[No Eye Disease: If there is a matter to report, do so; if not, withdraw from court.]
Ning Qi’an slowly sprouted a question mark. What was Bai Tu talking about?
Regardless, a reply meant he was there.
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: What entertainment can be finished within two hours?]
The person on the other end was likely thinking; a minute later, Bai Tu’s message popped up.
[No Eye Disease: Watch a movie, I guess? Why?]
A movie? Ning Qi’an knew he had watched one yesterday, but he didn’t want to watch a movie right now.
Recalling that Bai Tu said he worked at a bar, Ning Qi’an asked:
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: Which bar do you work at? Can I come find you?]
[No Eye Disease: It’s a shop that just opened not long ago called “Don’t Miss It.” It’s quite close to you, but you probably aren’t used to the smell of alcohol yet, right?]
Ning Qi’an thought about it, and it was true; he didn’t like the smell of alcohol.
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: Is there a zoo nearby?]
[No Eye Disease: There is one. The director is an antelope. Hiss—are you very busy lately? Do you only have two hours of free time today?]
Ning Qi’an calculated on his fingers and replied:
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: I probably can’t get away for about half a month.]
After saying this, he added:
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: I have to go back at 12 o’clock today, and I have to go back at 6 o’clock in the afternoon.]
These times were roughly estimated based on Qin Suixi’s punctual meal times. Ning Qi’an guessed that Secretary Chen would come by at those times, and if he managed to return before that, he shouldn’t be exposed.
He had to stay at Qin Suixi’s house as a fox for these two weeks. After these two weeks, he could freely use his human form. Looking at the remaining ten days or so, it was indeed a long and arduous journey. As for these beautiful two days, he still had to get back before Secretary Chen.
The phone vibrated; it was a message from Bai Tu.
[No Eye Disease: Why are they both at mealtimes? Forget it, come to me now. Let’s hang out for two hours, and then I’ll see you at the zoo in the afternoon.]
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: Are you not working today?]
[No Eye Disease: It’s the weekend, what kind of work is there?]
Qin Suixi was so pitiful, having to work on the weekend. Ning Qi’an sympathized with him for a second and immediately replied:
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: Okay!]
The morning streets were not as lively as at night; compared to that, they seemed cold and deserted.
Following the GPS, Ning Qi’an reached the place he had agreed upon with Bai Tu. Bai Tu was more familiar with this area than Ning Qi’an, a fox who had just arrived. They left at about the same time, but Bai Tu didn’t need a GPS. By the time Ning Qi’an arrived, Bai Tu had already bought a roasted chicken leg for him.
“How did you know I wanted to eat this?”
Ning Qi’an moved to take a bite, “Ah—woo!” The familiar, wonderful taste rippled in his mouth; only then did he feel he was truly alive.
Bai Tu laughed: “I guessed.”
Ning Qi’an had tears in his eyes: “You are really a good person.”
He transferred money to Bai Tu, and another transfer record appeared in their chat interface, with the amount being 5. Everyone was a monster (yokai), and making money wasn’t easy; Ning Qi’an wouldn’t take advantage of his friend. But Bai Tu didn’t accept it and refunded it. Ning Qi’an tilted his head in confusion, and before he could react, he was flicked on the forehead.
“Ah—”
Ning Qi’an let out a cry of pain, rubbed his forehead aggrievedly, and accused: “Why did you hit me?”
Bai Tu pulled a long face and retorted: “I treat you as a friend, and you treat me as an outsider. Tell me, should I hit you or not?”
Looking at the 5 yuan refunded on the white chat background, Ning Qi’an looked up and said: “I treat you as a friend too, but what does that have to do with this?”
He turned his phone over, showing the small text that had popped up.
Bai Tu sighed: “Those people who say foxes are cunning really should see you.”
Ning Qi’an: “What do you mean?”
Bai Tu suddenly grabbed Ning Qi’an’s cheeks and pulled them to both sides: “It means you are too damn naive.”
Ning Qi’an seemed to hear Bai Tu calling him “Mom,” but he wasn’t Bai Tu’s mother—was Bai Tu missing his mother?
He grabbed Bai Tu’s wrists. The essential difference in body size between a fox and a rabbit was apparent. Bai Tu watched blankly as Ning Qi’an pulled his hands down and returned them to his sides.
