Chapter 155: Gingerbread

Chapter 155 Gingerbread (the cat)

In the café, Shi Lv was dutifully working when the door opened, and the bell at the entrance jingled. He gave a slight bow, like a butler from a medieval castle, and said, "Hello, welcome."

Before Shi Lv could react, System 66 let out a shrill scream.

"Ahhhhhhh! Why is he here?!"

The system had always firmly opposed the host taking on a side gig, fearing it might trigger the butterfly effect and send the plot careening out of control. But it couldn’t actively communicate with Shi Lv, and Shi Lv had his own ideas, completely ignoring its warnings. System 66 could only begrudgingly let it slide.

It even guiltily reassured itself: "Oh well, it's fine. It's just a side gig unrelated to the plot. Nothing too serious."

Yet, on the very first day of this side gig, all hell broke loose.

Shi Lv’s character wasn’t significant in the early stages of the plot—he was just a tool for Liang Xu to manage his rut. The real drama would come after he was acknowledged by his family.

From the script’s perspective, the original character wasn’t a good person.

Shallow, vain, and buried in debt, he had to juggle multiple jobs to repay it. As an alpha, he was also forced to provide pheromones like an Omega’s pampered pet. Such a person was inevitably twisted—resentful of his origins, his company, and society. Once the tables turned, when he realized he could trample the once-untouchable CEO underfoot, he would abuse his power mercilessly.

That was when the real suffering began.

As for these minor hiccups earlier on, System 66 hadn’t paid much attention. Unable to chat with the host, it was bored stiff and spent most of its time in hibernation mode. But when it drowsily glanced toward the entrance, the system short-circuited.

"Ahhhhhhh! What’s happening?!"

However, due to the silence protocol, no matter how loudly the system screamed in its mind, Shi Lv couldn’t hear it.

He bowed slightly and handed the menu to the guests with a polite smile, recommending the café’s signature drinks: "Hello~ Our spring special is *Sakura Cheese Latte*, paired with White Peach Oolong Raw Cheese Cake. Any set meal grants access to the cat play area—"

Before he could finish the word "area," Shi Lv looked up, and his smile froze.

The refined and handsome man in silver-rimmed glasses before him… looked familiar. Wasn’t he his boss?!

No—this *was* his boss!!!

Shi Lv frantically called out to the system in his mind: "66! 66! What’s going on?! Why is he here?!"

Since the host asked first, System 66 could finally speak. Its small screen slammed forward, poking Shi Lv’s shoulder with a sharp corner: "You’re asking me?! How should I know?! I *told* you not to take this side gig, ahhhhhhh!"

It had effectively turned into a screaming chicken.

While the system shrieked, Shi Lv steadied himself—so what if his boss caught him working a side job as a butler? It wasn’t like he was caught working as a gigolo! Nothing to panic about!

He forced a smile and awkwardly stuttered, "L-Liang Xu… what brings you here?"

Liang Xu showed just the right amount of surprise, as if he, too, was puzzled by Shi Lv’s presence. But he quickly adjusted his expression back to his usual refined and polite demeanor: "We saw this cat café on a review app. My business partner happens to like cats, so I accompanied them here. What a coincidence—you’re here too."

Liang Xu omitted the part about their conversation on Blueblue.

After all, the café was only two kilometers from the company. Running into each other while grabbing coffee was perfectly normal.

Shi Lv: "Mhm… mhm."

Hugging the tray, he lowered his head as if trying to bury himself in the ground.

The butler outfit included a pure white apron with ruffled trim pinned to the chest, the ties cinched neatly at the waist. Liang Xu couldn’t help but glance at it a few more times.

…So tiny.

Who knew someone with such a slim waist could have such great abs?

Standing over 1.85 meters tall with long legs, the outfit that looked slightly odd on others suited Shi Lv perfectly, accentuating his proportions.

Shi Lv had a handsome face—soft and clean-cut. Liang Xu glanced him up and down and found it quite fitting—except for Shi Lv’s ears, which were turning bright red.

Liang Xu averted his gaze, suppressing a faint smile. "You can go back to work. Just leave the menu with us."

This visit was mainly to accompany Qin Si and his girlfriend. The couple chattered nonstop, ordering a bunch of desserts and drinks, while Liang Xu opted for the simplest iced Americano.

The shop owner sprayed their hands with disinfectant and led them into the cat café. The place was full of cute, chirpy kittens. The girl gasped, "Wow!" and immediately took a silver tabby from the owner, cuddling it in her arms.

When Shi Lv brought their drinks, they were already enjoying themselves.

The girl ran around trying to scoop up every cat, while the wealthy young man watched his girlfriend, both of them smiling.

Only Liang Xu sat by the window.

He quietly observed their playful antics, his lips quirked as if smiling. But to Shi Lv, that smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Liang Xu’s gaze was unfocused, drifting into empty space. It wasn’t a real smile—just a polite mask.

Liang Xu wasn’t happy at all.

Though the room was full of kittens, it was like an invisible force field around him. The cats skirted carefully around him, none willing to approach.

In the small cat café, one side was lively with Qin Si and his girlfriend enjoying themselves, while the other was strangely lonely.

