Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 20

Seeing Ming Ying’s serious expression, Du Yunxin was also startled and quickly said, “Don’t be nervous. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself. Just remember that free love is popular in the human world.”

Ming Ying gave a soft “Mm” and quietly finished her breakfast before asking, “Fu Anyu said you would take me to see the guest room?”

Hearing no change in her tone, Du Yunxin breathed a sigh of relief and gave a professional smile. “Yes, follow me.”

Ming Ying followed her out of the bedroom and saw Du Yunxin head straight toward the door across the hallway.

It was a tightly shut door that Ming Ying had passed by both last night and earlier when she went downstairs, but she had never seen it open.

“This was Fu Anyu’s room when she was younger, but it was later converted into a guest room,” Du Yunxin explained, pulling out a set of keys and selecting one to unlock the door. “The housekeeper comes by occasionally to clean and air it out, so it’s quite tidy.”

“When she was younger?” Ming Ying asked curiously as she followed her inside. “How old is Fu Anyu this year?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“So young!” Ming Ying was genuinely surprised.

Du Yunxin laughed. “Of course she seems young compared to your spirits.”

As Ming Ying stepped further inside, she deliberately sniffed the air. The room still carried traces of Fu Anyu’s scent, though it was faint, clearly indicating she hadn’t lived here for several years.

Unlike Fu Anyu’s current bedroom, this room had a smaller bed and desk, but they were exquisitely crafted. The color scheme was lively, dominated by a warm orange tone, even the curtains were orange. A lantern-shaped light hung from the ceiling, and a row of small flowerpots sat on the windowsill, containing strange, round, spineless plants that resembled cacti.

Ming Ying leaned in closer and noted that the wood used for the bed and desk was of high quality. To be honest, from the moment she saw the room’s furnishings, she had already fallen in love with it.

To her, this room felt far more vibrant than Fu Anyu’s current bedroom. If given the choice, she would undoubtedly choose this one without hesitation.

“This bedroom also has an ensuite bathroom with a bathtub,” Du Yunxin said, opening a door inside the room and turning on the light for Ming Ying to see. “After you take human form, you can learn to use the things inside. If you need any daily necessities, just let me know… Oh, and the bath products Fu Anyu ordered for spirits will arrive today. I’ll set them up on the vanity for you later.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your help,” Ming Ying said cheerfully, politely expressing her gratitude.

Du Yunxin repeatedly assured her it was no trouble before stepping out to clear the breakfast dishes, leaving Ming Ying alone to explore her new territory.

After wandering around the room, Ming Ying hopped onto the bed and rolled around on the soft sheets. When she reached out to paw at the blanket, her claw snagged on a seam, nearly tearing the thread. She quickly retracted her paws, her eyes filled with regret.

If only she could take human form sooner! Once she did, she wouldn’t have to worry about her claws tearing the blankets and could finally sleep under them properly.

For the past few days, Ming Ying had been sleeping in a small nest with a cooling mat. At night, when the magical device called an “air conditioner” blew cold air, she always felt a chill beneath her, and even with the small blanket Fu Anyu had given her, she still felt uncomfortable.

She reluctantly hopped off the bed, returned to Fu Anyu’s bedroom to fetch her little nest, and pushed it over. After selecting an open spot in the room, she used her tail as a brush and drew a highly effective spirit-gathering array with her spiritual power.

Once the array was completed and dissipated, she moved her nest onto it and tested the spirit-gathering effect inside. Finding it no less effective than Fu Anyu’s bedroom, she happily scurried back onto the bed and rolled around a few more times.

This time, she retracted her claws before rolling to avoid tearing the quilt or bedsheets and earning a stern scolding from Fu Anyu when she returned from work.

Ming Ying had initially been afraid of Fu Anyu, given the woman’s profound spiritual power, which she couldn’t contend with. But now that she knew Fu Anyu was so much younger than her, she felt too embarrassed to keep making mistakes.

As the youngest princess of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan in her generation, she had been doted on by her older siblings since she could remember. It had never crossed her mind that she would one day find herself in the role of an older sister.

As her sisters often said: How could an older sister cause trouble for her younger sister?

After rubbing against every accessible surface in the room, Ming Ying left contentedly to find Du Yunxin for a chat.

