Bai Li blinked awake, her vision filled with blinding sunlight.
In the kitchen, the old range hood hummed its low, steady drone.
Bai Li stretched her arms high above her head with a big, languid stretch.
“Hungry—”
She patted her empty stomach, and it answered with a cooperative growl.
“Awake? Breakfast’s ready.”
Lin Du shut off the range hood, carrying a plate out of the kitchen.
The scent of noodles drifted from the living room like a hand reaching out to gently pinch Bai Li’s nose.
Her eyes weren’t even fully open yet, but the fox was already sitting up, kicking the blanket to the edge of the bed.
“So good!”
“Didn’t have much on hand, so I made egg noodles.”
Lin Du wiped his hands on his apron.
“Good timing, actually—we’re heading to the mall today to stock up. The fridge is almost empty.”
Bai Li slipped her feet into her slippers and padded over to the table, plopping herself down.
The noodles were impossibly fine dragon whisker noodles, unfurling in a clear, clean broth.
A fried egg sat on top, its edges crisped to a perfect golden-brown.
Bai Li picked up her chopsticks and gently pressed them in—the orange yolk spilled out, running down the noodles and sinking into the soup.
A few flecks of green scallion scattered across the surface stood out against the white and gold of the bowl.
Steam rose from the rim, blurring the world in front of her like a thin veil.
“This looks amazing!”
“Careful, it’s hot. Take your time.”
Lin Du took off his apron, hung it on the chair back, and sat down across from her.
He couldn’t help stealing another glance at the way she ate.
An ordinary shirt, yet on her it somehow looked distractingly alluring, hard to look away from.
Legend said foxes were the most bewitching spirits of the mountain wilds.
Ancient books called them “masters of bewitchment,” saying they could take human form and exude charm—a single smile was enough to steal a man’s soul.
Bai Li knew none of that.
Bai Li only knew the noodles were delicious.
She bent over to slurp her noodles, revealing a stretch of pale skin at the nape of her neck.
The loose shirt collar slipped down past her collarbone, a soft curve hinting just beneath.
So all that feeding hadn’t been wasted after all.
Lin Du gave himself a quiet pat on the back.
The nurturing plan was definitely showing results.
He picked up his own bowl, stealing one more glance at Bai Li.
But… he still needed to put in more effort.
A moment later, Bai Li tipped the last of her soup into her mouth, set down the bowl, and let out a long breath.
“I’m full!”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked up.
“What time is it now?”
“Almost nine.”
“That’s about right. I promised Xiao Yu I’d meet her at the mall at ten.”
“Xiao Yu? Your deskmate?”
Lin Du raised an eyebrow.
“She doesn’t know what you really are, right?”
“No, not that one—Xiao Yu, as in the jade pendant.”
Bai Li waved her hand.
“The cat girl with black hair. You helped her pick up her flyers once.”
Lin Du tilted his head back, thinking.
Right—at the cat café entrance.
He had seen a cat girl there before.
Bai Li stood up from her chair, tugging at the hem of her shirt, trying to cover her pale thighs.
“I need to go change. I can’t exactly walk out like this.”
Bai Li reached up and flicked Lin Du on the head, puffing out her cheeks and glaring at him.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing…”
Lin Du muttered.
“What did you say? Gross!”
She turned and headed to the balcony, running her hand over the clothes hanging on the laundry rack.
Most of them weren’t dry yet, damp to the touch.
But that white dress—thanks to its thin fabric—had dried just fine after airing overnight.
Bai Li took it down, hugged it to her chest, and slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
She sat on the edge of the bed, put on her wristband, and closed her eyes.
Bai Li visualized it carefully, precisely: just hiding the ears and tail. Nothing else changes.
When she opened her eyes again, she checked her reflection in the front camera.
Sure enough—no big difference from before the disguise.
Silver hair, sea-blue pupils.
Just without the ears and tail.
She looked like a perfectly ordinary human girl.
