Confession

Am I your girlfriend now?

The snake's tail, which had previously been dull and unfamiliar with its senses, suddenly became sensitive and could clearly perceive being entangled by a heat source.

The soft underside of the snake's belly pressed tightly against her, its fine scales slightly parted, its body contracting and undulating rhythmically, exuding unparalleled comfort and ease.

I don't know where it touched, Snake Tongue barely brushed against the tip of its tail... and suddenly the Navy Blue snake tail twitched.

Xing Yue grabbed Bu Yao's snake body roughly with his tiger's mouth, preventing the Little Fire Snake from crawling around on her tail. "Is Miss looking for water? You're so thirsty, go back to the pile of ice and burrow in it."

Upon hearing this, the Little Fire Snake finally crawled out from under the covers. Its head peeked out from the edge of the blanket, its matte face looking as if it had been soaked in red wine. It swayed its body, seemingly drunk, and hissed as if it hadn't had enough. Its Snake Tongue flicked back and forth, clearly indicating that it was extremely excited.

Xing Yue is actually isothermal; he gets hot when exposed to heat and cold when exposed to cold.

Just as Xing Yue's body temperature will rise when it stays in a high-temperature environment, it will decrease when it stays in a cool environment.

Wouldn't it just get hotter and hotter if we were to get entangled like that...?

The scales were still wet; the touch was wonderful.

Seeing that Bu Yao was about to crawl back into bed, Xing Yue simply pulled her out and put her into a glass box filled with ice.

The Little Fire Snake was thrown back, and it blankly raised its body, its tail slapping against the ice with obvious displeasure.

"Don't move," Xing Yue tapped the Little Fire Snake's cheek with her index finger, "Sister will check your body."

In addition to eyes, nose, and mouth, a snake's face also has heat sensors called cheek pits, which are slightly recessed around the eyes, slightly below eye level. These pits are highly sensitive to temperature and smell.

Xing Yue tapped his index finger, as if he had touched some kind of switch, and the Little Fire Snake, which had been swishing its tail in displeasure, stopped moving its tail for two seconds.

She bent down again and rubbed her cheek against him.

This caused the Little Fire Snake to fall directly into a space filled only with Xing Yue's scent. Its body was disheveled, and it obediently lay on the ice, allowing Xing Yue to examine its body. It stopped fussing and its pale pink Snake Tongue lazily caught scents in the air, being very docile.

Xing Yue flipped the red snake's tail over, revealing its belly protected by fine scales. The curled tail tip straightened out. Upon closer inspection, the two clumps of Snake Scales that had been plucked out were visible; one wound was on the waist, and the other on the thigh—both areas with thin skin.

"What about the scales that were plucked off?" she asked.

The red snake's head pushed aside the ice block and began to shave it bit by bit. "Hmm, my mom put it in an ice pack and refrigerated it. A doctor will be coming tonight to do some replantation surgery."

She didn't know what replantation surgery was; she only overheard her parents discussing it, and it seemed they were going to bring in the best doctor from abroad with expertise in this area, so the earliest they could come was that evening.

Xing Yue still couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Unless every Snake Scales was completely removed, the tissue wasn't necrotic, and the surgery was perfectly successful, the Snake Scales couldn't be replanted.

This surgery can be done in China, but Madam Bu insisted on finding a doctor abroad, which means she must be confident that she can protect the Snake Scales well. If the transplant is unsuccessful, those two pieces of skin will be gone, and they won't grow back. She'll be bald, with only bare skin and flesh.

Xing Yue stroked the tail, feeling both angry and heartbroken. He had already scolded it, but he couldn't say anything more.

Bu Yao suddenly pleaded, "Can you stay with me tonight instead of going to work? My mom is sick and probably won't be able to come for the next few days."

Although she didn't care about the condition of her skin, the replantation surgery sounded terrifying, and Bu Yao was still a little scared. With her mother not around, she was even more afraid to have the surgery alone.

