Chapter 42: Ate You – Wolfie Has Even Thought of the Child’s Name

The white-haired woman refused to budge no matter what. She wouldn’t take a single step, even if Ji Yingran tried dragging her away. Her eyes remained locked on the octopus balls.

Ji Yingran finally got the picture. This woman wasn’t leaving today without getting her hands on those octopus balls.

With no other choice, Ji Yingran took the risk—knowing the middle-aged man could return with his buddies at any moment—and bought her a serving.

But once she’d bought them, the woman still wouldn’t leave.

She insisted on finishing every last one before going. Clutching the tray, she dove in headfirst, tuning out the entire world around her.

Ji Yingran gritted her teeth. She was tempted to just ditch her right there. But she couldn’t forget that the woman had only offended that middle-aged creep because she’d stepped in to help.

Abandoning her now would make Ji Yingran feel like a total monster.

Anxious and exasperated, Ji Yingran scanned the surroundings for any sign of the man bringing reinforcements while nagging the woman to hurry up and finish so they could get out of there.

She couldn’t tell if the woman was doing it on purpose. Earlier, she’d devoured those roasted sweet potatoes one after another and slurped down her milk tea in seconds flat.

But now that speed was crucial, she took her sweet time, nibbling daintily bite by bite.

It felt exactly like she was messing with her.

“Hurry up and eat!” Ji Yingran said, her tone sharpening.

The white-haired woman shot her a glance and kept on at her leisurely pace.

Ji Yingran was utterly defeated. She mentally prepared herself: if anyone cornered them, she’d call the cops.

Or maybe she should dial emergency services right now, just to be safe.

As Ji Yingran wavered on whether to make the call, the white-haired woman finally polished off the box of octopus balls—all but the very last one.

Ji Yingran glanced into the distance. No sign of the middle-aged man coming back. Looked like all his big talk had been just that: empty bluster.

Good. Relief washed over her.

Snow wolves always saved the final bite for someone else, and the white-haired woman had the same habit.

With just one octopus ball left, surely she’d leave it for her…

But in the next instant, the white-haired woman popped the last one straight into her own mouth.

No share for anyone.

That didn’t add up. Snow wolves shared their food. Not leaving any meant she couldn’t be Wolfie.

Were all those earlier moments just coincidences? Was she not a wolf after all, but simply unhinged—which would explain the weirdness?

Ji Yingran still couldn’t tell. One moment she seemed like Wolfie; the next, not at all.

“Why didn’t you save one for me?” Not sure what to make of it, Ji Yingran just asked outright.

“Why should I save you one?” the white-haired woman shot back instantly. “Are we buddies? Why would I share my food with you? What are you, some beggar hitting up strangers for handouts?”

Ji Yingran’s chest tightened.

Wow. Just… wow. For the first time, she truly felt the sting of a venomous tongue.

One sentence from this woman, and she was fuming from every pore.

Ji Yingran took a deep breath. Stay calm. She forced a smile. “Aren’t we at least a little friendly? I mean, I’ve bought you all this stuff.”

The white-haired tossed the empty tray onto the ground. “You insisted on buying it for me. I only ate a bit to humor you. Don’t think a few snacks will win me over. Dream on.”

Ji Yingran’s mouth twitched.

What a pro at flipping the script. She’d begged for it herself, and now it was somehow Ji Yingran forcing it on her.

The woman could spin good into bad without missing a beat. Ji Yingran shook her head in disbelief.

She definitely wasn’t Wolfie. Snow wolves were all fluffy and adorable. Not like this white-haired pain in the neck…

No wolf would be this infuriating!

She was just someone with mental issues. Had to be.

Suddenly, the white-haired woman—who’d been standing right in front of her—bolted off without warning.

Darting around unpredictably like a maniac? Yeah, that screamed unhinged. Definitely not a wolf.

Ji Yingran nodded to herself, more convinced by the second.

With the middle-aged man unlikely to show, and no immediate danger to the woman, Ji Yingran saw no reason to stick around and deal with this anymore. Time to head out.

She took two steps, then stopped.

Deep down, she still couldn’t shake the worry. She was cursed with an overactive conscience. They were neighbors, after all. She couldn’t just leave her high and dry.

The woman’s head wasn’t right. She might not even know the way home. As a fellow resident, Ji Yingran felt some responsibility—at least to see her back safely.

With a sigh, she admitted defeat and turned back.

A quick sweep turned up nothing. The white-haired woman had vanished in a blink.

Ji Yingran circled the area. Just as she was about to give up, a familiar flash of white caught her eye on the nearby square.

Damn, this lunatic could move. She’d made it to the square in seconds. Ji Yingran remembered how fast she’d scaled that iron gate before. Was she just naturally quick on her feet all around?

That speed? She’d be a natural on the track team.

It was a bit far, so Ji Yingran squinted to make out the scene: the white-haired woman, standing next to a little girl.

The woman’s gaze was fixed intently on the girl—or more precisely, on the cotton candy in her hands.

The little girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Sister, your hair is so pretty! Are you the White-Haired Fairy?”

The white-haired woman ignored her completely, eyes glued to the cotton candy. “What’re you eating?”

