My adopted brother, whom I’ve had a crush on forever, has always been cold to me. I thought he just wasn't the smiling type. Until one night, I heard his raspy voice calling someone's name: "Sisi." Heartbroken, I packed up my pet snake and moved out. Suddenly, floating text comments appeared before my eyes: [Girl, you are killing me! He wasn't calling a girl's name! Snakes make a 'hissing' sound!] [The Male Lead is never going to hiss again. He's probably trying to poison himself mute right now.] [Did you seriously not notice that your pet snake and your brother never appear at the same time?] The day I moved out, a crack finally appeared in Ethan's icy facade. He frowned slightly, lifting his eyelids. "Why?" I avoided his gaze, flustered. "I graduated. I can support myself now. It's not good to keep living at home." I was adopted by the Reed family. This reason should be reasonable enough. I really couldn't say the truth. Hearing him call someone else's name made me feel sad and awkward. I just wanted to run away. Ethan has always been a cold, self-restrained person. But that night, when he called "Sisi," his voice was low and raspy. Like it was soaked in some deep emotion. Just thinking about it still shocks me. My suitcase was packed and sitting by the door. As expected, Ethan didn't ask me to stay. He just opened the door to his study, dropping one sentence: "Don't forget to take your pet." He was cold to me, and cold to my pet. He never visited my little snake, let alone touched it. Now, he couldn't wait to kick it out too. I was heartbroken. I grabbed the snake, terrarium and all, and left alone. The floating comments—like a livestream chat—appeared after I moved into my new apartment. I unpacked my stuff and collapsed on the sofa. My little white snake slowly crawled out of the open terrarium, climbing up my calf. Its cool scales pressed against my bare skin. Like always, I bent down and scooped it up. It climbed up my arm and settled on my shoulder. I started to suspect the mushrooms I fried for lunch weren't fully cooked. Lines of text started popping up in front of my eyes. [Why did she move out?! My favorite trope of angsty tension under one roof is gone!] [Forget tension, the plot is about to hit the highway and you're still driving a tricycle.] What are they babbling about? Highway? I just got my driver's license; I'm not allowed on the highway yet. I looked down and started googling "What to do for mushroom poisoning." I've heard of seeing little green men, but never floating text. While my mind wandered, I switched to my messages and saw Ethan pinned at the top. His profile picture was pure white. The messages stopped a day ago. Me: "Brother, I'm moving out." Him (replying much later): "Okay." So perfunctory. I got dumped before we even started dating. I buried my head in my knees, ready to cry my eyes out. I forgot the snake was still on my shoulder. It suddenly slipped into my collar, then stopped. Leaving a cold, slippery sensation. And... a snake tongue that didn't retract in time. The snake seemed stunned too, freezing in place. My scalp tingled. I frantically fished it out. It still left a faint red mark. Emo mode paused. The text scrolled by rapidly. [Male Lead be like: Sorry, I type slow.] [Female Lead: Stop pretending.] [He wasn't being perfunctory! You were playing with him at the time; he couldn't free his hands. He typed that 'Okay' with his tail!] [Holy crap! Just joined the stream and it's already this spicy.] [Ethan must be in heaven.] I understood the words, and my face instantly turned red. Is this snake... Ethan? He always wears gold-rimmed glasses. Is he a cobra? (Note: 'Spectacled Cobra' in Chinese/culture reference) Suspicion: Hallucinations from mushroom poisoning. I put the snake back in the terrarium and wanted to text my best friend. To tell her I might be tripping on mushrooms. My finger swiped, and I saw the messages I sent her last time. Me: "It's over. I have no chance." "Ethan seems to like someone!" "He even called her 'Sisi'!" "Sob." The comments seemed to be peeking at my screen. [Girl, you are killing me! He wasn't calling a girl's name! Snakes make a 'hissing' sound!] [The Male Lead is never going to hiss again. He's probably trying to poison himself mute right now.] [Did you seriously not notice that your pet snake and your brother never appear at the same time?] Hey, didn't I put on a privacy screen protector? I deleted the unsent text. I looked hesitantly at the terrarium by my feet. The white snake was wrapped around a grape vine, head raised, staring quietly at me. It and Ethan... really never appeared together. [Question Xu Xian, Understand Xu Xian, Become Xu Xian.] (Reference to the Legend of the White Snake, a man who fell in love with a snake demon) [Try this, feed Ethan some realgar wine. If he faints, he's a snake. If not, he's a snake demon.] I pursed my lips. I found Ethan's number in my contacts and dialed it. The white snake's eyes seemed to widen. Then, its tail started rattling. I don't know the principle