Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 21

Ming Ying had just settled down, not yet having decided how to accompany Fu Anyu, when she heard a familiar, icy female voice say, “Get down.”

Thinking she had misheard, Ming Ying was still in shock when the scruff of her neck was suddenly grabbed by a hand. Before she could react, she was lifted by that hand and placed on the floor from the bed.

“What are you doing?!” Ming Ying exclaimed in surprise.

“I should be asking you, what are you doing sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night?” Fu Anyu turned on the bedside lamp, sat up, and glared down at her coldly.

For some reason, Ming Ying inexplicably felt that Fu Anyu at this moment resembled an angry cat, arching its back in an attacking stance. If she dared take even one step closer, she would immediately be scratched mercilessly by this “Fu-cat.”

“I came to sleep with you, of course!” Meeting her stern gaze, Ming Ying grew a little angry herself. “I thought of you being all alone in this lifeless room and came to keep you company.”

“Not needed.” Fu Anyu rubbed her temples, her tone softening slightly as she said helplessly, “It’s late. Go back to sleep.”

Ming Ying felt wronged. She had given up her rest time late at night to come keep Fu Anyu company, only to be cold-shouldered and even driven away. She couldn’t help but feel upset. She had never cared this much about an outsider before!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her princess-like temper flared up, and instead of obediently going back, she curled into a ball under the bed, stubbornly determined to stay.

Fu Anyu was too tired to argue. Seeing that the little fox, though not leaving, wasn’t trying to jump back onto the bed, she decided to let it be. She turned off the light and lay down to sleep.

The bedroom air conditioner was on, blowing cold air downward. Before long, Ming Ying, lying on the floor, felt so cold that she sneezed.

She looked up at the bed and saw that Fu Anyu showed no reaction at all, clearly having no intention of caring about her. Furious, she ran back to her own room, pushed her little bed over to the side of Fu Anyu’s bed, crawled inside, curled up, and let out an indignant “yip.”

Fu Anyu still didn’t react.

Ming Ying tried hard to convince herself not to take it to heart with this ill-tempered little sister. She moved her bed back to its original spot, then pulled a blanket over herself with her mouth, spread her twin tails, and closed her eyes in a huff.

She hadn’t slept all night and had been upset after being rejected by Fu Anyu. Whether from exhaustion or something else, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes and didn’t wake until morning. The moment she opened her eyes, she looked toward the bed, ready to see Fu Anyu’s reaction, only to find the bed empty and an extra blanket over herself.

Before Ming Ying could get angry, she caught sight of the clock on the wall showing 9:30 a.m. The anger that had just flared up instantly died down.

She couldn’t blame Fu Anyu for this. Although Fu Anyu started work at 9 a.m., she usually went to the company early. On previous days when Ming Ying woke up at 8:30, Fu Anyu was already gone. Besides, ever since she stopped taking medication, Fu Anyu no longer woke her even if she was sleeping deeply.

Though her anger had subsided, Ming Ying still felt a bit displeased. As she pushed her little bed back to her room, she kept grumbling inwardly about Fu Anyu’s heartlessness.

Even if she didn’t like having her as a sleeping companion, she could at least have said “thank you”

If only Fu Anyu had politely asked her to leave in the early hours instead of coldly driving her away, she wouldn’t have felt so upset even now.

Back in her room, Ming Ying arranged her little bed, lay down on it, and began gathering spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy in this room was actually denser than in Fu Anyu’s bedroom, but only slightly so. However, with the enhancement of the fox clan’s inherited spirit-gathering array, the energy entering her body became much purer, greatly shortening the time needed to solidify it into spiritual power.

Ming Ying felt that the energy stored in her two tails was temporarily sufficient, so she shifted her focus to transforming into human form.

Before transforming, she needed to infuse her meridians with spiritual power. After concentrating on gathering energy all morning, combined with her efforts over the past few days, she could now circulate spiritual power through all her meridians.

This brought Ming Ying great relief. The thought of being able to sleep on a bed, soak in a bathtub, bake cookies with Xiao Du, and even devour fried chicken with big bites once she transformed filled her with excitement. After estimating the spiritual reserves in her body, she recited the transformation incantation and decided to attempt the transformation.

