Chapter 28: Bamboo Leaf Green, Laurel, and the Desire of the Snake

Chapter 28: The Bamboo Viper, the Laurel, and the Serpent's Desire

"Se-senpai..."

Qi Heyin was snapped back to reality by a trembling female voice. The voice was faint and laced with panic, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Her hand paused mid-motion, and she turned her slightly puzzled gaze to the side, only to see the long-haired girl who had been sitting beside her now staggered back, her hands clamped over her mouth, her face a mask of terror as she stared at Qi Heyin.

When Qi Heyin looked over, the girl whimpered, "Senior, there's a snake... wuwu..."

"It... it's on your shoulder..."

Hearing this, Qi Heyin's face flashed with surprise, and she instinctively glanced at her shoulder—only to meet a pair of dark red eyes with slitted pupils.

The unwelcome visitor was coiled calmly against her neck. Its body was emerald green, covered in tiny scales along half its length, while its underside was a lighter shade of green.

Qi Heyin recognized it at a glance—it was a bamboo viper.

And clearly a juvenile, given its size—only about thirty centimeters long, slender and small.

Meeting her gaze, the little viper raised its triangular head high, its mouth gaping open to reveal a pair of hollow fangs.

Its long, forked tongue flicked out, the crimson tip swaying in the air as it let out a menacing hiss.

By now, the other students sketching nearby had noticed the commotion and turned to look. Upon spotting the highly venomous bamboo viper draped over Qi Heyin, some looked ready to faint.

Tension crackled through the air. No one could fathom how the snake had appeared, and several pairs of eyes were fixed on its movements, the crowd holding its breath, afraid it might suddenly strike.

Yet, despite the terrifying creature being pressed against her neck, Qi Heyin—the one under threat—merely studied it for a moment before her expression gradually calmed.

She lowered her eyes, silently appraising the little viper, her face devoid of fear. Instead, a spark of curiosity lit her eyes.

Unable to comprehend why the girl before it showed no fear, the snake's hooded eyes flickered with an inexplicable emotion.

It swayed its head again, hissing twice in warning, then fixed its gaze on the pale, delicate neck before it. The urge to invade surged within it, its crimson tongue trembling and curling as it longed to taste that skin.

But tasting alone couldn't satisfy its swelling desires. It wanted to sink its sharp fangs into the girl's soft, smooth flesh, bite down hard, and claim her as its own...

Its slender tail twitched, and the little viper wasted no time. Its cold, slick body slithered swiftly forward, fangs bared, aiming straight for Qi Heyin's neck.

Realizing the snake's intent, Qi Heyin frowned slightly and decisively gave its head a sharp flick.

The viper's head reeled from the blow, momentarily disoriented. The dark red eyes, once filled with gloom and malice, now flickered with something almost human—bewilderment.

"...Another little one not properly trained by its owner?"

Qi Heyin tilted her head slightly, calmly appraising it, her gaze cool and assessing—as if examining a promising specimen.

That calm, detached scrutiny elicited a shiver from the viper's bright green body. A tremor of excitement ran through it, resonating with something deeper.

It was as if that composed gaze had already pierced through its cold-blooded exterior, seeing straight into the darkness of its soul—and what lay hidden behind it...

Suddenly, a cool, soft touch interrupted the viper's shared frenzy with its master.

It looked up to find the girl lifting it from her shoulder, then crouching down to gently place it on the ground.

"Senior Qi, you..." came the fearful voices of several nearby students.

Qi Heyin turned and smiled gently at them, reassuring in a calm tone, "Don’t be afraid, everyone. This isn’t a real snake—it’s just a Mimic."

So it was a Mimic...

Hearing this, their unease finally lifted, and they sighed in relief as they stared at the snake on the ground.

But who would be so mean as to release such a scary Mimic so carelessly? It was really scary.

Qi Heyin, however, didn’t find the small green snake before her frightening at all.

As a Mimic researcher, she worked with all kinds of Mimics. Driven by professional interest, all Mimics felt friendly to her.

She wondered who this little green snake belonged to... Like Li Chen’s Alpha, it seemed not well-trained, appearing wild and unruly.

"Who do you belong to?" Qi Heyin crouched down, resting her chin in her palm as she gazed at it.

The snake wriggled, hissing, its fangs bared as it stubbornly tried to lunge for another bite—only to be sent back with a light flick on its head.

"No biting allowed," Qi Heyin said seriously.

She glanced around, noting that after the little scene, the club members had all returned to their sketches.

Wen Zhimo, however, was missing. She hadn’t spotted him since the incident began.

