Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 53

Fu Anyu’s ordered drinks and cakes were quickly served.

Ming Ying mimicked Fu Anyu’s actions, carefully cutting a piece of her own cake, spearing it with a fork, and bringing it to her mouth to taste.

The black part of the cake had a slight bitterness, but it was soon overpowered by the rich creaminess. Paired with that hint of bitterness, it became even more delicious.

Ming Ying licked the cream from the corner of her lips and took a sip of her iced coconut latte.

She had previously eaten coconut meat and drunk coconut juice offered as tribute by the southern demon clans. Tasting the familiar flavor, she couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

“Why do humans always give such strange names to food?” she asked, holding her cup.

It was clearly coffee, yet it was called “latte.” She had thought it was tea brewed from powdered rust.

“Some have historical origins, while others are transliterations of foreign beverages,” Fu Anyu explained. “For example, ‘latte’ is the transliteration of the Italian word for ‘milk.'”

“That’s quite convenient about the human world,” Ming Ying nodded. “You don’t have to travel far to enjoy delicacies from other countries.”

They chatted intermittently, but it was clear that neither the human nor the fox was particularly adept at conversing in such an environment.

Ming Ying genuinely couldn’t think of suitable topics. After all, she knew very little about Fu Anyu, and the questions she wanted to ask were either inappropriate for their current relationship or too personal. Asking them might only make Fu Anyu angry.

Fu Anyu, on the other hand, had little interest in chatting. She was merely accompanying Ming Ying to the café because the latter had wanted to go out for coffee.

Ming Ying had a big appetite lately, and as she racked her brains for conversation topics, she quickly finished her slice of cake.

Seeing this, Fu Anyu called the server over and ordered two more desserts.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Ming Ying quickly found an excuse to dissuade her. “No need to order so much. Eating too many sweets at night might upset my stomach. I’ll just have Xiao Du make me a bowl of noodles when we get back.”

Instead of nodding or shaking her head, Fu Anyu asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to try them?”

“I…” Of course, Ming Ying did. Her excuse about an upset stomach was merely to discourage Fu Anyu from ordering too much.

Noticing her hesitation, Fu Anyu told the server, “We’ll take all of these, plus a hazelnut waffle to go.”

After the server left, Ming Ying hid her half-finished iced coconut latte behind her hands, her cheeks flushed, and said, “Thank you. It seems like you always know what I really want.”

“Your thoughts aren’t hard to guess,” Fu Anyu explained tactfully. “No need to be polite with me. I prefer to hear the truth.”

There were advantages to simplicity, and she was willing to accommodate the little fox’s innocence.

Ming Ying fell silent. Meeting Fu Anyu’s sincere gaze, she showed no outward reaction, but inwardly, she was so startled that she buried the thoughts that had just surfaced even deeper.

Fu Anyu didn’t like topics related to romance. She absolutely must not find out what Ming Ying was thinking now.

Fu Anyu was the only person she trusted most in the human world, and also her family. She didn’t want to see Fu Anyu angered by her careless words.

The socially inexperienced little fox suddenly felt she couldn’t stay in the café any longer. The atmosphere was too conducive to daydreaming. Suppressing her thoughts, she said, “Let’s go home and watch Inuyasha instead!”

The waiter who had just pushed the door open and heard this: ?

Not only the waiter, but even Fu Anyu was taken aback.

Under the simultaneous gaze of both, Ming Ying inexplicably felt she had said something wrong, but it seemed too late to backtrack now. She had no choice but to brace herself and explain, “It’s… it’s getting late tonight, and don’t you have to wake up early for work tomorrow? Besides, all the pastries here can be taken away.”

The more she spoke, the less confident she sounded.

Observing her expression, Fu Anyu thought for a moment before turning to the waiter. “Then please pack them for us.”

After leaving the Winter Ripple Bay Café, on their way home, Ming Ying stared at the three exquisitely packaged boxes in Fu Anyu’s hands, wondering how she would face Xiao Du’s disappointed expression once they got back.

To ensure she was in the best state for the outing, Xiao Du had spent the entire day helping her dress up and get ready. Yet, she had chickened out less than an hour after sitting down in the café.

“You’re unhappy,” Fu Anyu suddenly said.

“I’m not,” Ming Ying instinctively lied. But as soon as she met Fu Anyu’s gaze, she involuntarily averted her face, looking into the darkness.

Though her thoughts were simple, Fu Anyu couldn’t quite decipher or guess why she was sulking at that moment, which made her a little anxious. “Tell me the truth.”

“I am a little unhappy,” she finally heard the little fox murmur softly after a long pause. “But it’s because I’m unhappy with my own lack of ability.”

While the waiter had been packing their pastries, she had been thinking: if only she could be as enthusiastic and proactive as Hu Xiuliu or Dr. He, perhaps she wouldn’t be feeling so guilty tonight.

But then it occurred to her that Fu Anyu’s attitude toward those two was cold and distant. Even though they had been classmates for years, she had never given them any special consideration.

“Ability manifests in many ways,” Fu Anyu said instead. “Just like how some people are better at certain subjects or have specific food preferences, different people, and demons, have their own strengths and weaknesses. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

Ming Ying, however, felt that she was actually quite confident. It was just that she wasn’t yet familiar with human customs, especially when it came to, building relationships.

