Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 50

The next morning, when Ming Ying woke up refreshed, Fu Anyu had already left. The quilt was neatly folded and placed where she had been lying.

Ming Ying stretched lazily, got out of bed, and drew the curtains to let the sunlight in. Shielding her eyes from the light, she squinted at the clock, exactly nine o’clock. If there was no traffic on the road, Fu Anyu should have already arrived at the conference venue.

When Ming Ying went downstairs for breakfast, Du Yunxin had just finished her chores and was sprawled on the sofa watching a drama. As soon as she saw Ming Ying, Du Yunxin immediately turned off the screen and stood up.

“I wanted to call you for breakfast at eight,” Du Yunxin said as she walked toward the kitchen. “But you weren’t in the guest room, and the door to Fu’s bedroom was closed. I was afraid of stumbling upon something I shouldn’t see, so I didn’t go in.”

“I was just sleeping in my sister’s room,” Ming Ying said, not understanding how sleeping could involve anything inappropriate.

“Well, like if you were sleeping naked, sprawled out like a starfish on President Fu’s bed,” Du Yunxin explained as she put the food into the microwave to heat it up. “If I walked in just as you woke up, wouldn’t that be a major social disaster?”

Ming Ying froze. Though she didn’t understand the term “social disaster,” just imagining the scene made her blush with embarrassment.

Du Yunxin turned around and saw her covering her flushed face, laughing as she said, “See? So, from now on, I won’t come to wake you. Just come down to eat whenever you wake up hungry.”

Ming Ying nodded obediently and curiously looked at the working microwave.

“This is a microwave. If you want to heat something up, put it in a plastic bowl or on a plate, then press a button and wait for the ‘ding’ sound,” Du Yunxin explained. “But you have to wait until it ‘dings’ before you can open the door. And don’t touch it while it’s heating up.”

Ming Ying nodded again and pointed at the gas stove. “Could you tell me about these things too?”

“Of course,” Du Yunxin agreed readily. “But since you’re still nursing an injury to one hand, you can only use the microwave for now. I’ll teach you how to use the other kitchen tools once your hand has healed.”

As they spent more time together, Ming Ying had unconsciously begun to rely on Fu Anyu and the people around her.

Fu Anyu was the steady and dependable older sister, Du Yunxin was like a life manager who took care of daily chores, and Xiao Chen, who rarely stayed at Fu Anyu’s home, was like a powerful and taciturn loyal guard.

To Ming Ying, these three were like her family in the human world.

After a hearty breakfast, Ming Ying instinctively reached out to help clear the dishes, but as soon as her fingers touched the edge of a bowl, she remembered how she had broken one just the day before.

“What’s wrong?” Du Yunxin asked, noticing her standing motionless by the dining table.

“How do you hold a bowl without dropping it?” Ming Ying decided to ask for advice. “I always seem to let it slip.”

“Oh, it’s not about your hand slipping, it’s about how you hold the bowl. You’re not holding it steadily enough,” Du Yunxin said, demonstrating as she spoke.

As the two were tidying up the dining area, Ming Ying suddenly heard a knock at the door and immediately grew alert, her gaze fixed on the entrance.

Fu Anyu and Chen Yanxue were both in Y City and couldn’t possibly be back now.

Who could it be?

“Du Yunxin, did my sister mention that we would have visitors today?” she quickly asked.

“Huh? No,” Du Yunxin replied, also startled by the knocking. “I set a special notification for President Fu. If she sent a message, I would definitely know.”

“Even as she said this, she still wiped her hands and walked toward the door, muttering under her breath, ‘Could it be the community staff coming to check the gas? But it’s not time yet.’

Ming Ying, however, grew alert and immediately darted in front of her, making a shushing gesture. She gripped the doorknob and pricked up her ears to listen for any movement outside.

The person standing outside didn’t speak, but Ming Ying could sense their aura, vaguely recalling someone.

Hu Xiuliu, the ‘Sack Man’!

As soon as the name flashed through her mind, she stumbled backward in fright, pushing Du Yunxin in front of her.

‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ Du Yunxin was also startled by her reaction. ‘Who’s outside?’

‘It’s a robber!’ Ming Ying whispered urgently before turning to rush upstairs and hide.

But she was afraid the ‘Sack Man’ might carry Du Yunxin away too. Xiao Du was just an ordinary person without any spiritual power. After hesitating for a second, Ming Ying steeled herself and stayed, gripping the doorknob again. She temporarily retracted her fox ears and all her tails, feigning calm as she said, ‘It’s fine, I’ll handle it!’

Du Yunxin: ???

As the knocking resumed, Ming Ying’s heart pounded with fear, but she mustered her courage and opened the door. She hid her burned right hand behind her back, quietly gathering a cluster of spiritual energy in her palm.

When the door swung open, it was indeed Hu Xiuliu, whom she had seen earlier at the management bureau. He wore a black baseball cap and loose, dark-colored casual clothes, standing in a relaxed posture.

The moment Ming Ying met his gaze, he raised a hand with a natural smile and said, ‘Hey there, President Fu’s little friend!’

Having seen the messages she sent to Fu Anyu, Ming Ying knew the ‘little friend’ referred to herself. Still, she hadn’t expected him to recognize her even after concealing her demon form and aura. Surprise flickered in her eyes.

