She Was Ready to Be a Pillow Princess

It was time for Xing Yue to be Pillow Princess.

They had argued plenty when they were married, but they had never stopped sleeping together. Once they got a taste for it, they wanted it every day. When they were angry, it became a way to vent—rougher, harder to control.

Compared with back then, Xing Yue had shown remarkable restraint. Since their reunion, they had only slept together on the first night. Xing Yue had said she was too stressed and lonely, but how could one time last her this long?

At Xing Yue's age, she should have been at the height of her desire. How could she be so uninterested? Unless she no longer had the stamina to take charge?

Bu Yao's face filled with shock. That had to be it. Xing Yue's stamina wasn't what it used to be. It was time for her to be Pillow Princess...

Propped against the headboard, Xing Yue knew nothing of Bu Yao's thoughts or the role Bu Yao had assigned her: Pillow Princess. The heated, enticing scene from before they turned out the lights kept replaying in her mind.

Her toes slid soundlessly over the sheets. Distracted, she murmured, "Mm... I am a little tired..."

Her voice was strained, her breathing slow and carefully subdued. Even on this chilly, windswept night, a thin sheen of sweat had formed across her back.

The rain drowned out anything unusual in her voice. Bu Yao rolled over to face her. "Don't you like leaving a night-light on when you sleep? Why did you turn everything off tonight?"

She couldn't sleep and wanted to talk to Xing Yue.

In the unlit bedroom, she could make out only a vague silhouette.

Knowing Bu Yao was looking at her, Xing Yue felt her throat tighten. "Is the young lady... afraid of the dark?"

Without answering the question, she settled back against the bedding, drew her knees together, and pulled up the covers. "If you're afraid, turn on the light."

Something about Xing Yue's voice struck Bu Yao as odd. She spoke slowly and quietly, as though she were holding something back, and her tone sounded strange too.

Bu Yao wasn't afraid of the dark. She just wasn't used to sleeping on the floor. She wanted to sleep in Xing Yue's arms. "Xing Yue, will you sing for me?"

Bu Yao often listened to Xing Yue's covers on music apps, but those songs were for all her fans. It had been a long time since Xing Yue had sung for her alone.

"Have you looked at my WeChat status?" Bu Yao asked, holding on to a little hope.

Maybe bringing it up would remind Xing Yue of the time they had encouraged each other online. Back then, Bu Yao hadn't known Xing Yue's real name or what she looked like. When they lost touch, all Bu Yao had wanted was to meet her. She had never expected to fall in love at first sight.

The first time Bu Yao went looking for Xing Yue, she happened to be shedding her skin. She was resting in a tree when Bo Wuxue spotted her first—

"A Yue, look. There's a Little Fire Snake up there." Bo Wuxue pointed overhead, prompting Xing Yue to look up.

That day, Xing Yue wore a champagne-gold halter dress with fringe, her hair pinned up and her eyes bright. When she saw Bu Yao's snake form, she smiled. "She's fully grown, isn't she? Her scales are so well cared for. What a gorgeous little beauty."

Hearing that, the Little Fire Snake flushed and burrowed her massive body deeper into the thick leaves.

Xing Yue seemed to see how shy she was. She drew Bo Wuxue away and teased softly, "Looks like she's about to shed. Don't stare at her."

That voice, as gentle as a warm breeze, had opened a window in Bu Yao's world. Beyond it, every season was spring.

At that, Xing Yue froze and instinctively groped for her phone in the dark. She really hadn't noticed what Bu Yao had written in her status.

As soon as the screen lit up, a text from an unfamiliar number appeared.

[A Yue, I want to see you.]

Xing Yue's sleepy mind cleared at once. Without the slightest hesitation, she turned on the light, got out of bed, and changed her clothes in one swift motion.

Bu Yao had yet to adjust to the sudden glare. Watching Xing Yue rush around, she had a bad feeling. She went over and tugged at the hem of Xing Yue's clothes. "It's pouring outside. Where are you going?"

A thunderstorm was bad enough, and it was past one in the morning. The streets would be dark and deserted. In weather like this, even the night market would be closed.

Xing Yue finished dressing and picked up her car keys without answering.

When Bu Yao saw her putting on her socks and shoes, she understood. For once, she didn't try to stop her.

She climbed back onto the bed and claimed it for herself, then let out a derisive laugh. "I told you, He Zhiwen doesn't love you that much. A few love letters, a few little crafts—anyone could do that. What has she actually given up for you? Your house: aside from telling you how to decorate this and that, has she paid a cent toward it? You were so starved for love growing up that a bad woman said a few sweet things and had you wrapped around her finger. Go on, then! When an ex comes back, it's never good news. She probably wants to borrow money. Just don't come crying to me."

The cards made it all sound so lovely: the amazing Xing Yue, He Zhiwen working hard at life. Bu Yao felt sick.

Xing Yue had earned the house and car on her own. He Zhiwen was a university lecturer in her late twenties who also taught piano on the side, yet all she gave her girlfriend were cards and a handmade miniature house. Impressive. That must have cost all of two hundred.

What was wrong with Xing Yue? She looked down on the ruby necklace I gave her, worth tens of millions, but liked this junk.

The words were harsh, and Xing Yue's expression darkened. "You're the worst woman in the world, and you're calling someone else bad?"

Bu Yao exploded. "How am I bad? I can give you anything. He Zhiwen can't—and even if she could, she wouldn't."

The tension in the room was ready to ignite. In her hurry to leave, Xing Yue missed what Bu Yao meant. She couldn't be bothered to keep arguing and slammed the door behind her.

