Following the staff’s guidance, I entered the individual competition area separated by partitions. There wasn’t much space—just a table, a chair, official digital equipment, and a blank screen. The surrounding noise was cut off, leaving only the sound of my breathing and heartbeat. The atmosphere instantly became heavy.
So nervous… my hands feel like they’re shaking…
I took a few deep breaths, and my tail curled uneasily around the chair leg. Then, the competition countdown and prompt appeared on the screen.
The first part consisted of small technical tests, like drawing objects with a metallic texture or showing the transparency and folds of fabric soaked in water.
Seeing these, I was slightly stunned.
Metallic texture… soaked fabric…
Wasn’t this exactly what Ning Dongya had explained to me in that empty multimedia room yesterday afternoon? She had been tapping the projection screen with a cold face, yet had been incredibly detailed. Even the key points she emphasized—ambient light capture and reflection channel adjustments—vividly surfaced in my mind now.
I didn’t even have to think about it. Ning Dongya definitely did this on purpose. No wonder she personally taught me yesterday. If anyone else saw the curriculum she arranged for me, they’d surely suspect her of giving me a back-door advantage.
Hmph, this girl refused to tell me even when I asked about the prompts yesterday!
At that thought, a strange warmth surged in my heart, and my drawing speed picked up a bit.
Relying on the knowledge crammed into me yesterday and my original skills, I completed the initial small tasks quite smoothly. While my speed wasn’t the fastest, I was satisfied with the level of completion. If it weren’t for Ning Dongya’s lesson yesterday, today’s competition might have turned into a disaster.
Finally, the screen flashed, and the sole main theme of the competition—the one that would determine the winner—appeared:
【Please create an illustration that conveys the theme of ‘Love and Bonds’.】
Love and bonds…
Seeing the theme, I subconsciously pursed my lips. Flashing through my mind were Sister Yueran’s tearful, drunken eyes, Ning Dongya’s cold yet secretly concerned messages, and even that noisy idiot dog-girl from earlier who called herself “Night Roar · Blood Moon Fang”…
That kind of deep, gentle love… I don’t think I can draw that right now.
My chest felt a bit heavy. But competition time was limited; I couldn’t afford to be sentimental.
Since I couldn’t draw something profound, how about something… interesting?
Almost like a flash of inspiration, the scene of colliding with that dog-eared girl at the corner of the hallway popped up. The way she glared at me all puffed up, shouting about how she would crush me—it was a bit annoying, but with those twitching dog ears and tail, it… didn’t seem truly hatable?
A slightly mischievous concept that felt strangely fitting for the theme of “bonds” gradually took shape.
I picked up the stylus and began sketching on the digital screen.
The setting was a stair landing with soft lighting. In the center of the frame, two little girls of similar height were slumped on the ground, clearly having just experienced a disastrous collision.
On the left was a silver-haired cat-girl in a cute but currently disheveled dress. Her cat ears were standing straight up due to anger and shock, and her tail fur was puffed out. She was glaring with round, ice-blue eyes, her cheeks puffed out like buns, one little paw pointing at the other person, and her lips pouted in protest.
On the right was a dog-girl with messy chestnut hair. Her brown dog ears were pinned forward, looking a bit defiant yet slightly guilty, while her fluffy tail was subconsciously tucked between her legs. The punk-style studded leather jacket she wore was also crooked. She had her arms crossed and her face turned away, but the corner of her eye was peeking at the cat-girl, her mouth slightly puckered as if she were making excuses.
Scattered around them were several artbooks and brushes that must have fallen from the stairs, showing the cause of the collision. The whole image was dynamic and full of childish conflict.
I focused on portraying their eyes. They seemed to be arguing, but there was no real malice in their gaze—more like two little friends having a spat. The cat-girl’s eyes held a bit of grievance and arrogance, while the dog-girl’s eyes showed a forced bravado and a hint of unhideable curiosity.
As I drew, I couldn’t help but let the corners of my mouth curl up. Although they were fighting, the sight of two fluffy little animals gathered together, all puffed up, made them look especially cute and full of life. This kind of bond formed through a misunderstanding could be considered… a different kind of love, right?
Done!
Before the countdown ended, I successfully finished the last stroke, labeled it with my entry number, and submitted the work.
Looking at the two bickering little girls on the screen, I let out a long sigh of relief. As the tension faded, exhaustion rushed in.
No matter the result, I finally finished…
At this moment, I simply felt that the drawing was quite cute.
After submitting the work and walking out of the small, enclosed competition area, I felt like I was about to collapse as I breathed in the slightly noisy air of the convention center again. Having been highly focused for several hours, I only felt the soreness in my wrists and the growling of my stomach now that I had relaxed.
Finally… finished. I wonder what the result will be…
I held my art bag, my tail hanging listlessly.
“Little Guiyun!” Sister Yueran’s voice came from nearby. She had been waiting near the exit, and seeing me come out, she immediately stepped forward with concern on her face. “How was it? Did it go smoothly?”
“It… it was okay…” I answered without much confidence, my ears drooping. “The prompt was a bit hard, but I finished it.”
“Finishing is a victory.” Yueran gently rubbed my hair, then naturally took my hand. “Hungry? Let’s not eat in a place like this. I’ll take you to a nice restaurant outside and treat you well.”
Her words carried a clear bias; she obviously didn’t want to stay in Ning Dongya’s company for a single second longer.
Just as I was about to nod, a cold and familiar voice sounded from behind us, like a block of ice dropped into lukewarm water:
“There’s no need to go through the trouble.”
Sister Yueran and I turned back at the same time to see Ning Dongya standing a few steps behind us. She was still wearing her sharp-cut suit skirt, her gaze calmly sweeping over us before landing on me.
“The company has reserved working meals for all participating interns and related personnel.” Her tone was flat, devoid of any emotion, as if she were merely stating a fact. “It’s at the convention center restaurant. Since Manager Yueran is here as Guiyun’s companion, you may come along as well.”
Yueran’s grip on my hand tightened slightly. The gentle smile on her face faded, and a faint, almost imperceptible sharpness appeared in her eyes. “I won’t trouble President Ning. I want to take Guiyun to eat something more to her taste.”
The corner of Ning Dongya’s lips seemed to quirk up almost imperceptibly, a flash that vanished instantly. “The working meals are standard, nutritionally balanced, and save time. The preliminary results might be announced this afternoon, so it’s more convenient to stay here.”
She paused, turning her gaze toward me with an invisible pressure. “Besides, Guiyun, as a company intern, it is only natural to enjoy the conveniences provided by the company. Isn’t it?”
Ugh… here it comes again! That “only natural” that’s impossible to argue with!
Caught between the two of them, I felt my newly relaxed nerves tighten again.
My stomach was growling fiercely. Rationally, I thought it was good to have a ready-made meal, but Sister Yueran was clearly unwilling. I stole a glance at Sister Yueran; she was pursing her lips, obviously very unhappy.
“I…” I opened my mouth, not knowing what to do.
Yueran took a deep breath, seemingly wanting to continue her rebuttal, but Ning Dongya didn’t give her another chance. She turned around directly, leaving behind a single sentence: “The restaurant is in Zone B on the second floor. You can claim your meal with your contestant badge. Suit yourselves.”
Oh no, I can already smell the gunpowder in the air. I hope nothing else happens!