Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 12

After her bath, Ming Ying gave a symbolic yawn and draped herself over Fu Anyu’s arm. Catching sight of the array of bottles and jars on the vanity, she suddenly asked, “Do you know how to use those?”

“I do. Why?” Fu Anyu countered.

“Can I try them?” Ming Ying extended a paw, randomly pointing at a small white bottle.

“That’s facial cleanser,” Fu Anyu informed her after a glance. “If you use it now, you might shed fur or get dandruff.”

“What about this one?” Ming Ying pointed to a bottle with a brown patterned base.

“Scented shower gel.” Fu Anyu squeezed a bit onto her hand and had just brought it near the fox when she heard Ming Ying sneeze. “You probably don’t like such strong scents.”

Ming Ying rubbed her nose, thinking to herself that this must be how the “bad woman” got her faint pine fragrance.

“Then what can I use?” she asked, letting Fu Anyu choose for her.

“There aren’t any bath products for you yet,” Fu Anyu said. “The ones humans use have very strong scents.”

Although this was expected, Ming Ying still felt a little disappointed. But then she thought, why would a human keep products for demons at home unless they were raising one?

It was already late, but after gathering spiritual energy, Ming Ying felt unusually alert. Even after Fu Anyu turned off all the lights, she couldn’t fall asleep.

In the pitch darkness, she lay in her little nest, unsure what to do. After spacing out for a while, she was about to resume gathering spiritual energy when she suddenly heard Fu Anyu’s voice: “Can’t sleep?”

Startled, Ming Ying instinctively asked, “How did you know I couldn’t sleep?”

“Your breathing becomes heavier about ten to twenty minutes after the lights go out,” Fu Anyu said. “It’s been thirty-two minutes now.”

Surprised by how closely Fu Anyu had been observing her, Ming Ying quickly changed the subject: “What does ‘minute’ mean?”

“It’s a unit of time commonly used by humans,” Fu Anyu explained. “Similar to the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a breath, a quarter of an hour, or an hour.”

Ming Ying understood and gave a soft “Oh,” then returned to the original topic: “Then why can’t you sleep either?”

“Insomnia,” Fu Anyu said. “I’m used to it.”

“Someone as capable as you also suffer from insomnia?” Ming Ying was astonished. “But don’t you know how to draw sleep talismans? Why not make one for yourself?”

“My insomnia is different from yours,” Fu Anyu said calmly. “But if you need one tonight, I can draw one for you.”

“No, no need!” Ming Ying quickly refused. “I can sleep, I just don’t want to.”

She paused, then couldn’t help adding, “Actually, I didn’t expect to sleep so soundly in a strange place… I’m particular about beds. Even if I switch bedrooms, I don’t sleep well the first night and need a long time to adjust. But…”

She didn’t know how to describe the feeling, perhaps it was peace, or relaxation, as if she had no worries except not being able to go home.

But she knew she shouldn’t think that way. After all, the human realm wasn’t her home, and Fu Anyu was the “bad woman” who had captured her and effectively imprisoned her here. Strictly speaking, she was half an enemy. How could she… rely on an enemy?

Ming Ying drifted into thought again, only snapping back to reality when her ear was suddenly flicked by a finger.

“When you take human form, you can sleep on the bed,” Fu Anyu said. “You’ll rest more soundly.”

Ming Ying froze for a moment, instinctively asking, “Are you really hoping I’ll take human form?”

But Fu Anyu just chuckled softly and reached down to scratch the top of her head.

“I’m just curious which will happen first, you taking human form, or you growing a third tail.”

The moment she mentioned tails, Ming Ying couldn’t help but shiver. She quickly retracted the two fox tails she had spread out in her little nest, hiding them behind her back, and lied with a serious expression, “It’s not that easy to grow more tails! I’m just a little fox with weak magic!”

She had a vague feeling that this wicked woman probably knew something, but Fu Anyu wasn’t one to talk much, and Ming Ying didn’t dare try to pry information from her. Even with this suspicion, there was no way to confirm it.

No matter what, she had to keep her identity hidden. Once all nine tails were revealed and her true identity could no longer be concealed, Fu Anyu might not be a match for her anymore.

Fu Anyu didn’t respond further, instead tracing patterns lightly on Ming Ying’s head with her fingers. By the time Ming Ying realized she was drawing a sleep talisman, a wave of drowsiness had already washed over her like a tide, swallowing her whole.

Perhaps it was because her tails had been stroked before falling asleep, but Ming Ying had a dream.

She returned to her childhood, when she was still cradled in her parents’ arms. Her mother would tease her gently, and she would happily let out soft yips, wagging her nine fluffy fox tails, occasionally wrapping them around her mother’s arm.

When her father held her, he liked to tease her too, but whenever his hand even slightly brushed against her tails, her mother would scold him with a stern face.

“Only Yingying’s future husband can touch her tails! You’re not allowed to!”

“I didn’t touch them!” her father would always say with an innocent expression. “Yingying wrapped them around me herself…”

“Can’t you use your spiritual power to keep Yingying’s tails away?” her mother would retort impatiently.

Her parents often bickered over trivial matters like this, and Ming Ying couldn’t help but squint her eyes and smile as she listened.

But when she finished smiling, she found herself in a familiar embrace, her nine tails, not retracted in time, still happily rubbing against this person’s arm.

Then, she felt slender fingers touch each of her tails one by one, caressing them carefully as if handling precious treasures.

