Bai Ying noticed that Mr. Liu had been restless lately.
Whenever he chatted with Mr. Liu, the man would often stare at his face in a daze, making Bai Ying feel ignored. He couldn’t help but feel a little resentful in his heart.
Mr. Liu hadn’t been like this before!
At that moment, Liu Qingzhang hadn’t heard a word he’d just said. The boy’s brows furrowed slightly, and he grabbed Liu Qingzhang’s sleeve, shaking it gently.
Liu Qingzhang looked down at him, and the first thought that popped into his mind was how beautiful the little snake’s brows were—like faint distant mountains brushed with ink in the color of dark eyebrows.
“Mr. Liu!” Bai Ying called out in dissatisfaction.
Liu Qingzhang snapped back to attention. “What’s wrong?”
“I said I’m going to my deskmate’s birthday party tonight.” Bai Ying said sulkily. “You stay home. Uncle Zhong can drive me there.”
This was probably the harshest thing a sulky little snake could say.
But no sooner had he said it than the little snake began to regret it. At first, his heart had only resentment and dissatisfaction toward Mr. Liu, but gradually, worry crept in. He suddenly remembered that although Mr. Liu appeared young, he was actually an old demon who had lived for centuries. Old people had poor memories and trouble concentrating—could Mr. Liu be the same?
Bai Ying worried about him like a young wife fretting over her elderly husband. If Liu Qingzhang knew what he was thinking, he would surely laugh and explain himself. An eight- or nine-hundred-year-old demon might sound old, but with his abundant demonic power, his body was clearly in its prime.
In the end, Liu Qingzhang personally drove Bai Ying to his deskmate’s house.
Neither of them spoke on the back seat of the car the whole way, each lost in their own thoughts. The atmosphere was tense, and Zhong Peide, driving in the front, didn’t even dare to breathe. Bai Ying only gave Liu Qingzhang a light hug when he got out, saying goodbye. But in the next moment, a girl in a small formal dress emerged from a villa and intimately pulled his arm.
Liu Qingzhang’s smiling face immediately darkened.
Could this be the little snake’s puppy love interest?
In the enclosed car, Liu Qingzhang’s oppressive aura grew increasingly terrifying. The moment Bai Ying left, he dropped his mild and approachable facade. Zhong Peide, who had served him for decades, braced himself and spoke up. “Perhaps she’s just a classmate who’s close to the Little Young Master. That young lady only placed a few fingers on his arm, keeping a certain distance.”
Liu Qingzhang’s mood didn’t improve much.
If it wasn’t her, it could be someone else.
At this point, Liu Qingzhang no longer doubted that the little snake was in puppy love. A lovesick boy couldn’t hide the look in his eyes—like peach petals floating on warm spring water, with hints of affection in those clear depths.
Who had made him look like that?
Zhong Peide tried to persuade him further. “Kids this age developing feelings for their peers is normal. As long as they don’t cross any lines while spending time together, it’s fine. Sir, don’t worry too much.”
Liu Qingzhang thought to himself that Zhong Peide knew nothing at all.
These days, he often found himself lost in thought while watching Bai Ying. He watched the flexible, slender waist beneath his autumn clothes, like new willow branches in spring; he watched his face, now free of baby fat and increasingly refined; he watched how the corners of his eyes were no longer as rounded as in childhood but slightly upturned, always tinged with a faint red when he first woke up—a shy glance that could captivate anyone’s soul.
And Liu Qingzhang was one of those people.
If he could truly place himself in the role of Bai Ying’s father, he might accept Zhong Peide’s advice and try to be an open-minded parent. But now he had selfish desires. Liu Qingzhang knew he could never accept Bai Ying being with someone else.
He had developed improper feelings for the child he had raised.
Not long after the car left the villa district, Liu Qingzhang suddenly said coldly, “Turn around.”
Bai Ying’s deskmate was a little chatterbox, like a bird that chirped nonstop once she started talking.
