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It is a popular, baseless, opinion that the Cloud Recesses is a cat cafe. This is not true. The Cloud Recesses is not even a cafe — it is a tearoom, and there is a distinction.
It is simply that the tearoom is also home to two cats in particular, who may or may not be its main selling point, if what Jingyi and Sizhui claim is correct. Lan Qiren wouldn’t know, as he does not frequent the ‘social medias’. But Jingyi and Sizhui have pulled up something called a Yalp (?) page and shown him the reviews, and while they’re nearly all of a glowing nature, they also invariably center around the sheer cuteness of the Cloud Recesses’ resident pair of prized ragdolls.
Lan Qiren cannot fault the customers, if he’s being honest. Anyone with half a brain and a modicum of taste would be enamored with Xichen and Wangji, and this is Lan Qiren being objective. The cats are intelligent, calm, well-behaved, and friendly. (Well, Xichen is. Wangji...is relatively so). And yes, they are also cute — even Lan Qiren is not above admitting this.
It comes as a surprise to many people that Lan Qiren is a cat person. He’s not sure why. He knows he has a strict demeanor, one he’s put a lot of time and effort into cultivating, but he doesn’t know why that should preclude him from liking cats. He loves cats. So much so, in fact, that when he’d inherited management of the teahouse that had been in the Lan family for generations, he hadn’t been able to bear the thought of leaving Xichen and Wangji alone in an empty house while he worked all day. He’d been worried initially, of course, about their reactions to being around so many people — Wangji especially — but those fears had turned out to be unfounded. Xichen loved the attention, Wangji tolerated it and knew how to make himself scarce once he’d had enough, the customers loved the cats, and Lan Qiren and the junior waitors kept a hawklike watch to ensure neither of the cats were ever mistreated.
So yes. All in all, Lan Qiren will say he is extremely fond of cats.
There are, however, certain cats Lan Qiren will admit to being... somewhat less than fond of. Case in point: what is probably the ugliest creature Lan Qiren has ever seen, currently making itself comfortable in Wangji's cat bed. Which Wangji is still occupying.
"What are you doing here?" Lan Qiren snaps. The scrawny black sphynx meows cheerfully at him, then snuggles even closer to Wangji — who seems remarkably unperturbed by this turn of events. In fact, his large, fluffy tail is actually draped over the sphynx like some sort of blanket.
Lan Qiren thinks back to that one disastrous day that Nie Mingjue had asked him to catsit. When A-Sang had clambered up onto Wangji’s favourite cat tree ledge and gotten within half a foot of him, Lan Qiren had witnessed Wangji stretch out one graceful paw and, very gently, shove A-Sang off.
Now, Lan Qiren splutters indignantly as the sphynx begins to purr loudly, nuzzling the side of Wangji's head. And Wangji just lets him. Wangji, who only tolerates being pet for a maximum of one minute at a time, two for people he knows well. Wangji who, with the exception of his brother, has kept every other cat he’s met at a firm cat-arm’s reach —
And then, something even more unbelievable happens: Wangji begins to purr. Lan Qiren has heard Wangji purr maybe three times in his entire life, and now Wangji is not just letting some absolute gremlin of a cat cuddle up to him, but actually cuddling back, and even purring because of it —!
A sudden, terrible thought occurs to Lan Qiren. At least the sphynx is hairless, so there’s no danger of fleas. It’s also wearing a lumpy knitted sweater, so it’s probably someone’s pet. Somebody with extremely bad taste, in Lan Qiren’s opinion. But who even knows if it’s up to date with its vaccinations, if it might be carrying some disease —
If anything were to happen to Wangji — horrified by the thought, Lan Qiren is five seconds away from plucking the gremlin up by the scruff of its neck and tossing it back out into the street when he hears a loud commotion from behind him and a louder voice shouting, “XIANXIAN!”
“Jingyi,” Lan Qiren sighs, as his nephew comes crashing to a halt in front of him. “What is happening. Do you know this...this creature?”
