The Librarian and the Fox Princess: a Donghua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu story, V.I

Chapter 33 - The Untamed

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After having the meal of their lives, and drowning out their roller coaster of emotions with wine, they had both collapsed at the table. Dong Hua had the servants carry Zhong Lin and Si Ming back to their rooms. The servants were told to also feed sobering soup to the duo after a few hours.

Watching as her teammates were carried out, she couldn't but help be reminded of Gugu and Uncle Ye Hua's banquet where she was also the last one standing. A realization suddenly hit her.

"Hey, how come they had wine and I didn't?" she asked in a challenging tone.

Dong Hua thought for a second. "It's because I need my assistant to work with me in the library later. How can she if she's drunk?" He had conjured his purple handkerchief clean and began tying it back on her sash.

"Just because she drinks wine doesn't mean she's going to get drunk!" 

He was internally smiling about how easy it was to get her to refer to herself in third person. He was getting her back for all the times she made him talk about himself as Real Dijun but he could see that she was getting riled up, which was not always a good thing. He adjusted the bow to make it off center and to the side of her waist the way he liked it.

"You're right," he nodded and looked back up at her. "Foxes have a high tolerance for alcohol and I shouldn't have assumed  that. Do you think she's ready to help me now or do you think she needs a nap after lunch?"

She began absent-mindedly playing with the purple bow on her sash. "Mmm, no she doesn't need a nap now. But she does have to go back to her room to change and put this into her treasure box, where all the important stuff is." She pulled out her grasshopper and smiled sweetly at it.

The demon grasshopper.  

Dong Hua frowned internally but swiftly pacified his resentment. He wanted Xiao Bai to have all the friends she wanted to have.  

He added the qualifier, as long as I approve of them. 

Unlike him, she thrived on an active social life. Besides, he reminded himself, there was nothing remotely romantic about the Ghost Lord and her. The poor thing was already lovesick from Bai Qian so there was really no threat. Then there was the part about Dong Hua having gifted many more things in her box than Li Jing had. Obviously, that meant she treasured him more than she treasured the Ghost Lord.

He had also noticed that she referred to her treasure box as if he already knew about it. Parts of her interactions with him as Dream Dijun were slowly seeping into her waking reality. He hoped this meant that her psyche was was becoming increasingly more integrated and accepting of him, even if he was that blasted Real Dijun.

"I'll wait for you in the library then, Xiao Bai."

"Okay."  She was about to get up to leave before she turned to him. "Your fish was really good. Make it for me again sometime?"

"Of course. I'll make it for you any time you want."

She was the first person in the whole universe to ever ask for more sweet and sour fish from him.

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When she arrived in his study, she didn't see him anywhere. She walked to the back and went behind the shelf to enter the library. She gulped. She should have told him to meet her in the study so he could lead her into the library. She didn't want to enter it alone. On an emotional level it was like a haunted house to her. She stood there for a while hoping she would see Dijun come into the study but realized that he was most likely already inside.