Dan Huang had wandered many places since arriving in Yuchuan from Jinhua, rarely lingering around humans. But one winter, he picked up a half-dead kitten. Knowing he couldn’t raise it himself, he sought out a kind-hearted person who often fed stray cats to take it in.
That kind-hearted person was Tao Yang. It was the young man standing before him now.
Dan Huang left Tao Yang once the kitten was lively and healthy again. Partly because he ate a lot and didn’t want to burden Tao Yang, and partly because… if he didn’t run, he’d be taken to get neutered.
Never in his wildest dreams did Dan Huang expect Tao Yang to show up at the cat café.
Dan Huang turned on the spot, pretending he’d never been there.
Oh no, oh no, what should he do? Better find the boss quickly.
Dan Huang still remembered how Fondant’s former owner had come looking for her, upsetting Fondant. Dan Huang didn’t mind meeting old acquaintances, but he didn’t want to cause trouble for the boss.
After taking two steps, Dan Huang suddenly felt a warmth on his belly. Turning around, he met Tao Yang’s eyes.
Tao Yang, feeling the soft fur and plump flesh under his palm, couldn’t help but ask, “Ju Zi, have you gained weight again?”
Dan Huang: “…”
Oh dear, he’s been recognized.
At this point, it was best to call the boss over immediately.
Dan Huang meowed twice. But instead of the boss, it was Mr. Bo who came downstairs.
Bo Jin stood in front of Dan Huang and said calmly, “You can’t forcibly hold the cats in this café.”
Tao Yang quickly explained, “I wasn’t trying to force-hold the cat, it’s just…”
Xuan Ying gently pressed his shoulder, bowed to Bo Jin, and whispered, “Director.”
So the cat café’s backer was the director of the Supernatural Management Bureau. No wonder… Perhaps that painting was created by the director himself.
Bo Jin saw through Xuan Ying’s identity at a glance—Li Mo, the so-called orthodox black cat, a respected young cat within his clan and a strong candidate for the next clan leader.
Setting aside their official roles, Bo Jin wasn’t fond of Li Mo. The black cat clan was one of the advocates of pure-blood ideology.
Influenced by his boyfriend, Bo Jin held a disapproving attitude toward bloodline theories.
Besides, with Fondant at home and, later, Zuo Bai, such ideologies were naturally disliked by all the cats.
Bo Jin: “If you have business, let’s discuss it upstairs.”
When handling official matters or dealing with unfamiliar people, Bo Jin’s expression and tone were always cold. Li Mo stiffened and obediently followed Bo Jin to the third floor.
Tao Yang, feeling lost, released Dan Huang. Once free, Dan Huang hurried to find Miss Penny, hoping the steady and clever Miss Penny could offer some advice.
Although Yun Chao had probably dealt with situations like meeting old acquaintances before, going to her would surely result in a beating.
…
Bo Jin: “Are you here to see Shiyi or me?”
Li Mo sat upright and straight. “Actually, it’s like this. A few days ago, Tao Yang received a prize from the cat café…”
Bo Jin replied coldly, “If it’s just about that, there’s nothing to discuss. I didn’t paint it. It truly came from a divine artifact. It was a randomly selected prize from the cat café and is quite beneficial to humans. And though it was randomly selected, since it ended up with your companion, it likely wasn’t entirely accidental. Just keep it and don’t worry about it.”
Bo Jin’s gaze fell on Tao Yang. “Tao Yang, right? Your constitution attracts negative energy. Having something to suppress it is a good thing.”
There is a destined opportunity in the unseen. Divine objects have always been the most particular about fate. So, although the cat café’s lottery events are said to be random, those who win the prizes often have good character.
Li Mo breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Tao Yang felt the heavy stone in his heart lift and sighed with relief. “Thank you so much. We won’t disturb you any further…”
Just as the two were about to leave, the faint sound of footsteps was accompanied by a clear, melodious voice: “Do we have guests today?”
Tao Yang quickly turned around to see a tall, slender young man holding two cats as he made his way up to the third floor.
