Chapter 6: Cat Kingdom

Dragging my leaden legs back to the rental apartment, I slammed the door shut with a “bang” and flopped powerlessly onto the bed.

Feeling the softness of the quilt, my cat ears drooped limply.

I thought everything was over, but I never expected that Ning Dongya would actually hire me in the end…

So, about work tomorrow—should I go? Or not?

What if she recognized my art style from the start and deliberately set a trap for me?

If they dig up my old scandalous doujinshi on my first day, I’ll probably become the laughingstock of the whole company.

But if I run away now…

I suddenly slapped my cheeks, and my cat paw scratched three white marks into the desktop. No! Acting suspicious will just make her even more suspicious! She was definitely testing me today, and right now, she’s probably waiting for me to mess up.

Besides, I’ve already explained about my art style to her. She should believe me.

But if the interviewer had already passed on me, meaning I wasn’t good enough, why did she break the rules to hire me?

Is she scheming something again…?

Ahhhh!! So annoying, so annoying, I just can’t figure this out!

I sat at the end of the bed and took a deep breath, but the tip of my cat tail was still thrashing uncontrollably. Flustered, I lifted the pillow over my head and hurled it at the blank wall, as if I could hit Ning Dongya that way.

But who knew, the pillow bounced back and smacked me right on the head.

“Eeeya eeya ya!!”

My balance immediately gave way, and my body started tipping backward and to the side.

I tried to steady myself, but to no avail.

My body tilted to the side, and with a loud “bang,” I landed on the floor in a mess.

Ugh, that hurt! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have thrown it so hard just now, QAQ…

I slowly got up from the floor, glaring furiously at the culprit that made me fall—the damned pillow!

“Damn you! Even you’re out to bully me, huh!”

I raised the pillow over my head again, but remembering my fall, I lost my nerve and just tossed it aside.

Forget it, I don’t want to fall again. And honestly, venting my anger on a pillow feels pretty dumb anyway…

As for tomorrow’s job, I’ll just go.

Ugh, I’ll just treat it like undercover work—as long as I can survive the internship…

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting slender shadows on the floor.

I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in a pillow, “Tomorrow… I’ll just treat it as scouting enemy territory!”

No matter what, at least I’ve got a job.

But there’s still another problem: my first paycheck is still a ways off, and I need a little money to get by until then.

I could take some commissions online, but with AI so widespread nowadays, freelancing as an illustrator is really unstable.

Since I’ve decided not to muddle through life like before, why not go out and find some proper temp work?

At that thought, I immediately got up and headed out.

It’s not that I’m especially motivated, but I know myself—if I procrastinate here, I’ll probably end up not doing it at all.

Just as I pushed open the iron gate of the apartment building, a pink-and-white blur shot out from the stairwell, rabbit ears twitching atop her head. Then, with her usual mocking tone, “Heh, isn’t this our Yun Da Shi? Where are you off to?”

Hearing Ling Xiaoxiao’s tone, I couldn’t help clicking my tongue, but since I can’t outmuscle this super-strong rabbit, I just locked the door and replied, “Looking for temp work.”

“Really now, I never thought you’d see the light—weren’t you always drifting through life?” Ling Xiaoxiao smiled, sidling up next to me, and asked, “By the way, didn’t you have an interview this morning? How’d it go?”

My ears twitched, and I unconsciously twisted the hem of my shirt with my fingers. “Um… I passed. It’s… Ning Dongya’s company.”

Ling Xiaoxiao’s rabbit ears smacked onto her forehead. “Are you crazy?! She’s seen your scandalous doujinshi, you know! Aren’t you afraid she’ll expose you and string you up for a beating?”

I squatted on the stairs, drawing circles, my cat tail sweeping through the dust on the steps. “What can I do… I didn’t expect my luck to be so bad. She just happened to personally supervise interviews today. When it was my turn, she looked at my portfolio and said my art style looked familiar—I nearly lost my soul right then and there!”

Thinking back, I still felt a lingering fear. “And you don’t know this, but I even forgot to update my resume. Ning Dongya almost saw it right there.”

Ling Xiaoxiao snorted with laughter at that. “That’s exactly the kind of thing a dummy would do.”

That annoyed me, and both my cat ears shot up in protest. “Meow!! What do you mean, that’s the kind of thing a dummy would do! I was just nervous because I hadn’t been out in so long, and I forgot!”

“All right, all right~ pfft, hahaha.” Ling Xiaoxiao echoed my words, but the smile never left her face.

Seeing her like this, I felt both angry and helpless. But thinking about how my blunder really was pretty embarrassing, I could only change the subject in the end.

“Hmph! Anyway, I’m off to find temp work. Got any recommendations?”

Ling Xiaoxiao shook her head, the rabbit ears on top of her head swaying with the motion. “I’m not too sure either.”

She suddenly stuffed her phone back in her pocket, her pink-and-white tail making a circle behind her. “But I’ve got time! Want me to tag along and try our luck on the street?”

“Really? That’d be great!”

At that, my eyes lit up with joy.

You know, for a shut-in like me, the hardest thing is dealing with other people. Having company won’t make me completely fearless, but it’ll be much better.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Ling Xiaoxiao grabbed me and dashed downstairs, her rabbit ears bobbing in the morning light like two little flags.

Half an hour later, we stood on the main road.

Job posters from milk tea shops plastered the glass doors, the electronic screens of fast food joints flashed “Urgent: Part-Time Help Wanted,” and even the flower shop next door had a wooden sign that read “Florist Assistant Needed.”

Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly stopped, her rabbit ears drooping into a 八 shape. “So many shops… Which one should we try first?”

I stared at the endless flow of people and felt my scalp tingle.

The two of us—no, a rabbit and a cat—stood in the middle of the street, looking at the maze of roads ahead, and for a moment, neither of us knew what to do next.

But that confusion didn’t last long. Seeing all the food and drink shops, an idea popped into my mind.

I tugged on Ling Xiaoxiao’s wrist and pointed at the corner shop with a sign bearing a cat silhouette. “Come with me.”

A faded wooden sign hung on the glass door—Cat Kingdom.

Wind chimes dangled from the lintel, and the sound of soft meows drifted out from within. Ling Xiaoxiao’s rabbit ears twitched, and she pressed her nose to the glass to peek inside. “A cat café? Are you sure they hire part-timers?”

I pushed open the door, and the wind chimes jingled. A dozen cats of all colors paced the shop.

“Let’s give it a try,” I tiptoed to peek at the job posting behind the bar, my cat tail arching unconsciously. “It’s better than just standing around, right?”

Ling Xiaoxiao’s rabbit ears pressed against the glass door, her pink-and-white tail thumping her thigh in nervousness. “Will this place really work?”

I tugged her sleeve and led her inside. “We’ll only know if we check. It’s better than standing on the street and looking suspicious.”