Yuchuan University was located less than five hundred meters from Shiliu Street, making it a common evening destination for students traveling in groups. When they spoke of “going shopping”, they usually meant Shiliu Street.
As a senior interior design student, Li Duyu had been buried in specialized courses every day, trading strands of hair for stacks of design books. She finally found herself with a free weekend.
Casually opening her frequently browsed app, she was surprised to find her feed flooded with posts, all screaming about two incredibly handsome guys handing out flyers and giving away free dessert samples on Shiliu Street that day.
The latest post came from her close friend in the neighboring dorm, sent around four in the afternoon. The text consisted of several rows of “Ahhhh!” followed by a video. With nothing better to do, Li Duyu tore open a chocolate bar and clicked play.
The video, clearly shot by her friend, was slightly shaky. Though the street was crowded with pedestrians, the focus was unmistakable. The two young men are standing together.
Li Duyu could hear her friend whispering excitedly: “So handsome, so handsome! They’re lethally good-looking, ahhh!”
The two young men stood out strikingly in the crowd, both tall and poised, surrounded by a group of girls, yet still commanding attention.
One of them, wearing a gray-blue long-sleeved shirt, seemed to notice the camera. He glanced up in its direction, paused for a moment, then relaxed his brows and curved his lips into a smile that seemed to radiate from the corners of his eyes.
He smiled right at the camera.
Li Duyu clapped a hand over her mouth. Ahhhh!
She had never seen anyone whose smile carried such infectious charm.
With just one smile from him, the whole world seemed to brighten.
The camera shook violently a couple of times, fully capturing the filmer’s excitement. Gradually, the lens moved closer to the young man. The nearer it got, the clearer his features became. He was unapologetically handsome, his brilliance almost dazzling.
Then, he pulled out a flyer and handed it over.
Li Duyu burst out laughing as the young man said earnestly, “I can guarantee our cats are just as good-looking as I am.”
Oh, a pet shop owner?
Her friend in the video asked exactly that. He replied, “No, it’s a cat cafe. It’s at the end of the street, called Xian Chan. This is our new dessert. It’s free samples. Would you like to try some?”
The young man nudged the man beside him, who turned and glanced at the camera. Li Duyu held her breath. Wow, this one’s super handsome too, with such a CEO aura! His presence was explosive!
The CEO-type expressionlessly offered a plate with disposable cupcake cups filled with matcha mille-crepe cake.
Every inch of him screamed “forced into service”.
Li Duyu laughed so hard she nearly choked.
When she finally caught her breath, she turned to her best friend beside her. “A new cat cafe opened on Shiliu Street. Let’s check it out this weekend.”
Her friend, also an interior design major, didn’t look up. “…Not going.”
Li Duyu was puzzled. “Why not? They’re having opening weekend promotions.”
Her friend, Mimi, scratched her head and eyed the design draft she’d revised six or seven times but still wasn’t satisfied with, hesitating.
Seeing her friend’s thinning hair, Li Duyu couldn’t bear to push. “Let’s just go and relax. The more you stress over the design, the more hair you’ll lose. Besides, I saw photos from a senior. The interior has a really charming vibe, similar to your design style. Maybe it’ll spark some inspiration.”
Mimi looked at the few strands of hair in her hand and nodded in solemn agreement.
Early the next morning, the two headed straight for the cat cafe after washing up.
“You actually brought your design sketches…”
Li Duyu watched her best friend stuffing a stack of design drafts into her bag and was finally rendered speechless.
Could she really find time to work on designs while playing with cats?
Mimi wasn’t going for the cats anyway. When Xian Chan first opened, she had rushed in enthusiastically like Li Duyu, expecting it to be as ethereal and beautiful as the cat cafes she’d seen in online videos, but had been greatly disappointed. She’d lost interest in this cat cafe and was only willing to go this time to accompany her friend.
“I might find some inspiration in the shop.”
Mimi said casually. She was mainly going for the fairytale-style decor. The cats weren’t important.
Although they had gotten up early, by the time they reached Shiliu Street, it was already half an hour past opening time.
To their surprise, looking through the glass window, there were quite a few people inside, mostly couples or groups of girls. The cat cafe was a standalone small building, with several windows half-covered by pale gray-blue curtains. In front of the floor-to-ceiling window were round, thick cushions where two tortoiseshell kittens lay on their backs, fast asleep, their white bellies rising and falling slightly. They looked incredibly soft and pet-able.
It looked pretty good!
Li Duyu and Mimi exchanged a glance and immediately quickened their pace, jogging into the cat cafe.
Pushing open the door, the cool air conditioning instantly drove away the summer heat.
Even Mimi, who had been tense and full of design sketches, couldn’t help but relax. Although the cat cafe was crowded, it was quiet.
A familiar small blackboard stood at the entrance. But the chalk writing had changed from recruitment ads to cat interaction guidelines, listing common rules like no forced holding of cats and no feeding.
Li Duyu couldn’t resist taking a photo with her phone.
The staff at the entrance was a young woman holding disinfectant hand sanitizer. She softly explained that they needed to wash their hands before entering and change into the slippers provided by the cafe before stepping aside to let them through.
As soon as they entered, Mimi, who had been too busy to feel hungry for a long time, caught a faint, sweet aroma. It was the scent of freshly baked pastries. It was light and not at all cloying. It mingles with the slight bitterness of coffee, constantly tempting the appetite.
