Chapter 39: A Small Task Accomplished

The next day, Pony took the subway to the company, arriving a bit earlier than usual—a subtle shift in his work attitude. This change allowed him a slightly higher tolerance for mistakes, so when he suddenly remembered in the elevator that he hadn’t bought the coffee Feihong Ni requested, he decisively squeezed out, jogging to the designated shop.

Feihong Ni, truthfully, didn’t much care for coffee. Easterners often found it too hot and heavy, but every morning she demanded half a cup in the office. Coffee, indeed, was better than tea for boosting alertness and stimulating thought. She also refused instant coffee, insisting on a particular place.

She had revealed this detail yesterday, when Pony had invited Mizuki Ryuse to dinner.

After considerable effort, Pony finally secured the coffee demanded by the she-devil, and as he jogged back, he texted Mizuki: "I've got it."

Mizuki replied: "Okay, that saves me the trip..."

Arriving at the office, he caught Feihong Ni just settling in, having removed her trench coat and taken a seat.

Pony hurriedly handed her the coffee.

Seeing him as the deliveryman, Feihong Ni was briefly surprised, and noticing his breathless, sweaty state, she was somewhat satisfied.

But when she touched the cup, she found the temperature off, and, unwilling to spare his feelings, she shook her head, saying, "Take it away, this isn’t what I want."

“?” Pony’s mouth twisted in frustration. He’d run himself ragged only to be met with this.

Feihong Ni considered for a moment. "I don’t want to scold you, but I also won’t compromise. I genuinely don’t want to drink this. I’m not obliged to be cheerful with you in the morning, and this is your job. Though you seemed to put in effort, you didn’t do it right. Go on, think about it outside."

"Your personality is atrocious—utterly outrageous. I’ve had enough." Pony slammed the door and stormed out.

Feihong Ni’s face darkened, thinking, What nerve—you dare complain? Giving you this job is already a stretch, and now you act tough?

Yet, for all her thoughts, Feihong Ni didn’t fire him for the fourth time. Instead, she furtively glanced through the glass wall at him twice. When Pony turned back, Feihong Ni quickly raised a journal to cover her face.

Hmm?

In the next moment, Feihong Ni was exasperated with herself—she realized she’d grabbed the journal, silently berating herself for becoming so unstable...

In the hallway, Pony slowly cornered Mizuki Ryuse.

Mizuki shrank into the corner, weakly saying, "Pony, should I call security?"

"No need. Security isn’t law enforcement, and I’m only cornering you, not harassing you," Pony replied in a manic tone.

"Oh, then please take care of me," Mizuki bowed again.

Pony deflated, "You sly fox, I fell for your trick again. I bought the coffee, but she rejected it. You set me up."

"No, no," Mizuki waved her hands frantically, "That place, that flavor, it’s exactly what President Ni specified."

"Then why did I fail this time?" Pony asked, curious.

"Because you only asked one question, not two. I don’t like competition, so I didn’t volunteer the second detail. Actually, she has a temperature requirement," Mizuki admitted meekly.

Pony groaned.

He shook her by the neck and said, "See you after work at the usual spot. I refuse to believe I can’t tame you, witch."

Mizuki laughed, "Alright, as long as you don’t mind the expense of gourmet food."

"Do I look like someone short on cash?" Pony retorted.

"Very well, Pony, this time I’ll share everything I know," Mizuki promised...

So, after work, aside from another meal at Mizuki’s chosen restaurant, Pony, with his eccentric thinking, managed to lure her to the cinema.

In the dim, quiet theater, uninterested in the film, he idly stroked her neck and caressed her hands. When he realized he hadn’t been slapped on the back of the head, Pony’s confidence grew, and he leaned in to kiss her ear affectionately.

"Mmm... don’t..." she murmured, half-resisting, half-yielding, caught up in the moment.

