I'm Just Getting Your Luck - Chapter 25
She’s as Precious as Gold
A Magical Fox Life
Ying Yu had always been a nobody, and she never imagined she’d one day perform on such a grand stage.
There was a celebration banquet that evening. Ying Yu was supposed to sit with Long Qiuqiu, but Pian Su had arrived earlier and Long Qiuqiu went to take photos with him, leaving Ying Yu alone, nibbling on some dishes and sipping orange juice.
Zhu Yinghan came over with a glass of champagne and clinked glasses with her.
“Ying Yu, you and your friend really helped me out today! I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“No need,” Ying Yu said shyly. “You gave us staff passes to get in and have fun. I made a few mistakes during the dance — missed a couple of steps and was half a beat slow. Did that cause any problems for your production?”
“You stepped in to help last minute. Even if there were mistakes, it’s not your fault — I was the one being unreasonable. I should be the one apologizing.” Zhu Yinghan then updated her on the trending topics.
Ying Yu’s slight delays during the dance had accidentally created a comedic effect, making an otherwise unimpressive routine into a viral meme. The dance video alone had over 500,000 shares already.
He swirled the drink in his glass and asked,
“Ying Yu, would you consider officially joining the show? You’re really well-liked by the general audience. Even if you don’t make the final cut, you could land a few endorsements during the competition — that’s way better than working at Million.”
In the internet age, everyone wants exposure. A chance like this falling into her lap was a dream come true.
Ying Yu paused, then still shook her head.
Zhu Yinghan realized he had underestimated her. At first, he thought she was trying to cling to Zhou Chenyi for a quick rise to fame. He’d even prepared to throw money at her just this afternoon.
But Ying Yu had only asked if there truly wasn’t anyone else to fill in.
He had said no.
So she immediately prepared to go on stage. Afterward, she didn’t ask for compensation, didn’t pry into anything extra, and was even worried she might have affected the show’s quality. A kind and thoughtful girl.
She was as precious as gold.
The audience would like her.
Zhou Chenyi would like her too.
“You don’t have to decide right away. You’ve got ten days — if you change your mind, come find me. I’ll arrange the best agent for you.” Zhu Yinghan still had other people to meet, so he didn’t talk to her long before leaving.
Zhou Fan the Little Cutie: [99 images]
“Sis, you’re on TV! So pretty — the prettiest! I watched it with my uncle and he said you’re beautiful too!”
Ying Yu (username: ‘Effort’)
[You guys watched the show?!]
Zhou Fan sent a voice message:
“Yep! I watched the livestream with Uncle. He’s watching your solo video now — and even left a comment! His Weibo username is—”
Zhou Chenyi’s frustrated voice cut him off:
“Zhou Fan, do you want a beating?!”
Ying Yu laughed happily and didn’t notice the person behind her.
“Jinx?”
Only one person would call her that. Ying Yu frowned and ignored her, but Cheng Lianhua blocked her path:
“So it really is you. Got squeezed into the show last minute — whose coattails are you riding now?”
“None of your business.”
Ying Yu picked up her phone and tried to leave, but Cheng Lianhua stepped in front of her.
“How is it not my business? Only seven debut slots — since we’re family, of course we should help each other out.”
She’d already come up with a plan.
“You participate first, help me eliminate a few rivals. If you’re lucky, make it to the final round and then withdraw. That way, you’d be doing me a favor. What do you think?”
Ying Yu laughed out loud.
“What makes you think I’d help you?”
“I’m your sister! And if I tell Uncle and Aunt about this, they’ll definitely agree with me.” That trick had always worked for Cheng Lianhua.
She took out her phone and pretended to dial, but Ying Yu knocked it out of her hand.
“Are you crazy?! That’s the newest model I just bought!”
“You’re using charm magic in the human realm. If the Demon Bureau finds out, you know what’ll happen.”
Cheng Lianhua froze.
She barely had any fans before the show and had hoped to rely on her looks to win points, but there were too many pretty contestants. She wasn’t photogenic enough, and her rankings were far from debut-worthy. So she had taken a risk.
She’d been careful, only used it for a few minutes.
Ying Yu stepped closer, coldly staring her down.
“You’d better not mess with me. If I report you, the only ads you’ll be in are the ones on prison walls.”
“Jinx, you—”
Ying Yu grabbed the hand pointing at her.
“Don’t call me that!”
Cheng Lianhua had been pampered since childhood and was no match for Ying Yu’s strength. Her wrist instantly turned red.
“Let go of me!”
A few people around started glancing their way. Ying Yu didn’t want a scene, so she released her and left.
