Chapter 66: Morning at Yu Sheng’s House
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
When Yu Sheng opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was Irene, the doll, flung awkwardly against the corner of the bed. Her precious picture frame rested on the nightstand, propped up against the wall. The sight made Yu Sheng sigh. He remembered how he had tried, and failed, to kick this troublesome doll out of his room last night. Every time he picked her up to carry her out the door, she would shriek at the top of her lungs, so loudly that it felt like his ears might burst. After several failed attempts, he had finally given up.
Yu Sheng sighed again, this time more heavily. Irene was still fast asleep. He stretched out his foot and nudged her side a couple of times, not too gently, as though urging a stubborn cat to move.
“Get up,” he said, half grumbling. “If you don’t, I’m taking that picture frame away and making you sleep inside it again. Don’t think I won’t do it.”
At last, Irene stirred. She pushed herself upright, blinking sleepily. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her tiny face looked drowsy and confused. “Mmm… morning… Hey…”
“Morning?” Yu Sheng snorted, the corners of his mouth twitching with annoyance. “It’s nearly noon already! Do you have any idea how many times you rolled around last night? You’re a doll, for crying out loud. Isn’t it strange enough that you actually need to sleep? But no, apparently you have to toss and turn like a restless child, too.”
“I dunno,” Irene said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She stretched like a cat and gave him an indignant look. “Don’t be so grumpy. I’m gorgeous, aren’t I? You should be thrilled to share a room with someone so lovely.”
Yu Sheng’s temple began to throb. There she was, a tiny doll barely a foot tall, speaking as though she were some grand lady. “You talk big for someone so small. Do you even understand what you’re saying?”
Irene shrugged, utterly unconcerned. She crawled closer, still looking a bit sleepy, and tilted her messy head forward. “Brush my hair,” she demanded.
A muscle twitched on Yu Sheng’s forehead. Without a word, he got up, went straight to the bathroom, grabbed a hairbrush, and flung it onto the bed. “Do it yourself,” he said flatly.
Irene picked it up and rolled her eyes dramatically. The brush was huge compared to her head. “Are you joking? How am I supposed to manage this on my own? You should get me a doll-sized brush.” She began to complain, her voice rising in a long, steady whine. “My hair’s always messy because nobody brushes it for me. The first night I was here, I had to sleep in a chair! No one cares about a poor doll’s feelings…”
She went on and on, her voice growing shriller by the second, until Yu Sheng felt like his ears were about to catch fire. He pressed his fingertips against his forehead, as though trying to keep a headache from bursting out.
“…I must’ve owed you something in a past life,” he finally muttered through gritted teeth. Snatching the brush from Irene, he plucked the doll right off the bed and placed her on the nightstand. “Sit there and don’t move, or I’ll throw you straight back into that frame of yours,” he warned.
Irene settled down with a pleased grin. “You made this body, so brushing my hair is just basic after-sales service,” she said in a singsong voice.
“That’s not how ‘after-sales service’ works,” Yu Sheng grumbled, carefully running the brush through her tangled locks. It wasn’t easy, but he managed to smooth out her hair without pulling too hard.
“Close enough—hey, be gentle! Don’t pull,” Irene snapped, wincing as he worked. “A doll’s hair is precious, you know.”
Yu Sheng rolled his eyes and sighed again. At last, her hair looked manageable. He hung her picture frame back around her, letting it dangle like a peculiar necklace. Then he turned away and headed to the bathroom to wash up, saying nothing more.
A moment later, Irene’s voice drifted in: “Hey, Yu Sheng! What’s for breakfast?”
Yu Sheng, his mouth now full of toothpaste foam, mumbled something that sounded like “noodles.” He spat and said clearly, “I’ll make something simple—noodles. Then we’re going out.”
He heard Irene give a short “oh” in response, and then, thankfully, she fell silent. But Yu Sheng couldn’t shake the feeling that her quietness wouldn’t last long. Something about Irene always reminded him of a storm holding its breath.
After rinsing his face, Yu Sheng looked into the mirror. He noticed, with mild surprise, that he actually looked better rested. His complexion was brighter, and there was a slight smile on his lips. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d looked so at ease. Not so long ago, he had been living in constant anxiety. Night after night, he’d go to sleep feeling on edge, only to wake up more exhausted than before. He’d barely wash up, rarely look at his reflection, and whenever he did, he’d see only a worn-out soul staring back.
But now, he saw a young man who looked healthier, maybe even hopeful about the future. It was strange, considering he’d spent the night trying to keep a rebellious doll from taking over his bed.
“I guess it’s all about your mindset,” he said softly, giving his reflection a faint grin.
Just then, a shrill voice called out from beyond the bathroom door, shattering his quiet moment of peace. “Yu—Sheng! Did you fall in?! If you did, I’ll send Foxy in to fish you out!”
