Pampered Little Snake, Give Me a Kiss - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Choice

Song Keling set down her backpack and went to look for the dirty clothes she had taken off before showering. The top was just a pocketless T-shirt, but the jeans were…

As soon as she picked up the pants, she saw the hems that had been rolled up several times. She suddenly understood how Qianqian had managed to follow her back. If the snake hadn’t gone through the conveyor belt inside the backpack, then it must have hidden inside the pant cuffs and passed through security right on her person.

At the time, the staff had checked her thoroughly from head to toe, but the detectors only react to metal.

But… how was it possible?

When she released the snake, she had clearly seen with her own eyes as Qianqian slithered into the tall grass and vanished. By the time she had regained her senses and chased after it, there was nothing left. She hadn’t seen so much as a tail or heard a single rustle.

Thinking of this, another thought struck Song Keling, and she set the jeans down with a mix of laughter and tears. She walked back to the desk.

The professional breeding box was much larger than the “scumbag box,” occupying nearly half of the desk. Inside, Qianqian was climbing around freely. It slithered into one hole of the stone hide, leaving only a sliver of its thin tail visible, only to poke its little head—topped with horn scales—out of another hole moments later.

Song Keling let out a soft sigh and sat down, propping her chin on her hand as she watched the snake’s sluggish play.

That was it. Having spent so much time together, she knew Qianqian was always like this—unhurried and leisurely. Even if its tail were on fire, it probably wouldn’t speed up; it was just that “Zen-like” and slow.

So, on the day of the release, how could it have possibly disappeared so quickly?

When she had chased after it and found no trace or sound, she simply assumed the snake was gone and stood there feeling forlorn for a long while. But looking at it now, it was certain that while she was standing there, the little creature—having not gone far—must have caught her scent and slithered back into the cuffs of her rolled-up jeans.

It had followed her all the way back to Xincheng, back to the school.

The realization sent a cold shiver down Song Keling’s spine. Taking the cable car down the mountain, riding the bus to the airport, passing through security, taking the flight, and then the taxi back… throughout the entire journey, she had no idea that the “released” Qianqian was curled up in her pant leg.

What if even the slightest accident had happened?

What if she had bumped into something and inadvertently hurt Qianqian, causing the startled snake to bite her? Or what if Qianqian had decided to “break jail” mid-transit and bite someone else? And, just like in her nightmare, what if Qianqian had been crushed by the stream of cars on the road?

The scenarios were too terrifying to contemplate. Even in the lab, during the morning classes in the teaching building, or at the cafeteria—if an accident were to happen, there had been countless opportunities for it.

Song Keling looked at the little white snake, which had stopped playing “hide and seek” and was now slithering toward her, raising its upper body. She let out a worried sigh and poked the box with her fingertip. “Little one, you really… what am I supposed to do with you?”

Sending it back to Xuetai again wasn’t an option; she wouldn’t be able to find the time in the short term. The research project on the sharp-nosed pit vipers she was working on with her seniors was about to yield results. When that happened, she would have to write research reports, papers, and aim for an SCI publication. On top of that, she had the core courses for her sophomore year to finish.

Should she ask someone else to take it? But who could guarantee that person wouldn’t see the snake and decide to sell it, keep it for themselves, or even dissect it for research?

Song Keling couldn’t think of a solution. When she snapped back to reality, she saw the snake’s head gently bumping against her fingertip through the glass of the enclosure. Through the walls of the tank, she couldn’t actually feel anything.

But Song Keling played along, moving her finger to the side. Sure enough, the snake immediately followed her fingertip.

“Still want to eat my finger, huh?” Song Keling muttered. Remembering something, she immediately withdrew her hand and rolled her ergonomic chair back, looking down at her ankles. She inspected them thoroughly and only sighed in relief once she was certain there were no broken skin or fang marks.

Song Keling looked up again and saw Qianqian stretching its body high. The snake’s head was already pressing against the top lid of the box, its cute horn scales flattened against the surface. It seemed desperate to come out and see.

See? See what?

Song Keling didn’t overthink it. She tapped the box with her finger. “Qianqian, come here.”

The snake turned its head slightly and indeed slowly retracted its raised body. Before long, it arrived at the spot where her finger rested and flicked its slender tongue.

As she played with it, Song Keling thought: I’ll keep it for now. Once I’m done with the papers and final exams, summer break will be here. I can send Qianqian back then.

“Oh, right.” Song Keling remembered something else. she pulled her hand away and grabbed her phone from the bed. It was already past six. She had said she would contact Senior Su when she woke up, but she had forgotten all about it amidst the chaos with Qianqian.

As Song Keling opened her contacts to send a message, she hesitated. She was going to be extremely busy for a long time; she wouldn’t have time to go to movies or dinners with Senior Su. If Qianqian had been successfully released, she might have squeezed out some free time. Now that she was keeping a small snake—a venomous one at that—in her dorm, she had to be more attentive.

If she declined now, their relationship, which hadn’t even begun to develop, would likely end here. No one was obligated to wait for her. Especially not someone as beautiful and popular as Senior Su.

Song Keling’s well-proportioned fingers tapped lightly against the side of her phone. Her thick, straight lashes drooped as she fell into thought. After a moment, she turned to look at the breeding box on the desk.

The little white snake wasn’t playing in its hide or slithering around its new home. It remained in a fixed posture, its vertical pupils locked onto her. It stayed perfectly still, only occasionally flicking its long black tongue to prove it wasn’t a beautiful sculpture.

Song Keling felt as though she could see curiosity in those crimson eyes. But snakes don’t have human emotions. Therefore… this slight “feeling” already represented her attitude toward this pending matter.

It was for the best. She would be busy not just now, but often in the future. If she really got together with Senior Su, she would only be holding her back. Such a relationship couldn’t last.

Having reached this realization, Song Keling felt more at ease. She closed WeChat, found Su Yili’s number in her contacts, and dialed.

The call was answered quickly.

“Senior.”

“Finally awake? I happen to be downstairs at your dorm. Do you want to have dinner together in a bit?”

Song Keling was rendered speechless by Su Yili’s “happen to be.”

“Really?”

“What’s ‘really’?”

“You’re near my dorm?”

A soft laugh came from the other end of the line. Su Yili purposefully dragged out her words— “Where else? Did my Junior think I was… lying to you~?!”

As the playfully spoken words “lying to you” fell, Song Keling didn’t just hear the voice through the phone; she caught a faint echo of it from outside her door.

Then, the call disconnected, and a bright, pretty voice rang out from the dorm entrance: “Keling~!”

Before Song Keling could react, the little snake in the breeding box had already whipped its head around. Flicking its tiny tail, it slithered toward the direction of the voice. As Song Keling stood up to leave, the snake’s little head bumped into the transparent wall of the box with a “thud,” causing its beautiful horn scales to be momentarily squashed flat.

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