Wu Sansheng's ability was absolute rationality. It was both active and passive. Back then, among a whole group of players, Bai Yulai chose her and recruited her precisely because she favored Wu Sansheng's calm demeanor rooted in that absolute rationality.
And Wu Sansheng accepted the invitation naturally after weighing the pros and cons.
But the more time they spent together, the more wrong this fox became.
In the beginning, Wu Sansheng truly felt nothing for Bai Yulai. After all, this fellow spent every day hugging all kinds of x-fox romance storybooks, and kept staring at her muttering things like "cold-faced scholar hehehe." No matter how she looked at it, something was off. Just from Bai Yulai's appearance, she clearly wasn't a proper sort. When alive, Wu Sansheng had been a cautious and rational person; after death, she certainly wouldn't consider some unresolved romance between human and demon with a female fox-demon king—even if she had become a player and wasn't sure she still counted as "human."
To completely cut off any improper thoughts this fox might have about her, Wu Sansheng always kept her distance strictly, maintaining perfect boundaries, never giving Bai Yulai a single good expression—though she never had many expressive looks to begin with. But as game after game passed, this fox, who must have been stimulated by something, only became more enthusiastic.
Wu Sansheng attempted to analyze this fox's thought patterns, but still couldn't comprehend them. Cold-faced scholar… did she have to be more warm toward Bai Yulai?
Watching her good friend Mu Anqi's relationship with that Ghost King General become increasingly solid, and seeing Bai Yulai, who was also on good terms with that general, try new ways every day to find common topics with her, Wu Sansheng sank into contemplation.
Thus, during one visit to a bookstore, after finishing a book and planning to rest, she saw a little fox on the floor and thought of Bai Yulai's hobby. So she uncharacteristically bent down, picked up the little ball of fluff, rubbed its head, and smiled lightly—
After that, Bai Yulai became completely unmanageable.
"She hugged my little fox! She smiled at me! She must have been moved by me!" The fox in question was so excited she couldn't sleep, and ran to the General's residence in the middle of the night, only to get her head smacked full of bumps by an exasperated Ji Huaichu. Yet she remained incredibly ecstatic: "How did you woo your little money-tree? Should I give her some special gifts? Ah, you keep taking your money-tree into dungeons, but I'm not that strong…"
Ji Huaichu: "…"
…
Under absolute rationality, Wu Sansheng would occasionally wonder what it would be like if she were to be with Bai Yulai. But every time she thought of Bai Yulai's cabinet full of fox romance storybooks, she felt that Bai Yulai's passionate, explosive feelings would probably fade just as quickly. And she herself was merely a dull human—just someone Bai Yulai met in her long demon life who happened to match the "cold-faced scholar" trope from her books. She was even a woman; if she really agreed to Bai Yulai, what would she do if the Fox King grew tired of her in the future?
She wasn't the male lead of some romance story and couldn't play that role. She wasn't even a powerful player; her abilities leaned toward support. Bai Yulai's strength didn't even need to be mentioned—subconsciously, she felt Bai Yulai should like someone stronger.
She didn't realize that the moment she seriously considered all this, her feelings for Bai Yulai had already begun to change.
In the bookstore Bai Yulai ran, because Wu Sansheng often read there, Bai Yulai set up a tatami beside Wu Sansheng's exclusive spot. Whenever Wu Sansheng read, Bai Yulai would lie sideways on the tatami, spreading out her big fluffy tail, watching her.
Wu Sansheng never looked sideways, and even when she glanced over occasionally, her expression didn't change. Even faced with Bai Yulai's unbelievably soft and spoiled coaxing, she only cast a bland look. Even when fluffy little fox avatars jumped onto her lap or blocked her book, she remained expressionless—at most letting out a helpless sigh.
But at some point, when Bai Yulai didn't show up in the shop the entire day, her attention could no longer stay on her books. Not even the occult tomes she exchanged points for could calm her enough to continue reading. She even found herself frequently opening her chat with Mu Anqi, wanting to ask about Bai Yulai's whereabouts but deleting the message each time. She began experiencing emotions she had never felt before, feelings she had never possessed—but when Bai Yulai appeared, everything returned to normal.
Bai Yulai had always been a face-connoisseur of a fox; she was enthusiastic toward anyone pretty. Even such fiery pursuit should only have been a momentary impulse. She had far, far too many kinds of "scholars," and Wu Sansheng was just one of them. Wu Sansheng often warned herself of this, yet whenever Bai Yulai worked hard for her, whenever those fox eyes looked only at her, an annoying heartbeat would always resound.
Until that Black Mirror Vortex team-building event—after it ended, Bai Yulai seemed deeply shocked.
When a fox who'd been lazy for years, never wanting to cultivate and spending her days idling and admiring beauties, suddenly threw herself into harsh cultivation… When, as the Feast of Extreme Bliss approached, Bai Yulai disappeared from the bookstore entirely and returned to her clan for bitter training… Sitting in the empty bookstore, Wu Sansheng counted every single shelf of Bai Yulai's bookcases. The fox-and-scholar romance books were no longer ones Bai Yulai often read. All the new books in the store were the kind of content Wu Sansheng liked.
Again and again, special treatment. Again and again, true sincerity. Wu Sansheng didn't know whether she should believe she was truly the special one, nor did she know whether she had the courage to face everything.
The lights in the bookstore stayed on; outside, day turned to night and back again. The pages in Wu Sansheng's hand didn't turn. In that long, indescribable quiet, she took out the brocade pouch from her storage ring and shook out a pile of fox fur.
With soft "ying-ying-ying" sounds, a huge heap of little white fluffballs flooded her, each tiny fox working hard to nuzzle and cuddle up to her as if she were the most beloved person in the world.
…
"Did you miss me!" Bai Yulai burst in like a whirlwind and immediately bear-hugged Wu Sansheng. The excitement and joy between her brows practically spilled over. "I missed you so much, you don't even know how hard I worked recently! The Feast of Extreme Bliss is about to begin—you'd better watch my performance closely!"
"Oh." That was Wu Sansheng's response. Her face was calm, her tone flat, without a single crack showing. Absolute rationality, after all, was like this.
But as the Feast of Extreme Bliss drew near, the fox became visibly nervous. Wu Sansheng was taken by Bai Yulai to the White Fox Clan. All of them were beauties there, and each pretty fox was full of curiosity toward her, coming up with all sorts of excuses to talk to her. Bai Yulai, on the side, bristled with anger, driving them away again and again, and eventually sulking. But Wu Sansheng could see clearly—many of those foxes approached on purpose just to irritate Bai Yulai, as if they wanted to see her puffed-up, bristling look—which truly was quite cute.
Whether it was the combat or the "Moon Slash," how could Wu Sansheng not see all the assists the White Fox Clan was giving? When Bai Yulai won, Wu Sansheng indeed showed no visible emotional fluctuation. Because when she saw that fox—who would lie down rather than sit whenever possible—truly trying so, so hard on the stage, her face fully saying "I must win," Wu Sansheng's cheeks faintly warmed.
And when Bai Yulai deliberately walked down from the stage with proud, swaggering steps, Wu Sansheng could almost see her tail pointing straight up to the heavens.
And it was precisely when that fox hid her tail and tried to control her expression as she asked, "Was I amazing?" that Wu Sansheng, while answering "You were amazing," helplessly thought: everyone has moments of irrationality. Maybe she, too, could be willful once, reckless once, brave once.
So, she gave Bai Yulai a reading list—and gave herself an answer.
She had indeed, truly, genuinely been moved by Bai Yulai