Green Tea

I'm not that kind of little snake.

Besides that, Tan Xiang'e repeatedly promised not to reveal Xing Yue's real identity. She assured her that she followed medical ethics to the letter and that Xing Yue could rest easy.

If it could help more people with the same condition as her, Xing Yue had no reason to refuse.

Seeing that Tan Xiang'e seemed to know quite a few experienced medical professors, she suddenly wanted to ask about her best friend. "Doctor, I have a friend. Whenever she sees the head of her snake form, she gets... weird."

Xing Yue searched for the right words, then elaborated with an awkward expression. "She gets physically aroused. Completely entranced. Even if someone's right beside her, she doesn't notice. All she can see is that huge python head in the mirror. She licks the glass with her Snake Tongue, coils that long tail around herself, and rubs against it like crazy..."

Xing Yue could hardly go on. She had stumbled upon the scene once. After her initial shock, she hadn't thought much of it; she'd assumed Bo Wuxue was simply taking care of an adult need. She'd even teased her about it afterward, but Bo Wuxue had acted as if Xing Yue weren't there. She hadn't reacted at all.

That was when Xing Yue realized something was wrong. By chance, she threw a piece of clothing over Bo Wuxue's eyes, and Bo Wuxue gradually came to her senses. But as soon as Xing Yue took it away, she was lost again.

After trying several times, Xing Yue finally found the culprit—the mirror.

It wasn't just mirrors. Water and anything reflective enough to show her face had the same effect. Bo Wuxue couldn't look at her python head. The moment she did, she became utterly entranced. She saw no one else; she had eyes only for herself.

Xing Yue had never heard of a condition like this. She didn't know whether it affected Bo Wuxue's health, and Bo Wuxue was too embarrassed to talk about it or seek help.

"Do you think my friend... needs to see a doctor for this? Or is it harmless?"

Tan Xiang'e enjoyed the challenge of rare conditions. She had worked out most of it from Xing Yue's first sentence.

"In all my years of practicing medicine, I've encountered only one case like this. The medical name is 'Compulsive Perfect Snake Persona.' Most patients were repeatedly told that their preferences were wrong and had opposing views forced on them throughout childhood.

"For example, she might like a little black dress, but her parents would tell her black was ugly and pink dresses were prettier. She might like beautiful butterflies, only for the people around her to keep dismissing what she liked and insisting that butterflies came from caterpillars, which were ugly and disgusting. Things like that."

"Patients like this have trouble seeing beauty in anything else. They feel attraction only toward themselves and believe only they are perfect enough to stir their desire."

"Most of them suffer a great deal psychologically. We're social creatures. If she can't accept anyone but herself, marriage and children become very difficult. She'll feel little physical desire for a partner, and she'll most likely never fall in love with anyone else."

For a snake persona that loved only itself, seeing its snake form's python face magnified those thoughts without limit: I'm so pretty. I'm beautiful. I want to marry myself. I can't stand it—why is there only one of me in the world?

The thought could leave a patient deeply distressed. Some were so tormented that they wished their reflection could step out of the mirror, suffering to the point of taking their own lives.

Xing Yue thought back over all the years she'd watched Bo Wuxue grow up. No wonder the girl had never taken an interest in anyone. Other teenagers stumbled into crushes, but Bo Wuxue had never shown the slightest sign of one.

The condition sounded harmless at first, but the more Xing Yue thought about it, the more frightening it became. Being engaged to a woman she didn't know was hard enough. With Bo Wuxue unable to fall for anyone else, there was no chance of love growing after marriage.

This was bad. Her best friend was even worse off than she was!

"Can't medication help?" Xing Yue asked, clinging to a sliver of hope, her face grave.

Tan Xiang'e shook her head. "There's currently no treatment. For one thing, the condition is extremely rare worldwide, so there's very little medical research on it.

"For another, Compulsive Perfect Snake Persona has one advantage. Because patients love themselves so deeply, they constantly work to improve themselves and often develop astonishing talents. Eighty percent of the people in our country who've won awards in biology, science, literature, or music have this condition. There are orders from above not to research it too extensively... I think I've made myself clear. We're just ordinary people."

