Beauty Snake - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Unexpected Return to the Village

My name is Ji Yunfei. I used to think that leaving Jizi Village for the big city would be the start of my happy life. Little did I know, it was merely the prologue to a tragedy.

I am one of the many mediocre, ordinary people—no striking beauty, no extraordinary IQ. My life so far has been a cycle of studying to get into an average university, then becoming a corporate slave at a small company, enduring a “996” schedule (9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) and psychological manipulation from my balding boss.

Keeping snakes is one of the few things that relieves the bitterness of my life.

I’ve had an affinity for snakes since birth. It’s as if we are one—you in me, and I in you. While most people find snakes cold-blooded and heartless, to me, they are the perfect seasoning for an otherwise bland existence. The sensation of a snake’s flickering tongue lightly licking the back of my hand sends a shiver through my soul; it’s exhilarating.

In Jizi Village, where I grew up, there is a legend about a “Snake Beauty.” I’ve heard it since I was a child, and perhaps that is why I insisted on connecting my life with snakes.

Legend has it that since ancient times, a Snake Beauty has been hidden in the back mountains of Jizi Village—human from the waist up, serpent from the waist down, and exquisitely beautiful. The elders say she was once a famous village beauty who was betrayed by a faithless man. In her rage, she threw herself into a snake pit to end her life, and her resentment transformed her into this legendary creature.

Since then, eerie sobbing is often heard from the back mountains at night. People say it’s a trap to lure men up the mountain; if they fall for her charms, they are ruthlessly devoured. Some brave souls who didn’t believe in superstitions went up at midnight to meet her. Unsurprisingly, they were never heard from again—vanished without a trace.

Because of this, entry into the back mountains is strictly forbidden after sunset.

As a child, the legend terrified me. But as I grew older, my desire to explore the mystery of the Snake Beauty only intensified. The thought expanded in my mind, growing larger and larger. A voice in my heart constantly entices me, telling me I should go to the back mountains—just like those “death-defying” fools—to seek out the legend.

This voice became inescapable. Coincidentally, the frustrations of my career left me desperate for an outlet. I finally made up my mind: I would investigate during my return to the village for the Lunar New Year.

However, an unexpected phone call disrupted my plans and opened the first chapter of my story with Yin-yin.

“Ji Yunfei! This proposal is unacceptable! I’m telling you, if you’re going to do it, do it right. If you don’t want the job, there are plenty of people fighting to take your place!”

The balding supervisor slammed the proposal onto the desk, sparks flying from eyes nearly buried in rolls of fat. Ji Yunfei was long accustomed to this. Cheap labor is rarely treated as human by people like him.

She shrugged helplessly, rolling her eyes internally while maintaining a trademark fake smile. “Understood, Supervisor. I’ll rewrite it immediately.”

Back at her desk, she sighed heavily and slumped into her chair.

“Ooh, scolded again? That baldy really doesn’t know how to treat a lady,” a colleague joked.

“Forget it. Do you really expect them to find a conscience?” Ji Yunfei laughed self-deprecatingly and got back to work. No matter how tired a beast of burden is, it cannot stop.

“True. But luckily, I’ll be liberated soon, hahaha!”

“What? Did you win the lottery? Just quitting like that?”

“Shh. I’m going back to the countryside. Farming and raising cattle or sheep sounds nice. At least I won’t be trapped in this swamp, consuming myself from the inside out.”

The colleague’s eyes crinkled with joy at the mention of the countryside; the happiness was impossible to hide.

“Back to the countryside…” Ji Yunfei sank into thought. Seeing the “life” returning to her colleague, she felt a spark of longing. Maybe going back wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it was time for a vacation.

Inevitably, Ji Yunfei worked overtime until late into the night. When she got home, she wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor. She had lost all strength.

But first, she had to check on her little snakes. Under the warm lamps, snakes of various shapes and colors were coiled in their enclosures. Sensing her presence, a little Corn Snake raised its head against the glass—its way of saying hello.

Looking at them, a part of Ji Yunfei’s heart melted. She fed them one by one, stood quietly by the enclosures for a moment to stroke their heads, and then went to wash up.

“You have 5 missed calls — 30 minutes ago.”

“Auntie Wang? Calling this late… it must be urgent.”

Ji Yunfei saw the missed calls from her neighbor in the village. Her intuition told her it wasn’t good news. She quickly called back.

“Oh, Yunfei! You’re finally there!” Auntie Wang’s anxious voice came through.

“Auntie Wang, it’s the middle of the night. Is something wrong with Grandma?”

Ji Yunfei had lived with her grandmother since she was a child. Since she moved to the city, her grandmother had lived alone in the village. A call from the neighbor could only mean one thing.

“Oh, indeed! Your grandmother tripped while farming a few days ago. It’s serious—her leg is broken, and she won’t be able to get out of bed for three or four months! Yunfei, she only has you. When can you come back to take care of her?”

“Okay, don’t worry. In a few days. I’ll take leave from work and come back immediately. Please look after her until I arrive!”

She hung up and immediately began preparing her leave request and checking bus tickets. She didn’t expect the leave to be easy—her boss wasn’t the understanding type.

To her surprise, the leave was approved by the “Big Boss,” whom she had never even met. The reason given was that the company was now promoting a “humanized leave policy.” It was approved almost instantly. Everything was suspiciously smooth.

But Ji Yunfei didn’t care about that. Nothing is more important than family. Once the leave was granted, she rushed toward the village.

The journey transitioned from high-speed rail to a bus, and finally to her own two legs. The scenery shifted from skyscrapers to low houses, and eventually to endless mountains and forests. After a bumpy ride, she finally reached Jizi Village.

“Huff… puff…” she panted, jogging toward the entrance.

“Yunfei! You’re finally back!” Auntie Wang had been waiting at the village entrance. Seeing Ji Yunfei’s figure grow from a black dot into a person, she waved excitedly.

“Auntie Wang, how is Grandma?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been taking good care of her. Go see for yourself.”

“Good. Thank you so much. These are for you—thanks for looking after her.” Ji Yunfei handed over some flour, oil, and groceries.

“Oh, you child, honestly…” Auntie Wang smiled and accepted them, then led Ji Yunfei to her grandmother.

“Xiao Fei, good girl, come here. Let Grandma look at you.” Her grandmother reached out with a smile.

Sitting by the bed and seeing the thick plaster cast on her grandmother’s leg, Ji Yunfei’s eyes grew watery. An elderly woman living alone, having to rely on a neighbor to contact her granddaughter… how helpless she must have felt when it first happened.

The thought sent a pang of pain through her heart. She hugged her grandmother tightly so her tears wouldn’t be seen.

After the pair chatted for a while, Ji Yunfei went to her room to unpack. Since she would be staying for a long time and couldn’t bear to leave her snakes, she had brought them all with her. It took a lot of effort to set up and calibrate the enclosures.

Looking at the coiled snakes, she inexplicably thought of the legend again—the Snake Beauty.

“If the Snake Beauty really exists, what would she look like? Is she a naga, or does she look just like a human? I have to say, I’m really curious. What do you guys think, my snake babies?”

Ji Yunfei talked to herself. In their tanks, the snakes opened their eyes wide and lifted their heads, as if responding to her.

“Honestly, why am I daydreaming about this again?”

She shook her head vigorously, trying to kick the unrealistic thoughts away. But the more she tried not to think about it, the tighter the thoughts clung to her. She felt like she was trapped in a spell she couldn’t break.

And so, Ji Yunfei spent a very agonizing night…

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