Madam Bu was so frightened that she convulsed, but she remained calm and rational, instructing people to prepare ice packs and a box of ice, and to arrange the subsequent treatment process for Bu Yao. She picked up the Snake Scales one by one, and put them in ice packs to keep them cold. She didn't trust the servants to do it, fearing that some Snake Scales might not be picked up properly, so she did everything herself.

After doing all that, the person fainted and developed a persistent high fever.

He had a fever for a day and a night, and now that the fever has subsided, he is still half-asleep and half-awake. I'm afraid he won't be able to get out of bed for at least half a month.

Xing Yue was in no mood to go to work. She covered the two wounds without Snake Scales with the ice that Bu Yao had shaved out, and was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang.

A hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes as she glanced at the screen.

This is the twenty-eighth time Xing Yingnuan has called this month.

In the past, her mother would call frequently, but if she didn't answer, she wouldn't call again often. Lately, for some reason, her mother calls several times almost every day.

Although Xing Yue was upset, he was worried that something might have happened to his mother back home, so he answered the phone anyway.

"Mom."

After making more than twenty phone calls, she finally got through. Xing Yingnuan couldn't help but complain as soon as she opened her mouth, "Do you even care about me as your mother? You might as well think I'm dead, come back dressed in mourning clothes, and give me a coffin."

Perhaps it's because of her age, but Xing Yingnuan has been very afraid that Xing Yue will ignore her these past few years.

Every time Xing Yue doesn't answer the phone, she tries to cause trouble, but this is the first time Xing Yue has refused to answer the phone for so long, so she has no way to cause trouble.

Xing Yue's feelings towards her mother are complicated. You could say her mother raised her with a hands-off approach, but it's not entirely that her mother neglected her.

She would regularly send money to her Maternal Grandmother to cover her living expenses and tuition fees, and buy her clothes for every season. However, after her parents divorced during her childhood, she rarely lived with Xing Yingnuan.

In addition, she looks very much like her father, Xing Yingnuan doesn't like to see her. She works from early morning to late at night every day, and sends her to the countryside during winter and summer vacations. It's not that she's abusing her, nor is it that she dislikes her. She's just sometimes indifferent and sometimes wants to be close to her.

As Xing Yingnuan grows older, she begins to yearn for the affection of her only daughter.

Even after Xing Yue started working, he sent her money every month, built her a small house for her retirement, and spent money on various cosmetic procedures for her. She was still incredibly difficult. If Xing Yue ignored her, she would threaten to kill herself, fearing that Xing Yue would abandon her.

"Mom, why are you saying things like that again?" Xing Yue frowned and took her phone to the balcony.

Xing Yingnuan launched into a tirade. "You got into such a serious accident and didn't even tell me! Do you even consider me your mother? You didn't answer the phone, and you didn't even know I broke my leg!"

Hearing this, Xing Yue remained calm. This wasn't the first time her mother had said she had broken her leg; last time she said she had broken her back, or she would say she had heart problems or stomach problems—all sorts of excuses to trick her into coming home.

Without exception, every time he lies and insists on going back to her, it's close to a holiday, and now it's almost Dragon Boat Festival again.

Xing Yue didn't expose her, but simply asked, "Was the fall serious? Did you go to the hospital?"

"It's so heavy, I can't even walk. I'm calling you from the hospital."

"Then I'll come home to see you in a couple of days," she said.

Xing Yingnuan paused for a moment, wanting Xing Yue to return today. "Didn't you terminate your contract with the company? Why wait a couple more days? Come back today, I'll go to the bank to withdraw money for you. Do you owe the company money? How much do you need?"

At her age, she wouldn't know any of these things; she learned them all online.

Xing Yue's singing videos haven't been updated, and some fans commented that his account should have been taken back, and that Xing Yue should have to pay a lot of money in compensation.

She had been thinking about talking to Xing Yue about this for a while, Xing Yue wouldn't answer her calls. She wanted to come to Silent City to find Xing Yue, but she was afraid that Xing Yue would be unhappy. She knew that Xing Yue was quite proud and probably didn't want her to see her in such an embarrassing situation.

