The air froze awkwardly for a moment.
Luo Li stared suspiciously at the woman across from her, trying to gauge the truth of her words.
"So, what about last night…?" Luo Li mumbled, "I think we should at least get to know each other first."
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but the woman seemed indifferent to her, despite what had happened between them the night before.
Luo Li was definitely not the type to just leave after such an encounter, even though she still hadn't figured out the true identity of this mysterious cat.
The Luo family had always been conservative and traditional. Luo Li's grandfather was so strict that it bordered on rigidity.
Although Luo Li was grateful for the guidance her grandfather had provided her since childhood, she also resented his restrictive methods, which is why she had planned to go abroad to escape them as early as she could.
Lu Cixue paused, unsure of how to respond.
She remembered meeting Luo Li at the bar last night. Did that mean Luo Li frequented such places? Someone as attractive as her would surely attract a lot of attention.
Did Luo Li already have someone she liked? She seemed eager to find a girlfriend.
"I won't cling to you."
After a long silence, Lu Cixue finally spoke, and Luo Li sighed in exasperation. "You don't have to be so guarded around me. I'm not going to tell anyone about your ability to turn into a cat."
Even though everything that had happened since last night made it seem like she was a rather careless person who ended up sharing a bed with someone she barely knew, if she didn't have any feelings for the woman, she would have already thrown her out.
And besides, she was also a victim here—this woman had scared her so much she hadn't slept a wink.
"I know it sounds flippant, but doesn't what happened last night show that you don't dislike me either?" Luo Li suggested gently. "So, how about we get to know each other?"
"You can take some time to think about it. I'll go make breakfast."
Luo Li got up and walked to the bedroom door but hesitated and turned back.
Lu Cixue, who had been watching her back, quickly looked away.
"Hm, and, um…" Luo Li cleared her throat awkwardly. "Your clothes might be… Anyway, you can pick out something from the wardrobe. Most of it hasn't been worn."
She had already set out some disposable underwear by the bed.
"Thank you."
Luo Li mumbled a "no problem" and headed to the kitchen, where everything suddenly felt out of place.
She still didn't know the woman's name, and their conversation felt more like a business meeting, just shy of ending with a "pleasure working with you."
Luo Li shook her head, tying her long hair into a loose ponytail, revealing her pale, makeup-free face.
Lu Cixue picked out a white T-shirt and jeans from the wardrobe. She usually wore formal suits to work, but now, dressed in casual clothes, she looked much more youthful and innocent.
Silently, she stood by the sofa, watching Luo Li bustle about in the kitchen, taking in every detail.
Luo Li's eyes were a light brown, and her face had a slight mixed-race look. Over the years, her features had become even more striking. When she wasn't smiling, she seemed distant.
But she loved to smile, and her lively personality made her very likable.
Back in high school, every time Luo Li came home, her bag would be stuffed with chocolates and carefully wrapped little gifts.
She never opened them, preferring to discreetly return them the next day with a polite rejection via text.
After school, she never followed the rules and went to piano lessons or stayed for extra tutoring.
Instead, she would sneak down to the first floor, grab her white cat, and run off, talking to the cat about what had happened at school that day.
Her cat was very well-behaved. Even though Luo Li would talk non-stop, the cat would simply lie on her lap, belly up, its ice-blue eyes staring at her.
Although sometimes, the cat didn't want to hear about which girl at school Luo Li thought was really pretty, or how she had finally gotten the girl's contact information.
It was annoying.
It was the possessiveness of a cat toward its owner that was acting up.
Luo Li happily placed the toasted bread on a plate when the door suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
"Lolo, darling, long time no see!"
A woman in a short skirt and boots rushed into the house, despite the chilly morning, and hugged Luo Li tightly, oblivious to the presence of a second person.
"I'm so sorry about last night. It was an accident. I was almost there when some jerk blocked my car, so I came first thing this morning to apologize."
The woman's black trench coat was still cold, making Luo Li shiver inexplicably, though she didn't think it was due to her physique.