"Hey, do you know where Wen is?" Qi Heyin asked a girl sitting nearby.

"You mean Wen?" The girl thought for a moment before shaking her head hesitantly. "I didn’t notice either..."

"Senior, were you looking for me?" A bright, cheerful voice called from not far away.

Qi Heyin looked up to see Wen Zhimo emerging from the maple grove ahead, holding a big wooden flower basket as he approached.

"Wow, Vice President Wen, you’ve got so many laurels!" Covering her mouth in surprise, the girl beside her murmured.

"I picked them in the woods earlier. It rained last night, so many fresh laurel blossoms fell," Wen Zhimo explained softly, lowering his lashes shyly.

He then offered the basket to the girl. "Feel free to take some if you’d like."

"Perfect! I wanted to add laurels to my painting—this is great for reference!" The girl eagerly scooped up a few blossoms, admiring them as she murmured, "They smell amazing... Maybe I could even weave a wreath after painting..."

Hearing this, his warm brown eyes crinkled. "I actually picked them to make a wreath."

The girl blinked. "Oh?"

"I suddenly had some inspiration..." He glanced subtly at Qi Heyin.

He paused before asking in a small voice, "Senior Qi, is your painting almost done?"

Qi Heyin nodded—she had only sketched a few simple maple leaves today.

Wen Zhimo lowered his head, his long, curled lashes casting faint shadows over his cheeks. His face turned pink, looking bashful.

"Senior, I’d like to weave you a laurel wreath."

"I’m planning to paint the Goddess of Laurels at sunset... So, would you... be my model?"

At this, both Qi Heyin and the girl beside her looked surprised.

"VP Wen actually wants to draw people now?" the girl exclaimed in surprise. "After being in the art club for so long, I thought you'd never draw people..."

She shot him a teasing look.

"No, I do occasionally... just not often," Wen Zhimo replied softly, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

Then, with eyes bright with anticipation, he turned to Qi Heyin. "Senior, would that be alright?"

Qi Heyin thought for a moment before answering, "As long as it doesn't take too long. I have some things to do later."

"It won't take long," Wen Zhimo assured her.

Qi Heyin nodded, then glanced down at her feet. "But there's still this little guy to handle first. Maybe we should—"

Following her gaze, Wen Zhimo noticed the small green bamboo viper wrapped around her pants leg. He looked surprised. "Xiao Zhu, what are you doing here?"

"Xiao Zhu?" Qi Heyin asked calmly. "You know it?"

"Oh my, VP Wen, is this your Mimic? It suddenly appeared earlier and freaked everyone out!" the girl beside them jumped in, equally astonished.

Wen Zhimo came back to himself, giving them an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry!"

His lips parted slightly, showing just a hint of sharp canines beneath his pale pink lips. "It's my fault for not keeping an eye on Xiao Zhu. I let it out to get some air while picking osmanthus, but I didn’t expect it to sneak over here..."

They both understood.

"I didn’t realize this was your Mimic..."

Qi Heyin paused, then looked at him seriously. "Junior Wen, your Xiao Zhu isn't well-trained. For Mimic owners, training your Mimic is crucial. Please don’t neglect it."

"I understand, Senior," Wen Zhimo replied obediently.

"By the way," Qi Heyin suddenly remembered something important and asked, "Is your Mimic a smart-type? Does it have abilities like hiding or blocking senses?"

Otherwise, given her sharp senses, it would’ve been difficult for the viper to climb onto her unnoticed.

She had a hunch that Wen Zhimo’s spiritual Mimic was at least a fourth-tier entity.

She wasn’t sure if it had reached the fifth tier, as she hadn’t noticed any animalistic traits on him after summoning the Mimic.

"It’s a smart-type Mimic with hiding abilities," Wen Zhimo confirmed with a nod.

He blinked lightly, watching the thoughtful girl before him, a barely-contained excitement passing through his eyes. Suddenly, he whispered, "Senior, would you like to study me?"

Notice me... I’d love to be your research subject too...

The Wen family’s medical lab had close ties with the Imperial Military, they're the go-to medical team for Mimic Warriors during training. Thus, he’d long known that high-tier power-type Mimic owners might be sent to labs as research subjects.

...How enviable. Unfortunately, he wasn’t a Mimic Warrior, nor did he possess a power-type Mimic.

How he longed—longed to be used by his senior for experiments. To be scrutinized by her calm, detached gaze, touched by her soft fingers, dissected expressionlessly with her tools...

So badly, so desperately.

A rush of hungry embarrassment surged in his heart.

...Unconsciously, the desire to devour his senior and the urge to be mercilessly used by her as an experiment grew at once.