Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 17

Just past eleven at night, a white fox stealthily slipped out the door, quickly closed it behind her, and scurried along the wall.

As she passed the guard post, a faint red spiritual energy enveloped her body, temporarily concealing her form.

Ming Ying never imagined that her escape would go so smoothly, there wasn’t a single guard in sight the whole way. For the past few days, the bedroom door hadn’t even been locked, though a barrier had been set up at the entrance. But after growing her second tail, that barrier was no longer a problem for her.

Even so, dismantling the barrier and restoring it after leaving had drained a significant amount of her spiritual energy. The invisibility spell couldn’t last long either. Once she was outside the main gate, she dropped the concealment spell and transformed her appearance into that of a Samoyed, planning to head toward East-West Avenue under the cover of night.

But before she had taken more than a few steps, a pair of headlights shone directly into her eyes.

Squinting, Ming Ying recognized the car immediately, it was Fu Anyu’s. Panicked, she pressed herself deeper into the shadows along the wall.

To her dismay, the car stopped right at the entrance. A tall woman stepped out, empty-handed, and walked straight toward her.

Tap, tap…

The sound of high heels echoed in Ming Ying’s heart, sending chills down her spine.

She had celebrated too soon. How unlucky could she be? She had barely stepped outside when Fu Anyu returned!

Ming Ying’s mind raced. She decided to act like a random Samoyed passing by and, under Fu Anyu’s icy gaze, began walking with an air of nonchalant indifference.

When the footsteps stopped, Ming Ying’s heart leaped with hope. But before she could rejoice for more than a few seconds, Fu Anyu’s voice reached her ears: “Ming Ying.”

Ming Ying froze in her “dog” form. Though she resumed walking after only a moment’s pause, that subtle reaction instantly caught Fu Anyu’s attention.

Seven days later, Ming Ying once again found herself seized by the scruff of her neck.

Hearing the fox’s pitiful cry, Du Yunxin, sitting in the car, couldn’t help but poke the short-haired woman in the driver’s seat and whisper, “Yanxue, was it a mistake for me to come out tonight?”

The short-haired woman, Chen Yanxue, Fu Anyu’s driver, “Xiao Chen”, looked at her in surprise and asked, “Why do you say that all of a sudden?”

“The little fox escaped while I was away…” Du Yunxin murmured. “Do you think President Fu will dock my pay?”

“You don’t have spiritual energy,” Chen Yanxue reminded her bluntly. “If she wanted to escape, you couldn’t have stopped her.”

Caught in the act, Ming Ying figured honesty might be her best policy. After a brief struggle, she asked Fu Anyu, “How did you know it was me? I even turned into a Samoyed.”

“Have you ever seen a Samoyed with two tails?” Fu Anyu retorted.

Ming Ying: “…” In her desperation to escape, she had completely forgotten to deal with the tail situation. What a blunder.

She obediently shifted back to her original form and was hauled into the car by Fu Anyu.

“Why did you run?” Fu Anyu began interrogating her as soon as they were in the car.

Ming Ying stayed silent, mentally scrambling for an excuse that might fool her.

“I told you yesterday,” Fu Anyu continued, “if you behave, your range of movement won’t be limited to just the bedroom and bathroom. Are you really that impatient? Or do you just not trust me?”

Ming Ying tucked her paws together and muttered dejectedly, “If I obediently wait seven days just to move around your house, how long will it be before I can leave and go out into the streets to find my way home?”

After becoming somewhat familiar with Fu Anyu and the others, she no longer hid her needs and spoke openly.

“Do you really have to go out on your own to find your home?” Fu Anyu asked.

Ming Ying inexplicably felt that she was angry, but she still admitted, “You always make me specify exactly where it is, and I can’t say.”

“The far west of the demon realm, that’s too vague. You get lost even in a single city in the human world. What makes you so confident you can make it home smoothly?” Fu Anyu said coldly.

“Don’t look down on foxes!” Ming Ying raised her voice. “I have my own way back! As long as I can return to the demon realm,”

“Once you’re in the demon realm, do you think the journey home will be smooth sailing?” Fu Anyu couldn’t help but ruffle her head. “Those evil demons chased you down once; they can do it again. Do you really think you’re just an ordinary little fox?”

“I…!” Ming Ying was immediately at a loss for words. Thinking of her hind legs, which still felt a bit uncomfortable when running and jumping, she lowered her head in frustration.

Chen Yanxue parked the car, and Fu Anyu pinched the scruff of the fox’s neck. When getting out of the car, she lifted her into her arms but didn’t let go of the scruff.

Having failed to escape, Ming Ying was in a bad mood. Seeing that Fu Anyu was willing to hold her, she relaxed all her strength and slumped in her arms.

Fu Anyu carried her home, releasing spiritual energy along the way to check if the barriers they passed had been disturbed.

“You know how to repair barriers,” Fu Anyu suddenly stated with certainty after finishing her inspection.

Ming Ying responded with a faint hum, like a mosquito.

She now regretted it a little. If she hadn’t repaired those barriers earlier and just left, maybe she wouldn’t have been caught by Fu Anyu.

But she didn’t understand the purpose of those barriers and was afraid that damaging them might allow evil demons to invade or some malevolent force to break free from its seal, which would be a huge problem. She just wanted to quietly return home and didn’t want to cause trouble for those who had taken care of her.

