Chapter 31: Jackal, Tiger, and Leopard 3,000 words
Now, there was an urgent decision that had to be made. Ye Zhibai stared at the message draft on her phone. She was thinking about whether or not to send the invitation to Xiao Qiu for the anime convention.
After some thought, the answer to this question was obvious—Send it!
Why not?
No, rather, why shouldn’t I?
Just a moment ago, the reason she hesitated was because she was worried Xiao Qiu might not be someone trustworthy. What if she was a tough character, and Ye Zhibai went to the convention and disappeared?
But Guang Yu had just said it. “Xiao Qiu is a kind and innocent girl!”
Ye Zhibai asked, “Come on, can a kind and innocent girl eat me alive?!”
Laughable!
This cowardly Zhibai, who had been intimidated by the thought of a big bad wolf, now, knowing that the other party was just a little lamb, suddenly felt bold and confident!
She could now finish typing the message without a care and send it.
[Ye Zhibai: Xiao Qiu, are you from Qihai City? We’re from the same place! I live in Qihai City too, and this convention does seem pretty interesting. What do you say, want to go together?]Ye Zhibai sent the message. A long time passed without any response.
The little fox tilted her head in confusion.
She said, “Huh? Why isn’t she replying to your message? Oh, oh! I get it. This must be what you were talking about earlier, right? That whole ‘trust no one’ thing! Tsk tsk, look at how bluntly you asked her, you must’ve scared the poor girl! She’s too afraid to agree to your invitation!”
Ye Zhibai responded, “I mean, is it possible that people don’t stare at their phones every second? The message just went through.”
“You’ve got a point.”
“…”
Alright, let’s just wait for a reply.
It was unclear whether Xiao Qiu was actually busy with something else or if she was just stunned by the sudden invitation from Ye Zhibai.
In any case, the response came much slower than expected.
But when it did come, it was exactly the shocked reaction Ye Zhibai had anticipated!
[Xiao Qiu: Eh!! Seriously?! Yezi, you’re from Qihai City too? We’ve known each other online for so many years, and we’re from the same place?! This is too much of a coincidence!]Right after that, she sent a “shocked cat” emoji.
Out of courtesy, Ye Zhibai sent her a “shocked dog” emoji in return.
Courtesy demands reciprocity.
Both sides were equally shocked, scaring each other for fun.
As for the anime convention invitation, Xiao Qiu waited for a little while before sending her next message.
Her message pace was slower than usual, showing she was typing carefully and thoughtfully.
There were even several instances where it showed “the other party is typing,” only for nothing to come through.
Heh, this is just like when I used to nervously ask my professor if I passed my exams. Ye Zhibai waited patiently, and soon, the message arrived.
[Xiao Qiu: So, if you’re also going, then the convention does sound fun, and I’d like to go too. But, before that, can I ask you something?] [Ye Zhibai: Ask.] [Xiao Qiu: It’s just… I hope you won’t be mad, since this involves meeting in real life, right? I wanted to ask, are you a boy or a girl? How tall are you? Do you know any martial arts?]“…”
If you’re going to investigate me why not just ask for my ID number too?
Even though she wanted to complain, Ye Zhibai knew she had to reply quickly to avoid seeming suspicious or evasive.
Since she was the one inviting Xiao Qiu to the convention, she had to show sincerity.
Following her usual thought process, Ye Zhibai opened the keyboard.
She almost typed “male.” But Guang Yu was quick! With her tiny hands, she slapped both sides of Ye Zhibai’s cheeks.
A crisp smack echoed!
The little fox wore a serious, worried, but kind expression as she reminded her.
“Wake up!! Ye Zhibai, you’re a girl! You know that, right? Wake up! Stop deceiving yourself! It won’t help!”
Ye Zhibai responds, “Damn it!!”
“I know!”
Of course, I know!!
Guang Yu said,” Humans always have to bow to reality when faced with it.”
Ye Zhibai frowned and deleted the half-typed word. Then, she typed the correct response.
[Ye Zhibai: I’m a girl, just over 1.6 meters tall, and no, I don’t know martial arts.]You ask, I answer.
