7:30 PM, Wanda Plaza Cat Cafe.
Behind the water bar, Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo stood side by side, listening to her instructions, deliberately making some clumsy mistakes in the steps.
When Xia Yunuo notices this, she quickly reaches out her little hand to stop him, and then teaches him how to do it step by step.
At times like this, the making of the drink itself is not important. If Song Yunshen really wanted to know how to make a delicious beverage, he wouldn't have come to ask Xia Yunuo for advice.
The key point is still the interaction during the production process.
Song Yunshen was like a cheat code in this regard, he was self-taught, or rather, he didn't do it on purpose at all, he just did it subconsciously, without much careful thought.
His thought process completely lacked the idea that "I need to have physical contact with Xia Yunuo, so I can't learn too fast," and that he should "pretend to be a little stupid and make mistakes on purpose," and then "let her teach me step by step."
Instead, during the making process, he subconsciously pretended to be clumsy at first. When Xia Yunuo took the initiative to teach him step by step, and he felt the soft touch of her small hands, he realized that this seemed to be quite good and that he could continue to do so.
Perhaps this is what geniuses are like.
[Why is Nono working a part-time job today? Is she really that short of money?]
While accompanying Xia Yunuo in practicing making drinks, Song Yunshen thought to himself. Xia Yunuo, who was beside him, heard his thoughts and her hands unconsciously paused for a moment.
[There are still over 30 pieces of clothing in my shopping cart. I need to start working early so I can clear them all out sooner.] Goodness...
Upon hearing Song Yunshen was immediately surprised, not expecting Xia Yunuo to have this idea.
Could it all be because of him?
That would be a little embarrassing.
After all, Xia Yunuo had earned a salary, so it was reasonable for her to spend a little money on a couple of new outfits.
But if you're working hard just to buy new clothes, then you're putting the cart before the horse.
Thinking of this, Song Yunshen's expression became slightly serious. After considering it for a moment, he tentatively said, "Part-time work is fine, but you can't come here too often after you start school. It wouldn't be good if it affected your studies."
"No, don't worry." Xia Yunuo immediately shook her head gently after hearing him say that.
"After school starts, we'll be deskmates," Song Yunshen reminded him. "If I find your grades are going to drop, I'll have Sister Xuanxuan suspend your part-time job immediately, understand?"
"Okay... you don't need to worry about that, there definitely won't be any problems." Xia Yunuo shook her head. "The cat cafe isn't always busy, so I'll bring my homework and textbooks with me and study here whenever I have free time."
"That's a good idea." Song Yunshen Shen had only started the conversation with a pretext and didn't delve any deeper. After getting to this point, he smoothly transitioned to, "Since you're earning money through a part-time job, don't spend it recklessly. Make sure you eat your fill first." "Of course!" Xia Yunuo nodded obediently. "From now on, I can eat one meat dish and one vegetable dish at school, instead of all vegetables."
"Isn't that a bit too little?"
"I can't eat that much."
"You can save the rest of the money," Song Yunshen added. "If you save it for two years, it might even cover your college tuition."
"Yes, that's what I think too." Xia Yunuo nodded earnestly.
She had actually already calculated that.
The clothes Song Yunshen put in her shopping cart only cost a little over 4,000 yuan in total, which was roughly equivalent to her part-time income from working at the cat cafe for more than two months.
She didn't plan to buy all 30-plus outfits at once; she could spread them out over the next two years. As for the rest of the money, besides food, she could save it all up, and that would amount to quite a bit.
After all, even if you eat one meat and one vegetable dish for every meal from now on, it won't actually cost much, maybe only four or five hundred a month.
If she can really keep working for two years, Yan Zhenxia won't have to worry about her university tuition.
Since things had come to this point, Song Yunshen didn't say anything more.
During this time, he overheard some of Xia Yunuo's thoughts and roughly understood her plans, which relieved him slightly. He had thought Xia Yunuo was going to buy all 30-plus sets of clothes in a short period of time.
