Talulah, I'm still a child.

Hello, my name is Mei Xue, what's your name?

"Waaah~"

"That's your name?"

"Waaah!"

"Alright, from now on you'll be called Awu!"

The snow fox gave the boy in front of it a disdainful look, then took a bite of the berry in front of it. The boy, who was being looked down upon, didn't care at all and instead moved closer to it.

"!!"

This action undoubtedly alerted the snow fox, which hissed and retreated with hostility in its eyes. The boy quickly dropped the bow and arrows beside him to show that he meant no harm, and then took out a small piece of dried meat from his pocket and handed it over.

"Want some?"

"Huh?"

This action puzzled the snow fox, but the aroma of the food made it hesitate. Compared to berries, meat was undoubtedly the best. So after some hesitation, the little guy finally opened his mouth and gently bit the piece of jerky. It was from this moment that the thread of fate entangled them.

Chapter Eight: Mei Xue also wants to be with Talulah.

"I see. So you think Talulah is angry because of you, well... that's not entirely wrong."

Alina gently rubbed Mei Xue's head. She was happy that Mei Xue had confided in her, which meant that he had learned to take the initiative to communicate with others and had truly taken the first step.

"So it really is because I did something wrong?"

"No, it's precisely because you did the right thing that she's unhappy."

Alina's hands never stopped moving as she gently comforted Mei Xue. To be honest, Mei Xue's fur felt really nice to the touch. Talulah usually hogged it, but now that she wasn't around, Alina could pet it to her heart's content.

"Is it not allowed even if I do it right?"

"Of course not, this is Talulah's problem, not Meixue's problem."

Alina simply reached out and pulled Mei Xue into her lap, then rubbed against his tail. "Hmm, today it smells like roses. I'm really curious how Mei Xue manages to change his scent every day."

"Talulah's question?"

"Yes, because she cares about you so much. Talulah hasn't told you about her past yet, has she?"

"Yes, my sister is very busy."

Mei Xue pulled a big red apple out of his tail and gave it to Alina. Mei Xue knew that she was going to tell a story, and he really enjoyed the stories Alina told.

“Then I’ll do the talking. Talulah shouldn’t mind me saying these things.”

Gently resting her chin on Mei Xue's head, Alina recalled the time when she first met Talulah.

“Talulah is not from Ursus. Her father is from Victoria, her mother is from the Great Yan, and she also has a younger sister named Chen Huijie…”

Talulah was not originally from Ursus. Her biological father was a prominent figure in Victoria, and her mother was an important figure in the Great Yan. She should have had a bright future, but at that time they had an enemy—Duke Kosiché of Ursus.

Under Koschei's arrangement, Talulah's father had to sacrifice himself for the greater good, and her mother had to remarry into the Chen family of Dayan. This led to the birth of her younger sister, Chen Huijie. Despite not having the same father, the Chen sisters had a good relationship. They supported and relied on each other. Talulah vowed to protect her sister. Later, Koschei used half of Lungmen as leverage to forcibly take Talulah away and raise her as his heir.

"For Talulah, her sister is the person she cares about the most. She often writes letters and hopes to deliver them to Miss Chen Huijie someday, but she has never sent them over the years. Mei Xue, you are her brother, so Talulah must care about you a lot. It goes without saying that Talulah must consider you a very important person, maybe even more than just family."

"Hmm...is it a lover?"

Mei Xue's casual remark immediately silenced Alina. Her face darkened, and she gently grabbed Mei Xue's tail and stroked it.

"Um, Meixue, can you tell me why you think it would be your lover?"

"Because my sister said that if you want to be with someone forever, you will worry about their health and always want to see them, that is your lover."

Mei Xue's answer was simple. His eyes told Alina that this was truly what he thought. Although he didn't understand what a lover meant, it didn't stop the little fox from expressing his feelings.

"Does Mei Xue want to stay with Talulah forever?"

"Yes, my sister said she would always protect me... so I want to stay with her forever, but I can't do anything except eat."

