For someone who had to bend down just to kiss her, every step Chai Xiaomi took while supporting Wu Li was exhausting.
But this guy wouldn't behave. He twisted his body, shoving his face toward her, blocking her path while staring straight at her: "MiMi, did you hear what I said? Jiang Zhiyu cursed me."
"He cursed you, then curse him back."
"You curse him for me."
"With that silver tongue of yours, you need me?"
"I need you." He leaned in another inch, "I want only you."
The drunken boy was like a petulant child. Knowing she couldn't see the road, he insisted on nuzzling her face, pressing his forehead against hers, refusing to move.
She freed a hand and pinched his waist. "Stop blocking my way!"
He winced, a low, husky "Mmh..." escaping his throat.
It was a short, brief sound, yet it flushed her cheeks uncontrollably.
Chai Xiaomi stumbled, nearly sending them both crashing to the ground.
She suspected he was deliberately seducing her, but she had no proof.
As she glanced up in the breaks between watching her steps, she saw the young man's long lashes slightly lowered, brows like distant mountains painted in black, lips a cool pink. The alcohol lent his eyes a seductive redness.
Candlelight flickered into scattered glimmers in his eyes. His drunken demeanor radiated an irresistible allure.
Her expression stirred. "I think Jiang Zhiyu was right."
This was truly what you'd call ravishing beauty—an ultimate demon charmer.
Her words clearly struck a nerve. Just as she was about to guide him to an armchair, he suddenly veered sideways. Chai Xiaomi's heart nearly leaped out of her chest, thinking he'd crash into a table corner, but he pulled her smoothly into his embrace.
Wu Li leaned against the table's edge, shielding her in the crook of his arm. With a sweep of his red sleeve, he knocked a few papers off the desk.
"Made you defend him." He curled his lips, grinning mischievously. "Scared?"
Ah, his mischievous nature was back.
Chai Xiaomi glared at him, puffing out her cheeks to curse, but then she had another thought. This guy responded better to softness than hardness.
So she grabbed his collar, pulled him down, blinked her watery eyes, pouted slightly, and called softly, "Husband."
Her voice was sweet enough to suffocate.
The tips of his ears turned bright red in an instant. His fingers gripping the table's edge tightened sharply.
His breathing grew heavier.
But she continued, "You said yourself that my courage is only as big as a grain of rice. Scare it away, and it's gone—are you willing to lose it?"
Her makeup looked especially beautiful today. Her big red wedding dress made her small face glow with a rosy, vibrant beauty, like a soft, sticky pastry, tempting enough to take a bite.
He suddenly felt his throat go dry. Staring at her, he forgot to answer.
"I'm asking you!" She stood on tiptoe, leaning in closer, her charming face full of pride. "Are you willing?"
She was confident, knowing full well he wasn't willing.
That's why she could act spoiled with such justified boldness.
Wu Li looked down at her, parted his lips slightly, and answered in a low voice—but what he spoke was in Miao language.
Chai Xiaomi was stunned. "What does that mean? Bullying me because I don't understand Miao language?"
"Yeah, bullying you." He curved the corner of his mouth, drunkenly burying his face into her shoulder, refusing to lift his head. "I only want to bully you."
But Chai Xiaomi already heard Youtiao's translation in her mind—
"He said: In this life, only you—I can't bear to lose."
Youtiao, disgusted by the cheesiness, curled up like a twisted doughnut. It repeated in an oily, teasing tone: "Ai yoo weh~~~ In this life, only you~~~ can't bear to lose~~~~"
Chai Xiaomi put on a poker face. "Doujiang, calling Doujiang!"
Youtiao instantly turned serious, clearing its throat lightly. "But host, the subtext of that sentence is that he can bear to lose everyone else, meaning others' lives don't matter. The villain's way of thinking is still a bit dangerous, huh."
"Based on the current situation, if anything happens to you, he will definitely turn dark. So host, you must make sure to protect your own life. Just take the plot to the final chapter, and our mission will be successfully completed!"
Chai Xiaomi suddenly froze.
Yes, she had almost forgotten.
Completing the mission meant she could return smoothly to her original world.
The farthest endpoint they could reach together was simply the words "End of Story."
Even her earlier worries about dying first had become a joke.
Chai Xiaomi's eyes dimmed slightly. "And, afterward?"
Youtiao: "Afterward? That's just the extras, right? The extras for this novel haven't been released yet, just the usual happy daily routines of Jiang Zhiyu and Song Yueyao living together sweetly after the happy ending."
Chai Xiaomi: "I meant Wu Li's afterward."
Youtiao: "The villain didn't even die—that’s already luckier than burning incense. How could he possibly appear in the extras?"
