Non-Humans Want to Fall in Love Too [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 2

“Five hundred thousand.”

The young man’s voice vanished instantly.

Ji Shijin’s wheelchair turned half a circle as he looked at him. His expression was indifferent, as calm as if he had just mentioned five dollars. “Five hundred thousand to buy this fox and to compensate for the auction house’s losses.”

The young man wiped the sweat from his forehead. The smile on his face was now as genuine as could be. He responded eagerly, “Good, good! Oh, President Ji, you are truly too generous. I’ll arrange for someone to handle this beast for you right now.”

One had to realize that while this “beast” was quality goods, fetching two or three hundred thousand at an auction was already a high price. Ji Shijin had offered five hundred thousand in one go.

Fearing Ji Shijin might regret the offer, the young man gestured for someone to come over and skin Shi Yan.

“No need,” Ji Shijin said bluntly, without giving the man a second glance. “I want it alive.”

The young man froze. “Ah?”

By the time he snapped out of his daze, Ji Shijin had already turned to leave. His assistant followed quickly to push the wheelchair. Ji Shijin gave a slight wave, and a burly man emerged from the shadows. He had a square face and a fierce gaze. Walking up to the scarred man, he stood more than half a head taller and said in a gruff voice, “I am President Ji’s bodyguard.”

The scarred man was stunned. Upon realizing the situation, he hurriedly handed the cage to the bodyguard and bowed obsequiously. The bodyguard didn’t spare him a look; he picked up the cage and strode to catch up with Ji Shijin.

Only when their backs disappeared from sight did the young man’s rigid spine relax. He let out a long breath, realizing he was drenched in a cold sweat.

The scarred man was the same. He wiped his face and leaned toward “President Chen,” asking cautiously, “You just addressed that person as President Ji. Is it the ‘Ji’ I’m thinking of?”

The young man sneered and lit another cigarette, though the hand he brought to his lips was still shaking. His voice was hoarse, tinged with dread. “Naturally. In Chenning, who does not know the Ji family? Especially that one.”

“The man in power known within the inner circles as the ‘Living Yama,’ Ji Shijin.”

The scarred man thought of the various rumors he had heard about this person and could not help but shudder. He felt lucky he had not been blind enough to offend such a noble figure earlier; otherwise, he would not even know how he died.

Meanwhile, the “Living Yama” they feared was sitting in the car, frowning at the filthy cage.

Shi Yan pretended to be a little fox that had not yet gained sentience and tilted his head at him. The black cloth had been removed before they got into the car. Now, he could clearly see everything outside the cage, including the legs that appeared somewhat atrophied even beneath the fabric of the suit trousers.

“Let him out.”

The assistant, sitting on the other side, turned his head sharply upon hearing this. “President Ji, this fox was just captured and has not lost its wild nature. You should be careful.”

“It is fine.” Ji Shijin extended a slender, pale finger toward the cage, sliding it through the gaps until it was only a few centimeters from Shi Yan’s nose.

Both the assistant and the bodyguard held their breath, their muscles tensed, ready to intervene if the fox showed any intent to harm. But the scene they imagined did not happen. The soft little fox did not act aggressively. Instead, it sniffed Ji Shijin’s finger, retreated slightly, and maintained a harmless expression.

Astonishment flashed across the faces of the assistant and the bodyguard.

“Heh.” A trace of a smile appeared on Ji Shijin’s otherwise expressionless face. “A clever little fellow who knows how to read the situation.”

Watching this scene from the void, 61 felt completely numb.

“Host, are you okay?”

How did his majestic and cold host become like this?

Shi Yan did not feel the slightest embarrassment at having been caught acting cute. He said calmly, “Is the assigned task not related to the person in front of me? Therefore, I must find a way to stay by his side.”

Currently, pretending to be a harmless pet was the best method.

61 had only been taken over by the management system for a moment when the task was detected earlier; it had since returned to normal. Seeing that the host was out of danger, 61 felt relieved but then remembered the strange task.

“Host, would you like to view the task now?”

Without the host’s permission, the system could not view tasks on its own.

“Wait a bit longer.”

Shi Yan watched the small door open and cautiously looked up at the man in the wheelchair. The interior of the car seemed specially modified for him. A large portion of the spacious back area was used to accommodate the wheelchair, equipped with special seatbelts and protective measures.

Ji Shijin now had a faint smile in his eyes. He leaned forward and reached out his hand. “Come here, little fellow.”

The fox tilted its head as if it did not understand what he was saying. The bodyguard was about to reach out to pull him out, but the assistant discreetly stopped him. Both watched their boss, who was waiting with an extended hand.

After a moment, the little fox still had not moved. Ji Shijin patiently kept his hand out, waiting. From Shi Yan’s perspective, he could see the man’s arm trembling slightly due to the lack of core support from his waist.

Shi Yan’s eyes flickered. He slowly walked out of the cage and looked up, pressing his nose against the man’s fingertip.

Ji Shijin’s smile deepened. “Good baby.”

The back of the luxury car had not had all the seats removed. The assistant sat in one of the modified original seats, and there was another empty seat next to him. Shi Yan played the part of a clever, well-behaved fox and jumped onto the seat following Ji Shijin’s guidance.

The assistant glanced at the little fox sitting next to him and rubbed his nose. After getting Ji Shijin’s approval, he instructed the driver in the front, “Uncle Zhang, let’s go.”

The car drove smoothly down the road. Although Ji Shijin had let Shi Yan out of the cage, he did not touch him. Instead, he closed his eyes to rest.

