Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 5

While Ming Ying was speaking, her stomach emitted another strange gurgle, instantly making her blush with embarrassment. She couldn’t help but turn her head away, unwilling to see Fu Anyu’s expression.

Fu Anyu didn’t respond, but Ming Ying soon heard the sound of the cage being opened.

She felt the iron bars that had trapped her paw suddenly widen. Turning to look, she saw that Fu Anyu had gathered spiritual energy in her fingers and forcibly pried the bars apart!

Then, she felt Fu Anyu support her hind legs while gently pinching the scruff of her neck with the other hand, lifting her out of the iron cage.

The refreshing scent of pinewood filled the air. Nestled in Fu Anyu’s embrace, Ming Ying watched the iron cage recede into the distance in disbelief.

Even while squatting in the litter box to relieve herself, she remained deeply puzzled by Fu Anyu’s actions.

She had assumed the wicked woman would mock her first for getting stuck, but instead, Fu Anyu had silently lifted her out without a word.

“Come out and take your medicine when you’re done,” Fu Anyu’s voice suddenly rang out.

Ming Ying flinched and instinctively refused, “I won’t take medicine!”

Fu Anyu paused for a second. “Do you not want your hind leg anymore?”

Mentioning it only made Ming Ying feel the pain in her injured hind leg flare up again. Remembering that she needed to recover quickly to return home, she gritted her teeth and reluctantly said, “I’ll take it.”

After finishing her business, Ming Ying clumsily pawed at the litter. Once she emerged, she didn’t dare move again, dragging her injured leg as she listlessly watched Fu Anyu crouch down in front of her.

But when Fu Anyu began prying her mouth open to feed her the medicine, she struggled once more.

“I’ll take it myself!” Ming Ying declared, then spotted a small pill resting in Fu Anyu’s palm. She leaned over and used her tongue to scoop it into her mouth.

A bitter taste instantly assaulted her taste buds. Though the pill lacked the herbal flavor she detested most, it was far more bitter than any medicinal herb she had ever tasted.

Ming Ying immediately spat the pill out, gagging several times as if her entire tongue had turned bitter.

What kind of strange medicine is this!

Fu Anyu silently watched the pill fall into the trash bin, then retrieved another anti-inflammatory pill. As soon as Ming Ying recovered slightly, she pried the fox’s mouth open and flicked the pill directly down her throat.

Ming Ying hadn’t expected her to act so swiftly. By the time she realized what was happening, she had already swallowed the pill, feeling as though her throat had turned bitter too. Coughing, she asked, “What is this thing?”

“Anti-inflammatory medicine,” Fu Anyu replied, handing her a bowl of water.

Ming Ying quickly lapped up the water, rinsing her mouth before asking in return, “What a carefree medicine’?”

Fu Anyu frowned slightly. Seeing the fox’s confused expression, she simply brought the medicine box over for her to see.

Ming Ying realized she could read some of the characters on the box, but she didn’t understand their combined meaning. Puzzled, she read aloud, “Amoxicillin?”

She couldn’t fully comprehend the smaller text either, words like “bacteria” and “infection.” After staring at it for a while, she turned a bewildered gaze toward Fu Anyu. “What is it for?”

“To treat your leg injury,” Fu Anyu answered.

Ming Ying obediently nodded. When she saw Fu Anyu reaching for her again, she hastily lifted her leg and dodged. “Don’t lock me up! It was my fault for messing up the room in a panic! I admit I was wrong!”

Her father had taught her that as a demon, one must know when to yield and when to stand firm. Bowing temporarily before a stronger being was no disgrace.

Ming Ying had been single-mindedly focused on returning home earlier, but she now understood that before she could go back, she needed to rely on Fu Anyu’s residence to restore her spiritual power and heal her injuries. Otherwise, she would find it impossible to navigate the human realm.

However, she could sense that the other party held no ill intentions toward her for the moment. The confinement was likely just punishment for her scratching someone earlier otherwise, why would she have been given medicine? Wouldn’t it have been better to let her hobble around with a lame leg?

