Extra Chapter 1: The Girl on Her First Day and the Icy Boss
A new employee's first day is always a bit nerve-wracking.
She arrived at the office half an hour early, clutching a folder, her breathing still slightly hurried. The elevator mirror reflected a cautious yet stubborn face. She smiled at herself—no matter how harsh it gets, she'll push through.
The department's atmosphere was unusually cold.
Whispers circulated among the staff, but the moment he appeared, all sound vanished instantly.
He was the legendary "Golden-Eyed Boss"—Shen Yizhen.
He was cold, strict, and utterly uncompromising. Rumor had it that he had worked at the multinational headquarters before returning to become the company's youngest and most difficult-to-please manager.
When he entered the conference room, the air itself seemed to grow colder.
His golden-red eyes scanned each person until they landed on her. In that instant, her spine stiffened slightly as if brushed by a faint, wild aura.
"New hire?"
His tone was flat.
She scrambled to her feet. "Yes, my name is—"
"I've seen your name," he interrupted, his voice unruffled. "Observe today. Don't speak."
She froze, nodding softly.
Throughout the meeting, his coldness was almost suffocating.
But when she approached him with documents, his golden-red eyes suddenly flickered as if some instinct had been stirred.
She thought it was just her imagination.
Until evening, after everyone else had left, he coldly instructed her.
"You stay. Overtime."
She paused, startled. "Overtime?" I—"
"New employees should understand this: mistakes must be corrected by oneself." His gaze was icy as he handed her a report.
She took it, her heart tightening.
Indeed, several details in the document hadn't been corrected properly. She protested, "But this part was wrong in the original file. I just copied it as is—"
"So you copied it wrong?" he countered in a low voice as oppressive as the night itself.
In that moment, she suddenly realized that this man was more than just a boss. He was a predator, biding his time. He was cool and restrained yet poised to shatter the boundaries of reason at any moment.
She silently returned to her seat and began revising the data.
As night deepened, she and the man were the only ones left on the entire floor. The clatter of keys echoed through the empty space. Occasionally, he lifted his head from behind his desk and glanced at her.
She sensed his gaze was more than scrutiny; it felt like testing.
Testing her patience, her reactions, and even the scent on her skin.
When she finally finished and approached his desk to hand over her work, he lifted his eyes. His voice was low and husky. "The perfume you're wearing isn't from a human brand."
She froze, her breathing slightly uneven. "What do you mean?"
He gave a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Nothing. You may leave."
At that moment, she didn't understand what he meant.
It wasn't until much later that she realized that that night, he hadn't been reprimanding her.
He was confirming a certain scent.
Foxes have the keenest sense of smell.
That day, she had entered his world for the first time.
——
Extra Chapter 2: Rainy Night and the Fox's Scent
By the second week, she had adjusted to the high-pressure pace.
He remained aloof and strict yet never made her work overtime again. Instead, he occasionally avoided meeting her gaze during meetings.
Colleagues whispered among themselves that the new hire was lucky to have survived the probation period.
Only she knew that, whenever he passed by, the air would grow subtly colder, as if something brushed against her skin.
That night, a sudden thunderstorm struck.
She was sent to deliver the final document to his desk.
The department was deserted, the lights flickering.
She entered the office and found his computer screen still lit and his unstamped seal resting on the desk.
"Manager?" she called tentatively.
No response.
She bent to gather the scattered papers when the hallway lights suddenly flickered and then plunged the entire floor into darkness.
Her heart raced.
The glow of her phone revealed a blurred shadow—something moving.
"Who's there?" she whispered.
The next second, a low, throaty growl echoed through the darkness.
Not human.
The damp, rainy air mingled with an unfamiliar, warm, dangerous scent, like fox fur brushing against skin.
She took a step back, breathing raggedly.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes glowed with a faint red light.
She barely dared to breathe. "Manager Shen?"
Silence.
Those eyes slowly drew nearer until she could hear his hoarse voice.
"You shouldn't have come up to this floor."
He stood at the edge of light and shadow; his expression was blurred and a suppressed light flickered in his eyes.
A white tail swayed gently behind him—the first fox-like apparition she had ever seen.
He reached out and pressed his hand against her shoulder.
"You smell... unlike ordinary people."
"Have... have you been drinking?" she stammered.
He didn't answer, only leaned closer, his breath lightly brushing her neck.
She could feel it—that carefully discerning, restrained scent—as if confirming who she truly was.
Thunder roared outside, illuminating half of his face. His golden-red eyes shimmered in the light as he suppressed instinct and desire.
"Go back," he commanded in a low voice. "Forget what you saw tonight."
She fled, nearly stumbling.
Rain pounded the glass, muffling her frantic heartbeat.
Yet the man remained standing silently in place behind her.
He raised a hand to touch the spot where she had stood moments before. His fingertips lingered, absorbing her scent.
A whisper escaped his throat: "So it was you."
That was the beginning of vengeance and destiny.
It was also the first time the fox lost control of his reason.
——