“If you miss your mom, go visit her so you don’t miss the chance later.”
Ning Qi’an’s expression was earnest. Bai Tu was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and laughed: “No, hey, forget it. What I meant is, friends don’t need to be so reserved, and there’s no need to strictly divide ‘yours’ and ‘mine.’ Hmm… it’s just like you and your mom and dad, or your siblings.”
Ning Qi’an was thoughtful: “I think I understand, but wouldn’t you be at a loss then?”
Bai Tu felt like he was teaching a child and laughed: “Then you can buy me roasted leeks once in a while.”
Put that way, Ning Qi’an understood quite a bit. When the relationship is close enough, it’s okay to take advantage of each other. But you can’t always take advantage of others; you have to let others take advantage of you too.
With his surprising train of thought, Ning Qi’an reached a surprising conclusion.
They arrived at a commercial street, and Ning Qi’an now held a cup of hot pearl milk tea. The warm liquid went straight into his body, and the residual sweetness in his mouth kept him in a pleasant mood. Ning Qi’an gave a thumbs up, expressing his approval to Bai Tu.
“I knew it,” Bai Tu took a big sip, feeling cozy. “No monster can resist the charm of milk tea.”
As a result, when he turned his head, he saw Ning Qi’an finish a large cup of milk tea in one go, carrying the empty cup with a look of “still wanting more.” “I’m going to throw the trash away.”
Bai Tu’s pupils trembled, and he couldn’t help but blurt out: “Damn, you’re awesome!”
Ning Qi’an corrected him: “I’m not a cow (niú), I’m a fox.”
Bai Tu: “…” The Bureau of Monster Affairs really doesn’t teach these things, huh.
Ning Qi’an: ?
Bai Tu said with pity: “Nothing. You’ll understand later.”
The place Bai Tu chose was a commercial street he hadn’t been to before. As time passed and it got closer to lunchtime, more and more people arrived.
Ning Qi’an checked the time: “I have to go back.”
Bai Tu turned and walked into a restaurant, waving his hand: “I sent you the address. See you in the afternoon.”
Ning Qi’an took his first-ever bus ride in his fox life based on the GPS instructions. Luckily, he had 2 yuan on him, otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to take the bus.
Qin Suixi’s house wasn’t far from the commercial street, and running there would be in time, but Ning Qi’an didn’t want to sprint wildly like he did two hours ago—it was too eye-catching.
The bus stopped at every station. There were only two or three people on the bus, all sitting in their chosen seats playing on their phones, tapping their fingers on the screens without communicating or getting off. Unlike the monsters in the mountains, who would howl a greeting from far away when they saw each other.
Ning Qi’an thought, perhaps humans prefer using phones over face-to-face communication.
Since no one was getting on or off, the bus door stayed open for a very short time—almost a second—before closing immediately.
Ning Qi’an stared at the door, frowning, calculating the probability of dashing out within one second without getting caught.
So, getting off the bus requires a sprint? The Bureau of Monster Affairs didn’t seem to mention this, but seeing is believing. Ning Qi’an saw with his own eyes that the door only opened for a second, which meant he had to rush out.
Humans, truly terrifying.
Seeing that he was getting closer to his destination, Ning Qi’an quietly crouched down, assuming a starting position. The moment the bus stopped, he dashed out, took a flying leap down the three steps, spread his arms, and landed steadily on the ground—completing the disembarkation perfectly within one second.
Ning Qi’an thought happily, “As expected of me, hehehe, completing such a difficult move.”
He didn’t notice the look of “crazy person” on the faces of the driver and passengers behind him.
He found the blind spot for the surveillance, turned back into a fox to sneak into the apartment complex, turned back into a human at the bottom, and walked openly past the security booth into the elevator he had used before.
…
Facts prove that when your brain gives you a warning, you must think twice before acting.
Ning Qi’an stared at the password lock on the elevator door. It required swiping a card or entering a password—he didn’t have the former, and he didn’t know the latter.
Actually, there was another way, which was to call Qin Suixi and tell him: Hey! I’m a fox! I snuck out to play and came back, could you please give me permission to open the elevator door?
He would definitely be treated as a scammer.
