Chapter 2
Chi Jun is no ordinary fox.
But now that he's been brought back to reality, in other people's eyes he's just an animal.
Chi Jun hates being petted and have his ears pinched by Xu Qingzhou, and he hates being treated like an insignificant animal by Xu Meiling, who kicks him whenever she's in a bad mood. He also hates eating food covered in dust on the ground. But compared to these things, the trouble caused by exposing his "human" side seems to be even greater.
So for the past month or so, whether due to objective limitations or subjective intentions, Chi Jun has been earnestly and dutifully playing the role of an ordinary fox.
But I was a little groggy from sleeping just now, and I unconsciously revealed my "human" side.
After staring at each other for three seconds in an eerie atmosphere, Chi Jun decisively turned his head and jumped off the small chair.
Xu Qingzhou raised his hand, as if to stop him.
Then she chased after him, picked up Chi Jun, and put him back on the small chair.
Chi Jun: "..."
He couldn't quite figure out what Xu Qingzhou was thinking. The next moment, he saw Xu Qingzhou take away the half-eaten bowl in front of him and replace it with a brand new stainless steel bowl that was filled with rice and vegetables again, which he then placed neatly in front of him.
Chi Jun looked down at the bowl, then looked up at Xu Qingzhou who was smiling at him. For some reason, he suddenly felt a little afraid that she might pull out an apron from somewhere and put it around his neck.
Fortunately, Xu Qingzhou didn't conjure up an apron; he simply filled his own bowl with food and sat down opposite him to eat.
She would take a couple of bites, then look up at him and smile.
After observing several times, Chi Jun breathed a slight sigh of relief.
It seems the little girl hasn't lost her mind yet.
Perhaps, it's just that I'm too lonely.
Although going to the table for dinner went against Chi Jun's principle of playing the role of an ordinary fox, since Xu Qingzhou didn't seem to mind, Chi Jun didn't care about such trivial matters.
Sitting at the dining table for the first time in a long time, eating clean and fresh food, Chi Jun tried to hide it, but the way he held the bowl with his paws while eating still unconsciously had a little more refinement and elegance.
After the meal, Chi Jun strolled leisurely in the corridor for a while to digest his food.
After cleaning up the pots and pans, Xu Qingzhou boiled water and gave him a bath.
As if to make up for not being able to give him a bath at Xu Meiling's house, Xu Qingzhou gave him a very careful bath this time.
Enjoying the cool, soft fingers massaging him, Chi Jun squinted his eyes, so comfortable that he almost fell asleep in the large peony bathtub.
When Xu Qingzhou finally had time to sit down at her small desk to study after finishing everything, Chi Jun had already enjoyed the evening breeze and watched the sunset, and was now comfortably asleep in his little cardboard box.
My first day in the rental compound was pretty good.
Chi Jun even felt that he could live like this for a while longer, and take the opportunity to recuperate and improve his health, so that he wouldn't be caught and skinned alive as soon as he ran away.
As it turned out, his decision was wise.
After leaving Xu Meiling's home, Xu Qingzhou's life was busy but simple: doing laundry, cooking, cleaning the house, bathing the fox, and studying.
Chi Jun didn't need to help with any of these procedures. The only two things he needed to participate in were eating and lying comfortably in a large pot of peony flowers, enjoying the bathing and massage services that Xu Qingzhou provided for him.
The rest of the time, he either wandered around inside and outside the house or lay down to sleep, living a life of extreme leisure and comfort.
This comfortable life even made him think that "if I hadn't experienced being human, it wouldn't be bad to be a pet and be kept by someone."
However, trouble arises where there are many people, especially in this large rental compound where all sorts of tenants come from.
Soon, Chi Jun encountered a problem.
This trouble comes from a pair of twin children.
The two twin children are three years old, an age when even dogs would avoid them. They live with their mother in a suite on the second floor of this rented courtyard, in the northeast corner.
One day, when she accompanied her mother, Xu Qinjia, to deliver dumplings to Xu Qingzhou, she discovered Chi Jun and from then on, she became a regular at this small rented house.
They often run over here with their faces covered in graffiti, not even having time to wipe their mouths after eating. Even after taking a bath at night, their mother, Xu Qinjia, has to chase after them, carrying their clothes.
At first, Chi Jun thought it would be nice to have two little brats to tease, and he was willing to play with them. However, after experiencing several painful lessons of being forced to drink milk by pulling their tails and ears and having their mouths pried open, and being forced to listen to their heartbeats with a toy stethoscope while wearing a sanitary napkin on their heads, he began to avoid these two little devils at all costs.
Unfortunately, Xu Qingzhou really liked the twins' mother.
Every time Xu Qinjia brought over dumplings, pork ribs, or steamed buns, Xu Qingzhou, being shy and reserved, would awkwardly but sincerely pick up the fox and stuff it into the arms of her twin daughters, who were excitedly screaming at the fox.
Helpless, Chi Jun could only listen carefully to the sounds in the corridor every day, and immediately leave if he sensed anything was wrong.
In most cases, he would simply jump out of the window next to his bed.
Behind the window was a lush green forest, with tall trees and low shrubs and weeds growing wildly and untended, forming a huge natural sunshade.
Chi Jun lay down there to "avoid danger" and take a nap while cooling off.
When Xu Qingzhou first saw the fox dart out of the window, she was startled. She peered out the window and searched frantically for a long time, almost bursting into tears.
Only when they saw a white shadow lying there peacefully asleep through the rustling leaves did they breathe a sigh of relief.