—
Long Qiuqiu also got an invitation from Zhu Yinghan. She loved being on stage and was seriously tempted.
Ying Yu told her that if she wanted to do it, she should. Zhu Yinghan wouldn’t treat her poorly, and if things didn’t work out, she could just go back to being a cat.
But now the problem was — how to get Long Qiuqiu home?
Jiang Jiuji had plastered missing-cat posters all over the complex, asking people to keep an eye out for Long Qiuqiu. He’d sent Ying Yu a dozen messages yesterday, asking when she’d return to Jincheng, and whether she had any guesses where Qiuqiu might be.
Well… Qiuqiu was right beside her.
Ying Yu didn’t even know how to reply.
Originally, they’d planned to visit Universal Studios in Shanghai that morning, but Jiang Jiuji seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown, so they changed their plans and took a morning train back to Jincheng.
Zhou Chenyi’s calls weren’t going through, so Ying Yu just texted him and rode her electric scooter to bring Long Qiuqiu back to Jiang Jiuji.
“Take good care of my clothes — I’m going to wear them again. And I ordered a few more dresses — make sure you sign for the deliveries!” Long Qiuqiu, now back in cat form, nuzzled her clothes lovingly inside the bag and gave Ying Yu a list of reminders.
Ying Yu nodded quickly.
“Got it, Cat-sis. Now hurry up — Jiang Jiuji’s calling again.”
“If I don’t message you in an hour, come get me!”
“Don’t worry — Dr. Jiang won’t eat you.”
Only after seeing Qiuqiu disappear into the stairwell did Ying Yu head off on the scooter.
Warm sunshine woke the grass. Most people on the street were in hoodies and light jackets. Pinwheels spun in the breeze, and life was everywhere.
Ying Yu was planning to transform at home and sunbathe a little. But as she neared her building, she noticed the balcony light was on.
Did she forget to turn it off?
As she carried her suitcase upstairs, something felt wrong.
There was a strong scent of fox in the hallway.
Her parents were here.
She heard voices from inside. Her hands shook as she struggled to fit the key in the lock. When she finally opened the door, a gust of wind whooshed past her — right through her chest.
Dirty dishes filled the kitchen sink. Her father was on the sofa watching TV. Her mother came out of her bedroom and threw her most treasured wood carving on the floor. A child was playing with a gas stove in the kitchen — flames flaring up and down.
“Who let you in?!” Ying Yu picked up the carving — it was of herself in uniform on her first day entering the demon realm. She’d cherished it, but now the arm was broken and scribbled over with black marker.
Tears welled up, but she fought them back.
“Xiaoying, you need a bigger place. This one-bedroom is too small,” her mother said.
No one answered her. Ying Yu repeated:
“Who let you in?! This is my place!”
“The upstairs neighbor helped us contact the landlord. She heard we were your parents and kindly opened the door for us. You should be grateful,” her mother said, pretending to be stern. “We let you live at home all those years — now we stay here a couple days and you get mad? Ying Yu, we’re your parents! And Gao Gao’s here too — who are you trying to impress with this attitude?”
“I lived with Cat-sis until primary school. You two insisted on taking me back. Even then, I boarded at school year-round and only came home for a few days during New Year. I had to share a room with livestock who didn’t even have a soul — was that also me mooching off the family?!”
“You’re lucky we had space for you to sleep,” her father said, feet up on the table. “Stop hanging out with those cats. They’re beneath our family.”
“If they hadn’t saved me, you wouldn’t even be able to walk in here.” Ying Yu wiped her tears with her sleeve, rough and fast.
“You all need to leave. If you don’t, I’m calling the police.”
“You’re their daughter. You have to support your parents. Calling the police won’t work,” said the little boy, Gao Gao.
“That only applies in the demon realm. In the human realm, I have no legal ties to them. If I call the police, you’re trespassing — especially you.”
They didn’t believe she’d really call.
So Ying Yu began throwing their luggage out. Then the clothes on the balcony. And the ugly charms they’d placed in her bedroom.
“Stop being crazy!” her parents yelled.
Ying Yu tossed Gao Gao out like a baby chick.
“I’m not crazy yet. But if you keep pushing me, I might do something you’ll regret. Now get out!”
Her parents left in a hurry with the child. The soundproof door blocked out their curses. Ying Yu collapsed to the floor, drained.
The sun set. The house was dim. Their scent was still everywhere.
She opened all the windows, trying to clear the smell, letting the wind slap her heart.
She sat silently by the door. Her phone lit up — it was Long Qiuqiu saying she was home safe.
Ying Yu didn’t reply. She shut off her phone and hugged her knees, lost in thought.
