Yang Xuetian ended up at the police station. Neither he nor Mao Mingxia were hurt so there was no need for medical attention.

He felt a bit bad for the ambulance that came for them but they ended up being called in for another case on the way back so the trip wasn’t a waste.

Meanwhile, he and Mao Mingxia reported on the morning incident. Those men who attacked her were members of a well-known gang that often attacked people for a price. While it was hard to pinpoint who hired them, a solid arrest against them was always appreciated so the police were all smiles.

“You really did a service to the community, Mr. Yang.” The officer stated, shaking his hand.

“Absolutely.” He replied, giving a small smile. “I just hope I can soon share this with my family.”

He’d chosen to keep his last name until he could find out the name of this body. That was the second reason for going to the station rather than the hospital. He hoped they could find out his identity so he could make further plans.

He needed to know who this body had made an enemy of for him to be left for dead at the bottom of a ravine with a stab wound.

The officer assured him that they were looking into his identity and would inform him as soon as they could. Afterward, he was released into the station, seeking out Maomao. She too had finished her report, jogging over to him with a smile.

“Well?”

“They are still looking into who I am.” He said, patting her on the shoulder. “What about you?”

She frowned, looking forlorn. “I don’t have proof that my stepmother was involved so I couldn’t bring it up. I know she had something to do with it!”

He was sure it was her too. Maomao had said she’d first spotted them in front of her bus stop, lurking nearby. They followed her onto the bus and chased her into the park. There was no way they just randomly picked her that day. They would have had to have been following her for days to know when and where she would be going.

Unfortunately, her stepmother wasn’t an idiot so there was no trail leading back to her.

He supposed it would be too easy to get rid of her so early on.

Briefly, he wondered how she was supposed to escape that situation if he hadn’t intervened. Wasn’t there supposed to be a male lead or something to save her at the last second?

W-wait, that wasn’t him, right?! Sure, he saved her but considering he was supposed to be dead, he couldn’t be the male lead.

He pondered this deeply, frowning as he tried to figure out where this plot was going.

Mao Mingxia watched him scowl, assuming he was troubled by the deepening conflict that she had accidentally pulled him into.

“I’m sorry to get you involved in my problems.” She mumbled, picking at her finger. The gesture, as contrite as a puppy, pulled him from his thoughts.

“Don’t be. I’m glad I did it.” He assured her, petting her head.

If this world really is like a novel, he knew they weren’t planning on just roughing her up. She’d have been defiled and her assault would have been circulated somehow. If not that, it would be used as blackmail against her.

Either scenario was not something he wanted for Maomao.

While she wasn’t the smartest girl, he could see that she was earnest and kind. Her time in the countryside made her the sweetest kind of girl.

She’d be eaten alive if left alone.

He assumed this incident would push her to toughen up and start becoming a confident and capable woman who could beat her enemies with wit and grace. Right now, however, she was still soft and cute so he couldn’t leave her by herself.

His reassurance seemed to touch her deeply, her eyes gleaming with gratitude and joy.

“D-do you mind if I call you Brother Yang?” She asked, blushing cutely. “You’ve been so nice to me and-”

“If I get a cute little sister like you, I don’t mind.” He replied, stroking her hair.

He was still new to this world and needed a friend. Mao Mingxia was cute and easy to talk to. She was like a stray dog he’d found shivering in the cold rain. If she liked him enough to call him brother within hours of meeting him, she would definitely need a little help.

She wouldn’t be his true little sister though.

***

After some time, they were released from custody as they were assured that the men who attacked her would be charged harshly.

As for his ‘amnesia’, they hadn’t yet figured out who he was yet but he told them that he’d be sticking with Mao Mingxia for the time being. Once they got a clue, they could just call her to let him know.

For the time being, Mao Mingxia would be his guardian in a sense. The only alternative was the hospital and Mao Mingxia refused to leave her savior alone like that.

Ah, she was such a sweetheart. He thought with a small smile. Perhaps she had earned the name Maomao since she’s so cute.

“Wanna get something to eat?” He offered, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun.

“Won’t I be treating you?”

“It’ll be just this once.” He said, feeling a bit bad for doing so. He wanted her to have a chance to relax after her stressful morning.

“Don’t worry about it!” She cried, seeing the indecision in his eyes. “I was just joking! You are my savior! The least I could do is treat you to a meal.”

Yang Xuetian watched her, seeing her determination. He was sure if he argued any further, she’d fight him tooth and nail.

