Chapter 45: Tsundere Wolf

The White-Haired Woman’s footsteps quickened, faster and faster, until she was on the verge of vanishing from sight.

But there was no need to worry. After scampering a short distance away, she doubled back on her own.

She crept back stealthily, sneaking glances to check Ji Yingran’s reaction.

The White-Haired Woman was gauging whether she’d given herself away just moments ago, her entire demeanor riddled with tells—yet she was still fretting over it.

Ji Yingran let out a light chuckle. She strolled over to the car, leaning casually against the door, and raised her voice just enough to call out to the figure in the distance. “Why are you hanging back so far? Come here.”

Far from approaching, the White-Haired Woman spun around, offering only the back of her head.

She might not have a pair of wolf ears in her current human form, but Ji Yingran could easily picture them perked up, straining to catch every sound.

With her back turned and out of sight, of course she’d rely on her ears to listen in.

“I’m about to drive to the shop. It’s getting late. Want to come along?” Ji Yingran spoke at a normal volume.

The distance was considerable, but Ji Yingran was certain the White-Haired Woman could hear her loud and clear.

The White-Haired Woman made no move and didn’t turn around.

“If you want to join me, hop in.”

No response.

“If you’re not coming, I’m heading out.”

The White-Haired Woman, who had shown no reaction until then, suddenly whipped her head back and dashed over with a flurry of rapid footsteps.

Of course, she wasn’t coming to ride in the car. Instead…

Thud.

She gave the car’s tire a solid kick.

“Who’d want to ride in your junk heap? Why the yelling? Go if you want—just don’t pretend I asked you to wait for me.”

Ji Yingran quickly checked the tire. Given the brute force behind that kick, she half-expected it to burst.

Fortunately, though the blow landed hard, it wasn’t full strength. The tire remained unscathed.

Ji Yingran looked at her helplessly. “If you don’t want to ride in my car, that’s fine. Just stop kicking it.”

The White-Haired Woman, however, refused to listen. She bristled at once—she was a wolf with an innate contrarian streak. The more you told her not to kick, the more she lifted her foot, delivering several more blows.

She still had some sense of proportion, though, and didn’t actually damage the tire.

Ji Yingran started to say something but held her tongue in the end. She didn’t try to stop her. After all, when it came to the matter of promising to visit but then dragging her feet for half a year without going back, Ji Yingran was the one at fault.

No wonder Wolfie had been giving her such a sour face the whole time.

It was the human who had broken her promise first.

Even without a friendly attitude, the White-Haired Woman had stuck close by her side during this period—trailing wherever Ji Yingran went, always right on her heels. They were practically inseparable.

“Done kicking?” Ji Yingran asked with a smile once she finally stopped.

“Have I told you something before?” The White-Haired Woman’s gaze turned icy.

“Hm?”

“Don’t talk to me!”

Ji Yingran wasn’t annoyed in the slightest. She nodded agreeably. “But I just love talking to you. I can’t help myself. What should I do?”

The White-Haired Woman faltered for a moment, clearly caught off guard by the response. Yet visibly, a flicker of smug satisfaction passed through her cold eyes.

She liked hearing that.

Don’t let her words fool you—”Don’t talk to me,” she said, but in truth, she loved it when people chatted with her. The more shameless and persistent they were, the better she liked it.

It was what people called being mouthy.

Or tsundere, to use the term.

Ji Yingran kept stroking the wolf’s fur in the right direction. “I just want to talk to you. I want to speak with you. It hurts when I don’t. Won’t you at least acknowledge me?”

The corner of the White-Haired Woman’s mouth twitched upward despite herself, her delight plain as day. But the words that came out were the complete opposite.

“Shameless. All you do is cling to me with that thick skin of yours. Unqualified.”

Ji Yingran shook her head with a laugh and opened the passenger door. “You’re right—I love shamelessly clinging to you. Can’t unqualified me get a chance? Hop in.”

The White-Haired Woman glanced at the open door but didn’t budge.

She was waiting to be begged. A mere invitation wouldn’t do; it had to be a plea.