If that's the case, it won't just be about the 4,000 yuan.
After all, stuffing more than 30 outfits into her closet all at once—not to mention whether it would even fit, just the fact that Yan Zhenxia would find out would definitely arouse suspicion.
We can't exactly put it in his wardrobe, can we?
Um... After thinking about this, Song Yunshen suddenly realized that it might not be a bad idea after all.
After all, besides the master bedroom and the second bedroom, his house also has a guest bedroom, which is usually empty, and the wardrobe inside is completely empty, so it can indeed store a lot of clothes.
However, letting girls' clothes stay in your home seems a bit perverted...
Song Yunshen only thought about it, but didn't actually say it out loud.
"Speaking of which, when did you find out?" After a while, Xia Yunuo remembered that Song Yunshen had suddenly revealed the sisterly relationship between her and Xia Kening, so she asked in a low voice.
She knew that Song Yunshen probably found out during the fourth soul swap, but since Song Yunshen had only exposed it to her face today, it would seem too suspicious if she didn't ask him about it.
"Huh? Which matter are you referring to?" Song Yunshen asked, puzzled.
"It's about... Ningning and I being sisters." "Oh, that... Xia Kening just told me that a few days ago."
"So that's how it is..." Xia Yunuo pretended to realize something and didn't delve any further.
[Actually, I already guessed it when the three swaps happened, but I'll pretend I just found out recently.]
As soon as she voiced her thoughts, Xia Yunuo, who had originally planned to skip the topic, froze for a moment.
The third time?!
Doesn't this seem a bit off?
Based on the number of times I couldn't hear my own thoughts, last Sunday's incident should have been the fourth time.
How come Song Yunshen noticed it the time before last?
That time, she clearly left early in the morning, then came back in the afternoon... Could it be that she guessed it in some other way?
Xia Yunuo felt a little embarrassed. Suddenly, she remembered that she had been pretending that Xia Kening was really Song Yunshen's cousin all this time, and her cheeks became hot.
So, when she and Ningning occasionally visited together, Song Yunshen already knew all the lies she told?
Thinking about this, Xia Yunuo felt ashamed and wished she could disappear into a hole. "Um... you've already made this drink, and it seems fine," Xia Yunuo said softly. "It's not good to let Ningning play alone all the time, why don't you go and keep her company?"
"Okay." Song Yunshen didn't refuse, nodding in agreement. He held the freshly made drink to Xia Yunuo's lips, smiling as he said, "Then I'll give you my first time. Remember to finish it!"
Xia Yunuo looked at the straw near her mouth, obediently opened her mouth and bit down, sucking hard twice, finding it very sweet.
Holding the drink in both hands, she watched Song Yunshen leave before returning to her practice of making the beverage.
At this moment, Xia Kening was having a great time playing with the little tabby cat. She would tease it with a cat toy, then take out freeze-dried food to entice it, and then hug it in her arms, petting it from head to toe. She never got tired of playing with it.
Surprisingly, the little tabby cat is not so well-behaved when it's with other people, especially when it's held in someone's arms. If you touch it for a few seconds, it will struggle and jump away. But in Xia Kening's arms, it is exceptionally well-behaved and doesn't struggle at all.
After Song Yunshen walked over from the bar area, he saw that she was engrossed in playing, so he simply stood by and waited for a while. The more he watched, the more surprised he became, wondering if Xia Kening was one of those people who are said to have a natural affinity for cats?
Fortunately, Xia Kening didn't keep him waiting long. After all, when she was playing with the little tabby cat, she would occasionally turn her head to glance in the direction of her second sister and Song Yunshen.
When she turned around again, she suddenly realized that Song Yunshen, who had been at the water bar, was gone. She quickly looked around and found him right behind her.
"Why are you standing behind me? Trying to ambush me?" Xia Kening turned around, holding the little tabby cat, and said to Song Yunshen with a grin.
