Moonlight draped over the snake demon’s body like a layer of soft white gauze, making him as beautiful as a dream—his flowing long hair half-concealing his bare upper body, while his lower half was covered in jade-colored scales forming a beautifully contoured snake tail. It was a sight that could only appear in dreams.
But Qin Juanshu knew this was no dream; the demon in his arms was all too real. He trembled and huddled up, unwilling to lower the arm shielding his eyes for a long time. Qin Juanshu draped his jacket over him and gently patted his back. This child-soothing gesture finally stopped Bai Ying’s shaking.
Only when he finally lowered his arm, allowing Qin Juanshu to see his eyes, did Qin notice how his tear-soaked lashes still quivered faintly, like a butterfly’s wings that could no longer flap in a storm.
The gaze of fear was heartbreaking.
Though it was he who was afraid, Bai Ying choked out to Qin Juanshu, “Don’t be afraid of me… I’m not a harmful demon.”
“I know,” Qin Juanshu promised softly. “Please believe me too—I won’t hurt you.”
Fresh tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. As he cried, Bai Ying said, “What do I do, Qin Juanshu… The tail… the tail won’t change back…”
His crying felt like a knife slicing across Qin Juanshu’s heart, bringing sharp pangs of pain. He had no idea how to change Bai Ying’s snake tail back, and even accepting that Bai Ying was actually a snake had been a rushed process. But with Bai Ying already so scared, Qin Juanshu couldn’t show a hint of panic. He grasped Bai Ying’s hand, prying apart his fingers to prevent him from accidentally scratching himself with his now-overlong nails, and told him in a calm, steady voice, “I’ll take you away first.”
Bai Ying nodded vigorously, then looked anxiously at his own tail.
He had never turned into a half-human, half-snake form before and had no idea how to do it. At most, he could make his eyes turn into snake pupils or have a few scales appear on his skin. Otherwise, it was either fully human or fully snake. It must have been because he forcibly transformed into a giant snake that something had gone wrong, leading to this situation.
Bai Ying couldn’t even slither properly with his snake tail now; his human upper body threw off his balance entirely.
Qin Juanshu scooped Bai Ying up with effort—it wasn’t easy; after his legs turned into a snake tail, his weight had become considerable, twice what it had been before. But Qin Juanshu held him steady, even gathering up the tail for Bai Ying to hold himself so it wouldn’t drag on the ground.
Qin Juanshu carried him into a nearby abandoned courtyard and settled him in the shadows cast by the corner wall. “I’ll go get the car. Wait here for me, okay?”
Bai Ying didn’t want to be left alone, but he knew going out like this would only scare people. He nodded, his gaze full of dependence as he watched Qin Juanshu.
“…Wait!” As Qin Juanshu turned to leave, Bai Ying suddenly remembered something and called out to him. “There’s… there’s still a kid outside!”
Bai Ying hurriedly explained what had happened: “Human traffickers were trying to abduct him. I scared them all off…”
“You’re amazing and so brave,” Qin Juanshu said, stroking his head. “Leave the rest to me. He’ll be rescued, and those bad guys will be caught by the police.”
Bai Ying nodded hard. He had been tense for so long that he finally relaxed a little, only for the tears to start falling again.
Qin Juanshu’s heart ached terribly. He drove up as quickly as he could. After settling Bai Ying in the back seat and ensuring no one else could see him like this, he contacted the ancient town’s manager and his subordinates: send the child to the hospital, find his parents, and call the police to catch the culprits.
As for the scene, Qin Juanshu cleaned it up himself. He gathered the shreds of Bai Ying’s torn clothes—otherwise, there’d be no explaining it—and found Bai Ying’s phone, which had flown too far and was damaged somehow; the screen was shattered like a spiderweb and wouldn’t turn on.
Bai Ying had no attention for his phone right now; he just hugged his tail and cried quietly.
The ancient town had no large hotels, and the guesthouses were full of people and prying eyes. Qin Juanshu drove straight out of town to the nearest five-star hotel under the Minghong Group. He cleared out unrelated personnel, drove into the underground garage, and even had some hotel cameras turned off before carrying Bai Ying to the room he had prepared.
“Am I heavy?” Bai Ying asked pitifully, clutching his tail.
“No problem,” Qin Juanshu assured him. “I’m very strong.”
Bai Ying nuzzled against Qin Juanshu’s shoulder, like an anxious little animal drawing warmth from a human.
Though he now had a very long snake tail, Qin Juanshu still thought of Bai Ying as a tiny little snake.
The elevator stopped at the top floor. The presidential suite’s door and appliances were already powered on. Under the bright lights, Bai Ying looked even more pitiful: “I’m so dirty…”
After reverting to human form, he had lain on the ground miserably for a long time. The abandoned residential area had no one to clean the roads; they were full of gravel and dust. His arms, palms, and tail were filthy now, and some small pebbles had gotten into his hair.
Woo…
Bai Ying started shedding little pearls of tears again.
“I’ll take you to bathe,” Qin Juanshu coaxed. “You’ll be clean and sparkling in no time.”
Qin Juanshu carried Bai Ying straight to the bathroom. The tub at the end was square, and pulling back the curtains revealed the glittering city nightscape outside. The tub was huge; even with Bai Ying and his tail inside, it was spacious enough for another Qin Juanshu. But he just sat on the edge, set the water temperature, and soon warm water bubbled up from the sides, filling a shallow layer.