“Yeah!” Jingyi says, bending down to scritch the sphynx’s overlarge, batlike ears, much to the cat’s delight. Wangji fixes him with a look that looks oddly similar to a glare, for a cat. “I’m not sure who his owners are, but look, he’s got a collar —” Oh. So he does. Lan Qiren hadn’t even noticed it at first, too distracted by the rather hideous sweater. Upon further inspection, there’s a tag on the collar labeled —
“Xianxian?” Lan Qiren scoffs. “What a ridiculous name for a cat!”
Jingyi looks like he’s sorely tempted to say something, but wisely restrains himself.
“Wait,” Lan Qiren says, “have you seen him hanging around here before? Why didn’t you say anything about it?!”
Jingyi shuffles in place guiltily. “Well I mean...he’s not really causing any trouble! Before now, he’s never actually come into the main seating area — I first saw him like two weeks ago. He was sneaking catnip in through the back door, and HanGuang-Jun caught him —” Lan Qiren massages his nose, already feeling a headache brewing on the horizon. Ever since the incident with the fairy lights last Christmas, all of his best attempts to get the junior waiters to stop calling Wangji by that absurd moniker have gone in vain.
“Anyway,” Jingyi continues, “After HanGuang-Jun caught him, they almost got into a fight, which is like, a first for HanGuang-Jun, you know he’s usually too lazy to do anything — anyway, after that, Xianxian kept showing up again, and I think he and HanGuang-Jun are friends now! Look, they’re even cuddling, aren’t they cute!”
“No, they are not!” Lan Qiren almost shouts. “That — that gargoyle is corrupting Wangji! What if he’s infected! What if Wangji gets sick too!”
“He looks pretty healthy to me,” Jingyi says doubtfully. “I mean, whoever his owners are, they made a little sweater for him and everything, so he’s probably well taken care of...and anyway, you can’t make him leave now, HanGuang-Jun will be so sad!”
“Wangji will not be sad without that gremlin,” Lan Qiren says dismissively. Wangji chooses this moment to nudge lightly at Xianxian’s cheek with his own, and then press even closer against his side — Xianxian mews creakily and delightedly. “He won’t,” Lan Qiren repeats, with slightly less assuredness.
Jingyi looks at him pleadingly. “Uncle, you know how Wangji never makes friends with anyone, human or cat — are you going to take away his only friend now? He’ll be so lonely!”
Wangji had never exactly seemed unhappy before, Lan Qiren thinks bitterly, and is about to tell his nephew this, when a young woman bursts through the front door, looking more than slightly frantic. “I’m so sorry to bother you,” she says, “but have you seen —”
The moment he hears her voice, Xianxian gives a loud, elated mew and leaps from the bed (leaving Wangji behind, looking rather disgruntled), and bounds over to the woman and right up into her arms.
“Xianxian!” she says, holding the gremlin close, “Is this where you’ve been this entire time? You know you’re not supposed to sneak out —”
Lan Qiren clears his throat, loudly and pointedly. “Ma’am,” he says, very politely, “are you the owner of this...feline?”
“Ah, yes,” the woman says, looking slightly sheepish. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even introduce myself! I’m Jiang Yanli, one of the owners of Lotus Pier Shelter, right next door —” A shelter, so that means the cat is likely up to date on shots, luckily — “we just moved, actually, I’m so sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances! Anyways, Xianxian is one of our cats. I suppose I should apologize on his behalf too...I hope he hasn’t been causing too much trouble over here. I know he can be a bit...rambunctious.”
That’s one word for it, Lan Qiren thinks bitterly, watching with a rather muted sense of horror as Wangji, looking even more put out than usual, uncurls himself and pads sedately over to Jiang Yanli, gazing expectantly up at Xianxian. The sphinx makes what might possibly be an attempt at an excited chirrup, although it sounds more like a sound that should be emerging from the gullet of a pterodactyl. Then he squirms around, until Jiang Yanli loosens her grip enough for him to plop down to the floor, where Wangji is waiting.
Wangji purrs contentedly, steps forward, and bumps his nose against Xianxian’s.
Lan Qiren is about two seconds away from an aneurism.
