After Being Entangled By A Weak And Sweet Little Fox - Chapter 2

Qiao Jiao had seen countless abandoned dog people and cat people, and most people wouldn’t overly treasure such a massive number of pets. But a small fox like this was a first.

Without hesitation, she gently picked up the little fox from the damp, muddy ground, and then hurried home, placing the small fox in the bathtub.

Her clothes were soaked by the rain outside. Qiao Jiao took off her jacket and came to the bathroom. First, she cleaned the little fox with warm water. Only after its surface was clean and the small fox in her hands had stopped trembling did she wrap it up in a bath towel.

Perhaps knowing it had been saved, the small fox was very well-behaved throughout the process. When hugged, it even rubbed against Qiao Jiao’s chest.

This action inexplicably brought warmth to Qiao Jiao, who was usually emotionally stoic.

“How did you end up there? Did someone abandon you?” Even though she knew the small fox couldn’t talk, Qiao Jiao muttered to herself, “You’re clearly so beautiful, how could anyone be so heartless.”

“Humans are just like that, are you disappointed in people?” Just after she finished speaking, the small fox snuggled deeper into Qiao Jiao’s embrace, even letting out a whiny, affectionate sound, seemingly answering Qiao Jiao’s question with its actions.

Qiao Jiao paused for a moment, then gave a faint smile, “Don’t trust people so much. What if I’m a bad person too?”

With that, she first placed the small fox on the bed, then found a thick autumn/winter quilt and made a simple little nest for it.

“Just make do with this for now. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the clinic for a check-up. If everything is fine, I’ll take you to the adoption center.”

The moment she finished speaking, the small fox suddenly got up and ran back and forth anxiously. Its physical weakness limited its movement, but Qiao Jiao could still sense its distress.

Did it understand her words? It didn’t want to go to the clinic? Or didn’t want to be sent to the adoption center?

Listening to the fox’s anxious cries, Qiao Jiao immediately chose to comfort it, “Don’t be afraid, I’m not thinking of handing you over to bad people. I’m just going to the clinic for a physical examination. Be good.”

During the process of gently stroking its fur, the small fox finally calmed down and fell into a deep sleep by the side of the bed.

It seemed the simple little nest she made wouldn’t be of much use. Qiao Jiao helplessly looked at the small fox lying in front of the pillow on the other side, thinking, let’s just leave it like this for today, since she had already washed it anyway.

After turning off the light, Qiao Jiao felt a bit sleepless. She had always been alone. Even though she had rescued many beast people, she never considered adopting one.

She was used to being alone, living a peaceful and ordinary life.

She hadn’t expected a small fox to enter her life today. Its miserable appearance reminded her of her own past.

Although she didn’t retain many memories, she could clearly perceive how hard her past life had been.

Like the small fox, she was also the abandoned one.

She turned to look at the small fox, seeing the tiny bundle curled up like a small squirrel. While it was normal for a squirrel, the small fox in front of her clearly showed a lack of security.

Qiao Jiao felt a pang of heartache. She moved closer to the thin but fluffy small fox. One person and one fox sharing their body heat felt quite magical.

The fluffy body carried a pleasant scent. Before long, Qiao Jiao drifted into a dream, and for the first time, she slept without dreaming all night.

The next day, she woke up feeling warm. She opened her eyes to see the small fox, which had been sleeping neatly last night, now sprawled out in her arms. The fox’s fur radiated warmth, which Qiao Jiao found amusing.

She checked the time it was not even 6:30 AM, an hour before her alarm was set to ring. This was the first time she had woken up so early.

The sky outside was already bright, and she had no intention of going back to sleep, so she quietly got up to prepare breakfast.

“Awoo.”

Perhaps sensing Qiao Jiao was awake, the small fox also groggily opened its eyes. Seeing Qiao Jiao preparing to leave the room, it immediately followed her with sleepy eyes, almost stumbling.