Ning Qi’an thought, wishing he could cry.
“Hello, you went to the wrong elevator, right?”
Secretary Chen looked at the person hitting their head against the wall and asked. He squinted slightly, his sharp gaze almost seeing through him. This elevator only went to one fixed floor, and he hadn’t heard the young Mr. Qin mention any guests visiting.
A thief? It was possible. There was only over a month until the New Year, the time when thieves and scammers were most active.
Looking like a decent person, who would have thought they had malicious intentions? Sure enough, looks can’t decide everything. A scammer isn’t necessarily a creepy uncle, and a loli isn’t necessarily a girl.
Secretary Chen pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the frames seeing everything.
Ning Qi’an had no idea he had already become a thief or scammer in Secretary Chen’s heart. He looked up abruptly, met the suited Secretary Chen, and immediately knew this was the person Qin Suixi had arranged to take care of him.
Truly, disasters never come alone. I only have myself to blame for playing too hard.
He managed to say: “Yes, I’m really sorry.”
He had wanted to secretly watch Secretary Chen enter the password, but the other party was very vigilant, keeping his gaze fixed on Ning Qi’an.
Secretary Chen: “Sir?”
Ning Qi’an had a bitter expression: “Sorry, I’ll leave right away.”
Until Ning Qi’an’s figure completely disappeared from his field of vision, Secretary Chen turned to press the password.
Another safety hazard successfully resolved today.
The house had been renovated recently. There wasn’t much furniture, and most were in a minimalist style. The pale yellow dog bed next to the TV was the only warm color and stood out. Secretary Chen looked around but didn’t see the fox.
The young Mr. Qin didn’t tell him the fox’s name, so Secretary Chen had to use the universal language for summoning animals.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, little fox.”
The little fox didn’t come; the little fox was crazily climbing the water pipe. If someone from the opposite building looked over, they would definitely see a fox struggling to climb up the water pipe.
Ning Qi’an’s four claws firmly grabbed the smooth water pipe, his sharp nails wedging into the edges of the seams, using the leverage to climb up little by little. Luckily, when he was young, he learned to climb trees from squirrels to raid bird nests, otherwise, he would have performed a “mysterious disappearance of a fox.”
It was also fortunate that Qin Suixi didn’t live very high up. Ning Qi’an gritted his teeth, and finally, he climbed to the fifth floor. There was a layer of glass blocking the balcony edge, leaving about ten centimeters at the very bottom. Ning Qi’an measured it with his head and determined his body couldn’t squeeze through.
He hesitated whether to continue climbing up the water pipe to jump into the balcony. Just as he was about to implement the plan, he unexpectedly met Secretary Chen’s eyes.
Secretary Chen saw the fox dangling half a step away from falling to its death. His body moved like an arrow to pull open the balcony door, bent down, and grabbed Ning Qi’an by the neck through the one-meter-high glass, pulling him back to safety.
With the crisis averted, Secretary Chen realized he was already in a cold sweat. He adjusted his slightly crooked glasses and said: “Little ancestor, what were you doing out there?”
Ning Qi’an’s ears drooped, his body flattened—the typical expression of admitting a mistake. Secretary Chen ignored him, sent a message to inform Qin Suixi of the incident, and received a new task.
[Young Mr. Qin: Arrange for someone to put iron wire netting outside in a few days.] [Chen: Understood.] [Young Mr. Qin: Give it more vegetables for dinner.] [Chen: Understood.]
Ning Qi’an didn’t know what was waiting for him, foolishly thinking he had escaped another disaster, and his boldness continued to inflate.
“Come over and eat.”
Secretary Chen took out the food box and opened it. Inside were indeed some fragrant yellow-braised chicken pieces. Smelling this, Ning Qi’an’s saliva was almost dripping. He had only eaten a chicken leg and a cup of milk tea in the morning, which had long since been digested, and he was now so hungry his chest was sticking to his back.
The food box was placed under Ning Qi’an’s mouth, and Ning Qi’an shouted excitedly and buried his head to eat.
A pair of large, fluffy ears trembled with his movements. Secretary Chen felt an itch in his heart to reach out and pet him, but his professional standards held him back.