It was Pei Shiyi, who had just returned, with Zuo Bai and Yu Gao in his arms. He had gone to the second branch in the morning to check on the renovation progress. Before leaving, he thought he shouldn’t come back empty-handed, so he casually picked up two cats from Yuan Jing’s residence and brought them back.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he returned, he saw Bo Jin entertaining guests.
Hmm, and one of them was a cat in its original form.
Pei Shiyi placed the cat nest in his arms into Bo Jin’s embrace. He glanced at the empty table and said helplessly, “Why didn’t you offer them anything?”
Bo Jin lowered his head, either admitting his mistake or pretending not to hear.
Pei Shiyi sighed. “I’ll go prepare some drinks for you.”
With that, he turned and went downstairs.
Zuo Bai, lying in the cat nest, found himself face-to-face with Li Mo. He froze for a moment before his fur bristled all over. “Li Mo?”
Li Mo narrowed his eyes. “It’s you.”
Yu Gao was utterly confused, tilting his head to look at Zuo Bai.
Zuo Bai said coldly, “Interesting. Even someone recognized as a pureblood by the clan has been driven out?”
Li Mo replied coldly, “No need for your concern.”
Yu Gao asked blankly, “Do you know him?”
Zuo Bai: “Of course, I know him. I mentioned before that I come from the Black Cat clan of Yuchuan, a clan that has always revered purebloods. Like you humans, they favor so-called pedigrees and pure breeds. This unfortunate Li Mo is a supporter of the pureblood theory. Mixed breeds like me are driven out when we come of age.”
Li Mo: “I’ve already left the clan. If you just want to vent your anger, go ahead.”
Zuo Bai: “I wouldn’t do something so pointless.”
Bo Jin and Yu Gao exchanged a glance and simultaneously pretended not to notice.
Bo Jin glanced back at the staircase: Where’s my boyfriend?
Yu Gao wondered when the boss would come back upstairs.
When Pei Shiyi returned with the drinks, the atmosphere on the third floor was tense. Bo Jin quietly explained the relationship between Zuo Bai and Li Mo, as well as the reason Li Mo and Tao Yang were visiting.
Pei Shiyi: “…What kind of twisted fate is this…”
It was just a random lottery, but the winner ended up owning a cat that had a grudge against his own cat.
Bo Jin: “It’s not like us.”
Pei Shiyi: “Hmm?”
Bo Jin: “We are a love story.”
Pei Shiyi covered Yu Gao’s little head with one hand to prevent him from hearing such cheesy talk. “…Are you at it again?”
Bo Jin smiled faintly.
Tao Yang said awkwardly, “Um…”
Pei Shiyi pushed Bo Jin’s hand away and smiled. “Is there something else?”
Tao Yang: “Well, actually, I came today because the cat café is hiring. I know it’s not the first branch, but…” He wasn’t good at socializing and scratched his head awkwardly. “Should I go to the second branch to ask?”
Pei Shiyi, however, wore a thoughtful expression. The moment Tao Yang spoke, Pei Shiyi recognized his voice. It wasn’t until Tao Yang finished his sentence that Pei Shiyi finally remembered where he had heard it before. He said, “The first branch is just the same. The new branch is indeed hiring. But before that, may I ask—do you happen to have an account on Bishui Station where you post cute pet videos, with the ID ‘Many Cats’?”
Tao Yang was pleasantly surprised. “You know about it?”
Pei Shiyi smiled. “I’ve watched all your videos. They’re really good.”
The reason Tao Yang hadn’t gained much popularity yet was probably due to his irregular upload schedule. He managed to produce only one video every few weeks, making him a monthly uploader.
Tao Yang had just over thirty thousand followers on Bishui Station, while Xian Chan was the most famous pet-focused content creator on the platform. Now, the owner of Xian Chan was saying he had watched Tao Yang’s videos and even praised them.
