Raising My Sweet, Well-Behaved Puppy-Snake to Be My Wife - Chapter 4

 

The face of the little snake pressed against Shen Zhiheng’s arm was scorching from crying, but his body was cool to the touch. It was lower than a human’s body temperature, which felt very soothing.

Shen Zhiheng patted his shoulder gently, letting out a sigh of relief that arrived a beat too late.

The nurse finished copying the latest data from the monitor and patiently advised, “The little guy’s body is very weak. It is best not to let his emotions fluctuate so violently. As his older brother, you should give in to him more. Do not tease the child until he cries.”

Although the scene looked as if Shen Zhiheng had bullied his young brother until he was hoarse from crying, only the two of them knew how wronged Shen Zhiheng really was.

“Brother! Brother did not bully me. Big Brother is good.”

The little snake obediently tried to defend his brother, but because he was sobbing and slurring his words, he could not make himself understood for a long time.

In the end, he could only repeat, “Brother is good,” in a mushy voice.

Shen Zhiheng felt his heart soften, no longer caring about the nurse’s slight misunderstanding of him.

He pressed the back of his hand against the little snake’s cheek to cool down the flushed, burning skin.

“I understand, Miss. I will take good care of him.”

“Good. It is important for you two brothers to be harmonious and loving.”

The nurse was also softened by the little snake’s sticky “Brother is good,” and since she had initially just been worried about the patient, she had not really intended to lecture Shen Zhiheng.

“It is a good thing that the little guy is awake. I will go call the doctor to see how many more days he needs to be hospitalized.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Shen Zhiheng thanked her politely and watched as the nurse left, closing the door behind her.

He poked the tip of Xiao Qi’s red, crying nose and deliberately put on a sulky tone.

“You little rascal, how could you bad-mouth me in front of the nurse?”

Xiao Qi tilted his head and hid in the crook of his arm, whispering a defense of “I did not.”

In truth, he did not understand what “bad-mouthing” meant, but from the phrase “how could you” and his brother’s tone, he understood that his brother was saying he had done something wrong.

He would have bet ten baby mice that he really had not done it on purpose.

“Sorry, Brother… but, I, I am a good puppy.”

Xiao Qi’s persistence was odd, and Shen Zhiheng finally recalled what the little guy had said while crying.

He looked at the segment of dark green snake tail protruding from the pristine white sheets, feeling more perplexed by the second.

“Xiao Qi, why do you keep calling yourself a puppy?”

The child clearly did not like discussing this topic. Whenever he wanted to avoid answering, he would desperately try to burrow into small spaces like the crook of an arm.

Shen Zhiheng let him wiggle around. Only when he found a comfortable spot and stopped moving did he continue to press the issue.

“Little one, you have to answer Brother’s question.”

“Hmm… I just am a puppy. It is enough if Brother acknowledges that I am a puppy. A good child who can wag his tail is a puppy.”

As Xiao Qi spoke, one hand secretly pressed against his lower abdomen, where snake scales were spreading, exerting effort to make the tip of his tail curl upward.

He had to hold his breath to use the remaining strength to control the tip of his tail to wag left and right, just like a person holding their breath to do a sit-up.

His face, already red from crying, became even hotter from holding his breath. Shen Zhiheng could feel the burning heat of Xiao Qi’s cheek through a layer of fabric.

The dark green snake tail narrowed at the end, wagging left and right with great effort, truly resembling a puppy wagging its tail.

Shen Zhiheng did not understand the insistence behind the little snake’s self-identity disorder, but the little guy’s personality and behavior were indeed no different from a puppy’s.

In his perception, snakes—creatures that were always described as cold and vicious in myths were nothing like this slurring, clingy, little simpleton.

Calling the little simpleton a puppy was most appropriate.

“Alright, you are a cute and obedient puppy. No more crying.”

To prevent the child from sobbing again, Shen Zhiheng urgently added this.

Xiao Qi lifted his head, his tail falling to the floor with a “plop” as he relaxed his body.