She fiddled with her bangs, gathered the shoulder-length hair behind her head, and tied it into a neat ponytail.
That way, no one would associate her with the wanted criminal.
Even if white hair and blue eyes stood out a little in this city, she could always say she was from somewhere else.
Lin Du was already by the entrance hall, changing his shoes.
He waved at Bai Li.
“Let’s go.”
After the start of summer, the sunlight grew harsh and glaring.
Xiao Yu stood at the mall entrance in jean shorts and a light pink T-shirt, quietly staring at the ground.
Her dark eyes darted restlessly, cautiously sizing up the passing crowd.
Every now and then, someone would brush past her, and she’d reflexively step aside, then pull out her phone to check her messages.
Seeing her like that, Bai Li couldn’t help but want to prank her.
Bai Li tiptoed over silently, slid up behind Xiao Yu, and covered her eyes with her hands.
“Guess who~”
“Pfft, I saw you coming a mile away.”
Xiao Yu reached up, peeled the hands off her eyes, and turned around, looking at Bai Li with a helpless expression.
“Tch, no fun.”
Bai Li pouted.
This cat girl was way too hard to mess with.
Xiao Yu gave her a slow once-over, a flicker of admiration in her eyes.
“Ohh, you look so pretty in that dress!”
“Haha… yeah?”
Bai Li scratched the back of her head, a little embarrassed.
This wasn’t even the first compliment she’d gotten today.
The moment she’d stepped out the door, she’d run into the neighbor auntie.
She was coming back from the vegetable market with two bags of groceries.
The moment she spotted Bai Li, her eyes lit up.
The auntie dumped her grocery bags on the ground and gave Lin Du a big thumbs up.
“Little Du, is this your girlfriend?”
The auntie’s voice was loud—the whole apartment building echoed with it.
“Oh my, even prettier than the Shijo family’s young lady!”
Bai Li’s face flushed instantly.
She forgot every word she meant to say in her defense.
“Auntie, you’ve got it wrong, she’s not—”
Lin Du tried, but the auntie wasn’t about to let him get a word in.
She grabbed Bai Li and pulled her closer, squinting at her like she was appraising a priceless piece of porcelain.
“Those eyes, they’re gorgeous. Like the color of the sea. Where’s this young lady from?”
Bai Li leaned back, gave a polite smile, and said nothing.
“A bit shy, is she? That’s lovely.”
The auntie turned and patted Lin Du on the arm.
“I’ve watched Little Du grow up. He’s a good kid.”
The auntie was all smiles—then suddenly shot Lin Du a glare.
“But if he ever dares to bully you…”
She paused, then turned back to Bai Li with another smile.
“You come tell Auntie. Auntie will sort him out!”
Bai Li could only smile, unsure how to respond.
But the auntie just kept going, growing more enthusiastic by the second.
It went from “stay for lunch” to “I bought so much food, let’s eat it together, no point wasting it,” and from “eat together” to “my daughter will be home soon, you young people should chat more.”
Bai Li’s smile was about to crack.
She shot Lin Du a desperate, pleading look.
Lin Du caught on, stepping forward.
“Auntie, we actually have somewhere to be. Maybe next time.”
The auntie finally let go of Bai Li’s hand and headed upstairs with her groceries, still muttering to herself about “that beautiful girl” and such.
“Oh, of course, of course. Next time, then—don’t forget!”
Bai Li let out a relieved breath and followed Lin Du out through the unit door.
But once they hit the street, she realized the ordeal was far from over.
Everyone on the road seemed to be staring at her.
A chill crawled down her spine.
She wasn’t used to being noticed.
She should’ve just asked the wristband to make her a little more low-profile.
Bai Li nodded at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu gave a small bow in return, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her clothes.
“Hello, I’m Lin Du. We’ve met before.”
Lin Du nodded politely at Xiao Yu.
“I remember, meow. Last time… thank you so much.”
“Come on, come on.”
Bai Li waved at the two of them.
“It’s hot out here. Let’s head inside.”