Beauty Snake - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Behind the Mask was Xie Yin’s Cold and Elegant Face…

“Me?” Ji Yunfei pointed at herself in disbelief, then let out a self-deprecating laugh. She gently swatted away the hand Xie Yin had extended toward her, her eyes filled with confusion and her tone laced with thorns.

“Forget it… I don’t like these kinds of occasions.”

“CEO Xie should find someone else.” In the end, Ji Yunfei couldn’t bring herself to say anything truly harsh; she simply used her discomfort with the setting as an excuse.

A flash of confusion crossed Xie Yin’s face, as if she didn’t understand why Ji Yunfei’s mood had suddenly plummeted. She hesitated for a moment before speaking tentatively:

“If you’re not used to it… we can leave—”

But before she could finish, Rika’s charming yet slightly overbearing voice rang out from a distance: “Xie! Come dance with me!”

The woman’s blonde hair shimmered under the lights, making Ji Yunfei squint. Looking closely, the two of them—one cold and elegant, one warm and passionate—actually looked quite well-matched.

“Go ahead. I’ll be fine on my own, don’t worry about me…”

The more Ji Yunfei thought about it, the worse she felt, but she forced a smile anyway, signaling Xie Yin to ignore her.

“Fine… then wait for me to come back here. Be good…”

As Xie Yin spoke, Ji Yunfei felt a touch on her head. Xie Yin’s movement was gentle, carrying a silent comfort. Ji Yunfei felt a bit numb; she pushed the stray hand away and nodded. Internally, however, she had a sudden impulse to just throw caution to the wind and have a total meltdown in public.

“One second you accept someone’s confession.”

“The next second you’re petting someone else’s head?”

“I’m just a part of your ‘play,’ aren’t I…”

Though dark thoughts continued to fester, Ji Yunfei maintained her dignity. She watched the two of them walk gracefully into the dance floor. Their figures dancing in the light were so perfect that Ji Yunfei almost felt like applauding.

So, after suppressing the urge to go crazy, she simply ignored Xie Yin’s request to wait. After soaking in the atmosphere for a few more minutes, she quietly left the hall and took a taxi back to the hotel. Before leaving, she even kindly sent Xie Yin a message so she could enjoy her time with Rika in peace.

FFF: “CEO Xie, I went back to the hotel first. Don’t worry about me.”

FFF: “Have a good time with Miss Rika.”

“Hello, do you have any vacancies?”

“One moment, let me check… You’re in luck, Ma’am, there is exactly one single room left.”

Upon arriving at the hotel, Ji Yunfei went straight to the front desk. She truly couldn’t stay in the same room as Xie Yin right now; just thinking about it was enough to make her cringe into oblivion. Luckily, Lady Luck was on her side. She booked the room instantly.

“Phew—” Ji Yunfei collapsed onto the small single bed, trying to calm her heart. She couldn’t explain her feelings or distinguish what Xie Yin meant to her.

Did she like Xie Yin because she was Xie Yin? Was it gratitude for her help? Or was it because she looked like the Beauty Snake from her dreams and she had been biased from the start? She still wasn’t sure. But right now, her certainty didn’t seem to matter…

What was certain was that her heart felt swollen and heavy, yet strangely empty. Although she didn’t want to admit it, she actually missed the “shameless” Beauty Snake from her dreams right now. At least that “villain,” regardless of her intentions, only had eyes for her.

“A-Fei… A-Fei?”

In a daze, Ji Yunfei felt someone poking her, and a familiar voice sounded in her ear.

“Xie… Yin?” she called out instinctively.

The voice paused upon hearing the name, then let out a light laugh. “Xie… Yin… who is that?”

“…Beauty Snake!” Hearing the confusion in that voice, Ji Yunfei snapped awake. She realized she was indeed next to the Beauty Snake, back in that small wooden cabin.

“Fine, dreaming again.”

“Speak of the devil and she appears…”

“Why… why on earth are you haunting me? It’s really scary…”

Upset by the events before sleep, Ji Yunfei lost her patience. Looking at the snake woman who looked so much like Xie Yin, she couldn’t help but want to vent.

“Because… I know you want to see me. You’re thinking of me… I heard your call. Besides… didn’t you come up the mountain with me voluntarily?” The woman leaned into Ji Yunfei’s ear, her tone teasing.

“…” Ji Yunfei was silenced. Everything the woman said was technically a fact. She found no room for a rebuttal. Stymied, she lowered her head and hugged her knees, looking as dejected as could be.

“You’re unhappy?” The Beauty Snake seemed to sense her low mood and slithered closer, showing genuine concern.

“Ask if you want, but keep your hands to yourself…” Ji Yunfei swatted away the wandering, restless hands.

“Alright, alright… did someone bully you? I’ll beat them up for you!” Despite being swatted away, the woman didn’t get angry. Instead, she sat down beside Ji Yunfei quite properly, even adding dramatic gestures as she spoke.

“This protective look is actually quite cute.” Ji Yunfei chuckled inwardly at the sight.

“Heh… say… if someone said they liked you while they were delirious with fever, then turned around and accepted someone else’s confession… and then still tried to flirt with you… should that person be severely punished?”

Seeing the rarely well-behaved snake demon, Ji Yunfei decided to dump all her troubles out.

“What! There’s actually such a person? Why be unhappy over someone like that? Do you like her?” The woman blinked innocently at Ji Yunfei.

