A Generous Invitation at the Cat Café

Ding-dong.

As we were writing our math papers, the sound of the school bell rang out. Almost in unison, we all sprang to our feet. What was even more absurd was that the teacher, who had been sitting at the podium watching us work, also shot up and shouted,

“Class dismissed!”

“Thank you, teacher! Goodbye, teacher!”

And then, the moment the teacher stepped out of the classroom, the atmosphere began to bubble with life.

Thoughts of pork cutlet rice, braised pork rice, braised chicken rice, chicken cutlets, meat buns, mixed noodles with flat meat… But for me, all these were like tan(90°)—completely nonexistent. What accompanied me was always the steaming hot steamed bun. I will forever love steamed buns .jpg.

That’s how it was supposed to be. But today was different, because…

“Teacher Huaimo, let me treat you to lunch. Please tell me how to write a love letter.” Lin Caiheng stood before me, humble yet resolute, his eyebrows furrowed with determination. He stood ramrod straight, looking at me earnestly.

Ah, a man of letters—that’s exactly the kind of talented person I am. I had just casually written him a model love letter during break, and it had made him blush and pant. Now, after class, he had come straight to me to become my disciple.

That’s just how it is when you haven’t seen the world. It seemed I really needed to teach these young people a thing or two.

“But I’m with my friend,” I said, looking reluctantly at Zhibo, putting on a sorrowful expression.

“No problem, no problem. I’ll treat Zhibo too. Please, Teacher Huaimo, guide me over lunch!” Caiheng seized the opportunity and included Zhibo as well.

“Alright then.” I deliberately sounded reluctant to hide my inner excitement.

“Great! Let’s go eat outside. I know a good restaurant!”

“Got it. Brother Zhibo, let’s go. Someone’s treating us. Don’t be polite.”

“Ah, ah, sure.” Brother Zhibo looked a bit dazed but still followed us out of the school gate.

****

Meow… a cat café!? What’s this about?

I stood frozen at the entrance, baffled, and hesitated to go in. Only when Caiheng pushed me from behind did I half-stumble into the shop. Zhibo silently followed us in.

“Meow~”

A soft, tender meow sounded, and a chubby, adorable orange cat wobbled toward us. Caiheng delightedly scooped it up onto his lap and began vigorously rubbing its soft, silky fur.

He looked utterly besotted. The glass I had just picked up slipped from my hand, landing squarely on the table. It wobbled precariously before finally stabilizing, snapping Caiheng out of his trance.

“S-sorry, I got carried away. So, you two, order some food. After we eat, we’ll hang out here for a bit. I’ll write a love letter for Teacher Huaimo to review,” Caiheng said sheepishly, scratching his head, and then called the waitress.

“Good day. What would you three gentlemen like to order?” A waitress with a ponytail greeted us, holding an order pad and smiling brightly.

I picked up the menu, my heart uncertain. I really wanted to order a steak, but would that be too shameless? Still, this place was impressive—they had all kinds of Western dishes, even foie gras. A big spender, huh, Caiheng? Bringing us to such a luxurious place?

I glanced at Zhibo beside me. He seemed stunned by the prices too. But then again, the cheapest dish here was fifteen yuan—enough for thirty steamed buns. How could I even dare to order? Would Caiheng go bankrupt?

“Excuse me, miss. I’ll have a sirloin steak, medium-well, with tomato sauce, a serving of creamy pasta, and a cappuccino,” Caiheng said with a smile, then reached down to stroke the orange cat on his lap. “And the usual, please.”

Hearing this, the waitress smiled knowingly, nodded, and turned to us.

“And you two? Have you decided?”

“C-could you give us a moment to think?” I forced out a smile, my face contorting.

“M-me too.” Zhibo buried his face in the menu and squeezed out those words shakily.

“Sure, take your time~”

Ah, this was so awkward. Suddenly, I felt awkward about being treated. What to do? Should I just go for it since he’s offering?

“Then… I’ll have the bacon pasta.”

‘Ha, haha, I said it! I said it! I won! I triumphed! It had been so long since I’d ordered something over twenty yuan!’ (Note: Bacon pasta was 21 yuan.)

“Alright~ And you, sir?”

‘Come on, Zhibo! You can do it! You can do it! Don’t be afraid! A new storm has already appeared—how can you stand still? Speak the dish name with all your might, and a miracle will surely happen!’

“I… huff… I’ll have…” Zhibo took a deep breath, as if sucking all the oxygen from the room, then exhaled heavily. “I’ll have the seafood fried rice!!!” (Note: 20 yuan.)

“Got it. Please wait a moment; your orders will be prepared shortly.” The waitress bowed, smiled at us, and added, “The little dried fish for this gentleman will be right out~ Please wait.”

“Okay~”

After watching the waitress leave, Zhibo and I let out a long sigh and slumped into our seats.

Haha, at last, we could order like equals with a big spender. We had achieved a perfect victory.

“Excuse me, add two more chiffon cakes,” Caiheng said, glancing at us before turning to the waitress.

“Yes, sir.” The waitress turned, nodded at Caiheng, then lowered her head, clicked her pen, wrote on her pad, and tucked it into her pocket before walking gracefully toward the kitchen.

‘What? Seriously? You’re ordering more? Truly a big spender.’

“The portions here aren’t that big, so I ordered you some cake. For now, let me feed the cat~ Take your time.” With that, Caiheng eagerly looked toward the waitress emerging from the kitchen, took the dried fish from her hand, and began feeding the orange cat.

“Thank you, big spender,” I blurted out involuntarily. Hey, big spender, are you missing a leg ornament? One that can write love letters?

“Thank you, big spender.” Zhibo imitated me, looking at the big spender with newfound respect and uttering those words deferentially.

“Huh? You’re welcome.” Caiheng looked up at us with a strange expression, then was amused by the cat on his lap again. He lowered his head and continued feeding.

It must be nice to be a cat. I want to be the big spender’s cat too.

Ah, I really can’t stand on equal footing with a big spender. Even the words I used to order were so weak. I was too arrogant. I’m sorry.