Chapter 8: Yu Li and “Yu Li”
Confronting the Fox
Fresh from sending a message, Yu Li tossed her phone onto the bed.
She sat on a nearby chair, crossing her legs with a scrutinizing look.
“Everything that needed handling is done. Now it’s just you left.”
Yu Li spoke to the empty air, but silence was her only response.
“Hey, trying to ignore me again?”
Getting no reply, she pulled out the bottle containing Lan Yi’s emotions.
“Guess I’ll just keep it all to myself then.”
Still no response.
“Such a pity, brand-new emotions too.”
Yu Li opened the bottle, raising it as if to drink it down.
Swish—
A small fox appeared out of nowhere, snatching the bottle in a flash, but it was already empty.
[You actually ate it all yourself!]
“Who told you to stay hidden no matter how much I called?”
[Wow! How can you be so mean?!]
The little fox’s ears drooped, its face brimming with human-like grievance.
Its paws gestured weakly, as if regretting not showing up sooner, its voice tinged with a sob.
Yu Li crouched in front of the fox with a smile, shaking the bottle—still full of blue emotions.
The fox instinctively reached for it, but Yu Li pulled it back.
“Of course, you can have it, but first… clear up my doubts, Yu Li.”
[What doubts…?!]
The black fox froze, its fur standing on end, ears trembling at the sound of its name.
“Don’t even think about running. We’re one and the same—you can’t escape forever.”
The black-haired girl calmly stroked the bristling fox.
“So, explain. How did you end up like this, Yu Li?”
[Eek!]
Seeing the fox completely dumbfounded, the girl sighed helplessly.
“Did you really think you were hiding it well?”
She shook her head.
“From the first day you appeared, I knew who you were.”
The Truth of the Fox
Ever since Yu Li first saw the little fox, she knew it housed a human soul—the soul of the original Yu Li.
[Then why… didn’t you call me out?]
“Because I wanted to know why you were hiding.”
The girl lifted the fox by its scruff, gently holding it in her arms.
“And if I didn’t play along, you wouldn’t have told me.”
She sat on the bed, cradling the fox, shaking the bottle of emotions in her right hand.
“I can feel it—this fox body can’t resist these emotions.”
She squeezed the bottle tightly.
“So, tell me why.”
A Painful Confession
After a moment of silence, the fox finally spoke.
[Because… I didn’t want to be Yu Li anymore. I didn’t want to be human!]
The fox’s voice, usually playful, was now heavy with pain.
[I didn’t want to be abused by my family over trivial things anymore. I didn’t want to live in that kind of pain.]
The girl held the fox, listening quietly to its reasons.
[So… I made a wish to the goddess—to become a small animal, free from all that.]
The fox curled up in her arms, tears streaming as it recalled its past.
[So… I’m sorry, really sorry, for making you bear all this. I didn’t know it would turn out like this.]
The fox looked at the girl with pained eyes, its voice trembling.
[That’s why… I didn’t dare let you know I was that Yu Li.]
“So… you hid your identity because you didn’t want to live like you used to?”
The girl gently stroked the fox’s back, as if comforting it.
“And now?”
After a long pause, she continued.
“Now you’ve escaped the Yu family. Xiao Ai… will protect you. Even if you change back, you won’t have to face that life again.”
[Huh?]
“I can feel it—if you wanted, we could switch places.”
The girl’s expression remained blank.
“Maybe I was meant to be the fox all along.”
[No way! And what about you?]
“What?”
[Whether it’s escaping the Yu family or living with Xiao Ai, you made that happen. Only the current ‘Yu Li’ could do that!]
“…”
[Why can you say that so casually? If you became the fox, you’d never get to interact with Xiao Ai like this!]
“Why bring up Xiao Ai?”
A faint trace of confusion crossed the girl’s face.
[??? Are you really that clueless, or are you faking it? I’ve been watching you—you’re usually so playful, not like this!]
The fox ranted excitedly, noting how different this Yu Li was from the one it usually saw.
“That’s just… acting. Or maybe… mimicking. Even the threats just now—I knew they’d get me what I wanted.”
[Huh?!]
“So, you’re sure you don’t want to switch?”
The girl’s face was serious, devoid of any emotional flicker.
[No way, you dummy! Even ignoring you, being a carefree animal was my wish to begin with.]
The fox’s paws formed an X, shaking its head at her.
[Besides, if we switched, you’d definitely regret it.]
“Is that so… I understand.”
Yu Li sensed the strange feeling of being able to switch vanish completely with the fox’s refusal.
“Since you’ve refused… for our future together, should I give you a name?”
Yu Li gently ruffled the fox’s fur.
“We can’t keep calling you ‘little fox.’”
[Yeah, anything’s fine as long as it’s not surnamed Yu!]
“Alright then… how about Liuli?”
[Liuli? That’s pretty good! Let’s go with that!]
The fox wagged its paws, approving the new name.
“So… want a bite, Liuli?”
Yu Li held up the bottle of emotions, shaking it in front of Liuli.
Liuli reached out instinctively, but Yu Li dodged with a quick step, a sly grin spreading across her face—nothing like her earlier demeanor.
She looked at Liuli with a mix of arrogance and mockery.
“Tch, tch, tch. A mere stinky fox daring to lecture me?”
[Huh?! You flipped that fast? Was that acting just now, or is this the act?!]
“Hmph, who knows? Sometimes, if you act long enough, it might just become real…”
Yu Li said, opening the bottle and taking a small sip.
“Interesting flavor…”
[Hey! You said you’d give it to me! Leave some!]
In the next moment, Liuli pounced, scrambling to snatch the bottle.