‘One of my clients lives in this neighborhood and mentioned some evil spirits at home recently, so I came to check it out,’ Hu Xiuliu said with a squinting smile, showing no trace of hostility. ‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, that evil spirit has nothing to do with you. I just sensed you were inside when I passed by President Fu’s place, so I thought I’d drop by.’

Ming Ying instinctively stepped back, her fox ears and tails popping out in fright. Fu Anyu’s words echoed in her mind:

‘He loves fluffy little animals the most.’

‘If you run into him on the street, he’ll probably crouch down and ask you what color sack you prefer.’

Hu Xiuliu was actually about the same height as Ming Ying in her human form. Seeing her retreat, he grinned even wider and took a step forward. ‘Little fox, what color sack do you like?’

But before he could finish, Du Yunxin rushed over and stomped on his foot.

‘How dare you covet President Fu’s little fox!’ she scolded angrily. ‘Aren’t you here to deal with evil spirits? Get lost, now!’

Ming Ying had nearly been frightened enough to hurl the spiritual energy she’d gathered right into Hu Xiuliu’s face. Still shaken, she watched as Hu Xiuliu shook his stepped-on foot and sauntered away leisurely. ‘Alright, alright, I’m going. Ah, I just wanted to see the fox, who knew the fox would turn into a person.’

‘That idiot was President Fu’s classmate back in their younger days. He doesn’t have any ill intentions, just a severe case of fluff addiction,’ Du Yunxin explained after closing the door. ‘Xiao Chen used to be his desk mate and told me if he ever annoys you, just kick him out.'”

“So that’s how it is.” Ming Ying breathed a sigh of relief, dispersing the spiritual energy in her palm. “You scared me to death just now!”

Returning to the kitchen with Du Yunxin, Ming Ying recalled Hu Xiuliu’s earlier words and couldn’t help but ask, “What does ‘Sack Man’ do for a living? He said earlier that he came to deal with evil spirits.”

“I like the nickname you gave him.” Du Yunxin chuckled before answering, “Him? He’s the head priest of a Taoist temple in the suburbs. His family has been guarding that temple for generations, but he claims he ‘hasn’t been head priest for years.’ According to Xiao Chen, he seems to be writing horror novels from home now, with exorcising evil spirits as his side job.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Speaking of which, President Fu actually had a marriage contract with him before. But President Fu didn’t want to date, and Hu Xiuliu is gay, so back then they immediately hit it off and tore up the marriage contract. However, when outsiders ask about it, they still use their engagement as an excuse to deflect, since only they know the contract was voided.”

“They can still use it as an excuse after tearing it up?!” Ming Ying immediately perked up her ears, her opinion of Hu Xiuliu dropping another notch. “So ‘Sack Man’ is sister’s fiancé?”

“If you insist on putting it that way, yes, that relationship could exist.” Du Yunxin nodded. “But we both know the real situation. The engagement has long been invalid. President Fu could announce she’s single anytime she wants, but having this engagement helps her avoid a lot of unnecessary gossip, so President Fu.”

However, the moment Ming Ying heard that Fu Anyu and Hu Xiuliu had been engaged, she became furious. She completely ignored Du Yunxin’s emphasis on “they” and even misinterpreted the meaning, her mind filled with the idea that “Sack Man is using Fu Anyu to deflect gossip.”

She didn’t know why she was so angry, so angry that she couldn’t stand staying home and wanted to rush out, stuff Hu Xiuliu in a sack, and beat him up.

She suddenly remembered that Hu Xiuliu had sent a message yesterday inviting Fu Anyu for coffee tomorrow at 7 PM. Fu Anyu had even specifically asked if she wanted to come along. At the time, she had refused because she didn’t want to see Dr. He, but now she deeply regretted it.

“Can you help me send a message to sister?” Ming Ying snapped back to reality and hurriedly asked Du Yunxin.

Du Yunxin was puzzled by her sudden distraction but wasn’t one to pry. Seeing the little fox needed a favor, she nodded and picked up her phone. “Sure, what do you want to tell President Fu?”

“Just say I want to go have coffee with her,” Ming Ying said. “It’s boring at home. I want to go out.”

Du Yunxin: “…”

“Since when have I ever thought you were bored at home?” she muttered, but still opened Fu Anyu’s chat and relayed the little fox’s request.

Fu Anyu had just finished a meeting and was taking a break when she received the message from her assistant.

Life Assistant Xiao Du: [Ming Ying is so bored at home she’s growing mushrooms. Says she wants to go out for coffee with you and asked me to tell you.]

“…?” Fu Anyu stared at the first half of the message in surprise, thinking that the twenty episodes of Inuyasha she had cached last night couldn’t possibly have been finished this quickly. The little fox clearly liked that anime too, how could she already be so bored at home?

Of course, she had no idea about Du Yunxin’s popular science on marriage contracts, let alone Ming Ying’s inner journey. After reading the latter part of the message, she replied with a single “Okay,” closed her phone, pondered for a moment, and then sent a message to Du Yunxin.

Du Yunxin quickly received the reply and had just given Ming Ying a “done” gesture when her phone vibrated again. She hurriedly looked down at the screen.

Boss Fu: [Book a table at the café for 9 p.m. tonight.]