Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 69

Ming Ying had a simple thought: since she couldn’t do anything else right now, she could at least be a listener. Some sorrows felt lighter when spoken aloud rather than kept bottled up inside.

Yet Fu Anyu shook her head. Even though she knew the little fox had no one else to talk to besides Du Yunxin, she still didn’t want to voice those matters.

She withdrew one hand, reached toward the little fox, and gently flicked her fingers, splashing water all over the fox’s face.

“I appreciate your kindness, but hurry up and finish your bath.”

Ming Ying let out a startled cry, wiped the water from her face, and huffed in displeasure before turning to lean against the edge of the bathtub. She muttered resentfully, “I was just trying to help ease your worries, and this is how you treat me.”

Fu Anyu merely smiled faintly.

A petal bath typically took about twenty minutes. Seeing that Fu Anyu was unwilling to share her past no matter what, Ming Ying thought, “If the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain,” and decided to tell her about her own life in the royal city.

“Compared to now, my life back then was actually quite monotonous. When I was young, I was woken up by the chamberlain as soon as the sun rose to wash up, then sent to the study to memorize texts.”

“I never liked memorizing, which is why I know so few spells now. I can’t even fly through the air, and I’ve been mocked by the evil spirits chasing me because of it.”

She chattered on about many things, and Fu Anyu listened quietly.

A little fox who had lived freely for over three hundred years was truly something to envy.

But the little fox had also paid a price for those three hundred years of freedom. If she had been able to handle the evil spirits that day, she wouldn’t have been injured in the leg by the “Return to Nothingness Seal,” nor would she have been forced into the forbidden land and ended up in the human world.

If that were the case, they would never have met in this lifetime.

Just like people, events have two sides. Even Fu Anyu found it hard to say whether the little fox was unfortunate or had actually benefited from her misfortune.

“I’m the complete opposite of you,” Fu Anyu said after listening. “Since I was young, I’ve been accustomed to devoting myself entirely to studying. If I didn’t achieve good rankings, not only would my parents be disappointed, but I would also blame myself for not working hard enough.”

She paused. “The same goes for cultivation and learning spells. But the main reason I cultivated diligently was because of my constitution. People call the ability to see ghosts and monsters ‘yin-yang eyes.’ Yin-yang eyes can be innate or acquired, and mine were innate. When I was very young, I would be frightened to tears by the ghosts and monsters drawn to me because of my constitution. My family couldn’t see them, so when I cried, they had no way to help.”

“But I remember you said you had a grandfather,” Ming Ying exclaimed softly, shaking her wrist toward her. “These spirit-control devices I’m wearing were crafted by your grandfather!”

“Yes, it was my grandfather who came to visit later and drove them away for me,” Fu Anyu nodded, a nostalgic look in her eyes. “Later, it was also my grandfather who taught me cultivation techniques and spells to ward off evil spirits.”

“What about your grandfather then?”

“He passed away,” Fu Anyu said softly, clutching the green jade gourd hanging from her neck. “This was also a gift from my grandfather. Like that set of spirit-control devices, it has become one of his relics.”

“And you still gave it to me?!” Ming Ying gripped the spirit-control devices on her wrist, staring at her in disbelief, and asked urgently, “They’re clearly your treasures.” Fu Anyu must miss her grandfather dearly, yet she had given these objects that held her longing to a strange demon she had known for less than a month.

“For an exorcist, it’s better to let a magical tool serve its purpose to the fullest rather than leaving it as a mere decoration,” Fu Anyu said. “If my grandfather were still alive, he would be happy to see you wearing them.”

Ming Ying shyly touched the bell on the Spirit-Control Device.

Once twenty minutes had passed, Fu Anyu brought over an empty basin nearby and began scooping the petals floating on the water into it, handful by handful.

“It’s time to change the water,” she said.

Ming Ying nodded, reaching out to gather the petals, helping her transfer them into the basin.

The water, now infused with jasmine petals, had turned a light brown. After most of the petals were removed, Ming Ying could see their bodies hidden beneath the water.

Recalling how she used to change bathwater in the demon realm, she blushed involuntarily and slowed her pace in scooping the petals.

“Why aren’t you bothered at all?” she whispered.

“Bothered by what?” Fu Anyu asked in return.

Ming Ying explained in an even softer voice.

To her surprise, Fu Anyu replied half-jokingly and half-seriously, “It’s not like you’re going to do anything to me, so why should I be bothered?”

This made Ming Ying so embarrassed that she immediately averted her gaze.

Even if she had entertained a fleeting thought, she truly wouldn’t act on it with Fu Anyu.

It wasn’t that she didn’t dare, she believed this was the way to show respect, especially since she wasn’t a fox who relied on seduction to enchant others.

Once the petals were all scooped up, Fu Anyu opened the drain at the bottom of the bathtub.

Ming Ying felt a faint, unusual sound from beneath the water, followed by the water level rapidly dropping. Inch by inch, Fu Anyu’s skin was exposed to her view, glistening with droplets that trickled downward.

The sight made her whimper and cover her face with her hands.

They were both sitting in the bathtub, fully visible to each other. Fu Anyu placed the basin full of petals back in its spot, refilling the tub while observing the shy little fox.

The fox tail, no longer fluffy from being wet, lay draped over the little fox’s belly, swaying slightly and listlessly.