Jiang Yanli evidently does not share the sentiment, because she coos delightedly. “They’re so cute, aren’t they? I’m so glad they’re getting along well. Xianxian loves to make friends, but he can be a bit…much for some people.” That is not difficult to believe, Lan Qiren thinks sourly. “And cats. But your little ragdoll is so well behaved and patient!”
“Of course he is,” Lan Qiren says, puffing up despite himself. The quickest way to get yourself into his good books is by complimenting his cats. “My Wangji is the pride and joy of the Cloud Recesses. Along with — ah, Xichen, there you are.” Xichen, probably roused from his nap, has padded into the room to join them. He swirls around Jiang Yanli’s legs, and she reaches down to scritch gently behind his ears. “But Wangji is of a delicate constitution. He does not take well to rowdiness. It upsets him.”
So please keep your insufferable gremlin away from him for the foreseeable future, he wants to add, but doesn’t. Because that would be entirely too rude for Jiang Yanli who, despite whatever opinions Lan Qiren may hold about her cat, has been nothing but pleasant so far.
Jiang Yanli seems to understand, though, because her smile grows smaller, a bit resigned. “Don’t worry, Mr Lan, I’ll be sure to keep Xianxian from bothering you in the future.” She scoops Xianxian back up into her arms, ignoring his plaintive mews. “I really appreciate your patience in dealing with him for so long. And Wangji’s of course.” This is directed to Wangji, who has adopted an air of overwhelming despondence. “If you need us to reimburse you for any food, or uh, furniture, or medical bills —”
“Do not worry about it,” Lan Qiren says, wondering exactly what sort of mischief Xianxian gets up to at his own home. A shelter, was it? “I would simply appreciate it if he is kept…indoors from now on.”
“Of course, I completely understand.” Jiang Yanli heads to the door, Xianxian dangling limply from her arms like a dishrag. As if he thinks going full deadweight will make her put him down again — it is a strategy Lan Qiren has become intimately familiar with from Wangji and Xichen’s kitten days, and he finds himself begrudgingly amused. “Thanks again for looking after him! Xianxian, say bye-bye.” She lifts one of Xianxian’s paws, and he gives a pathetic little wave. Wangji trills mournfully, and Lan Qiren shoots him a betrayed look.
After they’re gone, Wangji rearranges himself into a dignified little loaf and sits there staring at the door for the better part of three hours. He completely ignores Xichen trying to entice him into playing with his favourite string toy, and Lan Qiren’s (empty) threats to withhold wet food for the next week. Lan Qiren has forgotten how stubborn Wangji can be when he wants to.
“What’s wrong with Wangji?” Sizhui asks when he arrives for his shift, staring at the Wangji-shaped loaf with concern. “Is he sick?”
“Yes,” Jingyi says, looking nearly as forlorn as Lan Qiren’s wayward cat. “ Love sick.”
Sizhui makes a knowing noise — has everyone besides Lan Qiren known about the gremlin?! He and Jingyi coo over an apathetic Wangji, while Lan Qiren grits his teeth and seethes. This is why he must keep Wangji away from other cats, because they can obviously spell nothing but trouble!
True to her word, Jiang Yanli manages to keep Xianxian from sneaking over for the next two weeks. In this time, however, Wangji grows increasingly melancholic, to the point that Lan Qiren actually becomes quite worried. Wangji has always been a quiet, low-energy cat, but now he seems to be mired in a perpetual fog of misery. Even his fur seems to have lost its usual volume. He retires to his usual ledge on the cat tower and lies there, completely motionless except for the occasional lethargic swipe at the hanging ball toy. Xichen keeps scurrying back and forth between the tower and Lan Qiren, chirping frantically. The message is clear: fix this!
Since Wangji is a cat, this level of abject despondency would be almost funny, were Wangji not also Lan Qiren’s pride and joy, the light of his life. So, as it is, Lan Qiren is just overwhelmingly concerned. He does not know how to deal with this. Wangji cannot possibly be lonely. He does not like other cats, besides his brother, who is always at his side. He is surrounded by many doting humans. This cannot all be because of the insufferable cat who must not be named. Lan Qiren refuses to believe it.
