Ye Zhibai had indeed found the washstand in the small courtyard that Yun’er had mentioned just now.
But this was no ordinary washstand.
It was more like a luxurious display piece from a high-end tourist resort!
In the eastern corner of the courtyard stood a platform crafted from clear spring water and unusual stones, artfully accented by nearby bamboo stalks and leaves.
The faucet, made with exquisite faux-stone workmanship, blended seamlessly into the stone platform. It was a true work of art.
Even the toothbrushing cup sitting atop the platform was an elegant celadon ceramic vessel that screamed expense and refinement.
Truth be told, Ye Zhibai used to brush her teeth in the cramped kitchen sink of their dilapidated old apartment, making do as best she could.
This upgrade was nothing short of a quantum leap!
Ye Zhibai’s hand trembled slightly as she gripped the soft-bristled toothbrush. She felt a little nervous.
Her expression was resolute on the surface, but her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil as she stared at the elegant stone platform.
…Could this really be used for brushing teeth?
Lost in that thought, she suddenly heard a cheerful swishing sound from nearby—swish, swish, swish.
Confused, Ye Zhibai turned her head.
And there was—
Scummy Fox Guang Yu, bobbing her head and shaking her body as she held up a cup, blissfully brushing away!
You really adapt to any environment, don’t you?!
Once Guang Yu spat clear water into the sink of the stone platform to rinse her mouth, Ye Zhibai took the toothpaste from her hand and asked in exasperation,
“You… you know how to brush your teeth? No, forget that—does your species even need to brush its teeth…?”
“Of course I do! I’m basically no different from you humans now. And don’t ask me how I learned; I just picked it up recently!”
Guang Yu finished up and plunked her cup down on the stone platform, feeling utterly refreshed.
But bits of toothpaste foam still clung to the corner of her mouth, so Ye Zhibai made her wash her face again.
Ye Zhibai frowned in confusion. “Picked it up recently? From where?”
“Right here. See for yourself.”
“This… uh.”
Ye Zhibai had been so fixated on the lavish stone platform that she hadn’t noticed the note taped to it.
“Sister! In case you’ve forgotten how to brush your teeth, I’ve listed the steps for you. Follow these for your morning routine, and if anything’s unclear, just come find me!”
Sure enough, the note laid out steps one through four, each accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations from Ye Zhiyun herself.
Now that was thoughtful!
Guang Yu had basically stumbled right onto the tutorial.
Speaking of which… the toothbrushing cup?
Sure, there were spare toothbrushes on the platform, but only one cup.
Ye Zhibai zeroed in on the glass cup Guang Yu had used.
Her blood pressure spiked!
“Guang Yu… did you bring this from the bedroom?”
“Eh?” Guang Yu looked blankly at the glass cup in her hand. “The tutorial said to use a cup for brushing teeth, didn’t it? See? It’s all nice and clean now.”
To prove her point, Guang Yu hooked a finger into the corner of her mouth, stood on tiptoe, and leaned right up to Ye Zhibai’s face, flashing her spotless little tiger teeth for inspection.
The way she stuck out both her tiger teeth and her tongue… it was oddly alluring.
But this was no time for admiring the view!
Ye Zhibai jabbed a finger at the glass cup, her voice icy.
“This is my drinking cup… you stinky fox.”
“You’re the stinky fox! Uh… drinking cup?”
Guang Yu truly had no clue about these things.
She hadn’t even had a drink of water in her human form yet, though thirst was starting to set in.
The adorably clueless Guang Yu picked up the cup again and gave it a quick scrub in the sink.
Her ears twitched, sending a few stray fox hairs tumbling in.
Once finished, she gingerly offered it back to Ye Zhibai.
“Here…? All clean now?”
Clean my foot!
“Guang Yu!!”
“Meow!!”
Sensing disaster, Guang Yu let out a meow and instantly shifted into her cat form. With a streak of gray, she bolted into the nearby flower bushes to hide.
Can’t beat her? Fine, I’ll hide!
Well, this time the cat really did duck into the bushes. Ye Zhibai hadn’t been bluffing to Ye Zhiyun after all!
