Beauty Snake - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: A-Fei… Don’t Hide from Me Anymore…

“…” There was no answer from the other side, only a chaotic backdrop of noise—the clinking of glasses and the endless roar of a cheering crowd.

“Hello? Xie Yin?” Seeing that Xie Yin remained silent, Ji Yunfei knit her brows tightly, her heart trembling as she spoke again.

“Mmm… A-Fei…?” After a moment of silence, Xie Yin finally spoke. Her voice was soft and a bit airy—she was clearly drunk.

“It’s me…”

“Come pick me up, okay…?”

“I think I’m drunk…”

“Don’t hide from me anymore…”

Upon hearing Ji Yunfei’s confirmation, Xie Yin’s voice took on a hint of grievance, drifting softly through the receiver. That familiar, cool voice now carried a slight nasal tone that was incredibly endearing. But the moment Ji Yunfei heard those words, her heart filled with nothing but bitterness.

All this time spent escaping—the one she was hurting was never just herself.

“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”

“Mmm… Grand Imperial… Hotel?”

“I can’t quite remember…”

Hearing Ji Yunfei soften her tone and agree to come, Xie Yin’s voice brightened with a clear smile, her words ending with a coquettish trail. Ji Yunfei’s face flushed at the sudden change in Xie Yin’s demeanor; her cheeks burned, and her heartbeat thudded like a heavy drum.

“Be good, I’m coming right now,” Ji Yunfei blurted out without thinking. Seconds later, she realized the gravity of what she’d just said, and the crimson flush spread all the way to the tips of her ears.

“I can’t help it… she sounds so obedient… so cute…”

“Ahem, anyone would have said that in this situation…”

“It’s just human nature… human nature!!”

As she thought about it, she subconsciously covered her face, her smile so wide it could have reached the sun.

“CEO Xie! Keep going—!” A few loud voices broke the atmosphere in the background, urging more drinks. They were a mix of men and women, and even through the phone, Ji Yunfei could hear the flattery… and the ill intent.

“Xie Yin, don’t hang up. Wait for me to find you, do you hear me?”

“Okay… I’ll listen to A—” Beep—

Before Xie Yin could finish her sentence, the call was abruptly cut off. The electronic dial tone was exceptionally piercing.

“Damn it—” Ji Yunfei sensed trouble. Ignoring everything else, she lunged forward, wanting to sprint out of the restroom.

However, she was immediately blocked by Su Yao. Ji Yunfei looked up and met her gaze. Su Yao was gripping Ji Yunfei’s wrist tightly, her eyes moist. She shook her head almost imperceptibly, pleading for Ji Yunfei to stay.

“Are you leaving?”

Ji Yunfei didn’t answer. She reached out and slowly pried Su Yao’s fingers off her wrist, one by one, before setting the hand aside.

“Sister Yao… let’s talk later.”

“Xie Yin needs me…”

With those words, Ji Yunfei darted past Su Yao and rushed out of the bar without looking back, heading for the hotel next door. Her heart was so full of Xie Yin that she didn’t hear the soft murmur Su Yao let out before the door slammed shut.

“I need you too…”

Huff— huff—

Ji Yunfei was sprinting down the street. Although the hotel was technically “next door,” it was actually several blocks away. If she could, she really wished she had super-speed right now.

Thump— “Watch where you’re going!”

“Sorry! I’m so sorry!”

She was going so fast she couldn’t stop in time and collided with an innocent passerby. She didn’t even have time to rub her throbbing head; she just bowed and apologized with a forced smile. Even then, she received a sharp glare and some choice words.

But it didn’t matter. Getting to Xie Yin was the only thing that mattered.

The wind rushed into her throat as she ran, and she could taste a hint of iron—blood—in her mouth. A stinging sensation pricked at her like needles. Her stomach began to churn again from the intense exertion, but she endured the physical discomfort and accelerated, finally reaching the entrance of the Grand Imperial just before she could get sick.

She pulled out her phone and dialed the top contact again. Ring… ring… ring… “The phone you have dialed is powered off—”

Xie Yin’s phone was dead. The sense of unease in Ji Yunfei’s heart intensified. She didn’t dare delay and rushed into the hotel. Relying on her memory, she sprinted to the corner where she had spotted Xie Yin earlier and began checking the private dining rooms one by one.

Even though it was rude to burst into private rooms, she had no other choice.

Creak— Ji Yunfei cautiously pushed a door open and poked her head in “sneakily.” Inside was a group of elderly aunts and uncles chatting boisterously. At the sound of the door, they went silent in unison and stared at her.

