"I don't think I was much help." Cheng Fengyang said with a bitter smile, telling the truth. "Even without me stepping in, you could have handled this matter yourself."
He felt both pleased and frustrated—pleased that the girl he liked was so capable, yet frustrated that he wasn't capable enough to solve the trouble for her first.
"That's not true at all!" Lin Lan immediately refuted. "If you hadn't reminded me today, I wouldn't have even thought about insisting on immediate payment."
She hadn't opened this cat cafe with the primary goal of making money; as long as she didn't operate at a loss, she considered it a victory. Therefore, she ran it quite casually, which also made minor issues more likely to occur.
Thanks to her ability to communicate with cats, it was much easier for Lin Lan to acquire some rare breeds compared to others. But that didn't mean she only cared about being happy once she got them. Being well aware that many purebred cats would appear in her cafe in the future, it was only natural for her to consider potential follow-up problems. Especially after the last incident where simply delivering a wallet to the police station nearly dragged her into a murder case, Lin Lan, still shaken by the experience, had of course taken proactive steps early on to prepare.
But having a backup plan doesn't mean one can react quickly and remain completely calm when trouble actually arises.
Cheng Fengyang had shielded her at the first moment, giving her ample time to respond and allowing her to resolve the issue smoothly and gracefully. Lin Lan was deeply grateful for that.
"Cheng Fengyang, thank you." Thinking of this, Lin Lan's smile grew even brighter. "It's really wonderful to have met you!"
Although the wallet incident had given her quite a scare, she genuinely felt fortunate that it led her to meet and get to know the person before her.
But with that in mind, treating him to skewers in the evening really did seem too shabby. She should find a proper restaurant instead...
"No, no! Skewers are perfect!" The young man, who had just been thinking how lovely her smile was, snapped back to attention. "I love barbecue skewers. Just get me a whole table full so I can eat to my heart's content!"
He was joking, of course. A formal restaurant would be too stiff and restrictive; how could it compare to the down-to-earth and more conducive to closeness atmosphere of a skewer joint? Cheng Fengyang, the designer whose romance-focused mindset had finally awakened after over twenty years, was silently calculating in his heart.
He really loves skewers that much... Seeing his insistence, Lin Lan nodded while secretly resolving to host him properly in the evening. She absolutely had to ask the barbecue skewer boss on Back Street to bring out his best skills!
Inside the cat cafe, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang were talking behind the water bar. Outside the cafe, Wang Jiayi, who had been forcibly dragged out by Cao Yuze, was now complaining loudly, full of resentment.
"What are you doing, Brother Yuze? You're hurting me!" the spoiled girl cried out in dissatisfaction.
Cao Yuze quickly let go. Seeing the faint red mark on the girl's wrist as she rubbed it, his own pent-up frustration couldn't help but mix with a touch of helplessness.
"Jiayi, what are you doing here?" he asked, lowering his voice. "You should be waiting obediently at home for the New Year at this time, right?" Otherwise, you'd be out shopping with familiar friends. An urban village like this was probably a place you wouldn't even glance at normally.
"None of your business!" Wang Jiayi, whose arm still hurt from the grip, now only felt wronged. Her eyes were slightly red as she glared at him. "I was kind enough to help you find your cat and called to tell you right away, and this is how you treat me. I'm never going to talk to you again!"
It was a grade-school-level declaration paired with a bad temper.
Cao Yuze's helplessness grew another degree. "Did you have another fight with your family? Did you run out of money and come here to play?"
"I... I'm not out of money!" Wang Jiayi immediately retorted, sticking her neck out defiantly. But under the knowing gaze of someone familiar, her voice involuntarily trailed off. "It's just that Dad went too far this time... Anyway, I won't go back until he apologizes!"
Cao Yuze hadn't paid attention to the affairs of other families lately, being preoccupied with finding his cat. But as a childhood friend, he understood Wang Jiayi's situation very well. The girl had fallen into water as a child, leading to a serious illness. Her health had remained fragile for a long time, and she was extensively pampered until she finally recovered fully as an adult.
However, precisely because of her frail health, her family had doted on her excessively. Teachers and classmates at school, having been notified, all gave in to her, not wanting to argue with a sickly girl. Over time, this had raised the girl to be naive and self-centered, retaining a childlike mentality even into adulthood.
She didn't have a malicious heart. If scolded sternly, she could listen and rein herself in somewhat. But someone accustomed to being self-centered couldn't change overnight. Her occasional willfulness and rude behavior, regardless of the situation, were quite a headache. Just like her performance in the cafe earlier—leading him to find the cat without even greeting the host, and even trying to pick a fight with her—Cao Yuze had been both bewildered and speechless.
