“Fox, Auntie?”
“Mhm!”
Faced with Ji Yao’s question, Panpan nodded firmly, even turning to seek validation as she took Xiao Di’s hand and asked, “Auntie Xiao Di, isn’t that right?”
“Well!” Xiao Di smiled awkwardly, struggling to keep up with Panpan’s train of thought.
Confronted with her boss’s ex-wife, she needed to choose her words carefully, even while protecting Panpan subtly keeping her away from Ji Yao.
Panpan’s closeness to Ji Yao was entirely built upon the “persona” Shi Yu had crafted for her: a career-driven, stern-faced alpha mother.
But Xiao Di, having worked alongside Shi Yu for years, could be considered the person who knew Ji Yao best aside from Shi Yu herself.
Beneath that decent-looking alpha exterior lay a dissolute and unscrupulous heart.
“Miss Ji, I’m not really sure.”
Xiao Di’s disagreement made Panpan widen her eyes in disbelief. “Auntie Xiao Di?”
But Xiao Di didn’t answer further, instead lowering her head to coax Panpan, describing how fun the children’s playground would be.
She strictly followed Shi Yu’s instructions not letting Panpan get involved in adult matters.
So, even though Xiao Di couldn’t comprehend how Panpan had come up with the term “Fox Auntie,” it didn’t stop her from intervening.
“I’ll take Panpan to the children’s playground first.”
Panpan did want to go to the playground, but she also wanted to play with Ji Yao. So, for a few seconds after Xiao Di spoke, she blinked repeatedly before saying, “I’ll go play with Auntie Xiao Di for a while. Can we have crispy fried pork together tonight?”
The child’s eyes were filled with hope, and Ji Yao found herself unable to refuse.
It was Xiao Di who came to the rescue: “If we don’t go to the playground soon, all the other children will be heading home.”
Only then did Panpan follow Xiao Di as they walked away.
Watching their retreating figures, Ji Yao wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead.
Panpan was clearly well-behaved, but Ji Yao still hadn’t figured out how to face a child especially one who was “her” and Shi Yu’s own.
Yet, the child’s words had indeed given Ji Yao pause.
Fox Auntie?
Wasn’t that just a vixen!
It seemed this Xie Bing had more tricks up her sleeve than Ji Yao had assumed.
With Panpan’s guidance, Ji Yao no longer had to guess whether it was B7 or B8, she headed straight for B7.
Out of habit, Ji Yao chose to take the elevator, but she had no idea which floor she needed.
Moreover, due to the elevator’s interference, her connection with Shi Yu would grow even weaker.
So she stepped out and opted for the stairs instead.
Most residents of Century Garden were wealthy or influential, with large, well-designed units, so the buildings weren’t particularly tall, the highest being only a dozen floors. The building where Shi Yu lived was even better: a garden-style apartment with one elevator per household and just six floors.
Climbing floor by floor wasn’t particularly strenuous for Ji Yao.
But when she reached the fourth floor, she stopped.
Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes.
The pain in her wrist began to shift, accompanied by the scent of something burning. Electric currents coursed through Ji Yao’s body, confirming that she was getting closer to Shi Yu.
This was the drawback of the hand seal technique: the closer she got to her target while using it for sensing, the more Ji Yao would experience sensations akin to electric shocks.
Not intense, but uncomfortable nonetheless.
Given Ji Yao’s current abilities, this was the only way to search tedious, but effective.
Far more effective than taking the elevator.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, the electric shock sensation suddenly intensified. Every step became a struggle, but she now clearly understood what it was.
It wasn’t the same thing she had encountered on Xie Bing before this was definitely a fox spirit.
Enduring the pain, Ji Yao quickened her pace upward. She saw the “5F” sign and heard indistinct voices at the door.
There were three auras: Shi Yu, Xie Bing, and that fox demon.
Shi Yu was urging them to leave, while Xie Bing seemed unwilling to relent. Without waiting any longer, Ji Yao pushed open the stairwell door and appeared before the three of them.
Given her status, she really shouldn’t have been there, but when it came to Shi Yu, she couldn’t stand by and do nothing.
The four of them stared at each other in silence. Xiao Hu, standing beside Xie Bing, visibly arched her back, drawing even closer to Xie Bing.
Sensing Xiao Hu’s unusual reaction, Xie Bing also grew wary and turned a guarded gaze toward Ji Yao.
After a moment, Xie Bing said to Shi Yu, “A-Yu, let’s discuss this another time. I just remembered Xiao Hu has a vocal lesson. I’ll take her and go now.”
