Beauty Snake - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Hehehe… The Wives and Their Kitten Cubs..

The night sky was speckled with stars, and the summer air felt light thanks to a gentle evening breeze. After leaving the restaurant, Ji Yunfei and Xie Yin walked side-by-side along the lakeside boulevard, yet neither spoke.

For a moment, the atmosphere between them reached a peak of surreal awkwardness. Ji Yunfei’s mind was stuck on a continuous loop of Xie Yin wrapping her arm around her in the restaurant to declare her territory.

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

Waiting for me to give her a title…?

While Ji Yunfei was still lost in her memories and thoughts, her shoulder suddenly felt heavy, and the Xie Yin beside her had vanished into thin air.

“A-Fei…” A soft call came from behind.

Ji Yunfei turned around, the tip of her nose brushing against something cool. Looking closer, she realized it was a rose. She smiled, her eyes crinkling as she took the flower from the hand resting on her shoulder and brought it to her nose to sniff.

Mmm… just like the previous roses, the fragrance was intoxicating, but this time, there seemed to be a hint of sugary sweetness hidden within the scent.

“Where did you get this?” Ji Yunfei turned fully to see Xie Yin standing there, still holding a familiar small cart of roses.

At the question, a blush crept onto Xie Yin’s face. She lowered her head slightly, her eyes darting around before she pointed her index finger to the side. Following the direction, Ji Yunfei saw a familiar figure… it was the little girl who sold flowers by the bench last time.

“Last time… I couldn’t give the flowers to you properly.”

“This time… just like before, A-Fei.”

“As long as you want them… they are all yours.”

“And so am I.”

Hit by such a sudden, direct confession from Xie Yin, fireworks exploded in Ji Yunfei’s brain. Seeing Ji Yunfei frozen like a statue, Xie Yin understood that the “Little Dummy Ji” probably wouldn’t agree just yet. But it didn’t matter; she would wait forever, until the day she fully accepted her.

“This is how you tucked the flower into Su Yao’s hair last time, isn’t it?”

Xie Yin spoke again. Ji Yunfei watched her pluck a rose from the cart, take a step forward, and tuck her stray hairs behind her ear before placing the rose there.

“Standing outside the window that day, I was so jealous…”

“But I had no reason to rush in.”

“Now I do…”

“As your pursuer.”

Xie Yin’s eyes were curved with a bright, burning gaze. As Ji Yunfei watched her lips move, the world seemed to fall into “mute” mode; she could hear nothing but Xie Yin’s voice.

Thump-thump, thump-thump— Her heartbeat grew louder. Ji Yunfei’s face was already scorching red. Her most secret impulses were screaming at her to respond to Xie Yin’s feelings right here, right now.

But logic ultimately won out. She wasn’t quite ready for the shift in their status yet… She decided to be selfish just this once and ask for a little more time.

“You have far too many ‘identities,’ CEO Xie~”

“However, this rose… won’t have the same ending as the previous one.”

Ji Yunfei spoke as she pulled the two snapped halves of the old rose from her bag. Those pieces had long since been dried and carefully preserved by her.

“This… why did you keep this?” Seeing the dried flower, Xie Yin looked a bit uneasy, not even bothering to correct the overly polite “CEO Xie.” She lowered her gaze and hid her hands behind her back, her fingers interlacing tightly.

“Looking at this flower… it makes me think of the jealous you,” Ji Yunfei teased, successfully steering the conversation away.

Hearing this, a faint flush appeared on Xie Yin’s face. She reached out, trying to snatch the dried flower from Ji Yunfei’s hand.

“Give it to me…”

“No!” Ji Yunfei dodged, making Xie Yin lunge at empty air. An exasperated Xie Yin gave chase, and the two began a unique game of “The CEO chases her wife.”

“Okay, okay… stop chasing…”

“I won’t laugh at you anymore. Walk with me properly.”

Ji Yunfei stopped abruptly and turned around. Unable to brake in time, Xie Yin crashed straight into her arms. Ji Yunfei wasn’t shy; she took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Xie Yin’s waist.

“Ahem… fine, let’s walk.” Xie Yin flusteredly retreated from the embrace, smoothing her long hair that had become messy from the chase, and nodded with a muffled voice.

Silence fell between them again as they walked by the lake. However, as they walked, Ji Yunfei noticed the Xie Yin beside her was starting to get restless. Her hand would “accidentally” brush against the back of Ji Yunfei’s hand. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but any more than that was definitely intentional.

Ji Yunfei curled her lips secretly, a sense of joy rising from her heart.

“Hmm?”

“The wind makes my hands cold. Yours are warm; let me warm up.”

“Okay.”

