That Black Snake Always Crawls onto My Bed at Night - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I had a massive row with him that night.

To be more precise, it was a one-sided fit of madness on my part.

I hurled everything I could get my hands on at him-pillows, blankets, my embroidery frame, even the clothes hanging at the head of the bed.

He never dodged, just sat there watching me.

Like he was watching a cat with its fur standing on end.

Eventually, I ran out of strength. Panting, I huddled in the corner and glared at him fiercely.

“Get out.”

He asked, “Do you really want me to go?”

“The further, the better.”

He fell silent for a moment, then actually stood up.

I was stunned.

He walked to the window, placed his hand on the frame, and looked back at me.

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow night.”

“…”

As he transformed into a Black Snake and slithered out through the gap in the window, I was so angry I threw my shoe at him.

I missed.

However, when I woke up the next morning, my shoes were neatly arranged by the bed, and beside them sat a box of steamed milk cake with sugar.

My face turned green just looking at it.

This snake was out of his mind.

But crazy as he was, everything he gave me hit me right where it counted.

Honeyed dates were my favorite, the silver hairpin was the one thing I wanted to find most, and steamed milk cake was a treat I only got to eat during the New Year when I was a child.

I even started to suspect if he had been watching me from the shadows all these years.

The moment that thought surfaced, the hair on my arms stood up.

That night, I made a point of bolting every door and window shut.

But when I opened my eyes in the middle of the night, that Black Snake was still coiled beside my pillow.

This time, it didn’t wrap itself around me. It just lay there quietly, its golden vertical pupils shining startlingly bright in the darkness.

I gritted my teeth and lowered my voice. “What exactly do you want?”

It watched me for a while before slowly slithering off the bed.

As it hit the floor, a flash of black mist appeared, and he transformed back into a man.

Today, he wore a loose black robe, the collar half-open. The expanse of skin from his collarbone to his chest was blindingly white, yet a layer of fresh bandages was wrapped around his waist and abdomen, looking as if the wound had just been dressed.

My eyelid twitched.

“You’re hurt?”

He glanced at me, the corners of his lips curving slightly.

“So you do know how to care about me?”

“Who’s caring about you?”

“Then why are you staring at my chest?”

My face heated up, and I grabbed the blanket to cover my head.

“Shameless!”

He let out a low chuckle.

That laugh was even more frightening than his transformation.

Because it was too close.

It felt like it was grinding against the shell of my ear.

In the next instant, the blanket was slowly pulled down.

I held on with a death grip.

“Liu Mian.”

“Let go.”

“No.”

He paused.

“The wound on my body has reopened.”

I froze.

“What does that have to do with-”

“It reopened for you.”

His tone was leisurely, yet it sounded remarkably sincere.

I hesitated for a moment but eventually let go.

He leaned against the bedside and pulled his collar open a bit further.

I had originally intended to see if he was just talking nonsense.

But when I looked, I was stunned.

A long wound stretched across his torso, dragging from his left shoulder down to his waist. Old scars overlapped with new ones, looking as if he had been repeatedly sliced open by some sharp weapon. The deepest part even had a dark tint, as if it hadn’t healed properly.

My scalp tingled at the sight.

“Who did this?”

“The people who want to capture you.”

“Capture me?”

“Mhm.”

“Why would they want to capture me?”

He didn’t answer immediately, only looking up at me.

“Do you really not know what you carry on you?”

I frowned.

“What could I possibly be carrying?”

“A destiny,”

He said nonchalantly.

“A destiny that others would beg for but can never obtain.”

I didn’t understand and was about to ask more, but he suddenly reached out and caught my wrist.

“Do you know how to dress a wound?”

“…A little.”

“Then help me.”

My instinct was to shake him off.

But looking down, the blood in his palm was truly trickling down through the gaps between his fingers.

As stubborn as I was, I wasn’t cold-blooded enough to watch my savior bleed out without doing anything.

I dug out some medicine and old cloth, then knelt by the bed to change his dressing.

The room was silent.

Only the sound of our breathing remained.

He kept his eyes downcast, watching me.

My ears burned under his gaze, and I asked with deliberate ferocity, “What are you looking at?”

“You.”

“Is there a flower on my face?”

“You’re prettier than a flower.”

My hand trembled, and the medicinal powder spilled off-target.

He let out a muffled groan.

I felt a bit guilty at first, but hearing that sound, I immediately straightened my expression.

“Serves you right. Who told you to talk such nonsense?”

He chuckled softly.

“So, you do blush.”

“Shut up.”

I tied the bandage into a harsh knot.

He finally stopped laughing.

Instead, he reached out to touch the crooked knot.

“That’s a really ugly tie.”

“If you think it’s ugly, do it yourself.”

“But you tied it.”

His tone was light, but the end of the sentence carried an indescribable intimacy.

“I like it.”

I uselessly blushed again.

From that night on, he came more frequently.

Sometimes he would transform into a snake and coil at the foot of the bed; other times, he would remain in human form and lie on the outer side. The room was cold on winter nights, and his body was also cool, but strangely, after being near him for a while, that coolness would slowly turn into a very comfortable temperature.

Like a ball of fire hidden within ice water.

At first, I refused to let him get close, no matter what.

Then one night, it snowed. I woke up freezing in the middle of the night and dizzily burrowed toward the source of heat.

When I woke up, I was completely nestled in his arms.

And his snake tail was wrapped tightly around my legs.

My breath hitched, and I immediately tried to break free.

His eyes were still closed, but his hand beat me to it, pinning my waist.

“Don’t move.”

His voice was raspy with sleep.

I gritted my teeth. “Let go.”

“It’s cold outside.”

“Even if it’s cold, it’s none of your business.”

“How is it not my business?”

He opened his eyes, the depths of them still holding a trace of drowsy moisture.

“You are my future wife.”

“It is only natural for me to protect you.”

I really couldn’t stand that mouth of his, so I reached up to pinch him.

He didn’t dodge, letting me finish my pinch. Instead, he caught my hand, brought it to his lips, and gave it a light kiss.

My entire body went numb.

“What are you doing!”

“Collecting a bit of interest.”

“What interest do I owe you?”

“You owe me a status.”

“…”

I had never seen such a shameless snake.