My Little Pink Crocodile - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: You Look Like a Human Now

After finally seeing off Qi Yan’s parents, Qi Yan could finally sit down and rest for a moment. Grace frowned and looked at her.

“Are you really going to get a marriage certificate with Jiang Yu just to deal with them? What if she’s undocumented?”

Before Qi Yan could speak, Jiang Yu, who was sitting quietly, raised her hand in protest. “I am not undocumented.”

“Don’t cause trouble right now,” Grace said helplessly.

Qi Yan thought for a moment, looked out the window, and sighed. “I’m going out with her to take a photo. I’ll message you in a bit.”

Seeing that Qi Yan didn’t look like she was joking, Grace gave up on trying to persuade her.

After leaving the house, Qi Yan originally planned to find the nearest photo studio. However, after Jiang Yu asked a string of questions and discovered they were taking “wedding photos,” she decided such an important event couldn’t be done casually. She insisted that Qi Yan take her to buy a new dress.

Qi Yan wanted to refuse, but looking at the girl she had dragged out while still wearing pajamas, a wave of guilt hit her. After a moment’s hesitation, she agreed to Jiang Yu’s request.

Jiang Yu walked ahead, planning where to go on the bustling street. Behind her, Qi Yan stared at her back and that conspicuous pink hair. After a long silence, she took Jiang Yu’s hand.

“Your hair…”

Jiang Yu was originally excited that Qi Yan had taken the initiative to hold her hand. Hearing Qi Yan’s hesitant remark, she assumed the woman loved the color too. She immediately clung to Qi Yan’s arm, acting intimately and speaking with pride.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? People have asked me about it before, but it’s natural. They can’t grow it like this.” She sounded genuinely sorry for them.

Qi Yan ran a strand of hair through her fingers. She had to admit the color and luster were excellent, but… “It’s very pretty, but it might not work when we go to take the photo later.”

“Huh?” Jiang Yu froze, her expression turning dejected. “Is it really not okay?”

Seeing her like that, Qi Yan couldn’t bear it. “It’s fine, it’s just—”

Before she could finish, Jiang Yu hugged her and pointed. “I want that outfit!”

Being hugged in public caused Qi Yan’s body to stiffen. Without even thinking about what the girl was pointing at, she blankly agreed, “Okay.”

Jiang Yu’s eyes seemed to hold ten thousand stars, dazzling and full of joy. She leaned in and kissed Qi Yan’s cheek. “I just saw it; that’s the only one that looks good.” With that, she pulled Qi Yan toward the shop.

Qi Yan raised a hand to touch the spot where Jiang Yu had kissed her. A warm, soft sensation seemed to linger there, and a flash of complexity crossed her eyes.

Jiang Yu pulled her into a shop. The clerk, a delicate young woman, approached them politely. “Are you two here to choose a wedding dress and formal wear?”

Qi Yan snapped back to reality and looked at the storefront. The words “Wedding Boutique” left her stunned.

“No, no, we are here to buy that dress,” Jiang Yu said, pointing to the wedding gown on a transparent display mannequin.

The black mannequin made the white lace gown look even more pure and innocent, while the pink diamonds accenting the hem added a touch of youthful playfulness.

The clerk looked in the direction she was pointing, hesitated for a second, then maintained her polite smile. “You have excellent taste. This is our shop’s treasure. Which of you would like to try it on?”

“Me!” Jiang Yu said excitedly, looking expectantly at Qi Yan.

Qi Yan stood at the entrance, hesitating. But meeting Jiang Yu’s eyes, she gave a helpless smile and nodded to the clerk. “Let her try it.”

The clerk invited them in. “The fitting room is this way. Please follow me.”

Jiang Yu happily dragged Qi Yan inside. Entering a wedding shop for the first time, Qi Yan felt a strange sense of trance as she looked at the beautiful gowns surrounding them.

“Please sit. I’ll go get the dress for the lady,” the clerk said, pouring them hot water before stepping out.

Once the clerk was gone, Jiang Yu, curious about everything, began looking around and touching things. Qi Yan’s earlier hesitation vanished; she watched Jiang Yu with a smile. “Do you like anything else?”

Jiang Yu shook her head and sat back down next to Qi Yan. “Only the one I pointed to is the most beautiful.”

“You really like it?” Qi Yan asked softly.

Jiang Yu clutched her cup and nodded vigorously. She heard Qi Yan murmur “Never mind,” and before she could process it, the clerk returned, pushing a rack with the dress.

“Please enter the fitting room. I will help you into the gown.”

“Go ahead,” Qi Yan told her.

However, after only a few minutes, Jiang Yu began crying out from inside. Qi Yan jumped, thinking something was wrong. “Jiang Yu!”

The clerk walked out looking troubled. “Your friend isn’t very cooperative.”

Qi Yan knit her brows. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Yu poked her head out of the fitting room, her voice sounding like she was about to cry. “I’m being molested!”

