Chapter 97 Corn Snake
Wu Suowei was like a cat wilted by the sun, curled up in the corner of the single sofa in the living room farthest from the reptile room, holding a magazine with a colorful cover in his hand, but his eyes were drifting blankly out the window.
The sun was shining brightly, but he couldn't feel any warmth. His back always felt like there was a piece of ice stuck to it - that was the direction of the reptile room.
Chi Cheng has been there for a long time, but there is no movement.
He relaxed his tense nerves a little and yawned slightly.
The door to the reptile room slid open silently.
Chi Cheng came out, holding in his hand a corn snake that was orange and red and coiled docilely.
He didn't look at Wu Suowei, but walked straight to the huge sofa in the middle of the living room and sat down. He put the corn snake on his knees and stroked its smooth and cold scales with his fingers from time to time.
The subtle sound of scales rubbing against each other!
Wu Suowei froze instantly, his yawn stuck in his throat.
He caught a glimpse of the bright orange-red color out of the corner of his eye, and his heart suddenly sank!
He immediately lowered his head even lower, almost pressing his face against the magazine, his fingers digging into the smooth coated paper until his knuckles turned white. He held his breath.
In my peripheral vision, the figure huddled in the corner suddenly tensed up, like a frightened hedgehog.
Chi Cheng's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.
This little thing has a very sensitive radar for snakes.
He deliberately made the movements of playing with the corn snake slower and clearer.
The rustling sound of scales rubbing against each other was amplified in the quiet living room.
Chi Cheng raised his eyes and cast his gaze precisely at the figure who wanted to shrink himself into the crack of the sofa.
"Wu Suowei." His voice was not loud, but it had a penetrating power that could not be ignored.
Wu Suowei's body trembled violently, as if he was electrocuted.
He had to raise his head extremely slowly and stiffly, his eyes wandering, not daring to focus on the snake on Chi Cheng's knees. His voice was dry and tense: "... Wh-what are you doing?"
Chi Cheng said nothing, but held the docile corn snake, slowly stood up, and walked towards Wu Suowei's corner with his long legs. His footsteps were not heavy, but they seemed to step on Wu Suowei's heart.
He's coming! With the snake! Wu Suowei's hairs stood on end! He wanted to jump up and run, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move! A huge fear gripped him, and he could only watch the deadly orange-red color getting closer and closer!
Chi Cheng stopped in front of Wu Suowei's sofa, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped the huddled Wu Suowei. He leaned forward slightly, steadily extending his hand, holding the corn snake, to Wu Suowei's nose, less than twenty centimeters away! He could even feel Wu Suowei's frightened, rapid, and chaotic breathing on his wrist.
"It's called 'Sugar Bean'." Chi Cheng's voice was low, with a subtle hint of... playfulness? "Very docile. Doesn't bite." His slender fingers gently tapped the corn snake's smooth head, and the little snake spit out its scarlet tongue.
The head of "Tangdou" and its forked tongue were within easy reach! Wu Suowei's pupils suddenly shrank, and he let out a short gasp. He desperately shrunk his body backwards, his back pressed tightly against the backrest of the sofa. There was no escape! His face was pale, his lips trembled, and he stared at the snake in horror, as if it were a messenger from hell. "Take it... take it away! Please take it away!" His voice was filled with tears.
That utterly terrified, tearful look was like a kitten's claw, scratching Chi Cheng's heart. A strange feeling, a mixture of a desire for control and a more subtle emotion, rose in his heart. Instead of withdrawing his hand, he extended the snake's hand forward, almost touching Wu Suowei's tense jawline.
"What are you afraid of?" Chi Cheng lowered his voice, with a hint of temptation, and it sounded like an unquestionable order, "Touch it and try."
Touch? Let him touch the snake?! The slippery, cold touch... the feeling of being entangled and suffocated... the memory of death in a previous life suddenly became clear! No! He would rather die than touch it! Chi Cheng was doing it on purpose! He was forcing him! He was enjoying his fear!
"No!" Wu Suowei turned his head away abruptly, closed his eyes tightly, and waved his hands wildly, trying to push away the hand with the "candy beans"! In a panic, his fingertips accidentally brushed against the corn snake's cold scales!
A smooth, cold, and strangely vibrant touch came from my fingertips! Like a tiny electric current, it instantly ran through my arm!
"Ah!" Wu Suowei jerked his hand back as if struck by electricity, his entire body shaking violently as if scalded! He opened his eyes and looked in horror at his fingertips that had just touched the snake. Then he looked at Chi Cheng, who was still holding the snake steadily, his eyes filled with incredible fear and... a hint of anger at being violated.
The instantaneous touch of Wu Suowei's fingertips and the violent reaction were clearly transmitted to Chi Cheng's wrist. Seeing Wu Suowei staring at his fingers in horror as if they were tainted, a dark light flashed in the depths of Chi Cheng's eyes. He slowly withdrew his hand and returned the "candy bean" to his palm. He did not force it anymore, but looked down at the frightened Wu Suowei, and his voice was emotionless: "Didn't you touch it? You're not dead."
Hearing the word "die", Wu Suowei's body trembled again. He suddenly raised his head and glared at Chi Cheng, his eyes red. With shame and anger of being teased and extreme fear, he growled hoarsely: "Chi Cheng! You bastard!"
This cry of anger, tinged with tears, scratched Chi Cheng's heart like a feather. Far from being angry, he actually found it... somewhat pleasing. He gave Wu Suowei a deep look, then said nothing more. He turned and walked back to the center of the sofa, sat down again, and continued to caress the "sugar bean" folded on his lap. The only sounds in the living room were Wu Suowei's suppressed gasps and the subtle rustling of scales.
Clinic.
Jiang Xiaoshuai's hand trembled slightly as he held the sterile cotton swab. He stared intently at the dark brown bruise on Guo Chengyu's waist, telling himself: This is a patient! This is work! Ignore the tight, smooth waistline! Ignore the abdominal muscles that rose and fell with his breathing! Damn Guo Chengyu, why isn't he wearing a shirt?
Guo Chengyu sat unassumingly in the examination chair, his upper body naked, openly displaying his "injuries." He tilted his head slightly, looking at Jiang Xiaoshuai's ears, which were slightly reddened despite his forced composure, and his eyes, which didn't dare look him in the eye, only at the bruises. A smirk played at the corners of his mouth. He deliberately inhaled, his body tensing slightly with the inhalation, his abdominal muscles becoming more defined.
The taut muscle lines caught his eye unexpectedly! Jiang Xiaoshuai's hand trembled, and the cotton swab pressed heavily on the edge of the bruise!
"Hiss!" Guo Chengyu gasped exaggeratedly, his brows furrowed, and his body jerked! "Doctor Jiang, be gentle! It hurts!" He complained aggrievedly, his eyes teasing.
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