“Hehe… sorry, sorry… wrong room…” She closed the door as gently as she had opened it, her face burning with embarrassment. Being stared at by so many people was truly uncomfortable.

She didn’t linger after the first failure, moving quickly to the room across the hall. Unsurprisingly, she had to awkwardly close the door on another group. Room after room, failure after failure. Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and her anxious heart hammered against her ribs.

After losing count of how many doors she had opened, Ji Yunfei was on the verge of a breakdown. With trembling hands, she opened the third-to-last room.

A few people remained in the room, but most were slumped over their chairs with their eyes closed, clearly having passed out from drinking. The most prominent figure was Rika… leaning into the arms of a brown-haired woman. That blonde hair was so striking it was hard to miss.

From a distance, Rika seemed to have a sliver of consciousness left; her lips moved slightly as she whispered something. Ji Yunfei scanned the room, searching desperately for that tall silhouette, but unfortunately, she couldn’t find her.

“Xie Yin isn’t here…”

“She’s not here!!?”

Connecting what she had heard on the phone to Xie Yin’s state, Ji Yunfei’s heart climbed into her throat. She could feel it—if she didn’t find Xie Yin soon, it would be too late.

She strode over to Rika and finally saw her condition clearly. Rika was obviously wasted, her cheeks flushed a strange crimson, and her eyes were unfocused. She was gripping the brown-haired woman’s sleeve tightly, mumbling incoherently.

“Rika, where is Xie Yin? Why are you the only one here?” Ji Yunfei knelt down and shook Rika’s shoulder, shouting to try and wake her up. But before she could shake her again, the woman holding Rika blocked her. Ji Yunfei looked up into a pair of wary eyes.

“Don’t touch her…” The woman spoke through gritted teeth, her voice full of resentment. Ji Yunfei recognized her—this was the woman from the restroom. But she had no time for their drama right now.

“Tell me, where is Xie Yin?”

“Tch. She was a total mess, so Li Xin took her upstairs.”

“How could you let her just go with someone!?”

The brown-haired woman’s indifferent attitude infuriated Ji Yunfei. She stood up and shouted at the woman, her feigned composure long since discarded.

“What happens to her is none of my business.”

“Fine… Room 1001. Go look for yourself.”

Seeing Ji Yunfei on the edge of a collapse, the woman finally gave her a room number before turning back to gently pat the mumbling Rika, ignoring everything else.

Although her internal self was pacing in a panic, Ji Yunfei forced her brain to stay sharp. Armed with the room number, she sprinted to the front desk and managed to get a spare key card.

“Phew—”

“Xie Yin… wait for me…”

The elevator ascended slowly. Standing alone in the empty car, Ji Yunfei clenched her hands and prayed with her eyes closed. She felt the elevator was moving far too slowly… much too slowly.

The numbers on the display ticked up until finally, it reached the tenth floor. Ding— The doors slid open. Ji Yunfei stepped out and looked around. The room nearest the elevator was 1030. Clearly, it was quite a distance to 1001.

She gritted her teeth and sprinted down the hallway. The rooms blurred past as the numbers on the doorplates counted down. The hallway wasn’t actually that long, but to her, it felt like a path that would never end.

Finally, the wall marking the end of the hall appeared. The numbers dropped from 30 down to 01. Ji Yunfei stopped in front of 1001, gasping for air. She stepped forward and knocked tentatively, then pressed her ear to the wood, listening for any sound.

Silence. The room was as quiet as a grave.

Seeing no response, she didn’t hesitate. She swiped the key card and opened the door. Beep— Click—

The lock disengaged. Ji Yunfei pushed the handle and entered.

“Xie Yin?”

The room was pitch black. Using the light from the hallway, she could vaguely see that the bed had been ruffled, as if someone had been lying on it. But in this room, as far as she could see, there was no sign of anyone.

Her heart, already dangling by a thread, felt like it was about to shatter. She stepped into the room and called out with a trembling voice, “Xie Yin? Are you there?”

Only then did she realize her voice had gone hoarse. The stinging in her nose was becoming unbearable, and her eyes were swimming in tears. Was she too late?

Bam—!

The door behind her didn’t just blow shut from the wind; it felt like it had been slammed by force. The room plunged into absolute darkness. Ji Yunfei couldn’t even see her own hands. She reached out, groping blindly in the dark.

But a moment later, she was jerked by a sudden force…

“Who’s there!” Her heart leaped. she spun around and shouted. But just as the words left her mouth, she was pulled by that force into a warm embrace…

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