Xie Shan was begging Qiao An to let him look after the Little Fox for a few days, but she refused without a second thought.
The Little Fox was so well-behaved and sensible around her because she could understand Beast Language, allowing them to communicate without any barriers. Plus, she knew the key to taming beasts: a mix of kindness and intimidation.
There were plenty of wild animals that were difficult to tame, and if one didn't want to bond with humans, she never forced it. Take Ao Bai, for instance. They had always kept their distance. One would "rob" her, and the other would provide the food. She didn't meddle, and Ao Bai had no desire to be adopted.
The Little Fox was a wild animal, after all. It had grown up in an environment where the strong preyed on the weak. It submitted to Qiao An because it had personally witnessed her take down that villain. It liked her, but it also feared her, which was the reason for its obedient and sensible behavior.
If left with Xie Shan, who only knew how to spoil it, there was no telling how much trouble the Little Fox would stir up.
Just then, a butler in a crisp suit approached and asked politely, "Young Master, how may I be of service?"
Seeing the slouching Xie Shan beside this older man who, despite his age, stood ramrod straight, Qiao An bowed politely in greeting.
"Hello, sir. I'm a friend of Xie Shan's. My name is Qiao An."
Having been a butler for many years, Uncle Ren had seen his fair share of wealthy young masters and high-society young ladies come and go. It was rare to encounter a girl so simple and guileless. Looking at her thin frame, he thought that if he didn't know better, he'd assume she was deliberately dieting.
"A pleasure, Miss Qiao. I am the young master's butler. You can just call me Uncle Ren."
Butler?
Qiao An had only ever heard such an unfamiliar word in TV dramas. Her face lit up with surprise as she looked at Xie Shan again.
"Wow, your family even has a butler..." Qiao An thought for a moment, then whispered, "Do you have a Nanny Wang? Are you one of those legendary, overbearing CEOs who's always getting stomachaches, calling a private doctor for a house call, and has to grovel to win back the girl he wronged?"
Xie Shan choked on a mouthful of iced coffee, nearly passing out.
"Sister Qiao, I'm a cop, not some domineering CEO! We live in a society with laws; I can't just stop a plane whenever I want. Nor do I have the authority to harvest the female lead's organs and transplant them into my 'one true love.' Besides, transplants require a match! Unless you're a close relative, the success rate is extremely low. And another thing..."
He threw open his thick cashmere coat, revealing the police uniform he still wore underneath.
"I'm a public servant. I can't knowingly break the law. You need to watch fewer of those brain-dead idol dramas!"
Qiao An pouted as Xie Shan lightly tapped her on the forehead.
"So, do you have a Nanny Wang or not?"
Uncle Ren, who had been struggling to stifle his laughter, finally couldn't hold it in any longer. He turned away and began to chuckle under his breath.
There was nothing to be done about it; the Xie family actually *did* have a Nanny Wang. She was the nanny who had watched Xie Shan grow up, and she held such a high status in the household that she was the sort of formidable character who could talk back to anyone.
Baffled by the laughter, Qiao An was pulled away by Xie Shan. After handing the shared bike over to Uncle Ren to deal with, Xie Shan led her to a lavishly decorated buffet restaurant.
Watching everyone dressed in light clothing, elegantly holding their plates and occasionally pausing before a dish to comment on it, Qiao An felt like Granny Liu stepping into the Grand View Garden for the first time. She was curious about everything but dared not make a single wrong move.
Qiao An only relaxed her tense body after Xie Shan swiped his membership card and led her to a secluded table.
"Brother Xie, you're really loaded. It must be super expensive to eat here, right?"
The buffet had a four-figure price tag, but Xie Shan didn't dare tell Qiao An, afraid it would affect her performance.
"Don't worry, just eat. It's a buffet, so we have to at least eat our money's worth. We'll be teaching the owners a lesson!"
With that assurance, Qiao An started shedding her heavy padded jacket, followed by a fleece hoodie, until she was down to the Dralon base-layer shirt she usually wore.
Seeing an even skinnier figure emerge from beneath all those layers, Xie Shan was on the verge of tears. 'Does this kid ever get a full meal?!'
Rolling up her sleeves, Qiao An grabbed a plate and began her raid. All sorts of meat dishes were gradually piled into a mountain on their table. This magnificent feat didn't just draw sideways glances from other customers; even the floor manager was alarmed. He tailed Qiao An from a distance, wanting to say something, but feeling it wasn't his place.
It wasn't until Qiao An returned to Xie Shan's side that the manager finally noticed the familiar, high-profile figure.
The entire building was owned by the Xie family. Forget bringing someone for an all-you-can-eat feast—he could afford to smash the whole restaurant to bits and pay for it.
"Sister Qiao, why are you bringing all that back? Just get what you want to eat. You don't have to grab anything for me..."
Grunting with effort, Qiao An hauled back a platter of seafood and shot a confused look at Xie Shan, who was lounging on the sofa.
"This is just for me. I didn't get your share. If you like something, just let me know, and I'll get it for you. You're the one treating, after all. The least I can do is carry the plates."
...
A profound silence fell.
Xie Shan wasn't the only one left speechless; so was the floor manager hiding nearby.
'Young lady, that's a whole table full of food. Are you sure you can finish all that?'
Once Qiao An sat down again, fork in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, she began to eat at an ever-increasing speed. She devoured the food frantically, as if she didn't even need to chew. The mountain of meat, piled high on the table, vanished bit by bit. Her movements were so fast they were a blur, leaving behind little more than an afterimage.
Having witnessed Qiao An eat like this several times before, Xie Shan was still stunned. He instantly retracted the pang of pity he'd felt earlier. 'This girl isn't frail,' he thought. 'She's just a bottomless pit!'
Xie Shan's own plate had started with just a small steak and half a lobster. But watching Qiao An inhale her food, he couldn't help but feel inspired. He went back and got a serving of seafood wontons, which he began to eat at a leisurely pace.
In the middle of her feast, Qiao An couldn't help but worry about Xie Shan. "You're eating so little," she said. "How are we supposed to get our money's worth? We'll be losing money! Go get some more meat. The beef here is really tender. Eat up!"
The pricey Wagyu beef was just "tender beef" to Qiao An. Xie Shan let out a soft laugh.
"Alright, I'll eat more. We're counting on you today. Go for it!"
Qiao An shot Xie Shan a look one might give a complete idiot, mentally slapping a label on him: 'More money than sense!'
Head down and focused on eating, Qiao An had no idea that in the kitchen, the floor manager was frantically rushing his staff. "Hurry up! Bring everything out! Where are the chefs? Call two more in for overtime! The buffet line is empty! Get the food out, now! We absolutely cannot let our guest go hungry!"
Qiao An's constitution was constantly being optimized and transformed. After several genetic awakenings, she was vastly different from an ordinary person.
She could awaken her bloodline's potential, allowing her to transform into various members of the Beast Clan and gain immense power. However, this placed a huge strain on her body. She needed massive amounts of food to fuel the transformation, and this food would be integrated into her very flesh and blood, becoming her energy.
The food she ate seemed to vanish at an incredible rate, dispersing to hide throughout her body, waiting to be called upon the next time Qiao An unleashed the power of her bloodline.