He smiled, wiped the tear stains from his face with the back of his hand, and answered earnestly, “I will not cry. I am obedient.”

Being called a “good puppy” by his brother put him in a great mood; his eyes curved into crescents, and even his golden pupils squinted into lines.

Even the soreness in his abdomen and the weakness that made it impossible to drag his tail could not dampen Xiao Qi’s good mood.

Shen Zhiheng gained a sense of accomplishment in coaxing the child and patted his head with satisfaction.

Not long after, the doctor finished checking the medical records the nurse had filled out and walked into the ward to examine him.

“The wound is healing well, but issues like malnutrition require quiet rest.”

“The patient is indeed a very special fusion-type Omega. His body is truly too weak, and the beast-morphing has progressed to the point where he has no legs.”

Shen Zhiheng was stunned and turned to ask the child, “You actually have legs? I thought you had always used your tail to get around.”

“I do, I have them! When I am not sick, my tail is not this thick either.”

Xiao Qi looked down at his alternative tail and whispered, “But without legs, it gets very thick, very long, and very heavy.”

Listening to the little guy grumbling about how his tail was bad here and bad there, Shen Zhiheng’s expression softened with amusement.

“It is a very good tail. It can even wag like a puppy’s. If we give Xiao Qi lots of delicious food, it will become sleek, shiny, and extra beautiful.”

Upon hearing that he would get delicious food, Xiao Qi nodded in immediate agreement.

“Then what must I eat for my tail to become fluffy?”

Shen Zhiheng could not follow his logic and asked, “Why fluffy?”

“Brother is silly, because I am a puppy!”

Before Shen Zhiheng could say that the little guy’s brain was not working right, he was the one being called “silly” by the little snake.

Looking at the child’s glittering golden pupils, he did not want to spoil the mood, so he went along with it. “Brother does not know about that. I will have to go research it.”

“Good brother, I will try hard to become fluffy!”

The doctor stood to the side, listening to their nonsensical conversation from start to finish without interrupting, watching the brothers tease each other with a loving smile.

The child’s whimsical imagination and the elder’s indulgent compliance formed a natural barrier of language between them that no one would want to disturb.

“It is fortunate that we rescued the little guy. All vital signs are normal. After one comprehensive check-up, you can prepare for discharge.”

The doctor completed the day’s diagnosis in the medical record, but his pen tip paused at the name section.

“By the way, we did not get to fill in his personal information during the emergency room admission because his documents were lost. Have you two gone to get them replaced?”

Shen Zhiheng froze. He still did not know where the little snake lived, whether he had relatives or friends, or what his name was.

Beyond knowing that Xiao Qi was a snake-fusion type Omega and that he had a “07” identification tag, he knew nothing else.

“I have no na…”

Xiao Qi prepared to reach for the ID tag on his chest, but his hand swiped at his empty chest for a long time without finding it, and he began looking around anxiously.

Shen Zhiheng quickly pulled Xiao Qi into his arms, stopping him from continuing.

“We have not had time to replace them yet. Xiao Qi only just woke up.”

He concealed Xiao Qi’s identity with his reply.

The doctor nodded. “Alright, get on that as soon as possible. If medical insurance does not cover it, the emergency care, surgery, and hospitalization will add up to a significant sum.”

“It is fine. Xiao Qi does not have insurance; just deduct the full amount.”

Shen Zhiheng, least concerned about money, said this nonchalantly.

Xiao Qi watched the doctor’s back as he left and turned to blink at Shen Zhiheng, looking lost.

“Brother, why did we lie? I have no name, I only have the identification tag 07.”

He looked around again, his attention shifting to the lost little iron tag.

“Where did my identification tag go.”

Shen Zhiheng pinned down the wiggling little guy and pulled him gently toward himself.

“Xiao Qi, where is your home? I can help you find your home.”

“No, no home… I will not go back. Did Brother not say you would take me away.”

The little snake stopped looking for his tag and lowered his head, staring blankly at the clean quilt.

He did not accept that the place he had barely escaped from was a home, nor did he accept that a place where no one cared for him except for the puppy mother, a place where everyone feared and avoided him was a home.

