Translator: Moonlit
Editor: kiki
The red fox is a newly awakened fox spirit.
It’s not the traditional kind that can transform into a beautiful woman; right now, it’s just a fox. It has only learned to possess and absorb vitality from humans. Because it has just gained intelligence, it can only absorb a limited amount of vitality each day, at most making it unable to eat or sleep well.
This third-tier city has a well-developed tourism industry and relatively little pollution. It’s an environmentally friendly city. The red fox was practicing here and accidentally discovered the film crew that came to shoot. It noticed that there was a particularly rich source of vitality in the actor, Feng Qi. Since it didn’t harm anyone physically and didn’t affect their souls, and since the jade pendant that Chu Ruochun gave to Feng Qi wasn’t damaged, it continued its activities. Of course, the jade pendant also served as a protective amulet. The red fox absorbed a limited amount of Feng Qi’s vitality and then turned to other crew members who had more vitality.
With a substantial crew and possessing one person each day, the red fox was quite satisfied with its life. It leisurely waited for Chu Ruochun.
As for Xu Mengying, her spiritual cultivation was truly shallow. Before she could figure out the situation, the red fox had already switched to another host. Moreover, it could use a bit of illusion, making Xu Mengying’s job more challenging.
Chu Ruochun, on the other hand, effortlessly detected the red fox with a simple move. This left both the fox and the people bewildered and frustrated.
When the red fox realized it needed to escape, it found that its body had become limp, devoid of magic, unable to hide, and incapable of fleeing. It was entirely under the control of fate.
Xu Mengying muttered, “Is it this easy to catch? Isn’t this just a fox?”
Chu Ruochun, holding the little fox, corrected her, “Let me clarify, it’s a fox spirit, not just a fox.”
Xu Mengying couldn’t see the difference, “I’m so disappointed. I thought fox spirits could transform into beautiful women.”
Chu Ruochun explained, “It’s a male fox, so at most, it can become a male fox spirit.”
To avoid disrupting the film crew’s normal shooting, Chu Ruochun brought the fox back to Feng Qi’s nanny car.
Feng Qi looked at the fox for a while and just wanted to know one thing, “How do you plan to deal with this fox?” It looked like an ordinary fox.
Chu Ruochun looked at the fox in his arms and said, “Take it to the zoo?”
Feng Qi responded, “Sounds good. Should we take it there now?”
When the red fox heard “zoo,” it vigorously kicked its limbs. It definitely didn’t want to go to the zoo!
Feng Qi reached out and poked the fox’s belly, “It’s quite soft.”
Chu Ruochun looked at him with a pure gaze and asked, “Do you like it?”
Feng Qi turned his head away, “Not really.”
Chu Ruolin was working on his homework, leaning over to look, “Wow, it’s a fox! Big brother, I’ve seen them in the animal world. Can I keep it?”
The red fox blinked its watery eyes when it heard this.
Chu Ruochun placed the red fox in Chu Ruolin’s lap, “If you want to keep it, you can, but I remember you might need to get a permit to raise a fox, right?”
Feng Qi immediately said, “I’ll find someone to handle that for you.”
“Okay,” Chu Ruochun agreed. He pointed his finger at the red fox’s forehead, and it now appeared no different from an ordinary fox.
Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin stayed for one more day and then returned to Jingzhou.
Feng Qi and Xu Mengying personally accompanied them to the airport.
After spending a night together, the red fox had become quite well-behaved, patiently waiting for Chu Ruolin’s feeding without causing any mischief.
Chu Ruochun held Chu Ruolin’s hand as they stood in front of the security checkpoint, bidding farewell to them.
Xu Mengying handed him an invitation letter, saying, “Ruochun, this is an invitation to the Metaphysical Exchange Conference. There’s a competition you can sign up for in a while. Would you like to go?”
Chu Ruochun looked at the invitation letter with its bold gold lettering and replied, “I’ll think about it.”
Xu Mengying didn’t try to persuade him. She had just met Chu Ruochun and didn’t know much about his background.
