“Ha?”
A faint, emotionless “Ha” that perfectly captured Ye Zhibai’s inner turmoil at that moment.
This single syllable conveyed her muddled thoughts and utter confusion. Truly remarkable.
Just now… Guang Yu had said something strange again.
Ye Zhibai shook her head helplessly. She was already planning to catch a quick nap.
She figured this scummy fox was probably just messing with her.
Better to rest up and recharge. That way, she’d have the strength to give her a good thrashing whenever the moment struck.
But the instant Ye Zhibai’s knees settled back onto the soft mattress…
Guang Yu lunged forward with her slender little arms and grabbed Ye Zhibai’s hand.
“Don’t go, human! You have to listen to us! Without your help, we’ll be stuck in the Mortal Realm forever!”
“Ha…”
Ye Zhibai turned back with icy coolness. Super handsome.
Er…
This scummy fox actually had tears welling up in her eyes!
Tch. Even in her previous life, when Ye Zhibai had zero luck with girls, her gentle nature meant she couldn’t stand seeing one cry.
Fine. One more chance to get your words straight.
Ye Zhibai paused and sat back down on the edge of the bed. She patted the empty spot beside her, motioning for Guang Yu to sit and explain.
“Then tell me in detail… and this time, no weird stuff.”
“We weren’t being weird! We just meant you need to get cozy with some girls…!”
“I’m going to sleep.”
“Nooo, waaah!”
After a few rounds of tugging and pleading, with tears streaming down her face, Guang Yu finally explained the whole story.
“Getting you cozy with girls… that’s just the process. The goal is to fill up your soul!”
“My soul… fill it up?” Ye Zhibai flexed her arm. “I’m already full enough as it is. Previous life? Poor as dirt, no mom or dad, total wreck—and capped off by getting smashed by a car. I… uh?”
She trailed off. Any more and the tears would start flowing.
Guang Yu propped herself up on the bed’s edge with both hands, swinging her little legs and bushy tail as she rushed to speak.
“See? You get it yourself! Those stubborn old fogeys upstairs gave us this mission to make amends. We forgot to add a soul to this body back then… so now they want us to make your current soul richer and more vibrant!”
“So… how does getting cozy with girls—or dating them, whatever—make my soul richer? There are tons of other ways.”
Does life revolve around getting frisky? Can’t noble pursuits enrich a soul?
She was shaking with rage!
But Guang Yu mercilessly jabbed a finger at Ye Zhibai and called her out.
“You perv! Think we don’t know just because you won’t admit it? We’re an all-knowing, all-powerful deity! You keep saying you don’t want to cuddle up with girls, but last life, you prayed to the heavens every single day for a girlfriend! That’s exactly what pervs like you crave deep down. We heard every word!”
Holy crap! Praying to the sky… and it gets answered by this scummy fox?
No more believing in the heavens!
Ye Zhibai swatted Guang Yu’s little hand away, looking a bit awkward.
“Anyone would wish for that! And… don’t go spilling people’s private thoughts like that. Makes me wanna murder you, you little—”
“Our bad.”
It was the first time Ye Zhibai had sworn since her rebirth.
But she just couldn’t hold back. Dammit!
Stifling the urge to yank those fox ears until they stretched a mile long, Ye Zhibai tapped her furrowed brow lightly twice, her face clouded with frustration.
Guang Yu shot her a sidelong glance and grumbled, “You know… when you frown like that, you look so cold. Like everyone in the world owes you eight million bucks.”
“Not my fault your so-called Mother God made me this body… So, to send you back to the Heavenly Realm, I have to go date some girls?”
“That’s right! Or if you’re having fun, that’s cool too! But before we came down, we used our powers to divine it. Your biggest wish? Meeting the right girl for some sweet romance! Sure, you’re in a girl’s body now, but that doesn’t matter. Emotional happiness isn’t skin-deep. It’s the most efficient way! Otherwise… heaven knows how many centuries it’d take us to get back.”
“Easier said than done…”
She hadn’t dwelled on it before.
But now that Ye Zhibai thought about it, her head throbbed with a massive headache.
If I’d known how to romance girls, would my last life have been such a tragedy?
Do you have any idea how valuable that is? Efficiency my ass. Finding the right girl, falling in love… that’s not something you just snap your fingers for!
Being loved… in her previous life, Ye Zhibai had seen that as the ultimate, unattainable dream—one she’d chase to her dying breath.
Perhaps Guang Yu picked up on Ye Zhibai’s inner unease and confusion.
This human… probably got beaten down so hard last life that she lacked confidence on a subconscious level.
Guang Yu let out a soft sigh. She shuffled forward on her short legs until she was kneeling on the bed.
Then she scooted closer to Ye Zhibai, her tail brushing the sheets with a soft swish.
She even raised both hands toward Ye Zhibai’s face.
Ye Zhibai dodged aside on instinct.
“What are you doing…?”
“Why, observing the myriad phenomena of existence, of course.”
“Speak English.”
“We want to check your current emotional state! Hold still! You’re messing it up!”
“……”
You can see that?