"Don't be mad, darling." The seductive woman blew Luo Li a kiss, only to be pushed away by a flustered Luo Li.
"Stop being so handsy. You're a vice president; can't you be a little more serious?" Luo Li pretended to adjust her robe, but when she turned around, she met the gaze of a pair of eyes not far behind her.
"You've really grown up, haven't you? Not even letting me hug you anymore. We're so close, and besides your parents, I'm the only one who knows your password. Did you meet someone else abroad?"
The woman, Jing Yao, sighed in mock sadness. "You used to cling to me all the time, saying you'd marry me when you grew up. I guess the feelings have faded."
Jing Yao looked up after waiting a while and realizing that Luo Li hadn't responded. Following Luo Li's gaze, she finally noticed the third person in the room.
A woman she had never seen before, with ambiguous marks on her neck.
Jing Yao clapped Luo Li on the shoulder, marveling, "Lolo, you've really come a long way."
She had only just returned to the country and was already making such progress.
Luo Li could only feel a chill down her spine as she met Lu Cixue's gaze. Her jet-black pupils were calm, giving nothing away about her feelings.
"Thank you for the clothes. I'll return them after I've washed them."
The woman moved quickly, not even stopping to change out of her slippers before heading straight out the door.
Luo Li and Jing Yao exchanged a bewildered look, both stunned.
"What are you standing there for? Go after her!" Jing Yao urged, pushing Luo Li toward the door. They hurried to the elevator, only to find that it hadn't been called.
Luo Li pressed her lips together, staring at the floor indicator beside the elevator.
This woman was too mysterious—so mysterious that she hadn't left a single piece of information behind.
"I'm really sorry, Lolo. I had no idea your girlfriend was there," Jing Yao apologized, clearly remorseful. "Give me her number, and I'll apologize to her myself."
"It's fine," Luo Li replied, suddenly feeling a bit guilty. "I don't have her contact information."
Jing Yao's eyes widened in surprise, her expression shifting as she clearly started imagining all sorts of scenarios.
Luo Li quickly stopped her from overthinking it. "She said she'd return the clothes, so we'll see her again."
Behind the closed door, Lu Cixue watched the two of them bickering through the security camera before they eventually returned to Luo Li's apartment and shut the door.
The woman slumped onto the sofa, hugging herself.
The clothes she was wearing probably belonged to Luo Li and carried a familiar sweet scent. Lu Cixue buried her face in her arms, taking a deep breath.
Luo Li had many friends and a vibrant, exciting life. It didn't take much effort for her to get the things she wanted or to meet the people she wanted to know.
Her life was filled with so many things that getting rid of a few insignificant ones was necessary.
Humans didn't seem to care much about things outside their family.
Just a cat, after all—just a cat.
Humans had no idea what she meant to a little cat, so disappearing without a word didn't matter, did it?
Lu Cixue slowly walked to the bedroom, the lingering sensations from the night before still strong. She stood in front of the full-length mirror and saw the marks on her collarbone. Her fingers subconsciously touched them, feeling the heat and slight pain.
The consequences of last night were all due to her aggressive actions. It had nothing to do with Luo Li.
Luo Li didn't need to take responsibility.
Her personality had never been well-received among humans, and Luo Li probably wouldn't like her either.
As if finally coming to terms with her thoughts, Lu Cixue allowed herself to think about the events of the previous night when her brother had tricked her into going to the bar.
Her phone and purse were still in the car, which was parked near the bar.
After changing into a new set of clothes and heading back to the bar, Lu Cixue retrieved her phone, only to find countless messages and missed calls flooding in.
There were messages from her parents, her brother, her assistant, and a friend request from an unfamiliar number, sent that morning.
Lu Cixue was taken aback when she saw the profile picture—a white kitten curled up asleep in a cat bed.
When had Luo Li taken that picture?
The message read: [Hello, Director Lu. This is Luo Li. Thank you for agreeing to guide me in my work. I apologize for any inconvenience I may cause in the coming days.]
It was formal and overly polite, so much so that it felt insincere.