Left alone, Bu Yao deflated like a punctured balloon. She sat on the bed in a daze, with none of the little lion's fierceness she had shown a moment ago.

Jiang Li was in Silent City on business for a few days. Her younger sister Jiang Yue happened to have a short school break, so Jiang Li had brought her wife along for a visit.

In the hotel, a delicate-looking young woman was tying someone else's tie. "Do you have to go now?" she asked worriedly. "It's so late."

He Zhiwen stroked Jiang Yue's head, her eyes curving into crescents. "My friend starts training the day after tomorrow. I'm afraid she won't have time then. Don't worry, she's lovely. I'll be back in an hour."

Jiang Yue was still a little unhappy, but she didn't interfere with He Zhiwen's decision. "All right. Be careful. If it's too much trouble, forget it. I've never met your friend, so I'd feel bad asking her for help."

A program had recently announced an open call for contestants. Several spots were reserved for established actors and singers, while the rest were open to newcomers. Jiang Yue was a short-video influencer and wanted to take part.

Whatever the outcome, getting onto the show would bring her attention and help her career.

The online announcement might have called it an open selection, but there was bound to be some maneuvering behind the scenes. The application process was probably a formality; those chosen likely had connections.

Jiang Yue hadn't held out much hope and had only planned to apply on a whim. But when He Zhiwen said she had a friend who could recommend her, Jiang Yue began to hope.

"It's no trouble," He Zhiwen said with certainty. "My friend is easygoing, kind, and good to people. Given our friendship, she won't turn me down if I ask her for a favor."

He Zhiwen had praised this friend hundreds of times that evening, as if no one else on earth could compare. Jiang Yue was getting jealous. What kind of friend could be that wonderful?

Ever since He Zhiwen returned from her hike today, eight out of every ten things she said had been about this friend.

Seeing Jiang Yue sulk, He Zhiwen smiled helplessly. She picked up a fruit knife to peel a mango for her.

She rarely did this sort of thing; someone usually prepared fruit for her. Before she had made more than a couple of cuts, the knife caught her finger. "Ah..."

He Zhiwen drew in a sharp breath. Clear blood ran down the blade.

Jiang Yue hurried over, wiped the blood from the knife, and took He Zhiwen's finger into her mouth. "Be careful. Don't let anyone see."

He Zhiwen was a Spirit Snake, and her blood was transparent. Every part of her—her scales, Snake Shed, blood, and flesh—could be made into medicine said to cure every disease.

Tragedies involving Spirit Snakes happened every year. In ninety percent of cases, the killer was their lover. In the remaining ten percent, it was a friend or relative.

Two centuries ago, Spirit Snakes had been butchered on a massive scale and sold on the black market. The carnage was unspeakable.

Later, the Spirit Snake families passed down a way to stay alive from one generation to the next: never let anyone discover what kind of snake you were. It didn't matter who they were, even if they were the lover who shared your bed.

These days, most people believed Spirit Snakes were extinct.

"I know. It's just the two of us here. Don't worry." The warmth around He Zhiwen's fingertip brought a blush to her cheeks.

It was only a small cut, and the bleeding had stopped, but Jiang Yue still wasn't reassured. She fetched a bandage and put it on He Zhiwen's finger.

When Xing Yue reached the entrance of the hotel, she replied to He Zhiwen's text.

He Zhiwen came down soon after, wearing a lotus-pink dress with a bow at its ruffled collar. She waved when she saw Xing Yue, smiling brightly. She had always been so full of life, like a little sun.

She hesitated beside the car, then opened the passenger door. "A Yue, it's been such a long time. You left so quickly this morning that I thought you didn't want to see me."

He Zhiwen sounded a little down, apparently hurt by Xing Yue's reaction that morning. She had been far more excited to see Xing Yue, but Xing Yue had left so quickly she hadn't even had the chance to hear much of her voice.

Xing Yue drove, looking for a nearby place to eat, and didn't answer. She could hardly admit that she had fled because she was afraid to hear whether He Zhiwen was happy.

"What would you like? Steak? Sushi?" There weren't many places open at this hour.

Xing Yue still wanted to find out whether He Zhiwen had really gotten married. She had meant to ask earlier, before Bu Yao interrupted her.

Now that she thought about it, everything she knew had come from Bu Yao. Who could say whether any of it was true?

"Let's have steak," He Zhiwen said. "Your stomach isn't great. You shouldn't eat too much cold or raw food."

Xing Yue's grip tightened unconsciously on the steering wheel. She was nervous. At her age, she rarely acted on impulse, but it had been so long since she had seen He Zhiwen. And after suddenly learning the real reason He Zhiwen had broken up with her, she found it hard to stay calm.

"Zhizhi, did you..."

She had used her old, affectionate name for He Zhiwen, intending to ask if she had really gotten married. Perhaps the rain beating against the windows was too loud, because He Zhiwen didn't hear her.

He Zhiwen had something to say too and inadvertently cut Xing Yue off. Her gaze was gentle, but she sounded hurried, as though she knew this wasn't quite right...

"A Yue, are you dating Miss Bu? Is Miss Bu in charge of New Shadow Entertainment now?"

The two questions were connected, and Xing Yue had an inkling of what was coming. Her face turned grim, and her eyes suddenly filled with blood. She blinked hard before her vision finally cleared.

The car was dim, so He Zhiwen noticed nothing. In a gentle voice, she asked, "Could I ask you to recommend someone for me?"