“Alright, if there was no home before, then there is none.”

Seeing the little snake looking so burdened, Shen Zhiheng did not delve into whether there was more to the “no home, will not go back” sentiment.

“Then, do you want to have a home?”

His voice trembled uncharacteristically.

Shen Zhiheng had meant to ask if Xiao Qi had anywhere to return to, if there was a room where he could be sheltered from the wind and rain without having to roam the streets.

For a snake, one might even call that place a “den.”

But subconsciously, he used the word “home” for that physical structure.

Thus, when he asked, “Do you want to have a home?” a tremor was unavoidable in the depths of his heart.

Shen Zhiheng did not feel that he had a home either; he had been left by his parents to live with his grandmother, and in eighteen years of life, he had seen them only a handful of times.

Ever since his grandmother passed away, he had not felt that he had a home anymore.

He was lost in thought, his reverie broken only after a long time by the little snake’s weak voice:

“Brother, can I have a home?”

Looking at the little snake’s bewildered gaze, Shen Zhiheng felt a slight stinging sensation in his nose.

“I… I meant that we can have a home.”

He knew the young little snake must not have understood his thoughts. Whether you call it compassion or selfishness, for Shen Zhiheng, this statement was a declaration of absolute determination.

“Okay! I will listen to Brother!”

The little snake gave a sweet smile, his eyes curving.

“My name is Shen Zhiheng. Xiao Qi, since you recognize me as your brother, let me give you a name. How about Shen Zhiqi?”

“Shen Zhi… qi…”

The little snake tried very hard to imitate his brother’s pronunciation and tone, learning the retroflex sounds quite well.

“Yes, Qi as in to dwell (栖). It means home. And at home, there will be Brother.”

The little snake was illiterate; he did not know which character Qi was, nor did he know the deep meaning behind the name his brother gave him.

But he discovered his name was similar to his brother’s, and it contained the sound “Qi” (seven) that he was familiar with, so he simply loved the name.

“Qi, Zhiqi, Shen, Zhiqi.”

The little snake whispered to himself.

In the factory, some Omegas had names, and others did not.

For example, his puppy mother, who was highly protected and loved, had a name: Feng You.

The little snake wanted a name very much, but the people in the factory said only if he went out could he have one; otherwise, he could only be called 07.

“Shen, Zhiqi, Shen, Zhiheng.”

The little guy always practiced the pronunciation of these two names under his breath, trying very hard to say both names clearly.

His little head had a hard time remembering many names, but there were three he had to keep in mind: his own, Shen Zhiqi; his brother’s, Shen Zhiheng; and his puppy mother’s, Feng You.

These were the three most important names.

Shen Zhiheng began working busily on arranging identification documents for the little snake.

He could not register the little snake into the prominent Shen family household. If a person with a similar name appeared out of thin air in the Shen household, rumors about illegitimate children would immediately spread throughout high society.

Shen Zhiheng had to turn to Uncle Wang for help.

“Do not worry, Young Master. It is no problem to put little Zhiqi under my family’s household registration. I will handle the legitimate adoption procedures.”

Shen Zhiheng nodded. “I am most at ease when Uncle Wang handles things. If you need money for favors, just let me know.”

He once again lamented that the money his parents dumped on him finally had a valuable use, and he spent it on the little snake without hesitation.

Shen Zhiheng was full of energy while taking care of the little snake in the hospital, directly turning down a pile of invitations from his friends after graduation.

Those people, without Shen Zhiheng as the big benefactor to pay the bills, bombarded him with incessant, probing calls and messages, which annoyed him greatly.

Without any warning, he blocked them one by one.

Shen Zhiheng did not mind buying friendship with money, as long as the money spent could be exchanged for fake affection to fill the extreme loneliness caused by the lack of parental company.

Even if the coldness following the intense excitement would only leave him feeling more empty and pained.

His parents’ love was cold numbers; his friends’ companionship was just paying for food and drinks.

But now, he had found a more stable emotional anchor.