The structure is neat.
This is what you call sincerity!
After sending the message, Ye Zhibai let out a sigh of relief. She raised a finger and began explaining the wonders of human nature to Guang Yu.
“See that, Guang Yu? Being cautious is a good habit. From the primitive era, humans had to be mindful of potential threats like wolves, tigers, and leopards. Look at Xiao Qiu, she’s a perfect example. She even asked if I knew martial arts, clearly worried that I might try to bully her if I did.”
Guang Yu retorted, “Well, I’d say your skills in bed aren’t that great, or my divine power wouldn’t be recovering so slowly.”
Ye Zhibai screamed, “Talking to a brick wall. Get lost.”
“Stop pointing out the sore spots!”
“This “martial arts” is not the same as that “martial arts!”
Ye Zhibai felt confident now, sure she had predicted Xiao Qiu’s next move.
Ye Zhibai said, “If nothing went wrong, she would surely ask for a video call next to verify things!”
However—
[Xiao Qiu: Really?! So Yezi, you’re a girl too! Awesome! I’m a girl as well, surprise! Since you said that, I feel reassured now, and I believe you! It was my first time meeting an online friend, and I was nervous, but now everything’s fine! Alright, I’m going to have lunch. Let’s meet up for the convention day!]Guang Yu demanded, “Where’s your caution?”
“Why aren’t you asking for a video call?! Don’t just believe everything I say!!”
Guang Yu attempted to flip up like a fish but failed.
She flopped onto the bed like a salted fish, hands resting on her flat chest, staring blankly at the ceiling.
In her calm tone, there was a hint of sarcastic mockery.
Guang Yu continued, “Ohhh~ Humans are so cautious, aren’t they? Always watching out for wolves, tigers, and leopards from the primitive era~ Look at Xiao Qiu, a true exemplar of caution. Ye Zhibai, why does everything you said now feel like it’s echoing in my ears and refusing to fade?”
Ye Zhibai rejoined, “Guang Yu, I know your vocabulary is impressive.”
“Lesson learned—using flowery phrases can double the mockery!”
Suddenly! Ye Zhibai’s phone vibrated!
Ye Zhibai was overjoyed!
She continued, “See? Humans are cautious in the end!”
“A video call—it’s finally here!”
Guang Yu’s fox ears twitched.
She immediately curled up into a ball, preparing herself to avoid embarrassment in case of failure!
Ye Zhibai and Guang Yu’s battle of wits was evenly matched, full of back-and-forth!
Ye Zhibai quickly picked up her phone, feeling certain that she had already won.
But the victorious smile hidden on her calm face quickly evaporated before it could fully form.
The little fox peeked her head up from her curled position, ready to gloat and take the high ground again.
Guang Yu had won this round.
Because the call wasn’t from Xiao Qiu.
It was from Lin Zihan. She was calling with a voice chat.
Ye Zhibai turned her back, not wanting to see Guang Yu’s smug, annoying grin.
Losing sucks, that’s all there is to it.
She tapped the answer button, and the QQ call connected with a beep.
“Hello?”
“Ye Zhibai’er! Did you miss me!!”
“Goodbye.”
“Wait! My bad, my bad! Ye Zhibai’er, don’t hang up yet! I have something important to say!”
“Sigh, I hope you get to the point quickly.”
“You don’t know this, but that selfie you posted yesterday—it was so pretty that I almost died from dehydration last night.”
Ye Zhibai walked to the table,
picked up her glass of water, and gulped down half of it to replenish herself.
Then, she sat down in the chair, quietly waiting to hear what Lin Zihan wanted to say.
And when she spoke, Ye Zhibai’s eyes lit up!
“It’s like this, ye Zhibai’er! Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I was going to use the vine you gave me to weave a ring? Well, the ring is finished, and I want to give it to you as soon as possible.”
“Oh oh!!”
My vine! It’s finally coming back! Ye Zhibai nodded, her voice calm and steady. But inside, she was eagerly looking forward to it!
“Mm, not bad. It’s easier making this ring, isn’t it?”
