Hu Hu followed Ying Huaiting to the student supermarket. He didn’t need to buy anything and wasn’t particularly interested in the items in the store. He didn’t care for eating, drinking, or entertainment. He just wanted to feed on his roommate’s yang essence right now.

So, throughout the trip, Hu Hu kept his eyes on Ying Huaiting, occasionally twitching his nose. Whenever Ying Huaiting shot him a cold glance, Hu Hu would put on an innocent face.

Ying Huaiting: “…”

Hu Hu’s ears were particularly sensitive.

“That cool guy in the white T-shirt is so handsome! Is he a freshman?”

“Must be. Someone that good-looking couldn’t possibly stay unknown until sophomore year!”

Hu Hu sneakily whispered, “Someone’s saying you’re handsome.”

Ying Huaiting: “…”

Ying Huaiting picked up a basin and muttered, “Shut up.”

Hu Hu fell silent.

“Sure enough, when there’s a handsome guy around, even the supermarket air smells better.”

Smells better? Hu Hu was startled. Did he encounter one of his kind? He turned his head.

It was two girls. When they saw his face, their eyes widened in shock.

Hu Hu immediately snatched the basin from Ying Huaiting’s hands and put it down. Then he grabbed the arm of his exasperated roommate and said seriously, “Come with me.”

Ying Huaiting: ?

Before Ying Huaiting could say anything, Hu Hu, who looked thin and weak but was surprisingly strong, dragged him away.

Ying Huaiting: ??

As they left the supermarket, Hu Hu overheard two more comments. “Damn, that’s one ridiculously pretty face! Is he a freshman too?”

“Don’t tell me they’re a couple? Already pairing up within the freshman class?”

Hu Hu was confused. Maybe they weren’t his kind after all. But just to be safe, he didn’t want to share his roommate’s yang essence with other adult fox spirits.

After putting some distance between them and the supermarket, Ying Huaiting, who was still being dragged along, spoke coldly, “What’s going on?”

Hu Hu glanced back. The figures of the possible fox spirits were no longer in sight. He finally let go of Ying Huaiting’s arm and said seriously, “Someone said you smell good. You should be careful. I’m not the only one on this campus who’s after your scent.”

Ying Huaiting: “…”

Ying Huaiting flexed his arm and replied indifferently, “So?”

Hu Hu said seriously, “Protect your yang essence! If someone else is going to smell it, you might as well let me!”

As he spoke, Hu Hu boldly leaned toward Ying Huaiting’s neck, but before he could catch even a whiff, Ying Huaiting pushed him away.

Hu Hu felt disappointed.

Watching Hu Hu’s practiced movements, Ying Huaiting asked suspiciously, “Have you really never succeeded before?”

Hu Hu shook his head and answered honestly, “Besides you, I haven’t met anyone worth pursuing.”

Ying Huaiting’s expression grew complicated. “…So you’re actually quite fickle, you just haven’t met the right ones yet.”

Hu Hu agreed, “Theoretically, yes, I am fickle.” All foxes were fickle, so those who ended up with just one mate did so purely out of conscience. Like his parents.

Ying Huaiting: “…”

“Stop following me.”

Hu Hu’s lips drooped pitifully. But this time his pitiful act didn’t work. Ying Huaiting left without looking back. A dejected little fox, having lost his dream, returned to the dorm.

Because of his heartless roommate, Hu Hu began looking forward to military training the next day. Human military training meant all the freshmen would be on the field!

Early the next morning, when Ying Huaiting got up, Hu Hu was already dressed and ready to head to the training field.

Ying Huaiting glanced at Hu Hu, who was putting on his shoes with high spirits.

“You like military training that much?”

Hu Hu looked up with a grin, “Yep, I love military training the most!”

After putting on his shoes, he tried to sniff Ying Huaiting again. Before he could get a whiff, Ying Huaiting pushed him away.

Hu Hu remained in a good mood. He thought to himself, ‘Keep pushing me away. With so many students around, I’m sure I’ll find someone whose yang essence smells just as good and lets me sniff!’

After finishing his morning routine, Ying Huaiting went to the field alone.

As soon as he arrived, a somewhat familiar-looking male student ran up to him anxiously. “Ying Huaiting, your beautiful roommate seems to be having some health issues. We tried to take him to the clinic but he won’t go. Could you try convincing him?”

Ying Huaiting: ?

Ying Huaiting followed the student and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

The male student said, “Not sure, all his exposed skin turned red, like an allergic reaction. Can you take a look?”

Ying Huaiting found Hu Hu sitting in a corner of the training field.

Hu Hu was leaning against the fence, his face, neck, and arms all flushed red.

