Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 62

Ming Ying realized she had become increasingly sensitive to Fu Anyu’s words lately. Even if Fu Anyu merely said something offhand, she couldn’t help but dissect it meticulously.

For instance, when Fu Anyu casually invited her to bathe, she immediately noticed the addition of the word “together.”

Ming Ying had never bathed with Fu Anyu before. Since arriving at Fu Anyu’s home, they had always bathed separately, primarily because, in the beginning, she could only exist in her fox form and had limited mobility. Later, when she learned to draw her own bathwater, she scalded her paw and had to revert to her fox form, relying on Fu Anyu to wash her.

Thus, the word “together” was particularly intriguing.

Fu Anyu’s bathroom had a large bathtub, but there was also a showerhead next to it for rinsing. Did Fu Anyu mean “we bathe together but in separate spaces,” “we soak in the tub together,” or “we shower together”?

Beyond that, Ming Ying considered another possibility, Fu Anyu bathing while she watched from the side. Sharing the same space could also be considered a form of “bathing together.”

Before this, she had watched Fu Anyu bathe once but felt too embarrassed to do it again. Reflecting on it now, that embarrassment was actually a manifestation of possessiveness.

Her possessiveness was overwhelming. Once she had set her heart on someone, she wanted every aspect of them to be revealed only to her.

However, she now understood that such possessiveness was considered pathological by human standards. Moreover, Fu Anyu interacted with many people at work, and there was no need for Ming Ying to be wary of everyone.

At times like these, Ming Ying felt grateful that Fu Anyu avoided all topics of romance. In many novels featuring CEOs, female characters often used parties and schemes to get close to the male lead for career advancement. But such tactics were entirely ineffective with Fu Anyu.

Ming Ying believed she had already awakened to her feelings. An awakened fox should brazenly follow her heart, no matter what form “bathing together” took, she was willing!

Especially since it was Fu Anyu who had initiated the invitation.

Yet, despite thinking “I can do this,” when she decided to respond to Fu Anyu, her face flushed and her ears burned.

Even though she planned to confidently say, “Yes, I want to,” what came out was a soft, hesitant murmur.

With Chen Yanxue present, Ming Ying refrained from asking exactly what kind of “bathing together” Fu Anyu meant. She pretended to be calm and continued gazing out the window, reflecting on why she couldn’t muster more boldness.

Last month, she had resolved to record every intimate interaction with Fu Anyu, whether in conversation or physical contact, along with their reactions, so she could adjust her approach as needed.

He Hospital wasn’t far from Hu Xiuliu’s Zhuqing Temple, even though the temple was located on a mountain. The drive took only about ten minutes.

As soon as Ming Ying stepped out of the car, the rich, subtle fragrance of plants and trees filled her nostrils, invigorating the wood spiritual energy within her and lifting her gloomy mood.

This place was entirely different from the city. There were no towering metal forests of steel and concrete here, only the familiar shrubs and tall trees as far as the eye could see.

As soon as she stepped onto the mountain path, listening to the birdsong and cicada chirps, along with the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind as entire groves swayed in unison, she inexplicably felt a sense of homecoming.

Following Fu Anyu, Ming Ying breathed in the fresh air with contentment and greed. The area around the Taoist temple was surrounded by towering trees that blocked out the sky and sun, so even the sunlight couldn’t reach them. The breeze that swept through had shed its summer heat, turning cool and refreshing.

It wasn’t until they reached the temple entrance and saw a long-haired young man in a black Taoist robe sweeping the ground that Ming Ying remembered something.

She had been so caught up in her sulking along the way that she forgot to ask Fu Anyu why they had come here.

She still remembered how Fu Anyu had shaken off Dr. He’s pestering by claiming she had another meeting. Yet, as soon as they left the hospital, she had Xiao Chen drive straight to the Taoist temple. Surely, they couldn’t be here to have a meeting with Hu Xiuliu, could they?

As the three of them approached, the sweeping young man paused, his gaze wary and fearful as it swept over them. Finally, his eyes settled on Ming Ying’s face, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly.

“Are you Li Lingmao?” Ming Ying still remembered the scent of the black cat. Seeing that the young man looked to be in his early twenties, with a braid tied at the shoulder like the fox demon Baram in the anime, his features delicate and refined, he appeared youthful and pure, though his dark circles were a bit heavy. She almost didn’t dare to recognize him.

Mainly because the black cat’s explosive temper that night, with its constant use of “this old man,” had startled her. She never expected his human form to be such a handsome young man.

“Yeah,” Li Lingmao replied. “What are you here for?”

“To see Hu Xiuliu,” Fu Anyu said.

Having been thoroughly beaten by Fu Anyu before, Li Lingmao hesitated for a few seconds upon hearing the request. But out of respect for Ming Ying, he led them into the temple.

Although Hu Xiuliu claimed he had “long quit this line of work,” he still kept the temple meticulously clean. As the group followed Li Lingmao inside, they soon caught the faint scent of incense.

Li Lingmao quickly brewed three cups of floral tea and placed them on the wooden table in the reception room. “He stayed up all night playing games and hasn’t woken up yet. Feel free to find a place to sit.”

