After arriving home, the little girl was drowsily drifting off to sleep. Pei Chiyao had intended to call Zhi Yao to take a bath, but seeing how exhausted and sleepy she looked, he decided to bathe her himself instead.
Zhi Yao was sound asleep, and Pei Chiyao's movements were gentle. She only opened her eyes once during the bath and, seeing that it was Pei Chiyao, she fell back asleep peacefully.
Pei Chiyao smiled. After finishing up, he tucked Zhi Yao into bed and let her sleep, as he still had some matters to attend to. He closed the bedroom door and headed to his study.
As soon as he picked up his phone, he saw a new message.
In an instant, Pei Chiyao's previously good mood turned gloomy.
The message contained just one word - "Pei."
The next day, Zhi Yao woke up early. She felt the space beside her, but it was empty and cold.
The little girl rubbed her eyes and yawned - she didn't need to guess where Pei Chiyao was.
She tiptoed into Pei Chiyao's study and saw him replying to emails.
In a flash, she transformed into a little fox and scurried into Pei Chiyao's loose clothing, snuggling against his chest.
A furry lump suddenly appeared on his chest, but Pei Chiyao wasn't surprised at all.
He had noticed Zhi Yao coming in earlier.
Without changing his expression, he pulled Zhi Yao out from his collar. "Zhi Yao, why are you causing mischief so early after waking up?"
The little fox lay in his palm, exposing her soft belly, but her eyes held an accusatory look.
She was glaring at him.
"What did I do?" He unceremoniously placed Zhi Yao on the desk, typing with one hand while petting her from head to tail with the other.
The little fox let out a contented "purr" sound.
His technique was too good! Zhi Yao was utterly conquered by Pei Chiyao's hand.
Just as Zhi Yao was about to doze off from the comfort, she suddenly felt a tap on her butt.
Zhi Yao grumbled irritably, turned over, and tried to go back to sleep.
But Pei Chiyao didn't give her that chance. Instead, he grabbed her front paws and placed her on his lap.
He examined Zhi Yao carefully, unexpectedly recalling Red Fox's words.
He said Zhi Yao wasn't just a combination of foxes, but might have genes from other animals as well.
But no matter how Pei Chiyao looked at her, Zhi Yao was just a fox.
Soft and sweet, fair and adorable, about the size of his palm. Golden eyes, pink paw pads. Her muzzle wasn't as pointed as other foxes, and her face was rather round - when she smiled, her eyes curved charmingly, nothing like the shrewdness often seen in foxes.
And... she even smelled nice.
Not like a fox at all, more like a kitten.
Could it be... Zhi Yao's father was actually a cat?
Zhi Yao had just opened her eyes when she met Pei Chiyao's burning gaze - a look she was all too familiar with. Whenever they were in bed, Pei Chiyao would have that expression before devouring her completely.
Literally devouring!
Every time he bit her, it was so painful, leaving marks all over her body.
The little fox immediately struggled to escape, but Pei Chiyao grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. Her four short legs flailed in the air, but she didn't move an inch.
Zhi Yao kept trying to run away until she was breathless.
When she turned around, Pei Chiyao was still right there! That's when she realized what was happening!
"Pei Chiyao, you're so bad!" She glared at him again.
She was just a fox now, so surely Pei Chiyao couldn't do anything to her, right?
"How am I bad?" Pei Chiyao laughed in bewilderment. "You're all huffed up so early in the morning. I worked so hard to bathe a certain ungrateful little fox last night, and as soon as you wake up, you turn against me?"
He poked Zhi Yao's cheek.
Zhi Yao glared at him again. "Did you stay up all night again?"
"You promised you'd go to bed on time with me from now on. You liar!"
Ah, so that's why she was angry.
He laughed softly. "The heating was on full blast last night. Even without me there, you wouldn't have frozen."
That wasn't why she was upset at all!
"You're human. Humans are fragile. If you keep staying up late, it's bad for your health!" The little girl remembered hearing news about people suddenly dying from overwork while on set, and she felt worried.
She would live for thousands of years, but Pei Chiyao only had a few decades of life left.
Just the thought of spending her long fox life without Pei Chiyao made Zhi Yao sad...
She wanted Pei Chiyao to stay with her for as long as possible, even longer...
Pei Chiyao had no idea Zhi Yao's mind had already gone down such a winding path.
"Alright, my little ancestor," he said, stroking the soft fur of the little fox. "I promise I'll go to bed on time with you from now on, okay?"
Then he remembered something else. "I have to go out tonight. I might come back late. Wait for me at home."
"Where are you going?" Zhi Yao perceptively caught Pei Chiyao's fleeting change in mood.
This was the first time Pei Chiyao had to go somewhere without taking her.
"A banquet. You wouldn't like those people."
He didn't want them to see Zhi Yao.
Zhi Yao sat in his palm, her front paws tucked in front of her. "No, no! I want to go too! You have to take me wherever you go!"
"Zhi Yao..." Pei Chiyao tried to say more, but Zhi Yao cut him off abruptly.
"I don't care! You have to take me, or else... or else..." The little one racked her brain to think of a threat for Pei Chiyao.
"Or else, you'll never get to sleep with me again!"
After struggling for a while, she decided that was the most intimidating threat. She didn't want to stay home alone. Wherever Pei Chiyao went, she had to go too.
Upon hearing this, Pei Chiyao only laughed harder. "Baby, clearly it's you who clings to me to sleep together, isn't it?"
It was warm to sleep with Pei Chiyao on cold nights, so Zhi Yao didn't like sleeping alone anymore.
Seeing that he wouldn't agree, Zhi Yao seemed determined to keep insisting. Finally, Pei Chiyao gave in. "Fine, I'll take you with me, but..."
Tonight's banquet would inevitably mean encountering Xie Qinzhou.
Just thinking about the way Xie Qinzhou looked at Zhi Yao made Pei Chiyao's blood boil.
He really wanted to gouge out those fox-like eyes of Xie Qinzhou's.
He tapped Zhi Yao's head in warning. "Tonight, you can only stay by my side. Don't wander off, and don't talk to anyone else. Especially Xie Qinzhou, or else you know the consequences."
Xie Qinzhou would be there too?
Zhi Yao tilted her head and raised a paw in promise. "I swear, I swear!"