“Yes! No wonder they call you Ye Zhibai! The vine you gave me is more flexible than the one I picked up before. It bends without breaking, amazing!”
“Of course.”
“Hehe, you can call me the Vine Master!”
Lin Zihan spent a while praising the vine before finally getting to the reason she called.
“Ye Zhibai, are you free to go out this afternoon? If not, I can deliver the ring I made to your house. Uh… but of course, if that’s the case, you’d better let Zhiyun know in advance. It’s fine if she doesn’t want to receive me, but please don’t let her punch me!”
“As long as you don’t keep saying weird things, I think Yun’er won’t punch you.”
“Just think about it—when has it not been you dancing on the edge of the knife?”*
[*”刀尖上蹦迪(*dāo jiān shàng bèng dí*)” – Literally “dancing on the tip of the knife,” a slang phrase meaning to act recklessly or take risky actions.]
Originally, Ye Zhibai was about to invite her over to the mansion for a visit.
But after some thought— She remembered that she already planned a dinner with Cool Sister in the evening. Since she’d be going out anyway, it would be just right to head out in the afternoon too.
Ye Zhibai responded, “I’ll come out to get it this afternoon. Where can I find you?”
“I’ll be at my family’s flower shop this afternoon. I’ll send the address to your phone. Lin Zihan replied, “Yay! Ye Zhibai is coming to see me! I’ll prepare some roses for you!”
“Please don’t.”
“You’re just trying to provoke Yun’er into giving you a hard punch, aren’t you?”
After receiving the address, Ye Zhibai was about to hang up and head out for lunch.
But— It seemed like Lin Zihan suddenly remembered something.
Just before hanging up, she added another reminder.
“Oh right, Ye Zhibai! When you’re close to the shop this afternoon, give me a call. I’ll come out to meet you!”
“No need, I can find the shop myself. No need to come out.”
“That’s not it!”
Ye Zhibai felt like Lin Zihan’s tone suddenly became anxious.
But quickly, it returned to calm, and she even teased while joking.
“My mom will be at the shop this afternoon~ She doesn’t really like customers coming in who don’t buy flowers. Even if you’re as cute as Ye Zhibai, she might not treat you too well. So, wouldn’t it be better if I take you for a little walk outside instead?”
“Oh… alright?”
“Great! It’s settled then! I’m going to hang up now, time to cook lunch. See you this afternoon, Ye Zhibai!”
“Mm.”
Beep, beep, beep.
The call ended.
Ye Zhibai stared at Lin Zihan’s profile picture—an animated image of a blue sky and white clouds.
For a moment, she felt a little puzzled.
What did she mean her mom doesn’t like customers who don’t buy flowers?
What do I look like, a freeloader?
If it’s about money, believe me, if I grit my teeth and stomp my foot, I can buy… uh, at least one little red flower from you!
Putting away her phone, Ye Zhibai turned and patted Guang Yu’s shoulder.
“Guang Yu, pack your bags. We’re going for a stroll this afternoon.”
“Oh~ Humans sure are cautious, like wolves… or brain… rhinoceros? Or was it tigers and leopards?”
You’re still keeping up with that sarcastic tone, huh?!
“Stop being snarky and come with me to check on your cactus that you watered with boiling water. Let’s see if we can still save it.”
In the yard, after confirming that the cactus had met its demise, Ye Zhibai dragged Guang Yu back to the room.
“Ye Zhibai, what are we doing now?”
“Having lunch.”
“Didn’t you hear all the noise from the kitchen?”
Yun’er just burned the braised pork to ashes.
“You can’t always sit back and enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labor—this is the time to roll up your sleeves and help out, don’t you know, you lazy fox! “
There’s still a lot to do this afternoon and evening.
Gotta eat well to keep up the energy!
“Wolves and tigers…”
“From now on, wolves and tigers are banned words. Say them again, and I’ll give you a carrot warning, fox!”*
[*”狐萝卜警告 (*hú luóbo jǐnggào*)”– “Fox carrot warning,” a playful way to say someone will be given a light-hearted but firm warning or punishment, here referencing a fox and carrot combination as a joke.]
“Oh, tiger-leopard-wolves.”
