Chapter 15: The Mark—Her Power Will Protect Ye Xi

Ye Xi had been eating bread every day lately to save time on sleep, so she truly craved some meat in this meal.

Unexpectedly, not only did Shen Mingjin prepare no meat at all, she didn’t even add a single spoonful of lard when stir-frying the vegetables.

Logically speaking, Ye Xi shouldn’t complain about Shen Mingjin’s good intentions, but the thought of shoving these overly bland, nearly boiled dishes into her stomach made her heart surge uncontrollably with the urge to wrestle the frying pan away from Shen Mingjin.

Of course, Ye Xi didn’t do that. She just stared at Shen Mingjin with deep resentment. “Sister.”

Noticing Ye Xi’s aggrieved gaze, Shen Mingjin glanced quickly over the counter. “Is it not enough?”

Ye Xi nodded rapidly, gazing at Shen Mingjin with full anticipation.

Shen Mingjin walked back to the fridge and took out a carrot. The orange-red carrot was plump and fresh, undoubtedly crisp, sweet, and juicy even without biting into it—but it did nothing to whet Ye Xi’s appetite.

Because of their recent tacit cooperation, Shen Mingjin instinctively handed the carrot to Ye Xi, who was still standing at the sink.

Ye Xi didn’t take the carrot to wash it. Instead, the hand she extended landed on Shen Mingjin’s wrist. “Sister, do I look like a rabbit to you?”

Shen Mingjin didn’t quite understand why Ye Xi asked that, but the image of Ye Xi’s pink fur rabbit doll suddenly flashed in her mind, and she responded subconsciously. “You do.”

Ye Xi said to Shen Mingjin with utmost seriousness, “Sister, I don’t think I look like a rabbit at all.”

A faint smile welled up in Shen Mingjin’s eyes. “Alright, you don’t look like a rabbit.”

She seemed pleased by Ye Xi’s earnest declaration. The worry and panic from earlier vanished, and the shallow smile curving her lips made her striking features even more vibrant, beautiful enough to hold anyone’s gaze.

Unlike Ye Xi, who loved to fake smiles, Shen Mingjin was reserved and subtle—even her anger wasn’t very obvious.

Ye Xi had known Shen Mingjin for several days now, but this was the first time she glimpsed such a clear smile on her face.

Her gaze went blank for a moment, her mind hazy in an instant.

Shen Mingjin, with her flamboyantly gorgeous exterior, had eyes that turned incredibly gentle when she smiled, as if she were looking at a sulking child.

She had no idea what Ye Xi was fussing about, yet she was still willing to indulge her.

Ye Xi looked away, pulling her thoughts back on track. “Sister, I think I look more like…”

She meant to casually name a carnivorous animal to hint that she wanted meat, but remembering the red snake in the doll room, she said, “More like a snake.”

Hearing Ye Xi say she resembled a snake, Shen Mingjin guiltily touched her arm, confirming no scales had emerged before relaxing. “Ye Xi, do you like snakes? Didn’t you say you hit one before?”

Ye Xi hadn’t expected Shen Mingjin to remember her words. Looking at Shen Mingjin, who awaited her answer expectantly, she instinctively defended herself. “Sister, I only hit the snake because there are so many in the mountains, and they always try to bite me. If they don’t bite me, I’m perfectly willing to live in peace with them.”

Hearing that Ye Xi had been bitten by snakes before, Shen Mingjin furrowed her brow. She had always believed that descendants of physicians who sacrificed for the Demon Clan deserved the Demon Clan’s respect.

Shen Mingjin couldn’t control how other clans treated Ye Xi, but her own clan absolutely could not harm her.

“Ye Xi.” Shen Mingjin’s free hand suddenly lifted and pressed against the side of Ye Xi’s neck. A small snake mark burrowed from her fingertip into Ye Xi’s red mole and vanished.

