“President Ning,” Yue Ran’s voice was much lower than usual. She stood at the kitchen doorway, holding a steaming soup pot. The apron’s strap drooped loosely around her waist. “Why don’t you let her go?”
Ning Dongya raised her eyebrow. Not only did she not loosen her grip, she pulled me even closer into her embrace, her tone carrying a hint of provocation: “Your employee? Manager Yue Ran, have you forgotten? She’s an intern at my company.”
She lowered her head and looked at me, questioning, “I told you yesterday afternoon to come in today for overtime study. Why didn’t you show up?”
Yue Ran walked over with the soup pot and slammed it down hard on the bar counter with a loud “clang”, splashing soup all over. She sneered, “President Ning, are you treating labor laws like scrap paper? If I remember correctly, today’s the weekend, isn’t it?”
“I pay my interns three times the market rate for overtime,” Ning Dongya retorted without showing any weakness, her tone still cold. “As for you, Manager Yue Ran, just let me take her away. It’s good for both of us.”
The air between the two seemed to solidify. All the nearby customers stopped talking and looked over curiously.
I could almost smell the sparks flying in the air, growing fiercer by the second. What should I do, this is so scary QAQ…
“You want me not to care? Heh, you’re about to take away the mascot of my shop, and you want me not to care?” Yue Ran sneered again, her words laced with unhidden hostility.
Wait a second, since when did I become the shop’s mascot?! Why am I the last to know this!!
But Ning Dongya was just as unyielding. Her fingertips dug into my wrist, her voice colder and sharper than usual. “Gui Yun is mine now. She needs to return to the company and finish her internship class!”
“Internship class? President Ning, don’t be ridiculous. Gui Yun complained to me about it yesterday. That so-called internship class of yours is pure nonsense—a complete formality. It makes no difference whether she attends or not!”
When Yue Ran repeated my rant from last night, my face turned deathly pale.
Meow meow meow!!! I did say that, but don’t repeat it in front of Ning Dongya!!!
“Is that so?”
Ning Dongya’s gaze turned to me after hearing Yue Ran repeat my complaint, her eyes filled with a chilling coldness.
“Very well. I promise, the next internship class will be quite~ interesting~”
“Meow!!!”
Her words scared me so much my tail snapped straight, stiff as a wire.
There’s no way “interesting” in Ning Dongya’s mouth means anything good!
Wuwuwu, so can’t you two settle your score without dragging innocent bystanders into it? I’m just a poor, helpless little catgirl right now QAQ…
Seeing she had the upper hand, Yue Ran pressed the attack.
“Heh, so that’s the kind of boss you are. Making Gui Yun take a boring internship class today—what, are you going to drag her off for a team-building exercise tomorrow too?”
As if remembering something, Yue Ran pulled out her phone. “By the way, instead of picking on Gui Yun, maybe our grand President Ning should think about how to deal with this rumor? Looks like it’s already close to becoming public knowledge, isn’t it?”
Yue Ran unlocked her phone. I glanced at the screen and immediately felt like dying.
The content wasn’t anything else—it was the cover of that comic I made up about Ning Dongya.
Why must you bring up the one thing I wish you wouldn’t!
Exposed by Yue Ran, Ning Dongya frowned and quickly took out her own phone.
“Then, Manager Yue Ran, would you like to look at the previous comic by this same author? The one about the store manager preying on the waitress—clearly, that’s you, isn’t it? Even the name of Cat Kingdom matches.”
When I saw the comic cover on Ning Dongya’s phone, Yue Ran’s face darkened visibly.
Meow!!!!!
It’s all over, it’s all over. I can’t even imagine what would happen if they found out I was the author of both those rumor comics…
A cold chill swept over me as the two of them suddenly shifted the battlefield.
Yue Ran suddenly pressed her hand to the back of my neck, her hot breath sweeping past my earlobe. “Don’t listen to her. Gui Yun, whatever you want to eat, I’ll make it for you. It’s the weekend anyway, so it’s reasonable for you to turn her down!”
I don’t know why, but she bit my burning ear tip, her possessive force leaving me trembling.
Ugh, these words sound less like she’s talking to me and more like she’s declaring something to Ning Dongya, right?
I just have this feeling—if I don’t go along with Yue Ran right now, something terrible will happen.
Back in school, I’d seen plenty of how scary this person could be, QAQ…
“Oh?” Ning Dongya yanked my tail in the opposite direction, her nails lightly scraping my sensitive tailbone. “If you don’t listen, that photo of you serving coffee in a maid outfit will be all over the company group chat tomorrow~”
She’s not someone to mess with either, QAQ…
My cat ears flattened left and right uncontrollably. Just as I was about to lean towards Yue Ran, Ning Dongya pinched my tail tip on purpose, while Yue Ran pulled me even closer to her chest.
Wuwuwu, you’re both way too close!
Right now we were like a sandwich, with me tightly squeezed between the two of them. Yue Ran kept stroking my cat ears, reminding me of the fear she instilled in me during our school days.
Meanwhile, Ning Dongya’s hand kneaded my tail, as if warning me that if I didn’t behave, I’d get it at work tomorrow.
Strong sensations surged from both my cat ears and tail, making my body tremble uncontrollably. In this crisis, a sudden idea came to me—a solution that wasn’t half bad.
“T-then, how about this—today I’ll stay with Sister Yue Ran, and tomorrow I’ll go to Ning Dongya’s company. If either of you makes things difficult for me, then I’ll spend both days with the other one!”
As soon as I said it, I immediately lowered my head in shame. My warning sounded weak, but since both of them had to consider the other’s presence, maybe it would actually work a little?
Yue Ran nodded at my words and promptly issued her eviction order. “Alright then, so little Gui Yun is staying here with me today. President Ning, would you mind leaving now?”
That reaction… it seems like she’s accepted it?
“Heh. Fine.”
Ning Dongya gave a cold laugh, her gaze never leaving me. I didn’t dare meet her eyes, keeping my head down and curling into myself.
“Very well. But in that case, little Gui Yun, don’t forget to come to work tomorrow. I’ll be sure to prepare thoroughly. Tomorrow’s internship class will be ve~ry~ in~ter~est~ing~”
Clearly, Ning Dongya was displeased, but given the situation, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and leave.
As for where she’d take that anger out later—well, I didn’t even have to guess.
Ugh, I can’t even imagine what I’ll face at work tomorrow!
Wait, something’s wrong…
Meow!!! Isn’t today the weekend?! Why must your battleground be fought by splitting up my weekend!