Though Tao Yang was worn out by the struggles of daily life, he had poured a lot of effort into his Bishui Station account. Suddenly receiving recognition from a top creator on the same platform, Tao Yang couldn’t help but smile, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I taught myself everything about editing. My videos aren’t as polished as Xian Chan’s. I’m afraid they’re nothing special.”
Pei Shiyi’s mind was already buzzing with new ideas. He smiled warmly. “Not at all. Your cats are all very adorable.”
Unlike Bo Jin, whose presence tended to freeze the atmosphere, Pei Shiyi’s words quickly revived the nearly icy mood and won Tao Yang’s trust almost instantly.
With his furry companions praised, Tao Yang immediately found a topic to chat about. “Whenever I film my videos, I always…”
Pei Shiyi listened with a cheerful smile. Just by looking at his expression, Bo Jin could guess what Pei Shiyi was thinking. Ah, with the new branch opening, Shiyi is definitely planning to recruit someone to take over Zhou Yan’s role there.
After all, the cat café’s main promotional strategy relied on online platforms, using Bishui Station and Weibo videos for publicity. With the new branch opening, the cat café’s Bishui Station account would need to expand as well.
Having an additional account wasn’t a problem, but finding someone like Zhou Yan who could capture trending elements at Bishui Station while highlighting the charm of the furry residents was a challenge.
Now, that person had practically walked right in.
Although Tao Yang already managed his own Bishui Station account, Pei Shiyi was confident he could coordinate things smoothly.
At the Supernatural Management Bureau, Bo Jin had always been hands-off. And as the cat café’s “co-owner”, he remained just as laid-back.
…
In the end, when Tao Yang left the cat café, his role was finalized to be similar to Zhou Yan’s. His main responsibility would be managing the Bishui Station account’s videos, but he would also have fixed weekly shifts at the cat café, paid by the hour.
Among the thirteen cats Tao Yang cared for, four were kittens he had adopted less than a week ago. After discussing it with Pei Shiyi, Tao Yang decided to temporarily foster these four kittens at the cat café. If anyone expressed interest in adopting them, they could take the kittens home, provided they passed the cat café’s screening process and won the kittens’ approval.
After all, if the kittens were willing, there was no need for them to squeeze into a forty-square-meter apartment with over a dozen other cats, sometimes having to endure the rough play of the older felines.
Pei Shiyi also learned from Tao Yang that Dan Huang had once lived at Tao Yang’s home for a period of time.
Tao Yang had originally intended to keep this secret. But after exchanging a few words with Pei Shiyi, his mind went fuzzy, and he ended up spilling everything. After the slip-up, Tao Yang tightened his grip on his cup and said, “Um, I absolutely don’t intend to take Ju Zi or Dan Huang away. Dan Huang must be a cat demon, too, right? I understand his feelings and won’t go looking for him.”
Pei Shiyi didn’t seem particularly concerned. “I haven’t thanked you yet for adopting Dan Huang. He’s a very steady kid. Before coming to the cat café, he’d been to many places. I know all about it.” The same was true for Yun Chao, though Yun Chao wasn’t as approachable as Dan Huang and likely had far fewer interactions with humans.
Tao Yang genuinely felt that this cat café owner was both beautiful and kind-hearted.
Pei Shiyi watched Tao Yang and Li Mo walk away, lazily remarking, “Finally, that issue is resolved.”
Bo Jin said slowly, “If Li Mo also comes to the cat café, won’t he end up fighting with Zuo Bai?”
Pei Shiyi smiled, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “My uncle raised a whole mountain of fluffy creatures back in Four Directions. He’s much better at handling these kinds of relationships than I am. Of course, the main thing is that both Li Mo and Zuo Bai are grown cats. If my uncle decides to tease them… they should be able to handle it.”
Bo Jin suddenly had a whimsical thought. “If your uncle teases me, will you help me?”
Pei Shiyi replied, “Hmm, let me think about it…”
Bo Jin: “…Is it because I don’t have fur that I’m not the kind of cub you’d protect?”
Pei Shiyi responded, “Snap out of it. You’re not a cub.”
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wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1