“Don’t you want to sleep a little longer? I’m just going to prepare breakfast,” Qiao Jiao explained, seeing the small fox circling her feet.

Although she wasn’t a pet psychologist, she seemed to be able to understand every one of the small fox’s movements.

“Awoo awoo…” The small fox didn’t leave. Instead, it used its front paws to pounce on Qiao Jiao, looking utterly affectionate.

“Alright, alright, let me see what you can eat.” Unable to resist, Qiao Jiao patted the small fox’s head and started searching, then opened the refrigerator.

“You can eat fish and meat, but your current physical condition isn’t great. Let’s start with some milk and eggs.” Saying this, she took out three eggs and a can of milk. After cooking them, she peeled two eggs and placed them on the table.

The small fox immediately jumped onto the table and began to eat with relish.

“Eat slowly, be careful not to choke.” Qiao Jiao said, then took out a bowl, poured about half a bowl of milk, and placed it in front of the small fox.

Watching the small fox eat so happily, a smile inexplicably appeared on her face. After realizing it, she quickly suppressed the smile and prepared a simple breakfast for herself.

At 8:30 AM, Qiao Jiao was ready to take the small fox to the clinic. Before leaving, she specifically found a pet backpack. After trying it out, she found the small fox fit perfectly.

“You should stay inside here. There are too many people on the road, it wouldn’t be good if someone noticed you,” Qiao Jiao said, pointing to the backpack and looking at the small fox.

Foxes are not common household pets. Because of this, most people actually desire to adopt non-standard pets or beast people, but the numbers are small, and the chances of acquiring one through purchase are greater.

However, the purchasing channels are not known to the average person.

The small fox was very obedient. It understood Qiao Jiao’s words and willingly walked into the backpack. The person and the fox then set off for the workplace.

“Sister Qiao, you’re finally here! Hurry and check on Bu Bu. Its condition seems wrong it still looks very weak.” As soon as she walked into the clinic, she saw Qiao Afu rushing over in a stumble. Qiao Jiao quickly put down the small fox’s backpack and hurried to the patient room.

Bu Bu’s condition was indeed not good, but after a brief examination, Qiao Jiao sighed in relief.

“Bu Bu is probably just hungry. After all, we cleared its stomach in yesterday’s surgery.” With that, she took off her gloves and looked at Afu. “Go buy some lean meat. Bu Bu can’t eat much right now, but it needs basic energy intake. I’ll give it a nutritional injection, and it should be fine. The rest is just recovery.”

“Okay, Sister Qiao. But what did you put on the front desk when you came in? It’s the first time I’ve seen you carry such a large bag to work.”

When Qiao Afu mentioned this, Qiao Jiao suddenly remembered that she had been so anxious to see Bu Bu that she had forgotten the small fox was still in the bag.

“The small fox…” she said, rushing out.

“The small fox?” Qiao Afu followed her out upon hearing this.

The moment she pulled open the zipper, the small fox’s aggrieved and resentful eyes made Qiao Jiao feel a bit guilty.

“It really is a small fox! Sister Qiao, why did you bring a fox to work? Is it your pet?” Qiao Afu asked curiously after seeing it.

“No, I found it near the garbage station by my house last night.” Shaking her head, Qiao Jiao gently picked up the small fox. “Afu, come with me to check it out before you buy the meat.”

With that, the two of them went back to the examination room.

The small fox was quiet throughout the entire process, only occasionally turning its head away proudly when looking at Qiao Afu, which made Qiao Afu feel a bit discouraged.

“Just as I thought, it’s malnourished, has multiple wounds on its body, and even old, scarred injuries.” After the examination, Qiao Jiao pursed her lips, her expression complex.

Although the small fox had been clinging to her and acting affectionate since the morning, the wounds on its body were real, and she had noticed them last night.

“Does that mean… it was abused and then abandoned? What kind of person would do something so heinous!” Qiao Afu understood, speaking indignantly.

Qiao Jiao didn’t say much. The fox could understand everything, and saying too much might make it recall bad memories, but she had a suspicion.

