"Stop screaming!"
Especially at such close range...
The impact was even more devastating.
"Y-yes... It's a snake!?"
The girl with bobbed hair was still screaming.
Along with her fear, there was a hint of grievance on her face.
It wasn't like she wanted to scream...
But she was afraid of snakes.
"It's okay."
The woman bent down and wrapped her arms around the girl with bobbed hair. "Don't be scared."
"It's a very pretty little white snake."
"Look, Yaoyao."
"It's very well-behaved."
The girl with bobbed hair clutched the woman's clothes tightly.
She buried her face in the woman's arms.
The familiar, comforting scent and the woman's gentle pats on her back made the girl with bobbed hair feel much safer.
Xiao Xiao's brows lifted slightly.
"Sorry."
He'd been careless.
So the girl with bobbed hair was afraid of snakes.
The little white snake flicked its tongue.
Hmph.
Useless human.
Its scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes glanced disdainfully at the girl with bobbed hair, who was huddled in the woman's arms.
The woman froze.
Huh?
She blinked.
Then rubbed her eyes hard.
"...Yaoyao."
The woman spoke as if she were telling a fairy tale. "The little white snake is making fun of you."
"It says you're useless..."
"Such a scaredy-cat..."
"Yaoyao."
"You got laughed at by a snake."
The woman sounded amazed.
The girl with bobbed hair stiffened slightly.
She instinctively wanted to argue, but couldn't think of anything to say.
All she could do was puff out her cheeks.
Xiao Xiao rested his hand on the white snake's head.
The white snake rubbed its head against his palm.
Xiao Xiao took his hand away.
The white snake was gone—
No.
The white snake had turned back into a white jade bangle.
The