Chapter 49: The Tail

Song Jingyao watched Shen Xiuzhu eating with obvious enjoyment and nearly exploded with anger.

He folded his arms across his chest, gritted his teeth, and glared at him, eyes blazing like an enraged little beast, wishing he could gore Shen Xiuzhu to death with a pair of invisible horns.

Just then, Wen Lu walked over. Seeing that Song Jingyao had nothing to eat, she warmly invited him.

“Brother Yao, do you want to come over to my grill? My sausages are almost done.”

Song Jingyao’s expression changed instantly.

He had still been fuming at Shen Xiuzhu, but the moment he turned to Wen Lu, his eyes curved into smiling crescents.

“Sure! Wen Lu, you’re the best. Unlike certain people.”

Wen Lu didn’t catch the second half of his sentence.

All she knew was that Yao Cub had praised her, and she immediately blushed, looking shy and delighted.

Watching the two of them chatting and laughing together, standing side by side like a perfect couple, Shen Xiuzhu pressed his lips together, his mood souring instantly.

When Song Jingyao actually turned to leave with Wen Lu, Shen Xiuzhu suddenly spoke, his tone firm.

“You’re not going. I’ll grill for you.”

Song Jingyao was still angry with him. Hearing that, he childishly turned around, stuck out his tongue at him, and sneered.

“Like I’d want it!”

He wouldn’t let him eat earlier, right?

Fine.

Now he didn’t want it anymore.

Shen Xiuzhu narrowed his eyes, staring at the bright red tip of Song Jingyao’s tongue before taking a bite of a skewer.

Deliberately eating as though it were the greatest thing in the world, he said slowly,

“It’s so good. You really don’t want any? Are you sure someone else’s barbecue will taste better?”

For a domineering CEO, life wasn’t easy.

To keep Yao Cub from leaving, he even had to perform a live food commercial and shamelessly praise his own cooking.

Song Jingyao stubbornly swore to himself that he absolutely wouldn’t eat it.

Then he watched Shen Xiuzhu enjoying the skewers so happily and couldn’t help swallowing.

Damn it…

He wanted some.

But if he walked over now, it would be too embarrassing.

So, moving faster than anyone could react, Song Jingyao suddenly dashed forward, snatched the skewer from Shen Xiuzhu’s hand, kicked him for good measure, and bolted away.

While running, he waved the skewer, took a triumphant bite, and shot Shen Xiuzhu an incredibly smug, provoking look.

Shen Xiuzhu froze.

Watching Song Jingyao’s lively retreating figure, so energetic and infectious…

He couldn’t help smiling.

His anger vanished completely.

What amused him even more was that Song Jingyao had bitten the exact spot where Shen Xiuzhu had just taken a bite.

Really…

He didn’t even know how to describe it.

Smiling softly, Shen Xiuzhu raised a hand and lightly brushed his own lips, his mood unusually good.

Everyone had an excellent time by the beach.

Even though some people weren’t very good at barbecuing and ended up burning quite a bit of meat, everyone still laughed happily.

Since there was an activity scheduled for the next day, the organizers dismissed everyone after dinner and told them to head back to their rooms for some rest.

However, they stubbornly refused to reveal what tomorrow’s event would be, only mysteriously telling everyone to recharge their energy and promising that it would be a lot of fun.

Not knowing only made everyone even more curious.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they questioned the organizers, they couldn’t pry out a single clue, so everyone had no choice but to return to their rooms.

After receiving his room key, Song Jingyao planned to take a shower, flop onto the bed in the air-conditioned room, play on his phone, and spend the evening as a perfectly content couch potato.

But as he walked into the hotel, rode the elevator, and made his way down the hallway…

Shen Xiuzhu followed behind him the entire time.

Never too close.

Never too far.

Every time Song Jingyao turned around, their eyes met.

…

A very bad feeling slowly crept into Song Jingyao’s heart.

Only when he reached his room did he realize Shen Xiuzhu was still following him, just a few steps away.

Song Jingyao forced a smile.

“What a coincidence. You happen to be staying next door too?”

