Little Snake turned her head to look at Ah Wan, still pointing, and said quietly, “Human, I like that one.”
Ah Wan was silent for a moment, then spoke: “We’re not buying that.”
“In that case, why not let your sister try this one? It’s also very popular,” the shop assistant quickly smoothed things over, leading Little Snake to the fitting room. She helped hang the underwear on the rack, then turned to Ah Wan, “Maybe you could pick out two more for her, so she can try them all on together.”
The words “No need” were on the tip of her tongue, but some thought crossed Ah Wan’s mind, and she surprisingly relented and agreed.
She carefully chose two more pairs for Little Snake: one tender yellow, one pure white.
The assistant was about to take them into Little Snake when a faint cry came from the direction of the fitting room: “Human, I don’t know how to put it on.”
“Oh, no problem, let me help,” the assistant said, ready to step forward, but a hand suddenly pressed down on her shoulder.
“I’ll go,” Ah Wan said, taking the two new sets and walking straight over.
The fitting room door was gently knocked on. Soon, it opened a crack from the inside. Little Snake tilted her head out, eyes wide. When she saw it was Ah Wan, her eyes curved sweetly.
“Human, I don’t know how to wear this.”
Ah Wan pushed the door open and entered. Seeing red scratch marks Little Snake had left on her own snow-white skin, Ah Wan couldn’t help but frown.
“Turn around.”
Little Snake obeyed, though she didn’t understand why. She just obediently turned.
Ah Wan wrapped her arms around Little Snake from behind, slipping the tender yellow underwear she had personally chosen over Little Snake’s arms, and then she looked down—
“Human,” Little Snake suddenly turned her head, her face now only inches from Ah Wan’s, “Snakey likes this color, it’s spring.”
“Mhm.” Ah Wan wasn’t one for many words. She looked down at Little Snake’s eyes. In the narrow space, their breaths intertwined.
Little Snake stared, mesmerized. Her rosy lips parted slightly as she craned her neck forward, sticking out her tongue, wanting to eat the human’s mouth.
Ah Wan, however, slightly pulled back. Her hands loosened, and the underwear gently snapped against Little Snake’s smooth, beautiful back.
“Is it uncomfortable?” she asked.
Little Snake stared blankly at Ah Wan’s mouth. It took a long moment before she shook her head and honestly replied, “No.”
After thinking a moment, she tried to act cute and asked, “Can Snakey buy that big butterfly? Snakey likes it.”
“No,” Ah Wan refused without hesitation.
A bit deflated, Little Snake snorted and turned her head away, refusing to look at her.
While paying, the little one still stared at the lace butterfly set with longing eyes, but Ah Wan remained unmoved.
“Five sets of underwear, total is one thousand two hundred and twenty yuan. How would you like to pay?”
“Cash,” Ah Wan said, pulling a wad of money from her pants pocket.
She had left home with only fifteen hundred yuan in cash today, originally planning to just buy Little Snake a couple of cheap outfits at the market entrance. She didn’t know what had possessed her to come here instead.
But well, that was fine. Over two hundred yuan left, enough to get home.
Ah Wan took the bag from the assistant and handed it to Little Snake. Seeing her gaze still fixed on that set of erotic lingerie, Ah Wan manually turned Little Snake’s head forward without a second thought. “Let’s go.”
The little one, carrying her own bag, pouted and walked out, a bit sulky.
Ah Wan followed behind, but after just two steps, she suddenly stopped.
She hesitated for only a second before immediately turning back.
The shop assistant was slightly surprised and asked gently, “Hello, did you leave something behind?”
Ah Wan didn’t respond. She just glanced at the lace butterfly with her eyes. Her tone was flat. “Wrap it up.”
“Card.”
She finished speaking and placed her card on the counter.
“Of course.” After a moment of shock, the assistant immediately responded and began to ring up the sale. Another assistant went to pack the lace butterfly into a gift box.
“Your total will be one thousand three hundred and fifty yuan,” the assistant said. Eyeing Ah Wan’s attire, fearing she might think it was too expensive, she added politely, “The ten pearls on this set are all freshwater pearls. They retail for over one hundred yuan each.”
“Mhm,” Ah Wan showed no real reaction. Only, as she took the bag, she overheard another assistant murmuring, “So thrilling, oh.”
Her pupils quivered slightly.
Carrying the box as she walked out, she ran straight into Little Snake.
The little one had already reached the entrance. Looking back and not seeing Ah Wan, she had hurriedly run back to find her.
“Human, where did you go…”
The questioning had barely started when Little Snake’s attention was caught by the item in Ah Wan’s hand.
“What’s that?”
“Nothing,” Ah Wan brushed it off casually.
Little Snake tilted her head and said softly, “Let Snakey see.”
“No.”
Ah Wan poked her forehead with a finger, then, with the tips of her ears tinged red, quickly walked away.
Rubbing her forehead, Little Snake turned and called out loudly, “Human, wait for me!”
She grabbed her own underwear and chased after, the bag of long-cold buns tied around her wrist swinging wildly.
As soon as they left the lingerie store, Little Snake shouted that she was hungry. Ah Wan didn’t have time to seriously find a place to eat—they still had to head back in the afternoon—so she randomly ordered two bowls of cold noodles at a cold noodle stall.
Little Snake had never eaten noodles this spicy. Each slurp of a strand required her to wipe her mouth and nose with a tissue.