Mimi, who hadn’t eaten breakfast, suddenly felt an irresistible hunger. She picked up the menu. The beautiful presentation further whetted her appetite. She even felt like trying every item.
Urged by her hunger, she quickly placed her order, then found a seat while Li Duyu was still looking at the menu.
The seat was near the cushions by the floor-to-ceiling window, where the two tortoiseshell kittens were still sleeping.
By this point, she had forgotten that her purpose in coming to the cat cafe wasn’t to play with cats but to study the decor. Her eyes scanned the cafe intently, searching for other cats.
Ahhh, that beautiful big white furball! Could you come over and let your big sister pet you?
Ragdoll!! A little fairy Ragdoll! Those blue eyes hold galaxies, wuwuwu.
As soon as Mimi sat down, a low-slung orange cat slowly ambled over, jumped onto her low table, and rolled onto its back. Its chubby body spread out naturally under gravity, knocking Mimi’s phone aside.
Mimi: “!!”
She leaned in closer and noticed an orange cat with a plaque hanging from its neck, engraved with elegant script: Manager Dan Huang.
Dan Huang: Now that you’re in the cat cafe, stop playing with your phone. Come play with me.
Mimi quickly covered her mouth, nearly exclaiming aloud. She didn’t even notice when her phone was nudged aside by the hefty cat.
Dan Huang extended a paw and pressed it onto Mimi’s hand. Carefully, Mimi stroked Dan Huang’s soft, fluffy belly and was instantly captivated by the plump orange cat’s delightful chubbiness.
By the time Li Duyu walked over, her friend was already completely absorbed in petting the cat. As for the bag stuffed with design books… it had been tossed aside, its zipper still unopened.
Li Duyu shrugged. She had expected as much.
Dan Huang held onto Mimi’s wrist, gently licking her fingers. The slightly rough texture of its tongue brushing against her skin left Mimi both surprised and delighted.
“It’s so adorable, ahhh, so chubby and soft!”
Mimi’s right hand sank entirely into the fur. Dan Huang’s springy belly feels like yellow gummy candy.
While Mimi was engrossed with Dan Huang, a soft exclamation came from the opposite side. She couldn’t help but look up and saw that a crowd had gathered around a square table, some even holding up their phones to take pictures.
The large orange cat suddenly rolled over, leaped off the table, and scurried onto a soft cushion in a few quick movements.
Unnoticed, only one small tortoiseshell cat remained on the cushion. The large orange cat picked up the little tortoiseshell in its mouth and ambled leisurely toward the crowded square table. Those brushed by its fur let out brief, startled gasps before quickly making way.
Curious, Mimi followed. In the crowd were two young men with their heads bowed, their faces unclear. One had a small tortoiseshell cat clinging to him, while the other, in a black shirt, held a golden shaded cat in his arms.
On the square table lay an opened container of milk powder. Clearly, the cat dads were about to start feeding.
The large orange cat jumped onto the table, set down the little tortoiseshell, and within seconds, a leopard cat descended from above, landing steadily on the table and startling several people.
The leopard cat sniffed around, stuck its head into the milk powder bag, startled itself, and backed away with its rear in the air. When it pulled its head out, its face was dusted with milk powder.
Meanwhile, the little tortoiseshell, having just stepped onto the table, began meowing at its twin as if complaining, “Why didn’t you call me for mealtime?”
The small tortoiseshell clinging to the young man meowed and leaped down. The two furballs immediately tumbled together. The large orange cat sat upright on the table, watching as the two playful kittens rolled right up to it, gently patting the squirming babies with its tail.
One of the tortoiseshells couldn’t resist hugging the fluffy tail and nibbling on it.
Just then, the young man in the white hoodie looked up, causing a stir among the girls. He glanced in the direction of the louder noises, raised a finger to his lips, and pressed it gently. Then, he scooped up the two little tortoiseshells and cradled them in his arms. He tested the temperature of the milk bowl. Finding it just right, he placed it in front of the kittens.
The kittens, full of energy but quick to hunger, buried their faces in the milk as soon as they caught the scent, forgetting their playful tussles.
The young man was none other than Pei Shiyi. He had timed the milk preparation for the tortoiseshells to ensure the kittens wouldn’t go hungry.
Pei Shiyi had also prepared an extra dish of milk and picked it up to tease Song Gao: “Song Gao, want some milk?”
Song Gao considered himself a grown-up now and naturally refused to drink milk. He protested with a meow at Pei Shiyi, who still treated him like a baby, then turned and buried his face in Bo Jin’s arm.
Pei Shiyi shook with silent laughter.
Bo Jin slowly stroked Song Gao’s back and shot him a glance: “Got too much free time?”
Pei Shiyi immediately changed his expression, glancing back at him. Restrained by the public setting from outright sarcasm, he merely narrowed his eyes and drawled: “Yeees. You’re so refined, having risen above vulgar pleasures.”
He put down the milk bowl, then unexpectedly scooped up Song Gao and remarked offhandedly: “What’s so noble about petting cats anyway?”
Even when bickering with Bo Jin, he had to drag other cats into it. Scratching Tong Qian’s chin, he sought agreement: “Our Tong Qian thinks so too, doesn’t he?”
Without even turning his head, Tong Qian could feel Bo Jin’s gaze. Faced with this dangerous question, he slowly collapsed onto the table and played dead.
Life is so hard.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152