The cat café had successfully made it through its first two days of operation. With all the promotional events concluded, foot traffic had decreased significantly, but business had stabilized, and returning customers were becoming a common sight.
For any store, maintaining the same level of customer flow as opening day was unrealistic. The key to survival lay in daily operations—holiday events were merely the icing on the cake, a way to earn extra revenue.
At 10:46 AM, the cat café was fully prepared to welcome guests. The staff bustled about, closing the doors and windows and turning on the air conditioning.
Pei Shiyi took out a dry display board and placed it by the floor-to-ceiling window. The fresh color scheme immediately turned it into a visually appealing sign.
Inside the café, soft and soothing music began to play—a signal for the cats that it was time to wake up and start their day.
Tangtang dashed down the stairs, turning back to call out. Within seconds, another large, snow-white fluff ball slowly descended. Tangtang quickly ran back, burying herself in the soft fur and rubbing against it for a long while.
Yunchao remained still, allowing her to indulge in the affection she had bottled up all night. Compared to when she first arrived at the café, Tangtang was now much livelier. Though she hadn't yet learned how to cultivate on her own, the entire café was enveloped in the boss’s aura. With such strong spiritual energy, even dull-witted humans could sense its influence, let alone sensitive creatures like them. As a result, she had become increasingly energetic, regaining the lively traits of a Ragdoll dog.
Just by staying here, one could benefit immensely from the environment, even though the boss had yet to formally teach anything. One look at Tangtang’s vitality was enough to see how well she had been nurtured—she was no longer timid like before.
Every morning when Yunchao woke up, she was in a good mood. Once Tangtang’s clinginess subsided, she licked her ear and walked downstairs with her.
Meanwhile, the staff moved back and forth, conducting multiple rounds of cleanliness checks and adjusting decorations before opening.
Zhou Yan, a newly hired part-time employee, was wiping the tables when he heard a persistent scratching sound. Unable to resist his curiosity, he followed the noise.
Unlike the other cats, Tongqian wasn’t particularly fond of sleeping. He had been up early, sharpening his claws on a scratching board, his tail swaying energetically. The rhythmic scritch-scritch sounds blended into a steady beat.
His life was much more comfortable now than before. Although he wasn’t getting paid yet, he was enjoying himself immensely. The boss was easygoing, and the grooming sessions were divine—where else could he find such luxury? At this point, all he wished for was the café’s long-term success, ideally becoming a nationwide sensation that would never close. He diligently exercised every day to maintain his physique, making him, apart from Yolk, the most active cat in the café. Even the affectionate Tangtang couldn’t match his enthusiasm.
This was his morning workout time.
Zhou Yan, thoroughly entertained, took out his phone and recorded a short video.
Meanwhile, Pei Shiyi put a small tag on Yolk’s collar that read "Manager On Duty." Yolk stretched lazily on the bar counter, extending his claws, then leaped down, ready to patrol the café as the feline manager.
Hearing the laughter, Pei Shiyi approached Zhou Yan from behind. "What’s so funny?"
Zhou Yan, flustered at being caught goofing off before work, quickly stood up, his face flushing. "I just thought Tongqian’s movements had a great rhythm. If I add Bad Guy as background music, the timing would be perfect."
As an internet-savvy young man, Zhou Yan’s speech was peppered with online slang. Unfortunately, although Pei Shiyi appeared to be a fresh university graduate, he was, in reality, an ancient relic who had lived for an unknown number of years.
Pei Shiyi only half-understood the reference. To him, Zhou Yan was like a young nephew from a distant relative’s family. Amused, he said, "Alright then."
Zhou Yan scratched his head, suddenly remembering that his boss had an old-fashioned mindset. He hurriedly explained, "I mean, if I edit the video of Tongqian and add background music, it would be really… um…"
The moment he avoided internet slang, he found himself at a loss for words.
"You mean well-synchronized?"
Pei Shiyi caught Tongqian as the cat jumped into his arms and casually said, "Why don’t you put one together when you have some free time? If it turns out well, you can show it to Tongqian. If ‘Boss Tong’ approves, we can play it after closing hours for fun."
