DMPSA CH 2

Chapter 2: Never Coming Again

“Here’s your water.” The young man, finally remembering his duty as a waiter, placed a glass of water on the table. “You don’t mind, do you?” He gestured toward the cat sprawled across the table. “This is the shop’s cat. It’s very clean. We conduct regular grooming and health check-ups.”

“Of course, I don’t mind. I really like cats,” Yue Qi replied, giving the cat’s belly a gentle rub. “Can customers play with the cat?”

“You can. As long as the cat doesn’t resist, you’re free to pet or hold it. Just remember to be gentle and don’t feed it human food. If you really want to try feeding it, let us know. We can provide a couple of cat treats for guests to give them.” Before Yue Qi could speak, the waiter quickly added, “But not tonight; they’ve already been fed.”

Ignoring Yue Qi’s look of disappointment, the waiter pointed to a bottle of hand sanitizer by the table. “We’ve prepared sanitizer, so please clean your hands before and after touching the cats. We can’t have our cats getting sick.”

Yue Qi quickly pumped a small amount of sanitizer into his hands, rubbing them dry. Feeling a bit self-conscious, he explained, “I already used some disinfectant spray when I got off work at the hospital.”

“Are you a doctor at A University Hospital nearby?” Xiao Yang asked. When Yue Qi nodded, he casually lumped all doctors together with his sweeping remark. “Doctors are always busy with work, right? Bet you’re not good at anything else—probably can’t even make instant noodles.”

The implication was clear: why didn’t Yue Qi just make noodles at home instead of inconveniencing him at the end of his shift?

“…I can make instant noodles,” Yue Qi replied, exasperated.

“Then you’re just lazy!” Xiao Yang declared with pinpoint accuracy.

“…” Yue Qi, who had just spent ten hours standing at work, let out a wry laugh, silently conceding the point.

The impatient young man from earlier had suddenly turned chatty—perhaps out of boredom. He started introducing the teahouse to Yue Qi. “This is a pet-friendly café. You’re welcome to bring your own pets next time. The shop currently has three cats. This one is Cha Cha, whom you’ve already met. The chubby one on the counter is Da Huang.” He pointed to a plump cat lounging on the counter. “He’s the boss around here; he hogs all the food.” Xiao Yang chuckled, scanning the room for the third cat. “There’s also a black-and-white one named Hua Dian. She’s a little shy and only plays with people she’s familiar with.”

After finishing his introduction of the cats, Xiao Yang added, “If you have a pet, you can bring them along next time to play.”

“I don’t have any pets. Pets aren’t allowed where I live, and with my long working hours, I wouldn’t be able to take care of one properly.” Yue Qi sighed wistfully. “Otherwise, I’d love to have a cat. Cats are just too adorable.” He picked up Cha Cha, burying his face in the soft fur and rubbing against it affectionately.

Qin Yang’s gaze fell on the back of Yue Qi’s neck. He noticed a small adhesive patch there. “Are you an Alpha?” he asked curiously, though his expression carried a hint of wariness.

The patch on Yue Qi’s neck was a suppressor sticker. While Omegas also used these patches, Yue Qi’s aura felt more like that of an Alpha. Before Yue Qi could respond, another voice joined the conversation.

“Well, you should come by often. Our cats are all very friendly.” The shop owner approached with a tray of food, Hua Dian following at his feet. “Your noodles are ready. Please enjoy.” The owner paused and called out, “Ah, I forgot to ask if you can handle spice. This is Kung Pao Chicken Noodles^[1]. It’s only a little spicy—do you mind?”

Yue Qi gently put the cat down and looked at the slightly unusual bowl of noodles. The soup had a faint layer of red oil floating on top, garnished with peanuts, finely chopped green onions, and a braised egg.

“…I can handle spice.” Yue Qi stared at the peculiar dish, a combination he had never heard of before, feeling slightly apprehensive. But since he’d just claimed he wasn’t picky and would eat anything, he felt too embarrassed to complain now.

Under the waiter’s expectant and amused gaze and the owner’s enthusiastic encouragement, Yue Qi picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

“How is it?” The man immediately asked.

After chewing a few times and swallowing, Yue Qi’s eyes lit up. “This is delicious!” He took a sip of the broth and added, “I never imagined Kung Pao Chicken could be made into soup noodles.”

“Right? I thought it’d be good too.” The owner beamed with pride, his eyes narrowing happily. He returned to the kitchen and brought out another bowl for himself, sitting at the counter to eat.