Despite saying “find a place to sit,” he went out and brought back three chairs, arranging them by the table before striding out briskly, likely to wake Hu Xiuliu.

As soon as Li Lingmao left, Ming Ying hurriedly asked Fu Anyu, “Why are we looking for Hu Xiuliu?”

“I need to ask him to help locate the entrance to the demon realm,” Fu Anyu’s reply instantly lifted her spirits.

“He knows where the demon realm entrance is?!” Ming Ying nearly exclaimed.

“He doesn’t, but his family’s ancestral positioning and deduction spell can help,” Fu Anyu explained. “If we still find nothing, then we’ll have to look for other clues.”

Ming Ying suddenly understood, this was the “clue” Fu Anyu had mentioned earlier. If Hu Xiuliu could deduce the general direction, then investigating based on that location would indeed allow them to gradually find the entrance to the demon realm.

The floral tea was brewed with mountain spring water. Ming Ying gently blew on it, carefully taking a sip. The refreshing floral aroma filled her senses, and the slightly sweet tea soothed her throat and warmed her stomach, leaving her feeling deeply comforted.

Li Lingmao quickly dragged Hu Xiuliu over. Having stayed up all night gaming, Hu Xiuliu was still bleary-eyed, his slightly long short hair tousled like a bird’s nest. Li Lingmao had thrown a loose, plain-colored Daoist robe over him, though the sash was neatly tied.

“What do you want so early in the morning?” Hu Xiuliu asked, fighting back sleep.

“I’ve reconsidered and can assist you in finding the entrance to the demon realm,” Fu Anyu got straight to the point. “The project will begin as soon as you’re in good condition.”

Hu Xiuliu didn’t respond and instead looked directly at Ming Ying, grinning as he said, “You probably approved this project for the little fox’s sake.”

Ming Ying, who had always been afraid of him and disliked him, shifted her chair slightly to avoid his gaze.

“Yes,” Fu Anyu admitted. “Then you can continue resting. We’ll be leaving.”

“Hey, leaving before the tea even cools?” Hu Xiuliu teased deliberately, then joked, “You really know how to squeeze time out of your busy schedule to humor me.”

Li Lingmao, probably seeing for the first time a caretaker daring to speak to Fu Anyu like this, turned pale with fright. He quickly reached out, apologizing with an awkward smile while pulling Hu Xiuliu out the door.

“Shall we go, then?” Chen Yanxue asked.

“Let’s go, back to the company,” Fu Anyu replied, glancing at her watch before standing up and giving the order. The tea beside her remained untouched.

As she walked, Ming Ying glanced at the floral tea on the table, feeling it was a shame. Such delicious floral tea was rare even in her past life.

“What about Ming Ying?” Chen Yanxue asked again once they were back in the car. “Should we take her home, or let her come with us to the company?”

“Where do you want to go?” Fu Anyu asked Ming Ying instead.

There wasn’t much to handle at the company these days, otherwise she wouldn’t have taken time off work to visit Hu Xiuliu.

Ming Ying’s mind instantly filled with scenes of office scenarios from domineering CEO novels. Her heart raced with excitement, though she feigned a look of surprise on the surface and cautiously asked, “Can I go to your company?”

“You can today,” Fu Anyu nodded. “But once we’re there, you must stay with me and not wander off.”

“Okay!” Ming Ying quickly agreed. “I’ll be good. I’ll stay wherever you tell me to.”

This reminded Fu Anyu that although her office was spacious, it only had one chair, her custom leather swivel chair. While there were chairs in the reception area, they were heavy, low, wooden seats that couldn’t be moved into her office. The little fox definitely wouldn’t want to sit alone outside or too far from her.

She didn’t mention this to Ming Ying, merely nodding in response. Seeing the little fox roll down the window again to gaze at the scenery outside, she took out her phone and sent a message to the logistics department: “Bring a swivel chair to my office and place it opposite my desk. Make sure the cushion is soft.”

The logistics department, caught off guard by the sudden message: ???

The forwarded message also caused an uproar in the employee chat group.

“What’s going on with President Fu?”

“I bet it’s an executive parachuting in.”

“No way, no way. If higher-ups wanted to parachute someone in, President Fu would be the first to oppose it. But this time, she’s the one requesting an extra executive chair.”

“Are you sure it’s an addition and not a replacement?”

“Of course, it’s an addition! President Fu loves that swivel chair, it was custom-made at a high cost. How fancy could the logistics department’s swivel chairs be? There’s no need to replace it.”

“Speaking of which, President Fu took another leave today. It seems that since a certain day last month, she’s been taking time off every now and then.”

“To be honest, I don’t think this is President Fu’s usual style. As everyone knows, ever since she took office, she’s been a diligent 9-6-7 worker [dog head.jpg].”

“Agreed, it doesn’t seem like her.”

“Everyone, I have a bold idea, but I don’t dare say it [hands clasped.jpg]. Let me give a hint, it’s an idea that’s dancing right on President Fu’s pet peeves.”

“I second that.”

“In my opinion, everyone should just carry on with their work. There’s no point in wild speculation. Once President Fu and Xiao Chen are back, won’t we find out?”