Fortunately, the owner didn't take it to heart.
But that wasn't the main concern right now.
"What did Uncle Wang do wrong this time?" Having essentially raised an overgrown infant of a daughter, Cao Yuze actually felt some sympathy for the elders of the Wang family. It was almost always Wang Jiayi being unreasonable, yet in the end, it was always the elders who apologized and coaxed her back.
To be honest, he was actually a little... no, he wasn't envious. Being raised into such a state was nothing to be happy about.
Wang Jiayi, completely unaware, immediately spilled everything like pouring out beans when he asked: "Brother Yuze, Dad went too far! I'm graduating from university this year, and he actually said he wants to send me to a closed boarding school to continue studying! Not only is he cutting off my allowance, he also said I must learn a lesson the hard way and improve my memory! Is that something a father should do to his daughter? What did I do wrong to deserve such bullying? And the whole family supports him! I've already asked around about that school. The people inside actually have to wash their own clothes and cook their own meals. They have to do scheduled drills and training like soldiers every day, and can only eat the awful school cafeteria. It's just like being in prison! I'm not going!"
Cao Yuze, who had washed his own clothes and made his own bed during university but never really cooked: "..." It seemed Uncle Wang had finally realized his daughter's situation and wanted to forcefully correct it.
"Anyway, I won't go back until they apologize!" Wang Jiayi said indignantly. As if remembering something, she issued a warning: "Brother Yuze, you mustn't tell my family I'm here. Otherwise, otherwise..."
She tried to think of a way to threaten him but realized she really had no leverage over Cao Yuze. Her eyes darted around until they landed on the cat carrier in his hand, and she found her opening.
"Otherwise, I'll take your Weiwei away and have Shopkeeper Lin train Weiwei to only like me, not you!"
"..."
Although he could completely dismiss it, Cao Yuze, having just retrieved his cat, instinctively tightened his grip on the carrier. He had a headache. Leaving such a young lady who knew nothing of the hardships of life to fend for herself in the environment of an urban village was one thing if he didn't know. But now, not only did he know, she had also helped him find his cat. He couldn't possibly just do nothing.
"Fine, I won't tell them," Cao Yuze said helplessly. "But you have to promise me you won't run around recklessly. Usually, you should stay in your rented place..."
"That's the tea house I usually stay at all the time!" Pointing at the cat tea house not far behind, Wang Jiayi excitedly shared with him, "You saw the cat-buying conditions Manager Lin mentioned before, right? I really like one of the Chinchilla cats in her shop, I want it so much! But the manager said I haven't gained the kitten's approval yet. I'm currently learning how to care for it, spending time with it every day! Oh, and the apartment I rented and the building where the tea house is located both belong to Manager Lin's own family, so don't worry about my safety! I'm not stupid, how could I possibly run around recklessly!"
True, being naive doesn't mean actually foolish.
What did surprise Cao Yuze was that Manager Lin was the owner of this building, but after recalling the laid-back way the tea house was run, he quickly understood.
Of course, you'd only dare to be that casual and set such strict rules for buying cats if you weren't afraid of not making money. If it were a shop solely focused on profit, holding such excellent cat-training methods, they would never operate that way.
Thinking of this, a thought stirred in Cao Yuze's mind—an idea to bring Manager Lin some business—but he quickly suppressed it.
The New Year is in just two weeks. It's not too late to bring this up after the holiday.
"As long as you know what you're doing." Tucking the cat carrier closer, Cao Yuze looked at Wang Jiayi. "When you were little and frail, you could never go out to play. Now that you plan to stay out for a long time, there are many more aspects to pay attention to. It's not like being at home; be more careful with what you say and do. Manager Lin is a good person, it won't hurt to build a good relationship with her."
"You're so naggy, Brother Yuze. Hurry up and take your Weiwei home." Wang Jiayi was most impatient with these kinds of warnings and nagging, having heard them since childhood till her ears were calloused. "I'm an adult now, I know how to handle things!"
If you knew how to handle things, would you have run away from home?
Cao Yuze mentally scoffed, but didn't say more out loud. After saying goodbye to her, he carried the cat carrier back to his car.
Watching the car drive onto the road, Wang Jiayi stopped paying it any mind and skipped happily back into the tea house. She was quite pleased—she had helped a familiar brother find his cat, and hadn't revealed her own residence, so she wouldn't be dragged back home for school.
Meanwhile, Cao Yuze, now on the road, promptly called the Wang family.
