I stiffly turned around, only to discover that right behind me stood a delinquent girl.
The girl had exaggerated, colorful dreadlocks and a lip piercing, leaning over my chair in a blatantly aggressive posture, her fingers adorned with piercing rings nearly brushing my shoulder.
She wore ripped jeans and a crop top—outfits clearly violating company dress code. A roguish grin hung on her lips, and her eyes roamed over me with brazen arrogance, lingering especially long on my cat ears and tail.
This is absolutely not a good person!
“Uu…!” Like a startled rabbit, I shot up from my chair, the legs screeching harshly against the floor. Every bit of fur on my body—from my hair to my tail—bristled as I instinctively retreated several steps.
“Wh-Who are you, nya?! Don’t touch me!”
I took up a defensive stance, my voice trembling so much even I could hear it, tail stretched taut.
The delinquent girl didn’t back off. Instead, she cocked her head with interest and took a step closer. “Oh my, such a big reaction? Little kitten? Aren’t you fierce~”
She deliberately dragged out her words, her grin openly mocking and teasing. “Those ears are so cute. Let big sis have a feel?”
As she spoke, the hand adorned with metal rings really reached out toward the top of my head!
“No, nya!”
Fear seized me in an instant, my mind going blank—my body moved before my brain could react.
Practically screaming, I clapped my hands over my ears and crouched down into a tight ball, wishing I could wedge myself into a crack in the wall. This sudden incident was even more terrifying than Ning Dongya’s probing.
It’s over, it’s over! How did I run into people like this in the cafeteria!
The cafeteria hadn’t opened yet, and all the staff were in the kitchen. Besides us, there was no one else.
Ning Dongya was still in the kitchen, and it would be a while before she came back.
Just as I was falling into despair, there was a sound at the door.
I thought I was saved, but instead another girl entered, dressed just like the one beside me.
“Well, here you are! I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you—turns out you’re eating alone here~”
The new girl chewed gum, leaning slantwise against the doorframe, her gaze wrapping around me like sticky syrup.
Silver earrings densely lined her ear cartilage, glinting coldly under the cafeteria lights. Her eyes swept over my trembling hands protecting my ears and my bristling tail, her lips spreading in an even bigger, malicious grin.
“Eating alone?” The first dreadlocked girl scoffed, waving her fingers mockingly in front of my face—her black-polished nails almost poked my eyes. “Nah, we just found a little surprise. Look at those ears, that tail, tsk, looks real. Bet they feel amazing to touch.”
“Oh?” The earring girl raised her brows, sauntering over at a lazy pace, forming a pincer attack with her companion.
“This rare? Since when did the company get such a cute little girl? Boss Lady would love this.”
“Uu…” A tuneless whimper slipped from my throat. It felt as if the air itself was being squeezed out by their presence. I kept my head down, wishing I could bury my face in my knees. My body trembled uncontrollably.
My fingernails dug deep into my palms, a storm of resentment swirling inside.
Back when I was a boy, I never did anything bad—why do I meet people like this now that I’ve become a girl?
“What’s there to be scared of?” The dreadlocked girl looked at me, her tone growing ever more frivolous. “Big sisters won’t eat you… At most, just want to touch your cute little ‘gear’.” She bit down hard on the word “gear,” her ridicule plain as day.
At that moment, the girls at the door moved in as well.
Their hands reached out to me, exuding a pressure I couldn’t resist, aiming for my most sensitive and vulnerable cat ears. A shadow loomed over me.
But just then—
“Stop!!”
With a ringing voice, an iron chopstick flew through the air, striking one delinquent girl’s hand with perfect accuracy.
The chopsticks whistled through the air, slamming down hard and true on the ringed hand that reached for my cat ears!
“Ah—!” With a sharp cry, the dreadlocked girl recoiled as if shocked, clutching her wrist as the skin beneath her rings instantly reddened. Her mocking expression was replaced by surprise and pain as she whipped her head toward the source of the voice.
Both of them froze on the spot, not daring to move.
The newcomer was none other than Ning Dongya, the CEO herself.
Still in shock, I looked up, but knew this was not the time for surprise. I quickly seized the chance to slip away, putting some distance between myself and the two delinquents.
She stood at the entrance to the kitchen corridor, backlit by the lights. Another chopstick was still in her hand, and the pressure radiating from her made the whole cafeteria drop several degrees.
The faint smile she’d worn earlier was gone, replaced by a pure, bone-chilling fury I’d never seen before.
She strode forward step by step, each movement pounding on the hearts of those two delinquents. The earring girl unconsciously stepped back half a pace, the bravado on her face instantly crumbling into pure fear.
I knew they weren’t just afraid of the flying chopstick’s power—but also her identity and authority here.
Ning Dongya’s gaze was like a blade forged of ice, sweeping slowly across the two frozen delinquents before locking onto the dreadlocked girl clutching her wrist, face gone pale.
“Which department are you from?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but brimmed with authority.
“Who allowed you to harass an intern here?”
The words weren’t loud, but cut through the cafeteria’s lingering warmth like an icy knife. The air froze solid— even the distant clatter of kitchen utensils faded, leaving only a suffocating silence.
“Who—who allowed…” The earring girl tried to speak, but her voice shook as if someone were choking her.
“I asked,” Ning Dongya stepped forward, her high heels striking the floor like a hammer, sending shockwaves through everyone’s nerves, “which department are you from?” she repeated, her gaze sharp as a hawk’s, pinning the two of them in place. That look seemed to bear a crushing weight, making them shrink instinctively.
“We… we…” The dreadlocked girl finally squeezed out a sound, her panicked gaze flitting to her companion before quickly dropping again. “Not—not any department… We’re with Boss Lady… came to look for someone…”
“Looking for someone?” Ning Dongya let out a cold laugh. “And you found your way to an intern under my personal supervision?”
I hid a few steps behind Ning Dongya, my heart still pounding wildly in my chest, the fur on my tail standing straight and pressed tightly to my back.
The bone-deep fear hadn’t faded yet, but at this moment, seeing Ning Dongya’s not-so-broad but remarkably upright back, a strange sense of safety washed over me, gradually driving away the chill.
How odd—did I ever think I’d feel safe because of Ning Dongya?
Looking at her figure, tall from my perspective, I suddenly felt a strange urge to rely on her.