No, this is young Mr. Qin’s fox, and a shrewd and capable secretary does not do extraneous things without permission. Even if the superior is not present.
Secretary Chen grabbed his own hand, restrained himself, and turned to face the living room. If I don’t look, I won’t feel itchy. I am a gold-medal secretary with a sense of boundaries.
Ning Qi’an didn’t know Secretary Chen’s inner thoughts; he only wanted to say that this meat and this sauce were truly excellent!
After a full meal, Ning Qi’an looked at Secretary Chen, who was spacing out at the living room, and reminded him: Secretary Chen, you should go.
He still had to go to the zoo with Bai Tu; he couldn’t stand them up. As for how to get back? Ning Qi’an indicated he had his own clever ways.
He remembered there was an electronic password lock on the gate. To escape again in the afternoon, he had to be well-prepared, as he might need it at some point.
Secretary Chen packed up the food box, poured clean bottled water into the bowl on the balcony for the fox, checked his watch, and realized half an hour had passed. He patted his clothes and prepared to leave.
The fox dragged its large tail to escort him to the door. Secretary Chen had no experience raising pets, so he thought the fox was reluctant to see him go, and his voice became significantly softer: “I’ll come back in the afternoon.”
The fox made a sound as if acting spoiled, making Secretary Chen’s heart almost melt. Only then did he understand why Mr. Qin was so concerned about this fox.
The door was wide open. Just as Secretary Chen stepped out, the fox squeezed out of the door. Secretary Chen understood and asked: “Do you want to go out for a walk?” After saying this, he laughed at himself—the fox couldn’t understand human language, so why say such things?
Secretary Chen pointed at the door gap, his tone quite serious: “Go in, you are not allowed to come out.”
Young Mr. Qin didn’t arrange for him to take it for a walk; he only arranged for him to come over to look after its diet. He never did extraneous things. Besides, there were urgent tasks at the company waiting for him to deal with; he didn’t have much time to waste.
The other party’s tone changed suddenly. Ning Qi’an blinked, his body already completely out of the door. He followed the direction of the finger, lifted his hind legs, and kicked hard—the door slammed shut, completely locked.
Secretary Chen: “…That’s not what I meant.”
No, why am I arguing with a fox? Secretary Chen had to go up and re-enter the password to open the door, not noticing the fox next to him intently staring at him.
To be precise, it was staring at the position where his fingers landed on the password screen.
007009
Password, successfully acquired!
Secretary Chen opened the door and turned to see the fox looking at him with a squinted, grinning expression. He didn’t know how to describe it, but he felt a chill down his back, as if he had inadvertently leaked company secrets.
He pointed at the interior, his tone even more firm and sharp: “Go in!”
This time the fox was obedient. Its erect ears became airplane ears, and it trotted into the house. Seeing that small, somewhat lonely back, a sense of apology suddenly welled up in Secretary Chen’s heart.
Was I too fierce? The fox just wanted to go out for a walk, not sneak out and go missing. It’s too lonely being a fox at home alone. Secretary Chen decided to come back earlier in the afternoon and not let it go hungry.
Secretary Chen kept the fox in his heart, while the fox played tricks on Secretary Chen.
The fox that Secretary Chen was worried about was currently lying on the floor in front of the door, listening and smelling.
The elevator door opened; the human scent faded.
= Secretary Chen is gone!
Ning Qi’an was still very vigilant and waited for several more minutes. A few minutes later, he opened the door and went out. Even if he couldn’t use the elevator, he repeated “007009” in his heart several times to ensure he remembered the password firmly before closing the door.
This time his brain didn’t warn him, so following the old routine of the morning, Ning Qi’an successfully escaped again, relying on the GPS to catch the bus to the zoo.
Bai Tu had asked him “Are you ready?” ten minutes ago.
The escape was too hurried; Ning Qi’an, who only now had the time to check the message, hurriedly replied:
[Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears: Already on the way.]
Bai Tu replied quickly:
[No Eye Disease: Good, be quick!]
Ning Qi’an reached the zoo quickly. There were many people getting on and off this bus, so he didn’t need to dash out in one second—instead, he followed the person in front and slowly got off. The driver could see the passengers behind, so you just need to wait at the door in advance to get off.
Ning Qi’an learned another little piece of knowledge for human survival.