“Please, hop in. It’s really getting late, and I have to get to the shop. You follow me there every single day anyway. Why not just ride with me and save the hassle?”

Lately, the White-Haired Woman had been “serendipitously” bumping into her right outside her home every day, then again at the bakery door.

It was an unfailing routine: contrived encounters.

Encounters were one thing, but she had a real talent for turning the tables.

Every time they “met,” she’d hit her with something like, “How’d I run into you again? Are you stalking me, you creep?”

Or, “Don’t you have anything better to do? Quit staging these encounters every day. You’re seriously messing up my life. Keep this up, and I’ll call the cops.”

She was ready to call the cops, no less.

Ji Yingran always felt a mix of exasperation and speechlessness whenever she heard it.

Truth be told, the Snow Wolf in human form could be truly grating at times. Her personality was downright awful.

But the moment Ji Yingran remembered that she was just a wolf, that annoying behavior suddenly seemed far less irritating. She slapped a filter over it all.

A fluffy wolf who’d probably spent little time in human society—speaking harshly here, acting out there, behaving oddly overall? What was wrong with any of that? She was just a wolf, after all.

Ji Yingran invited her into the car time and again, but the White-Haired Woman played hard to get, refusing to budge for the longest time.

In the end, some offhand remark must have rubbed her the wrong way, because she huffed off in a huff, sleeves flapping.

Ji Yingran watched the departing wolf rub her forehead with a sigh.

Whatever. She’d deal with her later and head to the shop first. Time really was short.

The White-Haired Woman might have stormed off for now, but she’d no doubt pop up suddenly once Ji Yingran arrived at the shop.

This wolf didn’t seem to have anything better to do anyway—just endlessly circling her.

As she drove, passing one spot, Ji Yingran spotted roasted sweet potatoes for sale by the roadside through the car window.

After a brief moment of thought, she swung the wheel and pulled over.

Five minutes later, she secured the sweet potato bag and set it on the passenger seat.

She’d hand it over when that wolf burst out of nowhere later.

She seemed especially fond of sweet potatoes.

Actually, no—she didn’t seem picky about food at all. She loved everything and would nibble at anything.

Ten or so minutes later, she parked in her usual spot, grabbed the sweet potatoes, and headed toward the bakery.

Glancing up, she spotted a white figure through the bakery’s floor-to-ceiling windows, craning her neck to peer inside.

Unable to see clearly, the White-Haired Woman suddenly pressed her entire face against the glass. Cupping her hands over her eyes like a visor, she scrutinized the interior.

Ji Yingran paused for a second. She got here quick—even faster than someone driving. Did she teleport?

It wouldn’t be surprising. After all, she could shapeshift into human form; teleportation hardly seemed out of the question.

Wolf demon…

Ji Yingran hefted the still-warm sweet potatoes in her hand. Wolf demon or not, she was definitely a glutton.

Ji Yingran strode up and patted the shoulder of the woman glued to the glass.

The White-Haired Woman shrugged irritably. “Who is it? Don’t bother me—I’m looking for someone. Keep it up, and I’ll eat you.”

Ji Yingran let out a soft laugh.

At the familiar sound, the White-Haired Woman’s expression froze. She whipped around to look, a flash of surprise in her eyes.

As if to say: Why are you behind me? Shouldn’t you be inside the shop?

Ji Yingran explained considerately, “I don’t drive that fast. I just got here.”

The White-Haired Woman pouted. Sure enough, a dawdling two-legged beast. She’d even let her go ahead, and still arrived late.

A snail of a creature.

Unqualified.

“What a coincidence, running into you again.” Ji Yingran pretended not to know better, playing along.

“Coincidence? Please. You’re obviously stalking me.” The White-Haired Woman flipped the script once more.

Ji Yingran didn’t deny it. She simply handed over the two sweet potatoes. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Here.”

The White-Haired Woman’s nose twitched instinctively two or three times, catching the sweet aroma in the air. Her eyes lit up at once.

With visible effort, she tore her gaze away. “Petty bribes and bootlicking—just two lousy sweet potatoes. I’m not eating them.”

