Chapter 58: Marking Scent

Marking Scent: A Lick, A Kiss

A creak sounded from behind her.

Ji Yingran vaguely heard it and turned back uncertainly to look.

Amid the hazy steam from the bathroom, the door had cracked open a sliver at some point. Had the wind done it?

She turned off the showerhead and walked over to close the gap in the door.

Returning to her bath, the hot water cascaded over her body. But as she washed, something continued to feel off, and she glanced back once more.

That was when her eyes locked with the wolf head poking through the opening.

Their gazes met, and the air hung silent for several seconds—an excruciatingly awkward moment.

Of course, the only one feeling awkward was Ji Yingran. This Wolf felt no shame whatsoever at being caught peeking.

Peeking might not even be the right word. Mu Ci was staring quite openly…

Ji Yingran quickly raised a hand to cover her chest, but before she could say a word, Mu Ci let out a dismissive “Tch” and rolled her eyes in clear disdain.

As if to say: Average at best. Nothing worth seeing.

Ji Yingran could only offer a helpless smile. She had come to realize that This Wolf loved watching humans bathe. It had been that way back at the Snow Mountain Hot Spring, and it hadn’t changed now.

The worst part was that she would watch, then act all disgusted afterward.

Mu Ci turned and left.

Ji Yingran called after her, “At least close the door on your way out.”

Naturally, Mu Ci ignored her completely and didn’t bother shutting it.

With a sigh, Ji Yingran shut off the shower once more and went to close the door again.

The lack of a lock on the bathroom door was terribly inconvenient. She’d already had to do this twice just to take a bath. She’d even suspected the wind earlier, but it was clearly This Wolf’s handiwork.

To be safe, Ji Yingran dragged the nearby laundry basket over and wedged it against the door, hoping to block any further intrusions from This Wolf.

The basket was featherlight, though. Even jammed against the door, it probably wouldn’t hold her back. Oh well—better to just hurry up and finish washing, then get dressed.

Ji Yingran stepped back under the shower, speeding up her routine noticeably.

Even as she rushed, she kept glancing toward the door. The laundry basket remained in place, and there were no signs of anyone pushing from outside.

And yet…

The feeling was eerie, as if a pair of eyes were watching her, staring intently.

Just as Ji Yingran grew suspicious, she shifted her gaze to the window.

A white-haired woman had appeared there out of nowhere.

The towel nearly slipped from Ji Yingran’s grasp as her heart skipped a beat in fright.

Mu Ci was lounging lazily against the bathroom windowsill, arms crossed over her chest, leisurely scanning Ji Yingran from head to toe.

Ji Yingran steadied her startled heartbeat and immediately snatched a garment from the nearby rack, hastily draping it over herself for cover.

Only after managing a semblance of modesty did she look toward the woman by the window. “How did you even get in here?”

Mu Ci pouted. “What’s it to you, Lowly Human? I come in whenever I want. Who are you to stop me?”

Ji Yingran eyed the laundry basket still propped against the firmly shut door. That confirmed it—This Wolf could teleport. She didn’t need doors at all.

Like some kind of ghost, popping up out of thin air.

Honestly, it was a little frightening, especially at a vulnerable moment like bathing…

Ji Yingran drew a deep breath and tried to reason with her. “Wolf, I’m in the middle of a bath. You can’t just barge in like this. To wolves, it might not mean much, but to us humans, it’s incredibly rude.”

Mu Ci’s face fell into a pout. “Who’s being rude? You groped my belly without a shred of manners. You get to touch my belly, so why can’t I watch you bathe?”

Ji Yingran was momentarily speechless. It almost sounded reasonable—like she was on the verge of being convinced.

“That’s not the same thing. Now get out.” Ji Yingran was still naked beneath the single layer of clothing shielding her front.

“How is it not the same?” Far from leaving, Mu Ci straightened up and began advancing toward her, step by step.

As Mu Ci closed in, Ji Yingran retreated.

One advanced; the other withdrew.

