Beauty Snake - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: A-Fei… May Your Life Be Filled with Peace and Joy, Smooth and Without Worry…

“Hmph—”

“I can’t breathe—”

Her neck was firmly circled. The moment Ji Yunfei regained consciousness, she felt the suffocating sensation of being “strangled.” she pulled her arm out from under a certain someone and pried the hand off her throat.

“Mm… A-Fei, don’t be troublesome…”

“Sleep a little longer…”

Xie Yin’s voice was still raspy. As she spoke, she burrowed deeper into Ji Yunfei’s embrace. The hand that had been swatted away snuck back up to Ji Yunfei’s waist, giving it a gentle squeeze.

After all that movement, even though Ji Yunfei had intended to drift back to sleep, her drowsiness had completely vanished.

“Sss—” Lying flat on the bed, the various aftereffects of a hangover flooded in all at once. Her head felt like it was splitting open with an unbearable ache.

“Wait…”

As the pain subsided slightly, her brain began to reboot. She looked at the person beside her, whose brows were slightly knit, and her pupils suddenly contracted. Suppressing her racing heart, she gently lifted the covers. Seeing that both of them were fully dressed, she let out a long sigh of relief and relaxed a bit.

“Thank goodness… thank goodness…”

“Nothing out of line happened…”

Ji Yunfei tried to piece together the events of last night, but her memory stopped dead at the moment she grabbed Chi Chang’s leg. Beyond that, it was a total blank.

“Tch… another blackout…”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have tried to be a hero…”

“But why do I grab people’s legs every time I get drunk?!”

She should have known what a mess she was when drunk after that first time she met Xie Yin. Ji Yunfei felt a wave of regret—not for blocking the drinks for Xie Yin, but for not controlling herself and letting the alcohol get to her head.

Not to mention the embarrassment of clinging to people’s legs… how mortifying.

“A-Fei…”

“Awake?” The head in her arms shifted. Pure black strands of hair brushed against her collarbone, causing a slight itch. Seeing that Xie Yin seemed to be waking up, Ji Yunfei spoke softly.

“I should be asking you that…” Xie Yin slid under the covers, leaving only her eyes visible, sparkling with a mischievous light as she stared directly at Ji Yunfei.

“…” Ji Yunfei’s smile gradually faded. From Xie Yin’s expression, it wasn’t hard to guess that she was up to no good.

“I’m not teasing you… does your head hurt?” Seeing Ji Yunfei’s stiffened expression, Xie Yin dropped the act and shifted her focus to the hangover symptoms.

“It’s alright… feeling better now…”

“I’ll have the waiter bring up some hangover soup. Want to wash up first?” Before Ji Yunfei could answer, Xie Yin had already picked up the bedside landline and dialed the front desk.

“Okay…” Ji Yunfei stepped out of bed and slowly drew the curtains. The soft morning light poured in, feeling warm and cozy against her skin. Her earlier embarrassment was replaced by a sense of calm.

Gargle, gargle— “Hmm?”

“Xie—@#￥#…”

Before she could spit out her toothpaste, a soft warmth pressed against her back. Her waist was firmly encircled, and a head rested on her shoulder.

“What’s the plan for today?”

“I just asked the department heads; today is a free activity day…”

“You said you’d lead me around…” Xie Yin’s voice was muffled, sounding exactly like someone who had just crawled out of bed.

Ptooey— “Go wash up first, you’re so clingy…”

“We aren’t even officially together and it’s like this…”

“What’s it going to be like after we make it official?”

Ji Yunfei grumbled inwardly, feeling a surge of worry. While it was reasonable for couples to be sticky, this woman was a bit too much. She’d stick to her at any opportunity, and those two hands were never still.

“Let go first…” “No… even if I’m not working… I need to recharge my batteries…”

The grip on her waist tightened. In a fit of exasperation, Ji Yunfei forced the two hands open and slipped away while the person behind her was still dazed.

“CEO Xie, you really should change your habit of taking advantage of people.”

“…” Seeing Xie Yin look a bit embarrassed, Ji Yunfei hummed a tune and started rummaging through her suitcase for clothes, no longer paying attention to the person in the bathroom.

