Chapter 14 - The Supporting Villain Is Raising a Cub Online

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

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"Come on, Little One, Can You Stop Crying Now?"

 

 

The fox's tail was unlike that of many other beasts. The tip was slender, the middle slightly thicker, and it felt soft and fluffy—perfect for a pillow.

 

Tan Qing especially loved curling up with his nine tails and falling asleep.

 

So, by his standards—

 

The little cub's tail was, in his eyes, nothing short of a cheap knockoff.

 

Perhaps because it had just grown, Tan Jiji's tail was thin, soft, and covered in a layer of downy fur typical of a newborn.

 

What's more, since the cub hadn't yet learned how to control it, the little tail tip just swayed freely.

 

In short:

 

Foolishly clumsy.

 

It didn't resemble a fox's tail at all—more like that of a silly puppy.

 

Tan Qing cast a disdainful glance at the little tail, then skeptically reached out and pinched the tip.

 

"Waaahhhhhhh—"

 

Thanks to a whole day of indulgence from He Mingyu, Tan Jiji quickly realized he was being bullied again by his mischievous father. His little face scrunched up as he burst into tears, wailing and sobbing.

 

Tan Qing, feeling guilty, quickly withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back. "Alright, alright, don't cry! I know it's a real tail!"

 

Tears welled up in the little cub's eyes, turning them red, and even the tail behind him swayed sadly in time with his sobs.

 

Ahh!

 

How annoying!

 

Tan Jiji used to never cry this much—it was all He Mingyu's fault for spoiling him so recklessly.

 

Tan Qing cursed He Mingyu in his mind a hundred times, then quickly reached out, pulling Tan Jiji's tail in front of his eyes. "Look! What's this?"

 

Sure enough, the little cub, innocent and easily distracted, immediately shifted his attention. His wide, glossy eyes stared at the fluffy white tail in front of him, and he excitedly reached out his chubby hands to grab it.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, Tan Qing shamelessly dangled Tan Jiji's tail and bargained with him, "You can play with this, just stop crying, alright?"

 

The little cub, who had only been in this world for less than two months, had never seen something so fun—so soft and fluffy.

 

Not only was it fuzzy, but it moved on its own too.

 

Tan Jiji immediately stopped crying, reclaiming his little tail from Tan Qing's hand, holding it in his pudgy hands, and inspecting it with fascination.

 

The piercing sound of sobs finally disappeared.

 

Tan Qing, relieved, sat down on a wooden stool, tilting his head as he watched the cub play with his own tail. "Is it fun?"

 

Tan Jiji, who hadn't yet learned to hold grudges, beamed at Tan Qing with a bright, toothless smile, pulling the tail toward his mouth.

 

A young cub's perception of the world is limited.

 

And the first step in a cub's growth is to follow the instinct of all animals—to determine if what's in front of them is edible.

 

It just so happened that this cub's parent was a lazy, troublemaking nine-tailed fox with no sense of responsibility.

 

So.

 

In the dimly lit, simple living room, Tan Qing rubbed his hands together and, under the moonlight, eagerly encouraged the cub holding his tail, "Hehe, looks nice, doesn't it? Why not give it a bite and see if it's tasty?"

 

The naive little cub looked up at his father with wide, trusting eyes.

 

Then, filled with anticipation, he opened his small mouth and took a big bite—

 

"Waaahhhhh—"

 

"Hahahahaha!!!"

 

A heart-wrenching wail shattered the winter silence of the modest little house, startling even the crows perched in the bare trees outside, nearly causing them to fall from their branches.

 

Poor, pitiful Tan Jiji had not only bitten his own tail but had gotten a mouthful of soft, fluffy fox fur.

 

Tan Qing sat in front of him, laughing so hard he nearly lost his breath, slapping his thigh as he stood up to help pull the fox fur from the cub's mouth, pretending to ask seriously, "So, how does it taste?"

 

The little cub only cried harder.

 

By this point, it was already deep into the night.

 

This area was far from the city center and rather isolated. Most of the people living here were elders, with few young residents around.

 

The working-class folk of this bustling city had long been worn down by the demands of life. Their days were filled with toil, leaving them little time for rest.

 

Tan Qing, expecting to calm the cub down as usual, didn't anticipate that tonight would be different. Perhaps the little one could sense the disparity between this modest home and the indulgent world of He Mingyu he experienced during the day—

 

In any case.

 

Tan Qing tried all sorts of tricks to soothe him, but Tan Jiji's aggrieved sobs wouldn't stop.

 

By this point, Tan Qing regretted ever coaxing the cub into biting his tail.

 

Just as he was racking his brain for another solution, there came a knock at the door.

 

It sounded like more than one person was outside.

 

Most likely, they had been woken up by Tan Jiji's heart-wrenching cries.

 

Disturbed from their precious sleep, the neighbors outside spoke impatiently, grumbling, "Why is that kid crying so late at night? Have you no consideration?"

 

"Exactly! It's irresponsible! What kind of parent are you?"

 

"Can't we get some peace around here?!"

 

Tan Qing, his face scrunched with frustration, had no choice but to cover Tan Jiji's tail with a blanket before rushing to answer the door amid the pounding knocks.

 

The people outside were taken aback when the door suddenly swung open.

 

They had lived here for a long time, yet had never realized that someone as strikingly handsome as a movie star lived next door.

