Once everyone was seated at the street-side barbecue stall, Qiao An was beaming with happiness. She happily nibbled on a snack in one hand and a meat skewer in the other. She didn't drink alcohol, opting for a bottle of iced Coke instead. This was the good life she had always dreamed of.
Qiao An ate with such gusto that even Xie Shan, who was usually a picky eater, couldn't resist having a few extra skewers.
The Little Fox, drawn by the aroma, couldn't help but try a little. However, it disliked the gamy taste of the lamb and spat it out. SPIT! SPIT! SPIT! It then collapsed into Qiao An's arms and began to whimper, its utterly pitiful appearance breaking Xie Shan's heart.
"Okay, okay, stop whimpering. I'll have this gentleman here go buy you some fruit. Nice and sweet ones, how does that sound?"
Hearing that fruit was on the way, the Little Fox perked up immediately and rolled onto its back, offering its belly for rubs. Xie Shan gave it a couple of satisfying pets before happily heading off to a nearby stall to get some fruit salad.
Amidst the cheerful chatter and laughter, Mu Zimo sat to the side, taking a small sip from his beer glass, his gaze never leaving Qiao An.
It would be a lie to say he didn't feel for Qiao An and her troubled life; otherwise, he wouldn't have invited her out to eat when they first met. Later, after hearing that she always walked home from the police station just to save a little on bus fare, Mu Zimo started driving her home himself.
Perhaps it was his detective's sixth sense, but Mu Zimo always felt he couldn't quite figure Qiao An out. She maintained a perfect distance from everyone—not too far, yet not too close. She seemed warm and friendly but refused to let anyone get too near. This sense of detachment felt jarring, as if she were hiding countless secrets.
While cooing over the Little Fox, Qiao An felt a gaze upon her. She tilted her head and saw Mu Zimo drinking by himself. With a goofy grin, she called out, "Don't just hide over there and drink! Come get something to eat! This beef is super tender. If you don't grab a few skewers, we're going to finish them all!"
Qiao An snatched a beef skewer from the pile as if she'd rescued it from the jaws of a tiger, handing it to Mu Zimo with a proud, look-what-I-did expression.
Looking fondly exasperated, Mu Zimo put down his beer glass and accepted the skewer. He took a few bites—it was actually quite good. At this point, he would eat whatever Qiao An handed him. Though they exchanged few words, their movements were perfectly in sync.
Before long, Xie Shan returned with the fruit salad—a massive bowl filled with every kind of fruit he could find.
"That's so much! Are you trying to feed an entire den of foxes? It'll get indigestion if it eats any more..."
Despite having been fed so much already, the greedy Little Fox pawed at Qiao An, whining for more fruit. But she put on a stern expression and began to lecture, "You can have a taste, one of each. If there's a kind you particularly like, I'll let you have two more pieces. But that's it. If you eat any more, you'll get a terrible stomachache. Remember, there are no doctors to treat you out in the wild."
The Little Fox, seeming to half-understand, nodded and settled down obediently in Qiao An's lap, waiting for Xie Shan to feed it.
Seeing such a well-behaved little creature, Xie Shan felt an overwhelming urge to just snatch it and take it home. His heart melting, he placed a piece of fruit in his palm and offered it to the Little Fox.
The Little Fox rested its front paws on Xie Shan's palm and carefully nibbled the fruit, seeming cautious not to hurt him with its sharp teeth. This quiet, well-mannered display was so captivating that it wasn't just Xie Shan—everyone else also stopped what they were doing to watch intently.
Uncle Sun took a sip of his beer and chuckled as he watched the Little Fox. "They say foxes are smart, and it's absolutely true. It's like it can understand every word. It's much better behaved than that good-for-nothing son of mine."
Despite Uncle Sun's grousing, his son had actually made him proud. He'd started a business in a big city and was reportedly very successful. He was just too busy to come back and visit his old father often, which was the source of all the complaints.
"Foxes are too mischievous, Uncle Sun. They're not for you," Qiao An said. "If you ever really want a pet for company, just let me know. I'll help you find one. Animals have always taken a liking to me. I'm sure I could help you pick the most suitable, well-behaved pet."
'I'm probably the last person from the Beast Taming Clan in this entire galaxy,' she thought. 'There's no one who understands the Beast Clan better than me.'
Amidst the cheerful laughter, the Little Fox was finally full. It still wanted to taste the other fruits, but its little tummy was stuffed.
Qiao An patted the Little Fox's round little belly and resignedly set it on the ground, patiently instructing, "No more eating for you. Hop down and walk it off a bit. Don't go far, just walk in circles around us to help with your digestion."
The Little Fox began to waddle laboriously within the boundaries Qiao An had indicated, and Xie Shan followed along behind its fluffy tail, a dopey grin on his face.
With the man-and-fox duo circling around, Qiao An could finally free up her hands to "clean up the battlefield." Everyone else was more or less full, but quite a few meat skewers remained.
"Hey, boss! Heat these up for me, will you? And make them extra spicy! I'll finish them!"
Hearing this, even Uncle Sun's eyes widened in disbelief. He had to admit, he was completely floored by Qiao An's appetite.
Suddenly, someone else understood Mu Zimo's pain. He felt a sudden sense of validation.
"Don't worry, she can handle it," Mu Zimo said. "For Qiao An, all of this barely qualifies as a single, filling meal."
All this?
Are you sure he just meant *this*?
Ever since they'd entered the night market, they had been buying a snack for Qiao An from practically every stall. Though the cost per person wasn't exorbitant, the grand total for this meal was definitely not cheap.
And then it dawned on them...
No wonder she could never afford to eat until she was full. For her, a "full meal" was incredibly expensive. How could it *not* be, eating this much!
Completely oblivious to the group's collective epiphany, Qiao An held up a skewer and asked, "Is anyone still hungry? If you're all full, we can't let this go to waste. I'm planning to finish it all, if that's okay?"
Everyone nodded stiffly. They were, in fact, completely stuffed. And there was still that huge bowl of fruit salad.
A perfect practitioner of the "Clean Plate" initiative, Qiao An demolished all the food on the table. Then, cradling the large bowl of fruit salad, she ate as she walked with the group back toward the police station. Mu Zimo had said it was getting late and that he had arranged a car to take her home.
The moment they left the bustling night market, the streets became instantly desolate. The Little Fox, who had been trotting alongside them, suddenly lunged at a sewer grate.
Qiao An noticed that a curious little mouse had just poked its head out, only to be terrified by the Little Fox. As it scurried back, she could hear it muttering, "That scared the life outta me! I thought it was just a big fat cat. Never going on lookout duty again. The humans around here are so weird, keeping a fox as a pet..."
After a RUSTLING sound, other rats seemed to arrive.
"Son, we have a whole human stored as rations at home right now. Why are you out looking for scraps? What, you don't like the taste of human flesh?"
Hearing that sentence, Qiao An froze. Her blood ran cold.
'Isn't this... the night market district?'
'Why is there a human down there?!'
'Then...'
'Just now...'
'What I ate...'
'It couldn't be...'
Walking behind her, Mu Zimo noticed Qiao An had stopped. He turned and was met with her instantly pale face. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Did you eat too much? Is your stomach upset?"