Mei Xue looked at his hands. He was weak and didn't know any Originium Arts. He just ate apples every day. He was only good for providing unlimited supply of various fruits and vegetables. He couldn't go out to fight with everyone and didn't know how to hunt.

Alina immediately understood. It seemed that the days spent waiting for Talulah to return had given the little fox the illusion that "I am useless," or rather, Mei Xue did not truly realize what she meant to Talulah. After all, the child was still young and did not have so many complicated thoughts.

"Mei Xue, there are some things that only you can do for Talulah. Do you want to know?"

"Hmm, I'd like to know."

Wagging his tail gently, Mei Xue nodded firmly. He really wanted to do something for Talulah, whatever it was, as long as it was good for Talulah, that would be enough.

"Alright, you want to know how to stop her from getting angry? Here, I'll teach you."

Leaning close to Mei Xue's ear and whispering a few words, Alina, as Talulah's best friend, knew very well why she was angry—it was simply jealousy. Alina was glad to know this. The more Talulah cared about Mei Xue, the more she could rely on this child to remember the light in her heart, and the less she would fall into that abyss, or fall into the trap that the snake had set for her. Once Talulah was consumed by her negative emotions, only she and Mei Xue could help Talulah find herself again.

(Mei Xue is special. If I'm not around in the future, he will definitely be able to help me...)

"Let's go, I'll take you to the kitchen. Oh, are you still afraid of knives?"

"I...I will try my best to overcome it."

Because of the deep psychological trauma left by the past, Mei Xue is very sensitive to kitchens or knives. Talulah's sword or Frostnova's ice blade are fine, but ordinary kitchen knives will make Mei Xue furious.

————————————————————————————

"Ah, I really want to go back quickly. What if Meixue gets hungry?"

"...You really are crazy."

Frostnova rolled her eyes at Talulah. Seriously, Talulah is usually quite clever and very good at flirting, but whenever it comes to Mei Xue, she reveals her true nature as a silly older sister, worrying that Mei Xue will go hungry? It's like she's worried that the sky will fall.

Talulah scratched her head a little embarrassedly. How could she not miss Mei Xue, who was so cute? Frostnova didn't mock her anymore, but silently gripped her ice blade.

"However, it's best to finish this quickly today."

"?"

"I promised him I would go back soon. To be honest, Talulah... your brother is so comfortable to hold."

Recalling the hug before setting off this morning, Froststar still had the scent of roses from Meixue on her nose and her fingers were still warm. She was a little envious of Talulah for being able to sleep with Meixue in her arms; it must have been so comfortable.

"I'll curse you, you damned rabbit, you *Great Yan mixed Ursus swear word*!"

Frostnova's provocation made Talulah's face darken. She wished she could burn her to a crisp right then and there, but at this moment Talulah had to suppress her anger and endure it. This was her teammate. She decided that she would not hold back against the Ursus scouts later and would give them a good beating to vent her anger.

Chapter Nine: Mei Xue Strives for Talulah

"Meixue, don't force yourself."

Gently soothing the little fox's emotions, Alina picked up the kitchen knife that had fallen to the ground. For Mei Xue, overcoming this physical discomfort was still too difficult. He couldn't even hold the knife properly, let alone cut vegetables. Alina could clearly sense that Mei Xue was afraid.

"Sister Alina...am I really useless...?"

Mei Xue lowered his head, his tail hanging limply to the ground, and his fox ears drooping. He was disappointed in himself, yet helpless. Whenever he picked up a kitchen knife, he would subconsciously recall the scene of being eaten. The little fox could only manage to stand in this kitchen, suppressing the nausea and fear of vomiting.

But Mei Xue wanted to do something. Everyone in the camp was doing something, and Inossa and the others would also help out. Mei Xue wanted to help too. He wanted to cook a meal for Talulah so that she could feel more at ease and happy.

"It's not your fault, it was my oversight. It seems we'll need some more time."

Alina wanted to tell Mei Xue that he didn't have to do these things, but that might cause the child to fall into a mental dead end. He needed to clarify his position in the camp and find the meaning of his existence. This was very necessary for a socially anxious and slightly autistic child.