The stroking made her scalp tingle. Just as she was about to scold the person, she heard Fu Anyu’s cold voice say, “So you actually have nine tails in total.”

The voice carried a hint of laughter, as if very pleased, but Ming Ying was utterly terrified. She alternated between saying, “Let go quickly!” and threatening, “I’m going to bite you!” Yet no matter what she said, her nine tails remained trapped.

After jolting awake, Ming Ying’s first action was to turn and count her tails. Confirming that she still only had two, she actually breathed a sigh of relief.

If that wicked woman really stroked each of her nine tails one by one, just like in the dream…

It would be absolutely terrifying!

Ming Ying instinctively glanced toward the bed. Fu Anyu was gone, she must have left early again.

She burrowed into the sandbox and sniffed. Du Yunxin had already been by to clean it, though for some reason, neither of them had tried to wake her.

After fully waking up, Ming Ying pressed the meal delivery bell and pondered what to ask Du Yunxin about today.

So, when Du Yunxin came in to set out breakfast, she immediately asked, “Do you have any books I could read?”

“You want to read?” Du Yunxin sounded surprised. “What kind of books?”

“Travelogues and records of local customs,” Ming Ying said.

“If you want to learn about local customs and culture, you could also watch TV,” Du Yunxin said, though she still walked over to Fu Anyu’s bookshelf and began searching. After a while, she couldn’t help but remind her, “There are relevant books, but your claws might tear the pages when flipping through them. I’ll pick some out and place them on the table, but you’ll have to wait for President Fu Fu to return and ask if you can read them.”

“Then I’ll just watch TV for now,” Ming Ying replied, unbothered. Reading books was partly to see what human literature was like and partly to test how much she had learned to read over the past few days.

However, she suspected Fu Anyu wouldn’t agree, her nails were simply too long. Even when flipping through the reference chart, she had already left scratches on the thin paper.

While Ming Ying ate, Du Yunxin turned on the TV for her and skillfully switched to the travel channel.

“Does the human world have mountains, forests, lakes, and seas too?” Ming Ying asked as she watched.

“Yes, quite a few,” Du Yunxin said. Having nothing else to do for the moment, she sat beside her and watched along.

“But ever since I arrived here, all I’ve seen are towering, ‘pavilions.'” Ming Ying wasn’t particularly fond of calling those buildings pavilions. Compared to pavilions, they seemed more like a forest of iron-cast ancient trees.

“This is the city center. Mountains, lakes, and oceans are usually in the suburbs,” Du Yunxin explained. “Besides, cities are developing very quickly now, so skyscrapers are the norm. If you want to go to the mountains, you can ask President Fu Fu if it’s convenient to bring you along during our team-building event. We usually go to a mountain villa in the suburbs for team building.”

“Team building?” Ming Ying encountered yet another unfamiliar term.

“It’s an activity where everyone gathers to travel or play games, get to know each other, and strengthen the team’s cohesion and unity,” Du Yunxin explained, then added, “Don’t worry if you don’t understand. Just know that this activity lets you go play in the mountains and forests.”

Ming Ying took a sip of her century egg and lean pork congee, nodding as if she understood. After watching for a while longer, she suddenly asked, “Do you know where the demon realm is?”

“Sorry, I’m just an ordinary human,” Du Yunxin said, spreading her hands. “But Assistant Chen, who works with President Fu Fu, knows a bit about supernatural and mystical matters.”

“But I can’t see her right now,” Ming Ying sighed. “I haven’t seen her since the day she and Fu Anyu brought me back.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll see her in a couple of days when she’s off work,” Du Yunxin said, then let out a soft exclamation. “But President Fu Fu actually knows more than her. Have you asked President Fu Fu about it?”

“She won’t tell me!” Ming Ying couldn’t help feeling annoyed at the mention of it. “She won’t let me go home either, and she makes me memorize the rules for living in the human world. But I don’t want to stay in the human world for long.”

“President Fu Fu is very strict with all troublemaking demons. Memorizing the rules is the lightest punishment,” Du Yunxin said with a laugh. “You’re quite well-behaved, and she even took you home to care for you personally. Other demons don’t get that kind of treatment.”

Ming Ying listened half-convinced and half-doubtful. To judge whether treatment is good or bad, one needs a basis for comparison, but in all the days she had been here, she had never smelled any other demon’s scent on Fu Anyu.

“Are there many demons living in the human world?” she asked curiously.

“I don’t know about that,” Du Yunxin said. “But since the living rules are so thick, there probably aren’t too few demon residents.”

While chatting with Du Yunxin, Ming Ying kept glancing down at her watch. When Ming Ying asked about it, she smiled and explained, “This is a time-telling artifact called a watch. It comes in many styles and can also serve as an accessory.”

Ming Ying took the opportunity to inquire about human timekeeping methods. After receiving an answer, she fiddled with Du Yunxin’s watch, which was adorned with tiny red floral patterns, examining it from all angles. Suddenly, she recalled that Fu Anyu seemed to have a watch on her wrist as well.

But that watch was worlds apart from Du Yunxin’s. If her judgment was correct, the silver-white dial and strap were made of metal, as cold and stern as Fu Anyu herself. It didn’t look like an accessory but more like a hidden weapon.

A whimsical thought crossed Ming Ying’s mind: what if Fu Anyu were to wear a watch with a tiny floral pattern…

The image was so amusing that she couldn’t help but laugh out loud just thinking about it.