Wagging My Tail in the Ice Queen CEO’s Embrace - Chapter 79

After the bus started moving, Ming Ying understood why Fu Anyu had advised her to eat a light breakfast and why the black plastic bag hanging in front of them was there.

As the bus left the city and traveled along the suburban roads, Ming Ying was jolted so much that her stomach churned violently. She nearly vomited on the spot, her face turning pale.

Fu Anyu noticed her discomfort and turned to ask, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine,” Ming Ying shook her head, forcing a faint smile. “I probably just don’t like riding buses. I’ll get used to it soon.”

Sensing her reluctance to speak the truth, Fu Anyu pursed her lips but didn’t press further. Instead, she opened a bottle of water and handed it to Ming Ying, saying, “If you’re not feeling well, you have to tell me.”

Ming Ying nodded, wiping the water from her lips, and then overheard someone ask, “Driver, why hasn’t this road been repaired?”

“It has been!” the driver replied. “But this area sees a lot of heavy vehicles. The road gets damaged as soon as it’s fixed. Look over there, the other side is blocked off.”

Ming Ying glanced out the window and saw that the opposite side of the road was indeed closed off, with workers in orange helmets and green-and-yellow striped vests laboring on the excavated surface.

“It’ll be better once we pass this section,” the driver added. “The roads near the resort are all smooth.”

Despite his reassurance, Ming Ying waited for a full ten minutes without feeling any relief from the jolting.

Coupled with the tight seatbelt digging into her, she could no longer bear it. She leaned against Fu Anyu in discomfort and quietly reached for her hand.

“Sister, I don’t feel well.” she whispered.

Fu Anyu squeezed her hand in response, then rummaged through the bag hanging in front of them and pulled out a preserved plum candy wrapped in black-and-white packaging.

“Let me unwrap a candy for you,” Fu Anyu said softly as she peeled off the wrapper. “Keep it in your mouth, but don’t chew it.”

Since company team-building events allowed employees to bring family members, and Fu Anyu had previously brought Ming Ying to the office, where Ming Ying called her “sister”, anyone who saw or heard their intimate interactions would simply assume a younger sister was acting spoiled toward her older sister, who was doting on her in return.

After all, Fu Anyu’s fiancé, Hu Xiuliu, was sitting nearby, and the fact that the two had called off their engagement had never been made public. No one would suspect anything beyond a sisterly relationship between Fu Anyu and Ming Ying.

So, after unwrapping the candy, Fu Anyu naturally fed it to Ming Ying.

Ming Ying tasted it, sour and sweet, just like preserved plum candy. She glanced down at the wrapper in Fu Anyu’s hand and confirmed it was indeed the same.

“Does keeping a preserved plum candy in your mouth help?” she asked, her cheeks puffed out.

“It works for me. You can try it first,” Fu Anyu said. “If it doesn’t help, I also have ginger candy, dried hawthorn, fresh orange peel, and if it gets really bad, I brought motion sickness medicine too.”

“You brought so many things?!” Ming Ying exclaimed in surprise.

Fu Anyu smiled.

This was the little fox’s first long trip in the human world, so of course she had to pack all the essentials. Otherwise, if the little fox were to suffer from any discomfort, the journey would turn from enjoyment into misery.

After feeding her the candy, Fu Anyu loosened Ming Ying’s seatbelt slightly to keep it from pressing too tightly against the little fox’s stomach.

Another five minutes passed, and the bus finally left the bumpy section of the road.

With the preserved plum candy in her mouth, Ming Ying felt much better, though her head was still a bit dizzy. She leaned against Fu Anyu’s arm and whispered, “I want to sleep for a while.”

Fu Anyu lowered the armrest between them, patted her own legs, and gestured for her to lie down.

Ming Ying immediately blushed. Glancing around, she noticed that aside from Hu Xiuliu, no one else had paid attention to their interaction, so she relaxed a little and obediently lay down.

Once she was settled, Fu Anyu reached up and adjusted the air conditioning vent above them slightly outward to prevent the cold air from blowing directly onto the little fox and making her catch a chill.

After doing this, she rested her hand on the little fox’s shoulder and was about to look down at her sleeping face when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She took out her phone and saw a message from Hu Xiuliu. Unable to resist, she shot a glare in Hu Xiuliu’s direction.

[Hu Xiuliu: So meticulous (/ω＼) Looks like you’ve finally caught on, congratulations!]

Fu Anyu replied with a string of ellipses. Recalling her earlier actions, she thought they were indeed quite considerate, but not intimate enough.

However, before officially announcing their relationship, being overly intimate in public wasn’t appropriate. Some gestures simply couldn’t be shown to outsiders yet.

The bus had already entered a smooth stretch of road. In about half an hour, they would reach the vicinity of Linlan Villa.

Fu Anyu had no intention of admiring the scenery and wanted to find something to pass the time. She downloaded a reading app on her phone, searched for the book she had stopped updating five years ago, and started reading from the first chapter.

As she read, she frowned, closed the screen to calm herself for a moment, and found the melodramatic plot a bit hard to stomach. Still, she thought her past self’s ideas were quite interesting and held some reference value. After composing herself, she continued reading from where she left off.

The little fox had read the entire book and even tried to discuss it with her afterward, which meant she enjoyed the stories Fu Anyu had written in the past.

So, she had to read it seriously.

