Dating

She agreed to be her girlfriend.

Through the quilt, Xing Yue patted the snake tail. Wherever her hand landed, the tail dodged, but the shifting rise of the quilt always told her exactly where it was hiding.

A breeze picked up during the night, bringing a slight chill. Once Xing Yue had played enough, she went to close the window. When she returned from the balcony, she noticed the new box on the bed and immediately guessed what it was.

She opened it. Sure enough, it was Bo Wuxue's style: a little suction toy, fully charged.

Beneath the instructions was a box of Finger Sleeves. Judging by the picture on the package, the index finger had several beads at the tip, while the length was covered in a pattern of slightly raised ridges.

She turned the box over. The back said the materials contained no latex.

Bo Wuxue really knew how to have fun. Xing Yue sighed, thoroughly tempted.

The beauty was shy, frightened, and expectant all at once. Before long, the lights went out, and the quilt was yanked away. Before Bu Yao's eyes could adjust to the dark, Xing Yue caught her mouth in a biting kiss. She smelled fresh from the bath, and warm Rose Scent washed over Bu Yao.

Bu Yao tried hard to kiss Xing Yue back. Their lips brushed and drew together, their Snake Tongues touching.

Mm... Xing Yue's lips are so soft. Bu Yao kissed her deeply, unable to resist reaching around her shoulders and deepening the kiss.

But even as passion built, Xing Yue never took the next step. Bu Yao looked at her in confusion. The woman above her moved against her, gently at first, then with growing urgency as Xing Yue's breathing turned ragged.

When Bu Yao realized what Xing Yue was doing, her whole body stiffened. Xing Yue's alluring sighs and breaths sounded beside her ear, and her cheeks burned.

After who knew how long, Xing Yue finally stopped. She rested on top of Bu Yao, nibbled her ear, kissed her hair, then rolled over beside her, tucked the quilt around herself, and went to sleep, satisfied.

Bu Yao: "..."

She turned onto her side to face Xing Yue. Though the bedroom lights were off, she could still make out the outline of Xing Yue's face.

Xing Yue hadn't considered her feelings at all. She'd satisfied herself and gone straight to sleep.

Bu Yao was so angry her chest ached. She wanted to wake Xing Yue and refuse to let her sleep, but Xing Yue had to go to work tomorrow. Still, she couldn't swallow her anger. What was that supposed to mean?

Smack! Bu Yao slapped Xing Yue. The sharp sound echoed through the room. Xing Yue's leg would probably be numb for a few seconds.

Caught completely off guard, Xing Yue sucked in a breath. "Ow... What did you hit me for?"

Bu Yao switched on the bedside lamp. Anger clouded her face as she demanded, "What do you think? Who said you could go to sleep?"

She hauled Xing Yue up. "You're not sleeping!"

Then she threw Xing Yue's pillow onto the floor. She really was angry. It felt as though, in Xing Yue's eyes, she was no different from the little toys Bo Wuxue had sent. They were all there for Xing Yue's pleasure. Why would she care what a toy wanted?

Seeing that the young lady was serious, Xing Yue lay back and looked up at her. Her voice was lazy. "You can't blame me. A snake of your kind needs fourteen hours at the very least. I have to get up early for work tomorrow. There isn't enough time, and leaving you halfway there would be awful."

That was why the divorce rate in this world was so high. Many kinds of snakes needed upwards of a dozen hours to mate. They could pause midway, of course, but without complete satisfaction, it was easy to seek closeness with another snake. By the time they resumed, their partner might already be with someone else.

Such was the nature of snakes. Affairs and divorce were commonplace.

Xing Yue's explanation only made Bu Yao angrier. "Don't give me that! Then why did you do that on top of me just now? What gave you the right?"

It wasn't fair to her. Xing Yue shouldn't have touched her at all!

What gave Xing Yue the right to use her and then toss her aside?

Bu Yao was furious, especially with Xing Yue acting like this. Her heart sank. Her nose stung, and if she blinked once more, tears would spill down her cheeks.

