The Bad Guy Bengal cat trend was already forgotten—Li Tong and her best friend were now sitting cautiously at the low table. Fortunately, they had arrived early, just as the café opened. There were only a few customers inside, or else the best seats near the cats would have already been taken.
At this hour, the cat café had just opened, and Songgao had been dragged out of bed by Bo Jin. He was still half-asleep. Being a young cat, he never seemed to get enough rest. After making it to the café, he couldn’t hold out any longer and dozed off right on the table.
Pei Shiyi, of course, couldn’t bear to wake him. As long as the fluffy little employees stayed inside the café during business hours, they didn’t need to be fully alert all the time.
Still groggy from sleep, Songgao’s eyes shimmered with drowsy tears. He pulled his paw back, covered his mouth, and let out a big yawn before sluggishly standing up, still disoriented.
Li Tong’s trembling right hand carefully rested on Songgao’s tail. The golden cat tilted his head to look at his tail—her fingers were slender and soft, barely applying any pressure as they hovered over his fur.
Unlike the plush fluff of long-haired cats, the short and dense fur of a British Shorthair Golden Shaded had a firm, luxurious texture.
Songgao flicked his tail, letting it rest lightly on the back of Li Tong’s hand.
"Meow."
Right. Work hours had begun.
Songgao rubbed against Li Tong’s arm, took two light steps forward, then meowed at her friend, ensuring he had both of their attention.
A dedicated worker should always take their job seriously.
With admirable professionalism, Songgao gave a gentle shake, allowing the two girls to pet him as much as they pleased.
Li Tong was already on the verge of melting from happiness when another ball of pure white fluff caught her eye.
A stunningly large white cat leaped down from the cat tree. Despite its impressive size, its landing was nearly soundless. Its cascading long fur rippled like falling clouds, the very definition of pristine elegance.
As the white cat strolled past a low table, a man reached out to pet it. The cat, however, nimbly avoided his hand, flicked its tail in mild irritation, and didn’t even spare him a glance.
The man looked visibly disappointed.
Li Tong’s friend whispered, “That beauty has such a bad temper.”
Li Tong whispered back, “But it’s so beautiful—like a celestial being.”
Even with its aloof demeanor, the cat’s beauty was irresistible. The moment it walked past, Li Tong couldn’t help but reach out a hand, despite fully expecting to get scratched.
To her surprise, the white cat stopped in its tracks and lifted its gaze to her.
Its heterochromatic eyes shimmered like fractured ice, resembling a sea of stars—utterly mesmerizing. Then, slowly, it turned and started walking toward her.
Li Tong: “!!!”
The moment her fingers brushed against the silky fur, a radiant smile spread across her face.
This café wasn’t at all like her friend had made it out to be—this was by far the best cat café she had ever visited.
These cats were so sweet.
That night, Li Tong returned home in a blissful daze, her phone filled with dozens of pictures. Not only did she follow Xianchan Cat Café’s account, but she also left a comment under their latest video:
"Aaaah, I went to the cat café! The moment I walked in, I saw the store manager, and he even found us a seat—he’s practically a spirit in cat form! We originally went for Tongqian, and wow, that Bengal cat is so energetic. He was bouncing around the whole time and even tried to sneak a sniff of our drinks and cake! Yun Chao is seriously such a boss—her presence is so strong that I was actually scared she might scratch me at first. But turns out, she’s got a pretty good temper!"
Beneath the video, there were countless similar new comments. Every visitor who had been to the café left glowing reviews, each one more enthusiastic than the last. These weren’t just recommendations—they were practically declarations of love. Some people even posted articles on J Station, sharing pictures they took at the café: mouthwatering food and unforgettable fluffballs.
Many of these comments came from students at Yuchuan University. Since they were already J Station users, they were surprised to see their favorite little cat café had an official account on their favorite video platform. The moment of recognition felt like a serendipitous encounter, and they flooded the comments section, gleefully showing off their visit to those who couldn’t make it—rubbing salt in the wounds of cat lovers stuck far away.
"Songgao is like a little adult—so serious, yet ridiculously cute. And just like Yolk, he actually welcomes guests! His fur even feels like freshly baked cake!"
"Tangtang is a little princess! Do you know how sweet and affectionate she is?!"
The unfortunate souls who couldn't visit: "No, we don’t… T_T"
With such overwhelmingly positive feedback—and with none of it looking fake—it didn’t take long for people who had never even considered visiting the café to start getting tempted.
"This… this place looks amazing. Maybe I should find time to go check it out?"