 

Tan Qing pressed his hands together in apology, sincerely bowing to the middle-aged neighbors at the door. "I'm so sorry, really! I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll stifle the little one under the covers right away."

 

The neighbors: "..."

 

Stifle him... under the covers?

 

The atmosphere quickly became awkwardly silent.

 

One of the older women, after a moment of hesitation, asked, "You're… not a human trafficker, are you?"

 

Tan Qing: "…"

 

He immediately denied it. "No, no! Of course not! I just come home late sometimes, so we've never had a chance to meet."

 

The neighbors were quiet for a moment longer, attempting to peer past him to catch a glimpse of the child inside. However, Tan Qing stood firmly, blocking the doorway so thoroughly that they couldn't see anything.

 

Another man, standing beside the woman, tried to diffuse the situation, asking, "Is the child inside really yours?"

 

Tan Qing, learning from his earlier mistake, quickly put on a bright smile. "Yes, yes! Absolutely, Uncle! No worries at all, what I said earlier was just a joke. A silly joke!"

 

The group exchanged glances, seemingly unsure if they believed him. Yet, after a moment of shared silence, they surprisingly decided not to press the matter further. Instead, they quietly turned and left.

 

Phew—

 

There is still kindness and love in this world.

 

Tan Qing closed the door with relief, walking back to Tan Jiji's small wooden bed with light steps.

 

The little one lay sprawled on the bed, still sniffling intermittently. He gingerly patted his tail, where a small patch of fur had been bitten off.

 

The pain from that earlier bite seemed to have made him fully aware that the tail was indeed his own, and his expression grew even sadder.

 

Tan Qing sat cross-legged in front of him, looking thoroughly distressed. "Come on, little one, can you stop crying now?"

 

Tan Jiji hiccupped mid-cry, his soft brown eyes filled with reproach as they gazed at his father.

 

Pointing at the little one's fluffy tail, Tan Qing tried to comfort him. "Look, kiddo, once the fur falls out, it'll grow back! In no time, you'll have brand new fur! Just like the red and gray foxes who've had their tails plucked by me many times. They're fine now, and they've even already found beautiful wives!"

 

It seemed that the mention of fur loss only made things worse. Tan Jiji, who had just managed to stop shedding tears, began sobbing again, his thin voice crying, "Waaah, waaah, waaah—"

 

Tan Qing: "…"

 

Tan Qing was utterly despondent.

 

He thought that if this crying continued, there wouldn't even be a tomorrow. Another ten minutes of this, and the neighbors from the surrounding houses would be back to tear down his front door.

 

Taking a deep breath, Tan Qing extended a finger towards Tan Jiji. "Shh, let me show you something fun, okay? But no more crying, deal?"

 

Tan Jiji, unconvinced, sniffled in response.

 

Tan Qing snapped his fingers with a grin. "Come on, give me a chance! Watch this—abracadabra!"

 

In an instant.

 

Nine large, fluffy, snow-white tails swished into view right in front of Tan Jiji.

 

Each tail was sleek and shiny, like the finest silk, shimmering with soft light as they swayed. From the base, they were pure white, without a single strand out of place. Only at the very tips was there a neat tuft of silver fur, leaving a trail of ghostly afterimages as they moved.

 

From afar, they looked extravagant and dazzling.

 

Little Tan Jiji, who had just grown fond of his own tiny tail, couldn't believe his eyes. His small face lit up, completely mesmerized by his father's grand, majestic tails.

 

In that moment, his gaze was glued, and without hesitation, he leaned forward on the little bed, reaching out to grab at the mesmerizing sight.

 

But nine tails were far too many for him to handle.

 

With his chubby little hands, he managed to grab one tail in each hand. But upon realizing there were still seven more fluffy tails swaying in the air, he quickly let go of the first two and reached out to grab the others.

 

Tan Jiji was utterly enthralled, so much so that he quickly forgot about his tears.

 

Tan Qing, equally entertained, wagged his tails playfully, teasing the little one, watching as he tried to keep up with the constant motion. Although a few of his tails got ruffled by the tiny hands, it was far better than hearing Tan Jiji's endless sobbing.

 

After playing for a while, Tan Jiji's movements started to slow down.

 

His eyelids grew heavy, yet he stubbornly kept trying to catch the tails in front of him.

 

Tan Qing smoothed out his fur and, with a chuckle, gathered his tails back. "Alright, alright, time for bed. You can play with them again tomorrow."

 

Tan Jiji pouted, but soon, a soft little snore escaped his lips as he drifted off to sleep.

 

Tan Qing used his foot to nudge the blanket over him, then stood up, ready to take a shower. But before he could step into the bathroom, he heard another knock at the door.

 

Huh.

 

The little one had already stopped crying. What could it be this time?

 

Retracing his steps, Tan Qing called out, "Who is it?"

 

He went to peek through the peephole.

 

Two officers, standing straight in their uniforms, were at the door. "We're from the local Public Security Bureau. Someone reported you for child trafficking. Please open the door and come with us."

 

Author's note: Mini-Theater:

Tan Qing: ??? I thought there was still love and kindness in this world…

He Mingyu: Call me hubby, and I'll help you.

Ji Yanxiu: I haven't even made an appearance yet, and I'm already getting a bad rep. Does that seem fair, author?

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