The long hours of collaboration were finally over. I set down my stylus and let out a long sigh as I looked at the completed illustration on the screen. The lines were smooth, the atmosphere was ambiguous, and it perfectly recreated the dangerous yet charming feeling Ling Beina wanted.
“The drawing is quite good,” Ling Beina’s voice came from behind me. Without my noticing, she had leaned in close again, her chin almost resting on my shoulder as her warm breath brushed against my ear. “I’ll be using you often in the future.”
She said those words casually, but my tail fur puffed up as I listened. ‘Use my drawings? Or use me? She’s definitely making a double entendre, this wicked woman!’
“Thank you for the praise, Sister Beina. I’m glad I could help,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and normal while hurriedly packing my drawing tools. ‘Run, I shouldn’t stay here any longer!’
“It’s so late,” Ling Beina straightened up, crossing her arms as she watched my flustered movements. “Why don’t you just sleep here? Xiaoxiao would surely want you to keep her company.”
“Yes, yes, yes! Guiyun, stay the night!” Ling Xiaoxiao popped out from nowhere, her pink-and-white rabbit ears twitching with excitement. “We can play games together!”
Squeezing in with Xiaoxiao for the night wouldn’t be a problem; she was rowdy but at least safe. But Ling Beina… Just thinking about her suggestive comment and that meaningful gaze made the back of my neck start to burn again.
‘Stay the night? What’s the difference between that and a little white rabbit moving into a wolf’s den!’
“No, no!” I quickly stuffed my tablet into my bag, moving so fast I nearly broke the zipper. “Tomorrow — tomorrow morning I have to go help at the cat cafe! If I’m late, Ning Dongya will definitely give me a hard time!”
The excuse was perfect. I grabbed my bag and edged toward the door, my tail pressed nervously against my leg.
Ling Beina didn’t persist, her lips merely curving into a playful arc.
“Is that so? That’s a pity.” She took a small step forward, just enough to block half my path, and lowered her voice so only we could hear. “Next time, you’ll have to set aside more time.”
My scalp prickled, and I squeezed through the gap between her and the doorframe.
“Goodbye, Sister Beina and Xiaoxiao!” My voice trailed behind me as I bolted into the hallway. I didn’t dare breathe heavily until I ran out of the building entrance and felt the evening breeze hit my face.
I glanced back at the window glowing with warm light and quickened my pace while clutching my backpack.
‘I absolutely… absolutely cannot spend the night at her house!’
Walking on the way back, the night wind brushed against my burning ears, and I let out a long breath. The nerves that had been tense all night could finally relax a little.
However, my mind involuntarily replayed Ling Beina’s every move from tonight. The sensation of her fingertips brushing the back of my hand, the temperature of her breath on my ear…
Six months ago, when I couldn’t pay the rent, she would ruffle my hair and tell me there was no rush. She even waited until I was more financially stable. Back then, her gaze was like that of someone looking at a naughty younger brother from next door. Why was it that now, the way she looked at me was like… a big bad wolf eyeing its prey?
Well, even though I knew the metaphor might not be perfectly appropriate, that was exactly how it felt.
‘Ugh, why did things become like this after I turned into a girl…’
I shook my head to suppress the strange melancholy rising within me. At least I survived tonight. From now until tomorrow morning, I wouldn’t have anything to do, so I could finally catch my breath and do what I wanted!
My phone vibrated in my pocket.
I instinctively froze as a bad premonition washed over me. Getting a message at this hour never felt like a good thing!
I held my breath as I pulled it out. The name on the screen perfectly matched my expectations.
Ning Dongya.
‘Of course, I knew it would be this jerk!’
My finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds before I finally swiped it open. The message was so short it was unsettling.
[**Ning Dongya**: What are you doing?]
Those four words, devoid of context, were like a small pebble thrown into my heart, creating ripples of unease. She never engaged in meaningless small talk. I hesitated over the screen, deleting and rewriting several times before finally sending a seemingly obedient probe.
[**Guiyun**: Is there something you need, President Ning?]
It wasn’t overly enthusiastic, nor did it seem like I was hiding. After sending it, I stared at the screen, even my breathing becoming shallow.
*The other party is typing…*
My heart rate quickened for no reason. How would she reply? Would she keep beating around the bush, or…
[**Ning Dongya**: Come to my office at 3:00 PM tomorrow.]
No explanation, no preamble. It was as direct as an ice pick stabbing into my heart. The mood that had lightened slightly after escaping Ling Beina immediately sank to the bottom. My tail drooped lifelessly, brushing against the cold ground.
‘The office again…’
I stared at the text, my scalp feeling numb. I couldn’t ask too much, or it would look like I had a guilty conscience, but I couldn’t ask nothing either, as that would be like a silent admission.
After careful consideration, I cautiously typed a line.
[**Guiyun**: Understood, President Ning. Do I need to prepare any materials in advance?]
Limiting the topic to work should be the safest route.
[**Ning Dongya**: You’ll find out when you get here.]
She replied instantly, cutting off all paths of retreat. Immediately after, a second message followed:
[**Ning Dongya**: Be on time tomorrow. Don’t be late for work in the morning, either.]
Even the punctuation marks carried her unique sense of pressure. I looked at the messages on the screen and took a deep breath.
[**Guiyun**: Understood. I will be on time, President Ning.]
The moment I hit send, a familiar sense of helplessness washed over me. Even though I had weighed every word, I always seemed to be on the defensive when dealing with her.
I stuffed the phone back into my pocket. The brief celebration of surviving the earlier ordeal had long since vanished. The night wind blew against my face, but it couldn’t blow away the heavy oppression in my heart.
‘Damn it! Why is Ning Dongya looking for me right after I dealt with Ling Beina? It’s like those two conspired together!!’
The moment the phone screen went dark, my spirits deflated completely. Playing games or watching videos suddenly felt pointless. Forget it, I should just wash up and sleep.
The hot water washed over me, but it couldn’t clear the chaotic thoughts in my head. Ning Dongya… What on earth does she want to do tomorrow? Review today’s work? I don’t think I made any mistakes. Criticize the lack of detail in my competition entry? But she already affirmed that the foundation was solid. It couldn’t be that she found out about me and Ling Beina…
‘No, no, how could she possibly know?’ I shook my head, water droplets splashing everywhere.
But if it wasn’t official business, then… that was even scarier. Would she corner me in the elevator again like last time, or stare at me with those eyes that seem to see through everything? Or would she try something else?
Lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling, my claws unconsciously picking at the corner of the quilt. I ran through all sorts of possibilities in my head — the good, the bad, and the even worse… But Ning Dongya’s mind was harder to guess than any of Ling Beina’s traps. That woman was always unexpected, always in control of the situation.
‘It’s over; I can’t predict it at all.’ I tossed and turned irritably, burying my face in the pillow as my tail lashed against the mattress in frustration. This feeling of uncertainty was the most agonizing, like a rope around my neck that could tighten at any moment.
My eyelids grew heavier, but fragmented images continued to flash uncontrollably through my mind: Ning Dongya’s cold fingertips, Ling Beina’s lazy smile, and the system’s gloating mechanical voice…
‘Damn it… tomorrow… what on earth…’
My thoughts cut off there, and I didn’t even know when I eventually fell asleep.
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