If she had to do it over, she would probably still repair the barriers before leaving.

Before returning to the bedroom, Fu Anyu instructed Du Yunxin to make some late-night snacks and casually asked Ming Ying, “What do you want to eat?”

“I’m not hungry,” Ming Ying said, but her stomach growled honestly.

“Make her a bowl of brisket noodles,” Fu Anyu told Du Yunxin.

Back in the bedroom, Fu Anyu placed the fox in the bathtub. After changing her clothes, she went in to wash her paws.

Ming Ying rested her head against the smooth bathtub wall and yawned.

She wasn’t fond of staying up late. At this hour, she would usually be fast asleep. Tonight, with repairing barriers and attempting to escape, she had expended a lot of energy. When Fu Anyu went to change, she even considered just lying down in the bathtub and falling asleep.

Fu Anyu frowned as she picked up the fox’s paw. She rinsed it under warm water but still found it dirty, so she squeezed a bit of shower gel and scrubbed the fox’s two front paws until they were covered in dirty bubbles.

It was Ming Ying’s first-time using shower gel. Startled by the bubbles all over her paws, she sneezed twice in a row.

“The shower gel specially made for demons will arrive tomorrow,” Fu Anyu said, quickly rinsing off the foam. After cleaning the front paws, she had Ming Ying lean on the edge of the bathtub and continued washing the hind paws.

Ming Ying was most afraid of having the soles of her feet tickled. The slender fingers brushing against her paw pads made her unbearably itchy, but she didn’t dare move. She could only endure it, trembling all over like a sieve.

“Why are you holding back your laughter?” Fu Anyu suddenly asked.

“I didn’t.” Ming Ying resisted the tickling sensation, her tone shifting until it genuinely sounded like she was forcibly holding back laughter.

“Relax.” Fu Anyu said. “I won’t punish you.”

“Really?” Ming Ying froze.

“Having to stay here is already the greatest punishment in itself.” Fu Anyu explained.

She had merely said it casually, but Ming Ying fell silent.

Indeed, what punishment could be more terrifying than leaving home and her clan for an unfamiliar place?

Those words touched a chord in her heart. Just thinking them over twice made her feel a wave of homesickness surge over her. Her nose tingled, and tears began to spill from her eyes.

“Why… why did something like this have to happen to me?” Ming Ying choked out between sobs.

She had only wanted to run away from home to clear her mind, planning to return once she felt better. Who would have thought she’d end up being hunted down, then accidentally stumble into the human realm? Now, she didn’t even know how to get back home.

“Just bad luck, running into a low-probability event.” Fu Anyu comforted her. “Look on the bright side, there are no evil spirits here hunting you down.”

“But I miss home, I miss my parents, my brothers and sisters.” Ming Ying cried. “I just want to go home…”

“Without a specific address, it’s hard to locate the entrance to the spirit realm.” Fu Anyu sighed softly. “I’ll think of something. For now, focus on gathering spiritual energy to take human form. Don’t rush.”

She reached out to pat the fox’s head, but Ming Ying turned her face away, crying and refusing to engage with her.

Fu Anyu tactfully withdrew her hand and continued rubbing the fox’s paws for a while. Sensing no further movement, she glanced over curiously and saw the little fox lying on the edge of the bathtub, her breathing already deep and steady.

She had actually fallen asleep.

When Du Yunxin brought in the late-night snack, she found Ming Ying already curled up in a sleeping position on the dog bed.

“She’s so carefree, falling asleep like this?” Du Yunxin set down the tray and looked at the fox in surprise.

“She’s tired, so naturally she fell asleep.” Fu Anyu replied while typing on her keyboard. “You and Xiao Chen can share the noodles. Bring me a can of luncheon meat.”

Du Yunxin hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she lowered her voice and said, “President Fu, you… you should still dock my pay. It was my insistence on going with Xiao Chen to pick you up, leaving no one to keep an eye on things at home.”

“Do you know why she tried to escape when you left the house?” Fu Anyu asked.

Du Yunxin hadn’t considered that question and shook her head blankly.

“Since you don’t know, there’s no need to dock your pay.” Fu Anyu took her late-night snack. “She’s a spirit. If she’s determined to escape, you can’t stop her.”

Du Yunxin bit her lip, thanked her, picked up the tray, and quietly left.

Ming Ying had another strange dream.

She dreamed that she had successfully escaped from Fu Anyu’s home, using the position of the crescent moon in the sky to find her way. She ran and ran, only stopping to rest when she was utterly exhausted.

She ran intermittently like this, and by the time the sun peeked over the horizon, she had followed the east-west road to an open area.

After leaving the bustling and prosperous human capital, Ming Ying inexplicably felt a pang of loneliness.

She stood on the road, gazing westward, hesitant to continue forward.

Just then, a thunderclap suddenly echoed across the clear sky. A bolt of lightning struck right in front of her, splitting the earth open and forming a bottomless chasm.

Ming Ying was terrified, backing away again and again. Suddenly, the scruff of her neck tightened, she was lifted up and then fell into a familiar embrace.

“Stay by my side.” Fu Anyu’s voice murmured in her ear. “I’ll give you everything you want. Whether it’s power, money, or…”

She paused, then said two words in the gentlest tone: “Fried chicken.”

Ming Ying: “…”

Ming Ying was jolted awake in sheer terror.