There were many people at the zoo on the weekend, mostly parents with small children, and clingy couples. Ning Qi’an, being alone, seemed particularly out of place.
Ning Qi’an looked around and spotted Bai Tu at a glance. There was no other reason than the long rabbit ears on Bai Tu’s head, which made him “stand out from the crowd.”
Ning Qi’an rushed over, grabbed his ears, and pulled them down. He looked around nervously, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he whispered: “Your ears are showing, hide them quickly.”
“Oh my,” Bai Tu snatched the two rabbit ears from his hand, grabbed them with his palms, and squeezed them a few times, explaining: “They are fake. Didn’t you see the white hat on my head?”
Hearing this, Ning Qi’an looked closely. Sure enough, that pair of rabbit ears was sewn onto the hat; from a distance, it was truly hard to tell the real from the fake.
Ning Qi’an was immediately tempted and asked: “Are there any for a fox? I want to buy one too.”
Bai Tu nodded: “There are, and they are free, too.”
The shop selling animal hats was opened to the left of the zoo entrance. The shop wasn’t big, but there were many children, all with their mouths open and eyes wide, looking around, pestering their parents to buy the ones they liked. Ning Qi’an saw the lady at the checkout calculating the amount; the customers paying would show their payment codes.
“This doesn’t seem to be free.”
Ning Qi’an was truly puzzled, but Bai Tu smiled mysteriously and took him to find an uncle who was sitting leisurely on a red stool in a corner of the shop, reading a book.
“Uncle Yang, my friend wants a fox one.”
The man called “Uncle Yang” put down the book in his hand and placed it face down on the red stool. The cover of the book read “Human Language.”
Uncle Yang had a stubbly beard, like bamboo shoots after the rain, sprouting on that small patch of skin. Ning Qi’an stared at it without blinking. His sense of smell told him Uncle Yang was a goat, but a goat’s beard shouldn’t be that short. However, there was a slight difference between human form and animal form, and beards could be trimmed, so he concluded that Uncle Yang was likely a goat who had just trimmed his beard.
Ning Qi’an went around in circles and ended up back at the starting point, essentially a wasted effort.
Uncle Yang rubbed his nose and said: “A fox? Come here, fox, answer a question.”
Ning Qi’an was still immersed in the question of Uncle Yang’s beard, and it wasn’t until Bai Tu nudged him with his elbow that he reacted.
“Oh, oh, please ask.”
Ning Qi’an reacted for a moment before realizing what he was talking about.
Uncle Yang said: “What is the first rule of the ‘Behavioral Guidelines for Primary and Middle School Students’?”
Ning Qi’an didn’t understand: “What?”
Uncle Yang frowned at Bai Tu, his eyes filled with accusation.
Uncle Yang: “What kind of thing is this? Is it officially down from the mountain?”
Bai Tu joked: “Yes, it must have passed the exam of the Bureau of Monster Affairs to be able to come down.”
As soon as he heard the words “Bureau of Monster Affairs,” a light flashed in Ning Qi’an’s mind, and he blurted out: “The first rule: Do not disclose your identity at will, unless under special circumstances. The second rule…”
“Enough, shut up.”
Bai Tu covered Ning Qi’an’s mouth with quick eyes and hands, his eyelids twitching.
Ning Qi’an came back to his senses, scratched his cheek, and said: “Sorry about that, it’s become a habit.”
The first requirement for monsters entering the world was to memorize the “Monster Handbook,” commonly known as the “Behavioral Guidelines for Primary and Middle School Students.” Ning Qi’an had put a lot of effort into this back then, reciting it once before bed and once after waking up, which allowed him to pass the exam by the examiner of the Bureau of Monster Affairs in one go.
After confirming his identity, Uncle Yang picked up the long iron rod beside him and hooked down a hat with fox ears.
Ning Qi’an’s eyes lit up, and he caught the hat with both hands. Touching the lifelike fox ears, Ning Qi’an’s hand suddenly paused. He suddenly moved the hat away, stretched his arm straight, and leaned his head back hard.
Bai Tu was confused by this set of movements and asked: “Are you having a cramp?”
Ning Qi’an looked up, his eyes crystal clear, with water light swirling in them.