"Just finished making a drink, come check on it when you're done." Song Yunshen Shen sat down on the floor with her, reaching out to scratch the little tabby's chin. "It's quite obedient."
"Hehe, I think so too, it's so cute." Xia Kening really loves cats, otherwise her Douyin videos wouldn't be almost entirely filled with cat and dog videos. Seeing her happy expression, Song Yunshen couldn't help but smile, and then said, "Since you like it so much, why don't you give it a name?"
"Huh? It doesn't have a name yet?" Xia Kening asked in surprise.
"The cats in the shop were originally strays, adopted by my sister's pet hospital," Song Yunshen explained simply. "They did have names before, but they were just random names. Now that they're at the cat café, my sister plans to give each of them a new stage name, like they're making their debut."
"Is this a good debut?" Xia Kening couldn't help but laugh, then fell into a state of distress, "Is it the only one that hasn't been named yet? Or are none of the ten?"
"You forgot? I asked you what kind of cat you liked before," Song Yunshen reminded him. "This little tabby cat was specially chosen for you, so you can name it too. You don't get a chance to name the others."
"Tsk..." Xia Kening glanced at her second sister after hearing his words, then asked, "Does my second sister also have a cat that she named?"
"Look, that Ragdoll cat, now called Nut." Song Yunshen pointed to the Ragdoll cat wandering around on the cat tree.
Xia Kening nodded in realization, then fell into thought again, "Let me think... what name should I choose?"
"This is pretty simple, it doesn't need to be too complicated."
"That won't do. We need to think it over carefully," Xia Kening said seriously. "For example, we can start with its personality and characteristics."
"Is that so?" Song Yunshen nodded knowingly, then teased, "Then from now on, I'll call you Hairless Cat."
Xia Kening was stunned for a moment when she heard him say that, and then suddenly realized what he meant. Her face turned red, and she punched him in anger and embarrassment. "If you say that again, I'll really beat you to death!" Song Yunshen laughed and dodged her fist, but Xia Kening caught up with him immediately.
The two chased each other, while several cats resting on the cat tree watched the scene unfold, their heads turning and following the two's movements.
After running around for a while and getting tired, Song Yunshen pulled her down to sit, picked up the little tabby cat, and said, "Let's hurry up and name it, like what your favorite snacks are, that'll be the easiest way."
"Potato chips, chicken feet, spicy strips..." Xia Kening immediately started counting on her fingers after hearing him say that, then she felt a bit of a headache, and finally just waved her hand and started naming the items, finally pointing to spicy strips, "Then let's call it spicy strips!"
"Okay, I'll tell Sister Xuanxuan." Song Yunshen chuckled and scratched the little tabby's chin. "From now on, you'll be called Spicy Strips."
Song Jiaxuan, who had already taken an empty seat by the window to avoid seeing the little tabby cat, was called over by Song Yunshen and told the little tabby cat's new name.
Song Jiaxuan nodded and led the two to the inner wall of the activity area. Pointing to the newly posted notice board, she said, "I've already posted the self-introductions of all the other named cats here. Tomorrow, I'll post Spicy Strip's too."
Xia Kening then noticed the notice board on the wall and curiously looked at the descriptions of each cat.
There are currently 10 cats in the store, and information about 8 of them is posted on the shelf, indicating their names, genders, ages, and personalities.
At the bottom, there's a blank space where guests can freely express their personal impressions of the cat.
"As we get more customers, if any of their impressions match the description above, we can put a tally mark next to that impression. Once the number of tally marks reaches a certain level, it will solidify the customer's impression into a description of the cat's personality," Song Jiaxuan said with a smile, clearly very satisfied with her design.
Xia Kening looked around curiously. Suddenly, she realized the numbers didn't seem to add up. She couldn't help but ask Song Jiaxuan, "Sister Xuanxuan, why are there only 8 cats here? Aren't there 10 in total? Even including Latiao, there are only 9." "You'll have to ask the guy next to you," Song Jiaxuan said, arms crossed, also a little confused by Song Yunshen's actions. "He chose two cats yesterday, a tabby and a blue cat, and hasn't named them yet."