The sale of foxes only happens on the black market. People with various fixations would look for this type of pet on the black market, take them home, abuse them recklessly, and discard them when they grew bored.

“You’ll never know how evil human nature can be.” Qiao Jiao finished speaking and stroked the small fox. “Alright, I’m giving you a nutritional shot too. Rest well here for now.”

After bandaging the small fox’s wounds and putting it on a drip, Qiao Jiao and Qiao Afu walked out of the examination room.

“Sister Qiao, what are you planning to do? Are you going to adopt it?” Qiao Afu asked.

“A-Fu, you know I won’t adopt any pets.” Qiao Jiao gave a helpless smile and glanced towards the door. “I plan to send it to the adoption center after it’s fully recovered.”

“You’re going to send it away? But the adoption centers aren’t all good people, Sister Qiao. Are you really sure? I think it really likes you.” Qiao Afu was a little surprised to hear this.

Qiao Jiao was actually still struggling with the decision. Just as Qiao Afu said, not everyone at the adoption center is good. The small fox, as a somewhat rare pet, would surely be treated differently. Many people would come forward to adopt it after hearing about it, and she couldn’t be certain if the prospective owner would be a good one.

“Sister Qiao, why don’t you let it stay at the clinic too? Just like you took me in. It hasn’t shape-shifted yet, it’s so small…”

“You’re smaller than it is,” Qiao Jiao couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at Qiao Afu. Her true form was a tiny Bichon, yet she was calling the physically larger small fox “so small”?

“And it has shape shifted before. Foxes can shape shift before they become adults. It’s just that it can’t shape-shift now because its injuries are too severe,” Qiao Jiao continued.

This was the second reason for her indecision. After its injuries healed, the small fox could take human form. If too many people knew about it, it would inevitably be targeted by bad people.

Just like the small fox’s previous “family.”

“Then all the more reason not to send it to the adoption center!” Qiao Afu exclaimed, shaking Qiao Jiao’s arm excitedly.

At the same time, the anxious cries of the small fox came from inside the examination room.

“Alright, we’ll talk about it later. Let’s focus on healing its injuries and Bu Bu’s first.” Sighing, Qiao Jiao pulled her hand away. “Go buy the meat. Buy a bit extra. I’m going to check on it.”

With that, Qiao Jiao gently pushed the door open and walked up to the small fox. The small fox immediately rubbed its head against her stomach, all fluffy and soft.

That such a cuddly and adorable small fox was treated so poorly pained Qiao Jiao. She reached out and stroked the fox’s head.

Before long, the small fox, seemingly tired, fell asleep again, which softened her heart.

However, the small fox wasn’t the only patient. Qiao Jiao soon walked to another patient room to check on Bu Bu’s condition.

With two cases of abandonment like this right beside her, her contempt for the Beast-People Protection Association’s regulations grew stronger.

What use was a good outward appearance? There was no substantial help or punishment whatsoever. People disregarded these regulations, acting recklessly and openly.

Soon, Qiao Afu returned to the clinic with two bags of meat. The two of them took the meat to the break room to cook, and during that time, they heard the small fox crying out again.

“This little fox really can’t be without you, Sister Qiao,” Qiao Afu looked at Qiao Jiao. “Haven’t you had a change of heart?”

“If you like it so much, why don’t you take care of it?” Qiao Jiao shook her head, smiling as she got up. Qiao Afu then linked arms with Qiao Jiao and walked to the examination room together.

The small fox must have woken up at some point. When it realized she wasn’t there, it started calling out. It seemed to have some separation anxiety.

As soon as they entered the examination room, the small fox’s eyes lit up, but the next second, for some unknown reason, it suddenly let out a “hissing” sound, and the fur on its body slightly bristled.

Qiao Afu saw this and fearfully hid behind Qiao Jiao, while the small fox’s cries immediately returned to the affectionate “awoo awoo” sounds.