Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 25

The moment she heard Fu Anyu’s answer, Ming Ying thought she was still dreaming.

Fu Anyu had been taking care of a cute little animal recently? During this time, she had been living in Fu Anyu’s home, and aside from catching the scent of a cat demon that one day, there had been no other instances. She still trusted her nose.

Could it be that the “cute little animal”,  referred to her?!

The topic on the program had already changed, but Ming Ying was still lost in thought.

If that were really the case, then Fu Anyu had been praising her in front of others.

Although “cute” was a positive word, hearing it come from a little sister over two hundred years her junior felt strangely awkward.

Besides that, she couldn’t understand why Fu Anyu had answered so amiably. Given Fu Anyu’s strong personality, she should have had every means to sidestep such an unpleasant topic.

Ming Ying couldn’t figure it out no matter how much she thought about it. Even the apple pieces in her mouth no longer tasted sweet, so she called Du Yunxin over to share her troubles.

Du Yunxin was in the middle of mixing batter when she heard Ming Ying’s story and widened her eyes in surprise.

“That can’t be, right? President Fu isn’t the type to be so straightforward,” Du Yunxin muttered as she pulled out her phone to search for a replay of the program. Instantly, she grew furious. “That host was clearly trying to pick a fight! She knew perfectly well that President Fu isn’t dating anyone or keeping pets right now, that she’s busy handling company affairs every day, and that she definitely won’t be stepping out of the ‘career woman’ category anytime soon. Yet she went and stepped on a landmine she must have some serious issues!”

Her rapid-fire rant left Ming Ying bewildered. Though she didn’t fully understand everything, she nodded and chimed in, “I think you’re right.”

After a moment of thought, Du Yunxin closed her phone and said to Ming Ying, “But President Fu’s behavior yesterday was indeed a bit unusual. Still, I’m absolutely certain she doesn’t see you as a pet!”

“I know,” Ming Ying nodded. She was highly sensitive to status and hierarchy; if Fu Anyu had been treating her like a pet, she would have noticed immediately.

In reality, not only did Fu Anyu not treat her as a pet, but she also looked forward to Ming Ying’s early transformation into human form.

This feeling of being anticipated was novel to Ming Ying, though upon reflection, she recalled that she, too, had often held expectations for her older siblings when she was young, which helped her understand Fu Anyu’s perspective.

While they were talking, the host had already moved on to interviewing the next guest.

Ming Ying yawned, turned off the TV, finished the last piece of apple, and prepared to return to her room for a nap.

She still preferred sleeping in the cozy guest room. After going upstairs, she pushed her little nest and tablet back into the guest room, then remembered she hadn’t finished last night’s novel. So, she picked up the tablet with her mouth, hopped onto the bed, and settled in.

Back when she lived in the demon realm, she had also loved reading novels, though demons referred to them as “storybooks”, their nature was quite similar.

Ice-Queen CEO’s Fierce Love was the first human-world novel she had read. Even though the two main characters were in a same-sex relationship, all the characters’ behaviors occasionally turned bizarre without warning, and the overall story was somewhat hard to follow, she was captivated by the author’s delicate writing and descriptions, and found herself reading on without realizing it.

Just as she was getting deeply engrossed, however, the author’s note at the end of the chapter poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

“Sorry, something happened at home, so this story is going on hiatus. This is my only work, and the one I love most. I hope there will be a chance to resume updates in the future.”

Ming Ying wasn’t seeing the “Author’s Note” for the first time in this novel. The previous notes had all been lively, sometimes the author would write a short dialogue in a character’s voice, or say something playful like “Rolling around begging for comments, awoo!” or complain about their Samoyed’s “destructive behavior.” In short, it was clear the author was a cheerful person who loved life.

But the author’s note for this chapter seemed unusually heavy.

Disappointed, Ming Ying lifted her paw and tapped the spot for the next page. As expected, no new chapter appeared, but she did see the book’s comment section.

“It’s been five years. Can I still wait for the author to return?”

“Hah! What kind of ‘something’ could cause a hiatus this long? If you don’t want to write anymore, just say so. Why bother with such a hypocritical excuse?”

“To the commenter above, this book is free. The author can write or not write as they please. Who spoiled you into being so toxic?!”

“Author, food, I’m hungry QAQ”

“Stopping here is just ridiculous. The CEO goes on a business trip and disappears for five years, and the little wife is practically turning into a ‘gazing-at-husband stone.'”

“Still waiting for the author’s return today.”

“…”

As Ming Ying scrolled through the comments, she felt a pang of sadness.

So, the author of this book hadn’t returned for five years.

She exited the page and found the e-book she had been reading earlier about the local customs of H City, but she couldn’t focus on it anymore. The comments kept flashing through her mind.

What kind of “something” could make an author abandon their beloved work and not return for five whole years?