Yu Sheng’s smile vanished instantly. He yanked open the door, stepping into the hallway, and found Irene standing there on the floorboards. She had slung her picture frame back around her shoulders, and her eyes were dancing with mischief.
“You’ve been in there half an hour!” she teased.
Ignoring her, Yu Sheng walked past and opened the bedroom door, checking to see if Foxy—his fox-girl companion—was awake. The moment he pulled the door open, he nearly jumped back. Foxy was standing right there, inches from the threshold, poised as if she were about to knock but too shy to follow through.
Surprised by the sudden movement, Foxy flinched. Her fluffy tail bristled dramatically, puffing up like a large feather duster. Her long ears stood straight up, twitching with surprise. It took her a few seconds to calm down, tail and ears settling back into their normal positions. She gazed up at Yu Sheng with large, uncertain eyes.
“Benefactor…” Foxy said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
Yu Sheng blinked. “What were you doing out here?”
Foxy twisted her hands together nervously. “I woke up and didn’t know what to do. I thought I should wait for you… but I wasn’t sure if you were awake, so I didn’t dare knock.” She paused, then asked with genuine concern, “Are you all right, Benefactor? Did you fall in somewhere?”
“I didn’t fall anywhere!” Yu Sheng said, scowling. “Don’t listen to Irene’s nonsense.” He glanced at Foxy curiously. “You’ve just been waiting here this whole time?”
Foxy nodded shyly. “Mm.”
Yu Sheng sighed. “This is your home now,” he reminded her. “You don’t have to stand guard like this. If you’re bored, you can watch TV or something. Later, I’ll show you how all the appliances work.” He gestured down the hallway. “Come on, let’s go eat. I’ll make some noodles, and afterwards, we’ll go out shopping.”
Hearing the word “eat,” Foxy’s eyes lit up, as bright and eager as a child’s on Christmas morning. She followed Yu Sheng happily, practically bouncing along behind him.
Yu Sheng had only gone a few steps when a sudden thought struck him. He stopped, turning back to face Foxy. “Wait,” he began, looking at her ears and tail with some concern, “you can hide your tail, right? But what about your ears? If we go outside and people see them…”
Foxy blinked, puzzled. She tilted her head, not fully understanding. She knew nothing of the outside world or why her fox-like features might cause a fuss. Still, she trusted Yu Sheng’s judgment.
Without a word, she reached up and removed her fluffy ears from her head as casually as one might take off a hat. Then, she tucked them into her tail, which she promptly made vanish as well.
A heavy silence fell. Yu Sheng stood there, stunned, mouth half-open. Had he really just seen Foxy remove her own ears and hide them away?
Irene broke the silence with a piercing scream. “Aaaah—Fox! Foxy! What did you just pull off your head?!”
Calm as ever, Foxy retrieved her ears from the hidden tail-space and held them out for Irene to see. “My ears,” she said simply.
Yu Sheng nearly choked on his own breath. “Are those… detachable? Are they fake?”
“They’re real,” Foxy replied, tucking them away again. “Foxes are good at transformation.”
Yu Sheng was completely thrown off balance. “I’ve never heard of foxes who can do that,” he managed, voice cracking.
Foxy blinked in surprise. “Benefactor, have you met other foxes before?”
Yu Sheng hesitated, then admitted, “No.”
“Well, my parents taught me that foxes need to learn transformation skills,” Foxy explained, sounding as though she were reciting a simple fact of life. “The first step is transforming ourselves. Once we’re good at it, we can change our form. I’ve heard stories from an Immortal that truly powerful foxes can even transform into things from old legends—becoming the wind of distant histories, traveling through time and stories just by word of mouth. But I can’t do any of that,” she added modestly. “I only learned a few basics from my parents before we were separated.”
Yu Sheng’s jaw tightened. He wanted to say it sounded impossible, but Foxy’s honest, innocent face left no room for doubt. Besides, he’d seen her do something utterly unbelievable just a moment ago.
Irene folded her arms, frowning. “I still think something’s fishy,” she muttered. “Maybe I’ve forgotten a lot of things, but what if that Immortal was just spinning tall tales? Tour guides say all sorts of nonsense…”
Foxy shook her head firmly. “I don’t know about Immortal tricks, but my parents’ teachings were real. This is how it works for foxes,” she insisted.
As if to prove her point, she gazed up at Yu Sheng and changed her hair and eye color right before his eyes. Her once-distinctive, foxy features melted into those of an ordinary human girl with dark hair, just like the locals in Boundary City.
“How about now?” Foxy asked, looking hopeful. “Do I look normal enough to go out?”
Yu Sheng paused, still feeling rather dizzy from all he had seen. At last, he nodded slowly. This new look seemed much more ordinary. Her transformation this time felt less like a shock and more like a clever bit of magic.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice still a bit uncertain, “that should be fine.”
At least this time, Foxy’s transformation made a kind of sense.