After chatting briefly with He Yu, they arrived at the Thai restaurant Old Wang chose. Parking, they entered, booked a private dining room, and ordered.
Only Old Wang had snacked earlier; Xie Xiaobao and Hu Jiuli, starving all day, dove into the food as soon as it arrived, heads down, eating voraciously.
Xie Xiaobao wolfed down a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup, rubbing his belly contentedly.
Hu Jiuli set down his chopsticks, eyeing Xie Xiaobao’s blissful squint, and teased, “Eating that much—aren’t you scared of getting fat?”
Xie Xiaobao froze, cheeks puffing indignantly. “I exercise regularly. I won’t get fat.”
Hu Jiuli, seeing his touchiness about his weight, chuckled, sizing him up sincerely. “Really? Where do you work out? Take me next time. You’re in great shape.”
Xie Xiaobao shared the gym’s address but declined. “I’m already going with another friend.”
Hu Jiuli coughed. “Is that so? Guess I’ll find a workout buddy too.”
Xie Xiaobao nodded. “It’s more fun with two.”
Old Wang, knowing the context, glanced at earnest Xie Xiaobao, silently crunching a bone.
They ate and chatted, nearly clearing the table. Xie Xiaobao wiped his mouth, heading to the bathroom to wash his hands. Hu Jiuli’s eyes glinted, and he quickly followed.
At the sink, Xie Xiaobao bent to wash his hands. Hu Jiuli stood beside him, checking no one was around, and teased, “Xiaobao, what’s that?”
In the mirror, a white, fluffy tail sprouted behind Hu Jiuli, wagging at Xie Xiaobao.
Xie Xiaobao stared for two seconds, eyes widening in shock. He flung his paper towel at Hu Jiuli, let out a short scream, and bolted.
Hu Jiuli: *…*
He picked up the paper towel, tossed it in the trash, and muttered, “We’re both demon clan—why so scared? Is my tail ugly?” He glanced back at his glossy, soft white tail, perfect as fine fur, and shook his head, puzzled, heading back.
Xie Xiaobao scurried to the dining room, clutching hot water and gulping it to calm his nerves, like a spooked animal.
Old Wang frowned. “What’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost.”
Xie Xiaobao thought, *No ghost, but a demon.* Hu Jiuli’s sudden tail had startled him, an inexperienced cat who’d never met another demon clan. Calming down, he realized he was demon clan too—why fear Hu Jiuli?
Patting his chest, he fibbed to Old Wang, “Hu Jiuli played a prank in the bathroom.”
Old Wang’s brow furrowed, annoyed. “That guy’s lucky his face saves him from a beating.”
“Exactly,” Hu Jiuli sauntered in, smug. “My big sister says she’d skin me for a scarf if she didn’t love my face.”
Old Wang’s eye twitched, smirking. “You’re awfully proud of that.”
Hu Jiuli glanced at Xie Xiaobao, grinning. “Of course. Good looks are a talent.”
Old Wang, done bickering, pulled Xie Xiaobao to leave. “Dinner’s over. We’re off. Take care.”
Xie Xiaobao glanced back curiously. Hu Jiuli wagged his tail again.
Xie Xiaobao: *…*
At home, still reeling from seeing another demon, Xie Xiaobao turned cat, hugged his tail, rolled on the carpet, then turned human, straining to see his back, trying to sprout his tail.
Nothing appeared. After several tries, he gave up, frustrated, nibbled his tail tip, flipped over, hopped onto the sofa, and opened his tablet to video call Qu Yanning.
Maybe his sister-in-law knew how.
Qu Yanning was cleaning Xie Qi’s ears when the call came. He soothed Xie Qi’s ears and answered.
A round Xie Xiaobao sat in the video, tilting his head and meowing softly, “Sister-in-law.”
“Xiaobao?” Qu Yanning set Xie Qi down, adjusted the phone, and asked, “Why the call now?”
Xie Qi, nudged off, bared his teeth, growling discontentedly, glaring at his brother on-screen.
Xie Xiaobao flattened his ears, meowing, “Second Brother.”
Xie Qi huffed, tail flicking, and leapt back into Qu Yanning’s lap.
Qu Yanning pinched his neck to settle him and continued with Xie Xiaobao.
“Sister-in-law, I saw a demon clan with a tail today,” Xie Xiaobao meowed, recounting the day, head on his paws. “He could show his tail. Why can’t I?”
Xie Qi, hearing Hu Jiuli’s name, knew it was that flashy fox from the Hu family.
In the 21st century, humans and demons pursued coexistence. Many demon clan left secluded cultivation to blend into society, none more famously than the Hu family from the Northeast.
The Northeast’s Five Immortals—fox, weasel, hedgehog, snake, rat—include the fox, or “Hu,” meaning the human-form Hu family.
The Hu family were foxes, the red fox clan being the strongest. Through generations of survival, their rapid breeding made them dominant.
Hu Jiuli, the youngest white fox, was unique. Fearing he wouldn’t thrive, the Hu family had Xie Qi read his fortune. He not only grew strong but became a Northeast sensation, doted on by his eight older siblings until his wild antics led Hu Yiqing, the eldest, to rein him in.
“Hu Yiqing’s his sister, right?” Qu Yanning recalled. She was Fengsheng Entertainment’s top star, and Xie Yan, Xie Xiaobao’s eldest brother, was a shareholder there. The family had wanted Xie Xiaobao to sign with Xie Yan’s company.
Xie Qi meowed in confirmation.
“How’d you meet Hu Jiuli?” Qu Yanning asked. They were in Shen City, but their paths shouldn’t cross.
Xie Xiaobao rolled over, tail tapping. “Company collaboration. We’re recording together.”
Thinking of Xie Xiaobao’s naive nature, Qu Yanning worried. “He didn’t bully you, did he?”
Xie Xiaobao’s ears twitched, meowing, “No, just startled me with his tail.”
Qu Yanning paused, amused yet exasperated. Hu Jiuli had clearly sensed Xie Xiaobao’s true form and teased him.
Xie Qi chimed in, “Next time he scares you, go to Big Brother’s company and tell Hu Yiqing. Hu Jiuli’s terrified of her.”
Xie Xiaobao licked his paw, meowing, “Got it.”
One human and two cats chatted via video for a while before hanging up.
Xie Xiaobao nibbled his pillow, staring at his tail tip, feeling he’d forgotten to ask something.