Now it seems that the little tabby cat was clearly chosen by Song Yunshen for Xia Kening.
No wonder I specifically asked him yesterday if we could wait until later to choose a name; it turns out he planned to give the naming rights to another girl.
When Song Jiaxuan thought of this, she couldn't help but purse her lips, thinking to herself that this guy really had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
But it must be said that if she were a few years younger, and Pei Yuanhe used the same tactic against her, she probably wouldn't have been able to withstand it either.
Not to mention a little girl like Xia Kening.
That's amazing!
My younger brother's flirting skills are absolutely outrageous; I have no idea where he learned those tricks.
When Xia Kening learned that Song Yunshen had also chosen another cat, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes and give him a meaningful glance, already guessing his intentions.
"You don't mean to bring my older sister to the cat cafe again, do you?" Xia Kening whispered fiercely in Song Yunshen's ear.
"You have a problem with that?" Song Yunshen raised an eyebrow. "If you have a problem, go talk to your older sister. If she doesn't want to come, I won't bring her."
"Hmph!" Xia Kening dared not tell Xia Jinshu, after all, her second sister was easier to deal with when it came to Song Yunshen. If her eldest sister found out that she was running to Song Yunshen's house every day and was being so irresponsible, she might complain to their mother and be ordered not to come over anymore.
That would be terrible.
Faced with Song Yunshen's provocation, Xia Kening had no choice but to remain silent and submit, daring not to voice any further opinions.
"Alright, you two continue having fun." Song Jiaxuan gave some instructions to the waiter, Xiao Cheng, and then said to the two of them, "I have something to do at the pet hospital, so I'll be leaving now."
"Okay, don't worry about us." Song Yunshen waved his hand and said to her.
Song Jiaxuan nodded and turned to leave. Before leaving, she went to the water bar one last time, gave Xiao Zhou a few more instructions, and then said to Xia Yunuo, "You should be leaving with Yunshen later, right? Just tell Xiao Zhou when you leave, she'll write down your working hours."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yunuo hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sister Xuanxuan, how about we forget about these few days' working hours? We can start calculating them again once I'm officially on the job."
"You're still arguing with me about this?" Song Jiaxuan laughed at first, then straightened her face and said, "The training costs for new employees should be borne by the store. Don't overthink it. As long as you come to work, your hours will be counted. Just work hard."
After saying that, Song Jiaxuan followed Song Yunshen's example and pinched Xia Yunuo's cheek, then left with a satisfied smile.
It has to be said that Xia Yunuo is a girl she really likes. Whether it's her way of doing things or her personality and speech, she is quite to her liking.
Once they became familiar with each other, even if Xia Yunuo's relationship with Song Yunshen cooled down in the future, Song Jiaxuan was still willing to treat her as her own younger sister.
It was 8:30 PM. Seeing that it was almost 9 PM, Song Yunshen, remembering he still had a long phone conversation with Xia Jinshu that evening, said to Xia Kening, "It's getting late, let's get ready to go back. If you like, I'll bring you here again sometime."
"Okay." Although Xia Kening was a little reluctant, she obeyed Song Yunshen's orders. After nodding obediently, she hugged the little tabby cat back into her arms, rubbed it vigorously, and then let it go.
At this moment, Song Yunshen had already arrived at the water bar and called Xia Yunuo over as well.
After confirming that Xia Yunuo was about to leave, Xiao Zhou, the bartender, checked her arrival and departure times with her, recorded them on the work sheet, and had Xia Yunuo sign to confirm them.
It was already past 8:40 PM when the three of them walked out of Wanda Plaza.
Song Yunshen quickly led the two to the electric scooter, wanting to get home as soon as possible to avoid missing their flight.
When he got to the electric scooter, he suddenly realized something and was completely embarrassed.
How the hell are three people supposed to ride this?