Chapter 1 — My Little Vixen

That was the year I was most insatiably obsessed with my husband. Every single night, I would pin him against my chest, stroking him endlessly from the tips of his delicate ears down to the very base of his tail. The more he tried to evade my grasp, the more intensely my excitement flared. It was not until the day I suddenly woke up to the true plot of this world that the absolute horror set in. I was left paralyzed by the realization that the obedient, breathtakingly gorgeous white fox of a husband whom I had been treating like my personal plaything was, in reality, the Nine-Tailed Fox Sovereign—an absolute titan in this beast-man novel, a being utterly beyond offending. And I? I was merely the wicked female supporting character who had ruthlessly exploited his temporary amnesia to treat him like a giant fluffy body pillow, teasing his tails day in and day out and forcing him to act as my personal living furnace to warm my bed. According to the original storyline, once he regained his memories, his nine tails would unfurl in all their terrifying glory, and all beasts would bow in submission. The very first thing he would do was lock me away in the forbidden abyss of the fox clan, forcing me to weep bitterly and pay dearly for every single tail-hair I had ever dared to stroke.

From that day forward, I vowed to go cold turkey on fluff. No more touching his ears, no more grazing his tails. No kisses, no embraces, no letting him warm my freezing feet. I even proactively drafted a divorce agreement, praying that when His Majesty the Fox Sovereign finally regained his sanity, he might spare my life in return for my gracious gift of his freedom.

Yet on a torrential, storm-lashed night, the man who had always been so gentle and composed blocked my way right at the doorway, his eye rims painfully red. It was the first time I had ever witnessed Rong Wang weep. Clearly, he was the peerless Nine-Tailed Fox Sovereign whom thousands of beasts revered, yet at this very moment, he looked precisely like a tiny, helpless fox abandoned by its master. Tears rolled silently down from the corners of his eyes, splashing against the back of my hand with a searing heat that sent a tremor straight to my heart.

Behind his back, nine snowy-white tails unfurled completely, spreading across the dimly lit living room like a silent, creeping blizzard. One of those tails slithered forward, wrapping securely around my ankle and giving a gentle, persuasive tug. I tumbled headfirst straight into his embrace. Lowering his head, he stared down at me, his voice hoarse and broken beyond words.

"Why won't you touch me anymore?"

"Is it because I'm shedding?"

"Or is that young snake-beast out there... better at wrapping himself around you than I am?"

"My darling."

"Just look at me."

"All nine tails are yours to stroke, however you wish."

"Please, don't abandon me, alright?"

"My dear lady, a tail really isn't something that can just be touched at whim."

Rong Wang would sit at the edge of the sofa, his voice as light and airy as a feather drifting onto a pristine snowfield. He was born with a breathtaking, ethereal beauty—not the ordinary kind of good looks, but a striking elegance that could steal the breath from your lungs with a single passing glance. Silvery-white long hair draped loosely over his shoulders, his brows and eyes carrying a cold, austere detachment, yet the outer corners of his eyes were naturally tinged with a delicate, fragile flush. When he looked at others, his gaze was always distant and mild, as if he lacked even the capacity for anger. To top it all off, a pair of pristine white fox ears sat atop his head, while a large, plush, wonderfully soft tail swayed behind him. Who on earth could possibly resist such a creature? At any rate, I certainly could not.

During the three months following our wedding, our marital life was in a state of absolute, blissful harmony. Or to be more precise, I unilaterally believed it to be in absolute harmony. Though he always projected an aura of chilly asceticism, the tips of his ears would invariably flush a brilliant crimson. The mere moment I drifted closer, intentionally murmuring the pet name "Little Fox," the book he held in his hands would remain stuck on the very same page for half an hour. If I acted particularly mischievously and gave his tail a quick stroke, his entire body would instantly stiffen, his breath drawn in and held low, looking for all the world as though he were being terribly bullied yet entirely unable to push me away.

The most lethal part of it all was that the harder he tried to restrain himself, the more devastatingly alluring he became. With his silver hair tumbled across the pillows and the corners of his eyes flushed pink from my kisses, he radiated a desperate, fractured vulnerability right through his icy exterior. Every single time I witnessed that sight, I couldn't help but feel I was no better than an animal. Of course, maintaining any semblance of proper human decency was difficult for me to begin with. After all, which mortal woman could resist a husband possessing such exquisite fox ears and tails, one who would ask in a low, quiet voice during the dead of night, "My lady... would you like some more tonight?"

Who could possibly say no to that? I certainly couldn't.

That particular evening, I lunged forward, wrapping my arms tightly around his tail. "Did you sneak off to wash your tail again?"

