn’t an ordinary cat, so it was better not to mix him with the other fostered cats. Besides, Jian Zhou had quite a sophisticated concealment spell on him. Otherwise, Pei Shiyi wouldn’t have failed to sense him even through just a few walls.
The manager said, “Alright, I’ll go check on that American Shorthair. It’s been listless ever since it arrived. It’s probably not used to the environment yet.”
The cat café housed over twenty cats, each one clingy to the boss. Knowing the boss was like a human catnip—and the all-purpose kind at that—the manager simply went about his own tasks.
Pei Shiyi fished a tube of nutritional paste from his coat pocket. He had just retrieved it from Dan Huang’s nest to prevent the unlucky kid from feeding it to the little ones again.
As soon as he entered the room, he took off his coat and draped it over his arm. The thin wool coat was just for show on him. Underneath, he wore only a summer shirt.
No wonder Bo Jin said just looking at him made him feel cold. Anyone seeing him dressed like this in winter would shiver.
It was already mid-December. Yuchuan had seen a light snowfall just a couple of days ago, making people tremble from the cold. Yet Pei Shiyi felt uncomfortably warm, even more so than in summer. He tugged at his collar, thinking the indoor heating must be cranked up too high. He much preferred the outdoors.
Hearing footsteps, Jian Zhou turned toward the direction Pei Shiyi was coming from. The fur on the back of his neck stood up as he lowered his body, assuming a ready-to-attack stance.
Pei Shiyi crouched down. “Good afternoon.”
Jian Zhou: “…”
He glanced at Pei Shiyi, catching the scent of cats on him. He assumed he was an employee here. With a cold indifference, he turned his head away and continued his self-imposed isolation.
Pei Shiyi tentatively reached for Jian Zhou’s furry paw.
Without a sound, Jian Zhou turned and swatted at him.
Pei Shiyi chuckled. “Wow, so fierce.”
Jian Zhou had a sense of restraint. Though he hissed, he didn’t unsheathe his claws when swatting, and the force was light. It was just a warning after feeling offended.
Jian Zhou was a serious little cat. Unlike Yin Zhou, who appeared fierce but was actually soft and adorable inside, Jian Zhou was genuinely fierce yet remarkably sensible. He remained unmoved by the teasing and found Pei Shiyi rather boring.
Silly humans always liked to talk to cats, dumping all sorts of nonsense on them while assuming cats understood nothing. He wasn’t some fluffy trash can.
Facing the wall, Jian Zhou wore an aloof expression.
Pei Shiyi thought the kid’s expression somewhat resembled Yun Chao’s. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Was it your family who brought you here? An older brother?”
Jian Zhou’s ears twitched. He turned and pounced onto Pei Shiyi, about to ask if Pei Shiyi knew something, when Pei Shiyi scooped him up by his little bottom and held him tightly in his arms.
Pei Shiyi laughed. “You like me that much? Let’s go for a stroll then.”
Jian Zhou: ?
Pei Shiyi carried him back to the third floor of the cat café.
Jian Zhou realized he couldn’t move at all in his embrace.
What kind of person was he? No—was he even human?
Jian Zhou slowly lowered his head, feeling a bit sad: Who knows what he wants to do? If he’s like some humans obsessed with alchemy and seeking immortality, that would be terrible.
Wrapped in the coat, Jian Zhou didn’t feel the wind even after stepping outside. In the warm darkness, he felt himself being carried to a new place, a faint fragrance wafting in from outside the coat.
When Jian Zhou was set down again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place.
Standing on a soft carpet, Jian Zhou’s eyes adjusted to the light. As he took in the scene before him, he shrank back abruptly, pressing himself against the wall with nowhere left to retreat. There were actually several large cats sitting in front of him!
Truly large cats!
Yin Zhou had been lying on the carpet. When Pei Shiyi opened the coat, Jian Zhou’s sudden darting away startled him, causing him to hop several times and hide behind a small stool.
Tong Qian, being a bit silly, followed suit and hopped over as well.
Pei Shiyi: “…”
These two cats had indeed stopped fighting, but Tong Qian had inexplicably picked up some of Yin Zhou’s habits. Fortunately, Yin Zhou hadn’t been infected by Tong Qian’s silliness.
Fondant turned to look at the two of them. The little princess didn’t have a habit of hopping around. When frightened, she simply hid behind Pei Shiyi, tilting her head to reveal her sea-blue eyes as she observed.
Jian Zhou pressed himself tightly against the wall. The cats opposite him were all much larger than him, and two of them had very strange auras. They didn’t seem like cat demons, yet they looked exactly like cats.
They were all far more powerful than him.
Jian Zhou lowered his tail and raised the fur on the back of his neck. He pressed himself tightly against the wall and let out low growls from his throat.
Fondant stepped out from behind Pei Shiyi and slowly approached Jian Zhou.
Seeing Jian Zhou’s state reminded her of the day she was brought to the cat café. Back then, she at least had Yun Chao by her side. But this little kitten was all alone.
He must be even more scared and nervous than she had been.
Pei Shiyi smiled but didn’t intervene. Instead, he went to prepare clean water and food for Jian Zhou.
After all, Jian Zhou wasn’t capable of playing any tricks in front of him.
Jian Zhou gradually arched his back, his wariness reaching its peak.
Then Fondant sat down in front of him, lowering her head to nuzzle him gently: “Meow.”
Don’t be scared, little cat. We all like you.
Jian Zhou: …
It turned out to be a female cat. Jian Zhou’s arched back slowly relaxed as he hesitantly thought: My brother said I mustn’t be mean to girls.
Fondant lay down, “Meow?”
What’s your name, kitty? I’m Fondant. You’re really pretty.
Jian Zhou: “…”
He was a boy. How could he be called “kitty”?
Jian Zhou felt a bit displeased, but his upbringing was excellent. He stepped forward with his paws and answered Fondant’s question, all while keeping an eye on the other large cats out of the corner of his eye.
The two large cats with strange auras showed no intention of approaching. Jian Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Pei Shiyi, who had brought him here.
Now he was certain. This person, who looked like an ordinary human without any spiritual energy, was anything but ordinary. He was simply too powerful. So powerful that Jian Zhou couldn’t even detect his aura.
Summoning his courage, Jian Zhou prepared to explain to Pei Shiyi that he hadn’t intentionally lingered at the boarding shop.
But Pei Shiyi placed a clean bowl in front of him: “My name is Pei Shiyi. I’m the owner of the boarding shop and this cat café. Since you’re not an ordinary cat, I’d like to invite you to stay at the cat café for a few days until your guardian returns. The boarding shop’s diet is tailored for ordinary cats, so you might not be used to it. This is the food from the cat café. Would you like to try some?”
The food provided by the boarding shop mainly consisted of cat kibble, which was rather unappealing to the cat demons. It only served to fill their stomachs.
The small bowl was placed in front of Jian Zhou. It was filled with fragrant beef. It had been cooked with a hint of seasoning and carried a faint trace of spiritual energy. It was a specially prepared cat meal for the cat demons.
Jian Zhou licked his lips. Before he knew it, he was already chewing on a piece of meat.
Jian Zhou: “…”
Ahhh, how embarrassing!
Fondant licked him gently: “Meow.”
Just eat well.
Jian Zhou lifted his head. Pei Shiyi was sitting calmly nearby, slowly sipping a glass of ice water. When their eyes met, Pei Shiyi smiled softly. He walked over and gently tapped Jian Zhou’s water bowl with his glass.
“Cheers.”
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1