The clerk was floored. She reflexively waved her hands at Qi Yan in explanation. “No, no! It’s a misunderstanding! I was just trying to help the lady into the dress.”

Qi Yan remembered Jiang Yu saying that only her “mate” could touch her. She realized what was happening. Her frown deepened, but she quickly smoothed her expression back to a gentle one. She didn’t quite understand why she was accompanying someone to try on wedding dresses when they were supposed to just be taking a photo, but she had promised.

Qi Yan sighed softly and apologized to the clerk. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t like being touched by strangers. I’ll go help her.”

The clerk, relieved to be off the hook, nodded understandingly. Jiang Yu’s eyes lit up instantly. Like a schemer who had succeeded, her voice was full of hidden joy. “Then come in quickly! I don’t know how to wear it.”

Qi Yan fell silent for a moment at the speed of the girl’s mood swing, but with Jiang Yu urging her, she stepped into the fitting room.

The dress was half-on, but the lace-up design on the back was complicated. Qi Yan picked up the thin ribbons, observed the pattern for a moment, and then spoke to the restless Jiang Yu.

“Don’t move. I’ll help you finish.”

Jiang Yu turned her head to look at her, blinking. Before she could say anything, Qi Yan gently pushed her head back. “Don’t look. Focus.”

Qi Yan lowered her gaze to carefully thread the ribbons. Although she told Jiang Yu to focus, she was the one struggling. As she worked on the girl in the beautiful gown, she felt a strange sense of “sin” whenever her fingertips accidentally brushed against Jiang Yu’s skin.

“Jiang Yu, you know what this is, don’t you?” Qi Yan asked slowly, hiding the emotion in her eyes. Although Jiang Yu acted like it was her first time seeing it, the little expressions in the girl’s eyes hadn’t been hidden well enough.

Caught in her lie, a flash of nervousness crossed Jiang Yu’s eyes. She bit her lip and twiddled her hair, but she didn’t deny it. “I know. This is the clothes you humans wear to get married.”

Qi Yan’s brow furrowed. She paused while tying the final bow. “Humans?”

She stopped worrying about whether Jiang Yu knew it was a wedding dress and focused on her word choice. Jiang Yu had referred to “humans” more than once. A normal person wouldn’t exclude themselves from the human race. If Jiang Yu wasn’t mentally ill, then… she really wasn’t human.

Qi Yan finished the bow and asked in a joking tone, “Could it be that you aren’t human?”

She expected Jiang Yu to hesitate, but instead, the girl followed her lead and laughed. “I’m not human!”

Qi Yan: “…”

Jiang Yu seemed unaware she had just insulted herself. She looked at Qi Yan earnestly. “You’ve seen me. Did you forget?”

By the river at Bumian Mountain. The most beautiful little crocodile.

Jiang Yu turned around. Qi Yan was suddenly met with the girl’s silver-grey eyes. Her own reflection was caught in those pupils, filled with an expectation that made it impossible to let her be sad.

Qi Yan searched her memories. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

Jiang Yu became frantic. She grabbed Qi Yan’s wrist, her brows knit. “On that mountain! You took me home!”

What mountain?

Qi Yan suddenly remembered Grace’s words: Jiang Yu looks like that pink crocodile you saved.

The girl before her had translucent white skin, exquisite features, long wavy pink hair, and was currently wearing a wedding gown that made her look like a delicate doll. The eyes and hair color… they were indeed identical to that crocodile.

Seeing Qi Yan’s hesitation, Jiang Yu blurted out, “I am that—”

Before she could finish, Qi Yan covered her mouth. “Don’t say it.”

The warmth of Qi Yan’s palm transferred to her, and Jiang Yu’s nose brushed against the skin, catching that fresh, light scent. Thinking Qi Yan didn’t believe her, Jiang Yu gripped her wrists and looked her in the eye. “I can show you!”

Qi Yan had already guessed from her reaction. She remembered being able to hear the crocodile “talk” when it wasn’t human. The idea of a crocodile spirit was shocking for a second, but she accepted it quickly. Looking at the anxious Jiang Yu, she felt a sudden urge to tease her. She suppressed a smile and feigned concern.

“Aren’t you afraid of being caught and taken to a lab for experiments?”

Jiang Yu’s pupils dilated with terror. She grabbed Qi Yan’s hand and pressed it even tighter against her own mouth, her voice muffled. “I don’t want to.”

She imagined being skinned and deboned. The thought of her beautiful skin being worn by someone else terrified her.

Seeing she was genuinely scared, Qi Yan withdrew her hand and let out a soft laugh. She pursed her lips and said thoughtfully, “You look very much like a human now. No one will find out.”

Jiang Yu finally relaxed. She threw her arms around Qi Yan’s neck and whispered into her ear, “This is my secret. Now that you know, you can’t tell anyone.”

Just like the fact that Qi Yan could hear her—it was their secret.