As she chanted, spiritual power continuously surged from her dantian, flowing through her meridians.

Ming Ying felt her body slowly heating up, but this was soon followed by a tearing pain that spread from her meridians to her internal organs and bones. The agony was so intense that she couldn’t suppress a cry of pain. The soundproofing barrier she had set up around herself dissipated on its own due to the instability of her spiritual power.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ming Ying tried to recite the incantation to halt the transformation. But she was trembling so violently that even forming clear words was a struggle, let alone chanting a complex incantation.

Amid the excruciating pain, she vaguely recalled her first transformation. Back then, her father and mother had been by her side, protecting her. She had consumed many spiritual medicines and held a precious magical artifact in her arms. At the time, she had only felt a slight discomfort before falling asleep and waking up in human form.

Over two hundred years had passed since then. Every day in the demon realm had been carefree, and she never had to worry about suddenly reverting to her fox form. Gradually, she had forgotten the pain of transformation.

Or perhaps she had been so well-protected back then that she never truly experienced the real ordeal of transformation.

Ming Ying even wished she could faint from the pain, but the intensifying agony repeatedly assaulted her nerves, making her acutely aware of her body being torn apart and stretched by an invisible force, as if she were being tortured.

When she tasted a faint metallic tang of blood in her mouth, she grew frightened, fearing she might die like this.

According to the books, such intense internal pain usually indicated severe damage to the organs and meridians, a serious injury. With her current level of spiritual power… could she really endure it?

She faintly heard Fu Anyu calling her name and inwardly scoffed at herself for thinking of that wretched woman at a time like this. But the next moment, a chill ran through her tail as a surge of icy spiritual power suddenly flowed into her meridians, making her shiver. Instinctively, she pressed closer to the nearest source of warmth.

As she drew near, the faint scent of pinewood filled her senses. Fu Anyu’s embrace was warm, inexplicably bringing her a sense of calm.

“Fu… Fu Anyu…” Ming Ying murmured softly upon recognizing the familiar scent, as if clutching a lifeline.

“Don’t fall asleep,” Fu Anyu’s calm voice came from above, yet it felt distant and ethereal, as if separated by clouds.

The overwhelming pain dulled all other sensations. It took a moment for Ming Ying to realize that Fu Anyu’s hand was resting on one of her tails, continuously channeling spiritual power into it.

Instincts were instantly awakened by the dense spiritual energy. Ming Ying felt her third tail slowly taking shape, the itching sensation of its growth quickly overshadowing the pain.

Growing a new tail had always been something she longed for, yet now she felt both excitement and fear. The excitement was self-explanatory, but what she feared was Fu Anyu using this as an opportunity to deduce her species and identity.

Yet there was nothing she could do but passively accept Fu Anyu’s spiritual energy, feeling the third tail gradually form behind her.

She couldn’t help but recall how she had once regarded Fu Anyu as a massive spiritual energy pill. If she could absorb spiritual energy from Fu Anyu, she would surely return to her peak state in no time.

Back then, she had dismissed the idea as absurd. Little did she expect that just a few days later, Fu Anyu would voluntarily transfer spiritual energy to her.

The moment the third tail fully formed, Ming Ying sensed the fourth tail beginning to stir. However, Fu Anyu abruptly cut off the flow of spiritual energy. The budding fourth tail, which had only just sprouted a tuft of fox fur, reluctantly dissolved back into spiritual energy and returned to Ming Ying’s dantian.

Slowly opening her eyes, Ming Ying caught sight of Fu Anyu through her tears, then immediately coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, unable to stop coughing.

Fu Anyu’s expression remained cold. Seeing her spit blood, she immediately grabbed a napkin and unhurriedly wiped Ming Ying’s mouth.

Ming Ying knew she had been saved and had even gained a third tail as a stroke of luck. Once she caught her breath, she joyfully whimpered repeatedly and, despite her weakness, actively nuzzled her head into Fu Anyu’s chest.

“Don’t move, it’s dirty,” Fu Anyu frowned, placing a hand between the fox and her clothes to block her. She then carried the fox to the dog bed and set her down. As she stood up, she once again noticed the large stain of dark blood Ming Ying had coughed onto her suit, which had nearly soiled the fox’s fur. Her frown deepened.

