Beauty Snake - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Don’t Let Beauty Cloud Your Judgment!!

As she drove into Chi Chang’s residential complex, Ji Yunfei could see that mop of golden curly hair from a distance, glowing brightly under the sunlight.

Honk, honk—

“Get in.” Ji Yunfei pulled up in front of Chi Chang, who was standing downstairs staring at her phone with a bizarre smile. She honked the horn and rolled down the window to call her in.

“Hey! Coming!” Chi Chang answered quickly, pulling open the car door and sliding into the passenger seat.

“Alright, fess up. Why the sudden urge to go burn incense and pray to Buddha?” Ji Yunfei kept her eyes on the road, but her brow arched with a teasing tone.

“Hehe, nothing gets past you…” Chi Chang scratched her head sheepishly, her eyes crinkling as she shared the recent developments. “I won’t lie to you—I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight~”

“Ha. Like that’s a rare occurrence for you?” Ji Yunfei lost interest immediately. She knew Chi Chang’s “lover of the week” personality all too well. She just couldn’t figure out what kind of madness had possessed her to seek spiritual guidance at a temple this time.

“My dear Fei-zi, your tone is dripping with disdain. It deeply wounds my heart…” Chi Chang pouted, clutching her chest in a mock display of agony. “You don’t understand… this time is different from all the others…”

“She’s so cute…”

“So you fell in love at first sight with a college student you met by chance??” After hearing the full story, Ji Yunfei pushed her glasses back up from where they had slid down her nose, her confusion deepening.

According to Chi Chang, she had gone to “Mei” (a club) to have some fun as usual, but she overdid it and got a bit tipsy. The student, Qin Qing, was a part-time waitress there. While Qin Qing was serving drinks to another booth, a drunken Chi Chang crashed right into her, sending the drinks flying.

Instead of getting angry, the student patiently helped Chi Chang up and checked if she was hurt. Seeing that Chi Chang could barely stand, she even kindly took her to a nearby hotel to get her settled. It was that one blurry gaze in her drunken state that left Chi Chang completely smitten—so much so that she decided to “wash her hands” of her playgirl lifestyle.

When she sobered up, Chi Chang felt guilty. She went back the next night to apologize and offer compensation. The girl initially refused, but Chi Chang was persistent. Eventually, they exchanged WeChat contacts so Chi Chang could transfer the money for the ruined drinks.

As they chatted over the following days, Chi Chang learned that Qin Qing was a junior at C-University who worked part-time to help with family finances. Through their chats and offline meetings, Chi Chang realized she had fallen hard… but Qin Qing seemed to only see her as an ordinary friend.

“She flirts without even realizing it…”

“Wait, what kind of ‘Overbearing CEO Falls for Me’ Mary Sue script is this??”

“Chi Chang, you’ve spent years fluttering from flower to flower; I don’t believe for a second you’re retiring!”

“The Pure White Blossom x The Playgirl Executive??”

“Ugh, it’s so cliché and soapy!!”

Ji Yunfei’s mind was a whirlwind of internal screaming, but on the surface, she maintained a polite, awkward smile. “Good luck, my friend…”

After that little interlude, the two soon arrived at the foot of Qingshan Temple.

“Haha… actually, I feel like I might not need that much help after all…” Chi Chang looked up at the temple, which seemed to be miles away at the top of the mountain, and suddenly felt that matters of the heart should just “follow fate.”

“Give it a rest. You’ve already come this far; there’s no turning back now.” Seeing Chi Chang’s cowardice, Ji Yunfei shook her head, grabbed her arm, and dragged her forward, giving her no chance to regret it.

“Huff… huff… huff…”

“I can’t… I’m dying… Fei-zi, slow down…”

With the summit in sight, Chi Chang finally reached her limit. She bent over, gasping for air, truly envious of Ji Yunfei’s incredible stamina.

“Five minutes of rest. We’re almost there; just hang in there.” Ji Yunfei wasn’t even out of breath. Seeing that Chi Chang looked like her soul was about to leave her body, she allowed the break before the final climb.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of greenery mixed with the faint aroma of sandalwood. The vermilion gates of the temple looked exceptionally solemn under the sun. The bronze rings on the door glinted with an ancient luster, and the three characters for “Qingshan Temple” carved into the lintel were vigorous and powerful, exuding a sense of calm authority weathered by time.

“Finally here… let’s go, let’s go!” Chi Chang suddenly revitalized, tugging on Ji Yunfei’s sleeve to hurry inside.