For demons, getting closer to one another was simple: either fight to bond through martial prowess or treat them to a meal. But fighting Fu Anyu wasn’t practical now, and she had no money to buy food. If she tried to cook herself, she’d probably break every bowl before the food was even ready. The methods that worked among demons simply didn’t apply in the human world.

She recalled what Fu Anyu had said earlier that night: to integrate into human society, socializing was essential. At the time, she had hastily brushed it off. Now, thinking back, she couldn’t help but glance at Fu Anyu, intending to ask for advice on social matters.

Just then, however, Fu Anyu’s phone rang. She took it out, glanced at the message, and frowned.

The messages were all from Hu Xiuliu, but his tone was uncharacteristically serious.

[Hu Xiuliu: I was injured by an evil spirit and hospitalized. I won’t be able to treat you to coffee tomorrow.]

[Hu Xiuliu: The evil spirit in your neighborhood is powerful. I’m afraid you’ll have to handle it. I’ve already transferred the task to you.]

[Hu Xiuliu: The entity appears to be a black cat. Try to go during the day, once it gets dark, you won’t be able to find it.]

The coordinates of the evil spirit followed immediately after.

Fu Anyu and Hu Xiuliu were both demon slayers registered in H City. Usually, Fu Anyu, being busy with work, would often transfer the tasks assigned to her to Hu Xiuliu. After all, once the task was transferred, the corresponding reward would follow. Hu Xiuliu, who now made a living through writing, was naturally happy to have an extra source of income.

This was the first time in three years that she had received a task transferred from Hu Xiuliu. The evil spirit that had managed to hospitalize the abbot of the temple where she had trained since childhood was not to be underestimated.

“Fu Anyu?” Ming Ying’s voice pulled her thoughts back. “We’re home. Could I ask you about something later?”

Fu Anyu looked up. Her villa was brightly lit and peaceful.

She glanced down at the coordinates of the evil spirit and realized it wasn’t far from her home. No wonder Hu Xiuliu had taken the opportunity to check on the little fox while dealing with the evil spirit during the day.

“Alright, go home first,” she said, immediately hanging the bag of pastries she was carrying onto Ming Ying’s hand. “I’ll be back soon.”

With that, she turned and walked away from the doorstep, disappearing into the darkness.

Watching her step into the night, her figure gradually swallowed by the blackness, Ming Ying felt an inexplicable sense of danger. She hurriedly knocked on the door, calling out loudly until Du Yunxin came over. Handing her the pastry bag, Ming Ying said, “I’ll be back soon!”

Du Yunxin watched in confusion as she ran off.

Ming Ying followed the scent all the way, but she noticed Fu Anyu’s aura growing fainter. It wasn’t disappearing, but rather, it felt as if she had stepped into some kind of isolating barrier. Ming Ying also felt her body growing heavier, and her breathing became labored, as if something sticky was clinging to her.

She immediately stopped, gathering spiritual energy at her fingertips. Pinching her fingers and reciting a spell, she uttered, “Break!” The sticky sensation enveloping her body vanished instantly.

“Sister!” Ming Ying called out loudly. Inside a barrier set up by an unknown entity, she didn’t dare call Fu Anyu by her full name, fearing the barrier’s creator might use name-based magic to control her.

As soon as she finished calling out, she heard a piercing cat cry cut through the sky, followed by a spread of water-based spiritual energy in the air, seemingly chasing something. Wherever it went, the water energy transformed into ice spikes, shooting toward something hidden in the darkness.

Ming Ying instantly caught Fu Anyu’s scent, along with an unfamiliar smell of blood, likely coming from the cat demon whose form she couldn’t clearly see.

Her sense of smell was extremely sharp. Even though she couldn’t see her surroundings clearly, she quickly pinpointed the cat demon’s location. Raising her palm, she released a beam of spiritual energy that instantly solidified into a line. Sensing that she had bound the cat demon, she immediately pulled hard. The next moment, she dragged a dark mass down from mid-air and under a streetlight.

It was a male black cat, but its size was absurdly large, like a giant beast. Its mouth was so wide it could swallow Ming Ying’s head whole.

This was Ming Ying’s first one-on-one fight with a cat demon. After dragging it over, she grew frightened, her hands trembling as she tightly gripped the spiritual energy line, unsure of what to do. Even her hidden demon form was startled into revealing itself.

“You are a nine-tailed fox demon?!” the cat demon suddenly spoke in human language, its fur bristling and its back arching. “A great demon like you, how can you work for a demon slayer?”

Before it could finish, Fu Anyu, who had just arrived, knocked it unconscious with a swift chop to the neck.

“I told you to go home. Why did you follow me?” Fu Anyu turned to Ming Ying, questioning her with a hint of anger.

Ming Ying was most afraid of her getting angry, folding her ears back and trembling as she said, “I… I felt uneasy, so I came to check on you.”

“It’s dangerous here, you,” Fu Anyu had intended to say more, but then it occurred to her that she hadn’t actually explained things clearly to the little fox. She swallowed the rest of her words, took the spiritual energy thread from Ming Ying’s hand, and gave it a sharp shake. The enormous black cat was shrunk down by her magic, wrapped in the now net-like spiritual energy thread, and lifted up.

“Let’s go home,” she said, holding the black cat in one hand and extending the other to Ming Ying. Seeing the little fox still had her ears folded back, she added gently, “I’ll explain everything in detail when we get home.”