Then one night, after closing, Jingyi says idly to Sizhui, “Do you know, the other day I saw the ugliest little baby sweater — seriously, it was hideous, it was blue with orange polka dots, do people even learn colour theory these days? — and you know who I thought of? Xianxian —” and what happens next is both miraculous and startling. In the blink of an eye, Wangji descends from his perch and makes his way to the entryway, settling himself down in front of the door expectantly.
Lan Qiren, Sizhui and Jingyi all stare at him, slightly stunned. “Wow,” Sizhui says faintly.
“HanGuang-Jun!” Jingyi wails, sounding on the brink of tears. “Shufu, don’t you see? He’s not suffering from hairballs, he’s suffering from heartbreak, you have to let him see his boyfriend again —”
Lan Qiren sighs, massages his temples, and mournfully bids farewell to the fleeting weeks of blissful peace that the Cloud Recesses have known.
The next day, Lan Qiren heads over to Lotus Pier Shelter during his lunch break. Jingyi had pleaded with him to take Wangji too, so that Wangji could be reunited with his one true love, and Lan Qiren had yelled at him to stop talking nonsense and get back to work.
Lotus Pier Shelter is surprisingly bright and spacious. Lan Qiren greets a surly-looking teen at the reception. When he inquires as to Xianxian’s location, the boy raises a brow and says, “Xianxian? Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Lan Qiren sighs, ensuring that he fits every ounce of the last two weeks’ exasperation into that one word.
“Okay, then,” the teen says dubiously, and then heads to the back room and hollers, “Jiujiu! There’s a scary guy here asking to see the gremlin!”
A scowling man emerges. He’s dressed in purple, as Jiang Yanli had been. And draped over his shoulders, like the most unsightly scarf imaginable, is the feline bane of Lan Qiren’s existence.
Upon spotting Lan Qiren, Xianxian squawks and immediately tries to clamber down. The man (Jiang Cheng, according to his nametag) hisses as claws dig into his shoulders, and grabs Xianxian before he can dart off into the backroom again. “Mr Lan, I presume?” he asks, determinedly ignoring the wriggling cat in his arms. Lan Qiren nods, and Jiang Cheng groans. “Please tell me Xianxian hasn’t been giving you any more trouble. We did everything we could to keep him from sneaking out, but he’s like a damn cockroach. If he has, I do apologize.”
“Do not worry,” Lan Qiren says. “He has not.” He thinks, then amends, “Well, not in that sense.” He briefly explains the recent situation to Jiang Cheng, whose eyebrows climb higher and higher in a manner very reminiscent of the receptionist.
“So you think your cat Wangji… misses him?” he asks when Lan Qiren is done, sounding appropriately incredulous.
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
“Wangji? I’ve seen pictures of him on your website. Why would he want to see Xianxian?”
Lan Qiren is immensely relieved to have finally found a kindred soul, who also comprehends the sheer absurdity of this entire situation. “Your guess is as good as mine. A lapse of judgment, most likely. But whatever his reasons, Wangji has been miserable, without Xianxian’s…presence. And I care deeply for Wangji, so if this is what will make him happy…” He sighs deeply.
Jiang Cheng sighs too. “Fine,” he says. “Fine. A playdate it is.” He pokes lightly at Xianxian’s nose and says, “Are you happy now, you menace?” Xianxian, having given up on his wriggling, reclines in Jiang Cheng’s arms and purrs.
Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yanli, who turn out to be siblings, arrange to bring Xianxian over to the Cloud Recesses two days from then. Wangji perks up the moment the door clicks open and, by the time Xianxian’s carrier has been set down, he’s already reached the entryway. Jiang Yanli undoes the latch, and with a yowl of delight, Xianxian barrels out in a streak of red and black. He crashes into Wangji who, for a brief, wonderful second, Lan Qiren believes will hiss and bat him away.