Shen Xiuzhu remained perfectly calm.

“Not a coincidence.”

“We’re sharing a room.”

Song Jingyao froze.

His face was full of disbelief.

“…What did you just say?!”

Thinking he simply hadn’t heard clearly, Shen Xiuzhu repeated himself.

Song Jingyao immediately raised a hand.

“Wait.”

Without another word, he hurried into the room, found the desk phone, and called the front desk.

“Do you have any spare rooms available?”

The receptionist replied politely,

“I’m very sorry, sir. We’re fully booked.”

“Not even one room left?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“How is that possible? It’s not even a holiday.”

The receptionist continued apologizing politely, explaining that the hotel remained popular even during the off-season.

In short…

There were no spare rooms.

Normally, something like this wouldn’t happen.

But when the boss personally gave the order, even available rooms had to magically become unavailable.

Faced with that situation, what else could Song Jingyao do?

Accept it.

It wasn’t as though he could roll up in a blanket and sleep in the hallway.

And if anyone had to sleep outside, it should be Shen Xiuzhu.

After all, Song Jingyao had been part of the original company trip.

Shen Xiuzhu was the one who had joined at the last minute.

By the time he hung up, Shen Xiuzhu had already entered the room.

It was just a standard hotel room.

Not particularly spacious.

With two grown men inside, it immediately felt cramped.

Then, from the corner of his eye, Song Jingyao noticed something even more horrifying.

There was only one bed.

One.

Single.

Bed.

…

His mind screamed in disbelief.

Yet his body instinctively shrank back a little as his gaze drifted toward the small sofa nearby.

He’d…

sleep there.

Shen Xiuzhu raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly.

“What are you afraid of?”

The moment he said that, Song Jingyao rolled his eyes.

A completely gay man.

A completely straight man.

Alone in one room.

Sleeping in the same bed.

Who exactly should be worried here?

Wasn’t the answer obvious?

Anyway…

There was no way he’d be the one at a disadvantage.

Song Jingyao fearlessly puffed out his chest.

Then…

Under Shen Xiuzhu’s gaze…

He quietly shrank back again.

“You shower first,” Shen Xiuzhu suddenly said.

“…Oh.”

The atmosphere felt strangely awkward.

Song Jingyao obediently nodded and hurried over to unpack his suitcase.

As he crouched down searching for his pajamas, he naturally noticed another black suitcase beside his own.

It belonged to Shen Xiuzhu.

So they really were sharing a room.

Covering his forehead, Song Jingyao felt his face gradually heating up.

Only now did embarrassment finally sink in.

After finding his clothes, he hugged them and hurried toward the bathroom.

In his haste, he failed to notice the threshold and stumbled forward, nearly falling flat on his face.

Something suddenly wrapped around his waist, pulling him back and forcing him upright again.

Song Jingyao blinked blankly and looked down.

Wrapped around him…

Was a thick, powerful tail.

It was covered in sturdy, thorn-like scales that shimmered in beautiful colors.

His whole body instantly froze.

Like a rusty robot, he slowly turned his neck, following the tail upward…

Until his eyes met Shen Xiuzhu’s.

Or rather—

The beautiful creature sitting before him.

Half human.

Half serpent.

His upper body remained human, while below the waist stretched a massive snake tail that swayed gracefully behind him.

Nor was that the only change.

His short modern hair had become waist-length, silky black-green strands flowing over the white sheets.

The sharp contrast between dark hair and white bedding was striking.

His eyes were long and alluring, their corners lifting naturally.

Vertical pupils glowed faintly in the dim light.

His skin was so pale it hardly looked human.

Beautiful.

Dangerous.

Soul-stealing.

Song Jingyao found himself unable to look away.

“Be careful.”

Shen Xiuzhu’s low voice carried a seductive resonance that sent a tingling numbness through the air.

Song Jingyao shuddered.

It took him a long moment to recover enough to force himself to speak calmly.

“…I know. Let me go first… or I’ll scream loud enough for the whole hotel to hear.”

Shen Xiuzhu clearly didn’t want to.

