The Cat Cafe and the Love Letter

While waiting for my meal, I had nothing better to do, so I looked around. The restaurant had a Western-style feel. At several tables, groups of high school girls had gathered, each with an adorable cat on their lap, being teased and fed treats.

Looking elsewhere, a few cats were quietly lying in soft, cozy nests, curled up and sleeping. Others had slipped into the kitchen. Though I couldn’t see inside, from the playful laughter and contented meows, they were probably being teased and fed in one go.

Sigh, watching this, I realized I wasn’t even as good as a cat. Being a cat is great: not only do you get hugged by pretty girls, but even a simple cute act gets you treats from plenty of people. You get to eat and sleep well every day. As for me… ah, forget it. It’s all tears.

“Sir, your meal is ready.”

A waiter pushed over a cart, placing plate after plate of delicious food on the table. After flashing us a standard professional smile, he pushed the cart back to the kitchen.

Gulp. I stared at the bacon spaghetti on the table, swallowing my saliva. Slowly, I picked up the fork beside me, twirled it into the pasta, and brought it to my mouth.

Then, a rich, creamy sauce spread through my mouth. The noodles, mixed with bacon and bits of vegetables, created a symphony of flavor that lingered on my tongue, refusing to fade.

This… this was the food of the rich and powerful! I couldn’t help but chew a few more times, then gently swallowed. Picking up the complimentary corn soup, I took a sip, smacked my lips, and continued eating.

“Hey, Brother Zhibo, let’s trade some food.”

With that, I picked up my spoon and scooped up a spoonful of his seafood fried rice. Zhibo nodded and twirled a forkful of my pasta to eat.

Ah, this is the real way to enjoy rich people’s food—by sharing. Hmm! And this cake that the rich guy treated us to was sweet but not greasy, melting on the tongue, with a rich aroma lingering in the mouth, making you want another bite.

After the meal, the waiter cleared the dishes and wiped the table. Caiheng stroked the orange cat on his lap, then pulled a notebook and a pen from his backpack beside him. He started writing on his own.

****

“Brother Huaimo, I’ve sent the study materials to your phone. Did you get them?”

Zhibo gave me a meaningful smile. I understood and gave a thumbs up.

This was basic knowledge for a seasoned driver. You had to be subtle about the resources, act without exaggeration or pretense, and make your gestures clean and decisive, not sloppy, to avoid arousing suspicion from outsiders.

“OK, your study materials received~” I flipped through my phone, looked at a page of resources, smiled, then locked the screen and put away my phone, waiting for Caiheng’s love letter.

A moment later.

“Teacher Huaimo! I’ve written it! Please take a look!”

Caiheng pushed the notebook in front of me. I took it and placed it in the middle of the table between Zhibo and me, so Zhibo could also see.

“Sigh, Zhibo, I give this a 1 out of 10. Can’t give more. What about you?” I rested my chin on my hand, sighed, and said slowly.

“Then I’ll give it a 2. At least there’s one sentence that’s acceptable.” Zhibo pushed up his glasses, placed his thumb and index finger on his lower lip, and commented like a teacher.

“Which sentence?”

“This one: ‘Time flies, and I’ve fallen in love with your back.'”

“That’s the only decent sentence! And it’s just about falling in love with a back—there’s no depth of feeling. Not good enough!” I tossed the notebook back and shook my head.

“Teacher Huaimo is really strict.” Zhibo took a sip of water and smiled.

“Of course! That’s my sister we’re talking about. If this level was enough to win her over, I wouldn’t be working so hard! I’ve changed my mind. Caiheng, write a few more. Lunch break is still long. Keep going, and try writing following my template.” I waved my hand in dissatisfaction, pulled out the love letter I had written during class break, and handed it to him.

“Teacher Huaimo! I’ll keep working hard!”

Seeing his love letter mercilessly returned, Caiheng was not discouraged. With a determined look, he took the letter, and then…

Immediately, he blushed and started panting. ‘Can’t you be a little more reserved? At this rate, you’ll be a virgin for life. Men! You need to talk more flirtatiously, compliment girls more, be generous, and it’s even better if you’re handsome. Without these things, you…’

Wait a minute, isn’t this guy pretty popular among the girls in class? And I still don’t know why he likes my sister. Suddenly, curiosity arose within me, and I couldn’t help asking him about it.

“By the way, Caiheng, why do you like my sister? Is it just because she’s good-looking?”

“Ah, well, that… It’s because, because…”

Caiheng let out a “chih” sound, his face reddening to the roots of his hair, hesitating and fidgeting.

“Just say it. It’s not a big deal. It’s not something to be embarrassed about.”

“But it is something embarrassing, that’s why I’m like this!”

“Uh, don’t be afraid. I’m Huaixin’s brother. The way you are now, even I can’t approve of you, let alone my sister.”

“Ah, you’re right. Hiss… It’s because I think Huaixin is like a cat—very cute! That’s why I like her!”

Caiheng panted heavily, looking at me with a flushed face.

“Ah, oh, yes, she does resemble one…” Seeing Caiheng like this, I felt a bit awkward. My eyes went wide, I scratched my head, then picked up the water on the table and took a few sips.

“Alright, keep up the good work writing. Brother Zhibo, let’s start playing…”

“Alright…”

I took out my phone, unlocked it, returned to the home screen, clicked on “Astral Magic Academy,” and then…

“May I share that brilliant starry night with you~”

Hehehe, that’s the feeling.

“Hmm! That’s the feeling!”

Caiheng suddenly let out a strange cry. I looked up suspiciously, seeing his eyes sparkling and his pen moving nonstop, as if he had found inspiration.

‘Could it be that he used the character lines from that game character… ah, well, that’s not necessarily bad.’

‘Wait!? That’s not right! You’re using my waifu’s lines to flirt with my sister!’

‘Well, it’s okay. As long as it’s written well.’

‘But I have a feeling you’ll write: “May I share that fluffy Eden with beauties to pet…”‘

(＝ω＝；)