Seeing how timid she was, not even daring to look at her, Fu Anyu quickly turned on the faucet to refill the tub as soon as the water had drained.

Steam rose warmly, mingling with the faint scent of jasmine, creating a subtly ambiguous atmosphere in the small bathroom.

“The mountain resort we’re going to for the team-building event has a hot spring,” Fu Anyu suddenly said. “The promotional slogan claims it can beautify and nourish the skin. If you’re interested, we can pick out swimsuits later.”

However, as soon as Ming Ying heard the word “hot spring,” she shivered from head to tail, unsure whether it was from excitement or shy apprehension.

In the novels she had read, two out of three would describe intimate moments between the main characters in hot springs.

Ming Ying wondered if Fu Anyu was hinting at something, but she had no proof.

Noticing the little fox spacing out, Fu Anyu added, “I’ve been there before. The spiritual energy in the spring is very rich, you’ll probably like it.”

Ming Ying snapped back to reality, burying her earlier shameful thoughts deep inside, and instead asked, “Are there swimsuits that aren’t too revealing?”

“Maybe,” Fu Anyu said. “We can search for some.”

“But if there aren’t any, would it be too late to have one custom-made?” Ming Ying tentatively asked. She remembered that after Fu Anyu had taken her measurements last time, she had asked Xiao Du to find a shop to tailor clothes for her, but there had been no updates since.

“It’s really too late, but the hot spring has small pools that can accommodate two people,” Fu Anyu said. “However, due to the limitations of the venue, the water quality isn’t as good as natural hot springs.”

Ming Ying finally felt relieved.

While they were chatting, Fu Anyu had already refilled the bathtub with water.

Ming Ying quickly scrubbed her body and washed away the flower juice residue from her hair.

The experience of bathing together was far less effective than she had imagined. It seemed Fu Anyu’s statement that “trying to recreate sweet moments from novels in real life would only lead to awkwardness” was true. Now, she just felt utterly embarrassed.

With such a tall Fu Anyu sitting right in front of her, she didn’t dare to look or make any small moves. It felt like she was just taking a bath, behaving so obediently it was almost unnatural.

“Ming Ying,” Fu Anyu suddenly called her.

Ming Ying immediately stopped what she was doing, sat up straight, and blinked as she looked at her.

“Do you need help?” Fu Anyu asked.

The little fox clearly had no experience washing her own hair or tail. If Fu Anyu left her to it, she’d probably end up with a frizzy, tangled mess after the bath.

Ming Ying froze for a moment, thinking about her knotted hair, and replied sheepishly, “Yes.”

Fu Anyu had her turn around with her back facing her, and slowly began untangling the matted strands in the water.

“Can I scrub your tail?” she asked as she worked. “You seemed to react strongly earlier. Would it be better if I did it one by one?”

“You can scrub it.” Ming Ying lowered her head in embarrassment, her hands fidgeting nervously.

She could sense that Fu Anyu seemed to be deliberately keeping a distance from her, but this distance wasn’t always maintained. Moreover, Fu Anyu seemed quite willing to engage in physical contact with her.

However, this kind of contact felt more like an older sister caring for a younger sister. Even if she wanted to overthink it, she couldn’t find any solid evidence to support such thoughts.

Though she didn’t fully understand the reason, Ming Ying still felt that the distance between them had narrowed somewhat.

Neither of them was particularly proactive by nature, and both had their own reservations, so their emotional connection wasn’t developing very quickly.

It had to be nurtured little by little, there was no rushing it.

The bath took nearly an hour, and by the time Ming Ying stepped out wrapped in a towel, she was already feeling drowsy.

But she still had to dry her hair and tail.

After learning that they might soon set off to find the demon realm, Ming Ying no longer allowed Fu Anyu to use spiritual power for such trivial matters. She even mustered the courage to try using a hairdryer.

But the moment Fu Anyu turned it on, Ming Ying was so startled that she folded her ears, huddled under the towel, and trembled uncontrollably. The sound of the hairdryer felt like thunder to her.

“Let’s forget it for today. I’ll buy you a low-noise hairdryer,” Fu Anyu said, switching it off and setting it aside. She then gathered spiritual energy in her palms, preparing to dry her starting from the top of her head.

“Wait!” Ming Ying suddenly thought of something and stopped her. Without another word, she transformed back into a fox.

Her fox form was much smaller than her human form, and once her fur dried in this state, the corresponding parts of her human form would also become dry.

So, Fu Anyu cradled the fox in her arms, first wiping her all over with a towel. As she smoothed her fur, she absorbed all the moisture from her body.

Ming Ying now loved the feeling of being petted in her fox form, even closing her eyes to savor it.

But when Fu Anyu’s hand rested on her tail, she couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry and began squirming uncontrollably in Fu Anyu’s embrace.

Fortunately, her claws had long been trimmed, so even when she scratched Fu Anyu’s arms and hands, it didn’t hurt.

Fu Anyu didn’t stop her from squirming. When the little fox stretched her paws into her palm, she would rub them dry. When the fox pressed her head against her arm, she would take the opportunity to smooth down the fox’s tail.

By the time the fox tail was dried, Ming Ying had finally calmed down. Fu Anyu simply wrapped her in the bath towel and dumped her onto the bed.

“All done,” Fu Anyu said, then picked up Ming Ying’s phone, opened the shopping app to the bathrobe section, and placed it in front of the fox. “Go ahead and pick one yourself.”