“Then I suppose I’ll be imposing myself on you today.” He conceded, shrugging his shoulders. He was starving, after all, so why feign humility?

The pair walked to the bus stop, just barely catching it as they ran. Just as Mao Mingxia was paying their fare, Yang Xuetian spotted a pair of cars speeding into the police station parking lot. The skidding stop had drawn the eye of almost everyone on the bus, a few people muttering as the pair found their seats.

“Who are those people?”

“Probably some rich folks. You know how impatient they are.”

“What if they hit someone! At that speed, they could have-”

“They’d probably just charge the victim for denting their luxury car.”

Yang Xuetian couldn’t help but agree. While the parking lot was clear, driving at that speed was dangerous.

Some things never change. He thought, turning to Mao Mingxia to ask her something. As they were pulling away, he caught a glimpse of the person coming out of the first car.

A tall man with darkish red hair and fox ears.

(AN: the color is Maroon but as a ‘straight’ guy, XT can’t tell the difference.)

Seeing another fox made him wonder about himself. He still didn’t know the identity of this body and he was worried it’d cause problems later down the line.

***

The problems that arose from Yang Xuetian’s actions had walked into the police station with a sour attitude.

From the two cars came the most troublesome kind of people. The ones demanding things they simply couldn’t provide but having enough sway to make an outright refusal difficult.

On one side was an older woman and a younger man. Both had fox ears though only the older woman’s ears twitched with anger. The younger man was calm and serene.

If not for the woman, the clerk might have had time to admire the man’s good looks.

“My son is missing!” She cried, slapping a hand down on the table. “Why are you not doing anything?”

“Mother, please don’t yell.” The man, her other son, tried coaxing her. “The officers are going to help but you must stay calm.”

“Calm? Calm?!” She glared at her son, looking at him as if he had personally kidnapped her child. “My boy has been missing for hours and you expect me to be calm!? He could be hurt or even dea-”

The older woman couldn’t even say the words, covering her mouth as she suppressed her sobs.

The man stroked her back, trying to ease her worries.

“My younger brother is missing.” He restated, hugging the older woman. “We need to know if you’ve heard anything about him.”

“I understand your concern, sir but as it's only been one night, we can’t justify opening a case on him.” She said, bracing herself as she continued. “Perhaps if you call him or check the place he frequen-”

“Do you think we haven’t done that!?” The woman screamed, spinning in her son’s arms. “If this was a matter of him missing a call, would we bother coming here!?”

The clerk sighed, wishing she’d taken the day off.

Don’t think her callous and uncaring, for there was more to the matter than just finding a missing person. While a missing person was a serious matter, considering who they were looking for, this wasn’t worth the trouble.

That guy was well known for disappearing for days at a time with no notice. He often went ‘missing’ in some random city before showing up unharmed back home. That's why everyone at the station knew this woman well and felt no concern about the matter.

Really, only the family felt that this time was different.

At the other desk, just a few feet away, another clerk was talking to their second troublesome guest. The second clerk envied the first. As frustrating as the mother/son was, it was understandable since they were seeking a loved one. The one she was dealing with, on the other hand…

“My master needs to find someone.” The dragon declared, staring down at her like a subject to a king. No, it was like a vassal passing down orders from a king to a lowly peasant.

She sighed, wishing she could be home instead of dealing with this.

Fox’s were arrogant due to them having riches. Dragons were arrogant due to their bloodline. It was hard to say which was worse but dealing with both was hell.

“Sir, as I said before, we would need a clear description of the person in order to find them.”

“We don’t have a description. They should have been at the hospital but the person there wasn’t who we were looking for.” He replied. “If you would, let us look into those who came into your station in the last few hours.”

This was the troublesome part of his request. While it was usually fine to help affluent people look for people, it was another thing to talk about those who came to them. Some matters that came to them were private and couldn’t be shared with others.

“As I said, that isn’t something we can do, sir.” She tried to explain once again, feeling stressed. On one hand, she had a duty to protect the privacy of those who came to them. On the other hand, she was dealing with a dragon.

Woe is the life of public-facing employees~

***

Elsewhere, far from the chaos he’d inadvertently caused, Yang Xuetian was seeing the world he’d fallen into for the first time.

It was surprisingly normal despite the populace consisting of what should be mythical creatures.

People with wings flew above the heads of those with animal features and vaguely humanoid people. Two-legged werewolves in suits strolling down the street with fairies as they talked and pale-faced vampires under umbrellas ordering coffee.

In comparison to the view he was taking in, his fox tail and ears were subtle.