Shi Yan observed quietly for a moment. The car was incredibly silent; no one dared disturb Ji Shijin’s rest, even if he was not actually asleep.

“61, check the task.” Shi Yan curled his body up, pretending to be sleepy. He tucked his head under his front paws, closed his eyes, and called out to System 61.

“Understood, Host. I am viewing the task for you now.”

“Ding! The task has been released. Content: Change Ji Shijin’s fate. Completion Reward: Mysterious Power x 1.”

This Mysterious Power was the same energy the system had detected at the beginning. It was strange and powerful. Logically, it should not exist in such an ordinary small world.

“Host, I have received a system prompt. Accumulating enough Mysterious Power might allow us to attempt to open a space-time channel to contact or return to the Main World.”

“Oh?” Shi Yan became interested. “What a coincidence. The very thing I need is delivered right to me the next second.”

61 sounded hesitant. “Then, Host, are we accepting this task?”

There is no such thing as free energy in the world. What if they were being tricked?

Shi Yan did not hesitate. “Accept it.”

What else could they do? They were currently trapped here with no way to leave. Other than completing this suddenly appearing task, there were no other options. Of course, they could wait for the Main World to find them, but time flows differently across worlds. Even if his identity in this world was a demon that could live for a very long time, there was no guarantee he would still be alive by the time the Main World found him.

“61, check the task details. Is there any data on the target?”

“Yes, Host.” 61 transferred the data to Shi Yan. In just a few seconds, information about this world and the target appeared in Shi Yan’s mind.

This place was indeed as Shi Yan had thought: an unremarkable, ordinary small world among the three thousand worlds. If there was anything different from other modern worlds, it was this: it was a world where humans and demons coexisted.

Humans and the demon race lived together on this planet, but humans were unaware of the demons’ existence. The demon race did not interfere with human life. Only some demons with strong powers who could shapeshift would hide their identities and mingle within human society.

As for Shi Yan’s identity, he was a powerful fox demon who had cultivated for over a thousand years, practically an ancestor of the fox tribe. Out of curiosity, he had wanted to see the human world. However, because he lacked common sense regarding human survival, he had not transformed directly into a human like other demons. Instead, he used a spell to mask his true appearance, making him look like a slightly prettier ordinary fox to human eyes.

He had been caught because he was not wary of humans. Being a demon, surviving at the hands of humans was easy, but the incident had left a significant psychological shadow on the pure thousand-year-old fox. After escaping, he had bolted back to the fox tribe’s territory and never came out again for the rest of his life.

Shi Yan thought to himself, “Pardon me, but it turns out a fox that has lived for over a thousand years can still be this naive.”

Now that he understood his identity, Shi Yan focused on the information regarding the task target. He had already inferred from the two men earlier that Ji Shijin’s status was extraordinary, but reading the data made Shi Yan realize the true source of their fear.

In Chenning, if anyone was said to “cover the sky with one hand,” the first name everyone thought of was the Ji family. The Ji family was an old clan spanning hundreds of years with deep roots and power. Recent generations had produced many famous figures in business and politics, bringing the family’s prestige to its peak. Thus, when the current generation’s Ji Shijin was chosen as the heir, the outside world’s first reaction was disbelief.

How could the Ji family hand over such a massive industry to a “cripple”? As a child, an accident had left Ji Shijin’s legs useless. Even after years of seeking doctors worldwide, the best result the Ji family could get was that amputation was not necessary. When the news broke, the upper circles of Chenning were shocked.

However, in the following years, Ji Shijin proved his worth with his strength. He led the Ji Group to new heights, shifting public opinion from “he is just riding the family’s coattails” to “having Ji Shijin is a great blessing for the Ji family.”

But the good times did not last. Ji Shijin’s life seemed to be defined by regrets. At twenty-eight, his health suddenly declined, leaving him bedridden. The company was sabotaged from within, nearly destroying a century-old foundation. The Ji family suffered an unprecedented blow. Ultimately, struggling to maintain the dignity of a century-old clan, the Ji family withdrew from Chenning’s business circles. Meanwhile, in his early thirties, Ji Shijin passed away due to illness.

When people spoke of the Ji family many years later, they all said that President Ji simply had bad luck. Indeed, such wretched luck was surprising even to Shi Yan, who was used to seeing all sorts of miserable affairs.

“It is not normal. Given the Ji family’s capabilities, the Ji Group should not have been pushed to the brink of bankruptcy even under pressure, let alone the careers of other family members being hit so hard. And Ji Shijin’s body, with top-tier doctors caring for him year-round, how could he suddenly become so weak he was bedridden?”

There were too many suspicious things here.

61 flew in two circles around Shi Yan. Hearing this, it also wondered, “True. Looking at the target’s early life, he clearly had a fate of wealth without major setbacks. How did it take such a sharp turn later?”

A dark glint flashed in Shi Yan’s eyes. He realized this task might not be simple.

However, he quietly looked up at the man who was resting with his eyes closed. Regardless of this man’s identity, he had no other choice right now. Staying by this person’s side was the only way to find answers to his questions.

“Hmm?”

Shi Yan was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a questioning sound.

“Why are you staring at me?” Ji Shijin opened his eyes and looked at the little fox. He felt as though he had seen a very human-like emotion in those fox eyes just now.

Maintaining his cover, Shi Yan collected his thoughts. He stood up, shook his head, and put on the act of a confused, innocent little fox that had just woken up. He gave Ji Shijin a soft, tender cry.

“Awoo!”