Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 72

Of course, Fu Anyu would never agree to let the little fox endure the pain alone. She shook her head and shot a sharp glare at Hu Xiuliu.

“Alright, there is still a way,” Hu Xiuliu had no choice but to say. “I’ll draw two substitute talismans for you to use, how about that?”

Ming Ying was shocked and quickly waved her hands. “No, no, that won’t do!”

She knew the effect of the substitute talisman. It came in two parts, mother and child. If she wore the mother talisman and Fu Anyu wore the child talisman, then during the talisman’s activation period, all the injuries she suffered would be transferred to Fu Anyu.

“You don’t want to go home?” Fu Anyu asked her.

“I do! But,” Ming Ying was a little frightened by her stern gaze and turned her face away, murmuring, “This is my problem. It shouldn’t be you who bears the pain for me.”

“That does make sense.”

Before Fu Anyu could speak, Hu Xiuliu suddenly chimed in.

“Has your relationship already progressed to that stage?” Hu Xiuliu stroked his beardless chin, his writer’s instincts kicking in. “Generally speaking, this kind of injury-sharing scenario is something only lovers would do.”

“Hu Xiuliu,” Fu Anyu said coldly.

“Ah, I’ve overstepped,” Hu Xiuliu stood up, brushed off his Taoist robe, and headed toward the house, saying as he walked, “Make yourselves at home. I’ll go draw the talismans now.”

Chen Yanxue also tactfully retreated with her flower tea, leaving the two of them sitting across from each other.

“Don’t listen to his nonsense.”

After a moment of silence, Fu Anyu was the first to speak.

Ming Ying bit her lip and finally mustered the courage to ask cautiously, “Fu Anyu, can’t we be lovers?”

She asked earnestly and solemnly, her hopeful gaze making Fu Anyu feel as if her heart were being squeezed tightly.

Fu Anyu didn’t know how to answer. She was well aware of the uproar it would cause if she confirmed a relationship, and she also knew that once she developed feelings for Ming Ying, she would do everything in her power to keep her by her side.

The little fox should be free and unrestrained. She shouldn’t keep the little fox all to herself.

After a long pause, she said firmly, “We can’t.”

Ming Ying froze, the hope in her eyes fading bit by bit, her gaze dimming. Yet she still insisted, “You’re lying to me!”

She didn’t believe that Fu Anyu’s care for her had nothing to do with affection. Those little acts of kindness were clearly signs of liking her, it was just that Fu Anyu never said it, and she never brought it up.

But she never expected that Fu Anyu wouldn’t even give her a sliver of hope!

Fu Anyu didn’t respond, merely sipping her tea quietly.

Ming Ying was furious. She reached out, grabbed Fu Anyu’s sleeve, and stared up at her.

“Since you’ve said that, then when the spell formation is activated later, don’t bring up bearing my pain again!” Ming Ying said through gritted teeth.

“Don’t listen to Hu Xiuliu’s words,” Fu Anyu frowned, not expecting her to use this as a threat. “I want to share your pain, not because,”

She paused mid-sentence.

It was precisely because she couldn’t bear to see the little fox suffer that she instinctively wanted to share her pain.

Liking someone is ultimately impossible to hide.

Hu Xiuliu never expected that his offhand remark would nearly cause them to argue.

When he returned with the talismans, he felt as if there were two icebergs in his courtyard.

“What’s going on with you all?” He sat down in confusion, looking at the bristling little fox. “Why is the little fox crying? Did President Fu make you angry?”

Ming Ying had been holding back, tears only welling in her eyes, but as soon as Hu Xiuliu said that, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Covering her face, she dashed outside.

“If you spoke less, I wouldn’t think you were mute,” Fu Anyu glared at him and stood up to chase after her.

Hu Xiuliu looked innocent as he waved to Li Lingmao and Chen Yanxue, who were hiding in the distance. “Hey, come over here and tell me what just happened. Both of you have good hearing, don’t pretend you don’t know!”

Ming Ying ran out of the temple crying and soon heard Fu Anyu calling her from behind.

But she was too angry right now, so angry that the moment she saw Fu Anyu, she wanted to grab her by the collar and wrap her tails tightly around her. So, she kept running forward without looking back.

She ran into the mountains, and the cicadas’ chirping soon surrounded her from all directions, making her even more agitated. Yet, it also drowned out Fu Anyu’s calls.

She even had a dark thought: What if a magic array suddenly appeared and transported her home, or if someone descended from the sky and kidnapped her? She wondered how Fu Anyu would react, would she be filled with regret?

Would she do everything in her power to find her?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Ming Ying quickly shook her head.

She must have been watching too many dramas, how could she think of something like that!

Ming Ying hurried to the shade under a tree, taking deep breaths of the mountain air rich with spiritual energy, and soon calmed down.

Right, she couldn’t throw a tantrum now. Fu Anyu still had to go to work in the afternoon, she couldn’t make her late.

Earlier, while watching a drama, Xiao Du had analyzed it for her: when the protagonist gets so angry they don’t want to see their partner and run away, it’s the most clichéd and melodramatic plot. It not only makes the character seem weak but also causes a lot of trouble for their partner, the dumbest, most infuriating move.

Thinking of this, Ming Ying turned around and headed back, still in a bad mood.

She didn’t want to be a weak, foolish fox.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when she saw Fu Anyu’s figure appear on the mountain path.

She let out a heavy huff but still quickened her pace, walking toward Fu Anyu.

