"So," Yolk looked up at Yun Chao, hesitatingly motioning with his tail towards the ragdoll, "who is this?....what's the situation with her?"
Yun Chao jumped off the table. The ragdoll, hearing the movement, quickly turned towards Yun Chao. Yolk and Tong Qian were both watching her, so she didn't dare stand up. She could only crawl on the ground, inching slowly towards Yun Chao, her little face immediately burying into Yun Chao's snowy white fur.
The ragdoll's size was all fluff; she was actually very light. Yun Chao remained unmoved even with her leaning against her.
"I picked her up," Yun Chao said. "She looked like she was about to faint from hunger, so I thought the boss might need another cat at the café and brought her back."
Yolk sighed. "Do you think her personality is suitable for working at a cat café?"
Cats at a cat café should be friendly and cute. Although Yun Chao was aloof and didn't fit this standard, she wasn't timid. Even if humans approached, she wouldn't shy away but would lie there with a look that made people feel like they'd ascended to heaven. She might even grace someone with a paw swipe if she felt like it. This ragdoll, however, was easily frightened. Just facing Yolk and Tong Qian, she was so scared that she couldn't even stand up.
Yun Chao retorted, "Is there any cat that wouldn't be afraid of bullies and hooligans?"
The leopard cat, though well-intentioned, had a rather sleazy expression. As for Yolk... he was too fat. Any normal human seeing a peer twice their size would also feel intimidated.
Bully Yolk: "..."
Hooligan Tong Qian: "..."
Tong Qian gave Yolk a look: "My goodness, she's fierce."
Yolk: "You'll get used to it. She's pretty, after all."
Pei Shiyi, holding back a laugh, reached out to pat the heads of the two orange cats. After being indiscriminately patted, Yolk and Tong Qian retreated behind Pei Shiyi, silent.
Yun Chao said, "Her name is Fondant. I picked her up on the street..." she paused, skipping over the question of why such an expensive breed of cat would be on the street, and continued, "She had a fight with other cats, so she's a bit scared of them. Although she's shy, she's still quite affectionate."
Pei Shiyi's gaze fell on the scratch marks on Fondant's back, guessing that the "fight" probably meant she had been bullied. No wonder she was afraid of other cats.
Yun Chao lifted her tail to pat Fondant, signaling her to walk up to Pei Shiyi.
Fondant walked up to Pei Shiyi, looking up and meowing softly at him.
As a ragdoll, Fondant had dark fur around her ears and eyes, with a dark patch on her back, while the rest of her fur was snowy white. Her eyes were ocean blue, and against the dark fur around them, the color could almost be described as deep, though her gaze was gentle like rippling water, and her meow was soft and sweet.
No wonder ragdolls are also called fairy cats.
Pei Shiyi sat on the carpet, letting Fondant carefully step onto his knees. He reached out to stroke Fondant's silk-like long fur.
The soft fur slipped through Pei Shiyi's fingers, carrying a slight coolness from the air-conditioned room. Pei Shiyi, having learned a lot about cats, immediately noticed something wrong—Fondant's fur, despite being a long-haired cat, was a bit too short.
Pei Shiyi silently estimated Fondant's fur length. Yes, it was indeed shorter than the standard range, though the difference was minimal. For humans, it wouldn't be noticeable without measuring tools.
"Fondant is very well-behaved."
Pei Shiyi gently stroked down Fondant's back.
Hearing the compliment, Fondant pressed her paws into his lap, then nestled into his arms, her tail curling around Pei Shiyi's wrist.
Remembering Yun Chao's earlier words that Fondant was nearly fainting from hunger when found, Pei Shiyi guessed she was an abandoned house cat. As for why she was abandoned...
Pei Shiyi touched Fondant's not-so-thick fur collar and probably figured it out.
Fondant wasn't a purebred ragdoll.
But so what? Does beauty depend on breed?