Turning off the screen, Ming Ying lay back on the bed, staring blankly at the lantern-style ceiling light.

For some reason, she thought of Fu Anyu.

Although tastes and preferences might change as one grows up, Ming Ying felt that Fu Anyu must still really like this room. Even though she hadn’t stayed here long, she could sense how much Fu Anyu cared about this space.

Perhaps Fu Anyu was like that author who abandoned their work, she had left this place due to some circumstance, moved into that cold, sterile bedroom, yet instructed the servants to keep everything here in perfect order.

As if, she could move back in at any time.

Ming Ying recalled the last line of the author’s note: “I hope there will be a chance to resume updates in the future…”

Before abandoning their work, that author must have held onto a strong hope of returning, right?

Her thoughts in disarray, Ming Ying found herself wide awake. She decided to leave her little nest and walk over to the desk, using her spiritual power to open a drawer.

None of the drawers or cabinets here were locked. When Fu Anyu allowed her to move in, she hadn’t forbidden her from touching the things inside.

Ming Ying thought to herself that she would put everything back exactly as it was after looking, so she used her spiritual power to lift out the first item she came across.

The item was stored in a pretty plastic box with a floral pattern and felt quite heavy. Carefully opening the box, Ming Ying saw a large certificate with a red and yellow background and bold black characters reading “Merit Student” lying prominently on top. The name field was clearly filled with “Fu Anyu.”

“Certificates?” Ming Ying murmured as she spotted the two large characters at the top of the paper. She flipped through the rest of the stack and realized they were all certificates of merit Fu Anyu had received throughout elementary, middle, and high school.

By now, Ming Ying had a rough understanding of the various levels of human schooling and knew that “certificates” were something to be proud of. After skimming through them, she began to view Fu Anyu in a new light.

Though she herself disliked studying, finding it tedious and often impractical, she deeply admired classmates who excelled in their exams. After carefully going through the certificates, she neatly arranged them back into the drawer and sealed it shut before channeling her spiritual energy to explore further.

This time, she pulled out a slightly heavy plastic box, which seemed to be another container for certificates. However, this box had a simple design, adorned only with a white jasmine flower printed on its surface. Peering through the semi-transparent lid, Ming Ying didn’t see the usual colorful certificates inside.

Curious, she opened the box and found the first sheet densely covered in neat, elegant handwriting. The content looked… vaguely familiar?!

Thinking she must be mistaken, Ming Ying blinked hard and flipped through more pages, growing increasingly astonished.

Wasn’t this the novel she had just finished reading?! Why did Fu Anyu have a handwritten manuscript of it?!

Could it be that Fu Anyu not only enjoyed reading novels in her youth but also took the time to copy them out by hand for keepsake?

For a moment, Ming Ying felt as though she had been acquainted with a completely different Fu Anyu.

Just last night, she had scoffed at the “ice-cold CEO” in the novel as a “fake iceberg,” never imagining such a twist could happen in real life, and right beside her!

That said, Fu Anyu’s transcription didn’t seem particularly meticulous. In the first chapter alone, Ming Ying spotted over a dozen corrections and simplifications in the descriptions, far less detailed than the e-book version.

Regardless of the effort put into it, once Ming Ying processed her initial shock, she felt genuinely delighted by the discovery.

She had never interacted with someone so much younger than herself. Ever since learning Fu Anyu’s age, she had been contemplating ways to connect with her more, believing that Fu Anyu carried far too heavy a burden for someone so young.

Before she could return home, Ming Ying hoped to bring at least a little joy into Fu Anyu’s life.

So, when Fu Anyu returned from work at noon and ascended the stairs, she was met by the fox darting out of the guest room with a tablet in her mouth. The fox set the device down, pulled up the page for “The Ice-Queen CEO’s Fierce Love,” and eagerly asked, “You’ve read this novel too?”

Fu Anyu froze, frowning slightly. “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“I found your handwritten manuscript in the drawer.” Ming Ying lifted her head, her fluffy tail wagging happily behind her. Without waiting for a response, she continued, “You must have really loved this book back then to copy it out by hand and keep it, right?”

“…” Fu Anyu seemed distracted and fell silent as she picked up the tablet, walking past the fox into the guest room.

The room showed no signs of having been rummaged through, the drawers and bookcase were shut, and not a single scrap of paper lay on the floor.

“I put everything back after looking. Don’t worry, I won’t mess up your room again!” Ming Ying called out from behind her.

“Although this room is for you to stay in temporarily, it’s best not to open the cabinets when I’m not home.” Fu Anyu turned around and reminded her, “You were lucky today. If you accidentally come across some defensive magical tools, you could get hurt.”

She tactfully conveyed the idea of “don’t rummage through my cabinets” to the fox.

Ming Ying’s happily wagging fox tail paused. Thinking that she had only found certificates and manuscripts today, she felt relieved but also a lingering fear.