The cat's body felt weak as it struggled to move toward the door, and when Luo Li turned to leave, it panicked and quickly opened the door, forgetting its current state.
Luo Li turned around, ready to speak, but her words got stuck when she saw Lu Cixue's face. She was even more flustered than Lu Cixue.
"You're..."
It was the same as last time—what was it with Lu Cixue's constitution? Oh, right, she could turn into a cat. Could this be...?
Luo Li composed herself but didn't move. She knew that Lu Cixue was in discomfort, but a cat that didn't listen to people and caused her heartache shouldn't be forgiven so easily.
But it was hard to stay mad when faced with such a person...
Lu Cixue's eyes were red, filled with a thin layer of mist, and her body was burning hot. She wasn't even fully conscious, struggling to stay upright while holding onto the doorframe, softly apologizing, "I'm sorry, I just thought..."
"Thought what?"
Luo Li sighed and stepped forward, unable to resist pulling the weakened woman into her arms.
—She had really lost weight.
The usually sly little cat had suddenly become delicate, greedily absorbing the warmth and scent from the human as she buried her face in Luo Li's neck, whimpering softly, trying to avoid the question.
Luo Li huffed as she carried her back inside, "I'm still upset, you know."
She could feel the grip on her clothes tightening, and couldn't help but smile slightly. She was curious about what this little cat would say next.
"I just thought that you two were perfectly suited for each other." Lu Cixue spoke slowly, her voice dropping as her eyes reddened further. "I didn't know what to do..."
She was quick to retreat, preferring to avoid rather than confront the issue.
Luo Li was surprised to see Director Lu so emotional, overflowing with jealousy and insecurity.
Trying to lighten the mood, Luo Li teased, "You're jumping to conclusions. Where did you see that we were perfectly suited?"
"We were never together, and the only reason we met this time was for work. Sure, I might have liked her back in high school. She used to help me with homework, and we've known each other for a long time. She treated me differently than everyone else."
When you're young, liking someone is so straightforward and fearless.
But Luo Li had always been the one chasing after Tao Jinxin, who never looked back to wait for her.
Even though Tao Jinxin knew about her feelings, she still accepted another boy's confession.
Luo Li didn't think Tao Jinxin was wrong. She understood that youthful affection was precious, best left as a memory.
"You didn't even ask me before avoiding me," Luo Li complained softly. "If you do this again, I really won't talk to you for three days."
Lu Cixue, lying on her shoulder, mumbled an acknowledgment, her breathing growing heavier, her eyes misty. Still, her habitual need for precision prompted her to ask, "Why three days?"
"Because you avoided me for three days."
—A completely unreasonable reason.
"But why are you so hot? Does this happen often?" Luo Li noticed the increasing warmth from the woman in her arms, swallowing nervously.
Holding such a warm, soft body was difficult to resist.
Especially when Lu Cixue seemed to enjoy her scent, growing bolder and more assertive over time, snuggling closer and touching her more, behaving nothing like her usual cold and aloof self, instead acting like a spoiled cat.
If this happens often, it must be hard for her to endure, right? And if Luo Li hadn't been there last time, Lu Cixue might have...
Luo Li's mood darkened as she thought about Lu Cixue's troublesome younger brother. Maybe she should ask someone to investigate further while the case was still pending.
But now wasn't the time for that.
Luo Li tried to grab the wandering hand but noticed the familiar coat on the sofa.
Oh, so she was the type to act one way in public and another in private. She'd been avoiding Luo Li for days, yet secretly clung to her coat to get through her heat cycle.
And what was with that hand? Was she being shameless?
Unlike last time, when she impulsively asked Luo Li for help, Lu Cixue was more restrained this time, still holding onto a shred of sanity.
But being so close, some thoughts became harder to suppress.
Luo Li tilted her head slightly, meeting the gaze of the woman sitting on her, who was looking at her with affectionate eyes, her lips parted, panting softly, her porcelain face flushed.
She clearly wanted something but was too embarrassed to ask.
Luo Li couldn't help but find the woman's thin skin amusing.
Her fingers slid behind Lu Cixue's waist as she whispered playfully in her ear, "How long does Director Lu plan to sit on me? Office romances aren't exactly proper."
Lu Cixue shot her a resentful look, grabbing Luo Li's collar with one hand, biting her lip as her eyes trembled, before hastily trying to cover Luo Li's eyes.
It was as if not seeing those eyes would make everything feel more permissible.
"Hmm? What does Director Lu plan to do?"
Luo Li had barely finished speaking when she felt soft lips press against hers, the sensation tingling as Lu Cixue tentatively nibbled and rubbed against her, unable to suppress a quiet moan.
She could barely hold herself up, her waist trembling.
Luo Li couldn't help but think how sensitive she was.
"You're so overbearing, Director Lu, kissing me without asking if I wanted to. Aren't you going to offer some kind of reward?"
She asked the question but didn't really expect an answer.
Instead, her collarbone was nipped as Lu Cixue continued her advances, even as she kept Luo Li's eyes covered, relying on touch to navigate.
The hand covering Luo Li's eyes gradually weakened, sliding down to rest on her arm, trembling, "Not here..."