Zhou Yan nearly burst out laughing. He thought, The boss might not be internet-savvy, but he’s surprisingly open-minded and young at heart.
With a mock bow, he said to Tongqian, "I’ll submit it for Boss Tong’s review in a couple of days."
Jokes aside, there was still work to do. Zhou Yan went to check the store’s equipment but suddenly exclaimed, "Wait a minute, boss, aren’t we missing a rug?!"
Pei Shiyi: "…"
Did Bo Jin even manage to clean the rug yesterday?
"It was dirty. There’s a spare in the storage room—go grab it."
Saying that, Pei Shiyi turned around and walked off, still holding the cat.
'The moment rugs are mentioned, I think about the stolen paintbrush… And when I think about the paintbrush, I remember the handshake…'
Feeling increasingly frustrated, Pei Shiyi turned the corner, only to see Bo Jin arriving at the café with Songgao in tow.
Songgao stretched out a paw toward Pei Shiyi. "Meow." Good morning, sir.
To Songgao, Pei Shiyi was more of a teacher than a boss.
Pei Shiyi bent down, shook Songgao’s front paw, and smiled. "Good morning, Songgao."
He chatted with Songgao in a low voice, all the while sensing Bo Jin’s gaze lingering on him. Unlike before, Bo Jin wasn’t immediately seeking out the other cats.
After sending Songgao off with Yolk for breakfast, Pei Shiyi lowered his voice and asked, "Where’s my rug?"
Bo Jin, who had spent an entire night working on it, rubbed his temples. "I washed it. I’ll bring it tomorrow."
He hadn’t expected acrylic paint to be so difficult to clean. That tiny stain had required two hours of soaking in detergent and vinegar. Even after washing, the rug reeked of vinegar. If he dared bring it today, Pei Shiyi would probably pour vinegar all over him.
Pei Shiyi smiled. "That would be best."
And just like that, the minor incident regarding the rug was put to rest. Once business hours began, Pei Shiyi no longer had the time or energy to dwell on a single carpet.
However, today brought a rather unusual guest. Pei Shiyi had already sensed a faint spiritual energy from the kitchen, but since he was in the middle of preparing lunch for the fluffballs and the visitor hadn't made any moves, he simply pretended not to notice.
'If they dared to cause trouble here, the fluffballs wouldn't allow it—let alone the fact that the shop was protected by my wards. Anyone who recklessly used spiritual energy without my approval would be burned to ash on the spot.'
Pei Shiyi continued tearing apart chicken breast, while Bo Jin, who was pouring cat food, turned and walked out.
Inside the shop, Xu Tuzhi stiffly ordered everything on the menu but remained standing at the counter, scanning his surroundings as if searching for someone.
The cashier found this behavior extremely odd. Ordering the entire menu without sitting down and then looking around suspiciously? If he didn’t have such a fair and delicate appearance—clearly not the type who could start a fight—the staff might have suspected he was here to stir up trouble.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" the cashier asked.
Xu Tuzhi immediately shook his head. "N-No, nothing."
He stumbled away from the counter and sat at a low table, his legs trembling as he did so.
The café was unexpectedly crowded, and almost every customer had ordered a drink.
Just as Xu Tuzhi withdrew his gaze, a large orange tabby cat approached him, startling him so much that he nearly jumped.
Yolk, upon noticing a new face, naturally went over to greet him. However, after taking a few steps, he sensed something off and hesitated, looking up at the unfamiliar man—
'This guy… has spiritual energy.'
Even Yunchao slowly approached, her heterochromatic eyes locking onto Xu Tuzhi.
Yolk tensed up. Yunchao’s cultivation was far superior to his own. If even she was taking this person seriously, then he must be powerful! Yolk almost turned around to fetch the boss.
Xu Tuzhi couldn't hold it in any longer—he let out a sniffle, his eyes reddening, on the verge of tears.
Yolk: "???" Oh no! How did I make the customer cry?!
Panicking, Yolk quickly jumped onto the table and rubbed against Xu Tuzhi in an attempt to console him.