Just as Ji Yingran was backed into the corner, Mu Ci halted abruptly and rolled her eyes. “Not up to standard.”

With a cold huff, she spun on her heel and stalked off, kicking the laundry basket over in the process.

Ji Yingran glanced at the toppled basket, amusement mixing with relief as she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

She didn’t dare keep bathing after that, lest This Wolf make another sudden return.

If it were in wolf form, a quick look wouldn’t matter—she’d seen plenty of that back at Snow Mountain. But in human form…

Facing her naked like that? Ji Yingran still couldn’t quite handle it.

She quickly dried off and slipped into some clothes.

She’d grabbed something at random from the closet: a light-colored short skirt. Since Mu Ci was half a head taller, Ji Yingran figured it would make a perfect sleep shirt, hitting just right at the length.

To her surprise, once it was on, the skirt barely skimmed the tops of her thighs—scandalously short.

Whatever. It was just sleepwear, not for going out in. A little short wouldn’t kill her.

She righted the laundry basket, opened the door, and stepped out into the living room.

The living room was brightly lit but starkly empty, without a single piece of furniture.

Tucked in the corner beneath the window, Mu Ci sat cross-legged on a fluffy blanket, idly toying with the Wolf Teasing Rod.

At the sound of Ji Yingran entering, Mu Ci looked up. It started as a casual glance, but her eyes quickly fixed in place.

The pale skirt revealed her collarbones. Below them, with no bra underneath, faint outlines were visible.

Further down stretched her snow-white, perfectly straight legs.

Mu Ci stared without blinking. It might have been an illusion, but her eyes even seemed to widen slightly.

Meeting that intense gaze, Ji Yingran tugged self-consciously at her skirt. This Wolf in human form was still so disconcerting.

And with eyes boring into her like that, how could Ji Yingran possibly remain composed? She felt utterly ill at ease all over.

Finally, she couldn’t take it. “Stop staring at me like that.”

Mu Ci froze for a beat, then rolled her eyes. “Who’s staring? You think I want to look?”

Ji Yingran’s lips twitched into a smirk, her mind retorting silently: Oh, I think you love it. Can’t get enough.

Mu Ci’s face soured with displeasure. She tossed the Wolf Teasing Rod aside, flopped down onto the blanket, and turned to face the wall, her back to Ji Yingran.

Even with her back turned, though, she had left a patch of the blanket open.

Click.

The lights went out, plunging the brightly lit living room into darkness.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Ji Yingran made her way over and settled onto the spare spot on the blanket.

The plush fabric was comfortable enough to sleep on, carrying a lingering trace of cool pine scent and the warmth of Mu Ci’s body.

Winter was fast approaching, and the late autumn night carried a chill. Even with the heating on, lying there uncovered in nothing but an extremely short skirt brought tendrils of cold creeping in.

“Wolfie.”

“Who’s Wolfie?”

Ji Yingran ignored the retort. “Lend me your tail for a cover. I’m cold.”

“Who has a tail?”

“Come on, don’t be stubborn. I’m really cold. I’ll catch a cold at this rate.”

Mu Ci fell silent. After a moment, a fluffy tail draped over Ji Yingran.

Ji Yingran smiled. “I knew Wolfie was the best.”

Mu Ci snapped coldly, “Shut up already.”

“Fine, fine. I won’t bother you anymore. Goodnight.”

Ji Yingran closed her eyes. The living room settled into quiet, broken only by soft breathing.

“Wolf, I said goodnight to you. Say it back. It’s only polite.”

“Shut up!”

Ji Yingran chuckled softly but said no more. She was simply too exhausted and sleepy.

The day had been far too tumultuous. First, confirming the wolf’s identity. Then firing every employee at the shop. After that, taking the wolf out for barbecue.

They’d even argued at the restaurant, sending the wolf storming off. She’d spent the entire afternoon searching before finally tracking her down…

All in all, it had been eventful.

So tired. So drained. She slipped into a deep sleep within moments.

Ji Yingran might have been worn out, but Mu Ci was still brimming with energy.

