An extra chapter has been added, and the story is officially complete.
A free short story, not contracted for publication.
A story about a female protagonist and a male fox demon. The "Prelude" uses classical language to summarize what came before; the main text is written in plain language.
[Blurb]
People say fox demons are skilled at bewitching hearts. Chu Ying doesn't believe it.
When she was nine, she rescued a red fox from an iron cage. For years afterward, she enjoyed good fortune and a smooth life.
When she was fifteen, she rescued a young man from bandits' blades. She thought she had simply earned herself another good deed, never guessing that this time it was a young fox repaying her kindness.
The young fox was named Cang. With no father or mother, he had been indebted to Chu Ying since childhood. He searched for her for six years, then entered her household as a pipa musician and stayed by her side. He accompanied her through her coming-of-age ceremony and saw her off when she married. His greatest wish in life was for Chu Ying to be safe and happy.
Besides that, he had one small wish of his own.
To collect a single tear shed from a sincere heart.
The world says fox demons beguile hearts, but no one knows that foxes have no hearts, feel no affection, and cannot learn to cry.
To take human form for the long term and stay by Chu Ying's side, A Cang needs to obtain a tear.
But by the time A Cang finally gets the tear he wants, he and Chu Ying can never return to how things were at the beginning.
[Blurb dated March 8, 2025. Screenshot saved.]
*Inspired by rereading Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio recently. Most of the demons I saw were female, so I wanted to write about a male demon :)
*The male lead is a demon, so don't judge him by human standards. He is entirely devoted to Chu Ying.
*The ending is open-ended! Open-ended!
*The characters are all imperfect. Since this is a short story with plenty of plot, there are transitions between chapters, like cuts in a movie, but the plot is continuous and easy to follow.
Theme: Treat others with sincerity.
Does she like the little fox? 🥺
It was finished so quickly that I didn't notice it.
Su added the chapter about Cuihong? No wonder when I saw it, I thought why this person suddenly died.