Bai Ying was quiet and didn’t talk much, but he didn’t mind listening, so he got along well with her. She lowered her voice and asked, “Little Bai, Little Bai, who was that person who dropped you off? Is he your brother?”
She had seen Liu Qingzhang in the back seat when Bai Ying got out of the car.
The great demon’s appearance hadn’t changed in centuries. When Bai Ying was little, people sometimes mistook Liu Qingzhang for his father, but no one would think that now. After all, Liu Qingzhang looked at most thirty—how could he have a sixteen-year-old child!
But Bai Ying didn’t know how to introduce him to his deskmate.
Liu Qingzhang didn’t look like a brother at all; he was more like a father. For a long time in his childhood, that’s how Bai Ying had seen him. But in the year he turned six, after Liu Qingzhang called him his child bride, his thoughts had changed.
Perhaps Mr. Liu could be considered his fiancé, but Bai Ying couldn’t tell his deskmate that. It wasn’t because he feared strange looks; it was because Mr. Liu never mentioned it again, making Bai Ying wonder if those words had just been a joke.
How could he make such a joke…
Bai Ying’s heart was in turmoil. He didn’t know what he would do if Mr. Liu didn’t like him.
His deskmate sensitively noticed that Bai Ying’s mood shifted when she mentioned the man and cleverly changed the subject. She generously held out her hand to him. “Little Bai, Little Bai, where’s my gift?”
Bai Ying handed her a gift box with a shy smile. “I don’t know if you’ll like it.”
When she opened the box, she let out an amazed “wow.”
Bai Ying had given her a hidden edition blind box doll set. It wasn’t as valuable as the jewelry and accessories from others, but it was exactly what she liked. In her excitement, she forgot about boundaries between boys and girls and happily pulled Bai Ying’s hand, leading him to the center of the crowd.
Under the brilliant crystal lights, the girl received blessings from the guests. When the antique clock struck eight, a cake as tall as her chest was wheeled out, and the hall filled with the chorus of a birthday song.
With a whoosh, the girl blew out the candles on top of the cake.
She cut the top layer herself and, on a whim, smeared a bit of cream on the cheek of the boy beside her.
The boy didn’t get annoyed. His gaze was soft like water as he smiled at her.
The girl was pretty, the boy was beautiful; one was lively, the other gentle and serene. Both the same age, they looked like a perfect match standing together. That was the scene Liu Qingzhang saw when he returned—his face exceptionally grim.
The atmosphere in the hall grew livelier. The five-layer cake was far too much to finish. After eating the top three layers, the remaining young boys and girls, full of youthful energy, started a cream fight. Cream flew everywhere. The usually quiet little snake couldn’t adapt to such a chaotic scene. After holding out for a short while, he wanted to beg for mercy and slip away.
His deskmate, caught up in the fun, pointed him toward the back door to escape.
Slipping out the back door into the small garden behind the villa, the gentle night breeze dispersed the sweet scent of cream. After breathing in the fresh outdoor air, Bai Ying let out a long sigh of relief.
Being in the center of the rowdy crowd had made his heart race unconsciously. He had barely calmed down when his heart suddenly leaped into his throat.
Someone pinned him against the wall!
A scorching breath approached. The back garden was too dark, and Bai Ying couldn’t make out who had trapped him. He nearly let out a scream. But the scent carried by the night wind was one only demons could detect—subtle, steady, aged through long years, like an ancient towering tree.
“Mr. Liu?” Bai Ying said blankly, unsure why he was here. “Did you come to pick me up?”
They had agreed he would message Liu Qingzhang when it was time to go home. Why had he come early?
Liu Qingzhang didn’t answer.
He lowered his head deeply, burying it in the boy’s neck. There was an unusual sweet fragrance there. During the playful chaos, a bit of cream had accidentally splattered onto Bai Ying’s neck. He hadn’t noticed, but Liu Qingzhang had seen it all.
Liu Qingzhang extended his tongue—not a human one, but the forked snake tongue that emerged when he lost control. It licked the cream from the boy’s neck, leaving only wetness and heat.
“Mr. Liu…” Bai Ying’s legs went weak.
