After school, he was then offered himself to a succubus

"I love cats. There are many descriptions of cats in my books. They provided me with a lot of detailed support, which has become a highlight of my books."

"My ideal is to become a mature and charming career woman like her, so I won't be used as a bargaining chip by my family to be sold as someone else's fiancée..."

At this point, Xiao Shuyao lowered her head:

"To put it bluntly, I'm nothing more than a commodity for my family to sell to the outside world... and these labels—Kyoto University student, literary prodigy—are just packaging for me, so that I can be sold to politicians and celebrities for a higher price..."

"Sounds a bit like... a Japanese adult film actress, right?" The girl lowered her head even further.

"Zhang Chen, are you listening? I actually made some insinuations about these things in my book. You can take a look..."

Zhang Chen didn't look at the girl's book, but instead watched the black mist above her head, which slowly faded as she ate her steamed bun.

This cloud of black energy was almost as dense as the cloud of black energy above Bai Nuoyan's head, which meant that this little girl wouldn't live more than three years.

Now Zhang Chen was also a little confused: was she a born jinx, or was it a man-made disaster brought upon her by her family?

But now, her lifespan is gradually increasing, even if it's only for a few months, it's better than nothing.

Was it because I ate the steamed bun the old man gave me? No, even if it was a blessing, it shouldn't have such a big effect.

"Zhang Chen, your drinks are really good, can I have some more? I'll pay a high price for them." Xiao Shuyao changed the subject when she saw that Zhang Chen wasn't talking to her.

Looking at the off-white drink in the girl's hand, Zhang Chen suddenly understood. Yan Shou was injured because he drank his...

His face darkened, and he snatched the drink away.

"Huh?"

The girl almost choked. She hadn't swallowed the steamed bun in her cheeks yet, which were still bulging. She looked at him pitifully, like a hamster whose snacks had been stolen.

Where did you find it?

"In the refrigerator... I have one of these refrigerators at home too. It has a hidden compartment, which I usually use to store valuable things... You can let me pick whatever I want."

"..."

The incredibly delicious Tushan Cold Crisp even had some hidden treasures in the refrigerator.

No wonder he would feel inexplicably sleepy after eating at the matchmaking agency for a period of time, and wake up with a sore back.

So it turns out they were used as a buffet by the roasted fox to make craft drinks.

You can't drink this.

"But I've already drunk it all, I'll pay you whatever it costs... I only had two more sips left to finish it."

"You're not thinking of sneaking a sip, are you... because there's my saliva on it." Xiao Shuyao looked at him with a sly smile. "Romance novels always like to write indirect kissing like this..."

I didn't even curse you for drinking my saliva...

"This is rice wine. You're too young to drink it."

"It does taste a little like alcohol, but it's okay. I'm not drunk. Give it to me... This is the first time I've ever been addicted to a beverage. I feel like I'll never be able to drink anything else in my life."

Isn't that obvious? If it weren't addictive, would foxes and cats crave it every day?

"Quit it while you're still not drinking much," Zhang Chen said. "Otherwise, you won't be able to drink it later, and once you experience withdrawal symptoms, you'll behave yourself."

Is it really that exaggerated?

Xiao Shuyao belatedly realized what was happening, but her gaze remained fixed on the contents of Zhang Chen's bottle, a hint of desperation in her voice. She said hesitantly, "..."

"That's all... just drink it, I promise I'll never drink it again, just this once, please give me just one more sip..."

"?"

"Never mind." Zhang Chen examined it carefully and concluded that the fox hadn't used any strong bait; in theory, it should have been completely diluted.

Purely natural and additive-free.

It can only be described as Chunyang Daoren-style rice wine, not Chunyang Daoren rice wine.

Turn a blind eye and grant this girl's wish. It's no big deal for a person who's about to die to drink a final cup of wine before his execution.

"Don't do it again." Zhang Chen returned the drink to her. To be fair, this bottle was alright. It looked like an experimental product. At best, it was like making cola, with some carbonation added but nothing else.

The worst-case scenario...

But then, after Xiao Shuyao finished drinking it in one gulp, she secretly took out another bottle from her small backpack...

Zhang Chen looked at the heavy color, his face turning ashen; this was the worst-case scenario.

Tu Shan Han Su is quite thrifty; she knows to categorize drinks into different levels, with some being strong-flavored and others mild.

"Why do you still have one bottle?"

"I just grabbed two bottles..."

"You absolutely cannot drink this. You'll die if you do." Zhang Chen snatched the small drink from Xiao Shuyao without allowing any argument.

"I'll just have some iced tea."

"..." Xiao Shuyao swallowed, savoring the taste in her mouth, and could only sigh as she looked at the drink in Zhang Chen's hand.

"Zhang Chen, since you like money so much, why don't you sell me the secret recipe for this drink? You can definitely get a lot of money from it."

“A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way,” Zhang Chen retorted.