No sooner had she refused than a very audible gulp echoed as she swallowed hard.

As she did, she inwardly praised herself: This Wolf has real willpower. And she even used two idioms to turn them down—petty bribes, bootlicking. This Wolf is so cultured!

Wait, are “petty bribes” and “bootlicking” actually idioms? Human language is so tricky. This Wolf has studied it forever and still doesn’t have it all straight…

Unaware of these little mental gymnastics, Ji Yingran wasted no time on chit-chat. She thrust the sweet potatoes straight into her hands.

“I said I’m not eating them.” That was her mouth talking, but her hands were already ripping open the bag.

As she readied a bite, she glanced up at Ji Yingran. “What are you staring at? I’ll gouge out your eyes.”

Ji Yingran: “…”

Obligingly, she averted her gaze and looked away.

Munching sounds soon filled the air beside her ears.

One sweet potato vanished in a single bite. Then another followed suit.

The pair disappeared in seconds. She licked her lips contentedly.

“I knew two sweet potatoes wouldn’t fill you up. Come inside with me—grab some bread too.”

Ji Yingran pushed open the glass door and gestured for her to follow.

But the White-Haired Woman dug in her heels once more, refusing to enter.

Ji Yingran shook her head helplessly and didn’t press the issue. She knew the wolf would come in on her own soon enough.

Ji Yingran had already figured out her personality. No matter what she did or said, the White-Haired Woman always had to sass someone first, always had to reject it outright before finally agreeing.

For her minor stubborn streaks, one pushback was usually enough. But when she dug in her heels, it could take five or six refusals—or more—before she gave in.

“Fine, if you insist on being stubborn out here for a bit, go ahead. I’ll head inside and wait. Just push the glass door a little lighter when you come in later.”

Every time she entered, she shoved it with all her might, as if she had no idea what “gentle” even meant. She didn’t really need to tiptoe around, but easing up on the force would have done just fine.

With the way she slammed that door, Ji Yingran was seriously worried the glass might shatter one day…

Replacing the door would be no big deal, but if it suddenly broke and shards rained down, someone could get hurt.

Though, she supposed there was no real need to fret about a demon getting cut by glass. A proud Wolf Demon surely wasn’t that fragile…

Still, Ji Yingran just had a worrier’s nature—she couldn’t help it.

“Did you hear me? Go easy on the door later.”

The White-Haired Woman turned a deaf ear.

Ji Yingran had no choice but to leave her be. She stepped into the shop and made a beeline for the register, tallying up yesterday’s earnings.

Right then, the glass door flew open with a loud bang.

The White-Haired Woman, who had stubbornly refused to come in moments ago, now swaggered inside without a care.

Ji had reminded her to be gentle, but she ignored it completely—pushing even harder than usual, in fact.

She was doing it on purpose, just to spite her.

Once inside, the White-Haired Woman began wandering around, her eyes darting hungrily over the array of breads and cakes.

There were so many varieties that she was dazzled by the selection. She wanted to try everything, but she held back proudly, contenting herself with just looking.

Ji Yingran could tell exactly what she was up to. She was waiting for someone to offer her a taste.

After hurriedly finishing her counts, Ji came over to her side. “See anything you want?”

“They’re all mediocre. I don’t want any,” the White-Haired Woman said with a disdainful sniff.

Ji Yingran casually slid open the nearest display case and pulled out a Pork Floss Cheese Bread.

“This is one of our shop’s signatures—the best one. Give it a try.”

The White-Haired Woman’s eyes glued themselves to the bread, but she quickly looked away.

Ji broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth.

Unable to resist food, the White-Haired Woman instinctively opened wide and bit down.

She had meant to snag just the bread at her lips, but she ended up catching Ji Yingran’s fingers too.

Her teeth grazed lightly over the fingertips, her wet tongue sliding against them, her soft lips brushing close…

The air seemed to still for a second as their eyes met—hers a pair of clear golden pupils.

Ji Yingran froze for a moment, then yanked her hand back.