"Just a quick visit. It might be a little pricey, but hey, money is meant to be spent on enjoyment, right?"
Even Zhou Yan, who understood the power of the internet, hadn’t expected a single video to actually bring new customers to the café. Not in droves, of course, but every now and then, a few new faces would show up.
Online marketing was cheap and could be effective, but rarely did it show such immediate results. After all, this wasn’t a movie or an online product that people could buy with one click—it was a small, independent store. Even local viewers who said they wanted to visit wouldn’t necessarily make the trip, let alone those living in different cities.
That’s why this nearly instant response surprised Zhou Yan.
A good start meant the account needed to be carefully maintained. Having worked in social media for years, Zhou Yan knew exactly what this kind of momentum could lead to. If things went well, the café’s account could generate significant revenue within a year—maybe even sooner.
Closing the comment section, Zhou Yan made up his mind to talk to Pei Shiyi about creating a dedicated video introducing the café. They could upload it to J Station and other platforms to boost the café’s recognition.
—
"Hello, is this Boss Pei?"
Pei Shiyi picked up his phone, and a familiar voice came through—Kong Fanyang, the café’s interior designer.
He gave Zhou Yan an apologetic smile, signaling for him to wait. Zhou Yan nodded in understanding.
"Boss Pei, it’s me."
Kong Fanyang continued, "Remember how I told you I entered that themed design competition? Well, our cat café made it through the preliminary round! The judging panel will be coming for an on-site visit the day after tomorrow at 2 PM. Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with normal operations."
Pei Shiyi had almost forgotten about that. Hearing it now, he was surprised. "They’re that thorough? Even doing in-person evaluations?"
Kong Fanyang chuckled. "Not really. It’s just a publicity stunt for a small event, otherwise, we wouldn’t have made it past the prelims with just some photos."
It was true—this was just an online event, not an official design competition. Calling it a "designer competition" was a stretch; it was more like a beauty pageant for interiors. If the entries were commercial spaces, they even got some free promotion out of it. Meanwhile, the event organizers profited off advertising—win-win for everyone.
The contest had a decent following, and the prize money was generous. Many designers and business owners were eager to participate since it was basically a free way to promote their physical stores.
Kong Fanyang explained, “We’ll be coming over to record some footage, which will then be edited into a video segment for the program. It’ll also serve as a bit of free publicity for the cat café. Any of the top three finalists will receive prize money as well. No need for any special preparations—just a little tidying up should do.”
Pei Shiyi acknowledged the information, then curiously asked, “Which site will the show be aired on? I’d like to keep an eye on it.”
Kong Fanyang replied, “J Station bought the rights for this season. The show is called ‘Little World’ —you can just search for it on J Station.”
What a coincidence.
Pei Shiyi thanked him, ended the call, and relayed the news to Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up. “I’ve heard of that documentary! The official team really knows how to play with internet humor—it has quite a following on J Station!” His excitement built up as he spoke. “If we upload our own video soon, Little World’s episode should be released not long after. That means we’ll be getting free promotion!”
Fueled by adrenaline, Zhou Yan was practically bouncing with energy, ready to produce a high-quality video.
Pei Shiyi clapped him on the shoulder. “Go for it! I believe our account will become a rising star on J Station. Let’s make our café the hottest spot in all of Yuchuan!”
Pumped up, Zhou Yan let out an enthusiastic howl, grabbed his camera, and immediately started filming Tangtang, who was happily chasing a ball.
Tangtang, however, was startled by his sudden intensity. Thinking he had been possessed by some ghostly force, she let out a terrified “miiiii!” and bolted behind Yun Chao for safety.
Tangtang clung onto Yun Chao, crying out urgently, “Meow meow meow-ooo—”
The two-legged beast has lost his mind!
Yun Chao blocked Tangtang behind him, then flicked her large, fluffy tail right into the camera lens. With a soft thud, her paw pads impatiently patted the carpet—This was her way of telling Zhou Yan to scram.
Zhou Yan slammed on the metaphorical brakes, stopping just short of Yun Chao. He quickly bowed his head and spoke in the most respectful tone possible.
“Good afternoon, Boss. Please take care and get some rest, Boss. Goodbye, Boss.”
Although Yun Chao wasn’t the official store manager, she was infamous for her terrible temper and blatant favoritism toward female customers over male ones. If Zhou Yan dared to push his luck any further, he’d definitely get a faceful of fluffy tail.
Watching the scene unfold, Pei Shiyi took a leisurely sip of his tea and sighed, “Ah… the energy of youth.”