"Is that Aunt Wang?... This is Cao Yuze. Good afternoon... I found Jiayi... She's doing fine, playing with cats at a cat cafe. She's just throwing another childish tantrum and won't come home... She's in the neighboring West City. I can't tell you exactly where, I promised her I wouldn't. I can only tell you she's managing quite well on her own... Let's hold off on sending her to school for now. She's currently learning how to care for a cat and has started developing a sense of responsibility. Maybe the next time you see her, she'll surprise you... Oh, don't worry, of course I'll look out for her even without you saying so. After all, Jiayi has been like a little sister to me since we were kids."
After finishing the call, Cao Yuze let out a deep sigh.
Turning to look at the cat carrier secured with a seatbelt in the passenger seat, the silver tabby American Shorthair inside sat quietly, its round eyes peering curiously through the small window at the scenery ahead. Cao Yuze's expression instantly softened.
"Just a little longer, Weiwei. We'll be at our new home soon. We'll live there from now on, and not go back."
At 5 PM sharp, the Cat Tea House closed for the day. Lin Lan completely ignored some customers' complaints that it should stay open until seven or eight, and went about her business with the staff as usual.
After all the customers had left, and Cheng Fengyang had also said goodbye, mentioning he was going home to change clothes, leaving only their own people, Lin Lan held the Ragdoll cat that had come to cuddle and act cute, wearing an expression of deep suffering as she announced: "Comrades, how about we cancel the weekly cat performance? Too many customers, it's so tiring."
Currently, she was the only one at the water bar who could make the tea and snacks. Little Song could learn, but the taste wasn't as good as hers. Some picky customers who came specifically for the food and drinks, not the cats, would complain because of this, leaving Lin Lan both pained and secretly proud.
But the weekend crowds were really too much! She didn't want to work this hard, darn it!
The landlady-manager declared she didn't want to live the life of a corporate drone. She had thought opening a cat tea house would be similar to her parents' equally leisurely little convenience store. Why did it have to become so popular it didn't even feel like a normal cat cafe!
"Don't do that! We'd lose a lot of customers!" Tang Xiaoya immediately objected. She couldn't bear to lose the weekend fun. "Manager, you opened this shop to do business. A manager who doesn't want to earn money isn't a good poop-scooper! More money means more cat food and canned food you can buy!"
Lin Lan looked down, thought about today's sales revenue, and fell into deep thought.
Song Xinmin didn't have much of an opinion. Being busy just one day a week was completely acceptable. But if the manager wanted an even more leisurely life, as an employee, he could only give his full support and a thumbs up. After all, his salary wouldn't change.
"Hmm, then let's change it to once every two weeks." Thinking about what Tang Xiaoya said made sense—the kittens' daily food expenses were indeed a concern. After making the decision, she turned to the other person who might have objections. "By the way, most workplaces are pretty busy before the New Year, right? How do you still have time for weekend part-time work here?"
Hearing this question, Tang Xiaoya's face fell. "Working six days a week with one day off every month is already the norm. If this broken company still makes me work non-stop before the New Year to exchange for so-called Spring Festival time off, I'll quit on the spot." Her tone turned somewhat fierce by the end.
An awkward silence fell over the room. After a moment, it was Lin Lan who spoke up: "Ahem, well, you and Mercury are getting along better and better. Keep at it a while longer, and you might really be able to take him home. Are you sure about moving here to live later?"
"Absolutely! My lease ends next Wednesday, I can move in soon!" Mentioning her beloved Maine Coon cat, Tang Xiaoya immediately brightened up. "If nothing goes wrong, I might get a small promotion next year, with another salary bump. Once I move here to live, I can save up a big pile of cat food for him again." Maine Coons eat a lot; you need to earn more to afford raising one.
This is truly true love.
Not just Lin Lan, but even Song Xinmin, who had heard earlier that Tang Xiaoya took the part-time job for a Maine Coon, was inwardly emotional.
As the three were talking, the main door was gently pushed open again.
"Sorry, we're closed," Song Xinmin immediately went over to greet them.
"I'm here to see Lin Lan." The person who entered was Qian Xuan, a tenant from the fourth floor. The girl looked utterly exhausted, only managing a slight smile when she saw Lin Lan.
"What's wrong? You look really tired." Lin Lan hurried over to her.
"Don't even ask. It's all because of the continuous overtime." Qian Xuan stepped on the shoe cover film, found a cushion, and plopped down, too tired to care about her image. "It's like this every year. To make room for the holiday break, the company either does 956 or 957 schedules. I'm in the 957 group—working seven days a week, using overtime to exchange for time off."
How miserable. Lin Lan and Tang Xiaoya simultaneously gave her looks of sympathy.
"Let's not talk about that, I need a favor." Qian Xuan waved her hand, getting to the point. "The company has specifically assigned me to attend the annual conference at the Shanghai headquarters. I'll be gone for three days, and I can't take Niu Niu with me. Can I leave her here with you for a few days?"
