While the boss and his "best friend" were busy glaring at each other in mutual displeasure, many students at Yuchuan University found their social media feeds flooded with posts. Those posting were filled with excitement, while those being bombarded with content eagerly scrolled through various photos and videos.
What makes a cat café?
Cats, desserts, and ambiance.
When it came to these three aspects, Xianchan Cat Café undoubtedly excelled—its desserts were crafted with care, the prices were reasonable, and as for ambiance… the moment you stepped in, you were completely captivated by the atmosphere!
And the most important element of a cat café—the cats—were enough to drive any cat lover insane.
The café’s official social media account saw a significant increase in followers. In the age of social media, moments, space updates, and video VLOGs all became tools for spreading the word.
"A hidden gem! Every single cat has its own name! That long-haired Lion Cat, Miss Yun Chao, must be a fairy, right? How can she be so beautiful? And so affectionate! We surrounded her for ages, petting her, and she didn’t even get annoyed! I could film her all day—sob sob sob."
"Fondant, our little princess, is just too sweet! She even helped us pick up a dropped phone in a daze—she’s basically a Ragdoll dog. The desserts were good too! The drinks were alright! But the main focus is obviously the cats!"
"Yolk truly lives up to his role as the store manager! He personally greets every single customer who walks in! I’m not even the type to be obsessed with cats, but he must’ve noticed how lonely I looked because he came over and stayed with me for so long!"
"The Bengal cat is so gorgeous—sob sob sob! That tail is so long! I love agile and graceful cats like this, and it even has such a sweet temperament. I’m obsessed. What kind of divine feline is this?"
"Is no one talking about the British Shorthair golden shaded? It smells like milk—it still feels like a baby! And it's so skilled—it even kneads blankets, ahhhhh!"
"Why is no one hyping up the twins?!"
"Upstairs, the twins are always clinging to the boss. They won’t let anyone pet them. They’re still too little."
Of course, there were always a few people whose thoughts differed from the masses—
"I’m doing a full 360-degree spinning inhale of the boss! What kind of god-tier beauty is this?!"
[Attached: Over a dozen photos.]
Comments:
"360-degree spinning inhale of the boss’s best friend!"
"Others are here for the cats—I’m here for the boss."
"???"
"Wait, are you guys sure you went to a cat café?"
When something interesting starts spreading, it quickly snowballs. Some of these particularly adorable or hilarious comments were reposted countless times, reaching an even wider audience. Parents saw them, classmates saw them, even teachers saw them…
The video of Pei Shiyi and his friend making milk for the kittens completely blew up on social media.
He was good-looking, had an amusing way of speaking, and even when kittens clambered all over him, he remained patient and unbothered. He was the ideal type in the hearts of many young women.
Who doesn’t love the combination of a handsome guy and cute animals? And this handsome guy was even a "cat dad"! Both good-looking and adorable—absolutely lethal! Plenty of girls who had seen Pei Shiyi up close couldn’t help but post in their friend circles, wailing “I want to marry him!” A few, unfortunately, forgot to filter out their parents and ended up getting scolded to hell and back.
…
In the age of big data, the casual reviews left by influencers could easily spread far and wide, drawing more and more attention. If a recommendation was genuinely heartfelt, it often attracted visitors who came specifically because of it.
Among them, one particular article—nearly a thousand words long—was widely shared. It was a heartfelt confession from a bald, stressed-out senior student, written with an exaggerated flair.
She described how she had been struggling with her graduation project, revising it over and over without satisfaction. That was until she visited the cat café—where it was as if her meridians had been unblocked, and inspiration struck like lightning. Two nights later, she had finally completed her revisions. Now, fully recharged from a trip to the café, she was alive and kicking once more.
At the end, she concluded with:
'Thank you, boss and cats, for saving my life! (bows in gratitude)'
As soon as this article was published, it was wildly shared among university seniors across various institutions. The comments were filled with people hoping to absorb some of that good fortune, praying that their own designs would pass and that their thesis defenses would go smoothly…
And so, in just a few days, with a boost from this "mystical power," the cat café suddenly became a sensation!
Many universities were located in other provinces and cities, so students who couldn’t visit could only soak in the excitement from afar, expressing their envy toward Yuchuan University students in the process.
Even within Yuchuan University, there were those who had no particular interest in cat cafés. But after seeing all the eager comments online, they, too, were inexplicably filled with pride. Naturally, they called their friends together and added the cat café to their to-do list.
Moreover, in the first few days of opening, there were plenty of promotional events. Upon entering the café and inquiring, customers discovered that spending a certain amount would earn them vouchers, and that select drinks and desserts were even discounted. Some who had only come for the hype suddenly felt like they had hit the jackpot.
This wave of unconscious support from Yuchuan University brought in a substantial influx of customers for the cat café and helped boost its presence among netizens.
**
The cat café opened at 11:30 AM and closed at 7:30 PM.
At 9:30 AM, Pei Shiyi flipped the "Closed" sign on the glass door to "Open." At this hour, the other nearby shops had already started their business as well.
As Zhang Yu stepped into the store, he changed his shoes and said, "Boss, I brought breakfast. Want some? Just custard buns—pretty mild in flavor."
He was the café's beverage chef, still a young guy, having only graduated not long ago.
Pei Shiyi was in the middle of working on a rigid board, surrounded by over a dozen paint palettes, completely occupied. "I already ate. You guys go ahead."
The three waitstaff cheered and rushed over to divide the buns among themselves.