Xiao Shuyao wiped her lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Zhang Chen's words.

This boy was indeed the most "gentlemanly" person she had ever met.

"Zhang Chen, do you want Li Yinuo to win the award? What will you do to me then...?"

"Of course I hope she wins the award, but since you say there's something fishy going on, it's fine if she doesn't win it. I won't do anything to you."

Xiao Shuyao muttered, "It's not that simple. This award has a huge media exposure. I heard that Li Yinuo has already spent all her royalties from the past years on publicity..."

"Good wine needs no bush," Zhang Chen said.

Xiao Shuyao fell silent. She knew she wasn't as smart as Zhang Chen... so she could only follow behind him like a little chick.

She felt very safe because she imagined that Zhang Chen was actually an old hen.

She fantasized that she was actually Tao Yuanming, and now she had come to Peach Blossom Spring with Zhang Chen. In Peach Blossom Spring, there was no decadent extravagance, no heartless family, only cute little animals: kittens, mice that could carry bricks, fish that could blow bubbles, and delicious rice wine with photinia flower flavor...

For some reason, after only meeting for a day, she actually went home with a strange man, giving one excuse after another...

Is it because she finally managed to shake off the people her family sent to keep an eye on her? Does she want to let loose completely?

Will she ever have the chance to become someone like Miss Bai in her lifetime? What happens after she wins this newcomer literary award?

Win two or three more awards, then get sold.

"Living must be tiring, right?" Zhang Chen suddenly asked as he stepped into the elevator.

Xiao Shuyao paused for a moment upon hearing this, then bent her arms and hugged her petite self, giving a barely perceptible "hmm".

However, Zhang Chen's concern did not arrive as the girl had hoped. He remained silent, waiting for the elevator to rise to the eighteenth floor.

"I'll introduce you to someone," he said.

"Who?" Xiao Shuyao followed him out of the elevator.

“Not really a person,” Zhang Chen said again, turning the key to open the door of the rented room.

The voice arrives before the person is seen.

"Back so early?" Bai Nuoyan still had his underwear in her mouth; she hadn't eaten it for several days, and her craving was kicking in.

"Miss Bai?!" Xiao Shuyao, who was hiding behind Zhang Chen, saw Bai Nuoyan at first glance and exclaimed excitedly.

Bai Nuoyan was taken aback. She quickly put her pants on, threw the underwear out of her mouth, and poked her cat head out in confusion.

"Qingyao?" she asked, taken aback.

"No, no, you've called me by the wrong name again. My name is Shuyao, Xiao Shuyao~" the girl in the cheongsam said happily, "What are you doing here?"

Bai Nuoyan was embarrassed and looked at Zhang Chen.

"It's yours now," Zhang Chen said. "She seems to be a fan of yours. I found her on the street and brought her here."

"Tsk." Bai Nuoyan gave him the middle finger. "You didn't even tell me beforehand? I wasn't even wearing pants!"

"I'll come back and deal with you after I find out what happened." The silver-haired girl pinched him, then pulled Xiao Shuyao to her own room.

At the same time, he didn't forget to steal the drink from Zhang Chen's hand.

"Are you crazy? Turning this thing into a beverage?"

"...I didn't do it." Zhang Chen said, embarrassed.

Then, seeing that Maomao and Xiao Shuyao had hidden in the room opposite, he understood.

There must be some past life connection, otherwise Bai Nuoyan wouldn't have come into contact with humans for no reason.

Unless, in her past life, Xiao Shuyao knew Shao Mao, or perhaps she knew him as well.

They seemed to have a good relationship.

Bai Nuoyan usually keeps to herself and spends her time playing with and chewing on cat toys. She lacks companionship, so it's a good opportunity to have Xiao Xiaomei keep her company.

Surely some pollen will be released now?

...

"Cough cough... Is this so thick that you're trying to choke someone to death?" Bai Nuoyan took a big gulp of the drink, and her cheeks turned red at a visible speed.

"Huh? Is this rice wine very strong?" Xiao Shuyao asked.

"Alcohol? This isn't... well, it's definitely very strong." Bai Nuoyan continued to chug the wine, feeling more energetic the more she drank.

"It tastes awful too." Bai Nuoyan stuck out her tongue in front of the mirror, the rice wine lees and rice milk residue covering her little pink tongue.

Endless aftertaste.

Looking at Bai Nuoyan's expression, Xiao Shuyao didn't think it tasted bad. She was already drooling from the smell and was just waiting for Miss Bai to offer her some.

But even after he finished drinking it, he didn't share any with her.

She didn't know what to say, but she vaguely felt that Bai Nuoyan was acting strangely.

"Although, it tastes a little sweet at the end." Bai Nuoyan smacked her lips. "Alright, what did you come to see me for?"

"I..." Xiao Shuyao wanted to tell everyone what she had seen today, but then she suddenly realized...

Why is Miss Bai dressed so scantily? And why is she in a man's room?