I jerked my head up, only to find Ning Dongya’s gaze falling elsewhere.
So that light laugh just now—was it someone else’s?
No, it was definitely Ning Dongya. Having dated her, I knew her voice all too well.
Had she discovered something?
At that thought, my urge to flee grew stronger. But I also knew that running now would be as good as confessing! With Ning Dongya’s abilities, finding out the identity of someone like me would be child’s play.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.
The best approach here would be to say I didn’t bring my Resume, and let the Interviewer reject me.
Ugh, who knows if something unexpected will happen…
The Cat Ear on my head flicked restlessly. I gritted my teeth, shoved my Phone into my pocket, clenched my fists, and walked toward the interview table—every step felt like treading on red-hot iron.
The Interviewer tapped the Registration Form pen on the table. “Can I take a look at your Resume first?”
My throat tightened as I recited my prepared excuse. My fingertips dug deep into my palm to keep my voice from shaking too much.
“S-sorry, I forgot to bring it…”
Before I finished speaking, Ning Dongya suddenly put down her pen. The chair leg scraped the floor with an ear-splitting screech.
Noticing that tiny action, alarms blared in my mind.
She leaned forward, those always-chilled eyes narrowing to a dangerous arc, her silver-gray ribbon rising and falling gently with each breath. “Is that so?”
She drew out the ending, as if savoring something. “But I think I just saw your Phone screen—looked like an Electronic Resume?”
I felt the blood rush to my head in an instant. My Cat Ear shot up into sharp triangles, and my Tail involuntarily wound three times around the chair leg. She really did see it!
But she might not have seen what was on it clearly. Maybe I still had a chance…
In a panic, I waved my hand and denied it. “N-no, it’s not that, I accidentally opened a form!”
Then the Interviewer asked again, “So, do you have any other materials that can prove you’re fit for this job?”
A sudden flash of inspiration struck me—I remembered there were a few Practice Illustrations saved in my phone gallery. I hurriedly pulled out my Phone and unlocked it, my fingers trembling slightly from nerves. “I—I have some illustrations I drew before on my phone, maybe those could…”
Before I could finish, I turned the screen toward the Interviewer, but my Cat Ear drooped down on its own.
Unexpectedly, Ning Dongya reached out and took my Phone before the Interviewer could.
The sudden movement made my Cat Ear stand straight up again in alarm. I didn’t know what she was up to, but with only a few illustrations in there, it shouldn’t give too much away, right? Uneasy, I could only comfort myself with that thought.
Her fingertip slid lightly across the screen. The previously uninterested look in her eyes turned slightly amused. After a simple browse, she looked up at me, the lines of the artwork reflected in her silver-gray pupils, and her tone carried a hint of interrogation. “This Style… why does it look so familiar?”
“Eh eh?!!”
Hearing that, cold sweat broke out all over me, and my Tail stiffened behind me. That’s when I remembered—the Style of these illustrations was exactly the same as the one I used in those works slandering Ning Dongya!
Crap, crap, how could I have forgotten that!!!
For every Artist, their Style is like a second nickname. A unique Style lets people recognize the creator at a glance—and just like now, it could sell me out!
My brain spun rapidly, and soon I thought of a halfway reasonable explanation.
“I-it’s that recent Female CEO Comic, right? I really like that Artist. Even before that series came out, I was already learning to draw in that Style.”
“Is that so?” Hearing that I was learning that Artist’s Style, the Interviewer frowned, and finally said the words I’d been hoping to hear, “If that’s the case, please go home and wait for further notice.”
I knew it—this Interviewer was trying to show loyalty, and since my Style matched exactly with that Artist who slandered Ning Dongya, well, at least the interview was over!
“I-I see…” I pretended to be terribly disappointed, biting my lip—after all, if you’re acting, you have to go all the way.
“Alright then, I understand.”
Without waiting for a reply, I spun around and made my escape, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.
Just as my hand touched the doorknob, a crisp tap of a pen on the desk rang out behind me. “Your Phone.”
Guiltily, I jumped like a cat whose Tail had been stepped on, then turned around at once.
My Phone was lying in Ning Dongya’s outstretched palm, her silver-gray nails tracing a cold gleam along the screen’s edge.
When did she take it? Wait—she must have taken it during the interview and hadn’t returned it yet.
Even though I had a bad feeling about going back, I had no choice. It was one of the few valuables I owned—essential for someone as broke as me.
Stiff as a board, I shuffled back. The Interviewer was already meeting with the next candidate, but Ning Dongya’s gaze remained fixed on me. I’d thought the interview was over and had started to relax, but now my nerves were taut again.
Wuwuwu, please stop staring at me!
Under Ning Dongya’s gaze, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Every second was an ordeal.
Finally, I made it to her and gingerly took my Phone from her hand.
I thought that was the end of it, but Ning Dongya suddenly spoke again.
“Why are you so guarded against me? From the elevator until now, you’ve been on edge around me. Do I look that scary?”
“Eh?! H-have I?!” Startled by her sudden question, I could barely get the words out. I quickly found an excuse. “Maybe it’s just my first time job-hunting, so I’m a bit nervous?”
“I see. Well, report for work tomorrow at nine for your Practice.” With that, Ning Dongya’s attention returned to the Interviewer’s tasks.
But that casual remark exploded in my mind like a bomb. I felt my Cat Ear buzzing, and my Tail whipped wildly behind me. “Eh eh eh?! W-what did you say?”
Ning Dongya turned her head at the sound, her silver-gray pupils cold under the light, the pen spinning half a turn in her fingers. “I said, report for work at nine tomorrow. Intern position.” Her voice was even and flat, as if stating a simple fact, but every word pounded my frayed nerves like a hammer.
My Cat Ear shot up into sharp triangles, my Tail stiffening straight behind me. My brain was shrouded in thick fog, every thought a tangled mess.
Had she discovered something? Was this a new form of punishment? Or…
I pinched my thigh hard, the pain barely keeping me conscious—and made me painfully aware of the reality before me:
Meow!! I’ve been forcibly hired!!