With a bun in one hand, Zhang Yu scooped up the still-sleepy Egg Yolk into his arms with the other. "Boss, what are you working on?"
He leaned in for a look and immediately exclaimed, "Wait… Boss, you can paint?!"
On the rigid board were five vivid and lifelike half-body portraits of cats! Pei Shiyi was in the process of adding a background and decorations—the background color matched the café's signboard, a minty green, with light green vines painted on the white border.
Zhang Yu admired it. "This looks amazing! Boss, what is this for?"
Putting down his brush, Pei Shiyi explained, "It's an introduction board. Once the paint dries, I'll hang it at the entrance."
As a phoenix that especially enjoyed showing off, he naturally mastered all the traditional arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—since they could all come in handy when "displaying his plumage." While he wasn’t particularly well-versed in modern painting techniques, his foundation was solid, so drawing a few cat portraits was no problem.
The idea came to him after noticing that many customers had trouble matching the fluffy residents to their respective photo albums, often not knowing their names. So, he decided to put up a noticeable sign to introduce the café's cats.
Zhang Yu moved in even closer, pointing at the red decorations along the border. "Uh… is this a bird? It’s so tiny."
Pei Shiyi glanced at the simplified little phoenix and, with an expression that didn’t change in the slightest, replied, "Yeah, it’s a bird."
Zhang Yu burst out laughing. "Boss, cats are natural-born small animal hunters. Birds and cats can’t coexist! Why not paint some dried fish instead?"
Pei Shiyi: "…"
And fish can coexist with cats?
He choked slightly but couldn’t exactly explain that he was a bird. So instead, he looked at Zhang Yu with a half-smile. "The tea's ready, isn’t it? I can smell it."
Zhang Yu quickly stuffed the rest of the bun into his mouth, put down Egg Yolk, and rushed to the kitchen.
Pei Shiyi stared at the board for a moment, then silently added two more birds to it.
Who said birds and cats couldn’t coexist? Was he an ordinary bird? If he told the truth, it’d scare that clueless kid to death.
As he was painting, Bo Jin had already changed his shoes and walked up behind him, watching the entire process of him drawing birds.
Then he asked, "Since you're painting birds, why not paint me?"
Pei Shiyi gripped his brush. "That’s not a bird. It’s a phoenix."
Was he doing this on purpose? Was he looking for a fight?
Bo Jin knelt beside him and pointed at the border. "Right here—can you add me in?"
Pei Shiyi let out an amused huff. "This is a cat café. I run a cat café. Of course, I’m in it. What does this have to do with you? Are you a cat?"
Bo Jin argued, "I’m not a cat, but I have bought food and drinks for the cats. I handed out flyers for the café. I even delivered free samples."
He had done so much for the café—didn’t he deserve a spot?
Pei Flayer Shiyi remained unmoved and focused on drying the paint as quickly as possible.
Bo Jin, this fake domineering CEO and true cat fanatic, wasn’t actually trying to claim credit for his efforts over the past few days. He just wanted to stick himself next to the fluffy creatures.
Seeing that Pei Shiyi was unmoved, Bo Jin lowered his head, dipped a brush in black paint, and prepared to take matters into his own hands.
The way he held the brush immediately gave him away as an amateur. Of course, Pei Shiyi couldn’t let him ruin the board, so he reached out to snatch the brush away.
There were quite a few ordinary customers in the store, so the two of them relied purely on strength and skill—no spiritual energy involved. But both of them were far from being pushovers. The brush was just an ordinary human-made tool, completely unable to withstand a battle between a dragon and a phoenix.
With a sharp crack, the brush snapped.
The handle and brush head broke apart and flew off in different directions. The paint-covered brush head landed on the light-colored carpet, instantly staining it with a spreading blot of ink.
Unfortunately, Pei Shiyi had been kneeling on that very carpet. The ink stain was less than two centimeters away from his pants. He had originally reached out to catch the falling brush, but the moment it hit the ground, he instinctively pulled his hand back—only to collide with Bo Jin, who had done the exact same thing.
For a brief moment, their hands were practically clasped together.
Pei Shiyi: "…"
His expression froze for a full two seconds.
He was born into nobility, and aside from his parents, no other creature had ever gotten this physically intimate with him in human form.
He stared blankly at Bo Jin for a moment, unsure of what expression to put on.
Bo Jin also hadn’t expected this outcome. He hastily withdrew his hand, but the warm, dry touch lingered on his palm, like a perfect ray of sunlight brushing past. Instinctively, he clenched his fingers.
Should he be getting angry? But technically, Bo Jin hadn’t done it on purpose… No, it was definitely because Bo Jin had tried to interfere—
Pei Shiyi glared at him, feeling completely justified in getting mad.
So he grabbed a blanket and threw it over Bo Jin’s head.
"Go wash the carpet."
Bo Jin asked, "If I wash it, will you paint me on the board?"
After considering that if he pushed Pei Shiyi too far, he might actually get kicked out, Bo Jin scooped up the passing Songgao and declared, "I’m an employee’s family member."
Since force didn’t work, he switched tactics to a softer approach—Director Bo was clearly someone who knew when to bend and when to stand firm.
Songgao, suddenly lifted into the air: "??"
Pei Shiyi gave Bo Jin an incredulous once-over. In all his years as a phoenix, he had never encountered someone so shameless, so utterly willing to do anything to get his way. He was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a brief pause, he finally spat out a dry, single word—
"Get lost."