Secretary Chen knocked on the door at the opportune moment to remind him. Qin Suixi looked up from his mountain of work, closed his laptop, and walked out of the office with a steady gait.
His departure was like a signal. The employees who had been processing work immediately grabbed their pre-packed bags and left their workstations.
“Secretary Chen, why is everyone leaving?” an intern asked, bewildered.
Secretary Chen gestured for him to look at his phone. “It’s time to leave; do you want to work overtime? Of course, if you want the overtime pay, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
The intern immediately turned around to pack up. “No, no! My cat master is waiting for me to feed him. Thank you, Secretary Chen!”
He had heard that Tianqin Group had a great work environment, but he hadn’t expected it to be this good—not exploitative in the slightest. Remembering his previous employer, he curled his lip and slung his bag over his shoulder to rush for the elevator.
Outside the car window, the scenery flashed by. Although the driver was maintaining the same speed as always, time felt drawn out because of the anticipation in his heart. Qin Suixi felt an inexplicable tension, growing tighter as time passed.
He went up the elevator as he had dozens of times before—the same routine, the same sequence of numbers, stopping at “5.” He took off his shoes, changed into slippers, and opened the door.
Just like those dozens of times, someone collided with his chest, landing him an unexpected hug.
“You’re finally back! I missed you so much!”
Qin Suixi had never been this close to anyone. He froze instantly, standing stiff and motionless, allowing Ning Qi’an to burrow into him and sniff everywhere.
A minute later, Ning Qi’an pulled away in disappointment and muttered, “You didn’t bring any food, huh?”
Having said that, he grabbed Qin Suixi—who had only relaxed for a few seconds—and asked pitifully, “Qin Suixi, I’m so hungry. What are we eating tonight?”
Feeling a temperature on his arm that wasn’t his own, Qin Suixi instinctively reached for the back of his neck. He paused subtly upon touching that warm, delicate skin, and instead grabbed the hood of Ning Qi’an’s hoodie, pulling him away.
“You are a human now,” Qin Suixi said, acting stern. “Humans must maintain personal space.”
Ning Qi’an tilted his head, deaf to his words. “Oh. So, what are we eating tonight?”
Space, shmace, he thought. Why didn’t he mention space when he was grabbing and hugging me all the time back when I was a fox? Besides, isn’t it normal for two grown men to walk arm-in-arm? Ning Qi’an didn’t want to dwell on it; his stomach was growling, and he just wanted to eat.
Qin Suixi sighed genuinely. On the way home, he had been worried about how to communicate with the fox, but now it was clear he had worried for nothing—they couldn’t communicate at all.
“Let’s go,” Qin Suixi said, feeling mentally exhausted but still grabbing the car keys. “I’ll take you to the Yongfeng Hotel to eat.”
At the mention of the familiar name, Ning Qi’an’s eyes lit up excitedly. “Awesome! That’s where I worked before, and my friends are there!” Although he had only worked there a few days, the friendships were real.
This was news to Qin Suixi. He raised an eyebrow in surprise. “It seems that’s where my father found you. But I heard there are many monsters there—why did he pick you specifically?”
Ning Qi’an pondered for a moment. “Maybe… because he held me when I was little?”
Qin Suixi almost choked on his own breath. Connecting it with the names of the two of them, his expression became complex. “No wonder.” It turned out there was a connection between the older generation. Perhaps they had met as children, but they were too young to remember.
Before leaving, Ning Qi’an remembered he had forgotten something. He slapped his forehead. “My memory! Wait a second.” Qin Suixi leaned against the door frame, watching him return to the bedroom and emerge shortly after with his phone.
Then, for no apparent reason, Ning Qi’an suddenly hugged Qin Suixi’s thigh, speaking earnestly, “Can you do me a favor?”
Qin Suixi looked at the “human pendant” attached to his leg and felt a headache coming on. “Who taught you to ask for help like that? Get up first.”
Ning Qi’an: “That’s how they do it in TV dramas.”
Qin Suixi couldn’t argue with that. “Watch less TV. Get up.”
Seeing him stand up obediently, Qin Suixi asked, “What favor?”
Ning Qi’an immediately offered his phone with both hands. “I ran out of phone credit… can you help me top up 30 yuan? I’ll pay you back.”
Thinking it was something major, Qin Suixi simply topped up 500 yuan for him and said magnanimously, “No need to pay me back.”
However, Ning Qi’an furrowed his brows, stared at the top-up text message for several seconds, and finally said with a look of genuine pain, “Alright…”
Bai Tu bought me a roasted chicken leg, I need to treat him to a skewer of roasted chives next time. Now that Qin Suixi topped up 500 yuan, how should I pay him back?