This was a mark unique to Shen Mingjin. Though her Demon Power was currently insufficient, her mark still held considerable deterrent power among the Snake Clan. It could protect Ye Xi.

Though Ye Xi didn’t know what Shen Mingjin intended, she didn’t dodge her touch. She didn’t mind Shen Mingjin touching her.

When they first met, she had accepted Shen Mingjin’s touch out of greed for the coolness of her fingertips. Now, with the sweltering heat quenched by rainwater, Ye Xi accepted her touch for reasons she couldn’t quite articulate.

The skin at her neck felt delicate and smooth where they touched, and the scent filling her nostrils was sweetly intense.

They were very close, their actions somewhat intimate.

Yet Ye Xi clearly knew Shen Mingjin had no intention of seducing her. The look in Shen Mingjin’s eyes held guilt and pity, but none of the deliberate allure.

Shen Mingjin withdrew her hand and gazed sincerely into Ye Xi’s eyes. “Ye Xi, no snakes will bite you anymore.”

Shen Mingjin’s voice was soft like trickling water, her tone gentle and full of pity, enough to soften even a hedgehog’s quills.

Ye Xi’s defenses against Shen Mingjin weren’t strong to begin with, and hearing her speak only weakened them further. If not for the recent echo of rejection in her ears, Ye Xi might have asked again to be friends.

She turned her gaze slightly aside, released Shen Mingjin’s hand, and muttered a half-hearted joke. “That’s not guaranteed. Didn’t you say I look like a rabbit, Sister? Don’t snakes love eating rabbits?”

Her voice paused as she noticed her own awkwardness and hurried to mask it.

Her eyes returned to Shen Mingjin, a bright smile lighting up her entire face. “Sister, maybe they’ll fight over who gets to bite me.”

She was joking, but as Shen Mingjin watched Ye Xi’s lips part and close, she recalled the sweet softness of those lips she had tasted, and her face grew slightly hot. “Snakes… snakes really won’t bite you anymore.”

Shen Mingjin’s skin was very fair, making the flush especially obvious as it crept up.

Her delicate skin took on a pale pink hue, like faint cherry blossom marks—her beauty amplified several times over.

“Sister, your face is so red.”

Shen Mingjin gripped the carrot tightly in her palm and averted her gaze slightly. “No, it’s not.”

Her face was very red, her voice very soft.

She seemed shy.

Ye Xi vaguely sensed Shen Mingjin’s shyness and took a step back, steering the conversation elsewhere. “Sister, can I take a look in your fridge?”

With Shen Mingjin’s permission, Ye Xi went to the fridge.

The moment she opened it, Ye Xi finally understood why Shen Mingjin wasn’t giving her any meat. The fridge was filled with all sorts of vegetables— not a scrap of meat, not even a bottle of soda.

So vegetarian.

She wasn’t the rabbit—Shen Mingjin was.

Seeing Ye Xi standing in front of the fridge with a troubled expression, Shen Mingjin finally understood what Ye Xi had been hinting at so circuitously.

Ye Xi wasn’t really a rabbit. Even someone like her, who had choked down bread for days, wanted meat.

It was only natural, but Shen Mingjin couldn’t satisfy her.

She was a snake who never touched meat.

Shen Mingjin quietly closed the fridge, a hint of guilt in her voice. “Ye Xi, next time I’ll treat you to meat.”

Shen Mingjin’s perceptiveness was truly sharp. Ye Xi’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly denied it. “Sister, I… I didn’t want meat.”

She just felt it was rude to be picky when someone was treating her to a meal.

But Shen Mingjin didn’t mind at all. Her gaze lingered on Ye Xi’s slender waist before she said earnestly, “You really should eat some meat. You can’t keep living on bread.”

“Sister, how did you know I’ve been eating bread lately?”

Shen Mingjin lowered her gaze, not daring to meet Ye Xi’s questioning eyes, and deliberately changed the subject. “Ye Xi, I know a really good restaurant. Next time, I’ll take you there.”