No such luck, of course. Wangji just sits there, content to let Xianxian caterwaul into his ear and paw at his pristine fur. Lan Qiren grits his teeth, and suppresses every instinct in his body which is telling him to yank Xianxian away. A cat is purring loudly — for a moment he thinks it’s Xichen, who’s emerged to see what all the commotion is. But then he realizes it’s Wangji, and has to stare in utter stupefaction for a long moment, because that is the single loudest noise he’s ever heard Wangji make in his life.
Jiang Cheng looks appropriately disgusted by the spectacle, but Jiang Yanli is beaming. “Aren’t they just so sweet?” she says.
Jiang Cheng scoffs. “Sweet? A-Jie, it’s horrifying. Xianxian, stop harassing that cat before you get banned from here again.”
Wangji fixes Jiang Cheng with a cold stare and, pointedly, wraps his tail around Xianxian. Lan Qiren makes a wordless sound of outrage.
So does Jiang Cheng. “What the fuck,” he says. “Did that cat just glare at me?”
“A-Cheng, that’s just how his face is,” Jiang Yanli says amiably. She turns to Lan Qiren and says, “Mr Lan, thank you so much for agreeing to this. Xianxian was quite unhappy these last few days — he must have missed Wangji terribly.”
“It is no trouble,” Lan Qiren grits out. Xianxian has progressed to grooming Wangji now. And Wangji is still tolerating it! Lan Qiren has to look away, for the sake of his own sanity. “Wangji has also been…unhappy.”
“Because of Xianxian?” Jiang Cheng says, like he still can’t quite believe it. Lan Qiren knows the feeling all too well.
“It’s so nice that they’re friends,” Jiang Yanli says, ignoring him. “Xianxian…does not always get along well with the other cats at the shelter.”
“No?” Lan Qiren asks, curious besides himself. For all Xianxian’s many, many faults, if there’s one thing the cat is, it’s friendly. Too friendly, more like. But he’s never displayed any animosity that Lan Qiren can remember. According to Jingyi, even back when he’d first appeared and Wangji would still hiss at him and chase him away and try to fight him, Xianxian had never retaliated. “Why is that?”
“Well, Xianxian can be a bit too…boisterous for some of the cats,” Jiang Yanli explains. “And while he does get along with many, they all get adopted sooner or later. Xianxian has been at the shelter for…about six years now.”
Lan Qiren blinks, surprised. “He’s not your own pet?”
“Technically, no,” Jiang Yanli says, “although it feels that way at this point. We can’t take him to our actual home, because we have dogs, and he’s terrified of them. But, unfortunately, we’ve come to accept that he might not be getting adopted any time soon. We love him, of course, but he’s so mischievous that he would not be a very low-maintenance pet. And his appearance is, ah…unusual.”
“You mean disturbing as hell,” Jiang Cheng chimes in. It appears he’s become absorbed in playing with Xichen, who has, at some point, become bored and dragged out a few of his toys.
“A-Cheng,” Jiang Yanli chides. Privately, Lan Qiren has to agree. Xianxian has been nothing if not a nuisance, and he resembles, more than anything, a plucked chicken breast. But still.
“Your cat is…not entirely unpleasant,” he admits, although it pains him immensely to do so. “He is intelligent, at the very least, and if Wangji likes him, then I am sure that his character must have. Some positive aspects. I am certain that he will find a good home eventually.”
Jiang Yanli laughs, sounding a little sad. “I hope so too, Mr Lan.”
“Imagine if he does get adopted out, though,” Jiang Cheng says. Xichen has migrated to his shoulders now, a process involving substantially less claws than with Xianxian. “He’ll be all miserable again because he won’t be able to come bother Wangji here anymore.”
Jiang Yanli giggles. “Oh, that’s true. Xianxian, you’d best not get too used to this!” Wangji shoots them a baleful look over the vague, lumpy shape of Xianxian curled into a ball against his side, and then lowers his head and goes back to sleep.
“Unbelievable,” Lan Qiren mutters.
Jiang Cheng nods, scowling, despite the way he’s gently stroking Xichen’s ears. He’s not a bad sort, Lan Qiren thinks. Then Jiang Cheng inhales, and says, “So. Listen. We don’t wanna spring this on you, but…is there any chance we can keep arranging for these two to keep meeting? At least, for a little while? As I’ve said, he’s been fucking annoying when he’s moping.”