When Ji Yingran was awake, Mu Ci played the aloof type—even in sleep, she kept her back turned. But the moment her human drifted off…

She rolled over and fixed unblinking eyes on her.

She watched for a while, then inched closer. Watched more, inched closer still. Watched and inched and watched.

Until their faces were pressed together.

Mu Ci rubbed her nose against Ji Yingran’s—just like back in the Mountain Cave.

This wasn’t the first time. Even then, once Ji Yingran fell asleep, the wolf would clamber over, nuzzling her nose, her cheeks, her neck. Rubbing all over to mark her scent.

This time, though, Mu Ci lingered far longer than in the cave. Before, it had been light nuzzles to nose, cheeks, and neck. Now, she rubbed heavily, thoroughly.

As if determined to make up for the lost half-year all at once.

Luckily, Ji Yingran was too deeply asleep to notice—otherwise, This Wolf would have roused her long ago.

She rubbed for a full half hour. Finally, she leaned in to sniff, satisfied that Ji Yingran was thoroughly covered in her scent. Only then did she call it done.

Mu Ci lay back down, ready to sleep.

However, not even a minute later, the golden pupils lit up once more in the darkness.

Mu Ci climbed to her paws again, squatting beside Ji Yingran and looking her up and down before launching into another round of enthusiastic rubbing.

The wolf figured the scent still wasn’t strong enough. She needed to rub just a little more.

As she rubbed away, she grew annoyed by the clothes getting in the way. She reached out with her paws and tugged at them.

Rip!

She hadn’t controlled her strength properly and tore right through the fabric.

The wolf flinched in fright and yanked her paws back in a hurry.

She quickly flopped down and pretended to be asleep.

Two minutes passed. Her golden pupils cracked open again. She sneaked a peek at Ji Yingran and, seeing that she was still out cold, climbed back up to squat beside her once more.

She looked left, looked right, rubbed here and there, and tugged gently at the clothes—but this time, she was careful with her strength and didn’t tear anything.

Once she’d thoroughly saturated everything with her scent, the wolf’s gaze locked onto the spot that interested her most.

Those lips, like jelly.

The wolf pondered for a moment, then leaned in close and gave Ji Yingran’s lips a lick.

She smacked her lips, savoring the taste carefully.

Tasteless. Jelly was sweet, but Ji Yingran’s lips weren’t sweet at all. They were utterly ordinary. The wolf had thought they’d be as delicious as jelly.

The person: unqualified. The person’s lips: negative points.

Those negative-point lips drew her back in just a few minutes later for another lick.

Still tasteless. Jelly was still better.

Negative points.

A few minutes after that, she tried again, licked once more, and issued the same negative verdict.

Who knew how many times she licked through the night, not stopping until the sky began to pale in the east.

Dawn broke.

Ji Yingran’s eyelashes fluttered lightly as she slowly stirred awake.

She stretched lazily out of habit, her mind still foggy with sleep and struggling to place where she was.

It took her brain a good while to catch up, and only then did she remember that she’d fallen asleep with the wolf the night before, curled up together on the blanket beneath the window.

She glanced to the side. The spot where the wolf had been lying was empty.

This wolf was the same as always, always rising with the dawn.

Ji Yingran touched her lips. What was this? Why were they numb?

There was a faint sting, like… She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It just hurt, a little.

Beyond the slight pain in her lips, her neck felt itchy, and even her cheeks prickled.

Ji Yingran reached for her neck and found several wolf hairs tangled there.

She stared at the hairs in her hand, falling silent for a long moment.

It wasn’t just her neck—her face had them too, and her waist, her back, her thighs…

She was covered in fur from head to toe.

No wonder everything itched. How could it not, dusted head to toe in wolf hair?

She had no idea what this wolf had been up to in the dead of night, rubbing all her fur onto Ji Yingran like this. Was it shedding season or something?

The fur was a minor annoyance, though. It was her mouth that was the real issue…

Ji Yingran headed to the bathroom and peered into the mirror. When her eyes fell on her lips, her expression froze in shock.

Her mouth was swollen!