Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 55

This answer stunned Ming Ying into a momentary daze.

“You said you’re whose cat?” she asked incredulously.

“That male demon hunter, Hu Xiuliu’s cat,” the black cat replied in a muffled voice, as if extremely reluctant to admit this identity.

“But I cast a spell on myself, so he shouldn’t know it’s me.” The black cat’s tone softened again, even sounding a bit aggrieved. “When he beats me, he never calls me by my name, just keeps shouting ‘evil spirit’!”

“…” Ming Ying nearly rolled her eyes at him, but her princess upbringing held her back. She only asked irritably, “If you’re clearly a demon hunter’s house cat, how dare you criticize me earlier?”

This rascal’s tone earlier had been so arrogant it practically reached the heavens, to the point where Ming Ying almost thought he was some royal descendant who had also crossed over from the demon realm.

“I just never expected to see a great demon submit to a demon hunter,” the black cat retorted just as irritably. “I thought only minor demons like me had no choice but to rely on demon hunters to survive.”

Ming Ying wanted to say she hadn’t submitted to Fu Anyu, she just wanted to go home. But recalling her actions over this period, they really weren’t much different from clinging to someone powerful, so she didn’t bother explaining.

“Why did you say I’m from the nine-tailed fox clan?” she asked. “I clearly don’t have nine tails.”

“You’re so young, and your spiritual power isn’t deep, yet you have four tails. You can only be from the clan born with nine tails,” the black cat said. “But I’ve only seen records of such nine-tailed foxes in Hu Xiuliu’s collection. If I remember correctly, they were a race from thousands of years ago. I don’t even know if such a bloodline-obsessed great clan still exists in the world today.”

“They definitely do!” Ming Ying blurted out, her heart fluttering with panic.

Before the black cat could say more, she immediately closed the media player and opened a document on her tablet, ready to record the black cat’s information first. “Enough digressions. Let me register your details, what’s your name?”

“Li Lingmao,” the black cat replied, seeing a chance at freedom and answering honestly. “Li as in the character for plum, Ling as in spiritual energy, Mao as in lush and dense.”

Ming Ying typed slowly with one hand, but fortunately, Li Lingmao was willing to wait. By the time birdsong drifted in from outside the window and sunlight streamed through the guest room’s small window, Ming Ying had finally closed the completed document. She stood up and said, “Wait here obediently. I’ll go find my sister now.”

After some investigation, she found that this black cat was actually quite well-behaved, he answered whatever she asked. The only issue was that he was too willful: he disliked the old house Hu Xiuliu lived in for being too small, so he ran away intending to find a large villa for himself.

“Don’t believe that idiot’s empty boasts. He only dares to talk, he wouldn’t actually stuff me into a sack!” Snorting heavily when Ming Ying referred to his owner as “the sack man,” Li Lingmao declared, “I went to his place on my own! I just thought it’s tough for a wild demon to survive, so why not latch onto a demon hunter and become a house guardian mascot? At least that way, I could get by.”

“Who knew that idiot would sit on a huge manuscript fee but refuse to buy a new house, stubbornly staying in that shabby little temple?”

As for the reason he beat Hu Xiuliu so badly he ended up in the hospital, it was truly both laughable and exasperating.

“He said Hu Xiuliu usually cuddles him to sleep at home, affectionately calling him ‘Little Maomao’ and ‘Sweetie.’ Yet yesterday, Hu didn’t recognize him at all, cursed him as an ‘evil spirit,’ and immediately started beating him up.” Ming Ying reported to Fu Anyu, adding, “In a fit of anger, he fought back fiercely.”

Fu Anyu had just woken up. She listened while skimming through the notes Ming Ying had taken.

“I’ll take him to the hospital,” Fu Anyu said after reading the records. “If he really is Hu Xiuliu’s house cat, then there’s no need to send him to the Monster Management Bureau.”

“This is the first monster I’ve encountered in the human realm,” Ming Ying remarked. “He’s just too spoiled. The ‘sack man’ was clearly willing to take good care of him…”

“He’s been pampered into it,” Fu Anyu said calmly. “Hu Xiuliu has always treated furry animals like treasures, so of course, he’d dote on him endlessly.”

Ming Ying, who had been lavishly spoiled by her clan since childhood, couldn’t relate. She yawned.

“Did you stay up all night?” Fu Anyu asked, opening the media player after finishing the document and noticing that the downloaded episodes of Inuyasha were almost finished.

“Yeah, coffee is way too effective at keeping you awake, much better than tea,” Ming Ying replied, rubbing her eyes. “Next time I feel drowsy while gathering spiritual energy, I’ll just have a cup.”

“You should still drink less of it,” Fu Anyu advised, gently patting her head before closing the curtains she had just opened. “You need to rest. Do you want to sleep here or go back to your room?”

Naturally, Ming Ying preferred to sleep in a bed that still carried her fresh scent. She changed out of her clothes right in front of Fu Anyu and picked up the orange pajamas folded on the bedside table.

As soon as she returned home, she freely released her fox form. Now, four tails lazily sprawled beneath her skirt, as drowsy as their owner.

Fu Anyu connected to the Wi-Fi, synced the document contents to the cloud, and glanced at the fox tails before looking away. Just as she was about to leave the bedroom, Ming Ying asked softly, “Sister, did I do well last night?”

She had contributed a lot the previous night, from dispelling the black cat’s barrier to staying up all night to guard, interrogate, and take notes. Now, she seemed like a child eagerly awaiting a reward.

“Very well,” Fu Anyu turned around and praised without hesitation, then asked, “What reward would you like?”