The girl beamed, oblivious to the fact that this adult might snatch her treat. “This is cotton candy! Haven’t you ever had it, White-Haired Fairy Sister?”

The words had barely left her mouth when the cotton candy vanished from her hand.

In a flash, it was in the white-haired woman’s grasp.

She chomped down eagerly. Sweet, almost overwhelmingly so, with no other flavor and a bizarre texture.

“Not bad. Meh. Edible, I guess.” Still, the white-haired woman kept munching away.

Bite after bite.

The massive puff of cotton candy dwindled to just the stick in no time.

At first, the girl had been thrilled to meet her “White-Haired Fairy.” But now her treat was gone.

Her lip quivered. Then—”Waaah!”—she burst into tears.

“Waaah! Sister, you stole a kid’s candy! You’re not the White-Haired Fairy—you’re the White-Haired Monster! You’re a bad guy! Waaah!”

The girl’s wails drew stares from everyone on the square.

The white-haired woman, oblivious and utterly shameless, slurped at the stick.

Cotton candy. Sweet and sticky. Pretty decent.

Only after licking it clean did she glance at the crying girl.

Not to comfort her, of course. She snapped, “Why are you making such a racket? Cry, cry, cry—shut it! Keep it up, and I’ll eat you.”

The girl’s sobs hitched. She hiccuped in fright.

Then she plopped onto the ground and wailed even louder.

The commotion quickly summoned the girl’s mother.

The mother was slightly plump, her belly gently rounded, one hand instinctively cradling it. She was pregnant.

“What do you think you’re doing, bullying a child?”

She immediately shielded the sobbing girl behind her, glaring furiously at the white-haired woman.

The white-haired woman scowled in annoyance and chucked the cotton candy stick to the ground. “You’re noisy too. Keep it up, and I’ll eat you.”

The mother spotted the discarded stick and pieced it together. “Hold on—you’re a grown adult, and you’re stealing cotton candy from a kid?”

The white-haired woman’s golden eyes narrowed. Just as the tension boiled over, Ji Yingran rushed up and wedged herself between them.

“I’m so sorry! Really, my apologies. How much was the cotton candy? I’ll pay you back.”

The mother snapped, “This isn’t about the money.”

Ji Yingran gave an apologetic smile. “I know, it’s not about the cost—a cotton candy’s cheap. This is definitely not about money. I’m sorry on her behalf. See, my friend here, she…”

Ji Yingran tapped her temple meaningfully.

The mother blinked, peering past her at the white-haired woman. Ah, that explained it. A nutcase.

With Ji Yingran being so polite—and the other one clearly off her rocker—the mother waved it off, grabbed her daughter, and walked away.

“What did pointing at your head mean just now?” The white-haired woman’s voice drifted lazily from behind.

Ji Yingran’s back stiffened. She turned slowly, composing herself. “Oh, nothing. Pointing at the head? That’s usually for someone super smart. I was saying how clever you are. Yeah, that’s it.”

The white-haired woman’s gaze turned icy. “You think I’m stupid, don’t you? You think I’ve got something wrong up here—that I’m crazy?”

Ji Yingran choked.

“No, not at all! Why would I think that? Impossible.”

The white-haired woman eyed her sullenly.

Ji Yingran gave an awkward laugh and pivoted. Time to lay it on thick.

“That lady back there was obviously pregnant. You can’t get into a scuffle with her. One bump, and something bad could happen to the baby. You get that, right?”

The white-haired woman said nothing. No telling if it sank in.

Ji Yingran spelled it out. “Pregnant means there’s a little baby in her belly.”

As she spoke, she patted her own stomach for emphasis.

The white-haired woman’s expression grew increasingly bizarre.

A pregnant woman? A little baby in her belly?

Why was this two-legged beast suddenly bringing up such things? What did she mean by that? Did she want to have a baby together with This Wolf?

The white-haired woman had heard of cases where humans and demons paired up, but she had never considered taking a human as a partner before. As such, she knew little about the specifics.

Could demons and humans actually produce little babies? And if they could, would the offspring be human or wolf?

The white-haired woman pondered thoughtfully. This was a blind spot in her knowledge.

She would have to look into it later. Of course, whether it was possible or not, the two-legged beast must not be the one giving birth—This Wolf would do it instead. The two-legged beast was far too weak; what if she died in childbirth? That would leave the wolf with nothing but headaches.

So, what name should their baby have?

It needed to be something mighty and domineering.

Wait—no. That wasn’t right at all. This Wolf wanted nothing to do with this human. Babies? Names? Ridiculous!

The white-haired woman’s brows furrowed as she shot a glare at Ji Yingran. “You’re thinking way too far ahead. I haven’t even agreed to anything, and you’ve already picked out a name for the child? How utterly absurd.”

It really was absurd.

Ji Yingran’s mind was a swirling mess of question marks. What on earth was she talking about? All she had done was remind her not to clash with a pregnant woman, and now the conversation had veered off into babies and baby names?

What kind of nonsense was this…

“Not qualified,” the white-haired woman declared.

Ji Yingran: “?”