The video’s unexpected popularity was surprising. By the time it dropped off the daily recommendation list, its views had already surged past 900,000. It was likely to hit a million by the end of the day. The follower count for Xianchan Cat Café’s account had also grown significantly, now exceeding 700.
The Next Day
Zhou Yan held his phone, still in a daze. “Boss, I’ve been making videos for years, and my highest view count was just over two million. Even then, I never had another video blow up like that afterward.”
After all, he was just a mid-tier content creator with a little over 300,000 followers. Many of his videos didn’t even reach his follower count in views.
Hitting a million views wasn’t easy, especially for a new creator without a fanbase. Getting onto the daily recommendation list was already a stroke of luck—probably because he’d posted on a day when other popular creators weren’t uploading.
Pei Shiyi grabbed his own phone, and Zhou Yan leaned in curiously. “Boss, you should download J Station.”
Zhou Yan was nearsighted, and his prescription had recently increased, but he hadn’t changed his glasses yet. Unfamiliar with Pei Shiyi’s phone interface, he squinted hard and leaned in even closer to the screen.
Before he could make out anything beyond a blur of pixels, a deep voice suddenly sounded behind him.
“What are you doing?”
Zhou Yan turned his head. Before he could make out the person’s facial features, he recognized them by their height—other than their boss, the only one this tall in the entire cat café was the boss’s best friend.
Pei Shiyi had already pulled up his private messages and was reading them with great interest. When he heard the question, he waved his phone at Bo Jin. “I’m checking DMs. Want to take a look?”
The people who messaged him were mostly fans obsessed with Tongqian, showering the cat with all sorts of enthusiastic praise. The flattery was so over-the-top yet so sincere that Pei Shiyi couldn’t help but grin as he read.
Since Tongqian had come to the café through the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, Bo Jin would probably appreciate these compliments too.
Of course, he’d also have to read them to Tongqian later—though maybe he’d skip the goofy ones. Being called a “silly cat” didn’t sound like a particularly serious compliment.
Bo Jin walked over, his imposing height making Zhou Yan instinctively shrink his neck and step aside to make space.
Pei Shiyi picked out a couple of interesting messages to show him. “A lot of people are DMing me to ask if they can book tickets online. They want to come see Tongqian in person.”
Even he hadn’t expected such a short video to attract so much attention. But the sincerity in the comments and bullet chats made it clear—people really loved that cat.
Bo Jin glanced at the screen and remarked, “If Tongqian saw this, he’d definitely be thrilled.”
Pei Shiyi smirked. “That cat already loves holding his tail high. If he finds out about this, he’ll probably think he can fly.”
As the two chatted, Zhou Yan started feeling like a third wheel. Taking a couple of steps back, he murmured, “Boss, I’ll go help out. Don’t forget to complete your real-name verification.”
With that, he made himself scarce.
Pei Shiyi was used to teasing Bo Jin, so he casually quipped, “See? The moment you showed up, you scared him away.”
Bo Jin, unfazed, said, “Actually, I was just thinking about something.”
Pei Shiyi was still engrossed in his messages. Hearing that, he raised a brow at Bo Jin—a silent signal: Go on, I’m listening.
Bo Jin asked, “He was leaning in so close to you. Why didn’t you fluff up?”
Pei Shiyi answered calmly, “First, that wasn’t ‘fluffing up’—that was controlled restraint. Second, he was just leaning toward my phone, whereas you were leaning toward me. Big difference. If I had less self-restraint, you’d be crippled by now. But look at you—still standing. Do you now fully appreciate my boundless generosity?”
Before Bo Jin could respond, Pei Shiyi waved dismissively. “No need to thank me. You may take your leave.”
Bo Jin: “…”
He turned his head and glanced at Yun Chao, who was perched atop the cat tree, gazing down at everyone with an air of superiority. For a moment, Bo Jin thought Pei Shiyi and that cat had eerily similar expressions.
—
For the past few days, Li Tong had been completely brainwashed by the Bad Guy meme featuring the Bengal cat. She kept humming the chorus at home, and every time the tune popped into her head, so did the image of the cat happily wriggling to the beat.
So this Saturday, she dragged her best friend along to visit the cat café.
It was already mid-June, and today was particularly sweltering—the kind of heat that made the air outside feel like it was steaming.
Her best friend, sweating from the heat, complained as her clothes stuck to her skin. “Why did we have to come at this time? It’s way too hot! This café doesn’t even have an official website. Are you sure it’s not some sketchy hole-in-the-wall place?”
