Don’t Run, Little Fox - Chapter 4

The moment we got home, sure enough, Jiang Lian went straight to the bathroom again.

I watched his back and silently curled up on the couch.

That evening, Jiang Lian came to call me for dinner.

I looked up.

Then froze.

Jiang Lian, who normally dressed as though he wished he could wrap every inch of himself in fabric, wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Noticing me staring, he slowly untied his apron.

The thin fabric slid away, gradually exposing the pale, soft, faintly pink skin beneath…

I swallowed.

If my fox tail had been out, it definitely would’ve been wagging itself crazy behind me.

Jiang Lian’s ears were slightly red.

He turned his face away from me.

“It’s a little hot today. I made your favorite tuna-avocado rice bowl.”

The comments were confused.

*[Is the male lead… seducing the side character?]*

*[No way. It’s probably just hot. Side character, don’t get narcissistic and start imagining things again.]*

*[Don’t forget, the male lead went straight to the bathroom after hugging her earlier.]*

Seeing that, I forcibly suppressed the restless feeling inside me.

I ate in complete silence.

I didn’t look up even once.

Above me, Jiang Lian pressed his lips into a tight line.

His expression darkened completely.

That night, I curled up in the corner of the bed, thinking about moving out.

I’d already decided to find someone else for yang energy.

It wouldn’t be right to keep freeloading at Jiang Lian’s place.

As I drifted half asleep, a source of heat suddenly pressed against my back.

Warm, rich yang energy surrounded me.

I quickly fell into a comfortable sleep.

The next day, I went to school for a lecture.

By ridiculous coincidence, we ran into the female lead, Wen Shi, and her cousin Wen Yan again.

The moment they entered, both of them looked over at us.

Wen Shi smiled.

The comments immediately started shipping again.

*[Our girl is smiling so sweetly at the male lead! The side character standing beside him is such an eyesore, though.]*

*[It’s fine. The male lead is definitely going to sit directly next to the female lead in a second.]*

*[For sure! And if the side character dares cling to the male lead and sit with him, let’s see whether our girl finally uses her powers and knocks that fox spirit back into her true form! Fox-fur-coat warning!]*

I shuddered.

Cold ran through my entire body.

Please don’t turn me into a fur coat, waaah.

I immediately moved away from Jiang Lian.

Then, as though fleeing for my life, I sat beside Wen Yan.

Wen Yan’s peach-blossom eyes curved.

“Fancy seeing you again, little fox.”

Jiang Lian’s gaze turned dark.

He stared at us for a long time before finally sitting expressionlessly in the empty seat beside Wen Shi.

The comments continued broadcasting the male and female leads’ sweet interactions.

I did my best to suppress the ache in my chest and stared straight ahead, focusing on the lecture.

At long last, it ended.

The professor asked Jiang Lian and Wen Shi to stay behind.

Comments appeared.

*[Professor is playing wingman! The male and female leads are joining the same project group.]*

*[Exactly! Their relationship starts developing rapidly from this project onward. The side character still refuses to give up and keeps pestering him, so the female lead finally makes a move and suppresses the fox spirit!]*

*[Honestly, the little fox is kind of pitiful too. She just wants a little yang energy.]*

*[Pitiful my ass! What’s pitiful about an actual fox spirit who interferes in someone else’s relationship? Our girl is the pitiful one! If Wen Shi weren’t so kind, she should’ve skinned and disemboweled the side character the moment she saw her!]*

My face went pale.

Beside me, Wen Yan spoke in his usual lazy, unserious tone.

“Little fox isn’t happy? Are you short on yang energy? I already told you—you can come to me~”

I shook my head miserably.

I wasn’t in the mood for yang energy anymore.

Right now, I only wanted to go home, pack my things, and move out of Jiang Lian’s apartment.

The comments said he and Wen Shi would grow close very quickly.

If I kept clinging to Jiang Lian, what if I really did get knocked back into my true form?

I didn’t want to become a fox-fur coat, waaah.

At the thought, I stood and hurried to leave.

But Jiang Lian called out to me.

His pitch-black eyes stared directly at me.

“Su Su. Wait for me, and we’ll go home together.”

Then he added softly,

“Okay?”

The comments went wild.

*[??? Wait, is the male lead actually—???]*

*[Has he lost his mind? Why is he asking the side character to wait so they can go home together right in front of the female lead? Isn’t he afraid she’ll misunderstand?]*

*[Misunderstand what? Real love is cautious, okay? The fact he can openly say this only proves there’s absolutely nothing between him and the side character. He’s just kindhearted and took in a scheming fox spirit who’s good at playing pitiful.]*

*[Exactly! The male lead is just being open and straightforward!]*

Jiang Lian was already the center of attention.

The moment he said that in public, every student around us turned their gossip-hungry eyes our way.

Even Wen Shi looked surprised.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

“You two are already living together? Didn’t I tell you that until everything’s been properly adjusted, you can’t…”

Her voice dropped toward the end.

I couldn’t hear what she said.

All I caught was Jiang Lian reassuring her,

“Don’t worry. We haven’t gone that far.”

The comments:

*[Whoa! Is the female lead jealous? Hahaha. That sounded exactly like the official girlfriend interrogating him.]*

*[This is even better, isn’t it? Maybe the male lead asked that on purpose to get our girl’s attention, then casually explained himself to her. Tsk tsk. This man is scheming~]*

*[Female lead, hurry up and get jealous! Deal with the side character already!]*

I met Wen Shi’s eyes in panic.

With that single look, I nearly got so scared I transformed on the spot.

My survival instinct kicked in hard.

“It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking! Jiang Lian was just kind enough to take me in when I had nowhere to go. My family and I have already reconciled, so I’m moving out right away! I absolutely won’t interfere with the two of you!”

The moment I finished, I ran.