Du Yunxin was baking matcha-flavored cookies. Ming Ying followed the scent of tea to the kitchen and curiously crouched on the floor, watching as Du carefully cracked eggs into a tall container.

“Finished checking out the new room? What do you think?” Du Yunxin asked, looking down at her.

Ming Ying nodded. “I really like it, but I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Why doesn’t Fu Anyu rest there anymore?” Ming Ying asked. “Aside from the fact that the spiritual energy isn’t very dense, I can’t find any flaws with it. The bed is a bit small, but it’s still spacious enough for one person to sleep in.”

“Oh, that? I’m actually not too sure,” Du Yunxin replied awkwardly, spreading her hands. “I’ve only been Fu’s personal assistant for two years, and my contract explicitly states that I’m not allowed to pry into her private life. If I knew too much, I’d get fired.”

Ming Ying was a little disappointed, but she understood Du Yunxin’s position. As a servant, it wasn’t appropriate to pay too much attention to her master’s personal affairs.

As they chatted, Du Yunxin continued working without pause. Seeing that she could multitask, Ming Ying took the opportunity to list her requests, hoping Du Yunxin could quickly purchase the decorative items she still needed.

While stirring the batter, Du Yunxin mentally estimated the total cost and promptly reminded her, “Some of the things you want might not be available in the human realm.”

“Then just buy whatever you can find first,” Ming Ying said.

Du Yunxin sighed helplessly. “Actually, I have to report to Fu before purchasing any expensive items. The cheapest decorative pieces you’re asking for would cost at least ten to twenty thousand yuan. Altogether, it would easily add up to two or three hundred thousand. It’s far too expensive, I can’t make that decision for you. You’ll have to discuss it with Fu… By the way, do you even have a concept of human currency yet?”

Ming Ying stared at her blankly, not understanding why she should care about prices.

Back in the demon realm, whenever she needed or wanted something, she simply had to mention it to a servant, and the responsible fox official would procure it for her. Even if she craved street snacks, she never had to pay for them herself.

“Are you really not allowed to buy them?” Ming Ying asked tentatively.

“I truly can’t make that call,” Du Yunxin confirmed with a nod. “But if you want fried chicken or beef jerky, I can treat you to those.”

Ming Ying didn’t fully understand but noticed her troubled expression and didn’t press further. “Then treat me to fried chicken. When Fu Anyu returns, I’ll ask her myself.”

Du Yunxin readily agreed.

Fu Anyu had been supervising the final stages of a project these past few days. Not only did she not return for lunch, but she also had dinner at the company.

At 10:15 PM, she finally arrived home. After entering her bedroom and turning on the light, she habitually glanced toward where the dog bed was placed.

But the space beneath the bed was empty, leaving only the spirit-gathering array she had drawn.

The fox was gone. Fu Anyu felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart. She turned to look at the guest room across the hall, set down her laptop bag, and was about to head over when the closed door suddenly opened.

A fluffy white fox squeezed through the doorway, yawning as it slowly trotted over to her. It looked up and said, “Fu Anyu.”

Fu Anyu hadn’t expected Ming Ying to still be awake. Hearing the sleepiness in her voice, she couldn’t help but crouch down, stroking her head as she softly responded, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I was waiting for you to come back. I want to buy some things.” Ming Ying then listed a series of decorative items she wanted to acquire.

“…” After hearing her list, Fu Anyu fell silent for a long moment before asking, “Are you buying these things just to display them?”

“Mm!” Ming Ying nodded, full of anticipation. “Xiao Du said the things I want are too expensive, and she can’t make the decision. So, I came to discuss it with you.”

Although she understood Xiao Du’s meaning, she didn’t know how to “discuss” such matters, so she simply stated her needs directly.

“Money isn’t the issue,” Fu Anyu said calmly. “But you need to understand that asking from outsiders is different from asking from family. We’re not related, why should I spend so much money on you for decorations that are just for display? Back in the demon realm, would you give a stranger temporarily staying at your home large amounts of gold, silver, and jewels?”

Ming Ying rarely heard her speak so much at once and was immediately stumped by her questions. After thinking it over, she found the reasoning sound and felt a wave of guilt. She quickly folded her ears back and shook her head, sincerely apologizing, “I’m sorry, I won’t ask you to buy things for me anymore.”

