Chapter 5
I tried to slip away.
Xue Hu had already spotted me. He immediately stood and strode over, his mask failing to hide his impatience. “Finished? Come on, let’s eat. I’m starving.”
The women at work were already swooning. “Oh my God, he waited all this time for Jiang to finish. He’s so in love!”
“…”
I turned back.
Xue Hu caught my arm. “Where are you going?”
“I haven’t finished work.”
Xue Hu: “…”
When I returned to the office, I had an ill-tempered walking disaster beside me, waiting for me to finish.
I was certain the big boss and several vice presidents had all toured our team’s office on the pretext of checking on their overtime-working colleagues.
My desk had become a company tourist attraction!
Someone from operations quietly messaged the group. “Jiang, your boyfriend looks familiar. Kind of like an influencer.”
A second later, Xiaomei from concept art screamed in the chat. “AAAAAAH! IT’S HIM!!! HE POSTED A VIDEO! FROM OUR OFFICE!”
My heart skipped. I hurriedly pulled out my phone.
Xue Hu: “What kind of shitty company keeps people working past ten? I’m starving waiting for him! #CompensationForDeathFromOverwork? #WantToReportThemWhatDoIDo #GoodFoodNearXXRoadShenzhen?”
The few seconds of footage showed his crossed, long legs, the tangled cables under my desk, and… half of my legs, wearing slippers.
I turned and grabbed his neck. “Delete that video right now, or I’ll kill you!”
Did I have no dignity? He’d posted my workplace slippers online!
He couldn’t breathe under my grip. After shaking my hands off, he pulled down his mask and gulped for air, revealing a face beautiful enough to bring a kingdom to ruin.
“Jiang Song! Are you trying to murder me?”
I distinctly heard the operations girl opposite gasp, then exclaim loudly, “Cao! (A plant.)”
“…”
Three minutes later, several colleagues from operations and marketing were practically kneeling before me. “Jiang, please. Ask our sister-in—ask your boyfriend to do an ad for us. We want some influencer traffic too! Twelve million followers! I can’t imagine how huge we’d get if he promoted us!”
I looked back at Xue Hu, who had put his mask on again.
Sitting at my desk, he propped his chin on one hand. His foxlike eyes curved. “Beg me, boy-friend.”
Before operations could bring the boss over to pressure me, I grabbed this male fox openly spreading rumors about us, clocked out, and left.
My name would disappear from the lead-art credits. Only the company gossip rankings would keep it forever.
Xue Hu ambled out beside me. A fashionable young man and a downtrodden tech worker—we looked like we came from different worlds.
“Why did you have to show off at my office?” I asked.
He showed me his phone.
[Get the Fox King Married]
Elder One: His Majesty’s lying, surely. How could he choose a human queen?
Elder Two: Leaving Sanya. Going to Shenzhen today to check in person!
Elder Three: His Majesty says he’s had a crush on him for twenty years. He’s settled on him. They’re living together now.
Elder Four: Bullshit. His Majesty hates southern weather. No way he’s living there long-term. It’s an act!
Elder Two: On the plane. Told him to bring the queen to pick me up. No queen, and he’s been fooling us!
Fox King: @ElderTwo Got the presents? My wife loves money. He’ll get mad if they’re not expensive.
Elder One: Why is a man so materialistic?
Fox King: Because he’s about to be unemployed. Poor.
I tossed his phone back and ran. “I’m not picking anyone up with you! Forget it! Can’t you shapeshift? Go be the materialistic man yourself!”
But I couldn’t beat him in a fight. After dinner, he dragged me to Bao’an Airport anyway.
Two grown men stood at arrivals with their arms around each other’s shoulders. One looked more like a celebrity than actual celebrities. Several women waiting for people thought he must be some obscure handsome star and posted online asking who he was.
I couldn’t escape his arm. “Got a spare mask?” I asked. “I’m afraid your fans will cyberbully me tomorrow.”
Xue Hu lifted his mask strap. “No. Want mine?”
I pressed it back into place. “You keep it.”
I didn’t want another crowd staring at us!
Elder Two was the floral-shirted grandpa from that video call. Seeing that Xue Hu really had brought me, he rolled his suitcase over and addressed me cautiously. “Your… Your Majesty the Queen?”
I turned and walked away.
Queen, my fucking ass!
Laughing loudly, Xue Hu grabbed me as I headed for a taxi and steered me toward the parking lot.
I was still dazed when I sat inside that decidedly unsubtle Range Rover. “You have a car? Why make me pay for a taxi here?”
He ignored me and bragged to the elder. “He’s so stingy, but he still spends money on me. He really loves me.”
“…” Stingy? Didn’t I pay your café bill last time?
The elder looked at him as though he were an idiot too, but restrained himself. Presumably insulting the king counted as high treason within the clan.
He could only turn to me and make awkward conversation. “Your Majesty… still awake this late?”
“…”
Were all snow foxes idiots? How could I pick him up if I was asleep?