The Silly Fox Goes Down The Mountain And Gets A Happily Ever After With The Chief Eunuch - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Being a Guest at the Police Station

Qin Sui-Xi cursed silently and expressionlessly in his heart.

What a psycho. If you want to argue, argue, but why resort to violence? Even if you resort to violence, why do you have to ruin my newly bought Cayenne?

He was already annoyed, and now he was even more annoyed. He cursed again.

Seriously, what a disaster.

Although that was what he was thinking, Qin Sui-Xi’s expression remained as cold and biting as the winter wind.

Why was he so inconsistent, you ask?

Because he is the President of the Tianqin Group, and a President must be aloof, cold, and imposing—how could he possibly curse aloud? A President only curses secretly in his heart.

Qin Sui-Xi took another look at the visible scratches on his beloved car, which looked like they’d been mauled by a cat, and his heart ached again.

He silently looked away. Out of sight, out of mind. He leaned hard into his ostrich-like coping mechanism.

Coincidentally, there was a police station nearby, and soon the four of them were sitting on chairs inside the station.

“Wooo-wooo-wooo… I was just working at the bar, and he was drunk. When he saw I was alone, he came over to harass me. I was terrified at the time.”

Bai Tu said with teary eyes.

“That jerk who smelled like booze was bullying a rab… a person. I couldn’t stand it, so I went up to help. I didn’t lay a hand on him; he was the one bullying us with a wine bottle.”

Nining Qiyan pursed his lips and added, “I didn’t expect the other party to do something like that either.”

“I’m the one who called the police; why do I have to give a statement too?”

Qin Sui-Xi crossed his arms and said, expressionless.

The police officer said apologetically, “It’s standard procedure, standard procedure. We appreciate your cooperation, Mr. Qin.”

As for the source of all evil…

The man had already transitioned from his drunken rage to the next stage.

Sleeping soundly right where he fell.

That area was under surveillance, and combined with the unanimous statements from the onlookers, the police determined that it was a case of one-sided harassment and misconduct by the drunkard.

Qin Sui-Xi had conveniently bought insurance for his car; he just had to wait for the insurance company to assess the extent and area of the scratches.

Bai Tu wasn’t willing to let him off that easily. He feigned wiping his eyes and said, “He also insulted me verbally. Can I claim compensation for emotional distress?”

The young officer sitting opposite him twitched. “Yes, you can discuss that between yourselves.”

Don’t think I didn’t see you turning your back to stifle a yawn—those tears are fake!

Bai Tu said softly, “No need for a private discussion. Let’s do it right now.”

He pointed through the glass at the man snoring loudly inside. “You can compensate me two thousand. I’ll take your silence as consent.”

The man didn’t speak; his snoring was deafening.

Bai Tu turned to the officer and said, “He agreed.”

Officer: …My silence is deafening.

Bai Tu hadn’t forgotten that Nining Qiyan had also been insulted. He pulled him over to the glass and repeated the process, and Nining Qiyan successfully secured two thousand yuan in “emotional distress” compensation.

Nining Qiyan hadn’t set up a phone plan yet. Bai Tu helped him lie and say his SIM card was broken and he’d get a replacement tomorrow. The police were reasonably accommodating and let Nining Qiyan leave his address instead.

The three of them stepped out of the police station almost simultaneously. A blast of cold wind hit them immediately, and Nining Qiyan sneezed violently.

Bai Tu started to unzip his jacket, but a few seconds later, he silently zipped it back up.

Being cold alone is better than both of us being cold, he thought. “Aren’t you going to buy some clothes to wear?”

Nining Qiyan said with heartfelt honesty, “No money.”

Bai Tu: …I get it.

Most monsters just coming into the human world only had the 300-yuan friendship sponsorship fund from the Monster Administration. He had arrived in the summer, and after holding out for a week with that money, he finally found a job and scraped by by asking for a half-month salary advance.

He comforted him, “It’s okay. You should go buy a jacket first. Tomorrow, when that drunkard sobers up, you’ll have money.”

Nining Qiyan nodded, his gaze drifting toward the man nearby.

The man seemed to be waiting for someone, but that wasn’t what Nining Qiyan noticed.

The scent on him… was a bit strange.

Soon, a car pulled up in front of the police station. The man opened the door, stepped in with his long legs, and blocked the interior from view. The black car started and drove away, the red taillights flashing once before disappearing around the corner.

Bai Tu: “You must be staying at the Fuxin Residential Complex, right?”

Nining Qiyan retracted his gaze and answered Bai Tu’s question: “Yes.”

Bai Tu sighed. “I lived there for the first month when I started, then I moved out when my lease ended. Oh, by the way, do you have a phone? If not, I’ll write down my number for you. Remember to add me once you get one.”

Nining Qiyan knew what a phone was. He shook his head. Bai Tu ran back into the police station to ask for paper and a pen, wrote down his number, and handed it to Nining Qiyan.

“I’m very happy to have met you,” Bai Tu said. “Let’s hang out when you’re free.”

With that, Bai Tu prepared to walk in the opposite direction. His rental was in the opposite direction of Fuxin, so they weren’t going the same way.

“Wait.”

Nining Qiyan grabbed the corner of his jacket and said, “Do you know where I can find a job? I need one desperately.”

Desperately didn’t even begin to describe his urgency; he needed it ten thousand times over.

Bai Tu slapped his own head hard, making a dull sound that left Nining Qiyan stunned.

“Look at my memory,” Bai Tu turned and said seriously. “It’s really hard to find a job in the big city now. They look at your education, your talents, and even more so your skills. We don’t have the first two, so the last one depends on luck.”