…
Zhou Chenyi had just finished an intense international online meeting. Due to the time zone difference, he was already overworked. A call came through while he was still working on documents.
“President Zhou, Miss Ying hasn’t come out. I’ve waited here two hours — still no sign of her. Her phone isn’t connecting,” the driver reported. “Should I keep waiting? The last train from Shanghai arrived half an hour ago.”
“Her phone isn’t connecting?”
Zhou Chenyi opened WeChat in a rush. He finally saw the message Ying Yu had sent.
“Go to that hotel and check if those middle-aged people are still there.” He hurriedly dressed. His coat was tight and hurt his arm, but he didn’t care.
He got another driver to head for Ying Yu’s apartment.
“President Zhou, the couple checked out yesterday afternoon. The security guard said they brought a kid in, and a few hours ago they stormed out again.”
So she had run into her parents.
But why hadn’t she come out all night?
Her phone still didn’t work, but her scooter was downstairs.
Zhou Chenyi ran up the stairs. He saw clothes and luggage scattered at her door. He banged on it hard.
“Ying Yu? Ying Yu — are you in there?”
“…Zhou Chenyi?”
He let out a breath.
“It’s me. Open the door.”
“Oh. Just a minute.”
He heard a loud thud, and Ying Yu yelped in pain.
Zhou Chenyi didn’t dare rush her.
Two minutes later, the door finally opened.
Ying Yu was still crying. Her face was red, her lip was bleeding, and she couldn’t speak.
The apartment was a mess.
Zhou Chenyi’s anger surged.
“They hit you?”
Ying Yu gestured wildly:
“Mm-mm, no — it was — it was me, mm…”
“Don’t say anything. I get it.”
“?”
Ying Yu looked at him tearfully. You get what?
“!”
She was pulled into a warm embrace. The scent of sage enveloped her forehead. His arm wrapped around her back, gently patting her hair — a soothing, protective hug.
He held her tightly, and she heard his racing heartbeat.
She hadn’t wanted to cry.
But then he said,
“It’s okay. I understand. You don’t need to explain. It was their fault. They had no right to enter your home without permission.”
He didn’t even ask questions — he just believed her. What if she were lying?
This was her home. They shouldn’t have entered without her consent.
Overwhelming emotion shattered her defenses.
Ying Yu cried. She buried herself in his chest and wept for a long time, letting out everything she’d held in that afternoon.
He still had a cast on — Ying Yu didn’t want to move too much. Once she calmed down, she nudged him.
“You came here in slippers?”
“I’ve been in meetings all day. I didn’t see your message — I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
What did that have to do with slippers?
Zhou Chenyi let her go and grabbed her wrist.
“Let’s go. This place is too dangerous. Come home with me.”
“Wait,” Ying Yu finally pieced it together. “You saw my parents?”
“I saw them yesterday when I came to look for you.”
Her heart clenched.
She didn’t mind if the whole world knew — just not him. She didn’t want him to see that part of her life.
“I didn’t tell them who I was,” Zhou Chenyi said gently. “Didn’t speak to them. I just figured things weren’t good between you, so I wanted to take you away.”
She really did need a new place to live.
Ying Yu paused.
“I’ll pack. Once I’m done, I’ll leave with you.”
She turned on the lights. They were yellow now — different from his last visit.
A fallen wooden chair lay nearby. It was obvious Ying Yu had been changing a lightbulb earlier.
Zhou Chenyi asked,
“The injury on your face wasn’t from them?”
Ying Yu shook her head, stuffing clothes into a suitcase.
“The chair was unstable. I fell while getting down… hit the floor face first.”
So he’d only come because he thought she’d been hurt.
“You don’t have to wait. I’ll call a car once I’m ready. You can go first.”
“You’re planning to drag luggage over the wall into my complex?” Zhou Chenyi picked up a splintered piece of wood from the floor. With nowhere to put it, he stuck it in his pocket.
“I said before — the security here sucks. They let anyone in. If you’d followed my plan, you wouldn’t have come back this afternoon — and wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
He had arranged another apartment for her, one he’d bought during college, in the same neighborhood as Jiang Jiuji. But clearly, keeping her closer was safer — his sense of responsibility was just too strong.
Once she finished packing, Zhou Chenyi took her out. Someone else would bring the rest of her stuff later.
“Let’s go. Uncle Wei’s food is getting cold.”
“You can’t eat too much meat.”
“…Uncle Wei made stir-fried greens!”
“No meat? I want meat.”
“Nope. You’re eating vegetarian with me.”
“Zhou Chenyi, are you even being reasonable?”
“Reasonable people eat their veggies.”