Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 23

Ming Ying was happily immersed in the joy of freely retracting and extending her tail when, without warning, Fu Anyu pinned her down. The scruff of her neck tightened, and she was promptly lifted and placed under the bed.

Once all four paws touched the ground, Ming Ying was stunned.

“What are you doing again?!” She immediately looked up at Fu Anyu, ready to protest, only to see the other woman holding a large clump of fox fur and staring at her with a cold, serious gaze.

It was then that she noticed countless strands of fox fur drifting down from the air, one of which even landed on the tip of her nose, tickling her so much that she sneezed on the spot.

Ten minutes later, Ming Ying was carried by Fu Anyu to the living room sofa.

Du Yunxin laid a non-stick latex cooling mat on the sofa and handed Fu Anyu a newly unpacked shedding-season comb, silently marveling.

Truly, President Fu’s ability to anticipate unexpected situations had improved yet again.

Ming Ying reluctantly lay down on the cooling mat, turning on her side to make it easier for Fu Anyu to comb her fur, muttering under her breath, “I’ve never shed this much fur before…”

“Spiritual energy is attached to the fur of demon kind. Under normal circumstances, your fox fur wouldn’t shed frequently,” Fu Anyu said, holding the comb and observing where to start. “But you were repeatedly retracting and extending your tail just now, which destabilized the spiritual energy within you…”

“I won’t mess with my tail anymore,” Ming Ying cut in weakly.

As the comb teeth glided over her fur, they occasionally caught on tangled strands. Whenever Fu Anyu applied a little more force, the little fox would let out a pitiful cry.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Anyu stopped.

“Can’t you be gentler?!” Ming Ying said with tears in her eyes.

Her voice was so soft it sounded like she was whining, making Fu Anyu frown. She lightened her touch and combed again, but this time, as soon as the comb passed over a tangled spot, Ming Ying yelped in pain.

Du Yunxin, sitting nearby, noticed Fu Anyu’s furrowed brow and the slight tremble in her hand holding the comb. She quickly stepped in to mediate, “President Fu, let me do it. I have experience grooming demons!”

Feeling Fu Anyu release her, Ming Ying immediately scrambled up and settled beside Du Yunxin, letting out a pitiful huff in Fu Anyu’s direction as she waited for the comb to land on her.

However, when Du Yunxin made the first stroke, Ming Ying couldn’t stand the strange sensation of her entire coat of fur feeling like it was about to be ripped off. She whimpered and struggled free, resigning herself to nestle back beside Fu Anyu.

Experience, my foot! It’s all a lie!!

Fu Anyu expressionlessly took back the comb. As she placed her hand on the fox to steady her, she felt the fox was exceptionally well-behaved.

This time, no matter how much force Fu Anyu used, Ming Ying didn’t make a sound.

With Du Yunxin as a comparison, she even felt that Fu Anyu’s technique was gentle and meticulous. Even when she combed forcefully, it was only targeting the tangled clumps, with precise accuracy.

A pile of fox fur quickly accumulated on the cooling mat. Combined with the pile Fu Anyu had brought from the bedroom, it was almost enough to bury half a fox.

As Du Yunxin gathered the fur, she couldn’t help but murmur, “And this isn’t even the shedding season. If it were, wouldn’t it be a disaster…”

“Not necessarily,” Fu Anyu said. “Demons are different from ordinary animals. Have you ever seen a snow fox that’s still a white puffball in the summer?”

“You’re right,” Du Yunxin nodded, deftly stuffing the fur into her craft bag. She patted it lightly and, seeing the amount of fur, smiled brightly. “I was just about to buy new fur for crafting little trinkets. Now I can save some money!”

Fu Anyu stroked the fox’s head as she watched Du Yunxin leave with a bag of fox fur, then suddenly remarked, “Xiao Chen is allergic to fur.”

Ming Ying saw Du Yunxin nearly trip over her own feet.

“Ahem, it’s not a big deal. I’ll seal it in a glass case after I’m done, so no fur will escape,” Du Yunxin coughed lightly and carried the fox fur toward her room.

Ming Ying was utterly confused and turned to Fu Anyu with a bewildered expression. “What does Xiao Du’s crafting have to do with Xiao Chen?”

“Didn’t you notice?” Fu Anyu countered.

Notice what?

Ming Ying was even more perplexed. The question dampened her curiosity, and as she hopped off the sofa and headed upstairs, she caught a faint whiff of matcha cookie sweetness.

She suddenly remembered the time Du Yunxin had made cookies for her to taste, only for Ming Ying to realize they weren’t specifically made for her.

She also recalled the day Fu Anyu came home very late, claiming she had rescued a cat demon who was attempting suicide. According to Fu Anyu, that cat demon had just broken up with a human girl before the incident…

An idea flashed through her mind. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she turned and asked, “Is Xiao Du pursuing Xiao Chen?”

Ming Ying had only made a casual guess, but to her surprise, Fu Anyu nodded. Though she had mentally prepared herself, Ming Ying still widened her eyes in shock.

Even though Xiao Chen had short hair, resembling the human men she’d seen on the streets and on TV, Xiao Chen was still a girl!

“In the human world, is same-sex love and marriage allowed? What about their descendants?” she blurted out almost immediately.

“They don’t have descendants,” Fu Anyu said. “Or they can adopt a child through special institutions.”

“Then, then their bloodline won’t be passed down?!” Ming Ying’s gaze turned somewhat dazed after hearing this.

Since birth, she had been taught by the elders of her clan that once she came of age, she must marry a male fox from the clan who also possessed the nine-tailed bloodline. This would ensure that their descendants inherited the purest nine-tailed lineage.

