Beauty Snake - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: A-Fei Can Only Be Hers…

Yao-Yao-Yao: “Okay.”

Yao-Yao-Yao: “Tomorrow night at seven, at the same restaurant as last time.”

Yao-Yao-Yao: “I’ll wait for you.”

Su Yao’s messages were still as prompt as ever. Just like the woman herself, she always appeared right when Ji Yunfei needed her.

FFF: “Okay, see you then.”

“Little dummy Ji, look at your face in the mirror…”

“All scrunched up with worry… it’s not cute anymore, you know.”

Xie Yin’s teasing voice rang out. A handheld vanity mirror appeared before Ji Yunfei’s eyes. In the reflection, her brows were knit tight, her eyes swirling with conflict.

“Stop teasing me…”

“Taking pleasure in others’ misfortune is really hurtful.”

Ji Yunfei batted away the hand of the woman who was clearly enjoying the show and collapsed onto the bed. She wished she had a time machine to send her into a future where everything was resolved—rather than being stuck here, not knowing how to face Su Yao.

“Hmm?” Her face was suddenly cupped, and she was forced to lock eyes with Xie Yin. The hands holding her cheeks weren’t as burning as they were last night; instead, they were a bit cool. The chill made her body shudder involuntarily, clearing her head a little.

“You’re troubled because of her?”

“I’m guessing… there’s something you haven’t told me.”

“Right? A-Fei…”

Xie Yin narrowed her eyes. Her tone held a hint of testing, along with a trace of jealousy so faint it was almost imperceptible. The air in the room suddenly turned “sour.”

“Hehe…”

“Would you believe me if I said no…?”

Ji Yunfei gave a couple of awkward laughs and blinked, trying to play it off. But Xie Yin wasn’t going to let her off that easily. The air stagnated. No one spoke; Xie Yin simply tilted her head, raising an eyebrow at her.

One minute… two minutes…

Finally, it was Ji Yunfei who surrendered.

“Fine… you win. I’ll talk.”

“Su Yao confessed to me.”

“Right before I went to the hotel to find you.”

“The meeting tomorrow is to lay everything out and talk it through.”

After speaking, Ji Yunfei squeezed her eyes shut, afraid to see Xie Yin’s reaction.

“Pfft, Hahahaha!”

“Do you have a guilty conscience? Hmm?”

“You fickle, silly goose…”

“You’re… not angry?” Ji Yunfei was stunned as she was suddenly pulled into an embrace. According to the usual script, shouldn’t Xie Yin have stormed out the door by now? Instead of being angry, she was laughing and giving her a full hug… was this logical?

“Why should I be angry?”

“The fact that you are here right now…”

“Doesn’t that already tell me your choice?”

“As the one who was chosen… shouldn’t I be feeling more fortunate instead?”

Xie Yin buried her head in Ji Yunfei’s shoulder, her muffled voice full of smiles.

“I only see Su Yao as an older sister…”

“I don’t have any other feelings…”

The words tumbled out of Ji Yunfei before she could even think. She was desperate to clarify the relationship. She didn’t know why she was in such a rush to explain, but she just was. She didn’t want Xie Yin to misunderstand.

“I know.” “I will always believe in you.”

The grip on her waist tightened. The fuzzy head in the crook of her neck rubbed back and forth, creating a slight, ticklish sensation.

“Okay.” Ji Yunfei reached out and gently stroked the soft hair, finally feeling ready to face what was coming.

“We’re here.”

“Shall we go in together?”

Standing by the familiar bench, the two stopped in unison.

“No, I’ll sit here and wait for you.”

“That’s her, right? Looks like she’s been waiting for a while.”

“Go on in. Don’t keep her waiting.”

Xie Yin gestured with her chin. Following her gaze, Ji Yunfei saw Su Yao sitting by the window. Su Yao was sitting upright, and the table was already spread with dishes—at a glance, they were all of Ji Yunfei’s favorites.

“Are you sure you won’t come in?” Ji Yunfei’s confidence was low. With a final glimmer of hope, she looked toward Xie Yin for help. But her wish wasn’t granted. Xie Yin simply gave her a look of “my hands are tied,” shook her head, and plopped down on the bench.

“Fine… I’m going then.” Under Xie Yin’s watchful gaze, Ji Yunfei clenched and unclenched her fists. She turned and slowly walked toward the restaurant.

The person waiting by the window finally saw the silhouette she had been longing for. Her indifferent expression was instantly replaced by joy. She stood up and pulled out the chair for the person approaching.

“A-Fei… sit down, quickly.”

“The dishes on the table are all your favorites…”

“Try some before they get cold.”

Su Yao was the same as ever—smiling, caring for every detail like the “girl-next-door” sister she had always been.

“Sister Yao, I…” Seeing Su Yao acting as if nothing had happened, Ji Yunfei’s guilt deepened. She opened her mouth to speak, but Su Yao reached out and pressed a finger to her lips.

“A-Fei, don’t say it yet, okay…?”