Fondant, soft and sweet, rolled over in Pei Shiyi's arms, showing her fluffy, delicate belly, her four little paws curled up, her ocean-blue eyes, pink nose, and pink mouth constantly meowing at Pei Shiyi.
Although she had been abandoned, she still loved being close to humans.
Bo Jin approached Pei Shiyi, observing for a moment before saying, "She knows how to act cute."
Rarely hearing a pleasant comment from Bo Jin, Pei Shiyi decided not to retort. He bent one knee, cradling Fondant's little face in one hand and gently scratching her chin. "Just like her name."
Fondant, a type of Western cake decoration technique, often resulted in beautiful, expensive cakes. But this cat Fondant was much sweeter than any cake.
The little tortoiseshell cat on Bo Jin's lap stared intently at Fondant's lightly swishing tail, climbed down Bo Jin's expensive suit trousers, and pounced on Fondant's tail.
Fondant jumped, turning to see a little kitten, then meowed softly, letting the little tortoiseshell pounce and play.
The twin tortoiseshells, one pouncing on the tail and the other nestled in Fondant's embrace.
The bureau chief, Bo Jin, pinched his fingers and picked up Tong Qian, who was eyeing the tortoiseshells with a touch of envy and placed him in his own lap.
The leopard cat's fur was also top-notch.
Tong Qian lay in Bo Jin's lap, stiffening from ears to tail, turning into a striped orange baguette.
He hadn't forgotten who brought him back to the agency, nor that this person was the real big boss.
Why pet me? Isn't Yolk the silly, sweet one?
Tong Qian tearfully thought: This is too hard.
At the end of the workday, Tong Qian finally, tearfully, saw Bo Jin off.
Yolk curiously asked, "Do you like that Mr. Bo?"
"I like..." Tong Qian swallowed the last two words with difficulty, "him very much."
Survival instinct kicked in—someone like Bo Jin, even mentioning him behind his back might not go unnoticed.
Pei Shiyi, nursing the twin tortoiseshells, said, "You'll be seeing him every day for the next three months. Excited?"
He certainly wasn't.
Tong Qian let out a wail and started to cry.
Yolk was startled. "What's wrong with you?"
Yun Chao said, "Maybe he's happy."
Tong Qian, in tears: "Yeah, happy. Really happy."
In the evening
Pei Shiyi had just put the two clingy kittens to sleep when Yun Chao knocked on the door.
Pei Shiyi, having just finished his bath, buttoned his pajamas up to the top and said, "Come in."
Yun Chao gently squeezed through the door, with Fondant following behind.
Fondant snuggled up to Yun Chao, the two fur balls sitting on the carpet, looking up at Pei Shiyi.
Pei Shiyi got out of bed, sitting in front of the two beauties, smiling, "What's up?"
Fondant meowed and burrowed into Pei Shiyi's arms, a sweet, soft fur ball that even Pei Shiyi couldn't refuse.
Yun Chao said, "Fondant has something to tell you but was afraid you wouldn't understand, so she called me over." Fondant had surprisingly gained intelligence. Though smart, her cultivation was too low to speak human language. The boss was very powerful, but who knew what species he was, and whether their languages would be the same.
Pei Shiyi held Fondant's front paws and gently shook them, "I can understand. What does little Fondant want to say to me?"
Fondant's ears slowly drooped, unsure of how to start. She looked at Yun Chao, seeking help.
The lion cat sat quietly, watching her.
With her intelligence awakening, Fondant finally understood why her previously loving family abandoned her—she was a mixed breed, not a pure ragdoll, lacking the luxurious, beautiful long fur of her kind.
After wandering for half a month, she finally found a new home. She was also worried about being abandoned again because of her lineage.
But... if she didn't say it, wouldn't that be lying? Would she deceive such a kind person?
Fondant looked up at Pei Shiyi, then slowly lowered her head, softly meowing, "I'm a mixed breed cat. If you keep me, people in the know will mock you."
Pei Shiyi gently stroked Fondant's back, and said, "That's just jealousy because I have a little fairy."
