The competition had settled, and the voting results were entirely predictable. Lin Yuehan stared at her pitifully low vote count on the public display board. Her chestnut-colored dog ears drooped completely, and her tail hung listlessly behind her, but her mouth remained as stubborn as ever.
“Hmph! This time… this time it was just because I wasn’t in top form!” She stiffened her neck, trying to maintain her last bit of dignity. “The composition was too rushed! The colors didn’t showcase the true strength of my Night Roarer persona!”
Looking at her—unable to accept defeat yet forcing a brave face—my earlier satisfaction was quickly diluted by the trouble that was sure to follow. Ms. Liu from the HR department was currently processing a temporary access permit for her with a beaming smile, making a point to emphasize, “We’ve already arranged your workstation. It’s right next to Gui Yun, which will make it very convenient for you two to exchange ideas and learn from each other in the future.”
Exchange ideas? More like making it convenient for her to cause me trouble whenever she wants!
I couldn’t help but speak up, attempting one final struggle. “Ms. Liu, our department’s area seems a bit crowded. Adding another desk might be…”
“Don’t you worry, Gui Yun,” Ms. Liu smiled warmly. “We reserved expansion space over there. That spot next to you has been empty specifically for this purpose. Look at that, what a coincidence.”
My heart sank, and my tail froze instantly.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuehan immediately perked up. Her ears snapped upright, and her earlier dejection vanished, replaced by a burning fighting spirit. “Great! Just you wait, Gui Yun! Starting tomorrow, I’ll let you witness the true evolution of the Night Roarer: Blood Moon Fang!”
Seeing her already planning her “combat deployment,” I felt my vision go dark. The difficulty of working under Ning Dongya was about to increase by another level.
***
Whew, luckily I had a burst of inspiration during the morning competition, otherwise, I really would have embarrassed myself. I wiped away some sweat, still feeling a bit of lingering fear. Just then, my phone alarm went off, and a reminder to go to Ning Dongya’s office popped up on the screen.
Right, there’s still that…
My tail slumped immediately. My footsteps, which were already heavy, became even more burdened. What must come will come.
Dragging my feet to the CEO’s office door, I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself before carefully knocking.
There was no response from inside.
I knocked again, but there was still only silence.
It was only then that I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Poking my head inside, I saw the spacious office was empty.
A small sense of joy surged in my heart. ‘She’s not here? Is she in a meeting? Does that mean I’m safe for now?’ However, since she left the door open, her intention was clearly for me to go in and wait.
I tiptoed inside, intending to sit obediently on the sofa in the lounge area.
But as my gaze swept across the massive desk, I froze.
A familiar hard-covered notebook was lying open on the desk.
My heart hammered against my ribs.
That notebook… wasn’t that the one I gave her back when we were students?
It was a gift I gave her the day we officially started dating. She said she wanted to use it to record… to record things between us. She actually kept it?
And she just left it out on her desk like this?
Carrying a complex mixture of nostalgia and curiosity, I felt as if I were being pulled by an invisible string. I walked toward the desk involuntarily.
I felt like something was wrong, but I didn’t pay it much mind.
My hand gently brushed the slightly yellowed and worn cover. Driven by an intense sense of longing, I eventually couldn’t resist. I carefully flipped it open.
Familiar, elegant handwriting entered my vision, documenting stories long buried by time. I only glanced through them briefly without looking too closely:
‘Today, that dummy who always hides in the back of the classroom to draw actually asked if I could be his model. When he finished, his ears were red as he stuffed a box of milk into my hands, saying it was a thank-you gift. What a dummy.’
‘He caught a cold from staying up all night to draw, yet he insisted he was fine. I forced him to take medicine and he fell asleep; his eyelashes are so long, like little brushes. I secretly took a photo. I’ll make fun of him once he’s better.’
‘We had lunch together in the old classroom. He picked the green peppers he hates out and put them in my bowl again. How many times have I told him not to be a picky eater! …But, seeing him wrinkle his nose looking so pitiful, I’ll let it slide.’
‘He said he wants to open his own studio in the future and draw what he wants. His eyes were shining like stars. I believe he can do it.’
As I flipped through the pages, forgotten details, youthful fluttering, and clumsy care became vivid again through her words. My heart felt stuffed with something, aching and swollen, and the tip of my nose even felt a bit stingy. So… she remembered everything so clearly?
Until I reached a certain page and saw the sentence: ‘He said he wants to keep drawing like this forever.’ My fingertips trembled violently, and I pulled back as if I had been burned.
Keep drawing forever…
Currently, I was indeed still drawing. But it was in such a completely different state, hiding under a different identity, living fearfully under their watch.
I flipped through faster. The distant memories seemed to replay before my eyes, and soon, I knew I was reaching the final section.
‘It’s over. Everything is gone. It’s pitch black before my eyes. Everything has become meaningless…’
Seeing this, my heart sank. The memories of that period surfaced in my mind.
But then I was surprised to find that this wasn’t the end of the diary; there was more.
The handwriting was newer, and the ink was darker. With a hint of unease and intense curiosity, I continued reading.
‘A new intern joined the company, a silver-haired cat-girl. She’s also named Gui Yun. A coincidence? Although it’s not right to record her things in this notebook, it doesn’t matter.’
‘Watching her panic during the interview, I somehow approved her hiring. I’m probably crazy. Whatever. If this can really dull my pain, one more intern doesn’t matter.’
‘When she’s nervous, her right pinky curls up unconsciously, exactly like a certain dummy.’
Reading this entry, my right pinky twitched violently, as if pricked by a needle. I quickly hid my hands behind my back, and cold sweat began to break out.
‘Made her wear a maid outfit. Her reaction was interesting. That look of shame and resentment, yet not daring to resist… it’s so familiar.’
‘That digital tablet. She said she got it from a relative. Meaning, the one I gave him?’
‘At the cat cafe, I got into an argument with Yueran because of this intern. Yueran looks at her with the wrong eyes. Who is she seeing through this cat-girl? As expected, does Yueran feel it too?’
‘Gave her a lesson on rendering textures. But I noticed there were doodles on her notebook; that’s the same as him, too.’
‘Argued with Yueran again. Talked a lot about his embarrassing past. The little cat-girl’s reaction was very wrong. Yueran must have felt something as well.’
‘Up until today, I’ve tested her several times. The results are all what I wanted. Could it be… could it be…’
My heart beat faster and faster, and my ears trembled with tension.
‘She suspected me long ago! From way back then!’
‘The drawing for the competition. An argument at the stairs? The concept was clever, but the handling of details is still just as casual.’
Then, there was the latest entry. The ink wasn’t even completely dry:
‘This morning, she drew that bay window.’
‘The apartment I’ve never let anyone else into. That bay window that belongs only to us. The angle of the sunlight, the diamond pattern on the cushions, that old dreamcatcher, even the arrangement of the tiles… it was perfect. That girl she was leaning against… was me.’
‘Gui Yun. It really is you.’
Seeing that final “It really is you,” it was as if all the strength was instantly drained from my body. The diary slipped from my trembling paws and landed on the soft carpet with a *thud*.
She knew. She knew everything.
From the digital tablet to my small habits, from my lies to Yueran’s reactions—until this morning’s drawing, which turned all her suspicions into certainty. She was reminiscing about the past, but she was also investigating!
Panic washed over me like ice water. I felt cold all over. My tail hung stiffly, and I didn’t dare move.
What should I do? Did she leave the diary here on purpose just so I would see this? Is she going to confront me? What will she do?
‘Now, look behind you.’
Meow meow meow? Meow! I—
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