Chapter 159: At Home

Passing through the gate and returning home, No. 66 Wutong Road still looked exactly as familiar—everything was cheap, but all worked well; the decor was old, yet spacious, the house warm, lights bright, windows clear, and that old TV still hadn't crashed—Aileen sat on the table, utterly absorbed in a mindless variety show, while another Aileen dashed into the living room the moment she entered, scrambled onto the coffee table, grabbed the remote, turned on another TV, and started watching her urban drama.

To be honest, this little doll was kind of impressive—she watched those idiotic shows that made Yu Sheng feel his brain tremble just by glancing at them, yet she could split herself to watch two at once and still stay sane… no wonder her mind was bad.

Hu Li went to the kitchen, washed her hands obediently, then returned dragging half a sausage, strolling lazily into the living room, pulled out the old phone Yu Sheng had given her, and continued figuring out how to use it.

Yu Sheng changed his clothes; the noise of the entertainment show drifted into his ears, along with Aileen's complaints about the stupid plotlines and her giggles, occasionally punctuated by Hu Li's grumbling about the doll's noise. Looking at the scene in the living room, he felt a surreal sense of unreality.

He had lived in this big house for two or three months, and during most of that time, all he thought about was when he could leave this place and return to the real home of his memories—but now, at this very moment, these few minutes, he somehow felt… he was already home.

This place was familiar, and it brought him peace.

Aileen jumped from the coffee table to the sofa, searching for a comfortable position among the cushions, then suddenly raised her arm, turned her head, and complained to Hu Li: "When is your shedding going to end? There's fur from your tail all over the sofa—I've got it in my joints."

"There's nothing I can do—we fox spirits are like this," Hu Li replied, fiddling with her phone, munching on the sausage, and still finding time to answer the doll's complaint. "It'll get better in two months…"

Aileen pulled fur out of her spherical joints as she looked up, puzzled: "So in two months you won't shed anymore?"

"You should just get used to it."

Aileen immediately jumped up, whirling around and shouting: "... Yu Sheng, can't you do something about this stupid fox?!"

Hearing the doll's furious complaint, Yu Sheng couldn't help smiling. He suddenly felt this kind of life wasn't bad at all, then walked over, sat down between the doll and the fox, enjoying this moment of peace—and temporarily separating the two.

Hu Li happily shuffled over on the sofa, draping one tail across Yu Sheng's legs: "Master, here's my tail for you!"

Then Yu Sheng suddenly heard a crackling burst of static—his arms and legs felt as if pricked all over by needles—

Static sparks in winter were blooming flowers; their message: it's time to turn on the humidifier.

Yu Sheng was stunned. He'd finally gotten used to the idea that the fox spirit shed fur, but today, with the dry weather, he realized she didn't just shed—she generated static electricity in winter. No story ever written about foxes mentioned this!

Hu Li showed no reaction; her other tails still rubbed against the sofa, occasionally sparking with a crackle, blue light flickering like a Lei Xiu.

Yu Sheng shuddered from the shock, reached out, and pressed against the fox girl's tail, his tone weary with surprise: "Your tail… generates static electricity?"

"Yeah," Hu Li nodded. "It's beautiful when you turn off the lights—rub hard and it crackles for minutes!"

Yu Sheng stared in amazement, then hesitated: "I don't mind your shedding in winter, but don't fox spirits have any spells to eliminate static electricity?"

"We do."

"Then why don't you—"

"I haven't learned it."

Yu Sheng didn't know how to respond. He began cautiously stroking Hu Li's tail (occasionally still getting zapped, but the texture was truly nice), while mentally considering various plausible or implausible ideas: buying several large humidifiers, getting Hu Li grounded slippers, using a damp comb on her tail. Slowly, drowsiness crept up.

He'd woken up too early today, and lately there'd been too much going on—he'd never slept well. Now that this wave of relaxation hit, sleep became unstoppable.

His eyelids drooped; he sighed softly, relaxed. And vaguely, fragments of his conversation with Bai Li Qing echoed in his mind—about Hu Li's origins, and the unknown beyond this world.

"Hu Li," Yu Sheng spoke suddenly, voice still drowsy, "are you happy living here?"

Hu Li froze, looked up at Yu Sheng, who seemed half-asleep, thought for a moment, then finally wore a pure smile: "I am."