Moreover, Mei Xue herself didn't want to give up. Alina stroked his face, then thought for a moment and came up with a solution.

"In that case, let me help you, Meixue. Come on, blindfold yourself."

"Blindfolded?"

"Yes, that's it."

Alina took a wide, long strip of cloth from her pocket and carefully tied it around Mei Xue's neck, then gently held his hand.

Do you know what you're holding onto?

"Yes, Alina's hands are very warm."

"Thank you for the compliment. How about this?"

Alina placed another stick in Mei Xue's hand. The little fox instinctively used it as the handle of a kitchen knife, but his hand slipped and the stick fell to the ground. Alina knew he had hesitated.

"This is just a wooden stick, not a kitchen knife."

Alina gently kicked the wooden stick aside and handed the kitchen knife from the cutting board to Mei Xue. It was clear that Mei Xue was still somewhat resistant, but she no longer threw the knife directly on the ground, which was a big improvement. Her hands were trembling slightly. The little fox was clever; he knew that Alina was just comforting him, but it was indeed very useful. With the knife out of sight, his fear would lessen.

"But sister... how am I supposed to cook like this?"

"I'm here for you, come on, let me help you."

Alina took out a small stool and placed it in front of the stove. She picked up Mei Xue and let him stand on the stool so that our lovely little fox could reach the pot and pan and the cutting board. She gently held Mei Xue's hand and then taught Mei Xue how to cut vegetables, how to add oil, and how to stir-fry vegetables.

Despite being blind, Mei Xue chose to trust Alina. He completely surrendered his body to Alina's control and tried hard to remember the feeling. He kept reassuring himself that not being able to see meant it was okay, but he was still a little scared. Mei Xue was fine with cutting fruit or vegetables, but with meat, he felt pain all over his body with every cut. Just because he couldn't see didn't mean he couldn't feel it with his hands.

"Mei Xue, are you alright?"

Alina noticed that Mei Xue's hands were trembling and her complexion didn't look too good.

"It's okay, my hand is just a little sore."

Feeling nauseous, Mei Xue wanted to drop the knife and run away immediately, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. She cut the whole piece of meat into slices and then followed Alina's guidance to learn how to cook. However, it was her first time trying it, not to mention she was blindfolded, so the meal was quite an ordeal.

"It's finished! Meixue, you did a great job!"

Alina gently rubbed Mei Xue's ears. Mei Xue took off the cloth strip and looked at the dish on the table. Although she was a novice, she still did a decent job under Alina's guidance. At least it didn't look disgusting. Mei Xue was very happy. Her big tail swayed gently and her ears kept twitching.

"Then I'll go wait for Sister Talulah and the others to come back. Sister Alina promised to keep it a secret for me."

"Okay~ Go ahead, but be careful not to run too fast."

Watching the cute little fox run off in a flurry, Alina tasted the dish he had made herself, then frowned slightly. It wasn't very tasty, but it was quite good for a beginner. It was a bit salty, probably because of what had happened earlier.

"Talulah...you can't say it doesn't taste good, otherwise..."

Alina glanced discreetly at the kitchen knife on the cutting board. Mei Xue was a good child, smart, sensible, and well-behaved. The fact that he was willing to go to such lengths for Talulah showed how much he valued her. He had cut his fingers several times earlier out of fear and apprehension. Those wounds would disappear in the blink of an eye, but they would awaken and intensify the fear in Mei Xue's heart. Even so, he still persevered. Alina liked this little fox very much.

However, Mei Xue's condition was not good. After leaving the kitchen, he did not run to the camp entrance to wait for Talulah and the others immediately. Instead, he found a corner where no one came and could no longer hold back the nausea and vomited.

"vomit……"

Mei Xue vomited repeatedly, his stomach emptying completely. He wiped his mouth and prepared to rinse it. He took out an apple but found he had no appetite. However, he was still happy because he could finally do something for his sister.

"Um... are you alright?"

A timid voice came from behind, which frightened Mei Xue so much that she buried herself in the snow, but this was like burying her head in the sand or an ostrich burrowing into the ground, which was completely useless.