Beauty Snake - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Click To See Evil Fei-fei Playing Cosplay…

“That stinky Ji Yunfei… does she really not intend to look for me?” Xie Yin bit down resentfully on a candied strawberry. The “crackle” of the dark brown, transparent sugar coating being shattered by her force could be heard clearly even in the bustling market.

Seeing Xie Yin enveloped in a faint aura of suppressed rage, Huahua, who was trailing behind, shrank her neck and said tremulously, “Boss, don’t be angry. Maybe Master got delayed by something important?”

Seeing Xie Yin stop in her tracks and toss the finished skewer into a trash bin, Huahua quickly and tactfully stepped forward to offer a more enticing-looking stick of candied strawberries. “Boss, try this one; it’s definitely sweeter. It’s such a lively and festive time for the fireworks festival—let’s not get upset over these small things, don’t you think?”

“Don’t make excuses for her.” Xie Yin looked at the candied strawberries Huahua handed over. Beneath the crystal-clear sugar coating were bright red strawberries that looked juicy and delicious. But somehow, the more she looked at it, the more it resembled a certain unreliable scoundrel—a sugar-coated shell hiding a heart that was rotten to the core!

Xie Yin bit her lower lip. A sudden impulse surged in her heart to smash the treat onto the ground and grind it under her heel.

Her hand was already raised halfway, but an untimely image flashed in her mind: that person looking at her seriously, a smile playing on her lips as she held her close…

Ultimately, the hand holding the strawberries lowered, moving instead toward her mouth.

Ji Yunfei was inexcusable, but the candied strawberries were innocent. Xie Yin didn’t want to transfer her anger toward that bad human onto this delicacy; wouldn’t that be a waste of fresh fruit?

Huahua, following behind, witnessed this entire sequence. Seeing Xie Yin transition from fury to calm as she ate the strawberry, she let out a secret sigh of relief.

Whew, Boss doesn’t seem to be spiraling too much. Master still has a chance to win her back…

“Hehe, Boss, there are masks for sale over there. Want to check them out?” Seeing the mood improve, Huahua moved according to the plan and pointed toward a mask stall that was swarming with people and doing great business.

“Mmm, let’s go.” Xie Yin didn’t want the missing, “evil” Ji person to occupy her thoughts anymore, so she listened to Huahua. The two of them squeezed into the lively crowd together.

The small stall was surrounded by two or three layers of people. Xie Yin put in some effort to push to the very front to see the dazzling array of masks.

Contrary to her expectations, the various masks here were all “blue-faced and fangs-baring”—grotesque and eerie, hardly what one would call elegant. The most jaw-dropping one was a metal mask shaped like a long-tongued ghost, covered in crimson bloodstains.

“……” These ugly masks are sitting here, yet instead of scaring people away, they’re this popular? Is this reasonable? Do people have such bizarre tastes these days?

“Eldest Miss?” The stall owner, wearing an ox-head mask, spoke in a raspy voice. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Xie Yin. Acting with great diligence, she displayed her backstock one by one. “Please take a look. Is there anything you fancy?”

Seeing the stall owner’s over-eager attitude, Xie Yin’s face scrunched up. She chose her words carefully before speaking: “Hiss… are all your masks here… uh, ‘niche’ like this?”

“Oh, I understand you.” The stall owner patted her chest confidently. Seeing her like this, Xie Yin expected something better. She watched with anticipation as the owner reached into a small cart behind her and pulled out…

A pile of even more terrifying, horrifying, and bloody ugly masks.

“……” Tch, is this stall owner doing this on purpose?

Xie Yin sighed deeply, pressing a hand to her forehead. Seeing that the owner only produced strange and eerie masks, she lost interest. She grabbed Huahua, ready to leave. But at that moment, her gaze caught a glimpse of a white mask peeking out from behind the owner.

“That one. Bring it out for a look.” Xie Yin pointed to the mysterious mask with just a sharp corner showing. The owner followed her finger and finally noticed the mask forgotten in the corner.

She picked it up, wiped it with a cloth until it was shining, and presented it to Xie Yin with both hands. “Hehe, Eldest Miss has a sharp eye! I didn’t even realize I missed one.”

Xie Yin examined the mask: a silver-white metal mask with hollowed-out snake patterns, shimmering faintly under the lights. It stood in stark contrast to the messy, ugly masks on the table.

“Does this mask… have a matching pair?” Xie Yin asked instinctively. She felt that the mask was very familiar, as if she had seen or worn it before… and its partner seemed to be… a pitch-black snake-patterned mask?

Xie Yin felt like she had grasped onto a fragment of memory. She wanted to continue reminiscing, but a sharp pain from the depths of her soul forced her to stop. She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and looked at the owner. “This one. I’ll take it.”

“Eh, alright! Today is a festive day; this mask is a gift for the Eldest Miss.”