Seeing the young lady like this drove away much of Xing Yue's drowsiness. She was always saying awful things, deliberately or otherwise, to get back at Bu Yao for how she had humiliated her.

It was as though this was the only way to see a Bu Yao who wouldn't leave, no matter how Xing Yue tried to drive her away. Whatever Xing Yue said or did now, Bu Yao clung to her. She was twisted enough to take pleasure in it: the satisfaction of seeing the young lady cry and make a scene over a word or two from her, of knowing she held Bu Yao's emotions in her hands.

My heart really is rotten, Xing Yue thought. Even now, she didn't want to apologize. Instead, she said nastily, "You can do the same thing on top of me, young lady. I'm not stopping you."

Bu Yao had been holding herself together, but Xing Yue's indifference was nothing like the gentle way she had spoken during the day. Bu Yao wasn't stupid. How could she not sense Xing Yue's complicated feelings for her...

Her mother had forced her into work she hated. She'd been forced to live off Bu Yao, swallow her pride to earn money, and had nowhere to vent. She swung between treating Bu Yao well and treating her badly. She wanted revenge, but she also liked her a little. When she felt like coaxing her, she did; when she couldn't be bothered, she ignored her.

Bu Yao wiped her eyes. Without a word, she lay down with her back to Xing Yue.

Cold silence settled over the room. Though they lay in the same bed, several mountains might as well have stood between them.

Xing Yue thought the young lady was crying quietly. Her heart softened, and she hugged Bu Yao from behind, overcome with guilt. Damn it. I shouldn't have taken it so far.

Then Bu Yao's voice rang out clearly in the night—

"Xing Yue, you're a glutton for punishment."

When Bu Yao made the first move, Xing Yue barely acknowledged her. When she stopped, Xing Yue came clinging to her.

"..."

After being scolded, Xing Yue sheepishly let go, trying to save face.

Bu Yao turned around and kissed her hard on the lips. With a rip, her thin silk nightdress tore open.

Perhaps anger gave her courage. Little Fire Snake knew nothing about taking the lead, but she followed her instincts anyway, clumsy and impatient.

She couldn't control her strength, didn't know where to explore, and her hands shook with nerves...

Xing Yue gently wiped the sweat from Bu Yao's forehead, sweat shed for her. Her eyes shimmered, soft as spring ripples, and her heart raced.

The young lady looks like this, and I'm falling for her.

The sun blazed overhead. Cicadas sang among the greenery in the residential complex. They weren't particularly loud, but the sound alone made the summer heat palpable even inside the air-conditioned room.

Xing Yue had said she needed to get up early, yet the alarm had rung eight times without waking her. A nightdress lay discarded on the floor, along with Finger Sleeves scattered everywhere. Clearly, they'd had no chance to sleep last night.

A phone rang. Its owner remained fast asleep, showing no sign of waking.

The moment the call connected, Qiao Rui launched into a tirade. "What time is it? What time? Xing Yue, I'm asking you what time it is!"

"Twelve thirty in the afternoon," a cool voice replied unhurriedly. The woman looked displeased.

Qiao Rui paused for a second, then immediately changed her tone. "Oh! Miss Bu is there too? I'm so sorry. I was just thinking that, with it being so hot, I could order Xing Yue a tub of ice cream to cool her down. Summer and ice cream go perfectly together."

Bu Yao gave her no quarter. "No need."

"Of course. I won't disturb you, then. Get plenty of rest. I'm such a fool—why would I call at this hour? I must have interrupted Miss Bu's afternoon nap. My fault, my fault."

She kept rambling, so Bu Yao hung up.

She set down the phone, propped herself up, and looked down at Xing Yue. She must have been exhausted. Even that call hadn't disturbed her sleep. Her breathing was steady, and she was sleeping deeply.

Bu Yao touched Xing Yue's slightly swollen red lips with her index finger. Looking closely, she could still see the marks left by her teeth. Xing Yue's words from last night echoed in her ears—

"Please... I'm begging you... I'll do it, okay? I'll be your girlfriend..."