From the moment his tail wrapped around her, her rationality began to crumble.
The department dinner felt like a battlefield churning with hidden currents.
While it appeared to be a celebratory feast, it was actually a fierce arena where departments secretly competed for dominance. Surrounded by colleagues, she was pushed to the front, forced to drink glass after glass.
"Oh dear, Xiao Lin, your project owes everything to the director's strict guidance!"
"Exactly! Shouldn't we toast the director, too?"
She forced a smile and raised her glass toward him across the table.
Her usually stern and taciturn superior, He Jian Lizhen, gazed at her coldly with his golden fox eyes.
"No need," he said flatly.
"I know her limit. If she drinks too much, who will help me revise the report tomorrow?"
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she murmured, head bowed, "I can still—"
Before she could finish, he suddenly reached out, snatched her glass, and downed it in one gulp.
"Enough."
The laughter died down for a few seconds.
He set the glass down, leaned his head close to hers, and said in a low, hushed voice: "Do you want to get drunk and embarrass yourself in front of them, or do you want to cause trouble for me?"
His tone was cold. Yet, for some reason, when his breath brushed past her ear, her heart skipped a beat.
That night, as the gathering dispersed, she staggered out of the private room. The night wind was chillingly cold.
Just as she reached for her phone to hail a cab, a familiar presence appeared behind her.
"Can't stand straight, yet still trying to be tough?"
He placed a hand on her shoulder, his tone indifferent.
"I...I'm not drunk..."
"Oh?" He Jian Lizhen chuckled softly. Just as he was about to let go—
—a soft touch wrapped around her waist.
It was a fluffy, supple fox tail.
Her eyes widened in shock and she was left speechless. The tail seemed to have a mind of its own as it gently curled around her, pulling her closer into his embrace.
"...!"
"Don't move." His voice was hushed. The tip of his tail teased her waistline with a barely perceptible caress. "It was a reflex."
The sound of their heartbeats between them was terrifyingly clear.
In that moment, the city's clamor and the glow of the streetlights felt distant, as if they belonged to another world.
She didn't know whether to push him away or pretend nothing had happened.
But by the next day, the office was ablaze with rumors.
"Did you leave with the department head last night?"
"Someone saw him shielding you from drinks and looking pretty cozy."
"Oh, no wonder he's been protecting you lately."
Her face drained as she denied it. "That didn't happen! Really, it didn't!"
Yet, the more she tried to explain, the faster the rumors spread.
From the break room to the conference hall, everyone snickered and whispered behind her back.
She even overheard her female colleagues mocking her in the restroom.
"Guess being his protégé comes with perks."
"Calling it merit? More like relying on looks."
She clenched her fists and forced back tears as she stepped out of the stall.
That night, she worked late, and her computer screen was the only light left on in the entire building.
Just as she was about to leave, the elevator doors opened.
He Jianli stood there, his coat draped over his shoulder, his gaze resting quietly on her.
"You left your headphones in the conference room."
He approached and placed them on her desk. His tone was as cool as ever, yet lacking its usual sharpness.
"Don't dwell on what was said today."
"What do you mean?" she couldn't help asking.
He lifted his eyes, his golden pupils glinting coldly in the light. "I'll handle it."
She wanted to ask more, but she noticed his fingers curling slightly as he turned to leave—the shadow of his tail flickering briefly at the end of the corridor.
He had been protecting her in secret all along, never letting anyone know.
This "game of revenge" seemed to be growing increasingly ambiguous.
The next morning, screenshots flooded the department's gossip group chat.
An anonymous user posted a blurry photo capturing the moment he shielded her from a drink, revealing his golden gaze, her faint blush, and their closeness.
The comment section exploded.
What she didn't know was that the person who shared the photo was the manager of a rival department. Behind this rumor lay a deeper conspiracy.