So It Turns Out You’re a Fox Spirit (GL) - Chapter 10

Autumn is a depressing season, but also the season for putting on some weight.

Since she had cruelly rejected Huang Chenchen’s invitation for barbecue skewers last time, Le Xiaoyao decided to treat her to a big meal this time—to make up for it and to soothe her own recent gloom. Unexpectedly, our Miss Huang wasn’t interested in fancy feasts. What she loved most was still skewers.

During her lunch break, Le Xiaoyao ran up to the rooftop to make a call.

“…Then let’s go shopping this weekend, and have skewers in the evening!”

But this time it was Sister Huang’s turn to cruelly refuse. “Another day… I have to work overtime this weekend. Unlike you, Leader Le, carefree with great performance~” Huang Chenchen’s voice was dripping with mockery on the other end. So annoying!

“Girl, it looks like our horoscopes clash. When I’m free, you’re busy. When you’re free, I’m busy. When will we ever get to eat our skewers together?”

Le Xiaoyao found it hard to believe. Huang Chenchen was infamous for putting romance above friendship. “Overtime again? Don’t tell me you’re lying to me! Are you sneaking off with some guy, abandoning me…?” The words “abandoning me” even came out with a sob.

“I should be asking if you’re the one making excuses. Tell me, in all your years of working, when have you ever worked overtime at night? Now suddenly you say you’re working late every day—are you actually going to meet some fox spirit after work? Fess up!” To her surprise, Huang Chenchen countered right back, without missing a beat. “I really do have work. Saturday I’m covering Donghai Real Estate’s charity gala, and Sunday I have to rush a draft! I’m exhausted, like a dog—where would I find the time to see men!”

The moment Le Xiaoyao heard the words Donghai Real Estate, she perked up. She’d been thinking about contacting their executives herself regarding the vacation villa project. Even though she was just a team leader and it wasn’t really her place, she had to grab even the tiniest chance. They’d all been working overtime until midnight for days now. She couldn’t bear the thought of it all going to waste…

“You mean Donghai Real Estate’s executives will be there?”

Huang Chenchen thought her friend was focusing on the wrong thing. “Girl, don’t tell me you’re planning to hook a rich bachelor too? Don’t compete with me…”

From her, Le Xiaoyao learned that Donghai Real Estate would be holding the charity gala at the Shengtian Hotel on Saturday. Although Huang Chenchen kept stressing that only special guests like her could get in, rules were rules—but people could always bend them. Sneaking in shouldn’t be impossible. And if she could actually convince the Donghai executives to cancel the bidding process, it would be like saving the design department from drowning!

After several nights of frantic overtime, everyone was exhausted. So when Zhou Yi suddenly announced that there would be no overtime tonight—

Naturally, there was cheering!

The team would still be swamped in the coming days, so upon hearing the rare good news, Le Xiaoyao immediately wanted to tell Huang Chenchen so they could go out. She flipped open her call history, and the first thing she saw was Fu Jin’s missed call log from that night, marked in red. On impulse, she dialed again—this time, she thought carefully about what to say.

The phone barely rang once before it was picked up! Le Xiaoyao jumped. Fu Jin’s voice came through: “Hello?”

Doesn’t she know my number? Le Xiaoyao wondered. Maybe not. “Fu Jin, it’s me, Le Xiaoyao…” She didn’t ask why Fu Jin hadn’t picked up her call that night—she probably forgot, or maybe the call never went through.

“Oh…” Fu Jin forced herself to sound calm. Her phone had just happened to be in her hand, and seeing Le Xiaoyao’s name pop up, she’d picked up immediately. Lessons learned from last time!

“Can I buy you dinner tonight? I… I mean, to return your clothes.” Le Xiaoyao worried this didn’t sound right—what if Fu Jin took the clothes and left? She quickly added: “And to thank you for taking care of me that night…” Still felt like a weak excuse. Finally, she blurted out: “Also, I had a few questions about your lecture I wanted to ask you.”

She sounded dead serious! Fu Jin almost laughed. “…Okay.”

“Where are you now?” Le Xiaoyao glanced at the time—it was late, she could just pick her up directly.

“I’m at the university.”

“Then I’ll drive over to get you!”

Fu Jin looked down at her clothes—covered in chalk dust from class. “Come pick me up at my place in an hour. Do you know where it is?”

“Yes, I know.”

When Fu Jin hung up, she suddenly realized several pairs of eyes in the office were staring at her, expressions amused. “Well… I’ll get going then.”

Just as she reached the door, someone muttered, “No wonder Teacher Fu isn’t interested in blind dates. Must be a boyfriend, right? Quick, let’s let her go…”

Fu Jin smiled calmly. “Just a friend.”

“…She’s so pretty, I bet plenty of people chase after her.”

“Pretty, sure, but she’s not young anymore…”

“Well, with her education level, she’s obviously got bigger goals. Isn’t she just a visiting lecturer? When’s she leaving?”

“A few more months, I think. Honestly, I don’t want her to go. She’s like scenery in the office—so nice to look at!”

“She’s aiming higher than this, that’s for sure~”

Once she left, the office chatter continued—it didn’t take much for idle people to gossip endlessly.