behind it, but... I understood. I hung up. That night, I was drawing on my tablet in my room. I actually received a message from Ethan first. "Forgot to tell you." "The snake cousin gave you back then... it's a rattlesnake." [Male Lead trying to cover his tracks.] [What rattlesnake rattles with a ringtone sound?] My cousin gave me the snake. In high school, I was stressed and randomly wanted a pet snake. My cousin heard and brought one over. "Home-bred. Different from the ones you buy." "Long life span, smart, obedient, clingy. Great emotional support." "Knows to find food when hungry, knows to come home when it rains." It was true. It understood all my commands. It was clingy, often wrapping around my calf. It slept with me at night. I thought I found the perfect snake. Turns out it was my brother. ...It feels really weird. My secret crush and my favorite pet merged into one. Whatever. I can pretend I don't know. I put down my pen and tablet, opening the door. The white snake had crawled out of the terrarium at some point and was waiting at the door. I hesitated, then squatted and held out my hand. It climbed onto my shoulder and shook its tail. The tail made a shhh-shhh sound, clear as day. [Male Lead trying SO hard to prove he isn't himself.] [He doesn't dare let her find out he's a pervert.] [That is a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. In the US, they bite more people than any other snake...] Maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I felt like this snake looked a lot more handsome now. It leaned in, nuzzling my cheek with its nose affectionately. Tentatively, its tongue flicked the corner of my mouth. Leaving a cold, wet sensation. My breath hitched. I took it off, put it outside the door, and locked it quickly. [Male Lead got rejected just like that. But a snake is kinda hard to accept.] [Only in novels. If I saw a snake that big in my house, I'd move out overnight and leave the deed to the snake.] I threw myself onto the bed, burying my head in the quilt. My face was burning. It took a while to calm down. I texted my best friend. "Can you understand Xu Xian?" The comments were shocked. [???] [So you're shy, not rejecting him?] Bestie: "???" "Is your latest obsession a snake-man character?" "If he's hot, I totally get it." I draw a lot of fan art. She probably misunderstood. I didn't explain. Ethan's human form is too handsome—cold and abstinent. His snake form is also special, iridescent scales, looking expensive. I just made the mistake every simp makes. I adjusted my mindset, opened the door again, and brought the snake back in. Petting time. The high-and-mighty Ethan was now at my mercy. I squeezed and petted him, taking revenge for his coldness. He didn't resist at all. He even seemed excited, trembling slightly. [Which part of the snake corresponds to which part of the human?] [Look at him acting cheap. She hasn't even used any tricks yet and he's already surrendered.] I wanted to continue my revenge. But my hands were tired, and he wasn't tired at all. I gave up and tossed him aside. Maybe the contact tonight was too intimate. I had a very... vivid dream. The snake repeated that accidental movement from the afternoon. Coiled on my chest. But not cold. Slightly hot. Scales rough, sliding over me slowly and gently. I couldn't take it, grabbing the corner of the quilt, arching my back. The sensation blurred the line between dream and reality. So much so that when I opened my eyes, I was still dazed. The room was dim. I turned on the nightlight. The white snake was lying by the bed, motionless, sleeping soundly. So it really was a dream. Because the night was too hot, the first thing I did after waking up was shower. I have mild dermatographia; a touch leaves a red mark, but it usually fades fast. The mark from yesterday afternoon still hadn't faded. Faintly red. Maybe I should get that treated. Wrapped in a towel, I pushed open the glass door. The snake was awake, coiled in a circle, sitting at the door. Staring at me intensely. When I first got the snake, I learned most are nocturnal. So I tried not to disturb it during the day. But my cousin said: "Don't worry about him. He plays when he wants. He can adjust." He sure can adjust. His schedule matches mine now. I clutched my towel, unable to squat down to pick him up. The snake and I stared at each other. [Ethan's expression is killing me. Why so aggrieved?] [Your wifey won't pick you up.] He paused for a moment, then slithered up on his own. Snake tail wrapping around my calf. The first time he climbed up from there. I hadn't wiped the water off my body yet. The cold scales sliding against my skin... Tingling. Numbing. He wrapped tight. I could barely walk. I stumbled to the bedroom door and fell onto the bed, no time to read the comments. ...... I grabbed the snake by the seven-inch point (neck), held him up, and threw him out. "Get out. I need to change."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386664", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel