Raising My Sweet, Well-Behaved Puppy-Snake to Be My Wife - Chapter 12

Shen Zhiheng sat there, his mouth covered by the little one’s hand, looking at the flushed little face before him. He could not hide the smile in his eyes even if he tried. He obediently allowed the little fellow to cover his mouth, his deep black eyes filled with nothing but doting affection.

“Alright, it is Brother’s fault. Peh, peh, peh—I mean, the puppy, the puppy’s tail is exceptionally useful.”

His voice was slightly muffled because it was being covered by the little snake.

Only then did Shen Zhiqi hum in satisfaction. He slid downward, limp and soft, lying his upper body on his own warm tail to let out a breath and dissipate his body heat. He looked remarkably like a puddle of melted ice cream, lazily sprawled into a heap. Shen Zhiheng got up to fetch him a glass of water, watching as the little one, who was so hot he felt like he was steaming, gulped down the entire glass. He took the cup back and pinched the little snake’s slightly warm cheeks.

And here he is, still trying to act tough with this tiny little thing.

Shen Zhiheng was still nursing his injuries, but as a young and vigorous teenager, he recovered quickly, and the swelling subsided before long. He did not stay idle, however; he asked someone to investigate the “mutant” comment someone had blurted out during the previous ceremony.

An escaped mutant?

The more he heard this term, the more he felt it was related to the little snake. If that person was tipping off others about where the little snake had left from, he had to be fully prepared. No one would be able to snatch the little snake away from him; he and the little snake would be family forever. This was the first time Shen Zhiheng had felt such pure possessiveness. In his short ten-plus years of life, Shen Zhiqi was the only place he had experienced anything good, and he would never allow this goodness to stop belonging to him.

Shen Zhiqi stayed by his brother’s side, polishing the drawing he intended for Grandmother over and over again. He was determined not to draw “garlic sprouts” anymore; he wanted to draw a fluffy tail and a puppy bodyguard for Grandmother. But this was asking a bit too much of the little snake’s already limited artistic skills. He copied pictures from the internet many times but was still dissatisfied.

“Young Master, we have checked. Take a look and see if this is it?”

Uncle Wang walked over with a specialized optical computer and showed the news to Shen Zhiheng.

[DANGER WARNING: City-wide search for an escaped snake-hybrid Omega.]

Shen Zhiheng’s gaze paused as he clicked to take a look.

[Searching for a snake-hybrid Omega: half-human, half-snake. Upper body appears as an eight-year-old boy with short green hair; lower body has a dark green, 2-3 meter long mutated snake tail.]

[The hybrid Omega is mentally highly unstable and carries high-risk snake venom. 0.5 milliliters of venom is enough to cause the death of an adult male. Highly aggressive and dangerous.]

[He was hospitalized for mental illness but escaped half a month ago. A bounty of 500,000 has been offered, with individual rewards for any clues.]

[Reminder: Do not approach alone! If you discover any clues, please call the Omega Protection Association immediately.]

Five hundred thousand? Does a Class-1 criminal warrant even carry that kind of number?

The post was accompanied by several surveillance photos—black and white, very blurry. One could vaguely see a person’s back and the long snake tail dragging behind. The tail was thick and long, and the way it twisted formed a long, wavy line. The reflective scales in the surveillance footage seemed to emit a chilling, cold, and slimy light, making one’s skin crawl just looking at it. A snake tail two to three meters long and that thick—these blurry images were enough to stir the instinctive fear of snakes deep within a human’s heart and perfectly fit the stereotype of snakes as sinister, cunning, dangerous, and terrifying.

The missing person notice was very popular and had surged to the top of the trending lists—one could not help but wonder if someone was paying for the traffic. The comments below were numerous, with new ones appearing rapidly.

“Damn, that snake is terrifying.” “Ahhh, my phobia is kicking in! Can’t you blur the image? No warning, how can you just slap this image in our faces!” “I’m done for. I’m definitely going to have nightmares tonight. Can someone compensate me for my mental distress?” “We must catch him, damn it, I’m really too afraid to go out now.”

Shen Zhiheng’s breath hitched. He turned off his phone screen, his mind in a state of chaos. He looked up slightly to see the little one sitting on his own tail—coiled up like a mosquito repellent—doodling on a piece of white paper with colored markers. The marker was running low on ink, and the lines were not flowing smoothly. Shen Zhiqi looked blankly at the intermittent strokes on the paper, flickering his pink little snake tongue in confusion. He did not know what to do; he pursed his lips in grievance, dragging his heavy snake tail, and moved stickily toward his brother.

“Brother…”

His soft voice was filled with complete reliance on the person before him. He gripped the empty marker and looked at his brother with expectant eyes.

“I can’t draw it anymore, I can’t handle this.”

Shen Zhiheng’s heart softened completely. He opened his arms to the little snake.

“Good baby, take a rest. Come here to Brother.”

“Brother will buy you new ones in a little while.”

“Mm…”

Shen Zhiqi slid off his elevated snake tail, crawled onto his brother’s lap, and sat securely on his thighs. He leaned into his brother’s embrace, his entire snake body relaxing as he rested gently against him. The simple little snake had no idea about the situation outside, nor did he know that people were looking for him. Amidst the familiar body heat and the faint, pleasant scent he associated with his brother, he flicked his little tongue with ease.

Only Shen Zhiheng’s mind was in turmoil, his heart beating rapidly. He was so nervous that his hands were slightly cold, and his arms, holding the little snake, tightened unconsciously.

These animals!

A monstrous rage seemed to boil in his eyes; he clenched his teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter. This was not an Omega Protection Association missing person notice at all. It was clearly the work of that powerful, black-hearted factory, fearing that an escaped Omega would attract social attention and expose their secret of disguising illegal activities as hospital treatment.

In their minds, the little snake was likely just a worthless Omega! How could they leverage such vast capital and networking to cast such a deadly net of capture? This was the Omega Protection Association, meant to protect Omegas who were historically vulnerable in society. How could they incite the masses like this and place the frail, pitiful little snake in opposition to all of humanity?

If the little snake is really found by them.

A chill ran up Shen Zhiheng’s spine to the back of his head, causing him to tremble slightly. He did not dare imagine what would happen if this silly little snake fell back into that place of darkness, having caused the black-hearted factory to lose hundreds of thousands, how they would treat the little fellow. Shen Zhiheng could only imagine it would be a hellish torture to vent their anger.

“Brother?”

The unsuspecting little snake looked up innocently, his slightly cool little hands squeezing his brother’s equally cold large hands. His eyes were filled with kind concern as he said cautiously, “Did I make you feel cold. I’m sorry, Brother.”

Apology and anxiety hung on his small face. He moved his snake tail slightly, attempting to crawl away from his brother’s body.

“No! That is not the case at all!”

Shen Zhiheng, as if reacting to a trigger, pulled the little snake, who had moved slightly away, back tightly. He tightened his embrace, pressing the snake firmly against him, wishing that he could completely control this fragile body.

The little snake bumped straight into his chest, flicked his tongue in a daze, and whispered “Brother.” He stayed quietly in his brother’s arms. The sensation of being squeezed suited the snake’s nature, and even though he was being held very tightly, he did not feel uncomfortable at all.

It’s just a little hot snake needs to drink water.

Shen Zhiqi reached out, stretching his body to reach for the glass cup on the table. But he was firmly held by his brother, and his small arms could not even reach the edge of the table.

“Don’t go, Xiao Qi. Just stay here. Let Brother hold you for a while.”

Shen Zhiheng pressed the little snake’s protruding head back and confined him even more tightly with his arms.

“Okay, okay Brother.”

The little snake obediently withdrew his hands and did not even drink the water anymore. Feeling hot, he quietly opened his mouth and flicked his little snake tongue like a puppy.

Only in this moment did Shen Zhiheng realize with absolute clarity how terrified he was of losing this little thing in his arms over a 500,000 bounty. He did not want to blame the onlookers who had been misled by bad people; humanity was genetically afraid of snakes. If it were not for that, Shen Zhiqi would not have relied so heavily on his brother’s presence, as in his tiny world, his brother was the first and only human who was not afraid of him.

But he felt an intense hatred for the black-hearted factory and the Omega Protection Association that colluded with them. They distorted the truth and blackened the innocent little snake into the stereotype people held in their minds. But the little snake was clearly so kind that even if his tail crushed a blade of grass, he would apologize to it.

The bounty notice lingered in Shen Zhiheng’s mind. He knew that he and the little snake were being forced to stand against the Omega Protection Association and the general public; even calling the police would be useless. He was not yet powerful enough; as a teenager who had not even come of age, he was far from having the capacity to fight against the all-powerful, black-hearted “hospital.”

This anxiety of being unable to eliminate the hidden danger left Shen Zhiheng plagued by worry, haunted by nightmares night after night, so anxious that the moment he opened his eyes, he had to be with the little snake. He always had nightmares, always afraid that the little snake would be taken away, afraid that cold instruments would be used on Shen Zhiqi like a vent for their anger. In his dreams, Shen Zhiheng always heard the snake calling “Brother,” fearfully screaming “Brother” in his childish, heartbreaking voice. He was always startled awake, drenched in a cold sweat.

“Young Master, this is medication to treat anxiety. Would you like me to ask the doctor to come and take a look?”

Uncle Wang carefully sorted the pills and placed them before Shen Zhiheng, following the instructions and the doctor’s online consultation. The young master had not been like this in a long time. Loneliness and anxiety had once caused him to suffer from severe anxiety and emotional disorders during puberty. But once he chose to become a reckless, partying, idle rich brat during his rebellion, this disease seemed to crumble on its own. Everyone thought Shen Zhiheng had been cured, only Shen Zhiheng knew that as long as he banished his “heart,” his “heart” would not get sick.

Uncle Wang watched Shen Zhiheng take the pill and felt relieved, leaving with the empty cup as usual. As long as he took the medicine, the young master would have no problems. The large living room was left with only the brother and the snake. Shen Zhiheng sat closer to the little snake’s tail.

“Is Brother sick?”

Shen Zhiqi asked with concern, his eyes fixed on his brother. The little fellow’s anxiety was undisguised on his face, his tone filled with worry. The side effects of the medication caused Shen Zhiheng’s body to lose heat, which actually made it easier for the little snake to tuck himself into his brother’s arms. He did not know why his brother was at a similar temperature to him at this moment, tilting his head to examine his brother curiously.

Has Brother turned into a cold-blooded animal?!

Shen Zhiqi frowned, thinking with his pitiful little brain, and reached this unbelievable conclusion.

The side effects of the medication were uncomfortable for Shen Zhiheng, and in the past, he had endured it quietly countless times. Until now, there was a pair of eyes looking at him with worry and sadness. The pain and temperature loss brought by the side effects did not seem as unbearable anymore.

Shen Zhiheng pretended to be weak and coughed lightly, saying in a relaxed tone that was obviously a joke: “Yeah, Brother is sick. What should we do about this?”

The little fool naturally could not distinguish truth from a joke. His eyes widened, and his pupils visibly changed from a tiny line into solid black circles.

“How can this be! Why are you sick? Did you eat something bad, or did you catch a cold breeze?”

His little hands pressed against his brother’s cheeks, turning to the left and then to the right, his gaze sweeping over his brother’s face with great seriousness.

“Does Brother feel very uncomfortable? Where are you uncomfortable?”

His eager voice was childish, muttering continuously like a chant. But he truly could not see anything wrong with Shen Zhiheng with the naked eye, so he had no choice but to place one hand on his waist and pat his own puffed-out chest with the other.

“Leave it to me! I can take care of Brother!”