Buzz— The phone on the nightstand vibrated. She picked it up to see a message from Chi Chang.

Chang-Chang-Chang: “Any plans for today?”

Chang-Chang-Chang: “There’s a Wishing Tree at the Mount Mingyang Temple, want to check it out?”

“A Wishing Tree…?”

FFF: “Sure, but I have to bring Xie Yin…”

FFF: “I promised her before we came that I’d take her with me…”

The message was sent, and the other side went silent for a moment. For a second, Ji Yunfei didn’t know what to think.

Chang-Chang-Chang: “Ahem. As the saying goes, a wise man submits to fate.”

Chang-Chang-Chang: “I understand completely. Don’t worry, you two enjoy your world for two!”

Chang-Chang-Chang: “See you if fate allows!”

FFF: “?”

After those messages, Chi Chang went dead silent. No matter how much Ji Yunfei “harassed” her, there was no reply.

“A-Fei… I’m all done. You?”

“Ah? Oh, ready. Let’s go, I’ll take you somewhere nice.”

“Where?”

“You’ll know when we get there…”

“Bad A-Fei… keeping secrets…”

“Let’s go.”

“Hike… the mountain…?”

Leading Xie Yin to the trailhead, Ji Yunfei stopped and turned to look at her. As expected, the woman who usually remained stoic in front of employees maintained her expression, but there was a nearly imperceptible crack in her composure.

“Not exactly… less talking, more climbing.”

“Surely CEO Xie… isn’t unable to make the climb?” Ji Yunfei cocked an eyebrow, her tone playful.

“……” As soon as the words left her mouth, the expression on Xie Yin’s face became intriguing. She dropped her broken look and squinted her eyes with a half-smile.

“Whether I can or not—wouldn’t you know if you just tried me?”

“…”

“?”

How did Xie Yin twist the meaning like that…? Was her answer even related to the question? That sounded a bit strange…

Before she could think more, her hand was taken. Xie Yin had somehow darted ahead of her and was now pulling her along, walking forward without looking back.

Being led up the mountain like this made Ji Yunfei feel a bit awkward. She tried to pull her hand out of Xie Yin’s warm palm. However, the other woman possessed “limitless strength”; after several attempts, Ji Yunfei couldn’t move her hand an inch.

“Aren’t you… hot?”

“Look, your palm is sweating… why don’t we let go for a second?” Since force didn’t work, Ji Yunfei tried a softer approach. Following behind Xie Yin, she gave her hand a gentle tug and spoke in a small, pleading voice when Xie Yin turned around.

“No.” Upon hearing Ji Yunfei’s words, Xie Yin immediately turned her head back, not giving her a chance to say another word.

Well, that answer was expected… Whatever, if she wants to hold hands, let her. As long as Xie Yin is happy… her own feelings weren’t important TAT…

Pulled along by Xie Yin the whole way, Ji Yunfei gradually began to run out of stamina as they got higher. But looking at Xie Yin, whose steps never faltered, she held her breath and refused to collapse.

She thought Xie Yin must be tired too and that she could use the excuse to rest, but the woman showed no intention of stopping. Ji Yunfei was certain that if she didn’t speak up, this woman would charge all the way to the summit…

“Hah—hah—”

“I can’t walk anymore… slow down, slow down…” Spotting a roadside rock suitable for sitting, Ji Yunfei plopped down without a second thought. She swore to herself that no matter what Xie Yin said, she was going to stay right here and rest.

“A-Fei…”

“Exhausted already?” Seeing Ji Yunfei’s “shameless rascal” act, Xie Yin covered her mouth and laughed lightly, leaning into her ear to tease her.

Warm breath brushed against her ear. Seeing the person before her wasn’t even flushed or out of breath, combined with the intentional or unintentional hints in her words, Ji Yunfei felt a flare of indignation.

She was exhausted?? How could she be exhausted! She was perfectly capable! Sooner or later, she was going to show this smug woman exactly how “capable” she was.