After this happened two or three times, Xu Qingzhou gradually realized what was going on. After that, he not only stopped trying to put him in the twins' hands, but also helped divert the "enemy's" attention when Chi Jun accidentally "fell into the enemy's hands," creating an opportunity for Chi Jun to escape.
The human and the fox worked together quite well.
Fortunately, children are easily distracted, and after several failed attempts, the twins gradually forgot about the fox.
However, Chi Jun has gotten used to cooling off in the woods, and even on hot days he still loves to jump under the window to sleep.
Generally speaking, the aroma of Xu Qingzhou's food is his wake-up call. Every time the food is served, Chi Jun will leap in through the window and dart to the small chair like a gust of wind.
Sometimes, when he was fast asleep and not paying attention, Xu Qingzhou would take a clothes rack and lean over the window to gently tap on the wall.
The tapping sound was neither hurried nor slow, but crisp and gentle.
When Chi Jun opened his eyes, he looked up and saw Xu Qingzhou leaning out of the window. Behind the rustling green leaves, a clean and pretty face smiled at him, with outstretched arms as if to catch him.
Chi Jun pretended to be blind, keeping his head down and remaining motionless.
But the little girl was quite persistent, looking at him with gentle yet encouraging eyes.
Chi Jun's stomach was growling with hunger. He struggled and spun around for a while before finally leaping onto a branch, scrambling over several twigs before rushing into her arms.
Xu Qingzhou caught him steadily, rubbed the fox's head, and smiled happily.
Chi Jun, however, kept his eyelids drooping and ruthlessly broke free from her embrace. Sometimes, on a whim, he would deliberately pounce on Xu Qingzhou and throw her onto the bed, then ruffle and pull her hair in the chaos, turning it into a messy bird's nest.
And when she tried to kiss him, he disgustedly pressed her head down with his paw and pushed her away.
But the more he refused, the more amused Xu Qingzhou seemed to become.
Whenever she met Chi Jun's speechless face, she would smile especially happily, affectionately rub his ears, and hug him even tighter in her arms.
Chi Jun: "..."
This person probably has a masochistic streak.
Chi Jun didn't know where her happiness came from, but compared to her silent and numb demeanor when she lived at Xu Meiling's house, Xu Qingzhou was much more lively and energetic, which made him feel a little happier.
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and both the human and the fox have fully adapted to life in the small rented house.
Despite being busy, Xu Qingzhou felt relaxed and organized, and her complexion improved noticeably.
If even she is like this, then what about Chi Jun, who does nothing but eat and sleep all day?
Chi Jun recovered very quickly. Although he cannot transform back into human form now, his physical strength and mental agility far surpass those of ordinary foxes, and he will no longer easily fall into danger.
—He has to go.
If his previous escape was partly due to being fed up with the swill and Xu Meiling's messy behavior, then now Chi Jun wants to leave purely because after a period of mental and physical adjustment, his spirits have returned.
He wants to return to the fox clan.
He didn't want those guys to get their way.
However, due to the lingering curse, Chi Jun cannot simply leave whenever he wants.
The first step was for Xu Qingzhou to ask him to leave.
*
As evening fell, the setting sun painted the sky with brilliant colors. The courtyard of the rented houses echoed with the sounds of cooking and washing, filling the air with the aromas of various dishes.
Xu Qingzhou brought a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes into the house, and also served some of his own pickled vegetables, placing them on the small dining table.
When Xu Qingzhou's gaze fell on the fox squatting on the small chair, he paused slightly in wiping his sweat. He noticed that the fox was staring blankly at the dishes on the table, seemingly lost in thought, and looked rather serious.
That expression looks so human.
Xu Qingzhou thought to himself.
However, she was already used to this and thought that her fox was just clever and understanding, and that it was probably because it was hot.
She didn't pay much attention, simply moving the creaking old electric fan closer to the dining table, so it faced the fox, before turning to serve the porridge.
First, fill one of the stainless steel bowls, then add some vegetables and place it in front of the fox.
Xu Qingzhou turned around and went to get her own portion.
Just as I picked up the spoon, I heard a loud "bang" behind me.
Xu Qingzhou turned his head.
The bowl was smashed on the ground, spilling the entire bowl of porridge and vegetables onto the floor.
She paused for a moment, then looked at the fox.
The fox was pure white, and it was sitting on the chair, tilting its head to look at her.
Their eyes met.
For some reason, Xu Qingzhou felt that the dark, fox-like eyes were cold and seemed to carry a hint of emotion.
She looked away, put down the bowl she was using to hold rice, picked up the small stainless steel bowl, and rinsed it at the sink outside.
After ladling another bowl of porridge and adding the dishes, Xu Qingzhou carefully adjusted the distance between the bowl and the edge of the table before gently placing it down, considering that it might have been placed too close to the edge earlier and could easily have been knocked over.
Just as I turned around to grab a rag to clean the floor, there was another loud "bang".
Xu Qingzhou turned around.
The bowl was knocked over again.
A large patch of white porridge mixed with shredded potatoes and pickled vegetables stood out starkly against the cement-colored ground.
The fox, still perched in the chair, continued to tilt its head and quietly observe her, as if to say:
Yes, I spilled it on purpose.
As if deliberately matching this expression, the fox moved its rear end closer to the small chair, and its large, snow-white tail instantly drooped down from the side of the chair, covering the porridge and rice.
Sweeping back and forth—
Sweeping back and forth—
The ground was instantly covered in a terrible mess.
"..."
Chi Jun looked at Xu Qingzhou's wide-eyed stare and a smile silently crept into his heart.
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