“No matter how festive it is, there’s no reason to take something for free. Huahua.” Xie Yin wasn’t the type to take handouts. She clapped her hands, and Huahua stepped forward to pay the proper amount.

Once the two left, the stall owner slowly removed the hideous ox-head mask, revealing Ji Yunfei’s face. She tossed the heavy bag of coins in her hand and murmured, “This girl is still as generous as ever…”

She shook her head with a smile, then pulled out a black mask hidden in an even more secluded corner and put it on. She then cupped her hands toward the people around her: “The plan is on track. I’ll be counting on you all for the next part!”

The Snake Clan’s fireworks festival had a tradition of dancing around a massive bonfire while wearing masks. Most people chose to wear them while browsing the market. Xie Yin was no exception; she couldn’t wait to put the mask on after getting it, and her mood improved significantly.

As she walked, she thought to herself: If Ji Yunfei were to jump out from some unknown corner right now with a gift, looking at me with those sparkling eyes and explaining softly why she stood me up today…

I might not be unable to forgive her…

With this thought, Xie Yin spent more effort observing every nook and cranny while she walked, actually feeling a bit of expectation to see Ji Yunfei’s figure.

However, she was destined to be disappointed. In those corners, besides mice emerging from drains and small insects scurrying about, there was nothing else. Her slightly raised spirits began to sink again.

Sensitive as she was, Huahua quickly captured the change in Xie Yin’s mood. Seeing her sink into a low mood again, Huahua stomped her feet in anxiety but couldn’t think of a good solution.

Thus, Huahua spent the rest of the way on edge, fearing Xie Yin would leave in a fit of pique, which would mean Ji Yunfei’s surprise couldn’t be delivered. Fortunately, they made it through without incident. Following Xie Yin, they soon finished the market and arrived at the central plaza.

The plaza was packed, surrounded by several layers of people. Although she couldn’t see the specific details inside, Xie Yin could tell from the sound of gongs and drums leaking through the gaps that the scene was incredibly lively.

Her curiosity was piqued again. Xie Yin tilted her head and gave Huahua a look, signaling her to follow as they squeezed to the front. She thought reaching the front row wouldn’t be easy, but to her surprise, when people saw it was Xie Yin, they automatically moved aside, subtly clearing a path for her.

“Hey, it was that easy?” Xie Yin was focused only on the excitement and didn’t think much of how easily she reached the front, merely offering a brief comment. She looked at the scene before her, her mouth hanging slightly open. The standing torches in the distance were reflected in her pupils, making her eyes look like they were sparkling.

In the center, a “Snake Dance”—similar to a “Lion Dance” in human society—was underway. The snake’s body was red and white, made of high-quality silk and wool, reflecting faint waves of light under the firelight.

Xie Yin watched the snake sway its head, its agile body darting up and down among the wooden poles. For a moment, she was mesmerized.

The dancing snake noticed Xie Yin in the front row. Its swaying head momentarily froze. Though it was a puppet snake, Xie Yin felt she could see a trace of human-like daze in its ruby eyes.

Xie Yin couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. The frozen head resumed its rhythm, and the entire snake leaped down from the wooden poles, slithering straight toward her.

Seeing it charging at her, Xie Yin was taken aback and froze in place, staring directly at the direction it was coming from.

The people around them instinctively backed away. The snake began circling around Xie Yin, nearly making her dizzy.

After a few quick turns, the music slowed. The snake slowed its pace too, its body rising and falling gently as its fluffy head swayed back and forth in front of Xie Yin.

Seeing the snake head so close, Xie Yin felt a surge of playfulness. She reached out to pat the large head, but just as her hand extended, something was pressed into her palm.

She looked down: it was a single rose with its thorns removed.

“?” Perplexed, Xie Yin looked up to ask a question, only to find the snake had already returned to the center of the field, darting nimbly among the poles.

The crowd that had dispersed gathered back in, so Xie Yin couldn’t do much but keep the rose safely.

Though confused, she felt a sweet joy in her heart. Could it be that I’m the ‘lucky spectator’?

There’s no pain without comparison—even a dancing snake knew to choose her as the “lucky spectator” and give her a surprise. Yet a certain someone, who spoke so beautifully, hadn’t even shown her shadow…

Heh. The moment Xie Yin thought of a certain Ji person who was still missing, her anger flared again. She ground her teeth irritably, pulled at Huahua beside her, and silently squeezed out of the crowd.

“Huahua, let’s go. To the bonfire.” Xie Yin tugged at the person’s sleeve, but received no response.

“Hua…” Xie Yin frowned and tugged again. Seeing the person remained as still as a mountain, she turned her head. What she met wasn’t Huahua’s multicolored hair…

But a person in a large, plush snake-head mascot costume.

Realizing she had grabbed the wrong person, Xie Yin retracted her hand as if she had been shocked. But before she could apologize and leave, the mascot spoke for itself, grabbing her wrist.

“Someone asked me to take Huahua’s place and accompany you for the rest of the activities.”

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