Getting impatient, Guang Yu lunged forward. Her flat chest pressed right against the gentle curve of Ye Zhibai’s bosom, and her forehead bumped solidly against Ye Zhibai’s own.
Ye Zhibai’s eyes flew wide in shock. She had no idea why this pest suddenly closed the distance like that!
Up close like this… Ye Zhibai could even hear Guang Yu’s warm, soft breaths.
There was a faint milky scent on her—innocent and childish.
Guang Yu settled into a squat with her legs tucked under her like a duck, her little feet rubbing against the sheets as they pressed down on Ye Zhibai’s thigh.
She slowly closed her eyes and cupped Ye Zhibai’s cheeks in her hands, as if feeling for something.
“Human… hold still. We need a little more time.”
“Oh…”
Ye Zhibai was too stunned to move.
Each sway of Guang Yu’s fluffy tail brushed against Ye Zhibai’s calf, sending little tickles up her leg.
Ye Zhibai exhaled slowly, trying to relax.
Looked like… Guang Yu really was peering into her love life.
The thought just made Ye Zhibai more resigned.
She’d never dared dream someone might love her.
Pointless to look.
But…
One minute later.
Guang Yu opened her eyes and pulled back. She hopped to her feet on the bed, flashed Ye Zhibai a grin full of little tiger teeth—profoundly meaningful—then dropped a bombshell.
“Hee hee… hee hee hee… Who would’ve thought? Turns out you have some serious charm with the ladies?”
“What do you mean…?”
“What else could it mean? We saw it! Right this second, there’s a girl out there who loves you to pieces—head over heels, can’t live without you!”
“Could it be…?”
Even after such a short time together, an image of Ye Zhiyun flashed into Ye Zhibai’s mind.
Guang Yu nodded furiously, like she was pounding garlic, then plopped down on the bed and scooted right up to Ye Zhibai. She held up one finger.
“Bingo! Just like you were thinking. Ye Zhiyun—your sister! Her feelings for you blow past cheesy lines like ’till the seas run dry and the rocks crumble.’ Way more intense!”
“……”
It was… really true?
In these past few hours, Ye Zhibai had certainly sensed Yun’er’s blazing emotions firsthand.
But up until Guang Yu spelled it out, she’d struggled to believe it.
There was no reason for it!
This body had been nothing but an empty shell before—no soul, no words, just parroting Yun’er like a mindless doll.
Anyone would hate a creepy mimic like that, right? So why the affection?
Logically speaking, Yun’er was the Ye Family’s proper Eldest Miss. With this outsider getting all the pampering, shouldn’t she resent it?
Yet Guang Yu patted her nonexistent chest with utter confidence.
“Aw, c’mon, quit overthinking! You just don’t trust a deity’s insight. No doubt about it—that Ye Zhiyun is yours in life and in death! Heh heh heh… Why not just pounce on her right now? Have your fun. She won’t fight back at all—super obedient. It’ll fill that empty heart of yours… and let us wrap this up so we can head back… ow!”
“Quit talking nonsense.”
Ye Zhibai delivered a sharp chop to the scummy fox’s head.
What kind of person do you think I am? Twenty-odd years as an upstanding soul—no money, no status, but always straight and narrow!
She knew right from wrong. Besides, she wasn’t desperate.
Grateful as she was for Yun’er’s hospitality… had it reached true love yet?
Not quite. They’d only known each other for a few hours, after all.
Ye Zhibai glanced down at her own body, the thin sleepwear tracing her curves. She looked up with cool indifference.
A calm heart stays cool.
Guang Yu clutched her head where the chop had landed, squinting one eye shut in aggrieved complaint.
“How could you actually hit me… I was just joking around… Sigh, forcing it definitely won’t work. For that soul vacancy to be filled, both sides need to have mutual feelings. She likes you, but you don’t fully like her back yet. Forcing it would be pointless anyway. So, what you need to do next is slowly start falling for her…”
Knock knock knock!
The door to Ye Zhibai’s room suddenly rang with several sharp knocks.
The conversation between Ye Zhibai and Guang Yu came to an abrupt halt.
Moments later, from the corridor outside the room came Ye Zhiyun’s pleasant yet worry-filled voice.
“Sister? Are you asleep? I just heard… some strange noise. It sounded like a flop, like something crashing to the floor. Ah… the door isn’t locked. I’m coming in.”
“Wait…!”
That “flop” undoubtedly referred to Guang Yu’s earlier backward leap—a standing long jump of two meters!
Why on earth did she have to jump around like that for no reason?
Ye Zhibai had been about to hide Guang Yu. If Yun’er discovered her presence, no matter how she looked at it, things would turn awkward fast!
But Ye Zhibai didn’t need to worry.
Before the door even opened, a brief flash of white light bloomed before her eyes.
The Fox Maiden Loli vanished in an instant.
In her place, nestled against Ye Zhibai’s side, was Guang Yu in the form of a brown little cat.
“Meow~” (Don’t worry! The Deity guarantees perfection!)
At the same moment, Ye Zhiyun pushed the door open.
“Sister? Oh, you haven’t gone to bed yet? Eh? What’s this… a cat?!”