Meanwhile, Le Xiaoyao picked up Fu Jin’s clothes from the dry cleaner. On her drive past the mall, she spotted a Doraemon three-piece bedding set and suddenly felt a childlike impulse. She remembered that night she’d stayed at Fu Jin’s, messing up her bed sheets. Perfect timing to buy her a new set!

Then another thought struck her. That night, at Fu Jin’s place, there had only been one bedroom and one bed. She had slept in Fu Jin’s bed. Where had Fu Jin slept? The sofa? The thought filled her with guilt, so she quickly bought the bedding set. Still, giving someone sheets as a gift felt… oddly suggestive.

Fu Jin rushed home to shower, blow-dry her hair, change clothes, put on makeup…

Le Xiaoyao arrived early and parked downstairs. They’d agreed to meet an hour later, so she waited. And waited. An hour turned into two. If she waited any longer, it would be time for supper. Should she call to hurry her along? Maybe wait a little more. She’d come down eventually, right?

Ten minutes later, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you ready yet?”

Fu Jin was still agonizing over which lipstick shade to use. When she saw the call, she checked the time—already past seven! She’d lost an entire hour. Time had flown by… “I’m coming down now.”

Le Xiaoyao was about to cry. Already an hour late, and she still said so casually, I’m coming down now.

Fu Jin strolled leisurely to the passenger seat, her fragrance instantly filling the car. The familiar scent overwhelmed the air, and Le Xiaoyao grumbled inwardly—how could it still be this strong after a whole day?

She sneaked a glance at Fu Jin—soft, voluminous hair with a slight curl, makeup heavier than at the lecture, high heels at least eight centimeters tall. For the first time, Le Xiaoyao realized how different their lives were. She looked at Fu Jin, still flawless after a long day, and then at herself, a worn-out corporate grunt, especially after days of overtime. The contrast made her feel painfully dull by comparison.

“What should we eat?”

“Up to you.”

“Hotpot?”

“No objection.”

The exchange was as brief as a three-character chant—one asks, one replies. Since she’d been craving hotpot anyway, and Fu Jin had no objections, Le Xiaoyao drove straight to the most famous Beijing-style hotpot place in W City.

Back in college, Fu Jin had been known for speaking little but commanding attention—an aloof goddess and a top student. The two of them had barely exchanged words in four years, just nodded in passing. Their personalities were worlds apart—one lively, one reserved. Back then, Le Xiaoyao had even joked that their department’s icy goddess scholar was like carbon dioxide—wherever she went, she suffocated the air.

Honestly, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Right now in the car, the silence was suffocating. The carbon dioxide levels were off the charts. Le Xiaoyao had to perform photosynthesis—force herself to make oxygen—so she broke the silence first: “You must be really popular with the students, huh?”

“Why do you say that?”

She actually wanted to say, Because you dress like this every day, as a teacher? Really? Instead, she chuckled awkwardly. “Everyone likes pretty teachers, right… haha…”

Fu Jin only smiled faintly. But in her heart she thought: Would it kill you to just say I’m pretty? I spent an hour on this makeup, and you haven’t even looked at me properly…

Silence again. Le Xiaoyao almost wanted to sing, “The scariest thing is sudden silence…” Luckily, they arrived at the hotpot restaurant before she needed to. Eating would save them from awkward conversation.

Starving, she dove in without waiting for Fu Jin—every bite was delicious. Thin slices of lamb cooked in seconds, dipped in the signature sauce—absolute bliss. Fu Jin, who rarely got to eat hotpot abroad, enjoyed it too. The food here was excellent, and though she usually ate lightly, she had a good appetite tonight.

“I heard my college nickname was Carbon Dioxide,” Fu Jin suddenly said.

Le Xiaoyao choked and quickly downed some water. Of course she knew that nickname all too well. “Really? That’s kind of funny.”

“So you thought I was stifling to be around?” Fu Jin rested her chin on her hand, gazing at Le Xiaoyao with full seriousness.

With her mouth full, Le Xiaoyao desperately wanted to nod. Not only stifling, but totally peculiar! Silent in the car, then suddenly inquisitive in the middle of a meal—and asking such… loaded questions. She raised an eyebrow. Could this woman read minds? Saying exactly what she was thinking?

“No… not at all…”

She expected Fu Jin to stop there. But Fu Jin pressed on. “Then is being with me… interesting?”

“….”

Le Xiaoyao thought bitterly: Fu Jin, if you don’t start focusing on eating, I swear I’ll ask you why you kissed me back then. You thought I was drunk, but I was only pretending!

But Fu Jin fell silent again. And Le Xiaoyao lacked the courage to bring it up.

They polished off a three-person set between the two of them. Although Le Xiaoyao was the main force, Fu Jin didn’t hold back either. “I’m full…” Le Xiaoyao patted her stomach in satisfaction.

After an hour and a half of eating, their total conversation could be counted on ten fingers. Though stuffed, Fu Jin still coolly remarked, “Not full yet. Treat me to dessert.”

“….”

So this was the legendary eat-and-never-gain-weight type…