The weak Hu Hu suddenly caught a familiar scent. He quickly lifted his eyelids, and his eyes immediately turned red. His voice was full of grievance, “Ying Huaiting…”

Ying Huaiting crouched beside Hu Hu, “I’ll take you to the clinic. Can you walk?”

Hu Hu shook his head pitifully. “I can’t walk, my whole body feels weak.”

Ying Huaiting glanced at the male student who came with him, “How about you carry him?”

The student hesitated. “Hu Hu doesn’t seem to want me to carry him…”

Hu Hu crossed his arms in refusal.

Ying Huaiting: “…”

In the end, Ying Huaiting had to carry his roommate on his back.

As soon as Hu Hu got on Ying Huaiting’s back, he frantically sniffed at his neck, “So fragrant, so fragrant! Really so fragrant! Ying Huaiting, I apologize for my ignorance. You’re the best!”

The male student beside them froze, muttering, “Should’ve told me you were a couple, now I feel like I got in the middle of your play.”

Ying Huaiting’s expression darkened. This was exactly why he didn’t want to carry his roommate in the first place!

With Hu Hu shamelessly sniffing his neck, anything he said now would sound like an excuse. Ying Huaiting walked away with heavy steps.

Once they were away from the crowd, Ying Huaiting said coldly, “Try sniffing again?”

Hu Hu took one more big sniff, then obediently stopped.

“I don’t need to go to the clinic anymore!” His voice was still weak but carried a hint of excitement.

“…”

After a while, Ying Huaiting said flatly, “Hu Hu, you really seem like a pervert. Lucky for you I’m not exactly a good person either, or you’d be thrown to the ground right now.”

Hu Hu secretly twitched his nose and said seriously, “I’m not a pervert, and you are a good person. Ying Huaiting, you really smell so good!”

Ying Huaiting was speechless.

At the clinic, the doctor couldn’t find anything wrong, and finally just gave him an IV drip to restore his energy.

Hu Hu sat on the bench. Ying Huaiting saw that the IV drip was flowing normally and was about to leave, but as soon as he turned to go, Hu Hu quickly grabbed his arm.

“Where are you going?”

“Military training.”

“What about me if you go to training?”

A few college students were already getting IV drips in the quiet morning clinic, secretly listening to Hu Hu and Ying Huaiting’s conversation.

Hu Hu’s grip was surprisingly strong. Ying Huaiting tried to pull away but couldn’t. He said coldly, “What do you mean ‘what about you’? After your IV drip, go back to the dorm and rest. I’ll go tell the instructor to excuse you.”

Hu Hu never minded Ying Huaiting’s cold attitude and pleaded pitifully, “But that won’t work, can’t you really stay with me?”

“Let go.”

Hu Hu reluctantly released Ying Huaiting’s arm.

Ying Huaiting left without looking back. Before he left, he overheard a couple of comments. “Must be boyfriends, right? How can he be so heartless?”

“This year’s freshmen have a lot of scumbags.”

Ying Huaiting: “…”

Then a girl with her own IV drip sat next to Hu Hu, comforting him after being “abandoned” by his “boyfriend”. “It’s okay, you’re very good-looking too. Stay away from scumbags, you’ll find someone better. This illness might be a blessing in disguise. It helped you see his true colors!”

The girl was indignant.

Hu Hu explained for Ying Huaiting, “He’s not a scumbag, he’s my roommate.”

The girl blinked, “Roommate? Aren’t you two together?”

Hu Hu answered honestly, “No, just roommates who’ve known each other for three days. I’m the one clinging to him one-sidedly, and he finds me annoying. But that’s not important, I don’t find him annoying.”

The girl: “…”

She swallowed all her prepared words of comfort and struggled to respond to Hu Hu. “You have quite a positive attitude. But still, don’t be a licking dog¹舔狗 (tiǎn gǒu) – (slang) simp; person who resorts to cringeworthy fawning behavior in pursuing sb who does not requite their affections. Your roommate seems really heartless.”

Hu Hu scratched his face with his free hand, saying somewhat shyly, “I’m actually a licking fox.”

The girl: “…” What’s there to be shy about!

——————–

Huhu²狐狐 – Fox Fox, this is a nickname, not his full name. I will distinguish the two by Hu Hu and Huhu.: Sniff, I sniff! Sniff hard! So fragrant!

TL Notes

• 1
  舔狗 (tiǎn gǒu) – (slang) simp; person who resorts to cringeworthy fawning behavior in pursuing sb who does not requite their affections
• 2
  狐狐 – Fox Fox, this is a nickname, not his full name. I will distinguish the two by Hu Hu and Huhu.