Chapter 45: The Haughty Little Fox

"What? Say that again... Who did you give it to?!" Yin Zhi thought he had misheard, his eyes wide and round.

’A fox! She actually said she gave it to a fox!! She’s never even given me anything!!!’

Even the ever-composed Gu Mian’s expression darkened. "Qianqian, think it over carefully. Who did you really give it to?"

"Sister, is it... the one I’m thinking of...?" Li Jiu asked, his face filled with shock.

Facing their scrutinizing, stern gazes, Wen Qian hung her head even lower. She really wished the ground would swallow her whole.

’That’s what I get for being a sucker for a cute face!’

Wen Qian said, "Can we please not talk about this anymore..."

Yin Zhi: "No!"

Gu Mian: "No."

He glanced from Yin Zhi to Gu Mian before his eyes finally settled on Wen Qian. The young man said tentatively, "Sister, it really seems like we can’t let this go..."

Wen Qian was on the verge of tears. For the first time, she truly regretted one of her past actions.

"Actually, I only remembered this recently..." Wen Qian stared at the ceiling with a look of utter despair and tried to recount the story as gently as she could.

It all happened after she moved out of the Wen Family home.

Every day, Wen Qian had to go to great lengths to shake off the people tailing her, and she had gotten to the point where she’d practically memorized every back alley in those areas. The routes near her new place were also confusing, and one day, she somehow found herself wandering into a small alley.

The alley was long and winding, lined on both sides with a jumble of brick-and-tile houses of varying heights. Their weathered walls looked like they held a great deal of history.

At first, Wen Qian thought she had taken a wrong turn; she had never heard of a place like this in City A. She took out her phone to check and realized this was the "abandoned district" that had been in the news a while back.

The houses in this area were ancient, the old buildings carrying the memories of generations. It was located in a prime, central part of City A where land was exceedingly expensive, but for that very reason, renovation was no simple task.

Let alone the fact that the narrow roads and small houses were unsuitable for modern living, just navigating the layers of bureaucracy for approval would be a monumental task. But even if it were approved, no one would want to live there.

Who would give up smart home appliances to live in a tile-roofed house that didn’t even have its own private bathroom?

So, over time, the area’s population dwindled, and the houses were left empty.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, people wouldn’t even choose to rent a place here.

The government had long wanted to tear the place down, but while the houses were small, they were numerous. That, coupled with it being City A’s most expensive district, meant the demolition kept being delayed.

And that was where Wen Qian saw the Little Fox.

A little ball of orange fur was curled up on a lounge chair, clutching a tattered rag doll. It was basking in the sunlight, a large, fluffy tail dangling over the side, swaying gently.

Wen Qian had always had a soft spot for fluffy animals. Thanks to the "influence" of web novels, she was convinced that foxes were the most beautiful animals on Blue Star. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as she walked straight toward the fox.

"Who’s there!" Before she could even get close, however, the Little Fox’s eyes snapped open. He turned his head, and the moment his gaze fell on Wen Qian, his tail shot straight up.

The fox’s reaction startled her, but when she processed it, her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You can talk!"

The Little Fox clearly realized its slip-up as well. Startled, it leaped from the chair and bolted.

Not knowing where she found the nerve, Wen Qian took off after it.

But ultimately, she was no match for the Little Fox’s speed, and she watched as it pulled further and further away... Just as she was about to give up, the little orange fox suddenly tripped over a loose wire and went down.

Its limbs splayed out, the Little Fox went splat on the ground. Its fluffy tail drooped limply, and the rag doll it had been clutching so tightly was even flung from its paws.

"Are you trying to mop the floor?" Wen Qian asked, panting for breath, unable to hold back a laugh.

"You’re still laughing..." Scrambling to its feet, the Little Fox blew on its tail in distress. Seeing that Wen Qian wasn’t the least bit intimidating, its tone turned vicious. "You wretched female!"

"Are you a Beastman? This is my first time seeing a Beastman who can talk without transforming..." Thinking of her own Little Black Snake, a gentle look softened Wen Qian’s gaze.

"What’s the big deal!" The Little Fox huffed, patting the dust from its fur with its little paws. Then, as if remembering something, it immediately turned to find its rag doll.

Carefully picking up the rag doll, the Little Fox’s eyes filled with sorrow. The doll had been a gift from a blind old woman, but she had sadly passed away three years prior.

She died in one of these very houses. By the time her son and daughter-in-law arrived, her body was already decomposed beyond recognition.

That was when the Little Fox learned to speak. Because it couldn’t transform, it had practiced countless times just to be able to clearly say the word "Help."

"I’m so sorry..." Seeing it clutching the rag doll, looking like it was about to cry, Wen Qian couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

"Hmph!" The Little Fox sniffled and turned its head away.

Its haughty act made Wen Qian want to laugh, but she quickly suppressed the urge, afraid she might scare it off.

"It’s dangerous for you to be here all alone. Why don’t you come home with me?" The Little Fox’s fur looked a bit dull and was covered in dust. It seemed it didn’t have a human to rely on.

"Just you?" The Little Fox glanced up. Then it looked down at its rag doll. "Your family won’t let you keep a fox."

Once, another little girl had wanted to take it home, but her parents chased it away with a broom. They said foxes were smelly, but it had just taken a bath... It smelled of fragrant soap.

"I live alone..." the girl murmured, lowering her eyes. Her expression grew dark and unreadable.

Startled, the Little Fox almost apologized, but it swallowed the words. It took two tentative steps toward Wen Qian and said awkwardly, "But I’m very expensive to keep!"

"That’s no problem, I have money! I’ll give you anything you want!" Seeing it was starting to yield, Wen Qian’s eyes brightened. She hadn’t spent any of the allowance her adoptive father had given her, so she was confident she could take very good care of the Little Fox.

"Really?" The Little Fox was still unconvinced. It sized up the little girl with the braids, its gaze finally landing on the pendant at her chest. "Would you give me this pendant, too?"

Wen Qian looked down. ’I have plenty more of these fragments anyway,’ she thought. ’And if it means the Little Fox will come with me, then giving this one away is no big deal.’ Then, she nodded emphatically. "It’s yours!"

Before the Little Fox could even react, Wen Qian took off the pendant and placed it around its neck.

The cool touch of the pendant on its soft fur made the Little Fox narrow its eyes in comfort. But what truly made him happy was hearing Wen Qian say, "This is very important to me."