There were a lot of human-looking people but it was hard to say they were actually human. Mao Mingxia looked entirely human too.

“So where are we going?” He asked, having spent the last half hour coming to terms with his new reality.

What else could he do?

“I want to go to a cafe I frequent.” She said, holding up her phone. “My phone died some time ago and I need to charge it.”

“You didn’t do that at the station?”

“Things were kind of hectic and I only just now noticed it was dead.”

Considering how her night had gone, that made sense. It stamped out his plan of asking to use her phone to skim through the internet though.

He shrugged. “That would explain why you haven’t gotten any calls.”

Mao Mingxia didn’t reply.

Yang Xuetian glanced over to see her wilted in the seat beside him.

“I… I doubt anyone would call me.”

“Hey now, Maomao,” He cut in, tapping her temple to get her attention. “You’ve got me, don’t you?”

“You don’t even know who you are? How would you call me?”

“I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”

“Letters?” She guessed.

“Nope. I’ll shout from across the room to get your attention.”

“D-don’t do that!” She cried, unsure whether he would or not do it. His expression said he just might. “It’d be embarrassing for you.”

“I can do it now if you want?” He offered, cocking a brow.

“No, don’t!” She cried, reaching out to cover his mouth.

Yang Xuetian allowed himself to be silenced, nodding as if he’d been convinced. This girl was cuter than he’d thought.

Just then, she gasped. “Oh, wait, we have to go to my school first.” She pulled the cord to request a stop.

“What for?”

“I was supposed to pick up something from my dorm this morning.” She explained, leading him out the bus. “Everything has been so hectic today that I almost forgot.”

“Then we should charge it while we’re there.”

The pair made it to Mao Mingxia’s university soon after, though they were both shocked to see a crowd forming at the gate.

“What's going on?” He wondered out loud. Had a celebrity passed by to pick up his Cinderella?

“Does it matter?” She retorted, leading them around the crowd. “I have to get to my dorm so I can get my things from Xiao Hua.

Xiao Hua was probably her roommate.

As they passed the crowd, Yang Xuetian’s ears picked up a few words.

“...believe our luck! He never comes to the campus this early.”

“We should make sure…. He has a bad temper, right?”

“All … have that trait so…”

Everything else was swallowed up by the crowd so Yang Xuetian had no idea what was happening. Perhaps the celebrity was the bad boy type? Either way, it wasn’t his business.

Once they arrived at the dorm, Mao Mingxia told him to wait outside.

“You can’t come into the dorm.”

“Even with my pretty face?” He teased, eliciting a small chuckle from her.

“No one would fall for that. Just wait for me outside.”

That wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t even have a cell phone so if he lost her, he’d be screwed. Moreover, anyone who knew anything about stories knew shit always went down in dorms like this.

For a moment, he wished he could pass for a woman so he could keep his golden thigh safe.

He scratched his head, feeling a bit nervous. “What if something happens while you're there?”

She blinked at him innocently, confused. “What could possibly happen there?”

A lot of things. Considering how she had been attacked just this morning, Yang Xuetian wondered how safe she’d be alone.

Yet regardless of his feelings, he couldn’t walk in with her, leaving him alone as he watched her disappear.

He could only hope nothing too extreme would happen.

As he waited, he felt his ear twitch, something he was still trying to get used to. The extra appendages were slowly becoming normal to him. As time went, his tail felt less like an extra limb.

It wasn’t too bad, he supposed.

Still, his new limbs were reacting to something. The fur on his tail was rising, as if anticipating something but Yang Xuetian didn’t see anything happening around him. The air just felt… heavy?

Then, without warning, a loud crack of thunder shocked him and everyone around them. Before he could question where such a sound could come from on a clear day like today, clouds seemed to rush in, bringing with it heavy rain.

“Shit!” He cursed, running for shelter as did everyone else around him. There were complaints about the sudden rain and equally fervent expletives but Yang Xuetian didn’t care.

He refused to get sick on his first day in a new world.

Unfortunately, every place he wandered to was full of people, leaving no room for him and his big tail.

Damn it!

Eventually, he ended up in a park-like area. There weren’t any people around, which suited him just then. Looking around, he spotted a stone structure and beelined for it.

He had no idea what it was but as long as it was a shelter, he didn’t care.

Rushing underneath, he could swear the rain got more intense but surely that was his imagination.

Looking himself over, he grimaced. He looked like a drowned rat~

He shook his tail, hating the heavy feeling of wet fur.

As soon as he did so, he heard someone - something - growl.

Ah, so he wasn’t alone then.