Before Ning Qi’an could ponder this, a WeChat friend request popped up.
Who is this?
He clicked it open. An all-black profile picture paired with the nickname “Whatever”—it really lived up to the name.
“‘Fox Doesn’t Eat Pears’—that’s you, right?” Qin Suixi said. “Add me.”
So “Whatever” was Qin Suixi. Ning Qi’an reluctantly granted him a spot on his friend list, looking happily at the new addition.
“Add Secretary Chen, too,” Qin Suixi suggested. “Judging by my father’s intentions, you’ll be spending quite some time with me. You can go to him if you need anything in the future.”
And so, Ning Qi’an added another person to his list. He now had 8 contacts—one step closer to his goal of making friends after coming down from the mountain.
Qin Suixi had already prepped Secretary Chen. Ning Qi’an exchanged pleasantries, and hearing his stomach protest violently, Qin Suixi chuckled and pressed the button for the elevator.
It was Ning Qi’an’s first time in a private car as a human. He struggled to buckle his seatbelt several times until Qin Suixi couldn’t watch anymore and did it for him.
“Wow—”
Ning Qi’an rolled down the window and caught the wind with his mouth, unable to speak clearly. Qin Suixi glanced at him from the corner of his eye and warned, “Watch out, you’ll catch a cold tonight.”
Ning Qi’an turned his head, grinning mindlessly. “Not afraid! I’m a monster, I don’t get sick that easily.”
Since the other party said so, Qin Suixi didn’t press the issue. But a second later, Ning Qi’an rolled the window up tight—not even a crack left.
Qin Suixi asked casually, “Didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of catching a cold?”
Ning Qi’an shook his head and sat up straight. “I’m not afraid, but the wind will blow on you. I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”
He couldn’t quite describe the feeling. The sealed car cabin still held the cold air of the whistling wind, but his heart felt warm—a gentle heat flowing through it.
Nobody dislikes being cared for.
The wavering heart finally found firm footing at this moment. Qin Suixi was absolutely certain: this was his fox—the same fox that would welcome him home, unchanged by its transformation.
“Don’t worry about me,” Qin Suixi smiled. “Do whatever you want.”
Ning Qi’an glanced at him, sat with his hands neatly on his knees, and said, “Forget it.” He wouldn’t admit that the wind made his eyes water and felt uncomfortable—that would be too embarrassing.
Seeing this, Qin Suixi’s smile deepened. The fox really does care about me. I’ll order an extra few dishes of chicken—his favorite—tonight.
Luo Haitang was finishing his shift when he saw a figure who had been missing for over ten days.
“Yo! Look who it is! Why are you here? This isn’t your shift.” Luo Haitang hooked his arm around Ning Qi’an’s neck, teasingly scratching his chin. “Is my little partner here to pick me up from work?”
Ning Qi’an grabbed his finger, his eyes drifting behind him. “Over there, there—the boss’s son.”
Luo Haitang’s smile froze. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“You were too fast, I didn’t have time.”
Luo Haitang hurriedly stood up straight, turned around, and smiled. “Good evening, Mr. Qin.” The boss’s surname was Qin, so calling him Mr. Qin had to be correct.
Qin Suixi’s gaze lingered on his arm for a second, and he said coolly, “Mn.” He walked a few steps forward, noticed Ning Qi’an hadn’t followed, and stopped. “Aren’t you coming up?”
Ning Qi’an: “Ah, I need to wait a bit. You go on up first.”
Qin Suixi didn’t say a word. He glanced between Ning Qi’an and Luo Haitang, then turned and left.
Ning Qi’an scratched his head, muttering, “What’s wrong with him now?” Not dwelling on it, he asked the relieved Luo Haitang: “Where’s Huang Muquan?”
Luo Haitang waved his hand powerlessly. “Probably messing around on the third floor. Should I call him down?”
“Better not disturb his work,” Ning Qi’an said thoughtfully.
“Anyway, how did you end up with the boss’s son?” Luo Haitang changed the subject, still rattled. “That face, that presence—he’s exactly like the boss! And that look he gave me just now… wow, I thought I was trash!”
Ning Qi’an tried his best to explain for Qin Suixi. “He… is just like that. Don’t mind him.”
“I don’t mind,” Luo Haitang said—it was just a figure of speech; he wasn’t a petty monster. “I’m just a little curious.” He held up two fingers with a tiny gap between them, his eyes sparkling with gossip. “You aren’t working for the boss’s son, are you? Why did he personally drop you off for dinner?”