Tan Xiang'e was putting it mildly. Patients with this condition had also invented many advanced devices, and the government had secretly established centers to cultivate their talents.

She had hinted at it to save Xing Yue from wasting her time. No matter which hospital she went to, the answer would be the same: there would be no treatment plan.

It wasn't that treatment was impossible. The authorities wouldn't allow it.

Xing Yue was distracted the whole way back. Her happiness had barely lasted before she learned about Bo Wuxue's condition. How could she still feel happy?

She didn't go home. She drove to the Bo Family's palace instead.

When Xing Yue first met Bo Wuxue, the girl was only four. She had toddled over, hugged Xing Yue's leg, and called her "Cousin" in a sweet little voice.

The Bo Family had laughed and teased her. When the little girl looked up and realized she'd hugged the wrong person, her face turned red. She scurried behind her mother and peeked out at Xing Yue.

The Bo Family had come down from the city for a family meal and a day in the countryside. Xing Yue had been sent to her Maternal Grandmother's house for summer vacation. It should have been a minor mix-up, but the Bo Family was gracious. That evening, they invited Xing Yue to join them as an apology.

Xing Yue hadn't been offended. The little dumpling was adorable, and she saw no need for an apology. Still, it was the little dumpling herself who came to invite her.

"Do you want something yummy?" Bo Wuxue patted her belly. Her little snake tail went thump, thump against the ground as she looked up at Xing Yue expectantly.

The color of those eyes had a poetic name—Yushi Qing.

Her baby cheeks were plump, and she wore a purple dress with a gorgeous, billowing skirt and a tiny hat. She was so, so cute, as delicate as a doll. Xing Yue's heart melted.

With her disability, Xing Yue had been withdrawn and afraid to make friends. Bo Wuxue's arrival felt like a little angel appearing in her life. They got along wonderfully despite the age gap. Every summer vacation during Xing Yue's school years, they went to the countryside together to ride bicycles, fly kites, pick strawberries, and gather snails.

Even now, Xing Yue had never made another friend. She had only ever spent time with Bo Wuxue.

Remembering the doctor's words hurt worse than the prospect of living with her disability for the rest of her life.

The Bo Family's servants opened the door warmly when they saw Xing Yue, without even needing to ask the head of the family.

"Miss Xing, will you stay for lunch? I can have the cook make some of your favorites," the housekeeper offered.

"No need to go to the trouble. Little Snowflake and I are going out to eat."

Little Snowflake was Bo Wuxue's childhood nickname. Only those closest to her could use it.

Xing Yue headed straight for Bo Wuxue's room. At the entrance, two servants each pulled open one half of the doors. The bedroom was so enormous that Xing Yue spent two whole minutes walking through the wardrobe alone.

Bo Wuxue was at her computer playing a game. Her mechanical keyboard clattered away as the battle raged, and she didn't even notice someone enter the room.

Xing Yue abruptly pulled Bo Wuxue up and hugged her tight. "I'm starting closed training tomorrow. We won't see each other for two months. Let's go out for a meal."

She was so upset that her eyes had grown damp.

Bo Wuxue barely listened. She quickly pushed Xing Yue away. "There's no room for feelings in esports. Let me finish this match first."

Xing Yue sat to one side and waited while Bo Wuxue returned to her game.

Xing Yue had given her that mechanical keyboard. Bo Wuxue's parents didn't allow her to play games, so she only dared to do it when they were away on business.

From childhood, Bo Wuxue had been told she was the pride of Greenstone House. She had to study perfumery, jewelry design, and dress design because those were the family's businesses.

She had no everyday clothes. Every outfit she wore had to be a dress, and every birthday present was jewelry. She wasn't allowed to like video games, horseback riding, or fencing. She couldn't wear trousers or sneakers, or cut her hair short.

For her entire life, Bo Wuxue was allowed to love only perfume, gemstones, and dresses.