“It’s late, go to sleep.” Fu Anyu gently ruffled her fox ears, picked her up, and carried her into the guest room, turning on the light.

Ming Ying remained silent and still until she realized Fu Anyu was about to place her in the small bed. Then she spoke up, “Fu Anyu, I want to sleep on the bed.”

She added, “But my claws are too sharp, they’ll tear the bedding. Do you have any way to help?”

“The best solution is to trim your claws,” Fu Anyu replied. “Do you want to trim them?”

For demons and beasts, keeping their claws intact is very important.

But for demons like Ming Ying, who are accustomed to human form, retaining claws in their demon form actually makes movement inconvenient.

So, she nodded firmly and asked, “Then can you help me trim them?”

“Not tonight.” Fu Anyu spoke as she placed her in the dog bed. “I have to wake up early tomorrow. I’ll trim them when I get back.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “You could also ask Xiao Du to trim them.”

“I don’t want to.” Ming Ying shook her head. “She always takes the chance to pet me.”

Fu Anyu was taken aback and deliberately retorted, “And I wouldn’t?”

Ming Ying hadn’t expected that response and was also stunned. Then she stammered, “Y-you have much more restraint than she does!”

When Fu Anyu mentioned it, she realized this person really did enjoy stroking her. But Fu Anyu always did it gently, stopping as soon as she seemed displeased, showing great respect for her.

Nothing like Du Yunxin. Ming Ying even felt that if she were an ordinary fox who couldn’t speak, this maid would probably have plucked all her fur out by now.

Although she knew Du Yunxin acted this way purely out of an intense fondness for fluffy animals, with no other intentions, she still disliked being treated so enthusiastically.

As soon as Ming Ying finished speaking, she heard Fu Anyu chuckle softly.

“Alright, I’ll help you trim it,” Fu Anyu said, covering the fox with a small blanket. “I’m busy, so if I forget tomorrow, remind me.”

Ming Ying nodded solemnly. Watching her stand and head toward the door, Ming Ying, as if moved by some inexplicable impulse, called out to her retreating figure, “Goodnight, Fu Anyu.”

Fu Anyu paused mid-step and replied without turning around, “Goodnight.”

As she left, she turned off the lights and closed the door behind her.

Ming Ying curled up in her little nest, closed her eyes, but found herself unable to sleep.

Even though there was no sound of Fu Anyu typing on her keyboard, no glow from the computer screen, just darkness and silence, perfectly matching her long-standing sleep habits, she felt inexplicably lonely.

Ming Ying never expected that on her first night away from Fu Anyu, she would suffer from insomnia. Even when exhaustion finally pulled her into sleep, she woke again not long after.

She had never experienced anything like this before. In her half-awake, half-asleep state, her thoughts drifted to Fu Anyu, sleeping alone in that cold, lifeless bedroom, would she feel lonely too?

But before Ming Ying had stumbled into the human realm, Fu Anyu must have lived like this all along, right? In all these days, she had never seen any of Fu Anyu’s family. Whether it was her life assistant Xiao Du, her driver Xiao Chen, or the housekeeping auntie, they were all hired by Fu Anyu.

Foggily, Ming Ying recalled the fortune she had read for Fu Anyu: thin bonds with parents.

According to the books she had studied on fortune-telling, “thin bonds with parents” could mean being orphaned at birth, losing parents later in life, or, at best, being separated from them for a long time or having a distant relationship.

Yet, no matter which scenario it was, it must have been an incredibly painful experience for Fu Anyu.

Thinking about this, Ming Ying grew even more restless.

Fu Anyu was only twenty-seven! When Ming Ying was twenty-seven, she was still a little fox cub, utterly doted on by her parents!

Around three in the morning, Ming Ying mustered her energy and left the guest room, heading straight for Fu Anyu’s bedroom.

She thought, as someone three hundred years older than Fu Anyu, she ought to keep her company.

Ming Ying was already very familiar with the layout of Fu Anyu’s bedroom. As soon as she entered, she trotted over, leaped lightly onto the bed, and slowly settled down beside the pillow.

Hearing Fu Anyu’s even, steady breathing, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache. She wondered, how long has she endured this loneliness to be able to sleep so peacefully every night?