She returned to her bedroom, changed out of the bloodstained suit, placed it in a bag, and put on a clean jacket. Carrying the suit, she went back to the guest room, picked up the fox, and headed out while dialing a number on her phone.

Ming Ying lay on her arm, dazedly watching as Fu Anyu spoke into the phone, “Are you free right now?” After a brief pause, she added, “I’ll be right there,” then ended the call and strode out of the room, holding Ming Ying.

Outside the door, she saw Du Yunxin looking anxious, along with Fu Anyu’s driver, Chen Yanxue. Fu Anyu then instructed Chen Yanxue, “Head to He’s Pet Hospital immediately.”

Ming Ying now understood that a “hospital” was a place for medical treatment and prescriptions. The memory of being tormented by the bitterness of anti-inflammatory medicine a few days ago resurfaced, frightening her into crying out, “I’m not sick! I don’t want to take medicine!”

“You coughed up blood,” Fu Anyu explained. “I’m taking you to check for internal injuries. If you’re afraid of pain, they have painkillers there.”

Even raising her voice made Ming Ying feel a pain in her lungs. Upon hearing that the hospital had painkillers, she immediately quieted down.

As Fu Anyu descended the stairs, she casually drew a sleep talisman on Ming Ying’s forehead. Ming Ying obediently lay still, allowing her to do so. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she soon fell into a deep sleep.

By the time the effects of the sleep talisman wore off and Ming Ying awoke, she immediately detected a pungent odor in the air, along with an intense demonic aura emanating from more than just one or two demons.

Realizing Fu Anyu was still holding her, Ming Ying’s courage returned. She lifted her head and began surveying her surroundings.

They were in a narrow room with white walls covered in many handwritten drawings. Fu Anyu was sitting at a wooden desk, speaking with a woman in a white coat.

Seeing Ming Ying awake, the woman in white smiled and greeted her, “Hello, I’m Dr. He.”

“…” Ming Ying glanced at her warily and gave a stiff nod in acknowledgment.

“Overall, the test results are good. If it weren’t for the bloodstain on your clothes, I’d think you were here just to give me a hard time,” Dr. He said to Fu Anyu. “Alright, hurry back to the company after you pick up the painkillers for your little fox, you busy woman!”

Ming Ying looked at Dr. He in surprise, it was the first time she had seen someone speak so casually to Fu Anyu. But instead of giving her a cold look, Fu Anyu politely thanked her before carrying Ming Ying out of the room.

While Fu Anyu went to get the medicine, Ming Ying glanced around. Seeing no one else nearby and only one person separated from them by a glass panel, she couldn’t help but ask, “That person just now, you two seem very close?”

“University classmates,” Fu Anyu replied. Then, worried Ming Ying might not understand, she added, “We used to study at the same school.”

Ming Ying still felt a bit confused but nodded as if she understood, her mind still puzzled.

Could just studying together make their relationship so intimate?

Before she could ask further, she saw the person behind the glass bring over a box of medicine and place it into a gray slot on the stone counter.

“Here is your medicine,” the person said.

“Thank you,” Fu Anyu replied, holding the fox with one hand and the medicine with the other, walking out without looking back.

Ming Ying had no idea what had happened while she was asleep, only that she felt much more comfortable now. As soon as Fu Anyu got into the car, she even stretched her limbs a little, carefully moving them in simple motions.

“Call Xiao Du and have her pick Ming Ying up to give her the medicine,” Fu Anyu said, glancing at her watch and instructing Chen Yanxue, who was about to start the car.

Ming Ying instinctively looked at her watch and was startled, there were only ten minutes left until the afternoon work started!

Feeling guilty, she gently tugged at Fu Anyu’s clothes and apologized, “I’m sorry, I delayed your rest…”

Fu Anyu had been leaving early and returning late these past few days, with hardly any time to sleep, and now Ming Ying had taken up her entire lunch break. It felt like a real offense.

Fu Anyu squeezed the fox paw she had extended, glanced at her third tail, and shook her head. “No need to apologize. Go home and rest well. Don’t gather spiritual energy these next couple of days.”