Something about this felt off to Shi Yu, especially with Xiao Hu trembling behind Xie Bing.
Xie Bing had shown up abruptly, and now she was leaving just as suddenly nothing like the earnest, persuasive tone she had used earlier.
Shi Yu’s cheeks flushed with anger, provoked by Xie Bing. Though they’d had similar arguments before, for the sake of interests, Shi Yu could usually understand.
But she had never allowed Xie Bing to run completely wild.
Of course, what she considered “wild” was, in Xie Bing’s eyes, merely a path to success.
So even after Shi Yu coldly refused, Xie Bing had still tried to persuade her.
But the situation shifted the moment Ji Yao appeared.
Shi Yu turned to look at Ji Yao. The resistance in her eyes was still evident, she couldn’t figure out why Ji Yao was here.
And Ji Yao was acting strangely.
She was slightly out of breath, leaning against the doorframe, her gaze fierce and fixed intently on Xie Bing and Xiao Hu.
Even her hand movements were odd, and she seemed to be muttering under her breath.
Shi Yu had experienced Ji Yao’s neurotic episodes before.
She had moved here precisely to avoid Ji Yao, but not long ago, Ji Yao had cornered her again. At that time, Xie Bing was helping her move, and Ji Yao, in one of her fits, had immediately attacked Xie Bing with pheromones just to drive her away.
Fearing that Ji Yao might lose control again, Shi Yu stepped past Xie Bing and Xiao Hu, locking eyes with Ji Yao.
She then told Xie Bing to take Xiao Hu inside and wait for her.
Although Shi Yu didn’t like strangers entering her home, she disliked even more the idea of others finding out about her relationship with Ji Yao.
Unexpectedly, Xie Bing seemed reluctant.
She tried to insist on leaving with Xiao Hu: “Shi Yu, we…”
An omega’s sensitivity wasn’t directed at anyone in particular, so just as Shi Yu could sense Ji Yao’s strangeness, she could also sense Xie Bing’s.
She lifted her eyes and scrutinized Xie Bing, who gradually softened and finally led Xiao Hu inside.
This apartment had been bought and decorated with Xie Bing’s help, and for convenience, Xie Bing’s fingerprint was still registered so entering wasn’t a problem.
Only when the hallway was empty did Shi Yu turn her attention back to Ji Yao.
“What are you doing here again?”
“Are you going to lose it like before, claiming to be my alpha and then.”
Shi Yu lowered her voice as she spoke, clearly not wanting anyone else to hear. The anger and disgust in her eyes were completely unconcealed.
From Shi Yu’s words, Ji Yao sensed something such incidents had likely happened before.
Shi Yu’s voice remained soft, and she kept some distance from Xie Bing, clearly not wanting to make a scene in front of outsiders.
Xie Bing was an alpha. Even though he was just Shi Yu’s work partner, it wasn’t impossible for people to speculate.
It was highly probable that the “previous her” had speculated and even taken action.
This made Ji Yao feel a bit stifled. She had come to deal with supernatural trouble, so how had Shi Yu twisted it into thinking she was here to cause a scene?
When she rushed over, Ji Yao had been impulsive, completely forgetting the “previous her’s” terrible track record in Shi Yu’s eyes.
No wonder Shi Yu would overthink things.
But Ji Yao didn’t have much time to explain to Shi Yu, so she softened her tone a little and urged her to leave.
Fortunately, Shi Yu didn’t want others to know about their relationship and specifically invited her inside, so as not to scare Shi Yu during what was to come.
Shi Yu’s condition was clearly not good her face was pale, and she seemed affected.
“Could you open the door first? Otherwise, this door.”
Ji Yao grew anxious, worried that the entity inside might panic and try to escape through the window.
She didn’t want to kick the door down outright, though she wasn’t sure if her current body had the strength for it. Still, she had to clarify things with Shi Yu first.
But her words only confirmed Shi Yu’s suspicions, the urgency in her tone seemed to prove Ji Yao’s instability.
To avoid Ji Yao’s pestering, Shi Yu had already put the house up for sale and was moving out the next day.
Right now, Shi Yu wanted nothing to do with her and couldn’t even be bothered to argue. She simply took out her phone and dialed the police.
But just as she pressed “110,” a sharp, piercing scream erupted from inside the house: “Ah!”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak.”
The strange noises continued. Ji Yao noticed Shi Yu’s hand trembling as she held the phone.
Yet, her expression remained utterly calm.