“He is quite loud,” Jiang Yanli adds apologetically.
Lan Qiren thinks of the shrill, eerie cries he’s been hearing on the wind for the past two weeks. He’d attributed them to hawks, maybe, or coyotes, and resolved to be even more careful about keeping Xichen and Wangji indoors. Turns out, the truth is even worse.
The Jiangs, and Xichen (the traitor) are all staring at him expectantly. Wangji and Xianxian are still cuddled up together, now on Wangji’s favourite ledge. Lan Qiren just rubs the bridge of his nose wearily, thinks of how dreary the last two weeks have been for everyone, and says, “Well, I suppose I have no choice in the matter, now do I.”
And so, the once peaceful waters of the Cloud Recesses are forever marred by Xianxian, who becomes a more or less permanent fixture.
The Jiangs initially bring him over only after closing, and only about twice a week — they say they don’t want him sneaking out by himself anymore, worried he’d be at risk of predators. Lan Qiren thinks it’s the predators who’d have more to worry about, but he keeps that to himself.
Eventually, though, Jingyi and Sizhui (mostly Jingyi) wheedle so much, and Wangji stares unnervingly at Lan Qiren with such pleading eyes, that he relents to letting Xianxian come over in the mornings and spend the entire day. Lan Qiren is always on the lookout, ready to haul Xianxian back over to the Jiangs at the slightest indications of mischievous intent.
But, to his shock, there are none. Xianxian, despite his “creepy, alien-like” (thank you again, Jingyi) appearance, becomes a hit with the customers too. When he’s not plastering himself to Wangji’s side, he’s strolling through the seating area and allowing himself to be petted and cooed over, while Wangji either sulks on his tower, or trails after him reluctantly.
Ever so often, Xianxian goes zooming around in bouts of hyperactivity, but miraculously manages to avoid knocking anything over. The one exception is the time a rather unpleasant and inebriated businessman had entered and proceeded to make, as Sizhui very politely described it later, a ruckus. After a few minutes of increasingly uncouth behavior, and Sizhui’s unsuccessful attempts to get him to leave, Xianxian had scrambled across the table, in the process managing to accidentally knock the bowl of cold soup directly into the man’s lap. He’d finally left in a huff to write a scathing review and Xianxian, looking remarkably smug for a cat, had not, in fact, been banished.
Things continue in this nature for a while. Xianxian’s biweekly visits become daily events. Jiang Yanli knits him a sweater in white and blue with the logo of the Cloud Recesses, claiming that at this point he’s an unofficial employee too. She knits matching ones for Xichen and Wangji, who look so cute in them that Lan Qiren can’t even bring himself to be indignant about the ‘unofficial employee’ comment.
Sizhui and Jingyi manage to strike up a friendship with the sulky receptionist from the shelter, Jin Ling, who loudly proclaims Xianxian to be the ugliest cat in the world, while also constantly sneaking him treats. His behavior is rather baffling to Lan Qiren, until he finds out that Jin Ling is both Jiang Cheng’s nephew, and Jin Zixuan’s son, and then all is explained.
Wangji, these days, purrs at a volume and frequency that is almost worrying. He watches sedately from his perch as Xianxian and Xichen play, as Xianxian skulks around investigating the premises and, if necessary, intervenes to prevent Xianxian from tumbling off various high surfaces when the exploration takes a more dramatic turn.
(“It’s like he doesn’t know that Xianxian is perfectly capable of landing on his feet,” Lan Qiren overhears Jingyi recanting once, incredulously. “And worse, Xianxian just lets HanGuang-Jun fuss over him and then they go and cuddle — you know, I think he’s falling off things on purpose now. And faking being injured. How are they so PDA, they are cats.”)
Things are, for all that Lan Qiren is loath to admit it, not bad. He might even go so far as to say that they are good. In a sense.
This is why when the Jiangs show up one day clutching thick folders, faces nervous but eager, asking if Lan Qiren has ever heard of the concept of a cat cafe, he can only heave a sigh, open the door, and wave them in.