Emma was falling apart.
Ever since word spread that she had "successfully won over" Fox Lian, her image in the academy had shifted—from a cold, aloof goddess to a cunning fox-tamer hiding her skills.
Now everyone believed she knew Fox Lian's preferences, habits, and micro-expressions inside out, making her the undisputed "master of Fox Studies." Each day, countless classmates (mostly his admirers) came to her for advice:
"Senior Emma, when His Highness's tail tip lifts slightly, is he happy or unhappy?" "Senior, when His Highness squints, what is he thinking?" "Please teach us—how can we touch His Highness's ears naturally without being rejected, like you?"
Inside, Emma screamed: I don't know! I just think they're nice to touch!
But her persona couldn't collapse. She could only maintain a mysterious smile and reply vaguely: "These subtleties… can only be felt, not explained."
Yet the crowd's demands grew. Rumors spread that Emma secretly kept sketches of Fox Lian's countless expressions, along with a private "expression-decoding manual."
Even Gu Liang couldn't resist. "Emma! You had such treasures and didn't share them? Teach me! I want to learn! Even if I'm into Cangming now… cough cough… more knowledge can't hurt!"
Emma: "…I don't have sketches or manuals."
Gu Liang gave her a knowing look, dragged her to the most secluded corner of the library, and spread out papers and textbooks like Micro-Expression Psychology and The Secrets of Body Language. "Special training starts now! Let's begin with ears! I heard His Highness's ears have twenty-seven emotional expressions!"
Emma stared at her own drawing—two twisted leaves masquerading as ears—and despaired. She couldn't even get the number of tips right!
"Expressions are key!" Gu Liang flipped open another book. "It says a 0.5 cm lip lift means joy, 0.3 seconds of eye wrinkles means sincerity… Quick, recall—was His Highness like that when he looked at you?"
Emma tried, but all she remembered were his violet eyes brimming with starlight and laughter, and those ears that always made her fingers itch to touch… Details? None.
An afternoon of "training" ended with Emma wasting thirty sheets of paper and misinterpreting Fox Lian's "gentle gaze" as "eye twitch, possible illness."
Gu Liang stared at her "masterpieces," silent for a long moment, then patted her shoulder: "…Forget it. You'd better rely on talent."
Exhausted, Emma returned to her dorm. Fox Lian was waiting. He immediately noticed the ink stains on her sleeve and her defeated expression.
"What's wrong?" He stepped forward naturally, taking her things, tail curling around her wrist in concern.
Emma looked at his flawless face, remembered her "abstract art" from the afternoon, and buried herself in his chest, muttering: "Your admirers expect too much… I can't keep pretending…"
Fox Lian blinked, then a paper slipped from her sleeve—bearing a "fox ear" that looked like an eggplant. He chuckled.
Lifting her face, his violet eyes brimmed with indulgent amusement: "So this is what you've been secretly working on these days?"
Emma, resigned, nodded: "They all think I should know every detail about you…"
Fox Lian's tail wagged happily. He brushed her nose with his, voice smug: "You don't need to learn any of that."
He guided her hand to his ear, letting her feel the soft fur and warmth. "Here, all you need to know," his voice low and tempting, "is that when you touch them, I'm happy."
Then he moved her hand to the base of his tail, which trembled sensitively under her touch. "And here, when you touch… I want to kiss you." His ears flushed red, voice dropping further.
Finally, he cupped her face, violet eyes locking hers with endless tenderness: "As for my expression when I look at you…"
He kissed her, whispering against her lips: "There's only ever one—love you."
The next day, when Gu Liang eagerly asked if Emma had gained new "Fox Studies" insights, Emma simply touched the tail fur Fox Lian had wrapped around her wrist, and answered calmly: "Yes. I've understood."
"The secret is—hands-on practice."