The beautiful, rare, and tough Pei Shiyi finally received the subsidies and loans he applied for. The combined amount was not insignificant, and it would be enough if he only opened one floor of the cat café.
Currently, the cat café had two big cats, making three in total with Yun Chao. Pei Shiyi had decided to only open the first floor for business. After calculating the area of the first floor, he concluded that five cats would be the appropriate number.
So, he needed two more cats.
Pei Shiyi, after crunching the numbers and realizing he was short, asked Long Que to keep an eye out for any cat-like mythical creatures or monsters in need of work, provided they had a good temperament and were friendly towards humans.
Long Que agreed without hesitation; her office desk was right next to the poverty alleviation team, which frequently dealt with non-human entities in financial need.
However, Long Que was a bit concerned about finding creatures that were friendly towards humans. Those in urgent need of aid were usually newcomers to the human world and often harbored resistance towards humans.
Although Long Que agreed to help, she advised Pei Shiyi to prepare for the possibility of not finding suitable cats.
Pei Shiyi decided to write a job advertisement himself: "Our shop is currently recruiting a working cat. Gender does not matter, adults only. Must have a gentle and friendly personality. Meals, accommodation, and grooming are provided. The salary is negotiable."
This small blackboard, with words boldly written in chalk, was placed on the windowsill of the floor-to-ceiling window. Its humorous content attracted many passersby, who couldn't help but stop and take a look. Young people took photos and posted them on Space or Moments.
The day the subsidy from the Non-Human Management Bureau arrived, Pei Shiyi successfully contacted an interior designer online. The designer was a professional, so Pei Shiyi only needed to describe the desired style.
Since the café had the word "café" in its name, it should have a quiet coffeehouse atmosphere, but not too serious—more like a bubble tea shop.
However, cicadas didn’t have large glass walls and had a rather complicated structure. A whimsical fairytale style, blending sweetness with mystery, would be just right.
"...With summer approaching, it would be best to lay woven carpets on the floor. The first floor should also be divided into a bar for ordering and a dining area," Pei Shiyi, though not well-versed in design, had a natural sensitivity to aesthetics due to his winged lineage.
The designer, a cat lover himself, was already captivated by the initial description and secretly planned a visit with his own cat one day.
However, after surveying the place, the designer's enthusiasm quickly cooled down. The first floor was spacious but poorly structured and dimly lit. Achieving the desired style Pei Shiyi described would be a challenging task.
Noticing the designer’s silence, Pei Shiyi smiled and said, "Mr. Kong?"
The designer’s enthusiasm reignited. "Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to create the atmosphere you want!"
As soon as he spoke, he almost teared up. Why did he agree so readily?
It must be because Mr. Pei was just too good-looking.
Kong Fanyang thought to himself.
However, once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back. Since Kong Fanyang had insisted on putting on a show, he had no choice but to go through with it.
Pei Shiyi smiled as he saw the worried designer off.
While the designer was discussing ideas with Pei Shiyi, Tong Qian and Yolk formally met.
Although Yolk was just an ordinary cat demon, unlike Zhu Jian who was born a mystical beast, he had cultivated for hundreds of years and wasn’t afraid of Tong Qian. What worried him was whether Tong Qian would be difficult to get along with.
Leopard cats are a rare breed. Even though Tong Qian wasn’t a true Leopard cat, he was a creature of the night and the dense forest, with a personality very different from a domestic cat.
Yolk could already imagine the expressions of humans upon seeing Tong Qian: they would circle around him, take endless photos and videos, and shower him with praise.
The two kitten milk cats, unaware of the situation, played with Yolk's tail.
Yolk glanced back at the two kittens, then walked up to Tong Qian.
Tong Qian watched in surprise as an orange mountain of flesh slowly approached. Although Yolk’s legs weren’t short, his belly was just a few centimeters from the ground. Despite his round face, his features were quite delicate and cute.
Tong Qian had seen fat cats before, but never one this fat. Wild cats outside, no matter how well they ate, still had to fight for territory, which prevented them from growing too fat.
Yolk was different. He stayed in the cat café, ate three meals a day, and got extra treats from visitors. With no competition for space, he grew as fat as he wanted.
But Yolk did have good looks. Even as a fat cat, he was quite graceful.
Yolk approached Tong Qian, who remained motionless, looking quite friendly. Yolk felt relieved and licked Tong Qian’s ears.
Yolk was used to grooming the two kittens and was quite adept at it. Tong Qian, who had been sitting with his tail curled around him, was soon relaxed by Yolk's grooming. Bathed in sunlight, Tong Qian gradually closed his eyes and snuggled into Yolk’s belly.
Leopard cats are nimble, and compared to the hefty orange tabby, Tong Qian seemed quite petite, perfectly fitting into Yolk’s fluffy belly.
When Pei Shiyi went upstairs, he saw this scene: the orange tabby curled around the Leopard cat, with two tortoiseshell kittens sprawled on top of the big cats. All four cats were sleeping on a sunlit sofa, forming a cozy mound of different colored fur.
They seemed to be getting along quite harmoniously.
Pei Shiyi smiled silently.
He didn’t disturb the cats’ nap but went back downstairs, pulled out his phone, and started researching cat café knowledge while posting job listings for a pastry chef and waitstaff online.
Pei Shiyi didn't need to sleep at all. His plan was to cram all the necessary knowledge before the grand opening and then buy some new cat toys and cat food the next day.
Cat trees, cat food, cans, toys... everything costs money. He might even need to get a computer...
Pei Shiyi covered his forehead and sighed deeply. In all his life, he had never been short of money. This was the first time he was worried about it.
Pei Shiyi considered going back to the tomb the next day to see if there was anything he could sell.