Xu Tuzhi went rigid, his whole body stiff as he let out a hiccup, half from fright and half from crying.
Yunchao: "…"
She glanced at the sobbing mess before her and thought that rather than worrying about him causing trouble, it would be more practical to worry about him flooding the café with his tears. With a flick of her tail, she lost interest and sauntered off to a group of girls.
Just then, Bo Jin re-emerged from the back.
The moment Xu Tuzhi saw him, he nearly leaped out of his seat.
Yolk, startled by the sudden movement, also jumped up and gave Xu Tuzhi a suspicious look. Is this guy part rabbit or something?
Bo Jin patted Yolk, signaling him to let him handle the situation.
Yolk nuzzled against his hand, then, with his tail raised high, trotted off to greet other customers.
Bo Jin sat across from Xu Tuzhi and, after a single glance, identified him immediately. "Tu’er Beast."
The Tu’er Beast—a mythical creature resembling a rabbit with a human-like face, capable of speaking human language. When in human form, they often took on the appearance of exceptionally attractive men and women. However, they were known for being cunning and skilled at weaving lies.
Even though Bo Jin had his aura carefully restrained, just the thought of his true form was enough to send Xu Tuzhi into a fresh wave of tears. "I-I-I… M-my name is Xu Tuzhi… I-I’m h-h-here b-b-because…"
Bo Jin, with his perpetually indifferent expression and world-weary demeanor, was exactly the kind of person Xu Tuzhi feared most. He was terrified that one wrong word might get him skinned and served up as spicy rabbit stew.
A gentle voice interrupted. "What did you do to scare him like this?"
Xu Tuzhi lifted his tear-streaked face and saw an exceptionally kind-looking young man smiling at him. "If you have something to discuss, let’s talk upstairs."
To Xu Tuzhi, it was as if he had been offered a lifeline. He frantically nodded.
Pei Shiyi led him upstairs. The second floor remained unchanged—the master bedroom served as the fluffballs’ resting area, Pei Shiyi’s own room was in the side bedroom, and the former living room had been converted into a playroom filled with toys.
Xu Tuzhi sat down cautiously and stammered, "I-I’m Xu Tuzhi, a Tu’er Beast. I c-came today b-because…"
Pei Shiyi listened with some difficulty, wondering how on earth a major mythical race like the Tu’er Beasts had managed to raise such a timid junior. They weren’t known for being combat powerhouses, but they weren’t weak either—so why was this one such a coward?
Xu Tuzhi didn’t dare bring up Bo Jin and instead darted a trembling glance in his direction.
Pei Shiyi followed his gaze. "Him?"
Xu Tuzhi quickly shook his head. "N-No, no! I’m not here for the Bureau Chief! I-I came to find you… We heard that you and the Bureau Chief are very close, so… so…"
He lowered his head in shame.
Pei Shiyi and Bo Jin exchanged looks, completely baffled as to how anyone could have arrived at the conclusion that they were "very close."
Xu Tuzhi grabbed a tissue and vigorously wiped his tears before blurting out, "So we guessed that you’re not human either, and we’d like to discuss a business deal with you…"
Pei Shiyi was briefly taken aback. "Are you… selling kittens?"
Xu Tuzhi frantically shook his head. "We’d never stoop to trafficking young yokai! We’re farmers!"
Pei Shiyi: "…"
Summoning an unexpected burst of courage, Xu Tuzhi rattled off a rapid explanation: "We sell high-quality milk, premium tea leaves, top-grade chicken, shrimp, fish, and pork, as well as visually appealing and delicious fruits! They taste better than anything cultivated by humans and are infused with spiritual energy, making them even more flavorful!"
It was as if he had suddenly grown several new guts, speaking with uncharacteristic confidence. "Bureau Chief, we’re all licensed! I even brought samples and documentation—would you like to check them?"
Bo Jin: "…"
Pei Shiyi’s interest was piqued. The café’s food and beverage offerings could definitely benefit from superior ingredients. As for the meat… spiritually enriched meat would be the best possible nourishment for the café’s feline residents.