Ming Ying blushed immediately, fiddling with her tails. After a long pause, she held one out and murmured, “I want Sister to pet my tail.”

She realized she might be getting a little addicted to having her tail petted, and it had to be Fu Anyu doing the petting for that intoxicating, thrilling sensation to arise.

However, to Fu Anyu, this request sounded rather alarming.

After a moment’s thought, she tactfully advised, “You need to rest now. Emotional fluctuations aren’t good for your health. How about choosing something else?”

Ming Ying was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Fu Anyu to refuse even when she offered her tail so willingly.

Though she knew Fu Anyu had her best interests at heart, after all, every time her tail was petted, she needed some time to meditate and recover, she still felt a pang of disappointment. Biting her lip, she fell silent for a few seconds before murmuring, “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll ask for my reward when I’ve made up my mind.”

Fu Anyu didn’t press further. She nodded, picked up her laptop bag, and left the bedroom.

Ming Ying stuffed her right hand into the embrace of her “well-seasoned” Shiba Inu pillow. Though her body was exhausted, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, she recalled the hesitation that had flashed in Fu Anyu’s eyes when she heard the reward Ming Ying wanted. She couldn’t make sense of it no matter how much she thought.

It was just a tail rub, what could possibly make her sister hesitate?

As she stroked her own four tails, her thoughts grew tangled, and she couldn’t help but recall Li Lingmao’s words again.

“That should be a race from thousands of years ago.”

“Who knows if there are any of that bloodline-obsessed great clan left in the world today.”

Hugging her tails, she suddenly felt a chill in her body and an emptiness in her heart.

If she truly came from an era thousands of years in the past, even if demons lived long lives, it was unlikely they could survive that many years.

Moreover, in this age of scarce spiritual energy, it would be difficult for a nine-tailed fox clan to survive as a whole.

In the end, Ming Ying drew a sleep talisman and forced herself to fall asleep.

She didn’t dare think any further.

Because he had been injured by a demon, Hu Xiuliu was admitted to He’s Hospital.

When Fu Anyu entered Hu Xiuliu’s ward carrying an iron cage, he was staring at the red fox demon sleeping in its true form on the neighboring bed.

Seeing this, the black cat Li Lingmao immediately let out a loud “meow-roar,” startling not only Hu Xiuliu but also waking the slumbering red fox demon.

“This is the evil spirit you mentioned,” Fu Anyu said, placing the iron cage directly on Hu Xiuliu’s bedside table. “Is this your cat? If not,”

“He is! He is!” Hu Xiuliu didn’t mind the bloodstains and dirt, cradling the cage and cat together in his arms. He opened the cage door, lifted the cat out, and placed it on the blanket, stroking its fur over and over. “Xiao Maomao, you’re finally back! I missed you so much, my baby!”

The black cat arched its back and hissed at him, but the movement aggravated its internal injuries. It coughed twice, let out a weak “meow,” curled into a ball under his hands, and closed its eyes to rest.

“Then, I’ll be going,” Fu Anyu said, turning toward the door. “You’ll have to go to the Management Bureau and the Demon Administration Office yourself to explain everything.”

Thinking back now, when she had run into Hu Xiuliu at the Management Bureau that day, he had probably been there to report his missing pet cat.

But as soon as Fu Anyu stepped out of the room, she ran into Dr. He Che, who was making his rounds.

As soon as Dr. He saw her, he eagerly approached and even gave her a wink.

“Why didn’t you bring your little fox today?” Dr. He asked.

“She’s perfectly fine,” Fu Anyu replied, reverting to her expressionless professional demeanor. She coldly tossed out the words and walked past Dr. He without another glance.

“Remember to bring her back in a couple of days for a follow-up on her burns~” Dr. He, already used to her attitude, called out to her retreating back.

After leaving He’s Hospital, Fu Anyu took half a day off and had Xiao Chen drive her downtown. Using her own ID, she registered a phone card for Ming Ying, bought the latest model of phone with the best features, and inserted the SIM card.

The new phone only had WeChat, a browser, and an e-book app installed. As an exorcist, Fu Anyu had almost no demon friends and wasn’t sure what kind of social apps demons used.

However, she now knew exactly who to ask.

After buying the phone, Fu Anyu stepped out of the store and saw Chen Yanxue emerging from a Western pastry shop not far away.

“This is the pastry you asked me to buy.” Chen Yanxue handed the receipt to Fu Anyu for inspection while carrying a bag of food.

Fu Anyu glanced over it and saw that all the pastries the little fox loved were included. She nodded, casually tossing the receipt into the nearby trash bin. “Let’s go home.”

She had left early and, after being busy outside, returned home just after ten o’clock.

Fu Anyu asked Du Yunxin and learned that the little fox hadn’t come down to eat yet. She grabbed a carton of yogurt and two bags of bread before heading upstairs, intending to wake her up and have her eat something before going back to sleep.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she opened the bedroom door, she saw a figure curled up on the floor.

Ming Ying was hugging her tail tightly, her body curled into a ball, murmuring something under her breath as if she were calling out that she was cold.

The air conditioner was still on, blowing cold air directly toward the floor. Fu Anyu quickly set down the yogurt and bread, hurried over, and scooped her up into her arms.

The little fox didn’t open her eyes, likely still trapped in her dream. Fu Anyu could only hear her murmuring her name, occasionally calling out “sister” in a coquettish tone.

But as she placed the little fox back on the bed, she noticed tears suddenly streaming from her eyes. In a sorrowful voice, she said, “Then, I only have sister left.”

Fu Anyu sighed softly, unsure what nightmare the little fox had experienced. Gently shaking her shoulder, she said in a warm tone, “Sister is here. Wake up now.”