Chapter 146: I’ll Count to Three

Shen Mqing unwrapped the food packaging one by one, thoughtfully handing out utensils to everyone.

Everyone was happy about his change, though it was still a little hard to get used to. Shen Mqing stuck a straw into Wen Qian’s strawberry milk tea and casually handed it over.

The Little Fox tilted his head, watching him. ’He feels a little like someone...’

After a long moment, he finally figured it out. ’He’s like a combination of Li Jiu and Yin Zhi.’

’As for why a combination... probably because even if I lean on Wen Qian, he won’t pounce over and drag me away like Yin Zhi would.’

His beautiful fox tail flicked back and forth behind him. Even in his human form, he deliberately kept his tail out for Wen Qian to see.

All because she had just said... ’Your tail is beautiful.’

His fox tail was the part of him Qi Ke treasured most, and he was thrilled that Wen Qian liked it.

The woman quietly ate the dishes in front of her, letting the fox tail sway intermittently, creating a gentle breeze. Wen Qian found it interesting, and would sometimes free a hand to give his tail a squeeze.

Chi Heng lazily watched all this, then followed suit and started wagging his tail too.

「Gu Mian returned the following afternoon, along with Li Jiu and Chi Ye.」

After collecting the fragments into a box, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning piecing together the Critical Stone.

For two days straight, Gu Mian stayed in Wen Qian’s room, wrapping her with his thick, long snake tail, wanting to relieve the pain of their separation.

The Little Fox didn’t disturb them, obediently returning to his own room.

「It wasn’t until noon the next day that the Little Fox noticed a change in his body.」

Waves of heat, one after another, drove him nearly mad. Soon, even the tips of his ears were burning hot. He submerged his entire body in cold water, and at almost the same moment, low pants escaped his vivid lips...

’Damn it... is this... my heat?’

’But it was just two days ago...’

After soaking in the cold water for a long while, his body still felt terribly uncomfortable. He grabbed a nearby bath towel, hesitated for a moment, then picked up his phone.

"Hello..."

On the other end of the line, Wen Qian’s voice was a bit hoarse.

The Little Fox was silent for a long moment before saying in a low voice, "I think... I’m in heat."

"..."

The Fox Clan was different from other races; their heats would start after their first time.

During their heat, a fox becomes sensitive and is in pain, a state that can only be alleviated by being near the female they desire.

Wen Qian had to coax Gu Mian for a good while on her end before she could rush over to Qi Ke’s room.

Gu Mian followed behind, a dark look on his face.

"Hold me..." As soon as Wen Qian entered, Qi Ke immediately clung to her.

His icy body temperature made Wen Qian shiver. She subconsciously tried to push him away, but when she looked up, she met his misty eyes.

Gu Mian stood at the door, watching quietly. When he smelled the strong hazelnut scent, he immediately frowned.

"I’ll go back and wait for you," he said, his voice flat.

Wen Qian nodded apologetically, then helped the Little Fox lie down on the bed.

BANG!

The sound of the door closing was a bit heavy, but it didn’t attract much of Wen Qian’s attention.

Because she discovered that Qi Ke had grown a second tail...

She had always thought that a fox’s tails were something they were born with, but now it seemed... that wasn’t the case.

The dazed Little Fox didn’t notice any of this at all, his tail wrapped tightly around her waist.

’This is bad,’ Wen Qian thought. The next second, the world spun, and she was pinned to the bed.

’He’s this delirious, yet he’s still so strong.’

...

It wasn’t until dinnertime that Wen Qian finally climbed out of bed.

Qi Ke’s eyes were closed, and the heat in his face seemed to have subsided a bit; he didn’t look as flushed. Wen Qian tucked the blanket around him and reached for her clothes.

By now, Gu Mian had already prepared dinner. He didn’t say anything when he saw her.

Seeing the man turn and go into the kitchen, Wen Qian immediately followed.

The woman appeasingly wrapped her arms around his waist, then pressed her face against his back and expertly reached around to feel his abs.

"..."

His Adam’s apple bobbed. Gu Mian turned and lifted her onto the table, a faint green light flashing in his eyes. He lowered his head, his gaze like a predator staring at its prey. "What, want to give me an extra course?"

Wen Qian instantly understood. Gu Mian wasn’t like the Little Fox; if you teased him... you could easily get played yourself if you weren’t careful.

Struggling, she jumped down from the table. Wen Qian cleared her throat. "You... go on with what you were doing..."

By this time, Chi Heng had already transformed and was chatting idly with Chi Ye about something. When they saw Wen Qian come out, both of them turned their gazes on her.

Because of what just happened, Wen Qian’s face was a little hot, and she didn’t dare to look Chi Heng in the eye.

"Sister, why is your face so red?" Li Jiu happened to be coming downstairs at that moment, and he tilted his head, asking curiously.

"It’s a little hot," Wen Qian said, averting her gaze.

Li Jiu subconsciously glanced outside. Seeing the bare trees, he was a little confused.

"Hey, this is grown-up stuff. Kids wouldn’t understand... Come on, let’s play some games!" Shen Mqing clearly wanted to turn Li Jiu into his next gaming buddy.

’The Little Fox is too unreliable. All he does is orbit Wen Qian.’

’A proper teammate, even if his girlfriend is cheating on him, should have the determination to finish the match before going to catch them in the act.’

’But oh well, Li Jiu doesn’t have those kinds of problems.’

’Because he’s single, hehe.’

As if sensing something, the boy turned, tilted his head, and looked at Shen Mqing. For some reason, he felt that Shen Mqing’s expression was a bit... gloating?

There was still some time before Gu Mian finished cooking. Wen Qian went back to her room to tidy up a bit, then ran to the Little Fox’s room to check on him.

But as soon as she pushed the door open, the youth standing by the window froze abruptly.

CLATTER.

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor rang out. Wen Qian followed the sound with her eyes and saw that it was a pair of silver scissors.

At first, Wen Qian didn’t pay it much mind, but when she saw the bloodstains on the floor, her heart sank.

"What are you doing?!" she immediately rushed forward and yanked open the Little Fox’s clothes.

’Even if the heat is unbearable, you can’t just...’

’Huh?’

’It’s... just like it was before.’

’Looks perfectly healthy.’

Feeling a sudden cool breeze down below, the Little Fox froze completely.

His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. He lowered his head to follow Wen Qian’s gaze... and his entire body felt like it was about to burst into flames.

"No, it’s not that! You... you’ve misunderstood!" The Little Fox frantically pulled the fabric closed.

’How is Wen Qian getting so much bolder?’ he wondered. ’And so shameless...’

Realizing her mistake, Wen Qian let go, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She scratched her head, but quickly realized something was still wrong.

’If he wasn’t... then where did the blood on the floor come from?’

Frowning, she looked at the Little Fox again, only to see him take a step back, his eyes evasive.

He seemed to be deliberately preventing Wen Qian from seeing his back...

"I’m going to count to three. Turn around," Wen Qian said, her eyes narrowing.