Fondant was stunned, then softly said, "Will you keep me? I'm not as cute as other ragdolls."
Pei Shiyi replied, "Fondant is cute not because she's a ragdoll, but because she's Fondant."
He chuckled softly, "Our little fairy."
Fondant's furry little paws hugged Pei Shiyi's arm tightly, her face shyly buried in his chest.
Thus, the cat café had four adult cats. Pei Shiyi hadn't managed to bring in any other adult cats for the time being, and the renovation officially began.
During the renovation, Pei Shiyi took the cats from the cat café out to shoot a photo album.
After the photo shoot, Yolk sneaked into Pei Shiyi’s arms, eating the jerky he brought: “Boss, why did we take so many photos? It’s expensive.”
Their funds were not sufficient.
Pei Shiyi kissed his ear and smiled: “You’ll find out in a while.”
Xianchan was located at the end of Shiliu Street. Unlike other shops, it was a standalone small building. The store was large, but the layout was quite ordinary, not a regular rectangular shape, making it appear a bit winding compared to other shops.
After several communications with the designer, Pei Shiyi finally decided on a fairy tale style for the renovation. He added several windows with thin curtains hanging on both sides. Although not thick, the curtains provided good light-blocking effects. Even with the rest of the decorations not yet in place, the store had already begun to exude a dreamy atmosphere.
The seating arrangement was inspired by milk tea shops, with a row of high tables and stools near the counter, while the area near the windows had low tables and sofas. Some tabletop games were casually placed on the low tables. The floor was covered with a beige thin carpet, and shelves (cat climbing frames) were nailed to the walls, connected by wooden ladders, allowing the cats to jump around freely. Green plants that could coexist with humans were chosen as decorations, hidden among the varying heights, perfectly utilizing the terrain to create a sense of mystery.
With iron wall lamps, solid wood furniture, and small, inconspicuous decorations, the renovated cat café was like a treasure full of little surprises.
These ideas were not from Kong Fanyang but from the employer, Pei Shiyi.
Kong Fanyang watched as the tall, slim figure in front reached out to take a toy from a high shelf and stuffed it into the arms of a leopard cat. Startled, the leopard cat jumped, and Mr. Pei, having successfully played a prank, laughed while leaning on the high table.
The cat café, like its owner, was full of shining points.
However, this owner was more dazzling than the gentle cat café.
The successfully renovated cat café had undergone a complete transformation inside and out.
Kong Fanyang marveled: “I never thought it could turn out like this.”
Pei Shiyi held Fondant in his arms. This precious cat had stayed in the cat café for a few days and had regained a normal weight. Her long fur was as smooth as silk, and her beauty was back in business.
Fondant hadn’t seen any humans other than her owner for a long time. She was very affectionate, always watching Kong Fanyang with curious eyes.
Pei Shiyi looked down and smiled: “Fondant, do you want to go over?”
Fondant meowed softly: “Meow.” Yes.
Kong Fanyang, feeling honored, asked: “Does that mean I can hold her?”
“Of course, our little princess likes you very much.”
Pei Shiyi gently handed Fondant to Kong Fanyang.
Kong Fanyang, an expert at raising cats, quickly found the best way to hold her.
The feeling was like holding a big cloud that emitted a sweet scent like cotton candy. Kong Fanyang was intoxicated: “Having a cat is wonderful.”
Pei Shiyi walked to the bar and poured two drinks, pushing one in front of Kong Fanyang: “Going home like this, won’t you get scratched by the one at home?”
Kong Fanyang, now smelling like a cat, had a British Shorthair at home that would certainly ignore him for several days: “It’d be worth getting scratched to death.”
As he walked toward Pei Shiyi, he glanced down and saw an open booklet on the bar. He burst out laughing: “What’s this?”
It was standing up like a large photo album, beautifully made. The appearance wasn’t the point; the point was that it contained blue-background photos!
They looked like ID photos, but the subjects were cats.
Taking ID photos for cats? You’re a genius.