“Deal!” Ling Chunxi’s answer was as straightforward as Ling Yichen’s own. She then quickly attacked the roasted chicken he just placed before her.
Poor Aunt Wang was completely bewildered. What just happened here? She felt her brain was unable to compute this turn of events.
“I’ll head off.” Ling Yichen rose from his seat and made to leave when a sudden thought occurred to him. “Would you like me to help you settle those two people?”
Ling Chunxi immediately knew which two people Ling Yichen meant. He must have seen what had happened earlier. However, the mention of this only served to confuse Aunt Wang even further.
“Oh, there’s no need. I’ll collect back what is owed to me on my own,” said Ling Chunxi with a wave of her hand to emphasize that she didn’t need Ling Yichen’s interferance.
“True. You are capable of settling such matters yourself,” acknowledged Ling Yichen with a nod. “Then, I’ll leave now.”
“I won’t be sending you off, but please take your time.” Ling Chunxi was absorbed in devouring the roasted chicken. Just as Ling Yichen was about to step out the door, Ling Chunxi called out to him, “Next time you visit, bring more of these. They taste pretty good.”
At this, Ling Yichen nearly lost his footing. Before he departed, he turned to look at Ling Chunxi, who was still eating with much gusto. Ling Yichen shook his head wordlessly and left.
Back in the dining area, Aunt Wang was staring curiously at both the human being and the fox that shared the space with her. She had yet to recover her wits from the events that had just transpired. Aunt Wang really wanted to ask her Miss why the Ling clan’s ace rookie requested her assistance and agreed to the unfair and humiliating term of covering three years’ worth of food expenses just to secure it. What was this? Though Aunt Wang desperately wanted to understand what just happened, she didn’t have the heart to interrupt Ling Chunxi’s joyous dinner. Aunt Wang’s eyes drifted to Little White. The fox was eating mouthful after mouthful of its food elegantly. It was weird to see a fox displaying elegance of any kind, but there it was.
…
It was a cold night. Ling Chunxi sat on her bed cross-legged after a round of letting her Thundercloud Battle Qi circulate. She instructed Aunt Wang to run a hot bath for her.
“Little White. It is time for you to take a bath. Otherwise, you’ll stink, and I won’t have you sleeping next to me,” muttered Ling Chunxi determinedly as she dragged Little White into the tub with her. Little White struggled in Ling Chunxi’s diabolical grip for a bit before giving up and surrendering to a good scrubbing.
Fresh from her bath, Ling Chunxi dried her hair then helped dry Little White’s fur. Once she was ready for bed, Ling Chunxi hugged Little White close and drifted off to sleep.
The moon shone bright outside the window, casting its glow across the land. But the moonlight vanished suddenly, letting a profound darkness fall. In the depths of this darkness, Ling Chunxi rolled over in her bed and fell into a deeper slumber.
Many did not notice the unusual darkness that fell upon the land as it only lasted but for a moment. In fact, the intensity of the darkness would not strike many as strange at all, they would think it was just a temporary effect of the clouds obscuring the moon. But it was strange. It was very strange indeed.
In the stillness of Ling Chunxi’s bedroom, there now stood a man watching her in the shadows. The man’s slender figure was quiet before Ling Chunxi’s bed with long silver hair loosely draped across his frame. His face was of the kind of beauty that inspired heart palpitations and breathlessness. So beautiful was this man that heaven and earth almost paled in comparison. The man’s delicate features were stunning. Perfectly arched brows, a refined nose bridge, eyes as clear as a winter moon, and fine yet sensual lips.
“This little thing…” A devilishly charming smile spread across his exquisite face. He reached out a hand to gently brush Ling Chunxi’s fringe aside and continued to speak in a low voice. The sound of his voice was calm and soothing, it contained an indescribable magic in and of itself.
Ling Chunxi was too fast asleep to notice anything. She merely sniffled and turned over to hug Little White who was sleeping beside her. But Little White wasn’t there.