Chu Ruochun put away the invitation letter and said to them, “We’ll head back now. Feng ge, Mengying, see you in Jingzhou.”
Feng Qi, unusually reluctant, said, “Alright, see you in a month then.”
As Chu Ruochun was about to leave, Feng Qi called him back, “Wait a moment.”
“Hmm?” Chu Ruochun turned his head, while Yang Ran took Chu Ruolin to join the queue. Thanks to the concealment spell Chu Ruochun had cast on the little fox, no one could see its presence.
“Why did you ask me not to do any kissing scenes earlier?” Feng Qi asked.
“Oh, that’s because the fox had possessed the female lead, and kissing would make it angrier, causing it to absorb energy faster,” Chu Ruochun explained.
The anticipation in Feng Qi’s eyes turned into disappointment. “Alright then, see you later.”
He should have realized what Chu Ruochun wanted to do as soon as he saw the fox. Chu Ruochun was determined to capture the fox spirit.
Chu Ruochun couldn’t quite understand why Feng Qi appeared disappointed after he explained the fox’s issue. He decided not to dwell on it, knowing that sooner or later, Feng Qi would figure it out.
Back at home, Fang Ming started arranging appearances for Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin on various programs. The production team quickly came to install cameras throughout Chu Ruochun’s house, except for the more private areas like the bathroom, which remained camera-free.
When the director arrived, he even noticed a fox lounging in the house. Chu Ruochun asked her, “It’s okay if the little fox appears on camera, right? It’s now one of our family members.”
The little fox came from the deep mountains and had trained for many years. Its parents were ordinary foxes, but it became a spirit due to a fortuitous encounter. During its long cultivation journey, its parents had long since departed. With no family left, when Chu Ruochun captured it and offered a chance to absorb some spiritual energy by his side, it decided not to leave.
The fox was particularly good at reading people’s moods. It would act cute and roll around in front of Chu Ruolin every day. After establishing a few ground rules with Chu Ruochun, it became a permanent member of their household.
The little fox behaved like a well-behaved pet, so it was certainly a good fit.
When the weekend arrived for Chu Ruolin, the program officially began filming. The content of the show spanned 48 hours, documenting the lives of the two brothers.
The other four pairs of siblings chosen by the program had significant age differences as well. One pair had a 15-year age gap, another a 12-year gap, one with an 8-year gap, and the last with a 6-year gap. In comparison, Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin had a 10-year age difference.
The filming started with them waking up in the morning. The production team had arranged for cameramen to hide cameras in their house, capturing the interactions between the two brothers.
Since filming required Yang Ran not to appear on camera, the two brothers had to handle their own breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the weekend.
Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin woke up relatively early. If it weren’t for older or younger siblings who liked to sleep in, it could be quite troublesome. However, both Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin woke up early, and Chu Ruolin didn’t need anyone to wake him up.
After getting ready, they changed into their favorite loose and comfortable practice clothes and sat on the beanbag chairs they had on the balcony, practicing meditation and breathing exercises. In between them sat the alert little fox.
For breakfast, Chu Ruochun prepared noodles with eggs and vegetables. Since Yang Ran had arrived, Chu Ruolin hadn’t eaten Chu Ruochun’s homemade noodles for a long time, and he enjoyed it.
The little fox’s body was different from that of a regular fox, so it was treated to a bowl of noodles as well. It slurped it up happily, clearly satisfied.
The program had no script or screenplay; it simply recorded the details of the two brothers’ daily life together.
Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin spent their weekends just as they usually did. In the morning, Chu Ruolin worked on his homework. Whenever he didn’t understand something, he would ask Chu Ruochun for help. Thanks to his elder brother’s guidance, he finished his homework for three subjects by late morning.
Before it was even noon, Chu Ruochun received a WeChat message. When he saw the name, he remembered who it was: Bai Yichen, a friend of Feng Qi.
Bai Yichen: Ruochun, do you still remember me? I’m Bai Yichen, a friend of Feng Qi’s. I heard that you helped resolve some issues in the Lu family, and now I have a problem too. I wonder if you could help.