That little guy, whose very name was given by him, had only him as family.

After all checks were finished, the doctor prescribed some medicine and gave instructions, repeatedly emphasizing that Shen Zhiqi’s body was very weak and needed careful nursing.

“He is still young, only eight. A child’s constitution is even weaker, so you must be especially careful.”

“I understand. Thank you, Doctor.”

Shen Zhiheng filed the examination reports in chronological order and placed them neatly into a document bag.

The little snake could already get out of bed, but in the doctor’s office, he did not speak. He hid behind his brother, gently leaning his nose against his brother’s back.

That way, he could not see the uncle in white clothes, and that scary uncle with glasses could not see him.

He, of course, ignored the long, thick tail dragging behind him, which was particularly conspicuous on the clean floor of the office.

This “burying one’s head in the sand” little snake was perfectly hidden behind his brother due to their size difference, but that massive dark green tail was not hidden at all.

Shen Zhiheng felt the faint warmth coming from his back and the slight, damp breath, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the soft tail piled on the floor.

He did not pull the little snake out from behind him to face the doctor, but listened and recorded the doctor’s orders himself.

The little snake was very timid and equally afraid of all humans who appeared in his field of vision.

Whether it was the gentle nurse, the serious doctor, or the professional and polite Uncle Wang as long as others were around, Shen Zhiqi would want to burrow into his brother’s arms.

He would hide in the quilt or burrow into his brother’s arms or under his armpit; as long as it was a place with a sense of pressure and enclosure, and could block his line of sight, he was fine.

The little silly snake earnestly believed that as long as he covered himself up and could not see the person in front of him, others could not see him either.

As for the snake tail that often leaked out, it was completely outside the scope of the little snake’s hiding plan.

“Oh, right, Doctor. Is Xiao Qi’s IQ not quite.”

When they were leaving, Shen Zhiheng asked.

“The little guy is a snake, after all. A snake’s head is tiny, so naturally, he is a bit of a simpleton.”

The doctor, worried that Shen Zhiheng might despise the poor little guy, quickly added:

“A snake’s IQ cannot compare to a human’s, but Xiao Qi is a fusion-type Omega. He only acts as silly as a snake when he is so weak or sick that he nears beast-like traits. Under normal circumstances, he will be a bit better.”

“Who is acting silly? Snakes are not silly.”

Shen Zhiqi poked his head out from his brother’s shoulder, exposing his “bean eyes” to stare at the doctor who was bad-mouthing snakes.

He did not understand the earlier talk about “IQ,” but he had heard the doctor call snakes “silly.”

Shen Zhiqi unhappily gathered his courage to retort and flicked his tongue at the “bad guy” doctor.

How could he speak ill of snakes to their face?

That is not to say that speaking ill of snakes behind their back was okay.

Shen Zhiheng heard the sound, looked back, and saw the snake’s pupils squeezed into a thin, vertical line, cautiously staring at the doctor.

This little snake had as much courage as his bean-sized head when morphed, but he was particularly sensitive to being called stupid.

Now he was not even afraid of the doctor in the white coat and dared to glare at people as if he were fierce.

Perhaps it was the feeling of safety from hiding behind his brother that gave the little snake the courage to poke his head out and flick his tongue in a fierce manner.

“Alright, Xiao Qi is not silly. He is a clever puppy.”

Shen Zhiheng reached back, soothingly stroking the little snake’s cool chin.

Hearing the pleasant praise and one about being a puppy, the little snake was satisfied and returned his eyes to the look of “bean eyes.”

He glanced at the doctor, who was holding back laughter, gave a soft “Hmph,” and turned his head away.

Shen Zhiheng patted his head, holding the organized documents in one hand and holding the little snake’s cool little hand with the other.

He had Uncle Wang complete the discharge procedures for the little snake and had the Maybach that was picking them up parked in the parking lot.

In the ABO world, Omegas were already a minority, and fusion-type Omegas were even rarer.

Ordinary cat, dog, or fox Omegas looked fluffy and were easier to integrate into society, but a snake Omega found it extremely difficult.