Playing in the countryside with Xing Yue had been the freest time of her childhood.

When Bo Wuxue finished her game and turned around, she found Xing Yue looking ready to cry. Startled, she said, "What's going on with you? Just because I didn't pay attention to you right away while I was gaming? Come on, it's not that bad. H-hold it together, okay? Don't cry."

Xing Yue said nothing. Her heart felt heavy as she rested her head on the table and watched Bo Wuxue.

Bo Wuxue's scalp prickled under her gaze. Unable to sit still, she got up and moved away, wrapping her arms around herself. "Why are you looking at me like that? It's weird... I think of you as a sister. You don't have feelings for me, do you? That won't do. I'm not that kind of little snake."

Things had always been easy between them. It had never been like this.

Xing Yue had been wallowing in her feelings, but that remark snapped her right out of it. The doctor hadn't mentioned that the condition made people full of themselves.

"You should drink some herbal medicine and get that treated," Xing Yue said with a look of distaste. Pulling herself together, she added, "Come eat with me. We won't see each other again for two months."

It might be longer than two months. If she went straight into filming after training, it could be four or five months at least.

Bo Wuxue changed into an English court-style gown and spent nearly an hour doing her makeup.

Sometimes Xing Yue felt tired on Bo Wuxue's behalf. Outfits like that were a hassle to put on, and their wide skirts made going out inconvenient.

But Bo Wuxue had no choice. She had to dress lavishly before she could leave the house.

"I went to see Tan Xiang'e today," Xing Yue said as they chatted on the way. "A few courses of treatment should help."

"Really?" Bo Wuxue's face lit up. "Then I can see your tail when you come back!"

Before, Bo Wuxue hadn't known Xing Yue's secret and had never seen her snake tail. She had thought Xing Yue didn't like playing with her and had been quietly heartbroken.

When she learned Xing Yue's secret, she had been even more upset.

Xing Yue wasn't sure she could be cured, but seeing Bo Wuxue so excited, she couldn't bear to dampen her hopes. She said nothing more.

They went to a Western Restaurant they often visited. Dressed as she was, Bo Wuxue drew every eye wherever she went.

"Could you look in the mirror a little less when you're in snake form?" Xing Yue asked worriedly as she ordered several steaks to Bo Wuxue's taste. "I've never met anyone so vain."

Bo Wuxue didn't care. "What can I say? I'm beautiful. If I weren't, would I look every day?"

"How are you getting along with your fiancée?" Xing Yue changed the subject, wondering if there was another way to protect Little Greenstone.

Bo Wuxue hadn't slept with her fiancée yet. Once she did, she would discover that she felt no desire for anyone else—only for herself.

If they married, their life together was bound to be difficult.

Xing Yue thought it over and over, but still didn't know how to broach the subject with Bo Wuxue...

Maybe she should just break up the engagement.

"I don't think you and that woman are right for each other."

The moment Xing Yue said it, she felt inexplicably guilty, as though she were doing something wrong.

"And who do you think would be right for Miss Bo?" A cool voice suddenly cut into their conversation.

Bu Yao had appeared in the restaurant without either of them noticing. She had heard every word Xing Yue said, and a trace of anger showed on her icy face.

She pulled out the chair beside Xing Yue and sat down. "You cheap little homewrecker. Do you even know her fiancée? You've never met her, yet you're saying they aren't right for each other. You just want your best friend all to yourself, bitch!"

Xing Yue hurriedly covered her mouth. They weren't in a private room, and she was afraid the neighboring tables would hear. "What are you saying?! Why are you following me?"

Bu Yao pulled Xing Yue's hand away, took out several résumés, and slapped them onto the table. Her voice was thick with grievance. "I wasn't following you! I went looking for a job. I wanted to work hard and earn enough to make a home for us, while you were sneaking around and playing innocent with another woman!"

Her accusations drew repeated glances from the people around them. Suddenly Xing Yue looked like a womanizer whose wife was working hard to scrape together a living at home.