His tail lingered possessively around Song Jingyao’s waist, reluctant to loosen.

Only after Song Jingyao lightly patted it did Shen Xiuzhu slowly release him.

Even then, the tail didn’t retreat.

Instead, it lingered around Song Jingyao’s legs like an affectionate cat circling its owner, wrapping around his calf.

Pursing his lips, Shen Xiuzhu looked faintly aggrieved.

“I thought you said you weren’t afraid of me.”

Song Jingyao looked speechless.

“Is that even the point? And you… couldn’t you at least warn me before transforming?”

Of course, by “transforming,” he meant Shen Xiuzhu’s physical transformation, not anything psychological.

Tilting his head lazily, Shen Xiuzhu rested one hand against the bed as he stared at Song Jingyao without blinking.

“So…”

“You don’t dislike me?”

It was a cleverly phrased question.

If he didn’t not like him…

Didn’t that simply mean he liked him?

Song Jingyao felt there was something odd about the wording, but honestly answered anyway.

“No.”

After all…

There was a giant snake right in front of him.

One bite and he’d probably be swallowed whole.

Did he really dare say he disliked Shen Xiuzhu?

Besides…

He genuinely didn’t.

Satisfied, Shen Xiuzhu narrowed his eyes slightly.

His mood visibly improved.

Even his tail seemed to gain a mind of its own as it gently curled around Song Jingyao’s leg.

Song Jingyao trembled and instinctively tried to pull away.

“…It tickles.”

His soft voice brushed past Shen Xiuzhu’s ears like a feather.

Shen Xiuzhu’s throat bobbed.

His heart stirred.

A serpent’s instincts…

Now that half of his true form had been revealed, the desires he’d suppressed for so long were beginning to awaken.

Even someone as slow to notice as Song Jingyao sensed that the atmosphere had suddenly become strangely hot.

The air itself seemed dry and burning.

Yet he couldn’t understand why.

He even started doubting himself.

Had he really been single for so long that he’d become this starved?

Was he actually attracted even to someone’s half-serpent form?!

What he didn’t know was that this was an unconscious aura released by supernatural creatures during courtship.

Like invisible currents crackling through the air, it quietly drew others in, making them fall under its spell before they realized it.

Staring at Shen Xiuzhu’s breathtaking face, Song Jingyao gradually became dazed.

His eyes grew unfocused.

Almost unconsciously, he began stepping toward him…

Then, at the critical moment, the clothes in his arms slipped.

Instinctively reaching out to catch them jolted him awake.

His eyes cleared instantly.

His face flushed scarlet.

“I-I… I’m going to shower!”

Before he even finished speaking, he turned and fled into the bathroom.

His retreat looked thoroughly flustered.

Inside, he casually tossed his clothes onto the rack while absentmindedly pulling off his shirt.

Then came his pants.

Just as he’d tugged them halfway down, he suddenly felt someone watching him.

He turned.

Through the spotless glass…

His eyes met Shen Xiuzhu’s.

The glass was so clear it was almost invisible.

Every detail could be seen perfectly.

Shen Xiuzhu smiled faintly.

His tail swayed happily behind him while his gaze slowly swept over every inch of Song Jingyao’s body as though it had tangible weight.

Song Jingyao’s eyes widened.

He spun around and slammed the wall switch.

Instantly, the transparent glass clouded over like gathering mist before becoming frosted, completely blocking the view between them.

Only after that burning gaze disappeared did Song Jingyao’s legs finally give out.

He slid down to sit on the floor.

Seeing Shen Xiuzhu like that had left him overwhelmed.

He was afraid.

But at the same time…

Strangely excited.

His hands and feet trembled faintly.

There was even an intense impulse urging him to throw himself at Shen Xiuzhu.

Sitting naked on the bathroom floor, Song Jingyao found himself at a rare loss.

Outside the bathroom, Shen Xiuzhu remained seated on the bed.

Recalling what he had just seen, he slowly licked his lips.

His thumb absently rubbed across his knuckles.

His eyes darkened with unreadable thoughts.

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