Seeing this, Ah Wan got up and poured a glass of water, placing it by Little Snake’s hand. Then she walked over to the busy owner and said, “One bowl of cold noodles, no spice.”
After ordering, she returned to Little Snake, coldly pushed the bowl in front of the little one a bit further away, and dumped Little Snake’s unfinished noodles into her own bowl.
“Human!” Little Snake cried out in shock. “What will Snakey eat?”
Ah Wan: …
“Here you go, your cold noodles without spice,” the owner said, placing the bowl on the table.
Ah Wan didn’t speak, only pushing the bowl towards Little Snake and raising an eyebrow at her.
Little Snake sniffled, wiping the chili-induced mucus from her nose, smiled brightly at Ah Wan, and bowed her head to eat.
But while eating, she started sneaking glances at Ah Wan’s bowl, muttering quietly, “Why doesn’t it taste good anymore?”
Ah Wan pretended not to hear.
After the meal, Little Snake stared blankly at the two leftover strands of noodle at the bottom of Ah Wan’s bowl, slurped back saliva, and asked, “When are we going back to the nest?”
“That’s called going home,” Ah Wan said, finishing up slowly. She wiped her mouth and stood up.
Little Snake quickly grabbed her bags and hurried after her. “Human, wait.”
Once she caught up, she reached out and tightly grasped the hem of Ah Wan’s shirt.
On the way back, they passed a boutique perfume shop. Just as two people exited, the wind carried a scent out with them.
Little Snake inhaled deeply. It was so fragrant.
And then she stopped walking.
Ah Wan was yanked back by her. She saw Little Snake standing at the shop entrance, pointing a fair, tender hand inside, drooling with desire. “So fragrant, want to eat.”
“That can’t be eaten, stupid snake.” Ah Wan gave her a flick on the forehead and turned to leave, but Little Snake behind her was rooted to the spot, unmoving.
Ah Wan stopped, took a deep breath, and turned back again to face her stubborn little face. She said sternly, “Only ten minutes.”
“Mm, mm!” Little Snake’s eyes instantly lit up. She nodded vigorously, then quickly grabbed Ah Wan and pulled her inside.
A clerk inside was helping other customers test scents, spraying one bottle after another.
Before Little Snake even got close, she started sneezing, one after another. The final sneeze was so strong it forced her hidden snake tongue out.
Quick as a flash, Ah Wan clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her away.
“Human,” Little Snake was still sneezing on the return bus. Frightened, she said, “Snakey seems to be broken.”
Ah Wan glanced at her and teased menacingly, “Mhm, almost. Once you’re broken, I’ll throw you out.”
“Wah?” Little Snake listened, her large, dark eyes opening wide, tears brimming, looking dewy and pitiful.
“Don’t want that.”
Ah Wan ignored her, but when she turned her head away, a subtle smile lifted the corners of her lips.
By the time they got home, the sky was completely dark. Ah Wan didn’t intend to cook anything. Hearing Little Snake’s stomach growl twice, she said lazily, “If you’re hungry, eat the buns. If you’re still hungry, tough it out. Don’t you dare disturb me in the middle of the night.”
“Ok.”
Little Snake replied obediently, sitting at the table, taking a cold bun in each hand, and began to nibble.
First, Ah Wan casually tossed the box she’d been carrying into the wardrobe. Then she turned, took a new pair of underwear from the bag, and went into the bathroom.
After washing up, she coldly washed the new underwear for Little Snake too, dried them with a hair dryer, and hung them aside.
“Stupid snake, come here.”
“Okay!” Little Snake answered loudly, quickly putting down her half-eaten bun and running happily into the room. “Human, what did you call Snakey for?”
Ah Wan pointed to the freshly dried underwear. “Remember to put them on after you wash.”
“Mm, mm.” Little Snake nodded eagerly, grabbed her little underwear, and went in.
Exhausted from the busy day, Ah Wan didn’t realize what was out of place.
The water in the bathroom stopped. Ah Wan closed her book and put it on the nightstand, then lifted the covers to lie down.
Little Snake opened the door and came out. Bathed in hot water, her skin was now a rosy pink flush against the white. She wore only a tiny pair of underwear.
“Human,” Little Snake called out softly, walking towards her step by step.
Ah Wan turned her head to look. Her motion of pulling the covers to lie down froze instantly.
The girl’s figure was graceful. Even the ordinary underwear, when worn on her, seemed suddenly alluring and sexy.
“Human,” Little Snake reached the bedside and stood, pointed down, and asked curiously, “Why does Snakey have to wear this?”
Ah Wan averted her gaze, coughed twice, and then replied a bit awkwardly, “Being a human means you have to wear it.”
“Does Human wear it too?”
Ah Wan: “…Mhm.”
Hearing that, Little Snake smiled happily, her eyes narrowing. She reached her hand out towards Ah Wan. “Snakey wants to see the little underwear Human wears.”
As if facing a formidable foe, Ah Wan grabbed Little Snake’s wrist and pulled her into her arms, holding her tight. She looked into Little Snake’s eyes and said, seriously, one word at a time, “No looking at mine. And no letting others look at yours. Do you understand?”
“Huh?” Little Snake tilted her head, clearly not quite understanding. Her cheeks flushed with an unusual red. She processed slowly, “Why can’t anyone look?”
Then she added, “But Snakey wants to see the little underwear Human wears, and wants to wear the same little underwear as Human.”
Hearing this, Ah Wan’s breathing grew heavier. She gritted her teeth and said stubbornly, “I don’t want that.”
Then she let go of her hand.