“Let’s just have a nice meal together.”

Su Yao lowered her gaze. Ji Yunfei couldn’t see her expression, but she caught the almost imperceptible tremble in her voice. Ji Yunfei’s heart softened. She couldn’t bring herself to be cruel to women, especially when that woman was Su Yao. She fell silent and nodded.

Seeing her nod, a genuine smile finally broke across Su Yao’s face. Her eyes crinkled as she began picking up food and placing it in Ji Yunfei’s bowl before touching her own. Soon, Ji Yunfei’s bowl was piled high like a small mountain.

The atmosphere fell into a strange silence. Ji Yunfei lowered her head, transforming into a mindless eating machine, stuffing food into her mouth. Across from her, Su Yao ate slowly and elegantly. If one looked closely, they would see her gaze was locked firmly on Ji Yunfei.

This atmosphere lasted for quite some time until Su Yao’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” “At the club recruitment fair. You were surrounded by a group of seniors trying to ‘sell’ their clubs to you…” “You were standing there looking so lost…”

“And you reached through the crowd and pulled me out of the circle,” Ji Yunfei finished. Recalling their university days, a smile naturally touched her lips. That was a very beautiful time.

“I noticed you from that moment on,” Su Yao continued, her expression growing softer with the memory. “You were so dazed, but so incredibly cute. The more we spent time together, the stronger that feeling grew. When I realized my own feelings, I was both terrified and expectant… waiting for the moment you’d discover my heart. But who would have thought… you’re a total wooden head.”

Su Yao’s eyes were full of helplessness. She set down her utensils and gently took Ji Yunfei’s hand.

“The one sitting outside is Xie Yin, isn’t it?”

“It seems you two have already made things clear?”

“Honestly, I’m a bit jealous of her. It took her such a short time to make this wooden head finally catch on.”

“I’m sorry…”

“From the very beginning, I’ve only seen you as a very good friend, a sister who looked after me…”

The thousands of words Ji Yunfei wanted to say ultimately condensed into those two simple sentences. To her, Su Yao had never been anyone other than a friend. That was an unchangeable fact.

“Ah… that’s so direct, it really does hurt a bit.”

“But, A-Fei, regardless of anything, I want you to be confident and happy. If Xie Yin isn’t good to you… I won’t be polite with her.”

The loneliness on Su Yao’s face was fleeting, replaced once again by her usual gentle smile.

“We… we aren’t in that kind of relationship yet…” Ji Yunfei’s face turned red, and she began to stutter.

“While she isn’t yet… I can’t say the same for the future.”

“I’m just waiting for her to give me an official title~”

A pair of arms wrapped around Ji Yunfei’s neck from behind, and a patch of warmth pressed against her ear. Ji Yunfei turned her head, bumping into Xie Yin’s triumphant gaze. At this moment, Xie Yin looked like a peacock that had won a fight, her lips curled into a smirk as she looked provocatively at Su Yao.

“How did you get in here?” Ji Yunfei secretly pinched a bit of soft flesh at Xie Yin’s waist.

“If I didn’t come in… a certain someone might have tried to dodge their responsibilities.”

“I didn’t…”

“Isn’t Ms. Xie’s possessiveness a bit too strong?” Su Yao countered.

When rivals meet, sparks fly. Between their shifting gazes, the air seemed to carry the faint scent of gunpowder.

“Alright, alright…”

“Everything has been said. We should probably get going.”

“Xie Yin…” Ji Yunfei tugged at the sleeve of the woman beside her, whispering her name.

“Mmm…” Having been “soothed,” Xie Yin instantly became obedient, and the scorching aggression radiating from her vanished without a trace.

“Well, Sister Yao… we’ll be going now.”

“I’ve already settled the bill.”

“Thank you for taking care of me for so long.”

“Okay. Get home safely.”

Ji Yunfei stood up, giving Su Yao a sheepish smile. She scratched her head and pulled Xie Yin along to leave. Hearing that she was leaving, the faint smile remained on Su Yao’s face as she nodded in response.

Xie Yin followed obediently behind Ji Yunfei, who was still holding her sleeve. But before they left, Su Yao subtly blocked her path.

“Don’t let me find out you’ve kept any secrets from her… and you are not allowed to let her get hurt. This dummy is the easiest person to bully.”

“I will continue to wait for my chance.”

“Heh… as you can see, I’m only one sentence from A-Fei away from being the official girlfriend,” Xie Yin laughed. She leaned into Su Yao’s ear and whispered, emphasizing the words “official girlfriend.”

“So, you don’t need to trouble yourself. I will take good care of A-Fei.”

Under Su Yao’s watchful gaze, Xie Yin wrapped an arm around Ji Yunfei’s waist. They walked toward the door side-by-side. Before stepping out, Xie Yin looked back, raised an eyebrow at Su Yao, and flashed the smile of a victor.

It had been over one thousand three hundred years… she had waited for far, far too long.

A-Fei could only be hers. It was enough that A-Fei only had her in her eyes.

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