Ji Yunfei didn’t notice the flash of guilt in the Beauty Snake’s eyes; she only saw the indignation. At the question regarding her feelings for Xie Yin, Ji Yunfei’s expression dimmed, and she sighed.

“I don’t know. I can’t tell if I like her because she is her, or because before I met her… I had already… with you. I don’t know what you look like… but the two of you are… very similar in spirit.”

It was embarrassing to voice her internal struggle in front of the source. As she spoke, her ears began to burn.

“Oh~ in that case… how about you like me instead? Stop liking her…” The woman flicked her tongue, licking Ji Yunfei’s reddened earlobe.

The icy sensation made Ji Yunfei shiver. She pushed the woman’s forehead away with her finger. “Politely declining… a human and a demon won’t have a happy ending. Besides, the feeling you give me is different from her…”

“Mmm… just kidding~” The woman stood up, slithered in front of Ji Yunfei, and leaned down to meet her gaze. “I have a way… You’ve always wanted to take off my mask, haven’t you? I’ll be generous this time and give you the chance… so you can see your own heart clearly.”

The woman took Ji Yunfei’s hand and placed it on the black-and-gold snake-patterned mask.

“What will taking off a mask show me? At most, I’ll know what you look like.” Ji Yunfei didn’t believe a mask could reveal her true heart.

“If you like her because she is her… then the face behind the mask will be hers. If not… you will see my original appearance. No deception involved. Want to try?” The woman leaned in, her voice enchanting.

Ji Yunfei was moved. She desperately needed a chance to recognize her own heart. “Okay…”

“Close your eyes… don’t resist my lead… take off the mask.”

Ji Yunfei obeyed. Guided by the woman’s hand, she slowly lifted the mask that had always hidden her face.

“Open your eyes…”

Ji Yunfei slowly opened them… and was caught off guard by a pair of ink-black, soul-captivating eyes. Behind the mask was indeed Xie Yin’s cold and elegant face…

Thump-thump— Ji Yunfei’s heart accelerated uncontrollably for her.

“Looking at you like this… I really don’t stand a chance…” Before Ji Yunfei could react, the Beauty Snake had already put the mask back on, her pale green snake pupils full of playfulness.

“…” Ji Yunfei remained silent. What was the use of knowing her own heart? Xie Yin was just playing with her.

“I do like her… but she just sees me as a pastime.” Ji Yunfei fell back into the fog, lost. Without realizing it, tears began to fall.

“Don’t cry… hey… could there be a misunderstanding? How about… you go talk to her proactively?” Seeing Ji Yunfei’s heartbreak, the Beauty Snake grew anxious. She patted her shoulder and pulled her into a light embrace to comfort her.

“A-Fei? Ji Yunfei?” The sobbing faded. Ji Yunfei had somehow fallen asleep even deeper within the dream, so Xie Yin’s words went unanswered.

Xie Yin shook her head helplessly and exited the dream. She truly hadn’t expected Ji Yunfei to witness the scene in the garden with Rika. Even if she did, Xie Yin’s conscience was clear. The problem was that the “dummy” didn’t stay to watch the whole thing—she ran away halfway through.

Xie Yin wanted to scream “I’m innocent!” to the heavens. Originally, she just wanted to use Rika to stimulate Ji Yunfei’s wooden head so she would realize her feelings sooner. But Rika’s sudden confession was genuinely not part of the plan and had startled her too.

In the garden, she had wanted to refuse coldly, but considering their years of friendship and the future cooperation between their corporations, she hadn’t been so ruthless—giving some face to Rika and her group. Who knew that this bit of courtesy would lead to such a misunderstanding?

Now the “Fei-fei” she almost had in her hands was growing wings to fly away. Xie Yin wouldn’t let that happen.

“Mmm—”

Although she didn’t know how she had drifted off, Ji Yunfei woke up feeling refreshed. [I should thank the Beauty Snake for counseling me in my dream…]

She checked her phone and saw Xie Yin’s messages from last night.

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Your mood seemed off tonight? Is something wrong?”

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Tell me, maybe I can help..?” (Half an hour later)

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “You booked another room?”

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Reply when you see this…”

Ji Yunfei felt a headache coming on. She wasn’t ready to face Xie Yin yet. She preferred avoidance over a direct confrontation.

FFF: “I’m fine, CEO Xie. My battery was just low… Don’t worry about me.”

The reply came instantly, as if Xie Yin was staring at the chat.

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Then… out for breakfast? After that, we head back to City C.”

The invitation made Ji Yunfei feel irritable. She didn’t want any contact right now.

FFF: “I’m not hungry, CEO Xie. Also, I have a friend here in City S, so… I’d like to head back a bit later. I won’t be going with you.”

FFF: “It’s the weekend anyway… I’ll head back Sunday night. Is that okay?”

FFF: [Pudge_rolling_over.gif]

There was no reply for a long time. Her heart began to race.

Ding—

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Okay.”

Snake-Scorpion Beauty: “Stay safe, call me if anything happens.”

FFF: “Understood! Thank you, CEO Xie!”

Ji Yunfei breathed a sigh of relief. Before going back to face Xie Yin in City C, she needed to relax. She couldn’t let Xie Yin influence her like this all the time, or she’d have a nervous breakdown.

Since City S was a famous tourist spot and the beaches were legendary in summer… she felt an itch. She hadn’t gone surfing since she started working. She might as well indulge herself this once.

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