Snake Kiss

Want to kiss?

Some things were acceptable for children and the elderly, but not for a seemingly able-bodied adult.

If anyone saw this, the gossip would be vicious. It would cause as much shock as a glamorous heiress walking naked down the street.

Xing Yue disliked Bu Yao, but not enough to let her be gawked at and ridiculed. Even years ago, no matter how fiercely they fought, Xing Yue had covered for her whenever this happened in public.

Now it was pure reflex. Xing Yue refused to admit Bu Yao had her wrapped around her finger. She sat by the window and turned to look at the scenery, leaving plenty of space between them.

Still unsatisfied, she kicked the tail beside her.

Unfortunately, the car was too cramped. Even with an empty seat between her and Bu Yao, the red snake tail coiled twice and still pressed against her.

The part she had kicked hovered in the air for a few seconds before slowly settling back down. It even had the nerve to drape across her thigh, heavy as anything.

Bu Yao's tail was beautiful, full and supple, with gorgeous coloring. It was sensitive, too. Tiny Snake Scales crawled against Xing Yue's leg, curling in ripples. In the shifting light and shadow, the tail looked more magnificent still.

"Did you put on the medicine?" she asked. Her conscience had suddenly stirred, reminding her of Bu Yao's allergy.

Xing Yue asked casually as she stroked the tail. Most snakes had cool, smooth scales, but Fire Snake scales were different: warm, with a matte texture.

It was far too sensitive. The tail trembled every time she touched it, and within seconds, her whole palm had grown hot and flushed. She wrapped her hand around the tail and gradually tightened her fingers, then gave a sudden squeeze when it quivered.

Bu Yao was already ashamed that she couldn't control her tail. With Xing Yue playing with it like this, she couldn't get a word out.

Xing Yue didn't need to chase it away now. Bu Yao wanted to hide it herself.

"Don't..." She hugged her tail and drew it back bit by bit from Xing Yue's lap. Her voice was barely audible. "Don't do that."

She settled into the corner by the car door, clutching her tail tightly. Resting her forehead against it, she tried to calm her ragged breathing and hid her burning cheeks there too.

Only she knew why her tail had suddenly appeared... and the clearer the reason became, the hotter her face grew.

After some time, the car reached the neighborhood where Xing Yue lived. She didn't have much money. The little villa she'd bought wasn't downtown; for the same price, she could only have afforded a fifty-square-meter apartment closer to the city center.

Out here in the suburbs, she could afford a little two-story villa, though it wasn't large either: just two bedrooms, a living room, a dining room, and a garage.

Downstairs were the living room, kitchen, and garage. Upstairs were the bedrooms, recording studio, and hall. There wasn't even space for a guest bedroom or study. This was the best she could manage, and the little house alone had cost much of her savings.

But Xing Yue never complained. She knew she earned far more than an ordinary office worker. It was just that the Bu Family often looked down on her; to them, her income might as well have been street begging.

Remembering the past sent her resentment surging again. She stopped and looked at the woman who had gotten out of the car with her and was already standing at her front door.

Hadn't Bu Yao said she was only picking her up from work? Why had she come along? Housekeeper Li had even driven off, leaving Bu Yao with her.

"You're coming in too?" Xing Yue asked uncertainly.

Bu Yao had recovered. Standing in her dainty little heels, she turned her face and nodded.

Xing Yue smiled. "What if I don't let you?"

If she refused, Bu Yao apparently couldn't do much about it.

Bu Yao took a bag from her small black velvet handbag. Inside were cotton swabs, medicinal powder, and ointment, all prescribed by the hospital.

She pushed it into Xing Yue's hand. The gesture said everything.

Xing Yue bit her lower lip so hard she nearly broke the skin, yet she couldn't bring herself to refuse. Damn her conscience!

"Couldn't you have told me you couldn't use Finger Sleeves?" she grumbled as she led Bu Yao inside. "Did you have to set me up?"

Bu Yao followed Xing Yue and took off her shoes in the entryway. Glancing around furtively, she examined everything. "How would I have known beforehand that I couldn't use Finger Sleeves?"

Of course she'd had to use them for the first time to discover she was allergic to latex. Who could know before trying?

The question gave Xing Yue pause. She'd had a girlfriend after their divorce, so she had naturally assumed Bu Yao had been with other women too. It hadn't been three or five years. They'd been divorced for ten. Had Bu Yao really not dated anyone?

Now that the thought had occurred to her, Xing Yue didn't want to discuss it. She tossed her keys onto the entryway cabinet and went to the refrigerator for some ice water.

Bu Yao belatedly realized something and followed her into the kitchen, eyes fixed on her. "Xing Yue, did you have another girlfriend after our divorce?"

The hall lights were on, but the kitchen was dark. Light reached them from the hall, supplemented by the refrigerator's dim yellow bulb.

She could clearly see the curved glass in Xing Yue's hand, filled with ice. When Xing Yue tipped her head back to drink, her throat moved. It was a tempting sight; even in profile, her striking features were flawless.

Xing Yue's wifely beauty was unfairly alluring, with a forbidden thrill that drew Bu Yao in.

"What do you think?" Xing Yue didn't answer directly.