Ji Yunfei didn’t care how ridiculous her excuse was; she simply followed her heart and firmly grasped the hand that had been hovering nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the flash of surprise in Xie Yin’s eyes, followed quickly by a surge of delight.

The dim yellow glow of the streetlights fell lazily upon them. By mutual agreement, neither said anything more, but their tightly interlaced fingers betrayed their true feelings… It wouldn’t be so bad to just keep walking like this forever, would it?

“When are you planning to go back to C-City?” Xie Yin suddenly asked. Ji Yunfei went silent for a moment. Realizing everything was out in the open, she followed her heart and said softly:

“Up to you…”

“Heh…” Xie Yin chuckled, tightening her grip on Ji Yunfei’s hand. “Then let’s go back as soon as possible… tomorrow afternoon?”

“Sure, whatever you say. But I need to go back to Su Yao’s place first to pack my luggage.”

“Hiss, hiss, hiss! Ow, ow, ow—!”

“You’ve been staying with her all these days?” Xie Yin kept her head down, her voice muffled and her smile not reaching her eyes. The strength in her hand suddenly increased, making Ji Yunfei wince.

“I slept in the guest room… besides, I have to thank her for taking care of me these past few days.”

“Stop being so vinegar-y…”

Being called out so bluntly, Xie Yin felt a bit guilty. Her gaze wavered, and she stuttered: “Who’s jealous… Forget it. Go pack your bags as soon as possible. I’ll go with you. Then get back to work with me.”

“Hmph… the black-hearted capitalist finally reveals herself~”

“But teasing her is pretty fun…”

“Yes, yes, yes…”

“I still have to finish Qin Qing’s design when I get back. I have no inspiration at all.” Ji Yunfei nodded, going along with Xie Yin. But she quickly thought of the commission. She had never raised anything other than snakes, let alone a fluffy little creature like a kitten. Designing something around a cat was proving quite difficult.

“If you have any problems, you can come to me—”

“Meow~”

Just as Xie Yin was about to offer comfort, a weak kitten’s cry came from the bushes by the road.

“Did you hear that?” Ji Yunfei reached out a finger to press against Xie Yin’s lips, signaling her to listen closely. “A cat?”

Ji Yunfei nodded and let go of Xie Yin’s hand. Following the source of the sound, she slowly parted the bushes and peeked inside. The first thing she saw was a cardboard box the size of a shoebox, and the tiny meow was coming from within. Without hesitation, she pulled the box out and placed it in front of Xie Yin.

They both crouched down and peeled back the lid. “Such tiny kittens…” Ji Yunfei gasped.

There were two kittens lying on a pee pad—one black and one white. They looked barely a month old and were huddling together tightly.

“Maybe… the heavens are sending me inspiration?” Ji Yunfei looked up, wanting to say something, only to lock eyes with Xie Yin. In that silent exchange, they both knew exactly what the other was thinking.

“These are two little female kittens…”

“They’re a bit malnourished, so pay extra attention to their diet. Other than that, they have some ear mites; just take this medicine back and apply it regularly. Everything else looks fine.” In the pet hospital, the vet in the white coat petted a tiny head while giving instructions to the two people standing before him.

“Alright, thank you, doctor.” Hearing that the kittens were mostly okay, Ji Yunfei finally breathed a sigh of relief. After paying and getting the meds, she and Xie Yin each carried a pet carrier and walked out the hospital doors.

“Just like that, we have two kittens…?”

“It feels so surreal,” Ji Yunfei murmured.

Suddenly, her head felt a weight. She looked up and met Xie Yin’s smiling eyes. “One for you, one for me…”

“Do you know what this looks like?”

“What?” Ji Yunfei asked, following the lead even though she knew Xie Yin was up to no good.

“It looks like a pair of wives with their babies.” Xie Yin leaned in abruptly, whispering into Ji Yunfei’s ear. Her warm breath fanned against her skin.

Ji Yunfei’s ears turned red and hot again. She couldn’t tell if it was from the warmth of the breath or the boldness of the words. “What are you saying… give me back my cold, efficient CEO Xie.” Ji Yunfei pushed Xie Yin away slightly.

“No. In front of you… I will only ever be my truest self.”

“Mmm… a bold puppy…”

“No, more like a beautiful snake-woman who knows exactly how to flirt and tease.”

“But she’s also very cute.”

Despite her thoughts, Ji Yunfei kept a straight face and walked toward the hotel.

Tap, tap, tap— Footsteps approached from behind, quickly catching up to her. Her palm was suddenly filled with warmth as five fingers interlaced with hers. Ji Yunfei couldn’t—and didn’t want to—pull away.

A pair of mommies and their babies? Heh… it was a very cute description, wasn’t it? Ji Yunfei thought she might finally have some design inspiration.

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