Li Tong replied, “I don’t think so. The environment in the video looked nice, and the cats seemed great too.”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “The video only showed a tiny section of the place—what can you even tell from that? Besides, cats are naturally playful unless they’re seriously ill. Just because they looked active in an edited video doesn’t mean they’re actually healthy. So many cat cafés have opened in our city, and didn’t they all shut down in the end?”
Li Tong halted mid-step. Her friend had a point—one that was also quite discouraging. She hesitated. “So… should we not go?”
Her friend sighed. “We’re already on the subway. Might as well check it out. Otherwise, we’d have come all this way for nothing. At the very least, we can enjoy the air conditioning.”
“…Alright.” Li Tong still agreed to go, but her excitement from when she first left home had dwindled. She leaned listlessly against her friend.
After getting off the subway, the two followed the given address.
“It’s just straight ahead,” her friend said. “Pretty easy to find.”
Shiliu Street was the busiest and longest street in Yuchuan. They walked briskly for over ten minutes before spotting a standalone building. Both of them were already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Just as Li Tong was about to ask how much farther they had to go, she lifted her head—and the mint-green signage came into view.
As if a cool breeze had suddenly swept over her, the sight of that color made her forget the heat entirely. She grabbed her friend’s arm and broke into a small run.
“I see it! Let’s go!”
"That’s not a cat café—it’s an air-conditioned paradise!"
The standalone building was set a bit apart from its bustling neighbors. As they approached the entrance, they passed a floor-to-ceiling window and were immediately drawn to a large display board.
Li Tong stopped in her tracks, her eyes instantly locking onto the various cats featured on the board.
“Look!”
She eagerly grabbed her best friend’s arm.
Her friend had been rushing straight toward the cat café but was abruptly pulled back. “What is it?”
Following Li Tong’s gaze, she turned around—and was instantly stunned. The cats on the display board were all breathtakingly beautiful. The hand-drawn portraits had a unique, fresh, storybook-like style that was utterly captivating.
Standing before the display board, Li Tong urged, “Quick, take some photos for me!”
The two took turns snapping pictures from different angles. Her friend commented, “It’d be great if the actual cats inside looked this good.” Beautiful artwork was one thing, but even cats that looked amazing in photos often turned out to be sickly or unkempt in real life—classic cases of “photo deception.”
Reigniting her excitement, Li Tong grabbed her friend’s hand and dashed into the cat café.
The moment they stepped inside, cool air infused with a refreshing fruity scent enveloped them.
Li Tong inhaled deeply, savoring the relief from the heat. Without hesitation, she washed her hands, changed into indoor slippers, and gently pushed open the small gate leading to the café’s main area.
Her friend followed closely behind, taking in the interior with curiosity. The moment she entered, her eyes were practically overwhelmed—because the décor was just that stunning!
Then, she caught sight of the Ragdoll cat from the display board chasing a ball across the floor. It looked like a fluffy, moving marshmallow. She watched in fascination, only snapping out of her daze when the cat disappeared behind a wall. Just as she was about to place an order, she felt something soft brush against her ankle, followed by a long, drawn-out meow.
Startled, she quickly looked down—and nearly screamed.
A large orange tabby had settled right at her feet, grooming itself with one leg stretched upward. A small name tag hanging from its neck read: “Store Manager Yolk.”
Technically speaking, this was a ginger cat, with soft white fur on its belly. Sitting by her feet, its stomach formed two perfectly rounded rolls of fur. Its big, round eyes gazed up at her, making direct eye contact.
Her heart melted on the spot.
Just then, Li Tong finished placing their order and turned around. She immediately spotted Yolk. But before she could reach down to pet him, the orange tabby gave a shake, stood up, raised his tail high, and took a few steps toward the low table area. Realizing the two weren’t following, he turned back and meowed at them.
Li Tong hesitated. “Is he… calling us over?”
Her friend guessed, “Probably.”
They cautiously took a few steps forward, and sure enough, Yolk led them to an empty low table. However, once they got closer, they realized—it wasn’t actually empty.
A British Shorthair Golden Shaded cat was curled up on the table, fast asleep under a patch of sunlight. Its fur shimmered like whipped golden cream.
Both Li Tong and her friend froze in place—Ahhh! If we sit down, will we wake up this little angel?
As if sensing their presence, the golden cat slowly opened its eyes. Its deep green irises were glossy and clear. Stretching out one soft paw, it let out a gentle, airy “meow.”
Li Tong and her friend: Oh no… we’ve fallen in love.