Chapter 74: Won’t Play Second Fiddle

"Hah, who’s stalking you?" the man shot Wen Qian a sidelong glance, his tone unfriendly.

The residential complex was huge. On what grounds could she accuse him of stalking her?

"So you’re saying you’re not stalking me?" Wen Qian raised an eyebrow.

’This guy seems pretty scared of Chi Heng, so he probably isn’t a threat.’

"O-Of course," the man said, lifting his chin. Even with a mask on, it was hard to hide the nearly perfect contours of his face.

’So stubborn,’ Wen Qian thought, narrowing her eyes.

Still, why did his mannerisms feel so familiar... She seemed to recall someone just like him.

She looked up, sizing up the man before her once again.

A moment later, Wen Qian seemed to realize something. A flash of surprise crossed her eyes. "Little Fox?"

The man was startled by her words. His eyes widened as he immediately denied it, "You’ve got the wrong person! I’m not a fox!"

"If you don’t believe me, look... I don’t even have a fox tail."

"I’m really not a fox, it’s no use staring at me..."

"I already told you I’m not a fox! I keep my promises... I’m not one of those cunning types."

"Fine, I’m a fox."

Wen Qian: "..."

’She hadn’t even said anything, and he’d already confessed everything?’

’He really wasn’t a fox. He was one of those live comments during a suspense film—the kind that spoils the killer’s identity the moment the commercials are over.’

The man hung his head, a dejected look in his eyes.

Seeing Wen Qian’s silence, he looked over at her nervously. "I didn’t mean to stalk you."

"I just wanted to see what you were up to... since you hadn’t come to see me in so long." He lowered his gaze. After a two-second pause, he continued, "It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me."

"It’s not like I care, anyway."

"I don’t care at all."

’What a tsundere fox, pretending not to care about anything.’

"You’re Qi Ke?" Wen Qian asked, looking at him.

Qi Ke: "Yeah."

"Weren’t you supposed to come back on Sunday?" Wen Qian’s gaze fell on the pendant around his neck.

If it weren’t for that pendant, she really might not have recognized him right away.

After all, she had only ever seen his human form in photos on her phone.

"My plans changed," he said nonchalantly. When he heard no reply from Wen Qian, he added in a low voice, "It’s not like I came back early on purpose."

A smile played on her lips. "I’m so glad you came back early on purpose."

"I told you it wasn’t on purpose!" the Little Fox bristled.

"Alright, alright..." Wen Qian stifled a laugh. She glanced at his face, which was thoroughly concealed. "Let’s go back and talk."

’Chi Heng alone is already conspicuous enough.’

’Now add a huge celebrity to the mix...’

Even though Qi Ke was wearing a mask and a hat, Wen Qian was still worried he would be recognized.

"But you already have another Beastman." The Little Fox frowned, his gaze landing on Chi Heng. Then, as if he’d made some great resolve, he squeezed his eyes shut. "I refuse to be the other man."

Wen Qian: "...?"

Chi Heng: "?"

"If you really don’t want to go back with me, we can talk here..." Wen Qian really couldn’t follow Qi Ke’s train of thought.

"But you just invited me to go back with you," Qi Ke frowned.

Wen Qian: "But didn’t you just say you didn’t... didn’t want to go back?"

"Is this your sincerity?" The man’s brows furrowed even more deeply.

Wen Qian fell silent.

She sized up the man in front of her, debating whether to knock him out and drag him home or just walk away.

It wasn’t until Yin Zhi appeared from the other side of the flowerbeds that a smile returned to Wen Qian’s face. She jumped up and waved enthusiastically at him. ’A savior!’

’Chi Heng is in his beast form right now, so it wouldn’t be easy for him to knock Qi Ke out.’

’But Yin Zhi is a different story...’

’Sometimes, violence is the answer.’

"Qianqian!" The young man’s eyes lit up, completely ignoring Chi Heng. He ran straight to Wen Qian and affectionately nuzzled his nose against her earlobe, a practiced motion that made the Little Fox’s heart sink.

"Who’s this now? Why do you have so many Beastmen?" the Little Fox demanded, swallowing his grievances as he glared at Wen Qian with his narrow eyes.

"What do you mean ’so many’? I’m the only Beastman who sleeps with Wen Qian." Straightening up, the man shot a glance at Qi Ke.

He subtly tilted his chin up, his voice filled with pride.

"That’s not... Can you please not say things like that?" Wen Qian tugged hard on Yin Zhi’s sleeve. They just slept, platonically.

"I’m not making it up... We just slept together yesterday," Yin Zhi muttered reluctantly.

The Little Fox’s eyes were practically red with anger. He looked from Yin Zhi to Wen Qian and back again. After a long moment, he managed to choke out, "You fickle woman!"

"Say that again?" Yin Zhi’s voice turned colder.

"No, no, don’t get worked up..." Feeling that she owed the Little Fox, Wen Qian quickly moved to stand in front of him.

"He’s insulting you, and you’re defending him?" Yin Zhi was not happy.

Puffing out his chest and raising his chin, Qi Ke said provocatively, "Of course she’s defending me. She promised to take me in."

"So you must be..." Yin Zhi’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and his anger flared when his gaze landed on the pendant around Qi Ke’s neck. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out two words: "Sly fox!"

Qi Ke: "Homewrecker tiger!"

"You’re asking to die..."

As the two of them started scuffling, she threw her arms tightly around Yin Zhi’s waist.

She didn’t know how strong a fox was, but she knew Yin Zhi’s punches were brutal.

"Stop fighting!" She was about to lose her mind. She clung to Yin Zhi’s hand. "He relies on his face for a living! Whatever you do, don’t hit his face..."

Yin Zhi froze for a second. The next moment, his free hand swung decisively, landing a punch right on Qi Ke’s face.

Wen Qian: "..."

In the end, it was Chi Heng who tackled Qi Ke, while Wen Qian held onto Yin Zhi, which was how they were barely able to separate the two.

The Little Fox was visibly injured, and not lightly. Although Yin Zhi had taken a few hits, he had no obvious wounds.

Even though he lost the fight, the Little Fox’s spirit wasn’t diminished in the slightest. He shot Wen Qian a sidelong glance with his beautiful eyes. "Woman, I’ve changed my mind. Take me home."

"You..."

Seeing Yin Zhi about to fly off the handle again, Wen Qian quickly stood on her tiptoes, placed her hands on his shoulders, and gave him a loud "SMOOCH!" on the cheek. "Okay?"

Unexpectedly, this desperate move was exceptionally effective.

The little tiger’s eyes lit up instantly. A second later, he became frighteningly magnanimous. "Okay, anything’s okay. Whatever Qianqian wants is fine..."

Wen Qian waited for Qi Ke to put his mask and hat back on before leading them toward the apartment building.

Yin Zhi was very well-behaved on the way, even secretly trying to hold Wen Qian’s hand.

But every time he tried, he was "accidentally" shouldered aside by Qi Ke.

He was about to have an outburst, but the thought of what Wen Qian had just done made him hold it back.

’This fox doesn’t know any other tricks besides these cheap, underhanded ploys,’ he thought to himself.

His mood instantly improved. He even... started whistling.

Wen Qian had no idea what he was thinking. All she knew was that her usually cranky little tiger had finally been placated. Given the state he was in just a moment ago, if they had gone straight home, he would have torn the place apart...