The bus finally arrived at the foot of the mountain where the villa was located. When it stopped, the half-asleep Ming Ying was gently nudged awake. She opened her eyes, still a bit dazed, and instinctively stretched, only for her hand to suddenly touch something soft and familiar.

Startled, she followed the sensation and, upon realizing what it was, instantly blushed, murmuring “Sorry” before quickly retracting her hand and placing it demurely on her lap.

“We’re here,” Fu Anyu said, gesturing for her to look out the window.

Curious, Ming Ying turned her head and saw a bamboo fence not far away, enclosing tall, slender, yet sturdy green bamboo. A little further ahead was a path paved with bluestone slabs, leading to a dark wooden gate. Above it, a plaque bore four flamboyant characters: Linlan Villa.

“This is the foot of the mountain. The villa for our vacation is halfway up,” Fu Anyu explained. “Our luggage will be sent up by a special vehicle. We’ll walk up. Of course, if it’s too much for you, you can ride up with the luggage.”

“I can manage,” Ming Ying shook her head, crunching on the preserved plum candy in her mouth and lowering her voice. “I did grow up in the mountains, after all. I just get carsick. I took a nap earlier and I’m fully recovered now!”

Fu Anyu smiled and patted her head. After getting off the bus, she retrieved two trekking poles from the storage space of her green jade gourd and handed one to Ming Ying. “Let’s go, follow the group.”

The bus drove away, and the group from Shengwei Corporation began their ascent along the mountain path.

It had rained a few days ago, making the mountain path slippery. The hired guide, holding a loudspeaker, kept reminding everyone from the front.

Ming Ying found the loudspeaker annoying, so she took the initiative to pull Fu Anyu away from the front, only to end up next to Hu Xiuliu and Li Lingmao.

Li Lingmao was a registered demon in the Management Bureau, so he could freely reveal his demon form in front of humans. As the two of them stepped back, Hu Xiuliu was walking while holding a black cat in his arms, stroking it as he went.

“Oh, what’s going on here?” Hu Xiuliu flashed a gossipy smile as soon as he saw them. “The little fox looks quite worn out. President Fu, why don’t you carry her for a while?”

Ming Ying was taken aback. She felt her stamina and spiritual energy had fully recovered, and she had slept well the night before. Was this “sack” spouting nonsense with his eyes wide open?

Just as she was about to retort, she heard Fu Anyu say, “You’re right. Yingying, do you want me to carry you?”

Ming Ying: ???

The nickname “Yingying” left her stunned for a moment. After snapping out of it, she didn’t think Fu Anyu would also talk nonsense with her eyes open. After a few seconds of thought, she realized they were both doing it on purpose. So, she played along with a soft “Mm,” put away her trekking pole, and moved behind Fu Anyu.

Fu Anyu crouched down, and Ming Ying climbed onto her back, holding the trekking pole in one hand and wrapping her other arm around Fu Anyu’s neck.

“Let me take that,” Hu Xiuliu said, casually taking her trekking pole and using it himself. He quickened his pace and soon disappeared from Ming Ying’s sight.

As Fu Anyu carried Ming Ying forward, she could feel many employees casting surprised glances their way. Some of the higher-ups who were on good terms with her even asked with a laugh:

“President Fu, you’re really spoiling your little sister, aren’t you?”

“President Fu, we’re here for a team-building trip. Even if she’s your family, she should still get some exercise!”

“Xiao Fu, your sister really does look pale. You should keep a closer eye on her.”

Since Ming Ying always called her “sister,” almost everyone assumed Ming Ying was her relative.

Fu Anyu casually responded to their remarks and then slowed her pace, soon falling to the very back of the group.

No one said anything about it, after all, she was carrying someone on her back.

But the little fox on her back had quietly let out her fox ears. As they brushed against the back of Fu Anyu’s neck, the fluffy sensation made her want to immediately pull the little fox into her arms and stroke her tail.

“Put them away,” Fu Anyu whispered.

“It’s fine, I only let one out,” Ming Ying whispered back, close to her ear. Still, she obediently retracted her fox ears and pressed her face even closer.

Whether carrying or holding, it was a way to bring them closer. Though Ming Ying didn’t like Hu Xiuliu, she was genuinely grateful for his reminder.

Traveling and vacationing were great opportunities to deepen their relationship. Whenever the chance arose, she should seize it.

Fu Anyu walked steadily, and Ming Ying felt comfortable resting on her back. The environment was perfect for thinking, so she admired the scenery along the way while pondering what to do next.

First, she couldn’t let Fu Anyu carry her the entire time. If she left a bad impression on Fu Anyu’s colleagues and subordinates, like “President Fu’s sister is too delicate”, then when Fu Anyu eventually went public with their relationship, many people would surely disapprove.

Second, she also needed to take the initiative to care for Fu Anyu, at least to send the signal that “we care for each other.”

After being carried by Fu Anyu for a few minutes, Ming Ying deliberately softened her voice and said, “Sister, I’m fine now. You can put me down.”

Fu Anyu nodded but didn’t release her, instead quickening her pace as she walked forward.

“Your cane is still with Hu Xiuliu,” she said. “We need to go get it back first.”

Ming Ying replied with an “okay” and, taking advantage of Fu Anyu’s brisk movement, leaned close to her ear and gently nibbled on her earlobe.

She felt Fu Anyu tremble, then heard her chuckle and say, “Just you wait.”

Wait?

Wait for what?