Liu Qingzhang gave him a deep look and, without another word, scooped him up, carrying him all the way back to Zhong Peide’s car parked outside.
The partition in the back seat had already risen. As soon as they got in, Zhong Peide drove back to Willow Mansion. Whatever happened on the road, the driver up front wouldn’t know.
Forced to sit on Liu Qingzhang’s lap, Bai Ying instinctively struggled. He hadn’t been held like this since elementary school graduation. But Liu Qingzhang’s strength was immense; his embrace was like an iron cage. The trapped little snake couldn’t break free.
Liu Qingzhang savored the taste he had just experienced.
Bai Ying’s pure sweetness neutralized the cloying cream, turning food he disliked into something delicious.
“Little snake, tell Mr. Liu.” His tone was gentle, but laced with danger. “Are you dating someone?”
On the way back, Liu Qingzhang came to a realization: no one in this world was worthy of the little snake.
Women wouldn’t do, and men even less so. The little snake was a snake—how could he be with a human? He alone was the only one suitable for the little snake.
The treasure he had raised should belong to him.
While Bai Ying played with that girl under the bright lights, dark thoughts had bred endlessly in Liu Qingzhang’s mind. He rubbed the spot on the boy’s neck he had licked and kissed, turning it red. The bewildered little snake didn’t answer, so Liu Qingzhang pressed on. “Is it that girl? Little snake, are you with her?”
After being stunned for a long time, Bai Ying’s heart flared with anger at those words.
“So what if I am?” Flames seemed to ignite in eyes usually calm as spring water. Bai Ying glared at him.
Liu Qingzhang’s face darkened instantly.
Bai Ying grew even angrier. Liu Qingzhang actually dared to pull a long face!
“What right do you have to ask me that? What position are you asking from?!” Bai Ying grabbed Liu Qingzhang’s collar and raised his voice. “My father, or my husband?!”
His final words left Liu Qingzhang dumbfounded.
“You were the one who called me your child bride, and you’re the one who never mentioned it again! You’re the one who told me to study hard and not think random thoughts!” For the first time, the little snake was fiercely assertive, yanking the big snake’s collar to pull him close. “If you knew how I felt, why didn’t you say something to reassure me? If it was just a joke, then what right do you have to control who I’m with…”
Liu Qingzhang thought for a moment before recalling the offhand remark he’d made to coax the childhood Bai Ying to sleep quickly.
The bewilderment in his eyes from the memory didn’t escape Bai Ying. The fear he’d harbored all this time was confirmed.
“You really were joking…” Bai Ying murmured.
Then what about his shyness these days? What was his affection for Liu Qingzhang?
Had he just been immersed in a one-sided fantasy?
Liu Qingzhang’s face blurred before him—his vision had misted over with tears. Bai Ying choked out, “Let me go! I want to get out of the car!”
They were heading to Maple Mountain, surrounded by desolate wilderness. How could Liu Qingzhang let him out?
Unable to break free from Liu Qingzhang’s embrace, Bai Ying shifted into his snake form to escape, only to be scooped back up. Enraged, he bit Liu Qingzhang’s hand. The grown little snake’s teeth were no longer childish; even without force, they drew two bloody holes. Liu Qingzhang let him bite, wishing he would bite harder.
“I’m sorry, little snake. I…” Liu Qingzhang didn’t know how to continue for a moment.
So the little snake had taken that forgotten jest seriously. While he thought only he harbored improper feelings for the little snake, the little snake had been quietly liking him all along.
The little snake’s recent odd behavior, his hesitations, his shy glances—all suddenly made sense.
The little snake hadn’t fallen for anyone else. The one he liked had always been him.
Once the little snake had vented and tired himself out from biting, Liu Qingzhang gently cupped him and planted a precious kiss on the little white snake’s head.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have deceived you with those words when you were little, and I shouldn’t have failed to realize your feelings before questioning you like that.” Liu Qingzhang said softly. “If Mr. Liu likes you now and wants the little snake to be his real child bride, would you still be willing?”