Luo Haitang didn’t believe in such kind-hearted bosses.
“Why?”
Ning Qi’an thought for a moment and gave a shocking answer: “Probably because… I’m his pet.”
Luo Haitang choked on his own saliva. “Pet?! No, the ‘working’ you mentioned was just…” He braked his thoughts and switched words: “…playing?”
Ning Qi’an was confused. “Is that not allowed?” Back when he was a fox, it was definitely a pet-and-owner relationship. If they could keep monsters in a zoo for tourists to look at, why couldn’t Qin Suixi keep one? Although the zoo monsters were just for looking at, Qin Suixi could hug him, and his “older brother and sister” liked to rub his head—it all seemed very normal.
But seeing Luo Haitang’s devastated expression, Ning Qi’an comforted him: “It’s fine, it’s only temporary. It’ll be over once I finish the task for Uncle Qin.”
Luo Haitang was even more shocked. “What?! Temporary? The boss’s task?”
Ning Qi’an saw no issue at all, saying naturally, “Yeah, it’s not hard. It’s actually quite comfortable.” Lying in a den eating, drinking, and sleeping with someone to take care of him, waiting a month until Qin Suixi’s New Year vacation to be taken to monster territory to play—and he even got paid! What a sweet deal. Ning Qi’an thought about it and provided more detail: “Only the morning is a bit tiring, but I can handle it.” After all, he accompanied Qin Suixi for a run every morning.
Luo Haitang’s brain shut down on the spot. He looked dazed. “Ah, I see. As long as you’re happy… um, take care of yourself.”
Ning Qi’an said solemnly, “I will.”
Estimating that the dishes were about ready, Ning Qi’an said, “He’s waiting for me upstairs. I have to go.”
Luo Haitang: “Oh, right. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Watching the figure vanish into the elevator, Luo Haitang trembled violently and started tapping furiously on his phone.
[Such a Beautiful Begonia Flower: I quit! I’m quitting right now!] [Aaaa Manager Huang of Yongfeng Hotel: What kind of madness are you having in the middle of the night? If you quit, where will your money come from? Let’s get this straight: I’m not helping you pay the rent.]
Life forced Luo Haitang to bow his head. He and Huang Muquan had been neighbors before they took human form. Later, when they entered the human world, they rented a place together. He sent a sticker of a dog smoking a cigarette.
[Such a Beautiful Begonia Flower: You don’t understand.] [Aaaa Manager Huang of Yongfeng Hotel: You stole my sticker.]
Stupid dog. Luo Haitang was speechless. He had been thunderstruck multiple times tonight. His phone buzzed; he took a look.
[Aaaa Manager Huang of Yongfeng Hotel: Are you actually quitting?] [Such a Beautiful Begonia Flower: Just messing with you.] [Aaaa Manager Huang of Yongfeng Hotel: 6.]
When Ning Qi’an went upstairs, the dishes were all laid out. Qin Suixi was sitting at the head of the table; he caught a glimpse of him as the door opened but quickly looked away.
“Wow, you ordered four dishes and a soup. Can the two of us finish all this?” Ning Qi’an stared unblinkingly at the three meat dishes and one vegetable, drooling uncontrollably.
Qin Suixi countered, “Can you finish it?”
Ning Qi’an didn’t catch the nuance. He wiped his mouth and said, “Of course. Don’t underestimate my stomach.”
Qin Suixi: “Oh.”
There were only two sets of utensils on the table. Qin Suixi claimed one, and Ning Qi’an sat down across from him. He paused for a second while reaching for his chopsticks and asked, “Are you not eating?”
Qin Suixi took a spoonful of soup, swallowed, and then asked, “Aren’t you going to save some for me?”
That sounded strange. Ning Qi’an realized something was off and retracted his chopsticks. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” Qin Suixi felt like he was losing his mind. It’s just a fox that likes to play getting cold toward me for ten minutes; why am I throwing such a tantrum? He put down his spoon, managed a weak smile, and said, “You seem to really like chicken. See if the dishes I ordered are to your taste.”
As long as he hadn’t done anything wrong, Ning Qi’an was relieved. Being very observant, he first picked up a piece of meat for Qin Suixi before serving himself.
Seeing this, Qin Suixi’s expression softened. He said gently, “Just eat your own food; don’t worry about me.”
“Mm-hmm.” Ning Qi’an replied indistinctly, his mouth full of food.
This meal perfectly replenished the stomach Ning Qi’an had been putting through hell all day. He patted his belly, feeling full of happiness. Remembering that Qin Suixi had topped up 500 yuan for him today, he said, “I’ll pay for the meal today.”