The tail brushed the warm water and twitched instinctively.
Qin Juanshu asked politely, “May I help you take off the jacket?”
Bai Ying nodded. The jacket was just draped over his shoulders, with the lapels clutched in his own hands. Qin Juanshu hung it aside and fetched a comb, patiently combing out the pebbles caught in his hair.
Qin Juanshu tried to keep his eyes straight ahead, but unless he blindfolded himself, how could he not see anything? A glimpse of faint red on the jade scales stirred a heat in him, making him break into a thin sweat. Thinking about having to wash Bai Ying soon—possibly seeing, even touching more—made Qin Juanshu shift uncomfortably in his seat.
He rolled up his sleeves. Bai Ying, oblivious to his torment, let him maneuver him obediently. The little snake was completely at a loss right now and couldn’t do anything himself.
When the water was half-full, Qin Juanshu asked what flavor bath bomb Bai Ying liked. Bai Ying pointed to the milk one. By the time it was full, bubbles overflowed the tub. Bai Ying sat amid the bubbles, leaning on the edge so Qin Juanshu could wash his hair.
His hair had grown so long, Bai Ying thought. Not even many girls kept it this long; he’d definitely have to cut it later, but first, it needed washing. Qin Juanshu lathered it up. Some foam escaped, forming transparent bubbles that floated in the air. Bai Ying blew gently, sending them toward Qin Juanshu.
Washing someone else meant getting your own clothes wet too, and that’s what happened to Qin Juanshu. Though the weather was hot, business attire called for formality, so he wore a long-sleeved shirt with sleeves already rolled up. Now the rest was damp too, outlining the contours of his muscles beneath.
It was the first time Bai Ying had seen him like this. Qin Juanshu always dressed so formally; he was a very serious person.
As he washed Bai Ying’s hair, he showed his meticulous side—thorough yet gentle, so Bai Ying never felt a single tug of pain. Worried Bai Ying might get bored, Qin Juanshu even found a tray of plastic toys like those for kids: a big yellow duck and five little ones floating in the bubbles, like Mama Duck with her ducklings.
Bai Ying played with the plastic ducks, and Qin Juanshu’s heart softened, his desire fading somewhat. But after the hair was done, it was time to wash Bai Ying’s body.
He first cleaned Bai Ying’s arms, then his hands, even scrubbing the nail beds spotless. Then Bai Ying turned his back to make it easier for Qin Juanshu to wipe his shoulders and back. His snowy-white back was fully exposed to Qin Juanshu’s view. Since Qin sat higher on the tub’s edge, leaning down let him see past the rounded shoulders to Bai Ying’s chest, not fully hidden by the bubbles.
Would it be soft there too? Hardening only after pinching with fingers…
Qin Juanshu struggled not to let his mind wander.
Fortunately, his pants were dark, and Bai Ying was focused on the plastic ducks, noticing nothing amiss. Qin Juanshu quickly finished the shoulders and back—Bai Ying’s body wasn’t that dirty. When he reverted, he’d propped himself up on his arms, so aside from his forearms and the hair dragging on the ground, only the tail was truly filthy.
With his upper body clean, Bai Ying hugged his tail eagerly. “Wash the tail!”
But right after, he realized something and looked uneasy, worried Qin Juanshu might fear his snake tail up close.
Qin Juanshu reached out without hesitation, stroking the scales and praising, “So beautiful.”
Bai Ying shyly lowered his head.
The tail got lathered too, and it was easy to clean—the dust was just on the surface, wiped away in a stroke. Bai Ying’s tail had never been this thick, but the tip was still slender, flicking back and forth on the tub’s edge.
Though easy to wash, Qin Juanshu scrubbed it from head to tail. But as he neared a certain spot near the base, Bai Ying’s tail jerked back sharply, and he shook his head vigorously. “Not there!”
Though it was flat now, with everything neatly tucked under the scales… still, no!
When fully snake, that area was way down the tail, but in this half-form, influenced by snake anatomy, Bai Ying felt it right below his abdomen…
Qin Juanshu instantly understood the implication.
He paused, then washed the other parts, though his peripheral vision drifted there several times uncontrollably.
The scales there seemed… different…
Once the tail was clean, Bai Ying was much calmer than when Qin Juanshu first found him. Qin began trimming his nails carefully, like a pet owner clipping their cat’s claws, afraid of nicking the quick.
His gentle care reminded Bai Ying of others who had shown him this tenderness before…
Those people…
Bai Ying lowered his lashes, staring at his hands, not daring to look at Qin Juanshu. In a small, trembling voice, he asked, “Qin Juanshu… do you like me?”
The hand holding the nail clippers paused.
But it soon resumed naturally, and from above came Qin Juanshu’s voice: “No, don’t overthink it.”
Bai Ying suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and gave an embarrassed smile.
His relieved expression stirred bitterness in Qin Juanshu’s heart. How could he not like Bai Ying? But after unwillingly giving up on forcing him to follow to a foreign land, Qin Juanshu didn’t want Bai Ying troubled by these feelings even a little.
So his answer could only be a lie.