Shi Lv passed the coffee and cake to Qin Si and his girlfriend, then handed the iced Americano to Liang Xu, whispering, "Boss?"

Liang Xu was spacing out. Shi Lv’s sudden voice startled him, but he quickly put on a polite smile. When Liang Xu looked up again, his expression was calm and composed. "What is it?"

Even in front of a subordinate, he habitually maintained this demeanor.

Shi Lv: "The kittens are all very cute. Don’t you want to hold one? They’re sweet—won’t scratch or bite."

Liang Xu paused, then shook his head with a smile. "It’s fine. I’m a little afraid of cats. You go ahead and play."

This stung Liang Xu.

Unlike the 21st century, where humans had largely abandoned pheromone-driven instincts, in the ABO world, pheromones were akin to scent-based signals. Here, cats could naturally perceive these pheromones, making their likes and dislikes toward humans far more pronounced than in the 20th century. If they disliked a certain smell, they wouldn’t go near it at all.

And Liang Xu undoubtedly gave off a smell cats hated.

Or rather, ever since he took over New Leaf Group and started cutting corners to get his way, he had exuded a scent that repelled cats.

But of course, Liang Xu wouldn’t reveal the truth to Shi Lv. He shrugged it off: "I don’t like cats."

Shi Lv thought, *Yeah, right.*

When he had asked Liang Xu if he wanted to hold a cat, Liang Xu’s fingers had flexed under his sleeves—clearly, he did like them.

Shi Lv: "Wait a moment."

Coming from the 21st century, Shi Lv could barely detect pheromones. But regardless of scents or instincts, in his eyes, Liang Xu was a VIP who’d bought half the menu. The money he spent would eventually turn into cat food, so the cats owed him some cuddles. If they refused, they’d be bad at their jobs.

Moreover, Shi Lv genuinely thought Liang Xu was a decent person. In his first week at New Leaf Group, he’d made plenty of mistakes, yet Liang Xu hadn’t scolded him once. He couldn’t understand why the cats disliked Liang Xu.

Shi Lv decided to catch one for him.

By now, Shi Lv had already gotten familiar with Gingerbread and Rice Ball. He skillfully lifted the orange cat by its bottom and walked over to Liang Xu, intending to hand the cat to him.

Who would have thought that despite being as round as a propane tank, the orange cat was quite nimble. It stayed on the table for just a second before slipping under Shi Lv’s arm and darting away like an arrow.

The smile on Liang Xu’s lips froze for a moment before he quickly masked it. "Don’t force it. I don’t want to hold a cat."

But Shi Lv had already shoved a cat treat into his palm.

"Hold this."

He snagged the orange cat again, firmly securing it in his arms, then crouched down in front of Liang Xu.

Shi Lv held the cat’s paw. "Come on, Gingerbread, say hello to Young Master Liang."

Gingerbread stared with glazed fish eyes, turned its head to look at him, and let out a soft meow, as if muttering cat curses.

Seeing its lack of cooperation, Shi Lv grabbed the cat’s paw and shook it insistently. "Copy me—meow—"

Realizing it wouldn’t be let off otherwise, the orange cat grudgingly obliged. "Meow."

Shi Lv: "Good. Now go eat your treat."

Having sacrificed its cat pride, Gingerbread didn’t resist anymore. It sidled up to Liang Xu and began nibbling on the cat treat in his hand.

Now, Liang Xu and the cat were so close that the orange cat’s tail almost brushed against the back of his hand. With just a slight movement, he could have stroked Gingerbread’s head.

But Liang Xu wasn’t looking at the cat.

He was looking at Shi Lv.

The Junior Intern had also caught Cheese and was trying to coax it into greeting him. Still wearing his server's apron, bathed in the afternoon sunlight, the café filled with wooden furniture and a warm cream hue, the young intern knelt in the light, waving the cat’s paw in greeting. His expression radiated unstoppable youthful energy.

It was such a cozy scene, one Liang Xu had seemingly never witnessed before.

Not in the orphanage, not in the Ye estate, and certainly not at the New Leaf Group.

For a fleeting moment, he felt as though he could hear the ice in his veins thawing, blood flowing through his heart like a river awakening in spring.

A warm tingle.

It was a sensation hard to put into words—like a spring picnic under the shade of a tree, sunlight filtering through, the air filled with the scent of milk and cake. A moment perfect for a thought-free afternoon nap, just stillness and rest.

Liang Xu sat quietly in the café and found himself growing sleepy.

The atmosphere here was almost too comfortable.

Shi Lv, completely oblivious to his boss’s unusual state, placed Cheese on Liang Xu’s lap. Liang Xu’s leg jerked—the small creature looked so delicate and vulnerable. His leg stiffened straight, not daring to move an inch. Shi Lv chuckled. "It’s fine, boss. They like you."

Perhaps inspired by Gingerbread and Cheese, the other cats began to think this human who smelled of melancholy didn’t seem so terrifying after all. Plus, Liang Xu was holding cat treats, so they all crowded over, filling the "vacuum" around him.

"There we go." Shi Lv clapped his hands, a hint of accomplishment in his tone. "Boss, enjoy your afternoon tea. This place has great food, I promise."

Liang Xu tore his gaze away from Shi Lv.

He picked up a small piece of cake with his fork. "...Alright."