She might as well have. Bu Yao knew the answer. It was as if a flame had ignited inside her. She sucked in a breath, her chest rising and falling sharply, her eyes misting over.

"What was she like?" Bu Yao asked, her voice unexpectedly calm.

Xing Yue didn't want to discuss it. She nodded absently. "Wonderful."

Bu Yao didn't understand. "Why did you break up?"

Xing Yue remained languid. "I wasn't good enough."

She was wonderful. I wasn't good enough.

Xing Yue had avoided saying more about the other woman, summing up the relationship in two short sentences. Still, she knew Bu Yao was going to make a scene.

Knowing Bu Yao, how could she bear the thought of Xing Yue with another woman? It was such a grave offense that only killing her would satisfy Bu Yao.

Xing Yue waited. She finished all the ice water in her glass, but Bu Yao never exploded.

With a light flick of her hand, Xing Yue shut the refrigerator door.

She turned and leaned against it, watching Bu Yao in the half-light. The whole place was frighteningly quiet, as if even the air had frozen. She could hear every angry breath Bu Yao took.

She was certain Bu Yao was furious. Why she wasn't taking it out on Xing Yue, though, was beyond her.

Barefoot, Bu Yao stared straight at Xing Yue, her thoughts unreadable. Suddenly she stepped closer and grabbed the front of Xing Yue's shirt. "What did you tell her about me? That I was domineering and spoiled, that I had a terrible temper, that we married and divorced on a whim, that you never loved me?"

To Xing Yue, the questions were childish. They would have been understandable coming from Bu Yao at eighteen, but caring about such things at twenty-eight was a little too girlish.

Yet looking at that face, those eyes redder than a rabbit's and on the verge of tears, Xing Yue couldn't mock her. Bu Yao was still questioning her fiercely, and she was so earnest.

"No..." Xing Yue denied it. She only cursed Bu Yao in front of her best friend. She had never done it in front of anyone else—not family, not coworkers. "I said Miss Bu was very beautiful. The kind of woman someone could fall for at first sight."

She hadn't rejected the Bu Family's marriage proposal back then because she'd been drawn to Bu Yao's looks. She couldn't think of much else good to say about her, but she hadn't said anything bad either.

Whether Xing Yue's answer was true or not, it comforted Bu Yao a little. She no longer had the standing to be jealous or to ask Xing Yue to remain faithful to her.

It hurt.

"Really?" Bu Yao asked. She released Xing Yue, looked up at the ceiling, and blinked hard.

Xing Yue didn't like this situation. It felt stifling. She wouldn't even let Bu Yao cry in her home. "Don't cry. I can't stand seeing women cry."

Especially a woman who had humiliated her and trampled on her dignity.

More than anything, though, she felt an inexplicable panic. Bu Yao was acting too strangely. For a moment, Xing Yue even thought it would be easier to deal with the Bu Yao of ten years ago. At least back then, Bu Yao had ordered people around and said exactly what she wanted. She hadn't been like this.

Xing Yue couldn't read her at all.

The moment that thought surfaced, Xing Yue swore inwardly. What was wrong with her? Was she actually nostalgic for the woman who used to make her carry her shoes? She must have lost her mind.

If Xing Yue hadn't said anything, it might have been fine. But her words only made Bu Yao feel worse. She hurried out of the kitchen, circled the first floor without finding a bedroom, then rushed upstairs. She opened the bathroom door, shut it behind her, crouched on the floor, and began to cry.

The baffling turn of events made Xing Yue feel awful too. What was this supposed to mean? Bu Yao was acting as though Xing Yue had wronged her!

Xing Yue lay on the sofa, her head aching. An old voice echoed through her mind—

[Shut up! Stop crying. I told you not to cry, do you hear me? Ah—don't scream! No crying!]

Xing Yue jerked upright on the sofa. Her body trembled slightly, her lips had gone pale, and her limbs were ice-cold.

She got up and walked toward the bathroom. Before she could knock, the door opened from inside. Bu Yao threw herself at Xing Yue and held her tight.

It was only a hug, yet it seemed to shatter every trace of Bu Yao's spoiled-heiress pride.

"I'm getting older..." Xing Yue licked her lower lip. She neither hugged Bu Yao back nor pushed her away. "I might not have much patience with you. Don't take what I just said to heart."

It wasn't that she couldn't stand seeing women cry. She simply couldn't tell what Bu Yao wanted, and the way Bu Yao made her heart race left her irritable.

Xing Yue was torn. She hadn't liked how they used to treat each other, but now that Bu Yao was even more willing to give way than she was, she still didn't like it.

Seeing the proud swan lower her head brought no pleasure in gaining the upper hand. Instead, Xing Yue felt as though a needle had pricked her heart. It wasn't a sharp pain, only a faint sting... At first she barely noticed it, but enough pricks would become unbearable. Given time, even a breeze against those tiny wounds might hurt.

Bu Yao lifted her head and asked, her eyelashes still wet, "Want to kiss?"

A soft, sleek Snake Tongue flicked into the air, stirring a silent heat. Its forked tip brushed affectionately against Xing Yue's chin.

Xing Yue declined gently. "I have work tomorrow."

Bu Yao leaned against her, warmth flowing steadily between them, her eyes full of coaxing reproach. "Just a snake kiss. We won't do anything else."