Chapter 12: Fresh Flower Bath

Shi Huai was somewhat wary, but his curiosity was simply too much to bear. He still found himself trotting over, his big tail swaying from side to side.

Such a tiny basin.

Was it for washing hands?

Tsk. What pretentious fussiness.

Shi Huai was just brewing a mischievous thought—wondering if he could pretend to slip and flip the basin of water over to spill it everywhere—when his four paws suddenly left the ground.

Shi Huai: ?!

Ming Ruan had scooped up the little fox and dipped his paws just above the surface of the water.

“How is it, Baby? Is the water temperature comfortable?” Ming Ruan tilted his head, trying to look into the little fox’s eyes.

Shi Huai… Shi Huai was completely dumbfounded.

What did this person mean?

This basin of water was for bathing him?!

Shi Huai’s shocked gaze darted back and forth between the live-stream camera and Ming Ruan. It felt as if eight hundred bombs had detonated simultaneously in his mind!

How could this person play such tricks?! Right in front of the camera? Giving him a bath??

Even though Shi Huai had seen plenty of the entertainment industry’s sleazy games, he still instinctively began to struggle.

Whatever madness Ming Ruan was having! He refused to be a part of it!

However, this time, Shi Huai had miscalculated. His paws, soaking in the hot water, felt as if they had been drugged; they were weak and limp, unable to muster the slightest bit of strength.

Shi Huai thought he was struggling fiercely, but in reality, he hadn’t moved at all, just letting Ming Ruan hold him while he let out only one or two soft, coquettish little yips.

Ming Ruan gently lowered the entire little fox into the hot water. First, he gently scrubbed it, then used the matching small wooden ladle to casually pour water over the little fox’s body.

The sound of splashing water was soft and pitter-pattering. In the milky-white hot water and mist, the little fox’s fiery red fur flickered in and out of view. Petals floating on the water’s surface had drifted over at some unknown time, veiling the little fox’s body. For a moment, it looked like a divine fox amidst clouds and mist, or as if it were freely roaming a sea of flowers.

Shi Huai’s mind struggled intensely. But as the hot, flower-scented water poured over him from head to tail, it was as if his very soul was being washed and cleansed along with his body. It was hot and warm, and every pore involuntarily opened up, stretching out into relaxation.

Those hands roamed over his body—clearly an overly intimate and presumptuous act—yet it didn’t spark a sense of shame or annoyance. It just felt very comfortable, very gentle.

Damn it. Damn it! What a formidable trick. Next time, he definitely wouldn’t…

Inside the live broadcast room, the crowd watched as the little fox went from wide-eyed and stunned to gradually closing its eyes. The entire fox was swaying unsteadily until, finally—plop—its chin rested on the small towel Ming Ruan had long prepared, and it sank into dreamland.

[OMG, let’s not even talk about a top star getting a public bath for now… this just looks way too comfortable]

[I’m not saying who’s tempted right now]

[Flower petals, milky-white bath soup, wooden barrel, wooden ladle… I’ve learned it. I’m going to go replicate this.]

[Sob, Baby’s so beautiful. Sorry, I’m sinning, but I screen-recorded it. So beautiful! It feels like it could make the cover of All-Entertainment Monthly!]

[Bestie, please share it!!]

Gradually, even the barrage in the live broadcast room died down. Some people excitedly went off to buy things and recreate the scene, while others unknowingly drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of the water.

A peaceful, tranquil atmosphere settled in.

When Shi Huai opened his eyes again, the fur on his body had already been dried. It felt as if he had slept a very, very long, long and peaceful slumber—one he hadn’t experienced in ages.

Or maybe it was just the blink of an eye. He had gone from a wild beast, weathered by the elements and abandoned by all, back to a treasured Baby carefully held in someone’s palm.

And this feeling…

Shi Huai stood up, twisting his head all around, searching for that figure carrying the camera. His movements held a trace of urgency that even he himself hadn’t noticed.

This feeling of being cherished… it felt even more solid and genuine than what his fans had once given him.

Shi Huai shook his head violently.

What was he thinking! That was Ming Ruan!

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Ming Ruan came out of the kitchen carrying two cute little bowls and placed them on the coffee table.