Chai Xiaomi was left speechless.
As she stood in a daze, Wu Li suddenly lifted his face, drunk, as if remembering something. Muttering to himself, he said: "One face up, one face down—great luck and prosperity…"
He reached into his collar, pulled out a small notebook filled with dense handwriting, and held it like a treasure. Flipping through a few pages, he narrowed his eyes and peered close.
Then he looked toward the bed, his expression becoming extremely serious: "MiMi, there's one more super, super, super important thing we haven't done yet."
"Ah? What is it?" Chai Xiaomi suddenly blushed, her fingers already secretly grabbing the corner of his wedding robe.
Rather than worry about the future, it was better to cherish the present.
She was about to close her eyes when she saw two wine cups floating unsteadily up to her face.
Chai Xiaomi: "?"
Wu Li said earnestly: "First, we perform the nuptial cup ceremony, then toss the wine cups. The melon-selling lady said this is very important."
After finishing, he looked at her expectantly, as if waiting for praise.
Chai Xiaomi: "..."
She looked down at the wine cup in her hand, then up at the puppy-like groom with sparkling eyes waiting for her to complete this "important ritual" together.
She suddenly laughed.
When Hongxiao came to the window, this is what she saw—
Beneath the bed, the splendidly dressed bride and groom were lying on the floor in an extremely ungraceful pose.
Chai Xiaomi had her butt in the air, her head nearly wedged under the bed, one hand pushing the person beside her: "Just throw it! You're usually so quick, when did you become so slow?"
Wu Li was lying flat on the floor, clutching a pair of wine cups tied with red string, his expression grave: "What if both cups end up face up, or both face down?"
"If it's fate's will, so be it, right?"
"No way." The young man hugged the cups tighter to his chest, his seriousness nearly stubborn, "Only one face up and one face down is a good omen, signifying harmony between husband and wife and having children soon."
Chai Xiaomipinched his face: "Are you going to throw them or not?"
"Let me prepare a bit longer, shoot for a perfect result."
"You've been preparing since we finished the nuptial cup—half an incense stick's time already!"
"But what if..."
"No what ifs! Throw!"
"MiMi, you're being mean to me..."
He looked up at her. His eyes seemed to be veiled in a thin mist, his expression holding three parts wronged, two parts pouty, and the remaining five parts—utter pitifulness.
Chai Xiaomi was at a loss for what to do.
Drunk, this guy turned into Wu Daiyu. Where was even a trace of his usual cool demeanor?
She had no choice but to pat his head, kissed him on the cheek, and coaxed softly, “Alright, alright, I won’t be harsh. Now go on, throw it.”
Hongxiao’s eyes went wide.
Wh-what...? Was this really the same cold-faced, terrifying hellish demon!?
The little fox was so startled that its paw slipped, and its entire body rolled like a furry ball into the room.
The sudden commotion made the already high-strung boy loosen his grip. The wine glass slipped from his hand, rolling with a clatter under the bed.
Six eyes immediately gathered around.
One tilt.
One lift.
Chai Xiaomi was overjoyed and turned around to look at her helper.
When she saw who it was, her face lit up with delight: “Hongxiao!”
“I thought you weren’t coming!”
She picked the fox up, buried her face in its soft fur, and nuzzled it affectionately.
In truth, she understood if Hongxiao didn’t come. After all, she could no longer return to Huanyin Pavilion in human form, nor did she want to appear before Xiaoman and Xiangyun as a little fox.
The little fox poked its tiny head out from the warm embrace and was about to speak when it suddenly felt a cold, piercing gaze from somewhere nearby.
It shuddered and hurriedly cut to the chase: “Xiaomi, I came to say goodbye.”
“I heard Xiangyun has regained her freedom and is leaving Huanyin Pavilion with Xiaoman.”
“As long as they live happily and safely, my one and only wish has been fulfilled. There’s no need for me to stay here.”
Chai Xiaomi froze: “You’re leaving Qianwu Town?”
The little fox nodded, a lightness in its eyes like a weight had lifted: “Yes, this little fox is going home!”
“My homeland is called Tushan, where my friends and family are. Back then, I was willful, insisting on seeing the human world. Now, I’ve seen both the good and the bad, and it’s time to go home.”
Its gaze was intense, as if it wanted to carve the image of the girl before it into its memory.
“Xiaomi, I’m truly glad I met you.”
“Going home...” Chai Xiaomi murmured, a shimmer of moisture in her eyes.
“That’s good.”
“Going home is good.”
It was a happy thing.
But why couldn’t she smile?
As her eyelids drooped slightly, a flicker of melancholy passed through the depths of her eyes, unnoticed by most—but instantly captured by those deep, unearthly eyes.