As they stepped over the threshold, the crisp sound of wind chimes echoed through the air—ethereal and distant, as if sealing off the noise of the secular world. Inside the courtyard, ancient trees towered toward the sky, and curls of blue incense smoke rose slowly from the burners.

The atmosphere seemed to settle Ji Yunfei’s heart, washing away her restlessness. The two accepted free incense from a monk and decided to split up, agreeing to meet at the entrance later.

“Benefactor, please wait!”

Ji Yunfei was wandering around when a calm voice called out from behind her. She turned to see a monk in robes standing not far away, his hands pressed together in a prayer greeting. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with greying temples and a lean, compassionate face.

“Hello… is there something you need, Master?” Ji Yunfei bowed slightly, returning the gesture.

“Benefactor, have you been plagued by nightmares lately?” the monk asked, his expression growing solemn as he fixed his gaze on her.

“Nightmares… if those count… I suppose I have.” Thinking of the things she’d done with the beauty snake in her dreams, Ji Yunfei’s face flushed.

Seeing her sudden unease, the monk sighed and produced a small brocade pouch, handing it to her. “Fate has brought us together today. This pouch will keep you safe…”

“Do not let beauty cloud your judgment… You cannot be Xu Xian (the man who married a snake demon) today.”

Ji Yunfei took the pouch and tucked it into her pocket. She opened her mouth to say something, but—

“Abbot!” A young monk ran up from a distance, looking anxious.

“Benefactor, I must take my leave…” The old monk, identified as the Abbot, bowed again and walked away with the young monk.

The Abbot’s words echoed in Ji Yunfei’s mind as she watched them disappear. Her brow furrowed deeply.

“You cannot be Xu Xian today…”

“Does this old Abbot know about the beauty snake?”

With heavy thoughts, she walked back to the temple entrance and spotted Chi Chang.

“Fei-zi!” Chi Chang waved excitedly. “The Master told me I have a chance!” As soon as Ji Yunfei approached, Chi Chang dragged her along to share her joy.

“What’s wrong with you? You look drained. Did a demon suck out your life force?” Seeing Ji Yunfei in a daze, Chi Chang waved a hand in front of her face, trying to “reboot” her.

“You’re half right… remember the beauty snake?” Ji Yunfei swatted her hand away and sighed. “Whether you believe it or not… I’m being haunted.”

“…”

“You lucky dog… you’ve got quite the romantic fortune…” Chi Chang’s focus completely bypassed the danger, landing squarely on the “beauty” part.

“Easy for you to say!” Ji Yunfei gave Chi Chang a sharp smack on the head and showed her the pouch. “The Abbot gave me this… the snake will definitely come back, and then we’ll see if this actually works.”

“The Abbot? They say the Abbot of Qingshan Temple is legendary and hard to find. You just bumped into him like that?” Chi Chang’s eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief.

“He found me…” Ji Yunfei massaged her temples.

To Chi Chang, this sounded like a blatant humble-brag. “Look at you, getting the good stuff and complaining… anyway, be careful when you get back. Call me if anything happens. I’m always your solid backup~”

Chi Chang’s dramatic antics successfully made Ji Yunfei laugh, lightening the heavy mood. “Pfft, alright, just focus on your own love life.”

By the time she got home from the temple, it was late. Ji Yunfei stood by her bed, wondering where to put the pouch. After some hesitation, she tucked it under her pillow. Since everything with the snake happened in her dreams, under the pillow seemed the most logical spot.

“Phew—what a mess…” She collapsed onto the bed, trying to clear her head.

Ding—

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Are you free?”

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Can you come over to my place?”

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “The door code is XXXXX”

It was a message from Xie Yin. Ji Yunfei was puzzled; Xie Yin was incredibly trusting to just give out her door code like that…

Despite her confusion, her actions preceded her thoughts. Before she knew it, she was already entering the code and pushing open Xie Yin’s door. The layout was similar to her own, but the interior was decorated in shades of grey and white—a minimalist style that matched Xie Yin’s professional persona.

“Xie Yin?” Finding the lights off and the place in darkness, Ji Yunfei called out softly.

“…” There was no answer.

“I’m coming in?” she whispered. She slipped off her shoes and walked inside. After a few steps, she caught sight of a figure lying on the sofa.

Her heart skipped a beat as she hurried over. “CEO Xie? Xie Yin?” She gently nudged the figure, whose back was turned to her.

In the next second, Ji Yunfei’s entire body went stiff. Her hand froze in mid-air, unsure where to go—because the person on the sofa had suddenly spun around and pulled Ji Yunfei into a tight embrace!

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