"I won't breathe a word of it!" Bai Yu immediately replied, his nerves on edge.

There was a whole lot more he wanted to say but his fears kept him at bay. In the end, Bai Yu settled for asking the questions which really boggled his mind, "But Sire, about this mission, is it really necessary? Why don't you just come clean? I'm sure your wife would love you as you are."

Wasn't it obvious? His Sire was the most handsome god in all the heavens. What kind of fearsome woman could possibly resist him?

Bai Qingyue shot Bai Yu a venomous glare, making him regret speaking altogether. "Do you think I'd make you impersonate me if it was that easy?! Humph."

The Fox Lord didn't bother explaining what a difficult woman his wife was. She had such strange ideas and her requirements from a male were absurd. Regretfully, he needed to present himself on the best of terms.

After their cubs would be born, there would no longer be any need to maintain the pretense…

By now, the sun had already risen higher in the skies. Bai Qingyue finally instructed, "Remember, don't get too close. If she tries to hug you or kiss you, back away instantly. Don't touch her at all. Anywhere. Understood?"

The killing intent emitting from Bai Qingyue only intensified to the point of making Bai Yu's small shape huddle in fear.

"Crystal clear, s-sire!"

Bai Yu himself did not suffer from the legendary curse which ailed his Lord and master, for having been born into the Bai clan only from his mother's side. The pure Bai line only maintained itself from the father's side, and all Bai Yu knew of his father was that he was a demonic entity of unknown origins. This fact alienated Bai Yu all the more from the ranks of the celestial foxes.

The blood flowing through his veins was diluted enough not to have passed along the curse, and in fact, this was becoming the case with most of the clan's newer generation. All this, however, did not mean he was ignorant of the curse's effects. It caused clan members endless anguish, driving many of them to extreme lengths to ensure their destined partner belonged only to them. For some, it would go as far as to drive them insane and even end their own lives…

He could only imagine how his Lord would act if he made one step out of turn!

Silently, he swore to ascertain this plan would be faultless, ensuring his Sire would be pleased, and more importantly, keep his own body intact!

As soon as Bai Yu's illusory golden eyes were filled with determination, his keen sense of hearing picked on a melodious, young female voice calling the unbecoming nickname addressing his Lordship.

"Snowball, where did you disappear to this time?!"

Glancing back, Bai Yu resentfully discovered his Lord had already disappeared, leaving him alone to handle the task.

Yet, before he even managed to breathe a word in response, he was already lifted up in the air, only to feel a pair of warm, comfortable pillows squashed against the back of his head.

A soft-spoken, female voice sounded right above him, "So this is where you've been hiding!"

Oh no. No no no no, this is not happening! I will surely die a thousand deaths!

"Uwah!" Bai Yu ended up yelping in panic.

He immediately struggled, tactfully manoeuvring himself from his Lady's tight grasp and leaping out of danger!

He didn't want to get tortured again!

What was her Ladyship's name again? Li Mong? Master? What was he supposed to call her?! Bai Yu settled for Master since he was pretending to be her contracted spirit.

"M-master, males and females should maintain a proper distance from each other!" With his fluffy brows knitted in a frown,'Snowball' scolded Li Meirong.

The corners of Li Meirong's lips curved downwards, a little saddened by her affectionate pet's abrupt change of behaviour. She just woke up to find Snowball missing and frantically rushed outside in search of him only to be reprimanded by that very same troublesome pet.

She bent down to stare at Snowball, evidently upset. "What do you mean by saying 'maintain proper distance' after I already bathed you and slept with you in the same bed?"

"..." Said Snowball, his eyes widened in shock.

With his mouth hanging slightly open, the dumbfounded Bai Yu wasn't really sure how to retort. All he could think of right now was how terribly shameless his Lordship was…

Not to mention, her Ladyship didn't look at all like what he expected her to be. For someone to match his Lord, he presumed the consort would be a formidable, seductive, fearless warrior. As for her Ladyship, she seemed so young! Dressed in a light garb, her big watery eyes, fair skin and plump red lips made her look like a cute rabbit.

Suddenly, he felt a little sympathy for her Ladyship. His Sire must have been bullying her!

Poor thing, you married such a terrifyingly outrageous male and you don't even know...

An image of a vicious fox hunting down a terrified rabbit, flexing its claws as it was chasing the fluffy white creature across the meadow suddenly popped in his head.

How could this innocent little girl manage the mischievous Huli Jing clan? How could she even handle her husband?

Seeing Snowball was simply sitting there on the ground, staring at her absentmindedly made Li Meirong a little worried. She stopped herself from reaching out to grab him as she usually did, wondering if he was experiencing some sort of growth spurt and didn't wish to be babied anymore?

After a long stretch of silence, Snowball finally said, "It's just something I learnt that must be done, so from now on, you can't touch me anymore."

Li Meirong exhaled deeply, pondering if she acted out of turn yesterday? Perhaps she bothered him with her excessive show of affection?

She patted her knees and got up, feigning her cheerfulness. "I'll respect your wishes. Come on. We need to leave early because I'm going to drop you over at my friend's place while I attend the assembly."

The fox cub stayed frozen to the spot, blinking his big eyes in confusion.

Wait. What? What friend? Bai Yu was even more dumbfounded now than he was before!

His Lordship orchestrated this whole charade so she could bring "Snowball" over while "Zhu Qingyue" was present. Wasn't the whole ordeal pointless if she was planning on dumping "Snowball" with her friend?!

Li Meirong walked forward, noticing Snowball wasn't by her side, as he usually was, she turned around and said, "I know how much you like munching on snacks so I'm letting Bao Li take care of you. She's our division's head chef! I'm sure you'll be pampered with lots of dishes at her place."

Hmm. Bai Yu already started liking her Ladyship. This plan sounded much better than his Lord's idea!

"Sounds good!" 'Snowball' nodded his fluffy head and trotted behind Li Meirong.