Pony knew she wasn’t truly refusing. But as he tried to push further, he found himself at odds with his own body—the will of the demon king asserted itself. After her whispered "don’t," Pony sat still, doing nothing but chatting.

Their conversation was pleasant enough, but as the film ended, Mizuki leaned in and whispered by Pony’s ear, "Idiot!"

This rebirth had given Pony a strong heart, but also a host of trials, so that sometimes he slipped into uncontrollable bouts of mental conflict.

All he could do was clutch his head and flee, returning home to wash and sleep...

On the third day,

Before leaving the subway, Pony messaged Mizuki Ryuse: I’m buying coffee. I refuse to be scolded again.

Mizuki replied: Well, even if you’re scolded again, you’ll get used to it. The scolding just passes.

Pony’s rapid reply made Mizuki stick out her tongue: I’m not pretending. This body refuses to give in—it wants to challenge. Surely I can’t fail at such a simple task?

Mizuki wrote back: Good luck, I believe in you...

When Feihong Ni entered the office, Pony arrived at the same time and set the coffee on her desk.

Feihong Ni paused, thinking the kid was persistent. After yesterday’s tongue-lashing, he hadn’t sent Mizuki to buy it today. Not a bad attitude.

She reached out and touched the cup, then took a sip, paused, drank again, and finally set it down, nodding slightly at Pony.

After a moment, seeing Pony still standing there, Feihong Ni looked up. "Alright, you succeeded this time. But you bought a cup of coffee; surely you’re not expecting me to be tearfully grateful and worship you, shouting ‘Pony, you’re amazing!’?"

Pony’s face darkened, but after a moment’s thought, he had to admit she had a point.

It was a decent start, so Pony didn’t say much, nodded, and prepared to leave.

Feihong Ni watched his back for a moment, then decided to give him some credit. "Wait."

Pony turned to look at her.

"The coffee shop is crowded, with long lines. In theory, it’s difficult to get the right temperature. How did you manage?" Feihong Ni asked, curious.

Pony perked up, "First, I’m handsome, which helps."

Feihong Ni rolled her eyes. "And?"

"Then, I’m polite and courteous. I arrived before they opened, intercepted a staff girl inside to talk about life, gave her a small gift. Then I had breakfast in the shop, read half a magazine while waiting, and when the time came, the staff girl brought me the coffee without any queue," Pony explained.

Feihong Ni paused and asked, "Was this your idea or Mizuki Ryuse’s?"

Pony answered honestly, "Hers. But to get her advice, I treated her to dinner and a movie last night, gave it my all—made huge sacrifices. Only then did she share."

Feihong Ni nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and focused on her computer.

After a while, seeing Pony still at the door, she sighed, "Alright, if you want to hear it, I’ll say it. It’s complicated, but you truly put your heart into it. Sometimes, doing something well isn’t difficult. Attitude and talent—who can say which is more important? But you can always control your attitude."

Pony began to feel proud—he’d completed the challenge and was ready to declare, "I quit," just to see her flustered.

But before he could, police arrived to invite Pony for tea—he had to go, because Zhang Jing herself had come. With anyone else, he could have tried to wiggle out of it, but with Zhang Jing, who had little concept of right or wrong and was stubborn, he risked a beating.

Coincidentally, Zhang Jing wore her police uniform today—perhaps she had a formal meeting or report. This sparked a wave of gossip in the office.

Feihong Ni had met Zhang Jing during the prior racing incident, but didn’t like her much. Seeing her arrive in uniform to take Pony away, Feihong Ni was annoyed.

Not exactly protective, but Feihong Ni stepped out and said, "Zhang, yes, you—I’m talking to you. What’s going on? Are you taking my employee somewhere during work hours?"

Zhang Jing found Feihong Ni troublesome—she’d already learned from their last conversation that Ni was shrewd and slightly eccentric, not someone she could easily brush off.

So Zhang Jing had to patiently say, "Let’s go into your office, and I’ll explain."

Feihong Ni hesitated, then nodded and went in first.