“Qing-ge actually gave you the egg,” the waiter remarked sourly. “You’re lucky. The leftover ingredients today were Kung Pao Chicken and one braised egg. Once, all we had left was sweet-and-sour fish—no, just the sweet-and-sour sauce. He made Sweet-and-Sour Sauce Noodles, and the whole broth was sugary. It was disgusting.” The waiter picked up Cha Cha and walked back to the counter, grumbling about the owner’s cooking skills.

“…” Yue Qi poked at the braised egg in his bowl, reflecting on how casual the owner was. “Just throwing things together” really meant tossing random leftovers into the pot. But maybe it was because he was starving—Yue Qi found the noodles genuinely tasty.

By the time Yue Qi and the owner finished their meals, it was already 2:30 a.m. Not wanting to delay their closing time any further, Yue Qi gave the cats a few more pats before heading to the counter to settle his bill.

“…” The owner stood behind the counter, smiling at him. Yue Qi smiled back awkwardly, unsure of what was happening. After a while, when the owner still didn’t say anything, Yue Qi had to ask, “So, uh, how much is it?”

“Oh, oh, it’s free,” Su Qing finally snapped out of his daze, realizing the handsome customer was trying to pay. He smiled sheepishly, “No charge. Just come by often.”

Yue Qi was taken aback. “That’s not right.”

The owner scratched his head. “That dish isn’t even on the menu. I just threw something together. I’d feel bad charging you for it!” He handed Yue Qi a flyer for the restaurant. “How about you help spread the word for us instead?”

Looking down at the flyer, Yue Qi noticed the operating hours: 4:00 PM to 4:00 AM.

“Wow, you’re open until 4:00 AM?” Yue Qi asked, surprised and a bit puzzled. “Then why…?”

“Ah, my apologies for tonight,” the owner explained with a helpless smile. “Our chef had a family emergency and took leave. He doesn’t let me cook, worried I’ll ruin his reputation. On top of that, the weather’s bad, so we didn’t have many customers. After 1:00 AM, the place was empty, so we decided to close early.”

“Do you even get customers this late?” Yue Qi asked curiously.

“We do.” The owner blinked and grinned. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“…!” Yue Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “One customer doesn’t really count, especially when I got a free meal!”

The owner chuckled along. “I’m Su Qing, and this is Qin Yang. Su, like in Suzhou Blue and White Porcelain, and Qing, like the color cyan^[2]. Qin, like in Qin Shi Huang, and Yang, like the Sun God^[3].”

“Since when did Qin Shi Huang battle the Sun God?!” ^[4]Qin Yang, who was clearing Yue Qi’s table, yelled indignantly. Annoyed by the repeated joke, he stormed into the kitchen with the dishes. Su Qing continued to smile and extended a hand to Yue Qi. “Nice to meet you. Drop by whenever you can!”

“Yue Qi. Yue, as in surpassing, and Qi, the strange character with the jade radical.” ^[5]Yue Qi introduced himself with a smile, shaking Su Qing’s hand. As they shook hands, Yue Qi noticed the numerous scars on Su Qing’s hands. Alarmed, he held onto Su Qing’s hand, inspecting it closely. “How did you get so many cuts? Some of these look like they’re getting infected.”

Su Qing pulled his hand back nonchalantly. “It’s nothing, just minor injuries.”

Qin Yang came back just then, his tone both annoyed and protective. “He’s clumsy, always hurting himself in the kitchen. Did you cut yourself again just now? Weren’t you only chopping scallions? You’re really hopeless.”

When Qin Yang had gone to the kitchen earlier, he’d noticed a bloodied paper towel in the trash. He’d decided to ignore it until he saw that Alpha standing at the counter, chatting happily with Su Qing—and even grabbing his hand to hold it. Alarm bells had gone off in his head.

He retrieved a bandage from the first aid kit, walked over, and grabbed Su Qing’s hand to apply it.

Catching Yue Qi still watching out of the corner of his eye, Qin Yang deliberately lifted Su Qing’s hand and gently blew on the injured fingertip.

Su Qing froze, clearly flustered by the unexpected public display of affection. His face turned red as Qin Yang held his hand, leaving him unsure how to react.

Great. A parting blow to this single dog’s heart^[6]. So, they’re a couple.

Fine. Not coming back here again. Hmph!

(To Be Continued…)

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