The next day
Pei Shiyi's good mood was completely shattered when he opened the door in the morning—the always-sleepy director from the Non-Human Management Bureau was standing at his doorstep.
Just looking at the director for a couple of seconds made Pei Shiyi feel drowsy.
Who knows how long it had been since his energetic race had felt such fatigue.
He held his forehead and tiredly asked, "Is your bureau about to go bankrupt?"
Judging by how steadily the director was standing, he had been there for a while.
Bo Jin: "..."
Originally, Long Que had planned to come with him this morning, but when she saw the two forms of Pei Shiyi, she was so shocked that she barged into Bo Jin's office, exclaiming all the way.
"Boss, a phoenix, wow!"
Bo Jin was woken up by her exclamations and leaned against the mahogany chair, looking at her.
Long Que took a step back in fear: "Boss, I heard that the Mr. Pei who came yesterday is a phoenix? And he's a red-level danger?"
Bo Jin frowned slightly and nodded.
Long Que murmured, "I actually had such close contact with a big shot from the same family..."
Her original form was a peacock, which had some kinship with the phoenix.
Long Que was dazed: "I can't believe I didn't pay my respects yesterday, didn't hug his thigh... I, I, I, I regret it so much! I want to see the big shot again!”
Bo Jin who didn’t want to see Pei Shiyi again: "......"
Long Que pondered for a moment and sighed, "I really didn't recognize a gem when I saw one."
Without waiting for Bo Jin to reply, Long Que said, "Boss, don't look at me like that! Mr. Pei is a phoenix, and I'm a peacock. Our species are related, and I was blind not to recognize him yesterday. I should at least pay my respects today."
A phoenix with power at the red level is a senior, on the same level as her boss. As a junior, she naturally had to readjust her position and pay her respects.
Bo Jin: "You can go on my behalf."
Long Que shook her head, "No, no, no, that one is at the red level, with power similar to yours, boss. It's not appropriate for me to go."
Bo Jin: "......"
Long Que stared at their boss's cold face and finally sensed something was amiss, "Boss, do you have some kind of grudge with that one?"
Bo Jin replied, "We are like water and fire."
Long Que said, "It's not the big boss's fault; boss, you offended the big boss the first time you met. Do you know what it means to us birds to be that close to our necks?"
As a Zhulong, Bo Jin naturally wouldn't understand the habits of bird species.
Long Que explained, "Generally speaking, being that close to the neck means either a fight or a flirtation."
She muttered, "Forget it, I won't go with you. What if the big boss takes it out on me too?"
Bo Jin: "......"
After Long Que left, Bo Jin leaned back in his chair, feeling it might be better to hibernate right there and then.
So, the one appearing before Pei Shiyi in the morning was a Zhulong who felt worse than death.
Bo Jin originally wanted to apologize for his rudeness, but the moment he saw Pei Shiyi, the other’s attitude blocked his apology.
With a blank face, Bo Jin thought, an apology wouldn’t improve their relationship. The problem between him and Pei Shiyi wasn’t a misunderstanding; it was just their incompatible nature.
Bo Jin held a red form between two fingers, "Take a look at this."
Pei Shiyi's gaze fell on the form, and with his keen eyesight, he easily read the words on it. The first line, bold and large, read "Danger Level: Red." Further down were various regulations for this level, mostly to prevent behavior that could harm society.
Pei Shiyi, with arms crossed, read down to the last line: Within three months of entering the world, a guardian must supervise daily activities... Supervision?
Pei Shiyi raised an eyebrow, "A guardian?"
Bo Jin shook the form, and after a slight rustling of paper, it disappeared from his hand.
Pei Shiyi asked, "You?"
Bo Jin nodded, "Yes, me."
Pei Shiyi pressed a hand to his chin and gazed at him for a long moment. Finally, he turned around and closed the door of the cat café.
Yun Chao would arrive this afternoon, and he needed to buy a cat bed—there weren't enough at home. After all, Yun Chao was a girl and couldn't be expected to squeeze in with the other cats.
Bo Jin, being on official duty, had to follow Pei Shiyi wherever he went.
Pei Shiyi walked for a few minutes, knowing without looking back that Bo Jin was still following him. He held back but eventually couldn't help asking, "Director, when does your 'supervision' end today?"
Although Bo Jin's pace wasn't fast, his strides were large, and he caught up to Pei Shiyi in a few steps. He replied, "Unfortunately, I have to stay at the cat café during work hours every day."
As he got closer to Pei Shiyi, he caught the scent he had noticed in the Special Administration Bureau's office that day—a warm and radiant fragrance, like the sun spreading warmth freely.
This warmth was perfect for an afternoon nap.
Bo Jin squinted his eyes—he was getting even sleepier.
Pei Shiyi sighed, "Is your so-called supervision meant to torment me?" He was almost feeling sleepy because of Bo Jin.
Bo Jin replied, "Let me correct you, it's mutual torment."
Pei Shiyi rubbed his forehead and continued on his way.
The pet shop was just across the street. With Pei Shiyi's pace, it took about ten minutes to get there. He pushed open the pet shop door and, out of courtesy, held it open until Bo Jin walked in.
Bo Jin was startled, then quickened his pace to go inside.
Pei Shiyi ignored him and, accompanied by the shop owner, picked out a milk tea-colored open cat bed, suitable for all seasons, with a very elegant design.
The owner said, "You have a good eye. This one has sold out several times. Is it for a boy or a girl at home?"
Pei Shiyi casually selected several boxes of cat food and a bag of cat kibble, "It's a girl, a Persian cat."
After selecting his items, he brought them to the counter to pay.
Before he could take out his money, another large bag was placed next to him with a clinking sound, indicating it was filled with cans.
Pei Shiyi turned around to see the perpetually sleepy director standing beside him, just having set down a bag full of canned cat food and kibble.
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