Lu Cixue accepted the request and replied briefly and courteously: [Hello, Miss Luo. It's not guidance, but I hope we get along well.]
Feeling that wasn't enough, Lu Cixue added a handshake emoji, then glanced at her own profile picture—a serene green mountain and lake.
The kitten was confused.
She had noticed that the previous director had used a similar style, and many of the company's leadership did too.
Was there something wrong with that?
Meanwhile, Luo Li, who had just seen off Jing Yao, read Director Lu's reply and found the milk toast in her mouth suddenly tasteless.
Great, she thought. I'm probably going to be tortured by this old—no, young fossil for the foreseeable future.
Luo Li opened Director Lu's Moments feed out of curiosity, only to find that there was no background photo, no privacy settings, and all the posts were just work-related shares.
Boring.
Luo Li quickly concluded that even though Director Lu was only twenty-six, her hobbies probably consisted of reading, watching the news, and drinking tea.
"The road ahead looks bleak…" Luo Li slumped against her chair, sending a salute and a coffee emoji in response to the young fossil, dreading the thought of starting work the day after tomorrow.
On the other side, Director Lu was also sneaking a peek at Luo Li's Moments feed.
The latest post was a photo taken during a trip with friends just before graduation.
One picture showed Luo Li at a shooting range, looking cool and fierce, with her toned abs faintly visible.
On a whim, Lu Cixue saved the picture.
But when she tried to exit the app, she suddenly found that she could no longer see Luo Li's Moments.
?
Thinking it was just a glitch, Lu Cixue didn't dwell on it and moved on to checking other messages.
Lu Xingyu had sent several frantic messages about his failure the previous night, but Lu Cixue ignored them.
Her parents had also sent her many voice messages after hearing Lu Xingyu's complaints about being questioned by the police, scolding her for being ungrateful.
Lu Cixue listened to them one by one, feeling numb.
Her family had always lived as though they were isolated from the world, refusing to integrate and clinging to the ancient traditions of the demon clans.
Purebred cat demons were preferred for continuing the bloodline, just like Lu Xingyu and many others of their kind.
Then there were the outliers, like Lu Cixue, who didn't even know who her biological parents were.
She was just an orphan with impure blood, picked up and taken in.
Monday morning.
Luo Li dressed in a proper shirt and slacks, her long hair, once dyed in various colors abroad, now dyed back to black.
She arrived at the department early, carrying coffee for her colleagues.
With a new product launch on the horizon, the marketing department was always busy, so many employees were already at their desks.
"Are you the new girl?" A voice called out behind her, and Luo Li turned to see a woman with an employee badge approaching her.
Luo Li nodded eagerly, feeling as if she had found a lifeline.
The woman had a straightforward, capable demeanor. She patted Luo Li's shoulder with a smile. "I'm Liu Yue. You can call me Sister Liu."
Luo Li immediately returned the smile. "Hello, Sister Liu. I'm Luo Li."
Noticing the coffee in Luo Li's hands, Liu Yue took the bags from her and called everyone over for introductions.
"This is our department's new kid, Luo Li. She even brought coffee for everyone. She just graduated, so take care of her."
Luo Li introduced herself briefly, and her colleagues were warm and welcoming. She finally felt a sense of relief.
It seemed that the workplace wasn't as cutthroat as the internet made it out to be.
Liu Yue pointed out an empty desk for Luo Li. "This will be your desk from now on. Put your things down, and I'll show you around."
Luo Li followed Liu Yue, listening attentively as she explained the department's work.
There was a gym, a break room, a kitchenette, and a snack bar. Despite the workload, the benefits seemed pretty good.
When they reached an office door, Liu Yue suddenly stopped and lowered her voice mysteriously. "This is our director's office. Remember, avoid it if you can. Just answer questions and don't argue, whatever you do—"
Before she could finish, Liu Yue abruptly pulled Luo Li behind her, smiling brightly as she greeted, "Good morning, Director Lu."
Luo Li, caught off guard, turned around to see the director approaching, and her jaw nearly dropped.
Holy crap…