Chapter 162

"It's good that you have vigilance, but the first principle of survival is to keep yourself alive," Zongfang taught him.

The two-headed snake cautiously poked its head out, its straightened body swam a few steps, stopped, observed, and swam a few more steps before finally reaching the bowl.

Sensing its arrival, the other little snakes gave it some space and continued to eat.

Zongfang smiled with satisfaction.

It seemed this little guy had already conquered its other siblings.

Snakes have always been solitary; gathering together easily leads to competition, and in times of food scarcity, there can even be instances of cannibalism among siblings.

Zongfang could imagine that this group of little snakes hadn't had an easy time, but so far, no sibling-eating had occurred. It seemed their big brother, the two-headed snake, had suppressed them well.

He wanted to reach out and stroke it in praise, but just as he raised his hand above its head, the two-headed snake suddenly sprang up and bit Zongfang's hand between the thumb and index finger.

He calmly looked at the four little blood spots, carefully observed the depth, and judged the growth of its fangs.

The blood spots healed in the blink of an eye. The two-headed snake didn't have venom yet; this bite was a warning, warning Zongfang not to enter its territory casually.

Zongfang raised his hand and flicked the snake's head twice, one flick for each head.

Having been beaten, the two-headed snake behaved. It hissed at Zongfang, clearly unhappy, but didn't dare to bare its little fangs at him again.

"Eat."

The two-headed snake lowered its head to eat, and for a moment, the scene was peaceful.

Zongfang didn't intend to hand the children over to others to take care of anymore. He first prepared 9 incubators, letting each little snake live in its own. He also took some plant landscapes out of his storage and arranged them inside; each incubator was now an independent ecological garden.

The little snakes climbed trees in their own territory, hid in dry wood shavings to play hide-and-seek, and swam even more happily.

After setting everything up, Zongfang left the nursery.

He washed his hands clean, confirmed there was no scent of the little snakes, and went to the inner palace to find Qiao Suisui. When he entered, she was already asleep on the bed.

Zongfang touched her feet exposed outside the quilt; they were indeed ice-cold. He sat at the end of the bed, cradled her delicate ankles in his hands, tucked them into his own clothes, and let her soles press against his stomach. After a while, feeling the temperature of her soles warm up, he gently tucked her feet back into the quilt.

Qiao Suisui slept very lightly. She turned over, her long, deep breathing sounding somewhat restless. Zongfang lay on his side beside her, reaching out to stroke her back gently, rhythmically, one stroke after another, like smoothing the fur of a kitten.

Qiao Suisui's brows, which had been slightly furrowed, slowly relaxed, and her breathing gradually became even.

Zongfang's lips curled up, and he kissed her forehead, watching her sleeping face. If he could, he wanted to just do nothing like this and watch her forever and ever.

When Qiao Suisui woke up in the morning, her hand touched a hard, foreign object. She closed her eyes and fumbled around, and a muffled groan from the man sounded in her ear.

"It seems the last punishment wasn't enough."

Hearing the low, hoarse voice, Qiao Suisui opened her eyes abruptly and saw Zongfang staring at her resentfully.

"Why are you..." Before she could finish asking, she remembered that after returning from the banquet yesterday, he said he would go see the children first and come find her later.

"Are the babies okay?" she asked.

Zongfang scooped her into his arms and kissed her lightly, saying, "They are all very well."

He didn't want her to worry about such things. What she had gone through to give birth to this litter was still fresh in Zongfang's memory. Whenever he thought of the situation at that time, he was so scared his heart trembled; how could he blame her for not wanting to be close to the children? He knew she was afraid of snakes, so he never revealed his beast form in front of her.

"When they shapeshift, I'll bring them to see you," he said, kissing her fingertips.

Qiao Suisui felt a bit ashamed. She bit her lower lip and said softly, "Zongfang, I have something to tell you. I..."

*Knock, knock, knock. *

*Knock, knock, knock. *

A hurried and enthusiastic knocking sounded, and Yishabeier's voice came from outside the palace door—"Qiao Suisui, get up, let's go out and play!"

She sat up from the bed and checked the time; it was only ten in the morning.

Qiao Suisui held her forehead. Zongfang hugged her waist and said, "Sleep a little longer, I'll go chase her away."

"Forget it, I agreed with her when she left yesterday. You go tell her to wait for me a moment."

So she quickly washed up, put on the clothes Zongfang had picked out for her, and when she walked to the outer palace, she saw Yishabeier sitting upright drinking tea, and Adele standing behind her like he was facing a formidable enemy.

"What's wrong?" She looked at the two tense people, then at Zongfang, who was sitting opposite them elegantly holding a teacup, her face showing confusion.

Seeing her, Yishabeier looked as if she had seen a savior. She came up to hook her arm and whispered with a wink, "You're finally here, help me, who is this man who looks very handsome but is very scary?"

Qiao Suisui smiled, seeing Zongfang looking at a report on his light-brain, but his ears twitched.

She deliberately raised her volume a little and said to Yishabeier, "Oh, he is my man."

Adele and Yishabeier simultaneously showed an "as expected" expression. Qiao Suisui's eyes curved into smiles, and she glanced at Zongfang again, seeing the man who had been silent until now slightly raise the corners of his mouth, as if something pleasant was written on the research report in front of him.

Yishabeier leaned over to Adele and shook her head, sighing, "It's over, my brother is in trouble, we have to help him."

Hearing this, Zongfang's smile instantly dissipated. He raised his chin, his gaze shooting at Yishabeier like poisonous needles.

Qiao Suisui came up to smooth things over. She pulled Yishabeier away in a hurry and told Zongfang she would be back later after playing. Zongfang wanted to follow, but Yishabeier said, "You guys, stop. Today's activity is for ladies only, men, stay at home."

Adele looked helpless and indulgent, saying yes repeatedly. Zongfang's brows furrowed slightly, and he asked Qiao Suisui, "Where are you going, when will you be back?"

Qiao Suisui was also confused and looked at Yishabeier.

When the two stood on a street filled with neon lights, Qiao Suisui looked up and read the words written on the very hidden light sign—

BLACK.

"This is?"

She thought it was some kind of bar or club, but Yishabeier said proudly, "A host club."

?????

So this was why she refused to say where they were going in front of Zongfang and Adele just now.

"Sister, today I'll show you a good time!"

"Wait, I don't need..." Before she could finish, Qiao Suisui had already been dragged in by Yishabeier.

Several enthusiastic males immediately surrounded them, and the fragrance on their bodies made Qiao Suisui sneeze.

She was pulled into a luxury private room by Yishabeier, where there were several other females, each with two or three males serving them.

As soon as Yishabeier entered, she cried, "Sisters, I'm finally back, I missed you all so much!"

Several females smiled and comforted her.

"Little Belle is here, haven't seen you out to play for a long time, hurry up and order a few, today is on me."

"Oh my, you brought a new friend. I haven't seen this little female before. Which family is she from?"

One of the heroic-looking sisters lifted her head from a man's chest muscles and enthusiastically said to Qiao Suisui, who was standing at the door, dumbfounded, "Little sister, want to play a game? Come on, drink the wine from his chest."

(End of chapter)