As Ming Ying finished speaking, she saw Fu Anyu stand up and walk to the corner, retrieving the small bed she had thrown there earlier and placing it under her own bed.

“You sleep here,” Fu Anyu commanded, pointing at the dog bed.

Ming Ying stared wide-eyed at the small bed, but under Fu Anyu’s gaze, she immediately dragged her injured leg into the bed as quickly as possible, curling up on the cool mat, folding her ears back, and cautiously looking at Fu Anyu.

Seeing that she was relatively obedient, Fu Anyu’s expression softened slightly, though her face remained stern as she warned, “Don’t let the room get messy a second time.”

Ming Ying nodded vigorously, her large tail gently wagging.

After giving her the medicine, Fu Anyu left with the remains of the meal bell.

Once she was gone, Ming Ying lay in the small bed and began gathering spiritual energy. After a while, she found it tedious and couldn’t help but look up at the black brick hanging on the wall.

This place was too small. The mean woman wouldn’t talk to her, and she didn’t dare initiate conversation, afraid of accidentally angering her again. But through the black brick, she could see the outside world. She needed to find a way to familiarize herself with the human realm first.

Ming Ying had always been the type to act on her impulses, but now that she was living under someone else’s roof, she had to suppress her nature and focus all her attention on gathering spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy in the human realm was much scarcer than she had imagined, and the speed of gathering it had significantly slowed. Still, with a quiet environment, Ming Ying didn’t mind the slowness. Every bit counted as she steadily absorbed the energy into her meridians, transforming it into spiritual power that could be used for spells and healing.

As she gathered energy, she clumsily treated her leg injury. After being cleaned and bandaged, and with the help of the strange medicine the mean woman had given her, her wound had already begun to grow new flesh. In a few days, she would be able to move normally.

This was the first time Ming Ying had ever healed herself, and it took her a long time to barely get the hang of it. When she tiredly opened her eyes, she felt her stomach growling again, this time from hunger.

The “upside-down bowl” had been taken away by Fu Anyu. Ming Ying jumped out of the small bed and walked to the door. Just as she raised her paw to knock and ask for food, before her paw even touched the door, it suddenly swung open. Unable to dodge in time, she let out a half-yelp as she was swept to the ground.

The moment Fu Anyu opened the door and entered; she glanced toward the small bed. Hearing a pained whimper, she looked down and saw the fox crouched behind the door, both front paws covering her head, curled up in pain. Fu Anyu couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

“Trying to go out?” Fu Anyu asked.

“No, no! You misunderstood!” Ming Ying hurriedly struggled to explain. “I’m hungry, so I thought if I knocked, someone might come in with food.”

Fu Anyu chuckled lightly and walked toward her small bed.

Seeing the bowl in her hand, Ming Ying couldn’t help but swallow her saliva and quickly trotted after her.

Her eyes full of anticipation, she watched as Fu Anyu crouched down and placed the bowl beside the small bed. As soon as Fu Anyu moved aside, Ming Ying pounced over, ready to devour the meal, but she froze.

“What is this?” she asked, looking up.

“Your lunch,” Fu Anyu replied before sitting at a low desk, opening her laptop, and starting to work.

Ming Ying paused for a moment, obediently murmured “Mm,” and lowered her head to continue eating.

These brown granules didn’t look appealing and had a strange taste, somewhat fishy, hard like old corn kernels, far worse than the wheat-colored square biscuits she had eaten in the morning. She didn’t like them at all.

But then she reminded herself that she was now a prisoner, and having food at all was a blessing. What right did she have to be picky? So, she silently lowered her head and ate, forcing herself to swallow despite the discomfort in her throat. The granules were dry and coarse, forcing her to take sips of water after every few bites to ease the sensation.

As she ate, Ming ying suddenly caught the familiar aroma of beef. Instinctively, she followed the scent and saw an elderly woman carrying a tray into the room. The woman placed it on the low table in front of Fu Anyu before leaving without a word.