He smiled and said, “I dance and tune sound systems at a bar. Foxes are canines, so if you’re lucky, maybe you can be a perfumer? But that’s still too far away. I suggest you apply to the Yongfeng Hotel. I hear the owner is a monster too, so that’s where many monsters go to look for work.”

Yongfeng Hotel…

Nining Qiyan said, “Okay, I’ll remember that. Thank you. By the way, I still don’t know your name. I’m Nining Qiyan, and you?”

Nining Qiyan had the foresight to quickly grab Bai Tu’s hand before he could slap his head again.

He only has one head; it would be a disaster if he broke it.

Bai Tu gave him a thumbs up. “My name is Bai Tu.”

Nining Qiyan: “Bai Tu (White Rabbit)? Won’t that expose you?”

Bai Tu said, “It’s the ‘Tu’ from ‘journey’ (旅途). My parents had too many kids and didn’t know how to name us, so they let us pick our own. Plenty of my siblings tried to snag this name, but none could beat me.”

Bai Tu puffed out his chest, extremely proud.

Nining Qiyan was very supportive: “Wow, laotie 666!”

He had heard a student in a school uniform say this while sending a voice message earlier. After getting an explanation from the kid, he had a sudden realization and was now putting it to good use.

As expected, upon hearing that, Bai Tu became even prouder.

“What about you?” Bai Tu said. “Your name looks like a sophisticated one picked out of a dictionary. Does it have any meaning?”

Nining Qiyan pondered the meaning of his name, but couldn’t think of anything after a long time. He said, “My mother picked it. I think it meant something, but I forgot.”

Later, he never had the chance to find out, because his mother was gone. She had been in a car accident, and half a year later, his father followed her.

They say foxes are fickle and ruinous, but in truth, they are rarely anything but fiercely loyal.

Nining Qiyan was the bravest in his family. While his brothers and sisters were too afraid of the human world after their mother’s accident, he was the only one who stepped out of the mountains.

Thinking of his parents made him feel a bit down, but before Bai Tu could notice, he had already adjusted his emotions.

Bai Tu made a gesture with his hands by his ears that Nining Qiyan didn’t understand. “Alright, remember to contact me once you have a phone. Also, take advantage of the fact that the shops aren’t closed yet and go buy a jacket. A single sweatshirt isn’t enough to get through the winter.”

“Goodbye.”

Nining Qiyan: “Goodbye.”

He watched Bai Tu leave, carefully folding the paper with the string of numbers and holding it tightly in his hand.

This was the first friend he had made after coming down the mountain.

Nining Qiyan found a shop that was just about to close. Looking at the various colors and styles of clothing inside, the man who had looked at him while backlit suddenly flashed across his mind.

“Hello…”

Nining Qiyan tried hard to recall, describing it to the shopkeeper as best he could, gesturing as he spoke: “Do you have… a long coat? With buttons, but you don’t button them? Um, it looks very form-fitting and very cool?”

Shopkeeper: “What?”

Her years of experience allowed her to instantly pluck a trench coat from Nining Qiyan’s chaotic description. His eyes lit up, and his hair bobbed as he nodded frantically.

“Yes, yes, that’s it.”

Nining Qiyan tried it on and looked in the mirror.

…

Why does it look different? Is this not the one?

The shopkeeper was watching from the side and couldn’t control her tongue for a moment: “You look short in a trench coat. How about a short jacket instead?”

Nining Qiyan, at 1.74m: …So I am short, then.

Nining Qiyan retorted immediately: “I’m not short. I’m 1.74 meters.”

I’m already taller than most humans, alright.

The shopkeeper realized she had said the wrong thing and apologized: “I’m so sorry, I misspoke. As compensation, I’ll give you a 20% discount.”

20% discount… if I remember correctly, “discount” means it’s cheaper.

Nining Qiyan immediately stopped feeling sad.

He studied himself in the mirror for a while; this coat really didn’t suit him. He took it off and returned it to the shopkeeper. “How about… whatever you think suits me, just give me that.”

After saying that, afraid she would pick something expensive, he added, “I’m very poor. I only have 200 yuan. Nothing too nice.”

The shopkeeper looked at his face and said, “You’re a student, right? Sure, I guarantee I’ll pick something you’re satisfied with.”

She pulled a white down jacket from a row of coats and handed it to Nining Qiyan.

“Try it?”

Nining Qiyan obediently put it on and looked in the mirror. It was indeed much better.

The white jacket featured a brown bear separated by a zipper, and it had a hood with a rim of white fur, making Nining Qiyan look even more well-behaved and quiet.

The shopkeeper admired it from the side, exclaiming: “You were born good-looking, and combined with my taste, the head-turning rate will definitely be 100%.”

Nining Qiyan understood the compliment, flashed a few white teeth, and laughed: “Thank you, big sister.”

The shopkeeper clutched her heart and said: “I know you can’t describe a boy as ‘cute,’ but I still think you’re so cute.”

Nining Qiyan thought to himself: If “cute” could be eaten like a chicken leg, I’d be willing.

Nining Qiyan happily paid for the jacket. It was better than the price he had expected, costing him only 230 yuan.

Wearing his new clothes, he was no longer afraid of the wind or walking around. Nining Qiyan happily said goodbye to the shopkeeper. He could feel his body heat being firmly trapped by the down jacket, as warm as the spring when all things revive.

He tried putting on the hood. He didn’t know what kind of animal the white fur trim came from, but it was definitely not fox fur; he couldn’t smell fox, nor any other animal scent.

Maybe when I’m molting, I can collect some of my own fur to make clothes.

I should have asked the shopkeeper, but she’s probably closed by now. I was the last customer.