One Morning.

"Good morning, Lin Lin~" Gao Liang greeted his deskmate with a smile.

"M-Morning..."

Lin Lin’s expression tightened. She turned her head away, replying reluctantly—still clearly uneasy about exchanging greetings with her sworn rival.

Then…

"Hey, so… where’s the ‘meow’?"

*Hiss—*

Lin Lin sucked in a sharp breath, glancing quickly around. Seeing no one was watching, she gritted her teeth and shot Gao Liang a glare.

"Don’t push it! This is the classroom!"

"Just keep it quiet, yeah?" Gao Liang tilted his head, grinning.

*Tch.*

What’s with the cute act?

"Meow." The girl forced the word out flatly, dragging her voice in a stiff, mechanical recitation.

"Aww, cuter~"

"You…!"

"Well… I might be busy this weekend. Gotta catch up on some fun online shows. If Classmate Lin Lin *really* hates me… maybe I should just—"

"You…" Lin Lin stared at him helplessly. After a long pause, she sighed. "Fine. I give up. I’ll say it, okay?"

*Hmm…*

Gathering her courage…

"Meow~"

"Nice!"

Gao Liang flashed a thumbs-up. Lin Lin’s face flushed. She turned away—then froze. Across the hallway, several classmates stared at her, wide-eyed.

"Lin Lin, you…"

"I-I-I-I’M HAVING A MELTDOWN! SO SORRY! I’LL DROP OUT RIGHT NOW—I’M LEAVING! Woof woof woof woof woof—"

She bolted out shouting, leaving stunned classmates behind and Gao Liang standing perfectly still… while laughing his head off inside.

*Pfft.* Little kitty, covering embarrassment by barking like a puppy now? *Pfft pfft—*

And so, the next few days…

"Lin Lin~"

"Ugh… meow~"

…

"Lin Lin?"

"Meow… sniffle…"

…

"Little Kitty classmate?"

"Meow… meow! Wahhh…"

…

*Bang—!*

Friday evening. The moment Lin Lin got home, she collapsed backward onto her bed. The warm Simmons mattress cradled her tired waist. She closed her eyes wearily… then, almost without thinking, let out a soft "…meow" toward the ceiling.

…

Broken. Truly broken.

She sat up with a choked sob, staring at her tear-streaked reflection in the black phone screen.

*Why didn’t I just fall and die that night? At least I’d take that damn dog Gao Liang with me. Meow damn it.*

What did I do to deserve this torture?!

She sighed. She was even getting used to it… except for the daily shame of meowing. So exhausting.

She pulled out her phone, opened Pixiv—then froze.

A tiny red notification dot.

…Dog Bro?

Lin Lin blinked, tapped open the DM.

Sent at 6 PM. She’d been in evening study till 10.

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: No streams for days. You okay, Lizi? Streaming today?]*

*Ugh.* Between Gao Liang draining her and collapsing straight to sleep after study sessions… no time. And today? Forget it. Too tired.

She typed back:

*[Yali-chan: Just life stuff. Haven’t streamed.]*

*[Yali-chan: Too tired today. Maybe tomorrow.]*

*[Yali-chan: Don’t worry—Little Vampire Girl’s tough! …Though if this keeps up, maybe not for long…]*

She set the phone down with a sigh.

On the other end, Gao Liang’s screen lit up.

A reply? Oh—Little Vampire Girl.

He read it. *Hiss.* Her tone sounded off. Trouble?

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: What’s wrong? Something happen? If you can’t handle it… I…]*

He’d almost typed *I’m in Huadu too, I can help*—then deleted it. Sent.

*Ding dong—!*

Lin Lin groaned, picked up her phone.

*Uh…*

Dog Bro’s so caring…

*Wait.* Probably just worried she’d ghost after he became her Admiral.

…Yeah. Her silence *was* kinda shady.

Flustered, she typed:

*[Yali-chan: Someone’s been targeting me. Annoying. Draining me.]*

*[Yali-chan: It’s fine! Just small stuff. Streaming tomorrow!]*

*[Yali-chan: Thanks, Dog Bro~ You’re way better than that damn dog picking on me. Best bro~]*

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: Targeting you?! How dare anyone bully our Little Vampire Girl?!]*

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: #UpperCut_JiaJia]*

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: Yeah, that’s awful. Fight back. Stand your ground. Or they’ll keep pushing.]*

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: Show them you’re not easy prey. They’ll stop.]*

*[Yali-chan: SO RIGHT, DOG BRO!]*

Lin Lin nodded without realizing it, already daydreaming about pinning Gao Liang down and wailing on him.

*Hehe… hehe…*

…Ahem. She shook her head.

Nah. Forget it.

She still had that leverage hanging over her. Otherwise—no meowing marathons.

But…

*[Yali-chan: Don’t worry! Temporary!]*

*[Yali-chan: Once tutoring’s done? I’m gone. And then… payback time.]*

*[Yali-chan: Tired. Gonna wash up. Night~]*

*[WatchVAndYoureADog: Wishing Little Vampire Girl smooth sailing. May the bully eat dirt soon. Good night.]*

Lin Lin clapped her hands. Dog Bro’s words settled her resolve.

Yes. Endure.

Just wait till tutoring ends…

Then—*run*.