Ming Ying obediently agreed.

When the car arrived at the Fu residence, Du Yunxin was already waiting at the door. As soon as she saw the car, she hurried over to take the fox and the medicine from Fu Anyu.

“You scared me to death!” Du Yunxin exclaimed as soon as she carried Ming Ying back to the guest room. “What exactly happened? If Ms. Fu hadn’t come back, I would’ve thought you’d been robbed or, wait, why do you have an extra tail?!”

Ming Ying didn’t know how to respond, so she simply narrowed her eyes, weakly let her paws droop, and whimpered softly, “It hurts…”

“Hold on!” Seeing this, Du Yunxin quickly placed her on the dog bed and hurriedly began unwrapping the painkillers for her.

While she was unwrapping the medicine, Ming Ying coiled her three tails around herself, looking troubled.

Her race was rather unique, once their tails manifested, they couldn’t be retracted and could only be concealed with certain magical artifacts. Because of this, most of her kind never left the royal city.

Having more tails was certainly a good thing for Ming Ying, but she was currently in the human realm. According to the “Code of Conduct for Demonic Beasts,” demons had to conceal their true forms to walk the streets.

If she ever wanted to go home alone or take a stroll outside and was spotted and reported, she would likely attract demon hunters.

After reading that thick rulebook, Ming Ying learned that demon hunters existed in the human realm. However, these were peaceful times, and humans and demons could coexist harmoniously. Demon hunters were merely a precautionary measure established by the authorities, tasked with maintaining social order and punishing evil demons.

If demon hunters discovered online that a demon was causing trouble in the same city or violating the code, they would immediately head to the scene to enforce the law.

But Ming Ying didn’t want to stay cooped up in Fu Anyu’s home forever. She was restless by nature, and if she stayed indoors for too long, she would eventually grow restless and unwell.

When Du Yunxin returned with water and medicine, she saw Ming Ying twisting her three tails together. The nimble tails seemed to come alive, intertwining and overlapping until, in no time, they formed a loosely braided plait!

“Why are you braiding them?” Du Yunxin set down the water bowl and stared at the “braided fox tails,” her eyes full of regret. “They looked so much prettier when they were fluffy!”

“A fox with three tails… can she be an ordinary fox?” Ming Ying asked softly.

Du Yunxin froze for a moment, realizing she had a point, and nodded. “You’re right. Better to keep them braided. It wouldn’t be good if the housekeeper saw them.”

After taking the painkillers, Du Yunxin handed her and finishing the water, Ming Ying suddenly said, “I’ll grow more tails in the future, and I’ll… take human form.”

Du Yunxin was so shocked she forgot to take the water bowl back, staring wide-eyed as she waited for Ming Ying to continue.

“The housekeeper works here regularly, right? With three tails, I can still disguise them like this, but what about later?” Ming Ying asked.

“Well…” Du Yunxin was at a loss for words.

She couldn’t think of a solution. After all, Ming Ying couldn’t turn invisible, and now, with Fu Anyu’s permission, she was free to roam around the residence. If Ming Ying was going to stay here for a while, sooner or later, the housekeeper would see her dragging a bunch of tails behind her.

“Then, can you retract your tails?” Du Yunxin suggested tentatively. “You’ve lived over three hundred years, surely you have a way, right?”

“I don’t know that kind of magic,” Ming Ying lied. “Besides, if I take human form, how will you explain it to the housekeeper?”

“Rather than explaining it to the housekeeper, it’s more about how to explain it to ordinary people around us,” Du Yunxin sighed. “To be honest, not many people are as fond of demons as I am. Otherwise, the code wouldn’t specify that demons must maintain a fully human form when out in public.”

Ming Ying nodded silently.

“Don’t worry about it too much for now,” Du Yunxin comforted her again. “Even Boss Fu, as your owner, isn’t concerned, so why should you be?”

“She’s not my owner…” Ming Ying muttered unhappily, though she had to admit it felt true. She and Fu Anyu were neither relatives nor friends, yet she was eating, wearing, living, and moving about using Fu Anyu’s resources. Wasn’t that essentially being kept by her?