Chu Ruochun: Do you need my assistance with something?
Bai Yichen: My situation is quite urgent. Do you have time for lunch?
Chu Ruochun: I’m at home, spending time with my younger brother and recording a program.
Bai Yichen: My situation is really urgent. You know what I am, right?
Chu Ruochun: A demon?
Bai Yichen: Yes.
Chu Ruochun: You didn’t transform on the spot and can’t change back now, did you?
Bai Yichen: Exactly! I’m touched you understood. I’m currently stuck in the restroom at the recording site, and I suddenly couldn’t transform back. I didn’t know who to turn to for help, so I thought of you!
Chu Ruochun: Give me the address; I’ll come to find you. However, I might bring my younger brother along.
Bai Yichen immediately provided an address. The recording location was quite far, and it would take about an hour by car to get there. Chu Ruochun called Chu Ruolin and asked him to change his clothes and get ready to go out.
“Brother, where are we going?”
“Going to rescue a small animal,” Chu Ruochun replied.
The little fox perked up its ears when it heard this. It knew that when Chu Ruochun mentioned rescuing a small animal, it wasn’t just any ordinary animal. Its alertness kicked in.
It jumped up and clung to Chu Ruolin’s shoulder, determined to go along.
The crew following Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin thought the little fox was quite savvy, understanding the situation.
“What kind of animal is it?” Chu Ruolin had a soft spot for animals.
“You’ll see when we get there. I remember it should have yellow fur,” Chu Ruochun replied, recalling Bai Yichen’s distinct hair color.
“Is it also a fox?” Chu Ruolin, immersed in the joy of raising a fox lately, immediately thought of foxes.
“If I tell you now, there won’t be any surprises,” Chu Ruochun teased.
An hour later, the two arrived at the Jingzhou TV station.
Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin were not there to record a program, so they were stopped by security at the entrance, feeling somewhat embarrassed. They explained that they couldn’t enter.
Chu Ruochun had to contact Bai Yichen again. In a short while, Bai Yichen’s manager came down to pick them up. After a conversation with the security personnel, they were allowed to pass.
The security personnel requested that they turn off their cameras and follow Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin.
Chu Ruochun assured them that they would only need less than half an hour and would come back down.
Bai Yichen’s manager, Zhen Ping, had no idea that Bai Yichen knew Chu Ruochun.
He asked tentatively, “When did you get to know Yichen?”
Chu Ruochun gave a response that left no room for suspicion, “I met him through Feng ge.”
Zhen Ping thought about the recent online buzz about Chu Ruochun, Feng Qi, and their supposed “family of three”.
“Could you tell me more about Bai Yichen’s situation?” Chu Ruochun inquired.
“I don’t have all the details, but he’s supposed to record a radio program in the afternoon. However, he suddenly felt unwell and had been sitting in the restroom without coming out. I really don’t know what to do, so I didn’t expect him to call you,” Zhen Ping replied. He didn’t seem overly concerned; if Bai Yichen couldn’t record the program, he could arrange for other artists from the company. What he wanted to know was what was happening with Bai Yichen.
Chu Ruochun was visiting Jingzhou TV station for the first time, but he didn’t look like a first-time visitor. Without much hesitation, he found the restroom where Bai Yichen was located.
“Ruolin, take out the small blanket you brought earlier.”
Chu Ruolin opened his backpack, revealing a curious little fox peeking out, which startled Zhen Ping.
“How did you bring a small animal in here?”
Chu Ruochun smiled and then walked to the last stall in the restroom. He knocked on the door. Since Zhen Ping was present, he was sure that the manager didn’t know Bai Yichen’s true identity, so he refrained from using Bai Yichen’s name.
The door creaked open, revealing a pure white-furred fox perched on the toilet.
Chu Ruochun covered Bai Yichen with the blanket and said, “I seem to have stirred up a fox’s nest lately.” Surprisingly, it’s not a yellow-furred one.
Zhen Ping was slow to react, “Wait a minute, what about Bai Yichen? Isn’t he in the restroom?”
