episode_0023

“I-I think… next time we take a bath together, we should keep our hands and feet to ourselves.”

“I-I think… you’re right.”

On the bed, Su Qingya was holding a hairdryer, drying Xu Nian’s damp hair.

Both of their faces were flushed—whether from the hot bath or something else was unclear.

Aside from her hair, Xu Nian also had a large fox tail that needed drying.

After the hot air, it had to be combed through.

Once fully tended to, Xu Nian’s tail looked especially fluffy.

Su Qingya hugged it and nuzzled against it, finding it incredibly comfortable.

This fox-carrot was far more pleasant than any plush toy.

She loved it.

Xu Nian paid no mind to whatever strange things Su Qingya was doing behind her.

She was busy on her phone, planning their date for the next day.

“There’s a new amusement park that just opened. Should we check it out tomorrow?”

“Which one?”

Su Qingya climbed over Xu Nian, pressing down on her, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind and leaning in close.

This way, she had a better view of Xu Nian’s phone and could also catch the scent lingering on her.

“Mhm, a new one. It’s different from the one we went to last time. The reviews seem pretty good—want to try it?”

“Does it have a haunted house?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s settled. I promised you, after all. Tomorrow, all my time is yours.”

As she spoke, Su Qingya nuzzled against Xu Nian’s neck again.

Ticklish.

Xu Nian’s perked-up fox ears twitched a few times.

“O-okay, then… it’s decided.”

With that, Xu Nian went back to browsing information about the amusement park.

“Nian Nian, I think I’ve figured out where your star is,” Su Qingya suddenly said.

“Where is it?”

Su Qingya gave Xu Nian’s butt a pat.

Duang duang—it jiggled like pudding.

The fox-carrot swished her tail, batting away the mischievous hand.

“Why’d you slap my butt? Where is my star?”

Su Qingya gave another playful smack.

The fluffy fox tail swayed side to side.

Then gradually stilled.

Xu Nian whipped around, eyes wide with disbelief.

The realization hit her belatedly.

“It… it can’t be on my butt, can it?”

“There’s good news and bad news, Nian Nian. Which do you want first?”

“What’s the good news?”

“The good news is, it’s not on your butt. The bad news is, it’s right below the base of your tail. Who knows which direction it’ll grow in later.”

“The base of my tail?”

Xu Nian reached back to touch it. The tail’s root was near the end of her spine. If it really grew downward…

“Aahhh!!! Why?!”

No matter how you looked at it, this was not a good spot.

“Nian Nian, do you remember what happened when you became a Xuener?”

“I remember sitting down hard and squishing my tail, and then…”

“Exactly. That must be it. Generally, the star tends to appear where pressure was applied when becoming a Xuener.”

As she spoke, Su Qingya pointed to her own chest.

“When I became a Xuener, the knife just happened to stab me right here.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Right here.”

“I meant your theory just now.”

“Oh. I made it up.”

“Great guess. Don’t guess next time.”

“Aww, how could you?”

Su Qingya pouted.

But Xu Nian could see the faint disappointment hidden in her eyes.

She leaned in, gently stroking the spot where Su Qingya’s star was.

“Did it hurt… when you were stabbed?”

“It hurt a lot.”

Su Qingya was honest—unlike Xu Nian, who always put up a tough front.

Xu Nian blew softly on the spot.

“No more pain, pain go away.”

“You sound like you’re comforting a kid. Can’t we do something more adult?”

“Why have you gotten so aggressive lately?”

[Fear Value: 45%]

Seeing the crimson text floating above Xu Nian’s head,

Su Qingya smiled mysteriously.

“Because… after nearly losing you and getting you back, I’ve realized… I think I love you even more now.”

Xu Nian pressed her face against Su Qingya’s chest, cheeks burning.

“That’s such a corny line.”

“Is it? I feel like I sound like a creep.”

“You are a creep, you pathetic loser.”

“Alright.”

Su Qingya placed her hands on Xu Nian’s waist.

“So? Where’s my comfort?”

Xu Nian’s tail swished excitedly, her beautiful fox eyes narrowing into slits as she let out a soft, pleased hum.

She extended her delicate pink tongue, tenderly licking away the long-faded pain.

Over and over.

“Happy now?”

“How am I supposed to resist gobbling you up when you’re like this?”

Xu Nian was promptly pinned beneath her.

Strands of Su Qingya’s dark hair intertwined with Xu Nian’s silver-white locks, cascading like water over snow-white skin.

Xu Nian’s ears burned red, as if scorched by fire, her cheeks flushed a drunken peach hue.

Her fox eyes shimmered with moisture, wanting to meet the girl’s gaze but too shy to hold it, turning away instead.

“Oh yeah, where’d you hide the Holy Sword I just bought?”

“Piss off!”

“You can’t do this. You’ve definitely used it already, right? Let me try it too.”

“No way.”

“Nian Nian, let me use it, pleaaase?”

If Su Qingya wanted to use it on herself, Xu Nian wouldn’t have cared.

But she could tell—the other girl wanted to use it on her.

And that was unacceptable.

Just fingers alone were already enough to—

“Pffft, loser. Can’t handle it without that thing?”

“Ah!”

So annoying!

Su Qingya decided to teach this bratty fox a thorough lesson.

“Ahh! Help! No! I’m sorry!”

—

The next morning, Xu Nian took Su Qingya to the amusement park. They went by taxi, and the motion-sick Xu Nian ended up leaning on Su Qingya’s shoulder again.

She could drive, but she really got carsick.

Driving felt different from being a passenger.

[Ding! Today’s mission has been issued: To deepen your bond with your girlfriend, sing a love song to her at the highest point of the Ferris wheel.]

This is a social suicide mission!

Riding the Ferris wheel was fine. Singing? Absolutely not.

It was embarrassing to admit, but while she could perform on stage, singing in front of others felt worse than death.

It was probably some kind of psychological issue.

“Nian Nian, I got the tickets.”

The line was surprisingly long.

Su Qingya had told Xu Nian to wait nearby while she bought the tickets.

Oddly enough, in this day and age, when most places sold tickets online, this amusement park still used physical ones.

“Thanks for the hard work.”

Xu Nian wiped Su Qingya’s sweat with a towel and poured her a glass of water.

The weather was still quite hot, so Su Qingya stood in the shade, planning to rest a bit before entering.

During this time, Xu Nian examined the paper ticket in her hand.

The front featured a bird’s-eye view of the amusement park.

The back, however, was covered in dense text:

[Welcome to the city’s largest amusement park! We’ve gathered most of the world’s attractions to ensure every guest enjoys their ideal experience. We hope you have a wonderful time.]

[The park is generally safe, but to minimize risks—even if only from fright—please strictly follow the rules below during your visit. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences.]