After Emma began to "turn the tables," their interactions evolved into a dazzling contest.
Layer Nine: Retreat to Advance Fox Lian quickly adjusted his strategy. No longer always the aggressor, he began to play hot-and-cold. In the dining hall, he would politely nod in greeting, then chat casually with classmates at the next table—yet his beautiful tail would "accidentally" brush against Emma's skirt. In the alchemy room, he focused on his own herbs, but when Emma needed a rare ingredient, he would "just happen" to slide the last sprig toward her hand. This restrained teasing was the most lethal. Emma found herself unsettled—not used to him not wrapping his tail around her immediately, not used to him not whispering in her ear.
Layer Ten: Borrowing Strength Fox Lian realized Emma's resistance to fluff had grown stronger, but against "Fox Lian's exclusive fluff," she was still defenseless. So he invented new tricks—transforming his tail into different forms. Sometimes a plush pillow beneath her neck during naps; sometimes a warm scarf curling around her shoulders in the wind; most scandalous of all, he learned to twist his tail into a heart shape, flaunting it before her. "Does it look like one?" he tilted his head, ears twitching playfully. Emma forced composure: "Not really." Fox Lian didn't argue, simply shoved the heart-tail into her arms: "Then touch it and see."
Layer Eleven: Public Opinion Fox Lian began subtly displaying "ownership" in public. During sparring matches, he would coil his tail around a water flask to hand Emma. At banquet feasts, he placed the best delicacies on her plate first. Even when answering questions in class, his gaze drifted toward her. Soon, the entire academy began referring to her as "Emma of Lord Fox Lian." Each time he heard it, his tail wagged happily all day.
Layer Twelve: Straight Ball Victory After countless layers of tactics, one starry night Fox Lian led Emma to the garden where they first met. This time, no tricks—just his earnest gaze, tail nervously coiled tight: "Emma, I'm not playing a seduction game. Every time I draw close, it's because I can't help it. Every time I call your name, it's from my heart."
Moonlight fell on his trembling fox ears. In that moment, he was no longer the effortless heartthrob, but simply a boy lost in love.
Emma saw the unhidden affection in his eyes, and suddenly all the past maneuvers seemed trivial. She cupped his face, kissed the damp corner of his eye: "I know. So…" Her fingers stroked his soft tail as she finally spoke her truth: "You don't need to seduce me. As long as it's you, anything is fine."
Fox Lian's tail exploded like a dandelion, the entire fox burying his blushing face in her arms, purring in bliss.
Behind the trees, Gu Liang bit her handkerchief furiously: "What is this? After all those tactics, it's just mutual love?!" "Cangming! Let's study tactics too!"
The merman general, mid-weightlifting: "?"