My Evil Wife Is a Nine-Tailed Fox

Surprisingly, Zhao Yichen wasn't aware that Yan Lin was a popular actress these days, but he could sense danger coming from the said woman. He wanted to ask Shen Minyao if this was the demon she was talking about earlier, but he didn't know if he would be able to initiate a telepathic conversation between them. 

As men came and greeted Yan Lin, Shen Minyao remained seated on her chair, nonchalantly drinking the newly brewed coffee that was served to the guests of the Zhao family. 

The fox woman had to admit that this coffee was way better than the artificially sweetened coffee drinks and instant coffee she had seen being sold in the market.

It bothered Zhao Yichen that she was too calm for this, but after feeling her grasp tightening on his hand a little, he decided to understand her need to remain silent and for him to trust her judgment. 

The blood-sucking demoness turned her gaze to the couple, and the corner of her lips turned up. Yan Lin wanted to go and meet the fox woman personally, but these disgusting men wouldn't allow her to pass through the wall they created. 

"We should get going," Shen Minyao told her human contractor and motioned for him to stand up to leave with her discreetly. 

Yan Lin's eyes followed their retreating figures as Zhao Yichen bid goodbye to his uncle's family and his grandfather, telling them he needed to take Shen Minyao back home before midnight.

"Is she following us?" Zhao Yichen said as they leisurely walked hand-in-hand in the hallway where the other guests waited for their turn to give respects to the Zhao family. 

"Oh? You can tell that she's a demon?" Shen Minyao smiled at him, sending a teasing message to his mind. She reopened the telepathy between them, so they could speak privately in the presence of other humans around them.

"I'm not sure how, but I could sense that she's not a human." Zhao Yichen didn't know how to explain it clearly to her. 

"When I was a kid, I used to see spirits and monsters, and they always caused trouble for me. They tried to hurt me and threatened to take over my body. I suppose meeting you and spending time with Yu Yan have made me sensitive to those creatures." 

"It's good to trust one's instincts, especially if it's for your own survival." The fox woman hummed her approval. 

It's good that Zhao Yichen could sense spirits and demons near him, but she realized that his ability was limited to a short range. This meant he had a low chance of possibly escaping demons that would hunt him down.

Shen Minyao didn't expect him to be able to fend demons away on his own, but it would be better if he could expand the range of his awareness. It's best if he could make use of it like how her spatial ability gave her the advantage to locate her target.

"Yan Lin's target is me, but that doesn't mean she won't go after you. She probably knows by now that I have some kind of demon contract with you, and she would try to use it to threaten me." 

"But it would be suspicious to other people if you're always with me." Zhao Yichen frowned.

"Then, wouldn't it be better for us to live together?" She suggested. 

Zhao Yichen almost tripped on his own foot when he heard that, but Shen Minyao was able to stop him from planting his face on the cold floor.

He looked at her in disbelief, wondering if she wasn't really bothered by what people would say about her. 

"What? If we appear in public looking head over heels in love, I suppose they wouldn't be surprised if they found out we moved in together," the fox woman reasoned out.

"But aren't you still too young for that?" 

"Indeed, this human body is only eighteen years old, but we both know that I'm not that young anymore. I heard that your grandfather had shown Shen Xin his intention for us to get engaged and married. Why don't you ask my old man to allow you to marry me after my graduation? This way, we could always be together." 

Zhao Yichen was aware that she was telling him this for his sake, but he didn't want her to sacrifice her future just to keep him safe. 

"You don't mind being married to me?" He asked with a slight blush on his face. Thankfully, they were already outside, and there's no one to see him in his flustered state right now. 

The fox woman shrugged, feeling the night breeze touch her face. 

"I don't mind. It's not like it's my first time getting married. Su Daji married Xuan Yanrui. There's no harm if Shen Minyao marries Zhao Yichen in this lifetime." 

Zhao Yichen wasn't sure what to feel about that. He almost forgot that the fox woman next to him used to be an imperial noble consort of a late emperor. How could he compare to Xuan Yanrui? 

Shen Minyao was oblivious to what he was thinking at that moment as she was preoccupied with the idea that they should be living together. 

"Are you worried that we'll only be married on paper?" The fox woman teased him. "Don't worry, I'll be your wife in all aspects. I could even bear you a child or two if you want." 

Zhao Yichen's face burned red upon hearing her suggestion. He hated that he was the only one feeling flustered when they were talking about their marriage and future together.

A future together… somehow, Zhao Yichen wasn't against the idea of being married to Shen Minyao, but why was she talking as if she was only fulfilling a part of a deal with him?

Shen Minyao took a good sniff around them, as they waited for the cars to arrive and take them home. She would be staying at Zhao Yichen's place tonight, just to be sure no demons would come after him.

Before they entered the car, Shen Minyao used a spell to hide their scent and presence from other demons. They decided to take a longer route, in an attempt to lose anyone who might have attempted to follow them. The ride to Zhao Yichen's home that should have been over in one hour… ended up taking two and half hours on the road.

By the time they reached his home, Zhao Yichen was exhausted from the long day that they had, with Shen Minyao still recovering from the injuries she sustained last night. 

He slumped on the couch next to Baiyu, whose snake form hid under Shen Minyao's right sleeve all this time. 

The short, white-haired boy sat next to Zhao Yichen and questioned his mistress. Being with them, he naturally sensed the strong presence of another demon at the reception area earlier. 

"Mistress, the demoness we sensed earlier… I think she's the leader of the brood of blood-sucking demons that invaded the city. Are we going to hunt her?" 

"No need. She would willingly come to us herself. Her thirst for vengeance will force her to see me again. Now that she has found out who I am and where I stay, she will make a move anytime soon," the fox woman replied with a blank expression on her face. At least, she didn't need to hunt the leader of the brood. Yan Lin already revealed herself to the fox. 

"Do you know that demoness?" Zhao Yichen asked. "Why would she try to seek revenge on you?" 

"Yan Lin used to have a twin sister. I'm not certain who's older between the two, but Consort Yan died inside the imperial harem because of me. It's only natural for Yan Lin to bear such grudges against me for killing her sister." 

Shen Minyao purposely omitted the part where she tortured Consort Yan for ninety days, allowing the demon to heal her wounds and injuries… only to repeat the same torture all over again. At that time, humans were oblivious that some beauties sent to the imperial harem were demons. 

During her stay at the imperial palace, Su Daji met several demons and competed with them to earn the emperor's favor. Consort Yan was one of those who lost against her, forfeiting not only the favor of the emperor but also their lives to the infamous nine-tailed fox demoness. 

The imperial harem was a dangerous battlefield for women during that era, where even human women tend to lose their humanity  to escalate their schemes against the other women in the palace. 

The fox woman found it oddly amusing that these women were willing to lose apart from themselves to win the favor of a mortal man whose credibility and worth were questionable.. After all, she didn't enter the imperial harem for such trivialities, but to test how long it would take for the stupid human emperor to realize that he had been played by her.