AN: Upon rereading my old writings, I found the alternate title that I made when I was still coming up with this story.

  The Dragons Cinderel is a sg

  *****

  Yang Xuetian took a break, standing under some trees that shielded him from the rain a bit.

  He looked around, relieved to have been right in his assumption. The princess hadn’t chased him.

  He was half expecting to see that hulking figure lurking in the dark corners of the trees like some horror movie monster. Tossing a towel in his face was a bit more reckless than he’d usually like but how could he not do it.

  The fucker wanted him to kneel?! While he might be shorter, he had his pride as a man. His rationality told him a fight would be futile but a towel to the face eased his bruised ego just a bit.

  “Still, it’d be best to avoid that guy.” He muttered, walking along the path he’d found.

  He didn’t know his way around the campus but he knew enough to know he hadn’t gone too far from the dorms.

  Actually, he could have just taken shelter there rather than running into the woods like that. Did the fox ears and tail also mean he was like an animal and sought out a non-man made shelter?

  His ears twitched at the thought, as if confirming his conclusion.

  …

  Not wanting to think about it any further, he walked faster, ignoring the fact that he was getting soaked by the rain. While the downpour was lighter than before, the puddles left from the previous shower were soaking his ankles.

  If not for the chill, Yang Xuetian might have found the walk more pleasant.

  He soon found himself back at the dorms, thankfully with no 7ft tall blonde nearby. Instead, he spotted Maomao at the entrance, being manhandled by some dy.

  As he got closer, he could hear what the argument was about.

  “….about what happened st night?” The woman demanded, refusing to let Mao Mingxia escape. “I suppose the rumors about you are true.”

  “I told you, nothing happened” Mao Mingxia snapped back, gring at the woman. “I don’t know what you heard but you can’t just snder me so casually. This is a country with ws!”

  “Snder?! Is it snder if I inform everyone about your loose ways?” She snickered, gncing around to find her audience. With how loud she was talking, it was clear she wanted to humiliate Maomao.

  Unfortunately for her, there were very few people around since the rain had only just tampered down.

  That is, until she spotted him.

  For the first time since he’d awoken in this new body, he saw a familiar expression. Immediate but shallow attraction to the opposite sex.

  It was the look he always saw just before finding a partner for the night.

  The look that always led to disappointment and resentment despite his efforts to avoid it.

  He sighed. What a troublesome day.

  ***

  Mao Mingxia was having a terrible day.

  She had been attacked but was saved by a kind man with amnesia. Other than him, her day was not going well.

  Upon arriving at her dorm, she couldn't help but notice the strange gnces she got from her roommates. While she rarely slept in the dorm, she had tried her best to keep good retions with them.

  Yet why were they looking at her with such disdain?

  While she wanted to ask them, she didn’t want to keep Brother Yang waiting so she went to her bed to find the stuff she needed.

  Then the whispers started.

  “She really is shameless, isn't she?”

  “Obviously. Despite her being a mermaid, isn’t she still a country bumpkin? Can you expect much more?”

  “She should still at least show some decency and apologize.”

  Apologize? What for? She hadn’t been to her dorm in a week.

  She was about to turn and ask what her roommates were talking about when she felt someone shove her from behind. The bunk beds were low but she managed to keep herself upright. Unfortunately, she did bump her head on the frame.

  As she gingerly touched the bump forming on her head, the others chimed in.

  “That's what you get for disgracing our school.” One girl procimed, looking down on her like she was something gross. “Do you think just because you got let through the threshold of the Jiang family, you can act as you like?!”

  Mao Mingxia frowned at the mention of her family. What did they have to do with anything?

  “Ke Ming has been defending you all morning yet you came in here like you weren’t selling yourself to the highest bidder? That you even got arrested for it?!”

  Mao Mingxia was confused, not understanding what any of her roommates were talking about.

  “What did you say?” Mao Mingxia blinked, thinking she must have misheard.

  “Oh? Are you surprised you got caught?” The girls mocked, sneering at her. “Someone posted the news on the university forum a few hours ago.”