Luo Li obediently carried her to the bedroom. After bringing her back from the bathroom, she still found her boss's reactions too intriguing.
For example, when she whispered different endearments into Lu Cixue's ear and gently explored, she could feel how each name affected her differently.
Whether she called her Director Lu or Sister, neither elicited as strong a reaction as when she called her "baby."
"You like that, huh," Luo Li said, pretending to realize. "I'll call you that more often so you can get used to it, baby."
But when Luo Li kissed her on the lips, Lu Cixue would lightly bite her, as if protesting against Luo Li's directness in revealing her thoughts.
But it wasn't very convincing.
Or when she looked at her with wet eyes, shyly asking if they could turn off the lights.
Of course, there was no reason not to, but Luo Li couldn't resist teasing her, "But I have a request too."
The woman, lying amidst the soft bed sheets, her eyes dazed, her left hand tightly gripping the sheets, struggled to maintain control.
Narrow and confined, her mind was overwhelmed with a sense of loss of control, seeking comfort in Luo Li's embrace, unable to muster the energy to argue.
"What is it?"
"No more of this in the future," Luo Li said, easily wrapping her arms around her. "You need to eat properly, and if something's bothering you, you have to tell me..."
—She said it would be just one request, but she made several.
Luo Li kissed her gently on the forehead, nuzzling against her, "My last request—I want to court you. Can I?"
It was indeed a rare occurrence.
They had already shared real, intimate experiences, yet it was only now that they were starting to talk about dating.
But that was okay—who said it couldn't happen this way?
Luo Li waited quietly for an answer, noticing the rapid shifts in Lu Cixue's expression.
Surprise, disbelief, and a flash of emotion in her eyes.
But asking Director Lu to say "yes" was a bit too much.
"Kiss me, and I'll take that as a yes," Luo Li said, leaning in with bright eyes like an eager puppy.
The exhausted woman, still catching her breath, stared at Luo Li for a long time before lightly kissing her smooth cheek and then quickly looking away.
—Am I dreaming?
Luo Li pinched her cheek.
Lu Cixue frowned at the sight, lifting her hand to rescue Luo Li's reddened cheek, "What are you doing?"
—It hurt, so it wasn't a dream.
"Nothing, I'm just happy." Luo Li beamed, rattling off a stream of questions, "Do you feel okay? How often does this happen? Do you still have strength? Should I help you shower? This place isn't fit to sleep in—should we go to the guest room? Oh, right, do you want some water?"
Too tired to keep her eyes open, Lu Cixue tried to respond, but there were just too many questions.
So she found the quickest way to silence that mouth—she kissed her, then nestled into Luo Li's arms and closed her eyes.
"Just stay with me, and you can decide the rest."
Luo Li fell silent, dutifully carrying her to the bathroom, and after much effort, finally held her in the clean, soft bed, content to sleep.
"Luo Luo, did something happen to you recently?"
On Monday morning, Luo Li had barely settled in when Chen Ting asked her this serious question.
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
Chen Ting hesitated, "Well, you've been kind of all over the place lately. A few days ago, it seemed like you were in a bad mood, but today, you're all smiles, even talking to your poor little cactus like it's the most beautiful thing in the world."
Luo Li chuckled, trying to play it cool, "Oh, it's nothing, really. Just a mood swing. Don't worry about it."
But Chen Ting wasn't buying it, especially since Luo Li seemed unusually happy.
"Are you sure? You're not, like, in love or something, are you?"
Luo Li nearly choked on her own laughter, her mind flashing back to the events of the weekend. She tried to keep her cool, "No way! What makes you think that?"
Before Chen Ting could respond, a colleague from the front desk came over, holding a large bouquet of Cappuccino roses. "Luo Li, someone left these at the front desk for Director Lu."
"Wow, those are some beautiful flowers," another colleague chimed in, eyeing the bouquet with interest. "But why does it feel like they're going to end up in the trash, just like all the others?"
Luo Li bit her lip to suppress a smile, but she couldn't help feeling a bit pleased with herself.
The front desk colleague handed the flowers to Luo Li, "Here, they even left a cute little card with a drawing of a cat on it."
Luo Li knew exactly where those flowers had come from.
At that moment, Lu Cixue stepped out of the elevator, catching sight of the group gathered around the bouquet. The crowd quickly dispersed, but not before some curious glances were thrown her way.
"Director Lu," someone called out, causing the group to tense up.
One of them handed over the flowers. "Someone left these for you."
Lu Cixue's eyes softened as she spotted the little cat drawn on the card. She accepted the bouquet with a quiet smile, "Thank you. I'll take these."
The group of employees stared in shock as their normally reserved boss took the bouquet back to her office.
"No way! Who's the lucky guy that managed to win over our ice-cold Director Lu?"
"And what about that trash can? I was really getting used to it being filled with rejected flowers."
Luo Li forced a smile, trying not to laugh as she overheard her colleagues' comments.
Lu Cixue settled into her office, still holding the bouquet. She couldn't help but smile again as she looked at the drawing on the card—Luo Li's handiwork.
That morning, Luo Li had sent her a text with a cryptic message:
[A good romance starts with a bouquet of flowers.]