Rong Wang's body went rigid. "I did not sneak."

"Ah, so you were openly and shamelessly trying to seduce me instead."

"..."

Burying my face deeply into his tail, I inhaled its scent with absolute bliss. A rich white sandalwood intertwined with a cool, crisp cedarwood. It smelled so divine that my entire being felt as though it were melting away.

"Rong Wang, you smell incredible."

The tips of his ears flared bright red instantly. "Gu Mian."

"Yes?"

"Do not speak like that."

"Why ever not?"

Lowering his gaze, his long eyelashes fluttered slightly. "It sounds as though you are teasing me."

Astonished, I raised my head. "You're only just realizing this now?"

He remained silent. Emboldened by his quietness, I grew even more daring, stroking the length of his tail from tip to root. His tail was infinitely softer than the most luxurious fox-fur rug imaginable. One stroke, and my mood lifted. Two strokes, and all my worries vanished into thin air. Three strokes, and my life had officially attained ultimate fulfillment.

The hand he had braced against the sofa slowly tightened, his knuckles turning stark white. He was enduring a monumental struggle. Yet the harder he fought it, the more endlessly fascinating I found him. Leaning in close, I blew a gentle puff of air directly against his fox ear. His entire frame shuddered. The ear popped straight up with a start, only to droop downward just as quickly.

"Do not touch there," he murmured, his voice laced with a raspy strain.

"And why not that spot?"

"It's sensitive."

My eyes lit up instantly. Sensitive? Well, wouldn't that make it infinitely more worthy of further research? As I reached out my hand to test the waters, Rong Wang swiftly intercepted my wrist. His palm radiated an intense heat, yet his facial expression maintained its usual composed, restrained gentleness.

"My lady," he coaxed, "just the tail will do, alright?"

Staring fixedly at the blazing crimson tips of his ears, I drawled slowly, "Not a chance."

Half an hour later, Rong Wang retreated into the bathroom. Before the door clicked shut, his footsteps sounded distinctly unsteady. I sprawled lazily across the sofa, hugging a decorative pillow and humming a cheerful tune to myself.

"Who is he even trying to fool with that pretense of ascetic detachment?"

"His ears were burning bright red."

"That is the textbook definition of playing hard to get."

The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom for an exceptionally long time. Growing thoroughly bored of waiting, I crawled over to the door and gave it a light tap. "Rong Wang, did you happen to pass out in there?"

From within came his tightly suppressed voice, "I did not."

"Well then, open the door."

"It is inconvenient."

"What could possibly be inconvenient? It's not like I haven't seen it all before."

Suddenly, absolute silence fell on the other side. Just as I was about to resume my knocking, the bathroom door slowly drifted open by a crack. Something snowy-white and wonderfully plush poked out from the gap. Soft. Furry. My eyes blazed with triumph. A tail?

Squatting down instantly, I reached out and gave it a playful poke.

A soft, stifled moan drifted out from behind the door. My hand froze mid-air. That sound didn't seem quite right. Cautiously, I pushed the door open further. A wave of heavy, humid heat rushed out to meet my face. Amidst the swirling veils of steam, Rong Wang stood with his back toward me, both hands braced against the vanity sink, his wet silver hair plastered damply against his bare back.

And behind him—it wasn't just a single tail.

There were nine.

Nine snow-white fox tails were slowly unfurling amidst the billows of steam, nearly taking up the entirety of the compact bathroom. They were as breathtakingly gorgeous as blossoms blooming amidst a pristine winter snowfall. Yet they carried an eerie, otherworldly pressure that sent a sudden chill straight down my spine.

I stood frozen in utter shock. "You..."

Rong Wang's spine instantly locked rigid. Without turning his head, he spoke after a long, tense pause, "You are seeing things."

Pointing directly at the massive cluster of fluffy white tails sprouting behind him, I retorted, "Mistaking one or two tails might be forgivable."

"Are you truly expecting me to believe I hallucinated all nine of them?"

All nine fox tails abruptly halted their movement. Several of them seemed to realize they had been caught red-handed and began to slowly retract behind his back. But the bathroom was simply too small; there was nowhere on earth for them to hide.

Logically speaking, I ought to have been thrilled out of my mind. Nine tails, after all! This was the ultimate paradise for any lover of all things fluffy. Yet as they all stretched simultaneously in my direction, the sheer weight of their oppressive presence was immense—resembling an avalanche that was both terrifyingly gentle and overwhelmingly lethal.

Instinctively, I took a panicked step backward. "Rong Wang, put those away first."

"They're... a little terrifying."