  Mao Mingxia’s phone had died some time ago so she couldn’t check. Moreover, she rarely scrolled through the forum since it was mostly gossip and unreted news.

  Yet now it was all about her?! How had her reporting a crime become her being arrested?

  She tried to expin herself but was pushed out of the room with her stuff tossed out with her.

  “Get out of here, slut! We can't let your vulgarity stain our reputations.”

  “Go find your sugar daddy and let him put up with you.”

  “Better yet, why not save the school the trouble and drop out? We can’t have women like you dragging us respectable women down.”

  Mao Mingxia opened her mouth to argue, not wanting to be misunderstood. She had very few friends and didn’t want to lose the few acquaintances she had due to a misunderstanding.

  But before she could voice her defense, a familiar voice called out.

  “Maomao!” The voice of her best friend called out to her, concern in her voice. Seeing her, pushing through the crowd, Mao Mingxia felt relieved.

  “Yu Jiajia!” She called out as her friend helped her to her feet.

  “Let's just leave.” She suggested, packing away her friend's possessions.

  “But-”

  “People like this, who take the word of strangers aren’t worth arguing with.” She reasoned, gring at the girls staring down at them. “Let them stay ignorant.”

  Mao Mingxia wanted to at least try but nodded. While she was optimistic, she also knew just how devastating a rumor could be.

  And how valuable a person who took your side despite them was.

  After leading her to the entrance, Yu Jiajia smiled at her reassuredly. “Maomao, I’m going to get my driver to take us to my house. Can you wait here for me?”

  “It’s fine. I don’t want to trouble you.”

  “It's no trouble at all.” She assured, pouting at her friend. “We’re friends, right? So there's no need to act so polite.”

  Mao Mingxia felt her chest fill up with warmth.

  “Okay… Oh, wait!” A thought just occurred to her. “My friend needs a pce to stay too. I wouldn’t mind if it was just me but asking you to house a stranger would be too much.”

  “A friend?”

  “Yes, I’ll introduce you ter but for now, I have to take care of him.”

  Yu Jiajia observed her friend, trying to see if there was any deceit in her words. She was sure it was a lie since Mao Mingxia was the reserved type. Her kindness made Yu Jiajia worry about others taking advantage of her.

  “Then let me meet this person. If I deem him to be safe, I’ll leave it be.” She decred, leaving no room for argument. She was unsure about this new ‘friend’ of hers.

  Mao Mingxia grinned, feeling excited at the notion of her friends becoming close.

  Little did she know that their meeting would be an adversarial one. One that would rival the grand battles of ancient times.

  But, back to the present.

  After Yu Jiajia left to get her driver, Mao Mingxia was confronted by Ke Ming. While they weren’t enemies, they were definitely not friends.

  Now that Mao Mingxia had a weakness, she refused to let it go like a starving dog.

  “If what I said was a lie, why not prove it?” Ke Ming challenged, smirking at the difficult expression on Mao Mingxia’s face. “You have none? So you pn on just decring your innocence based on nothing? How presumptuous. Just because you have the Jiang family behind you doesn’t make you their young miss. That honor will never be-”

  Yet in the middle of her rant, her eyes seemed to gze over as something took her attention. It was a weird sight, seeing her disgust and ridicule melt into a silly grin.

  It was creepy.

  “Hi there, dear sister.” A deep male voice called out, surprising Mao Mingxia. “I heard you yelling and came over to see what was going on. Is everything okay?”

  It was Brother Yang, whom she was seeking to find. Neither had a cell phone so she was worried about him getting lost. She didn’t understand a lot about amnesia but if he needed her help, she had to keep an eye on him.

  But at this moment, when she was being attacked, he had come to her rescue once again.

  “Bro-” She tried to call out to him but was interrupted by Ke Ming.

  “W-why, yes!” Ke Ming interjected, pushing Mao Mingxia aside. “Thank you for worrying about me, brother~”

  Mao Mingxia frowned, looking over Brother Yang, trying to see what she saw. Brother Yang was a fox, so it was a given that he was handsome. Even though he looked a little sleazy, his friendly personality made him seem less unsavory.