Moreover, a snake Omega without legs would be on the front page of the social news within minutes of wandering the streets.

Conversely, Shen Zhiqi was also afraid of humans.

Shen Zhiheng became the exception in this chain; he did not feel that a snake Omega was scary. This child was only eight years old, and his baby teeth could not even break human skin.

And in Shen Zhiqi’s eyes, his brother was the only human who was not afraid of him.

Shen Zhiqi was led by his brother to the car and stared blankly at the step by the door.

The legless reptile was currently thinking about how he should crawl into the car.

“Come, I will carry you up.”

Shen Zhiheng said from behind him.

The little snake obediently spread his arms horizontally, waiting to be picked up by his brother and stuffed into the car.

Once he finally sat in the back seat, he began using both hands to pull at his thick, long tail, layering it over the aisle of the back seat.

The narrow aisle of the back seat was filled by the thick snake tail, leaving no room for his brother’s feet.

Shen Zhiqi did not realize this. He shifted to the edge of the back seat and patted the spot next to him with both hands.

“Brother, sit here. Come sit beside the snake.”

“I will step on your tail.”

“It does not matter. Brother, sit beside me. It is a snake’s tail, after all; it can be stepped on.”

Shen Zhiheng had intended to sit in the front seat, but seeing the little snake’s glittering eyes looking at him with such immense anticipation, he immediately lost the desire to sit separately.

He really looked like an enthusiastic, clingy puppy.

He bowed his head and touched the cool snake tail, laughing. “No, it will break the snake’s tail.”

“It will not break, it will not break. The snake’s tail is too long; it often trips people. People step on the snake’s tail, but the snake does not break.”

The little snake narrated this with great spirit, earnestly trying to persuade his brother to step on his tail and sit beside him.

Shen Zhiheng’s smiling lips flattened; the smile from teasing the little snake stiffened.

This little silly snake was always intentionally or unintentionally narrating his past, painting every experience that should have been classified as unfortunate as something happy.

Shen Zhiheng did not know if he should be glad the little snake was clumsy and dull, which was why he could live his life so happily without a care in the world.

If the snake really did not understand, he would probably be happy.

Shen Zhiqi was still talking to himself about the past, using an extremely relaxed tone that made even Uncle Wang, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, frown.

Shen Zhiheng could not bear to listen anymore. He leaned down, picked up the snake tail that was piled on the wool carpet of the car, draped it over his arm, and sat in the back seat in a very awkward posture.

His movements were very gentle, placing the heavy tail on his own lap.

“Eh? Brother?”

The little snake watched as his brother sat at a spot not far from him, still carefully tidying the fat snake tail.

He moved both hands and feet to sit a bit closer to his brother and quietly wrapped the tip of his tail around his brother’s lower leg.

“The past is the past. From now on, you are not allowed to let anyone step on your tail.”

Shen Zhiheng warned the little snake in a rarely serious tone.

Shen Zhiqi was a bit stunned; he nervously flicked his little tongue.

“Brother is Brother not allowed either?”

“Not allowed.”

Shen Zhiheng pinched his little face, but because the child was too thin, he only pinched up a layer of tender skin.

“No one is allowed. Your body is the priority; it is not for people to step on for fun.”

“Alright…”

The little snake did not quite understand the reason his brother gave, but he understood his brother said that even his brother could not step on and play with his snake tail.

He frowned in unhappiness, and the lessons his brother gave after that did not really sink in.

“But, Puppy Mother once said that if I like Mother then, I can play with his puppy tail.”

After he finished whispering to himself, he finally arrived at a deduced conclusion.

He looked up at his brother earnestly and said with a worried expression:

“So, Brother does not play with it, is it because Brother still does not like me enough?”

“What…?”

Shen Zhiheng had intended to say a few more words of instruction, but he was forcibly interrupted by the little snake’s murmuring.

He did not hear the little snake’s soft mumble at the beginning, only the final sentence: “Is it because Brother still does not like me enough?”

“What did you mutter just now?”