Her blood pressure was through the roof first thing in the morning! Ye Zhibai no longer cared whether the stone platform was suitable for brushing teeth or not.
Just get it done!
Damn it all!
Guang Yu only hid in the bushes for a short while. Once she saw Ye Zhibai’s anger cool, she cheekily shifted back to human form and slipped into the bedroom.
Ye Zhibai had stashed that cup under the stone platform, with no intention of retrieving it.
Ah, whatever. Since Guang Yu would be living with them from now on, it could serve as her dedicated toothbrushing cup.
Hmm… they’d need to buy a couple more drinking cups later.
But Guang Yu’s drinking cup and toothbrush had to stay hidden. If Yun’er noticed two people using cups every day, it’d be awkward to explain.
Guang Yu flopped onto the bed, swinging her fluffy tail idly. She poked at Ye Zhibai’s expressionless, breathtakingly beautiful profile with a little finger.
“Human… hey, human… why do you always have that beatable… er, angry look on your face? Still mad about the cup? Mmph… I’ll apologize, okay? I’ll grab you a fresh one later…”
Sorry, but this is just my naturally punchable face! I can’t help it!
Ye Zhibai grabbed her restless little hand and pinned it to the bed. She turned back with a cold stare.
“No big deal. Use the cups however you want from now on.”
“Yay! Oh… so what are you thinking about, then?”
“Yun’er went to answer the door earlier… and she still hasn’t come back. What if something happened?”
“Let’s go see!” Guang Yu sprang upright on the bed. “I’m dying of boredom stuck in this tiny space! Come on, Lady Guang Yu will show you around outside!”
“……”
Sometimes Ye Zhibai felt a powerful urge to dunk Guang Yu headfirst into the sink and give her a good scrubbing.
She held back… held back.
Still, she had a point. They should head out and check—Ye Zhibai was feeling pretty cooped up herself.
The person and the fox slipped on their slippers, Ye Zhibai in the lead and Guang Yu trailing behind, before stepping out of the room.
They had barely crossed the threshold when Ye Zhibai halted in her tracks.
The bedroom was exceptionally soundproof; not a peep could be heard from inside. But the instant they emerged—
The sharp sounds of an argument drifted clearly to their ears.
They were coming from the main entrance of the house across the covered walkway.
The voices were laced with irritation and mounting impatience.
“I’ve told you already—I’m not going to school today or tomorrow. And didn’t I already request leave ahead of time? Sis just got discharged from the hospital; she needs someone to look after her!”
It was Ye Zhiyun’s voice. But unlike the gentle tone she used with Ye Zhibai, this one was frigid, leaving no room for argument or rebuttal.
Worried, Ye Zhibai started toward the sound, with Guang Yu close on her heels.
Just as they reached the end of the walkway, another voice chimed in.
It was a gravelly yet steady timbre, now tinged with reluctance and unease in the face of Ye Zhiyun.
Ye Zhibai recognized it immediately—their father, Ye Qinghe’s voice.
“Yun’er… sigh. I get that you want to stay home and keep Zhibai company. You think I don’t? Yesterday, I was dying to rush back and take you both out for a family dinner. But those disasters at the company—can I really just walk away and ignore them? You’re in the same boat. The Gaokao is just days away. You’re the Student Council President. All the students look up to you; they’re counting on your speech to rally the whole school for the exams. You’re the cornerstone holding Qihai No.1 Middle School together right now. If you don’t show your face, is that really okay? The principal even called me personally, pleading!”
By then, Ye Zhibai had slipped silently out from the walkway behind them.
Ye Zhiyun had been ready to press the argument further, but a noise from behind made her whip around in surprise.
The icy mask on her face shattered, blooming into a smile as warm as spring sunshine!
Ye Qinghe was no different. Moments ago, his face had been etched with worry, but the sight of Ye Zhibai melted it away. The old dad was instantly healed, grinning from ear to ear!
Hey! You two—mind your faces!
Brushing aside her frustrations, Ye Zhiyun hurried to Ye Zhibai’s side.
“Sis, what are you doing out here? Are you feeling alright?”
“Uh… I’m fine. But you… what are you arguing about?”
