Raising a Fox Spirit in My Home

It’s Algebra!

The Lamborghini was not designed with ergonomics in mind . Trying to fit six people into it was a test of willpower and patience . Even with its roof lowered, Feng Na, Cheng Cheng, Zhou Qin had to crawl and squeeze themselves into the tiny convertible’s back seat .

"Su Chan and I could’ve taken a cab, you know..." Li Yundong told President Cao after she had pulled away from the curb .

President Cao snorted . "No point taking a cab when my car has enough room for everyone . "

Li Yundong turned his head towards the backseat . Yeah? I wouldn’t call that enough room . Despite their slim figures, Feng Na, Cheng Cheng, and Zhou Qin looked anything but comfortable in the backseat .

"Stupid FcupCC," Feng Na mumbled . "Why didn’t you grow smaller boobs?"

Cheng Cheng snorted . "You’re just saying that because you’re a flat-chested—oof!"

Cheng Cheng stopped talking when Feng Na’s elbow connected with her ribs .

Li Yundong chuckled and turned around to face the front . Su Chan sat between his legs, poking around the Lamborghini’s fancy center console .

"President Cao, I think you should drop us off at the campus so that I can retrieve my car . " Zhou Qin’s strained voice sounded from the backseat . "No offense, but it really doesn’t feel comfortable sitting like this . "

"Why don’t we just pick a place near the campus to have lunch?" Feng Na suggested .

Li Yundong laughed . "We might as well just eat at the campus cafeteria!"

President Cao did a cheer, clapping her hands together . "Nice! That’s a great idea! It’s been so long since I’ve tried the food there! I kinda miss—"

"Whoa! Watch out!"

"Hey! Watch where you’re going!"

"Ahhh!"

A chorus of screams sounded .

President Cao quickly gripped the steering wheel and steered the Lamborghini to the correct lane . "Whoops! Sorry . I haven’t been back to the university after I graduated . Guess I got a little excited . "

"I bet you’re just saying that because it’s cheaper to eat at the cafeteria," Li Yundong teased . "Didn’t know you’re this cheap, boss . "

President Cao shot Li Yundong a glare . "Cheap? Seriously? Do you know how much money and effort I’ve expended to clean up the mess you made at Shengyuan Hotel?"

Li Yundong’s face fell . Uh-oh...

"Ahem . . . Well... Surely, a woman of unparalleled beauty and status such as yourself wouldn’t hold it against a humble citizen like me . . . "

President Cao snorted, then rolled her eyes . "Humble citizen . Right . "

Li Yundong gave her a strange look . "What?"

President Cao chuckled . "If you are just a humble citizen, then everyone else are all just lowly peasants . "

"How about a troublemaker?" Zhou Qin added from the backseat . "You have no idea how much trouble Li Yundong can cause in literally just days . "

Li Yundong laughed, then wrapped his arms around Su Chan . "Hey, princess . Looks like these women are all ganging up on me . Won’t you step out and defend me, my dear?"

Su Chan sat up straighter inside Li Yundong’s embrace . She turned around and gave everyone a menacing look . At least as menacing as it could be when those chipmunk pouches of hers were on full display—her cheeks were puffed out .

Su Chan swung her tiny fist . "None of you are allowed to bully Yundong! I’m the only one who can bully him!" More fist swinging ensued .

Everyone in the car was stunned into silence .

Moments later, laughter filled the Lamborghini’s interior .

Li Yundong began pinching Su Chan’s cheeks .

"Wuaad?? Yeeww asshhk mee dooo diifffainn you . . . "

And she did . In her cute, chipmunk sort of way . And he wouldn’t have it any other way .

***

The cafeteria was almost full by the time the group arrived . Students sat around the tables with their heads half-buried in books while they ate .

"Wait, didn’t you guys have exams to sit for today?" Li Yundong asked once they found an empty table .

"We left the exam hall early so that we could go look for you," Cheng Cheng answered .

Li Yundong smile wryly . "I wish I could sit for the exams like you guys . . . "

Anything was better than being hunted by a crazy girl with flying damasks and brawling with a jacked up psycho .

Zhou Qin shook her head and let out a sound of disapproval . "How insensitive of you to say that, Li Yundong . All of us have to study hard to earn our semester credits, but look at you . You skipped over ten lectures, and now you’re getting all your credits without even trying . " Zhou Qin sighed . "How unfair . "

Li Yundong laughed . "Well, in that case, allow me to make up for my insensitive remark by sharing with you guys a personal motto of mine . Call it a pearl of wisdom if you like . "

Feng Na chuckled . "Ooh! This is interesting . What pearl of wisdom? Do tell! Do tell!"

Li Yundong sat up straighter and closed his eyes . "Ahem! Ahem! Okay . The pearl of wisdom is . . . " Li Yundong paused for a dramatic effect . "Studying will lead to failure!"

When Li Yundong opened his eyes, everyone except Su Chan was looking at him as though he’d grown ten heads .

Silence permeated their table .

Then, Cheng Cheng burst into giggles . "Oh, come on! That’s bullshit!"

Li Yundong gave her an affronted look, then studied each person at the table . Feng Na, Zhou Qin, and President Cao still had skeptical looks on their faces . And finally, when he turned to Su Chan for support, his princess looked adorably puzzled .

Suddenly, Li Yundong chuckled . "You girls clearly don’t believe me . " He nodded a few times . "But don’t worry . I can prove it . "

Feng Na raised a brow . "Uh-huh . . . "

Li Yundong laughed . "I really can . "

Feng Na smirked . "Yeah? How?"

