The Wolf King thought for a moment, then replied, "I was being chased by assassins at the time."
"Ah?" Qiqi's eyes widened in shock.
The Wolf King explained in detail: "My father the king had passed away, and I had just ascended the throne. That night, my mother sent me a fine wine. After drinking it, I felt dizzy and lightheaded... Later, assassins came to the palace. I was gravely wounded and somehow ended up in this world."
Gu Qiqi was astonished: "Your mother? You mean your birth mother! Why would she want to harm you?"
The Wolf King paused briefly before answering, "She is my stepmother."
Qiqi grew excited: "Oh? A young and beautiful dowager queen? A emperor stranded in the mortal world? Could there be some court intrigue here? Royal secrets? Scandal, oh scandal..."
The Wolf King's expression began to darken.
Qiqi restrained herself a bit and asked, "Wolf King, when will you go back? Do you know how to return?"
That was the crux of the matter.
The Wolf King shook his head. "I am searching for a way back. Once I find it, I will return."
He glanced at Qiqi and said softly, "It seems I'll have to continue imposing on you, miss, until I leave."
What did that mean? Was he planning to stay here?
Qiqi wanted to refuse, but when she looked up and saw Rong Yi's phoenix eyes flickering, that godlike, stunning face carrying a hint of soft anticipation, she blurted out, "Alright..."
Shit!
Her brain was half a beat slower than her mouth again!
Qiqi caught a glint of slyness in the Wolf King's eyes.
To salvage some dignity, she quickly laid down conditions: "But since you're staying with me, you have to agree to my terms."
"What terms?"
"First, no using violence recklessly. Second, no causing trouble or disturbing the peace. Third, once your injuries heal, you have to work and earn money to pay rent. Fourth... you have to listen to whatever I say!"
"Agreed!"
She hadn't expected such a straightforward answer, leaving Qiqi stunned for a moment.
Was that it? A cohabitation agreement settled? She was going to live with this man now?
Qiqi sat blankly under the locust tree for a while, the summer breeze gently blowing, feeling rather awkward.
To shift her focus, she grabbed her laptop and said, "Rong Yi, you must miss home a lot, right? Let's find a way to send you back now! Since you traveled here, you can travel back again!"
Rong Yi nodded, and Qiqi went online, opening Baidu and Google to search for methods of time travel.
Immediately, all sorts of bizarre and strange methods popped up—
According to netizens, in the very distant past, time travel required special conditions, like various forms of suicide, traffic accidents, falling off cliffs, touching ancient artifacts, accidentally stepping through dimensional doors, and so on. Later, the methods became more diverse and convenient—even sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom could trigger it. Some people even traveled through time from period cramps so painful they passed out...
As the girl listed all these strange methods, the Wolf King's face grew darker and darker.
Seeing another dark cloud forming over Rong Yi's head, Qiqi quickly soothed him: "Don't worry, as long as we work hard, we'll find a way back. Look, I've already packed up all your things. One day, you'll definitely return."
With that, she sycophantically showed him the black robe, short boots, and cyan hair tie she'd brought back from the hospital.
No kidding—she'd only gotten those back with the help of Senior Brother Lu.
The Wolf King's expression softened, and his tone became much gentler: "Thank you, miss."
"Don't mention it. Just call me Qiqi from now on!" Qiqi waved a hand.
Regardless, Gu Qiqi had begun her cohabitation life with the Wolf King.
First, she had to solve the Wolf King's lodging problem. Qiqi's house was a traditional courtyard home. The east, south, and west sides were all walls, with only a row of single-story rooms lining the north side, including a living room, bedroom, study, kitchen, bathroom, and storage room. In the middle of the courtyard stood an old locust tree. It was late spring and early summer, and the locust flowers were in full bloom, their white blossoms hanging from the branches like dove wings.
Qiqi tidied up the study and settled the Wolf King in there.
Given the bleak prospects of Rong Yi returning to the demon realm, and to avoid another bloody incident like the one at People's Park, Qiqi drafted a series of reform plans, which the Wolf King gladly agreed to.
The first order of business was to change his appearance and transform him into a modern urban trendsetter.
She found a measuring tape, took Rong Yi's height and measurements, and ordered several sets of clothes online. Most of what she ordered were T-shirts, jeans, and sportswear—after all, she was a poor student with limited funds. As for the Wolf King, when he arrived in the mortal world, he had nothing on him except that extraordinary-looking jade pendant. The worst part was that his magic had been sealed upon arrival and couldn't be restored for now, so Qiqi couldn't even try to turn stone into gold.
As for that jade pendant, it was said to be the Wolf Clan's royal insignia—far too important to pawn off. So Qiqi carefully stored it away, along with the black robe Rong Yi had brought, putting them both high up on a shelf.
She ordered from a local delivery service, and the clothes arrived that afternoon. The Wolf King could finally shed his striped hospital gown and put on modern attire.
A black hoodie, black jeans, and black sneakers—the simplest outfit, yet it did nothing to diminish Rong Yi's elegance. Instead, it highlighted his youthful handsomeness. When he took off the jacket, revealing the white T-shirt underneath, his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and youthful, muscular build outshone any top model Qiqi had ever seen in magazines!
Truly a feast for the eyes! Truly a beauty that could topple cities!
Qiqi's blood was boiling.
However, the Wolf King was a bit uncomfortable with the tight jeans. Compared to such form-fitting modern clothes, he clearly preferred his flowing black robe. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Seeing that silly woman's eyes practically popping out with hearts, the Wolf King figured wearing them for a while wouldn't kill him.
Circling the handsome man left and right, drooling all the while, Gu Qiqi felt something was off—but what exactly?
Just then, the early summer breeze blew through the window, stirring the Wolf King's flowing black hair and carrying the fragrance of locust blossoms.
Qiqi finally realized—it was the hair!
Rong Yi's jet-black, lustrous long hair was truly as shiny as silk, as dark as ink, and felt wonderful to the touch. But too much beauty bordered on the supernatural. Hair that long, reaching his waist, flowing loose like that, was just too artistic and ethereal. He looked like a beautiful youth straight out of a manga—far too eye-catching!
Though some men nowadays grew their hair long, they were usually artists or gangsters. Hair this long and flowing was a first for her.
So Qiqi suggested, "Your Highness the Wolf King, summer is almost here. Don't you find your long hair hot? Look, the men in our world all keep short hair—it's neat and cool. How about cutting it off?"
The Wolf King's face changed instantly, and he snapped, "One's body, hair, and skin are gifts from one's parents—how can they be harmed carelessly? Doing so would be utterly unfilial!"