Fu Anyu hadn’t expected the little fox to come back on her own. A breeze brushed past her face, and she instinctively raised her arms, only to find a soft, fluffy bundle leaping into her embrace.

As soon as she settled in Fu Anyu’s arms, Ming Ying opened her mouth and bit her hand, letting out very displeased “Yingying” sounds from her throat.

Fu Anyu looked down and saw four fox tails wrapped tightly around her arms, as if venting frustration.

“Throwing another tantrum,” she murmured, lifting the fox to face level and pressing her cheek against the fox’s furry nape.

Witnessing Ming Ying run away earlier, she had felt her heart plummet into an abyss, overwhelmed by a tide of loss and despair that nearly suffocated her.

But the moment she held the fox again, all those negative emotions vanished.

It felt exactly like recovering a lost treasure.

Ming Ying, tickled by her nuzzling, couldn’t help but release her bite and protested loudly with more ” Yingying” sounds.

Fu Anyu smoothed the fox’s fur and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly noticed familiar clothes scattered on the ground not far away.

“…” She had forgotten, when the little fox reverted to her true form, there was still something else to deal with.

Ming Ying was doing it on purpose. She didn’t care at all that her clothes were gone, as long as she maintained her fox form, she was fine. But Fu Anyu had to pick up her clothes and carry them down the mountain.

However, the next moment, she noticed the clothes on the ground had suddenly vanished. A faint ripple of spiritual energy came from above. She looked up and saw the green jade gourd hanging around Fu Anyu’s neck emitting a soft glow.

Ming Ying’s eyes widened in shock. She had forgotten that Fu Anyu possessed this magical artifact capable of storing objects!

“Stay in this form until we get home,” Fu Anyu whispered by her ear, her tone almost devilish.

After the chase, when the pair, one human, one fox, returned to the temple, Ming Ying no longer resisted the substitute talisman.

She and Fu Anyu had reached a silent understanding, their intentions clear to each other without needing words.

Hu Xiuliu was eager to reposition the spell. Seeing their situation had eased, he locked the temple gate and had Li Lingmao bring the ritual tools. After applying the substitute talismans to the human and the fox, he began forming the array.

Chen Yanxue stood beside Fu Anyu, ready to handle any unexpected incidents.

Ming Ying lay at the center of the array. Once the spell activated, aside from her fur being ruffled by the spiritual energy, she felt nothing unusual.

Worried, she glanced at Fu Anyu, who was sitting cross-legged on a cushion outside the array, eyes closed, expression calm and unchanged.

Reassured, Ming Ying quietly waited for Hu Xiuliu to finish the repositioning.

“Done. It’s still Linlan Manor,” Hu Xiuliu announced after about fifteen minutes. He then asked Fu Anyu, “Should I contact the local demon hunters first? If that place really is an entrance to the demon realm, we might need to evacuate the tourists, Fu Anyu?”

Ming Ying hurried to Fu Anyu’s side and gently tapped her hand with a paw.

“Go ahead and contact them,” Fu Anyu said, opening her eyes. She rubbed the fox’s head, cradled her in her arms, and spoke softly, “I’ll find time to go there in the next couple of days.”

“No need, you should rest,” Hu Xiuliu cut her off with a wave. “I’ll take He Che with me tomorrow to check it out. We don’t need many people, and my silly son is plenty strong.”

“I’m not your silly son!” Li Lingmao, who was guarding the array, protested loudly.

“Right, right, you’re my dad.” Hu Xiuliu dismissed him casually and signaled to Chen Yanxue with a look.

Understanding his meaning, Chen Yanxue helped Fu Anyu up and guided her out.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Ming Ying sensed something was wrong and asked Fu Anyu anxiously.

“I’m fine.” Fu Anyu replied, brushing the fox’s ear.

“Your voice has changed! Your energy is unstable!” Ming Ying grew frantic and immediately placed a paw over Fu Anyu’s chest, transferring spiritual energy to her.

Fu Anyu didn’t stop her.

After helping Fu Anyu into the car, Chen Yanxue drove straight home.

Ming Ying was terrified. She didn’t know what harm serving as a medium during the array formation could cause, but seeing Fu Anyu so pale, she feared she might cough up blood at any moment.

Her fear persisted until Chen Yanxue drove back to Fu Anyu’s home, where Du Yunxin came out to help Fu Anyu to her bedroom.

“Is Fu Anyu okay?” Ming Ying had no one else to ask, so she turned to Chen Yanxue.

Chen Yanxue hesitated for a moment before tactfully replying, “She might not be able to go to work this afternoon.”

“Should I call a doctor?” Ming Ying asked again.

“No need.” Chen Yanxue shook her head and slipped back into the car. “Just take good care of her.”

Worried, Ming Ying went upstairs. After passing by Du Yunxin, she entered Fu Anyu’s bedroom.

Seeing her orange nightgown hanging on the clothes rack, Ming Ying immediately transformed into her human form, quickly slipped into the nightgown, and tiptoed to the bedside.

Fu Anyu had already gone to bed, but upon hearing the faint sounds, she opened her eyes at once.

“Tell me, where do you feel unwell?” Ming Ying gently shook her hand upon seeing this. “If you don’t tell me, I… I’ll be scared…”

Fu Anyu thought for a moment. “My heart hurts a little.”

“Then let me rub it for you!” Ming Ying immediately placed her hand over Fu Anyu’s chest, slowly massaging in gentle circles.

Before long, she noticed Fu Anyu’s face had turned red.