The painkillers prescribed by Dr. He had a sedative effect, and as Ming Ying thought about it, she began to feel drowsy. Yawning, she bid Du Yunxin goodbye and curled up in her little nest to rest.

Once Du Yunxin left, Ming Ying untangled her three tails. As she did, she recalled a dream she’d had earlier: Fu Anyu held her in her arms, slender fingers gently stroking all nine of her tails.

Since childhood, her mother had taught her that her tails were not to be casually touched by outsiders. Only her husband had the right to stroke them, not even female demons or women were allowed to break this rule.

That was why she had reacted so strongly when Xiao Du had pinched her tail earlier.

But with Fu Anyu, it seemed different. Back then, that dream had startled her awake, yet today, when Fu Anyu stroked her tail, she hadn’t felt the slightest resistance.

Why?

Was it because she happened to be in a life-or-death situation today, or because Fu Anyu stroking her tail was to transfer spiritual energy, which was beneficial and harmless to her?

Ming Ying pondered this endlessly but couldn’t figure it out. Eventually, drowsiness overtook her, and she fell asleep without reaching an answer.

Fu Anyu, breaking her usual routine, left work on time today. As she carried her laptop bag out of the office, she drew surprised glances from many employees.

Once it was confirmed that Fu Anyu had left, the employees’ slacking-off group chat immediately erupted.

“What’s going on with President Fu today?”

“Don’t ask, just assume the sun rose from the west.”

“Honestly, if the boss leaves early, what does it have to do with us workers? [dog head.jpg]”

“Actually, there’s been something going on with President Fu at noon these past few days. I keep seeing her get in the car and leave during lunch break…”

“Don’t speculate, just assume it’s an important business meal. [praying hands.jpg]”

Just as everyone was happily chatting, a new employee suddenly spoke bluntly: “Could President Fu be going on a date?”

The moment those words appeared, everyone fell silent, leaving the newcomer’s message hanging alone in the chat.

After a long silence, a system message popped up: The group owner has muted [Newbie-xxx] for one minute.

Fu Anyu knew nothing about the group chat. As soon as she got in the car, she closed her eyes to rest.

When she arrived home, she saw Du Yunxin watering the plants in the yard. After getting out of the car, Fu Anyu first asked about Ming Ying’s condition. Then, she instructed Du Yunxin to find the newly arrived and sterilized nail clippers specially designed for demons before heading upstairs to find Ming Ying.

Ming Ying had woken up before Fu Anyu returned and was now lying in her little nest watching TV. Seeing the oddly shaped metal object in Fu Anyu’s hand, Ming Ying asked curiously, “What is that?”

“Nail clippers.” Fu Anyu pushed the small trash can by the bed closer, sat on the cushion, and reached out to Ming Ying. “Do you still want to trim them?”

“Yes!” Ming Ying had almost forgotten about it and quickly nodded. She turned off the TV, hurried over to Fu Anyu’s side, and extended one front paw.

Fu Anyu picked her up and held her in her arms, carefully examining the bloodline in her nails before starting to trim.

Ming Ying retracted her other three paws, nestled against Fu Anyu, and watched nervously as her nails were trimmed.

“I’m scared it’ll hurt,” she reminded Fu Anyu, even though it didn’t hurt at all at the moment.

“Trimming nails doesn’t hurt,” Fu Anyu explained.

“Then be careful,” Ming Ying added, still uneasy.

Fu Anyu quickly finished trimming the front claws, but when she moved on to the hind claws after smoothing the sharp edges, no matter how gently she handled them or adjusted the way she held the leg, Ming Ying would squirm out of her embrace as if tickled, as though touching her paws triggered some strange switch.

Every time Ming Ying struggled, her claws would uncontrollably scratch Fu Anyu’s hands. The front claws were already dulled, leaving only white marks, but the hind claws remained sharp. Even for Fu Anyu, a scratch from them was painful enough to make her frown.

Fu Anyi was already tired today. Glancing at the scratch marks on her hand, she didn’t want to push herself further. She put away the nail clippers, rubbed the fox’s head, and said, “I’ll buy you a scratching board. You can sharpen your claws yourself.”