The rich smell of meat quickly filled the room, and Ming Ying immediately lost interest in the unpalatable food in her bowl. She paced restlessly, occasionally glancing at the table.

She watched as Fu Anyu picked up a piece of beef brisket with her chopsticks, brought it to her mouth, and chewed slowly. Then came another piece. Unable to resist, Ming Ying let out a soft “Ying,” but when Fu Anyu glanced down, she quickly lowered herself, only swishing her large, fluffy tail.

“Want some?” Fu Anyu asked.

Ming Ying nodded but then immediately shook her head, crushing her own untimely hopes.

Who would give beef to a prisoner?!

Seeing her shake her head, Fu Anyu ate the freshly picked brisket and took a bite of white rice.

Ming Ying watched with envy, her mouth watering and her nearly empty stomach growling. She had no desire to touch her own lunch anymore, and the tantalizing aroma made her feel even more aggrieved.

She wanted to eat steaming hot braised beef.

After sulking for a while, Ming Ying reluctantly shuffled closer. With great reluctance, she let out two soft “Yingying” cries. When Fu Anyu looked at her again, she wiggled her fluffy tail, folded her ears back, and whimpered in the softest, most pleading tone she could muster.

When she was young and hadn’t yet learned to shapeshift, this was her go-to method to coax her parents into giving her more pastries and candies, and it had always worked.

She wondered if it would have the same effect on this “bad woman.”

“Not eating your own food anymore?” Fu Anyu asked.

For some reason, Ming Ying sensed a hint of amusement in her eyes, but her mind was entirely focused on the meat. Gathering her courage, she timidly replied, “I want to eat meat.”

She stood nervously by the low table, waiting anxiously. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. Fu Anyu picked up a piece of brisket with another pair of chopsticks and held it out to her.

Ming Ying’s eyes lit up. She eagerly bit into the steaming beef brisket, the savory and slightly spicy flavors igniting her appetite. She barely chewed before swallowing, then smacked her lips, hoping for another piece.

But Fu Anyu had already resumed eating, placing the chopsticks she had used to feed Ming Ying on the table, their tips still stained with sauce.

Growing impatient, Ming Ying circled the table restlessly. Seeing that Fu Anyu was focused on her meal and tapping on a black book beside her, paying her no mind, Ming Ying stood up on her hind legs, placed her paws on the edge of the table, and let out two more pleading “Yingying” cries.

Only then did Fu Anyu look at her and ask indifferently, “Didn’t get enough of the taste?”

Ming Ying nodded against her better judgment, her eyes fixed intently on the remaining brisket in the bowl, her whimpers growing even more pitiful.

How could she possibly be satisfied with just a taste?! In the past, she could have as much beef as she wanted. Now, she had to resort to begging just to get a morsel!

Fu Anyu picked up the other pair of chopsticks again. Under Ming Ying’s eager gaze, she reached out, but instead of the beef, she picked up a piece of potato from the bowl.

Ming Ying froze. By the time she realized what had happened, there was already a piece of potato in her mouth.

The potatoes and beef had been stewed until tender and flavorful, yet all she wanted now was the meat. She hastily chewed and swallowed, then wagged her tail at Fu Anyu, intending to use the same trick of acting cute to beg for more meat.

This time, before she could even whimper, Fu Anyu proactively picked up a new piece of potato and fed it directly into her slightly parted mouth.

With the potato chunk in her mouth, Ming Ying couldn’t make a sound. She watched helplessly as Fu Anyu switched chopsticks to pick up a piece of beef brisket, only to eat it herself, showing no intention of feeding it to her. Left with no choice, Ming Ying reluctantly chewed the potato. After finishing it, she whimpered softly, “I want meat.”

But the moment Fu Anyu’s gaze swept over her, she wisely shut her mouth, lay down, tucked her tail, and timidly averted her eyes.