He pushed the bowl painted with a fox’s head in front of Shi Huai, then sat down cross-legged himself, greeting, “Hungry, Baby? Come see if you like it?”

Just like how he had once interacted with Gray Wolf.

But Shi Huai didn’t know any of that. Shi Huai only felt that his stomach was indeed hungry. There was no need to punish himself just to spite Ming Ruan, so he awkwardly and reluctantly shuffled over.

Ming Ruan had fed quite a few foxes before. For this meal, he started with a base of minced chicken, paired with a few pieces of fresh fish and beef cubes, then added fluffy, cloud-like crumbled egg yolk. He meticulously enriched it with dried cheese, dried strawberries, and freeze-dried yogurt, finally garnishing it with two fresh shrimp.

The bowl was so richly filled with food that, at a single glance, Shi Huai couldn’t even count how many things were in it.

He couldn’t help but think: the last time someone had prepared a meal for him like this was back when he was a top star and everyone wanted a piece of his limelight.

Ever since his therianthropy, no one had ever sent him a single message again.

It was as if, from beginning to end, he was nothing more than an ordinary little fox.

The person and the fox fell silent. Only the tiny sounds of chewing and satisfied purring remained in the living room.

Amidst the live broadcast room’s barrage—mostly discussing why Ming Ruan prepared the meal this way, whether the flower bath was comfortable, and whether Shi Huai and Ming Ruan’s relationship was actually good or not—a single dissenting voice suddenly popped up.

[Ah… just thinking, two days ago, the one sitting beside Ming Ruan eating just like this was the Council Speaker.]

The viewers paused. Looking at the live feed, they realized that except for a wolf having been swapped for a fox, the scene truly held no difference whatsoever.

The same gentleness. The same attentiveness.

[Holy shit, is this the ultimate level of casting a wide net? An assembly-line playboy.]

[The last wolf treated by Ming Ruan with this exact routine is already visibly wavering. I’m not saying who the next one will be.]

[Don’t speak too soon either. The Council Speaker already left. And Shi Huai is supposed to be sent back to District 7 tomorrow, right?]

[Probably just seizing the moment to farm some goodwill points. Break it up, folks. This pairing really has no future.]

After dinner, Ming Ruan didn’t initiate any more special activities. He just unwrapped the package he hadn’t opened in the afternoon. Inside was a super large, super soft den that one could completely sink into.

“How about sleeping in this tonight?” Ming Ruan coaxed the little fox over and asked him patiently.

Shi Huai’s irritation flared up again.

Even if it was only for one night, did he have to specially prepare this?

Was Ming Ruan seriously trying to curry favor with him?

Shi Huai suppressed his churning emotions and nestled into the den.

It was indeed soft and warm, tightly wrapping around him. It felt very secure.

Just like being in someone’s arms… Scram, scram, scram! Stop thinking about it!

Shi Huai gritted his teeth. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he definitely wouldn’t be swayed again. He absolutely had to expose Ming Ruan’s true colors!

Watching the little fox burrow into the den, Ming Ruan also happily returned to his bedroom.

Once the little fox was picked up and taken back to District 7 tomorrow, he could use that beanbag chair himself! Yay!—Ming Ruan, wholly unaware of Shi Huai’s inner turmoil, thought to himself heartlessly.

Early in the morning, a somewhat inexplicably excited Ming Ruan took the little fox onto the Flying Sedan. The Flying Sedan automatically retrieved the destination from its schedule, carrying the man and fox swiftly across the sky above the Outdoor Zone.

In winter, even artificial animals rarely ventured out. A silver wolf was crouched behind an obstacle, its icy-blue eyes fixed on an unsuspecting prey.

Suddenly, it straightened up and lifted its head to look at the sky.

There, a Flying Sedan was speeding across, leaving only a trail shadow behind.

The artificial animal, startled, instantly bolted and disappeared without a trace.

But Xie Gewen paid no heed to the prey he had painstakingly stalked for so long. He just stared unblinkingly at the sky.

That was an Executor’s official Flying Sedan.

Had something happened to Ming Ruan?

Generally speaking, from the moment an Executor took office, they would not leave their own district.

Before Xie Gewen could figure out exactly what he intended to do, his body had already automatically begun chasing in the direction of the Flying Sedan!

As he ran, he endured the urge and activated his Light Brain.