  Even thinking of him as sleazy felt like a whisper from the back of her head. That was how foreign it felt.

  Maroon hair brushed past his angur face and his gold eyes gleamed with amusement as he smiled at Ke Ming.

  (AN: Maroon is a brownish shade of red so Yang Xuetian is a redhead, apparently.)

  Strangely, his smile seemed very different from the one he’d shown to her. It felt… colder.

  “How could I not worry?” He continued with a grin. “Someone was yelling quite loudly over here. If no one showed up after all that noise, wouldn’t it be a waste?”

  Ke Ming’s smile froze, surprised by his casual retort. It felt like a condemnation but his expression didn’t show any disdain. If anything, he looked on with a sense of innocent amusement.

  Mao Mingxia could only stare at Brother Yang as he continued to speak.

  “Rather than making noise, how about we slip away somewhere else?” He offered, stepping past Mao Mingxia to extend a hand. His voice was deep fragrance that had Ke Ming’s eyes fluttering with pleasure. “From what I heard, only one of you is worth spending time with. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind honoring me with your presence?”

  Mao Mingxia stared at Brother Yang with shock and betrayal. Why was he flirting with Ke Ming like this?! Weren’t they friends?

  Ke Ming blinked, taken aback by the sudden invitation.

  She had thought she was being mocked before but now this man seemed eager to take her out? She was a bit suspicious at first until she saw the look of devastation on that bitch Mao Mingxia’s face.

  This was her chance!

  “I’d love to.” She agreed, flushing with joy at the look of hurt on the bitch’s face. The rumors that spread hadn’t done nearly as much damage as this had.

  The reason for her initial interest in him was purely selfish.

  She had been taught to memorize the faces of as many rich young masters in City F that she could. It was how the women in her family got ahead. While Ke Ming didn’t recall nearly as many faces as other girls of her generation, she definitely recognized the man in front of her.

  That meant he must be a rich young master!

  She couldn’t let the opportunity slip. She had to get connected with him, one way or another.

  She looked down at herself and grimaced. She was not dressed for a night out. She looked good in anything obviously but if she was going to leave an impression, she needed more.

  “I’ll get dressed then~” She said, wishing she could invite the man inside. She couldn’t risk her roommates eyeing this handsome man. The fact he had eyes only for her since stepping forward made her feel a bit less afraid of losing him to the bitch, Mao Mingxia.

  Turning on her heel, she ran back inside, gncing back at the pair, enjoying the sight. A handsome and possibly rich young master gave her a friendly wave while her rival stared at the man’s uninterested back.

  It was the best!

  ***

  Mao Mingxia watched Ke Ming run, feeling her words bubble from her throat. She had so much to say and had to speak. She was furious!

  “B-Brother Yang, how cou-”

  “Let’s get out of here before she comes back.” He interrupted, pulling her out of sight of the dormitory and leading them toward the university entrance.

  At some point, he’d learned how to navigate the wooded area quite well.

  Confused, she pulled them to a stop.

  “Brother Yang?”

  The two stared at one another, silence falling between the two.

  “What are you waiting for?” The fox cocked a brow, his ears twitching inquisitively. “Let’s go, Maomao.”

  His expression, which had left her feeling alienated just moments before, had shifted seamlessly back to the one she recognized. A calm but amiable expression that made her feel safe. Not overly friendly but just distant enough to make her feel like he wouldn’t do her any harm.

  She’d only just now realized that this was his default expression. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

  “Brother Yang, why did you do that?” She muttered, staring him in the eyes.

  “Do what?”

  “Lie to her about being interested.” She only now realized it was a lie. While he was friendly with her, it felt different than the way he was talking with Ke Ming. there was an underlying cunning to his words. Like he was seeking something out by talking to her.

  Nothing at all like the tone he was using now.

