CHAPTER 107: CHAPTER 107: THE FRUSTRATED FOX

Ruan Li felt her hands ache with cold, the fox fur beneath her palm perhaps crystallized into ice by the snow, offering a somewhat cold and hard touch.

The fox lowered its head and nudged against Ruan Li’s face, pushing her towards the door.

Ruan Li ducked into the house but saw the fox sitting crouched at the doorway, not coming in.

"Xu Mo, why aren’t you coming in?"

The fox maintained its stance, like a sentinel stone.

But those clear eyes now bore a hint of brokenness and gloom that Ruan Li couldn’t understand.

Ruan Li called to him a few more times, and finally, he whimpered in response.

"Xu Mo, hurry and come inside, it’s cold out there."

Under Ruan Li’s urging, the fox half-lowered its eyes and transformed into a handsome youth.

Ruan Li, not understanding his stubbornness, pulled him into the house.

Snow and ice had crystallized on the youth’s face, even his hair was matted together; seeing his disheveled state, Ruan Li quickly took him to the bathroom, wiping away the snow with a dry towel and filling a bathtub with hot water.

Ruan Li tested the water temperature, slightly hot, enough to drive away the chill.

She asked the youth to take a bath.

Yet he stood silently in place, pressing his lips together.

Ruan Li walked to his side, thinking he might be frozen numb, and touched his cold forehead with her hand.

"What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ruan Li asked with some concern.

Although Beastmen usually had great constitutions, Xu Mo had only just recovered from an injury a few days ago; catching a cold wasn’t impossible.

The youth slightly lifted his eyes, his jewel-like red-and-glass pupils mixed with complex emotions.

"Is there something uncomfortable?"

It was the first time Ruan Li saw such a sullen expression on the youth’s face.

The youth raised his hand to clasp hers, lifting it to press against his chest.

His voice raw and hoarse: "Here, feels uncomfortable."

Ruan Li could feel the steady, leaping heartbeat under her palm, "Chest pain? Is it your heart?"

"...Yes."

His throat squeezed out a broken, dull sound, like a wounded little beast whimpering.

Ruan Li hurried to unbutton his shirt; his body, alabaster white, was crisscrossed with heavy scars, even the chest bore a long and menacing mark.

"It looks like it’s healed... Could it be there are aftereffects?" Ruan Li mumbled.

The youth lowered his head watching her worried look, yet it seemed like countless ants were gnawing at his heart, overlapping with pain.

Ruan Li wasn’t sure why his chest hurt, yet she still tried using her Healing Ability.

"How about now, is it any better?"

The youth, looking at her urgent and worried manner, felt the congestion in his heart dissipate somewhat, so he nodded lightly, "A little better."

Ruan Li assumed he had caught cold outside, triggering aftereffects, thus urging him more to soak in the hot water.

She glanced at his clothes, "I’ll leave before you take off your pants, soak a bit longer; turn the faucet to the left for hot water, and call me if anything happens."

She gave several instructions, then finally closed the door.

Ruan Li sat leaning on the bed, flipping through the same few channels on the TV, one of which was airing a melodramatic plotline.

She turned down the volume just enough to cover the faint sound of water flowing in the bathroom.

A creak as the door was gently pushed open.

His gaze fell on the small female, sleeping while leaning against the bed.

The tips of his semi-wet hair dripped two droplets of water, soaking into the roomy pajamas.

These pajamas were men’s, but for him, they were a bit big, hanging loosely with a large expanse of pale skin showing at the chest.

The youth’s eyes, misted by the bath steam, gazed at the sleeping little female, his light lips pressed into a line, unspoken anger quietly revealing the knot in his heart.

Yet no one knew what he was truly vexed about.

The youth walked quietly to the bed, his footsteps almost silent.

He bent down, his dense lashes quivering, watching the person on the bed with a complex gaze.

His gaze lingered hotly on her slightly parted lips; he slowly raised a hand and softly lowered it, leaving only a faint, almost undetectable trace at the corner of her lips.

He remembered the look in the little female’s eyes when she gazed at him, familiar yet momentarily excited.

"When you look at me, who is it you’re really thinking of..."

He half-closed his eyes, took her hand and pressed it against his cheek, the light falling on his high brow bone, casting a faint shadow.

When Ruan Li awoke, she found the youth leaning against the bed, asleep with a slight frown on his brow, as if he were dreaming of something unpleasant.

Ruan Li hadn’t expected to fall asleep like this, she recalled Xu Mo’s condition and reached out to gently touch his forehead.

Fortunately, no fever.

Her gaze slowly lowered, falling on his handsome brows and eyes, exuding a bit more youth than Xu Mo, and less wildness.

She saw the youth leaning awkwardly between the floor and the bed, probably not sleeping very comfortably.

Ruan Li softly called Xu Mo a few times, "Xu Mo, wake up, come and sleep on the bed for a bit."

The youth frowned and opened his eyes, initially dazed, his vision landed on Ruan Li and a vague mist of red gradually covered his eyes, as he pressed down his voice, responding softly, "Okay."

Ruan Li curled her legs, pulled aside the blanket on the other side, motioning for him to come over and rest.

Perhaps he’d been sleeping on the ground too long, the youth’s movements were stiff, awkwardly crawling onto the bed, then deliberately scooting to the far edge, as if intentionally maintaining a distance from Ruan Li.

Ruan Li patted the space beside her, "Xu Mo, come closer, you’re so far away, you wouldn’t reach the blanket."

The youth hesitantly inched a little closer, with her urging, moved just a bit more.

"Why are you acting so distant... I am not some monstrous creature." Ruan Li murmured in frustration.

"...No, it’s... not." The few words she managed to draw out seemed to drain all his courage.

His face flushed like a sunset, eyes cast down haphazardly.

The mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.

Ruan Li scooted over to him, pulling the blanket toward him as well, "Alright, this should do."

"Next time have the robot bring another blanket," Ruan Li muttered.

The youth curled up like a quail, not daring to move.

The next day, Ze brought a new blanket and clothes.

Ruan Li had Xu Mo try them on, they fit much better.

Seeing the robot still cleaning the house, her eyes inadvertently flashed with a hint of light.

As Ze was about to leave after tidying up, Ruan Li suddenly spoke, "I’ve suddenly thought of learning how to knit sweaters; can you get me some more yarn balls?"

Ze stood still, its program analyzing Ruan Li’s words, "Alright, please wait a moment."

Not long after the words fell, Ze retrieved five yarn balls from its Space Hub, "Will this be enough?"

Ruan Li received them and smiled, "That should be enough for starting out but could you bring more in a few days?"

Ze nodded, "Sure, no problem."