“Don’t look down on me… I’m just taking a breather…”

“Let’s go, let’s go! I can keep climbing!” With a huff, she shook off the hand that refused to let go. This time, Ji Yunfei took the lead. She held her breath and charged up to the mountainside, reaching their destination—Mount Mingyang Temple.

“So, am I capable or not? Faster than you—” Seeing Xie Yin slowly catch up, Ji Yunfei bounced over to her, her nose practically in the air, unable to hide her triumph.

“Mmm, very capable.” Her answer was a soft chuckle from Xie Yin and a hand patting her head.

“What’s going on… why does this feel like training a dog…?”

“This strange sense of déjà vu…”

“Ahem, alright, we’re here. Let’s go inside…”

“Into the temple…?” Xie Yin’s elegant brows knit slightly, her expression becoming a bit unnatural. She seemed somewhat resistant to the idea of entering the temple.

“Mmm… there’s a very famous Wishing Tree in the courtyard…”

“Shall we see it together?” Noticing Xie Yin’s stiff expression, Ji Yunfei assumed she just hadn’t visited temples often and felt a bit out of place. She proactively reached out and took the other woman’s hand.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” After a moment of silence, Xie Yin nodded with a smile.

The two stepped into the temple together. Much like the Qingshan Temple, it was filled with the scent of burning incense and candles, mixed with a faint aroma of sandalwood.

“Patron, would you like to look at the wishing plaques?”

“Fair prices, no deception for young or old.” A young monk called out from the side. Both turned their heads to meet the smiling eyes of the little monk.

Seeing the two looking at him, the young monk held up a red wishing plaque, waved it at them, and pointed to the notice board next to him.

“Red Wishing Plaque: 20 Yuan Each”

“Little master, we’ll take two.”

“Here, this one’s for you. Make a good wish.”

“Maybe it’ll even come true~” Ji Yunfei bought two plaques and handed the pen and plaque to Xie Yin. Once the items were taken, she winked mischievously and ran to a corner.

“No peeking!” Seeing that Xie Yin still wanted to walk toward her, Ji Yunfei hid the items behind her back, feigning anger as she shooed her away.

As the pen tip met the red surface again and again, the black strokes gradually formed a complete sentence.

“Xie Yin’s wish is also my wish; I hope everything goes as desired.”

Ji Yunfei’s wish was written following her truest inner thoughts. But when those thoughts were solidified into words, she was still startled. A sense of shyness hit her like a late-arriving wave.

With the flush on her face and the heat still lingering, she stole a glance at Xie Yin, who was still buried in her writing.

Xie Yin’s black hair fell loosely across the table as she leaned down. The sunlight filtering through the leaves created mottled shadows on her face.

Between the light and shadow, the person writing paused as if sensing something. She looked up and met Ji Yunfei’s gaze.

The beauty’s eyes curved into a smile, and Ji Yunfei was dazed. It wasn’t until the other finished her final strokes and stood before her with the plaque that she regained her senses.

“What did you write?” Xie Yin’s thin lips parted, her cool voice ringing out with a touch of nonchalance.

“It’s a secret—”

“Wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud. Surely CEO Xie knows that?”

“Fine. Then wait until the wish comes true… and tell me then.”

“Are we supposed to throw the plaques up now?”

“Mmm.”

Clack—! As their hands moved, the two red plaques coincidentally tangled onto the same branch, clinging tightly to one another. As the wind blew, they inevitably bumped into each other, making a crisp clinking sound.

“Xie Yin… let’s recite our wishes silently together one more time?”

“Okay.”

At this sight, Ji Yunfei couldn’t help but close her eyes, raising her hands to her chest with fingers interlaced. Writing the wish wasn’t enough; sincerity was key. So, one more time.

“Xie Yin, I only hope that everything goes as you desire…”

Ji Yunfei, with her eyes tightly shut, didn’t notice the flash of sorrow in the eyes of the person beside her. It was a fleeting sadness, almost like an illusion.

After staring intently at Ji Yunfei for a moment, those moist eyes slowly closed.

“A-Fei… May your life be filled with peace and joy, smooth and without worry…”

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