"Let me go back and we'll talk about it," Xing Yue said, not refusing his mother's offer, but going back today was really not an option. "I've found a new job, and I don't have any days off these next two days. Asking for leave would also take time."

Xing Yue wasn't one to lie, and he awkwardly touched his nose.

Unfortunately, she underestimated Xing Yingnuan's understanding of her.

"Stop it! Don't get together with that girl from the Bu Family again. She'll kill you. You're coming back tonight. If you don't, I won't sleep. I'll sit in the hospital until dawn. When I suddenly die, you'd better prepare a coffin for me. I like pink, I like carnations. Every year when you burn incense, burn two Ferraris for me. When I see your ghost grandparents, I'll stomp the gas pedal and kill them!"

"Mom..."

After making a couple of gestures, Xing Yingnuan saw that her daughter still showed no sign of agreeing to come home that night, and her arrogance subsided, leaving her completely dejected. "Really not coming back? My leg is broken, and I think about seeing you every day, even just once. We have a building for you to rent out, but you don't want it. I suggested we open a small bar for you to sing in, but you didn't want that either. Fine, I have no more hopes. If I can't see my grandson or my daughter, I might as well die."

Xing Yingnuan had tried this trick many times without success. Although Xing Yue was annoyed, he was afraid that she might really do something rash, so he wouldn't let her suffer like the boy who cried wolf. She knew that Xing Yue was soft-hearted and really afraid of losing his loved ones, so he didn't dare to try to let her go.

After hanging up the phone, Xing Yingnuan sent several photos of her broken bones.

Xing Yue looked at the photos again and again, and could clearly see that it was indeed broken, with steel nails still holding it in place...

Returning from the balcony, she looked anxious. "My mom seems to have broken her leg. She needs to go to the hospital. I'll come see you again tomorrow."

Bu Yao knew this phone call wasn't good news. She leaned back against the glass case and scoffed, "How many times has this happened? Auntie is definitely faking it."

Xing Yingnuan dislikes Bu Yao partly because Bu Yao doesn't fall for her act. Every time Xing Yingnuan starts acting up, Bu Yao has to expose her in Xing Yue's ear.

"This time it doesn't seem like it," Xing Yue showed the X-ray photos to Bu Yao. "She fell so hard she had steel pins in her hair. People her age are most afraid of falls. I won't feel at ease if I don't go and check on her."

After all, Xing Yue has no relatives, so he is very concerned about his mother's health.

Bu Yao wouldn't let him go. "Can't you go back tomorrow? I just want you to stay with me for one night."

Her eyes were red-rimmed. Not wanting Xing Yue to leave, she hugged Xing Yue's thighs with both hands and rested her forehead on Xing Yue's knees.

Xing Yue didn't want to either, but there were so many people in the Bu Residence who could take care of Bu Yao. Her mother was all alone in her hometown, so even if she went back, she would hire a caregiver, otherwise she wouldn't feel at ease.

"I'm sorry," Xing Yue knelt down and kissed Bu Yao's cheek, "Just this once, I'll stay with you from now on, I'll take you home with me, cheer up."

Bu Yao was a little tempted. "Really?"

Her eyes lit up, and she asked, "So, am I your girlfriend now? You have to answer that question before you can leave."

Xing Yue chuckled and kissed her a few more times, making her cheeks blush. "You have to confess your feelings first before I can be your girlfriend."

Time was of the essence, and Xing Yue still couldn't give a definite answer in the end. Only Bu Yao was left in the room. Frustrated, she buried herself in the ice, concealing her entire snake body.

*

At this moment, Xing Yingnuan, who was in her hometown, prepared a table full of dishes to entertain a middle-aged woman, accompanied by a young and beautiful girl.

Her face was beaming with joy; she looked extremely satisfied.

"A Yue will be back soon. I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Xing Mom, don't say that. Everyone in this village knows your daughter. She's a good person, has a good temper, is filial, kind, and ambitious. I saw her last year, and she's much prettier in person than in the photos. Since you mentioned wanting to introduce a girl to A Yue, several families have come to me to inquire about her."