In her clan, anyone who dared to engage in a secret romance would face warnings and certain punishments if discovered.

As for same-sex love, it was considered a forbidden romance under the clan’s rules. Violators could face penalties ranging from forced arranged marriages to exile from the royal city, banishment to the borderlands, or even execution on a chosen date.

Fu Anyu glanced at her and said calmly, “Once they’ve made their choice, bloodline inheritance is no longer important to them.”

Ming Ying knew that the human world had no rules requiring bloodline inheritance, and she couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Xiao Du and Xiao Chen.

As the princess of the nine-tailed clan, according to clan rules, no matter where she strayed, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, she must strive to return to her family, unite with a clansman, and continue the bloodline.

But she, didn’t like this.

Not only did she not want to spend the rest of her life with a fox she might not even like, but she couldn’t even bear the thought of one day carrying life within her.

“I have a business trip next week.”

Fu Anyu’s voice pulled her back to reality. “In three days, you’ll come with me.”

“Wh-where to?” Ming Ying was startled and instinctively asked.

“The neighboring city, not far,” Fu Anyu said, crouching down to pick her up and heading toward the bathroom. “We’ll be back after two days of meetings.”

“Why take me along when you’re going for work?” Ming Ying, who had recently become familiar with common vocabulary, couldn’t help but ask. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll get filmed and posted online again?”

“If I were afraid, would I even take you?” Fu Anyu set her on the bathroom counter and began filling the tub with water. “Besides, I don’t think you’ll disrupt the social order again.”

Ming Ying paused, realizing she had a point, and then felt rather silly for worrying.

If Fu Anyu wasn’t concerned, why was she fretting over nothing?

Moreover, getting to visit the neighboring city was far more enjoyable than being cooped up at home all day!

“You still have some stray fur on you, let’s give you a wash.” Fu Anyu tested the water temperature and picked out a milky-white bottle from an assortment of containers. “Your shower gel arrived. Let’s try it.”

Ming Ying obediently let herself be placed into the tub. After rolling around to wet her fur, she watched as Fu Anyu squeezed a bit of thick, colorless liquid into her palm and rubbed it with water.

The liquid quickly foamed into a rich lather, but the scent wasn’t overpowering, it even carried a light, sweet milky fragrance.

Curious, Ming Ying leaned in to sniff it and found herself liking the scent more and more. “Is this made from cow’s milk?” she asked.

“No,” Fu Anyu replied, noticing the fox’s snout nearly touching the foam. She quickly spread the shower gel over the fox’s body. “It’s not for eating.”

“Who said I wanted to eat it!” Ming Ying huffed, giving Fu Anyu’s arm a light scratch. “If it’s not made from milk, why does it smell milky?”

Her trimmed claws didn’t hurt Fu Anyu, who took the opportunity while lathering to gently stroke the fox’s ears and retorted, “Does fish-flavored shredded pork contain fish?”

Ming Ying: “…” Well, that made sense.

Fu Anyu continued rubbing, noticing the fox gradually relaxing into the water with half-closed eyes. She glanced at the bottle she’d set aside and made a mental note of the brand.

Ming Ying could confidently say this was the most comfortable bath she had ever taken. So much so that when Fu Anyu lifted her out of the tub, she felt a twinge of reluctance.

Fu Anyu’s spiritual energy was water-aligned, so she never needed appliances like hairdryers to dry Ming Ying.

Today, however, she brought out a hairdryer and placed the fox back on the bathroom counter.

“When you eventually take human form, you’ll use this to dry your hair,” Fu Anyu explained, first turning on the cool-air setting without directing the airflow at the fox.

Ming Ying flinched at the sound of the hairdryer, unable to imagine directing such a noisy device at her head.

Fu Anyu demonstrated all the settings, but when she switched to the highest setting, the noise was so overwhelming that Ming Ying nearly leaped off the counter.

“I don’t want to use this thing on my fur, it dries on its own!” she protested loudly. “Besides, don’t you know a spell to remove moisture? If my fur needs drying right after a bath, you can just do it!”

Fu Anyu paused, stroking the slightly damp fox and sensing her clear aversion. She put the hairdryer away.

Aqua-blue spiritual energy soon coiled around her fingertips, spreading over Ming Ying’s body and gradually absorbing the water droplets from her fur.

By the time Ming Ying’s coat returned to its fluffy state, it was already time for dinner.

This time, Fu Anyu didn’t eat in the bedroom but brought Ming Ying to the dining room she had been longing to see.

Ming Ying excitedly explored the dining room, patting the white-tiled floor and the “jade-like” walls with her paws, savoring their unique textures before approaching the dining table.

For Ming Ying, the chairs and table were far too high. In her current form, eating at the table simply wasn’t practical.

When Du Yunxin brought the dishes to the table, Ming Ying merely hopped onto a chair and crouched for a moment, trying to experience the perspective of a human in advance, before returning to the floor and quietly waiting for her bowl to be placed in front of her.

But Fu Anyu bent down, picked up the fox, and set her on the spot Du Yunxin had intentionally cleared on the table.

Lying on the table and smelling the aroma of the food, Ming Ying nervously tucked her paws in, afraid that the sauce might splash onto her freshly cleaned fur or that her paws and fur might accidentally touch the dishes.

“Tonight, we have a fox spirit gracing our table!” Du Yunxin teased her with a laugh.

“How am I supposed to eat?” Ming Ying looked helplessly at Fu Anyu. “I can’t use chopsticks,”

Before she could finish her sentence, Fu Anyu had already brought a piece of garlic-marinated pork to her mouth.