After receiving Ning Dongya’s instructions, I grabbed my bag and rushed out, my tail wagging rapidly behind me.
It’s finally over!
The elevator doors slowly closed, isolating the space filled with Ning Dongya’s scent. I leaned against the cool wall of the car and finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling my nerves, which had been tense all day, finally relax slightly.
Waaaah, is this Ning Dongya person really targeting me?!
Is she, a CEO, really this free? No matter how I think about it, something is wrong!
My ears also drooped, rubbing against my hair, feeling a bit itchy.
Walking out of the company’s revolving doors, the evening breeze brushed against my cheeks with a hint of coolness, and I narrowed my eyes comfortably. The taste of freedom!
Great, I’m finally out of that person’s sight!
However, before I could fully exhale that breath, a familiar black sedan slid silently to my side. The window rolled down, revealing Ning Dongya’s face that made my heart skip a beat. She had one hand on the steering wheel, her fingertips tapping rhythmically.
“Running so fast?” The corners of her lips curled into a slight arc, and her silver-gray eyes looked exceptionally deep in the twilight. “Get in.”
Meow?! She’s like a lingering ghost!
I froze on the spot, my claws subconsciously clutching the straps of my backpack. My tail snapped straight like a flagpole behind me.
“N-No need, CEO! I can just take the bus!” I shook my head desperately, my ears flopping around with the movement. “It’s very convenient!”
“Oh, then I’ll have the Competition Committee change the theme of the next match to a realistic style,” Ning Dongya said airily, then picked up her phone.
“You!!”
Hearing this, I was instantly speechless.
That damnable woman, actually using the Competition Committee to threaten me by changing the match to a genre I’m not good at!
Thinking about Ling Xiaoxiao’s expectations of me, it seemed I could only compromise here. “Ugh, fine, I’ll get in.”
“That’s more like it. You can’t park here for long.” Her tone was flat, yet it carried an air that brooked no rebuttal. “Besides, as the boss, I should show some appreciation when an intern works overtime until this hour.” Her gaze swept over me with a hint of realization. “Don’t worry, I’m not taking you back to the cat cafe. I want you to accompany me somewhere.”
Not back to the cat cafe? Then where?
Alarm bells rang in my heart, but her reason sounded… flawless? And not being sent back by her in front of Sister Yueran seemed… a bit safer? While I was still hesitating, she gestured toward the passenger seat with her eyes.
Whatever, it’s the same fate either way!
I shuffled over slowly, pulled open the car door, and stuffed myself into the seat, shrinking into the corner as much as possible. The car was filled with that faint, cold fragrance from her body, mixed with the scent of leather, weaving an invisible net.
The car doors locked with a crisp click that made my heart jump.
Ning Dongya didn’t start the car immediately, and the cabin fell into a suffocating silence. I could hear my own rapid heartbeat, thumping like a drum.
She suddenly leaned over.
Meow-aaaah! What is she doing!
I was so scared I squeezed my eyes shut instantly, pressing my entire body against the back of the seat, the fur at the base of my tail puffing out. The expected touch didn’t come; only a soft “click” sounded from my side.
I peeked through a crack and found that she had only pulled the seatbelt over, slowly and methodically buckling it for me. The cool metal buckle brushed against my clothes, sending a faint, imperceptible shiver through me.
“Seatbelt.” She pulled back, her tone natural, but as her fingertips withdrew, they seemed to brush carelessly against that small patch of skin below my sensitive ear.
Ugh!
I jolted as if hit by a weak electric current. My ears turned bright red instantly, twitching uncontrollably.
“Such a big reaction?” she chuckled, finally starting the car. Her eyes were on the road ahead, the teasing in her voice undisguised. “It was just a touch. Or… is this place particularly sensitive, little one?”
Bastard! You’re asking when you already know!
Blood rushed to my face all at once; I was sure even my neck was red. My claws gripped my skirt tightly, and I turned my burning cheeks toward the car window, wishing I could embed myself into the glass. My tail tapped irritably on the seat twice before stiffening again.
I won’t speak! I absolutely won’t talk to this bad person!
The car merged smoothly into the evening traffic. I stared fixedly at the scenery flying past the window, trying hard to ignore her powerful presence beside me and the overwhelming fragrance in the car.
The silence lasted for several minutes until she spoke again, her voice slightly deeper than before.
“That pen display,” she paused, as if weighing her words, “is it comfortable for you to use?”
Here we go again!
My throat tightened, and my nails quietly dug into my palms. “It’s… it’s fine… It’s been so long, I can’t have high expectations.” My voice was dry, carrying a guilt I could feel myself.
“Is that so?” She chuckled softly, her fingertips tapping lightly on the steering wheel. “I heard that the screens of those early models are prone to yellowing at the edges. Does yours… have that problem?”
Yellowing?
I subconsciously recalled the state of that screen—aside from some old scratches, the display colors had always been very accurate?
“N-No, I don’t think so?” I answered hesitantly, feeling cold sweat start to break out on my back. “Maybe it was kept well, so the condition is still good…”
“Oh?” She dragged out the syllable, slowly stopping at a red light. She turned her head, her gaze falling on my face like a precise spotlight. “Then it seems your ‘relative with the same name’ not only protected the screen well,” she leaned in slightly, her silver-gray pupils locking onto my flickering gaze, “but even told you about such easily overlooked details in advance? They really… understand it thoroughly.”
Meow! A trap! This is a trap!
My scalp tingled. I felt like a small insect fallen into a spiderweb; the more I struggled, the tighter it wound. I could only lower my head and stare at my intertwined claws, the tip of my tail curling helplessly. The air in the cabin seemed to become viscous, making it hard to breathe.
Ugh, why is this person so mean!!!
Just as I was about to be driven into a corner by this silent interrogation, she suddenly let me off and looked forward again.
“Close your eyes and rest if you’re tired.” The light turned green, and she drove the car steadily. “I’m taking you somewhere to eat.”
To eat?
I pricked up my ears warily. Given her style, it was impossible for it to be as simple as just eating. I forced myself not to relax, but my body felt a bit weak from the exhaustion following high tension. My eyes were sore and dry, so I blinked hard, trying to stay awake.
The car turned a few corners, and the surrounding scenery gradually became unfamiliar, yet carried a hint of… eerie familiarity?
When I saw that shop on the corner with the vintage sign and the warm yellow light glowing through the glass window labeled “Sweet Star Cottage,” the blood in my entire body seemed to freeze instantly.
How could it be here…
That was… back in our student days, the dessert shop Ning Dongya and I frequented the most. Why would she bring me here?!
I whipped my head around to look at Ning Dongya in the driver’s seat. She was parking the car and unbuckling her seatbelt. Her profile, framed by the twilight and the shop’s lights, looked calm and ripple-less, as if she had just randomly picked a pleasant-looking shop.
But I knew it absolutely wasn’t random.
She pushed open the car door, walked around to my side, opened the passenger door, and leaned in slightly. Looking at me frozen in my seat, the corners of her lips hooked into a meaningful arc.
“We’re here, little one. The double-layer milk custard and mango pancakes here,” she paused, her gaze resting quietly on my shocked face, “…the taste has never changed.”
That sentence was like a key, unexpectedly thrust into the lock of my memories. I looked at the hand she held out, feeling my entire soul tremble.
It’s over… I have no idea what this person is planning this time.