Free Web NovelChapter 9: Chapter 9: Nine-tailed Fox
After hearing the conversation between Yan Huoshui and Shi Lan, He Hanshi’s gaze lowered slightly. He didn’t touch the leftover cupcake either.
When Shi Lan passed by, he called out her name, a little awkwardly. "Shi... Lan. The lunch you made today was delicious. I’m full, so I can’t eat this cupcake. You should take it so it doesn’t go to waste."
Shi Lan was convinced. Although she felt the cupcake she made was barely a mouthful for them, she figured, ’He Hanshi has no reason to lie about something like this.’
Mu Tangfeng watched He Hanshi through the two protective doors, wanting to say something but holding back. He wondered to himself, ’When did Vice Admiral He’s appetite get so small?’
But out of reverence for his idol, he said nothing. In fact, when Shi Lan glanced over, he quickly stuffed the other cupcake into his mouth.
Shi Lan: "..."
When Mu Tangfeng realized what he had done, his face instantly turned red.
’How could I do something so embarrassing?’
Under Shi Lan’s amused and exasperated gaze, he felt his face grow hotter and hotter. He immediately reverted to his beast form, burying his lowered head in his wings and casually preening his feathers as if nothing had happened.
’Sometimes Mu Tangfeng can be pretty annoying, but I have to admit, the moment I see his beast form, I’m captivated by his beauty.’
The name "Bird of Paradise" is quite fitting. It was so named because people first thought the bird was too beautiful to be a creature of this world. One can only imagine how magnificent its appearance truly is.
In fact, upon closer inspection, although Mu Tangfeng’s body was mostly white, the tip of each feather had a hint of pale yellow. His plumage looked colorful and brilliant, so bright that it was reflective even indoors.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but take a few extra glances. But then she remembered how he had covered the door that morning, not wanting her to stare, so she quietly looked away.
With the lunch boxes collected and afternoon tea delivered—plus having had the chance to admire a group of charming and unique fluffballs—Shi Lan didn’t linger in the prison. In high spirits, she left with the robot that was carrying the stack of lunch boxes.
After afternoon tea, Shi Lan was full, satisfied, and a little drowsy, so she found a cot in the Prison Director’s office for a nap.
She slept very well, except she felt as if she had eaten some bad mushrooms. Her dream was filled with all sorts of little mushroom people waving at her.
When she woke up, she smacked her lips and decided, "I’ll have mushroom soup for dinner."
The little green mushroom that was about to pop out from Shi Lan’s head to make its presence known quietly hid itself again.
Shi Lan used to travel a lot for work. She was a travel photographer who had to go all over the country, which was also why it had been inconvenient for her to have a pet.
Before transmigrating into the book, her favorite place to visit had been Yunnan. She always had to have mushroom hot pot a few times while there, and she’d even had the embarrassing experience of ending up in the hospital after impatiently eating mushrooms that weren’t fully cooked.
Now, this dream had reawakened her memories of mushroom hot pot.
The afternoon passed peacefully. As dinnertime approached, Shi Lan went to the kitchen’s cold storage room early to rummage for mushrooms.
After searching for a long time, she only managed to find three types: shiitake, oyster, and enoki mushrooms.
Several VIPs were living on Black Star, so none of the supplies sent over were of poor quality.
’It doesn’t make sense that these are the only mushrooms available.’
Shi Lan couldn’t resist looking it up on the Star Network, and only then did she understand why.
In this world, an outbreak of the Insect Clan had previously caused many varieties of vegetables and plants to disappear. However, scientists were able to cultivate many vegetables using preserved seeds from the beginning of the crisis. They also distributed the seeds for free and taught the public how to grow them.
The supply of common vegetables on the market increased dramatically. Who would have known that the Insect Clan would later mutate and become able to eat meat? This led to the current situation where meat is expensive and vegetables are cheap. There was another reason, too: as humans evolved towards being Beastmen, their demand for meat also grew. It was a simple case of scarcity driving up the price.
Shi Lan was keenly aware of the fact that the Insect Clan ate meat; after all, that was how the original owner of her body had died in the book.
At the thought, she couldn’t help but shudder. She quickly pushed the thoughts aside and decided to use the three types of mushrooms to make a mixed mushroom and Gugu Beast soup. She used the extra enoki mushrooms to make a cold salad and also stir-fried a vegetable dish.
’A perfect balance of meat and vegetables!’ freёweɓnovel.com
As usual, she prepared a portion for He Hanshi, adding extra meat from the robots’ dinner to fill a large container. She also didn’t forget everyone’s after-dinner dessert, making it low-sugar this time as well.
He Hanshi noticed that, once again, he was the only one to receive a meal she had personally cooked.
A flash of secret delight crossed his eyes. He didn’t know where the feeling came from, but he inexplicably felt like he was being favored.
He couldn’t help but gaze deeply at Shi Lan, moved as he uttered, "Thank you, Shi Lan."
"It’s nothing, you don’t have to be so formal."
Shi Lan looked at him with a beaming smile.
Seeing Shi Lan give his idol special treatment, Mu Tangfeng thought about the severity of He Hanshi’s spiritual power collapse and kept quiet. He just felt a strange, stifled feeling in his heart.
As a result, when Shi Lan delivered the food this time, she found him to be much quieter. He didn’t say a single word from beginning to end.
Although she found it a little strange, she didn’t ask about it and continued delivering meals and dessert to the others one by one.
Ye Ming offered a "thank you" but remained out of sight. Jiang Xia, however, exclaimed excitedly, "What delicious dessert did you make this time?"
"It’s a barley cake. It’s not too rich or sweet."
Jiang Xia had never had one before. His golden eyes widened as he hurriedly had the robot bring it over for him to see. He couldn’t resist sneaking a lick to taste it, his bright red tongue darting across the off-white pastry. He hesitated for a moment. "It’s not sweet. I want the strawberry cupcake from this afternoon."
"There aren’t any this time. If you want one, I can bring you one next time."
"Really? Can I make other requests, too?"
Hearing Jiang Xia’s request, Shi Lan pretended to hesitate. Just as he was about to get flustered and take back his words, she curved her lips into a smile. "You can, but on one condition: you can’t ring the bell to bother me for no reason."
"...Fine."
Jiang Xia accepted her proposal but then added defensively, his sharp fangs peeking out at the corners of his lips, "I only rang the bell once today, and it was because I needed something..."
But under Shi Lan’s teasing gaze, he thought of their bet from that morning and lost his confidence. Even the arc of his wagging tail lessened, and his two fluffy ears drooped.
Watching him look like a guilty kitten with such a human-like, sheepish expression on his face, Shi Lan’s heart melted from the cuteness all over again.
’I really want to go over there, hug him, and just bury my face in all that fur. It must be so soft.’
’But, for my own safety, I shouldn’t take such a risk just to indulge myself. We’re not that familiar with each other yet.’
Full of regret, she moved on to Yan Huoshui. After hearing Jiang Xia’s voice, Yan Huoshui realized that Shi Lan must have made this less-sweet pastry specifically for him. His noble Nine-tailed Fox form slowly approached the protective door. Through the seemingly thin light screen, he slightly lifted his fox head, his tails swaying gently. With a sparkle in his eyes, he said, "Thank you."
This time, Shi Lan was truly stunned for a long moment. She stared fixedly at those nine red tails, feeling as if she had suddenly jumped from a world of science fiction into a world of fantasy.
’It’s all so incredible.’
’A Nine-tailed Fox... I’ve actually seen one...’
Noticing her reaction, a sharp glint flashed through Yan Huoshui’s eyes.