  “To get her to leave you alone, obviously.” He replied, letting go of her wrist. “Had I left it alone, she’d still be interrogating you.”

  “But I did nothing wrong so why should I flee?!” She was the wronged party yet she was running away as if she had a guilty conscience.

  “Do you have any means of proving your innocence?”

  “N-no.”

  “And I’m sure you don’t want to go into detail about what happened right now, right?”

  “…No.”

  She still wanted to bury herself in her bed and cry. Only then would she be able to vent all the feelings in her heart, safe in her space that was all her own. Until then, she really didn’t want to talk about what happened.

  Brother Yang gave her a gentle look, seeming to understand without any words.

  “Then don’t force yourself.” He assured her, his voice soft and comforting. “The matter is easy to resolve but don’t stress yourself, Maomao. Arguing with a hostile adversary is a waste of energy.”

  Wasn’t that what Yu Jiajia had said too? Mao Mingxia hadn’t thought that deeply about it since she was only reacting in the moment but after giving herself the time to think, she saw what they had meant. Those accusing her didn’t care what she said. Every word was just the weightless denial of a guilty party.

  Only pure hard evidence would reveal the truth.

  “One has to set the proper stage for a face sp, Maomao.” He said, patting her on the shoulder. “Anything less won’t satisfy the slight you’ve received.”

  Mao Mingxia nodded, feeling a new fire burn in her heart. She couldn’t just stand around and scream into the void. She had to show her innocence and make those who humiliated her feel shame for their words.

  “Is that all it took to convince you? Was my words less meaningful?”

  They both turned toward the sound, seeing Yu Jiajia standing nearby with her arms crossed. The sour expression on her face made it clear she’d heard at least the end of their conversation.

  “Yu Jiajia!”

  “Who is this guy?” She demanded, gring at Brother Yang.

  The fox, ever the enigma, took her hostility in stride and grinned.

  “You can call me Yang.” He replied, holding out a hand. “I’m Maomao’s new friend. Purely ptonic, of course, ~”

  Yu Jiajia narrowed her eyes, wary. Mao Mingxia knew what she was worried about. She was still engaged to HC, though they didn’t spend as much time together as they used to. She still believed he was a good man, just busy.

  Yu Jiajia, on the other hand, warned her that she was too nice to see how distant he was. That she had to be wary of him. Mao Mingxia didn’t think about it too deeply, knowing Yu Jiajia was just protective.

  “As for your earlier question, it's simple.” Brother Yang continued, interrupting her thoughts. “A handsome face does wonders for convincing others.”

  They stared at him, shocked by his brazen decration. He was good looking but to just say it out loud like that was…

  It was quite something.

  “Handsome?” Yu Jiajia echoed, her eye twitching with annoyance. “You look like a pyboy. Why should I trust my best friend with you?”

  “Is that up to you? Aren't my words more meaningful than yours?”

  Mao Mingxia stood between them, feeling like a fight would break out if she didn’t. Despite her intervention, the pair still looked ready to continue the verbal brawl.

  “W-why don’t we get out of here!?” Mao Mingxia offered, gncing between the two. “It's been a long morning and we must all be hungry, right?”

  As if on cue, Brother Yang’s stomach let out a grumble, drawing the two girls' eyes. He smiled sheepishly.

  “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

  Yu Jiajia sighed, leading the pair to her car. Her driver, an older man, frowned at the appearance of Brother Yang but showed no other response. Ever the gentleman, Brother Yang let her and Yu Jiajia go in first, which seemed to endear him to the driver as the older man gave a small nod.

  Mao Mingxia was hopeful that Brother Yang would get along with her small friend group!

  Unseen by the car’s occupants, a certain blonde watched as the male entered the car, his rge tail tip being the only thing that stayed in his eyes. Even long after the car had driven away, those dark eyes stared.

  ******

  AN: So an interesting thing I realized is that I made Xuetian a redhead by accident. I actually wanted to give him a more purplish hair color and misremembered maroon as that color. Apparently, the color I was looking for was Mauve but I’ve already settled on maroon so such is life~