Li Yundong leaned back confidently . "With mathematics . "

"With mathematics?" President Cao said, putting down her teacup . "Okay . Now I have to listen to this . I have a feeling this is gonna be interesting . " She gestured at Li Yundong . "Well? Go ahead then . Show us the proof of this statement of yours . "

Li Yundong nodded smugly . "Why, you see, my friends . It is merely a matter of simple algebra . "

***

Su Chan hadn’t a single clue what this elliegeebra thingy was, but when Yundong asked her for his notebook and pen, she took them out from his backpack obediently .

Yundong placed the notebook at the center of their table, then flipped through a few pages of her doodles—oopsie—until he reached a blank page .

"So!" Yundong said, clicking the pen . "Let’s begin!"

Everyone leaned forward to look at page .

Yundong wrote down a simple line: Studying = No Failure .

Yundong stopped writing and glanced around the table . "Everyone agrees with this?"

Su Chan looked around the table and saw everyone nodding . Su Chan looked down at the page again . To be fair, the rule wouldn’t apply in the world of Cultivation . It would take so much more than just studying to succeed in any endeavors in Cultivation . Then again, she supposed the rule sounded quite reasonable when applied to exams . But still, where was he going with this?

Yundong wrote down another line: No Studying = Failure .

Yundong looked around the table again . "Agree?"

Once again, everyone else at the table gave nods . Hmm, that seemed pretty reasonable too . Su Chan scratched her head .

Yundong smirked . "Therefore . . . "

Studying + No Studying = Failure + No Failure .

"And . . . " Yundong said .

Studying (1 + No) = Failure (1 + No)

"Which means . . . "

Studying = Failure (Q . E . D)!!!

Yundong dropped the pen onto the table .

"And there you have it! The mathematical proof of this time-tested principle of life!"

Silence spread across their entire table .

Su Chan stared at the page . She had never felt so confused in her life .

Zhou Qin was the first one to react: by bursting into giggles .

Seconds later, Feng Na and Cheng Cheng threw their heads back in laughter . Even the older lady, President Cao, was chuckling into her hand .

So this nonsensical thing was elliegeebra? B- But Su Chan didn’t understand a single thing! Su Chan glanced at the page, then at the other women, who were pretty much laughing their heads off . Worse, Yundong was laughing together with them! Hmph! Meanies!

Gaaahhh! Master... why didn’t you teach Chan’er elliegeebra back in the mountains...? Now I feel like a total idiot...

At one point, someone started slapping the table . Su Chan looked up and saw Feng Na pressing her forehead against the table’s surface . "This is complete nonsense," Feng Na got out between laughter . "I can’t believe you spout all that crap with a straight face! Dear God . . . "

Su Chan had had enough . She tugged Yundong’s sleeve . "What’s so funny?"

Yundong stopped laughing and stared at her . "What? You didn’t get it?"

Meanie, meanie! Stop rubbing it in! Grr . . . Su Chan puffed out her cheeks, then shook her head .

"Alright, alright, enough already..." President Cao said . "We should get some food first . You guys go ahead . I’ll wait here . "

Finally some food! Su Chan leaped to her feet, then pulled Yundong up .

"Whoa, slow down, princess," Yundong said .

"I’m hungry!" Su Chan said, then began marching towards the queue .

Ten minutes later, everyone was back at the table, which was now filled with trays and plates . Su Chan had merely taken several bites when she noticed something strange: instead of digging into their food, everyone was staring at her . Correction: staring at her tray .

Su Chan blushed and looked at Yundong sheepishly . "B- But . . . Y- You said I could un . . . unleash m- my . . . appetite . . . "

Yundong laughed, then gave President Cao a look . "Now do you believe me?"

President Cao nodded without taking her eyes off Su Chan’s tray . The poor woman looked like she was about to pass out . Should Su Chan give the woman another massage? She sure looked like she needed one .

Su Chan glanced down and took stock of everything she had piled onto her tray: six medium-sized bowls of rice; three apples; two bowls of those tubular noodles (mah-roh-nee? ma-cah-roh-nee something, something); a plate of roasted chicken; a bowl of beef stew; a plate of mixed veges; two small bowls of soup; one of those bread dishes with patty in between (the ones at Mac Doo Nurls tasted nicer) .

Su Chan blushed, then sneaked a glance at Yundong . Well, at least he didn’t look angry . She suspected that Yundong had already figured out by now why she had such a huge appetite . He’d probably put two and two together ever since he found out that she was a fox spirit .

Yundong patted Su Chan’s head and gave her a smile that nearly melted her heart . "Eat up, princess . " Then, he leaned in and whispered into her ear . "I know you haven’t eaten in two days . You’ve probably been busy watching over me when I was trying to pass the Zhuji phase . And . . . " Yundong’s hand slid into hers under the table . "You passed out several times, right?"

Su Chan nodded . "Mmm!"

When she passed out the first time, she really thought it’d be all over for the both of them . But for some strange reason, she woke up a while later feeling much better . It was as if her Qi had been restored . She still hadn’t figured out how that happened .

A woman cleared her throat behind her .

Su Chan turned around and saw two girls standing beside their table . Hey . . . I know these two . . .

The two girls wore dresses of the exact same style and had identical faces . The only way to tell them apart was from the headbands they were wearing—one of them wore a red headband while the other wore a blue one .

"Deng Yu? Deng Jiao?" Yundong said . "Hey, what’s up? Long time no see!"