"Oh, that's good—just be happy," Yu Sheng yawned, adjusted his position on the sofa, and lay down. "I'm sleepy. I'll nap a bit. I'll cook for you when I wake up."

Hu Li said "Oh," and when she looked down again, Yu Sheng was already asleep, his head resting on one of her tails.

The TV volume dropped instantly to the minimum.

Aileen crept over, leaned in to peek at the sleeping Yu Sheng, muttered: "Why didn't he just ask me too…" Hu Li thought for a moment, then said seriously: "Probably because you always look happy—he figures he doesn't need to ask."

Aileen immediately bared her teeth at Hu Li, then glanced at Yu Sheng: "Fine. He's had a rough couple of days. Humans are troublesome creatures—stress keeps them awake, and sleeplessness increases stress—he's eating and sleeping fine, which is better than insomnia."

Hu Li nodded, then looked up at the clock on the opposite wall. For some reason, a spark of eagerness appeared on her face: "Hey, it's almost time to cook."

Aileen froze, eyes wide: "You only think about food! He just fell asleep! Didn't we say we'd wait until he wakes up—"

"I know," Hu Li waved her hand, interrupting the doll. "That's why I'm saying… why don't we cook now? He cooks every day—it's tiring. Let's not make him cook today…"

"I think his main problem is you," Aileen rolled her eyes. "And you say that like you can even cook."

Hu Li immediately puffed out her chest with confidence: "I've watched every day—I've learned!"

"You've just been stealing food. When did you ever learn?" Aileen eyed her skeptically, though her gaze was already wavering. After pretending to be serious for a few seconds, she edged closer: "Well… maybe it's not impossible. Even though you're unreliable, I've got the blessing of the Ancestor of Dolls—Alice's House dolls come with built-in cooking bonuses. I'll cover for you."

"Great!" Hu Li beamed, ready to leap up—then remembered one tail was still under Yu Sheng's head. She pulled it free, then thought for a moment, plucked off two more tails, and laid them over him like a blanket.

A crackling burst came from beneath the fluffy tails—Yu Sheng shuddered twice—but didn't wake.

!.

Aileen watched, dumbfounded, and muttered: "He's really that tired…"

Then she saw Hu Li still pulling off more tails and quickly waved her hands: "Hey, that's enough! Holy crap, are you caring for him or trying to electrocute him?!"

"I'm laying them on the floor in case he rolls off the sofa while sleeping," Hu Li said, still not looking up as she spread the tails across the ground.

Aileen stared at the fox tails, already charged from hours of rubbing against the sofa, arranged neatly on the floor. For a moment, she couldn't decide whether it would hurt more if Yu Sheng fell onto the hard floor—or onto this pile of five-thunder-empowered static tails. After careful thought, she decided the floor probably hurt more.

After all, she was a doll. She didn't conduct electricity.

And so, these two girls—one a primary school dropout, the other a prenatal kindergarten correspondence graduate—strode off to the kitchen with full confidence.

The sleeping Yu Sheng on the sofa knew nothing of this.

His consciousness had already sunk into dreams, now bobbing through a series of bizarre illusions and hazy memories.

Like a mind completely emptied, drifting on a wind-churned lake, Yu Sheng found the experience not unpleasant at all. He vaguely knew he was dreaming, and he enjoyed this state—no need to control his thoughts, just letting his awareness drift.

Then, after an unknown length of time, he suddenly felt his consciousness "boat," adrift on the mental lake, reach shore.

The chaotic illusions faded from his mind; a stable landscape emerged before him.

He saw an endless, gray wasteland shrouded in dim light—unknown grasses spread across it, low clouds hung heavy, all was silent, and only a faint breeze stirred, its sound hollow. At the far end of the wasteland stood a small hill—not far, yet somehow giving him the feeling… he would never reach it.

Yu Sheng stood quietly in the grass. He stared for a moment, then suddenly realized—he'd seen this place before.

This was his dream. And not just once—he'd even met Hu Li's "dream projection" here once.

Yu Sheng frowned.

He didn't know why he'd entered this strange dream again, but the fact that the same scene kept appearing in his dreams meant something was wrong—after all, he'd been dealing with nothing but wrong things lately.

Another breeze blew. In the hollow wind, he suddenly heard a distant, faint, yet utterly impossible sound.

It was the distant howl of a wolf.

(End of Chapter)