A thousand-zhang cliff—so tall, so, so tall! As she plummeted downward, Ivy actually started to regret it...
She was still young, she hadn't even enjoyed life yet—how could she just die like this?!
It took her so much effort to accept being liked by someone. Even if she didn't want to lay eggs, she hadn't even gotten to properly fall in love yet—how could she die now?!
She still had so much money—she hadn't even splurged yet! How could she die now?!
When people have a will to survive, the power they unleash can be absolutely mind-blowing!
At that moment, as she plummeted down, Ivy Shen was suddenly hit with a fierce desire to live. She had so many dreams left unfulfilled, so she absolutely couldn't die—no way!
So, with that thought blazing in her mind, she used every ounce of strength to yell, "Tail, tail, transform—now!" She frantically tried to make her tail appear, because during her fall, she'd spotted tons of thick trees sticking out from the rock face.
Her plan: if she could just hook her tail around those branches, maybe she'd have a shot at surviving. Just one hook, and she could slowly get Lucian Vane to safety on the rocks.
Too bad...
"Dammit, can't reach?" After trying to hook branch after branch, she was hit by a brutal realization: she had a short tail. Even if she could transform, it was 'crippled,' so short—and still wrapped in a thick cocoon...
Seeing that, Ivy Shen suddenly smiled. This guy really did love her for who she was—not just her looks. Her heart felt totally satisfied. "Lucian Vane, I'm detoxing you here, so quit fussing or I'll sell you off to Yvonne Li!"
With a huge "thud," the two of them crashed into the water. The impact was so intense that even underwater, they kept sinking. Luckily, Ivy Shen already knew how to swim, so she quickly fished Lucian Vane out and started swimming for shore.
After a while...
"Huff, huff, huff—" After using every ounce of strength she had, she finally dragged his unconscious body to the shore. By now, she was completely out of energy. Hauling a totally limp person through water was basically like dragging a few hundred pounds of dead weight—so exhausting...
"Snake... poisonous snake..." Ivy Shen quickly shook him.
But Lucian Vane didn't react at all to her shaking—his face was as pale as wax paper.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen anxiously bent down and checked his breathing. When she found he was still breathing, she finally let out a sigh of relief. But the moment she touched his forehead, she was shocked again: "Oh my god, why is he so hot?!"
"Ugh..." Lucian Vane, still unconscious, frowned in pain. His body temperature kept climbing, his face looked worse and worse—he was seriously suffering.
Just then, Ivy Shen remembered what Caleb Miles had said: at midnight, the pain would get even worse. To save him, unless it was a man and a woman...
Thinking of this, Ivy Shen looked at Lucian Vane lying on the ground and finally smiled. He'd risked his life for her—was there anything she couldn't do for him? So, after making sure no one was around, she struggled to drag him behind the trees.
Seeing that, Ivy Shen suddenly smiled. This guy really did love her for who she was—not just her looks. Her heart felt totally satisfied. "Lucian Vane, I'm detoxing you here, so quit fussing or I'll sell you off to Yvonne Li!"
"Ugh..." Lucian Vane, soaked through, groaned in pain again.
Deep breath. After psyching herself up, Ivy Shen clumsily started to unbutton his clothes. Good thing he was in human form—if he was a snake right now, she wouldn’t even know how to ‘detox’ him! As she fumbled, her mind spun with random thoughts.
When she finally managed to undress Lucian Vane, her face turned beet red. She’d never imagined that someone who looked so androgynous could have such a perfect body—way hotter than any movie star.
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight—holy crap, he actually has eight abs! He’s... seriously ripped!" Ivy, who’d never really studied men before, stared at Lucian like he was a toy, inspecting every detail. You’d never guess he was this buff from his usual look. "Ugh, what am I even thinking?" She shook her head to clear it, then steeled herself to help detox him...
Honestly, it’s not like she’d ever done this before, but she’d at least watched enough romance movies in her college dorm. Back then, the girls would rent DVDs and hole up together to watch, sometimes even giving reviews!
Face to face, Ivy Shen blushingly lowered her head and pressed her lips to his slightly cool, sexy mouth.
The touch of lips—cool at first, but slowly heating up. Ivy, cheeks flushed, kissed him shyly.
Her inexperience made her kisses super clumsy. After racking her brain to copy how men on TV pried open a woman’s teeth, she finally slipped her tongue in.
Lies, all lies—TV totally lied to her! Tongue touching tongue didn’t feel magical at all. So why did the lead couples on screen act like it was pure bliss, like eating candy? Hmph, TV these days can’t be trusted!
While kissing him and letting her mind wander, Ivy Shen totally missed the fact that something was up with the guy beneath her.
Those blunt words made Ivy Shen's face go from red to deep purple. Her blushing added a kind of adorable charm that drove Lucian Vane absolutely wild, and his elegant, fox-like eyes and striking features were reflected crystal clear in hers.
"Uh..." Ivy Shen, startled by Lucian's sudden move, sat there dumbfounded, just staring at him.
"Who... who are you? Where did you... where did you take Xin'er?" Lucian Vane gritted his teeth through the pain, forcing himself to ask.
Hearing this, Ivy Shen froze. Was this snake-brain concussed? Did he really not recognize her?
"Tell me, where... where did you take her? If you don't talk, I'll kill you!" Lucian Vane forced himself to look scary, glaring angrily.
"Snake, are you out of your mind? I'm Ivy Shen!"
"You think I'm blind? She—she doesn't look like you at all!"
Hearing this, Ivy Shen quickly touched her face and instantly understood. After falling off the cliff and landing in the water, her face had been washed clean, revealing her real appearance. Clearly, this guy thought she was a stranger. Seeing that, Ivy suddenly felt like teasing him: "Aren't I prettier than her? Why are you hung up on that plain hag?"
"Shut up! You... you have no right to talk about her that way. In my eyes, she's absolutely perfect!" Hearing someone call Ivy Shen a plain hag, Lucian's anger shot up even higher. These shallow people would never understand her beauty!
Seeing that, Ivy Shen suddenly smiled. This guy really did love her for who she was—not just her looks. Her heart felt totally satisfied. "Lucian Vane, I'm detoxing you here, so quit fussing or I'll sell you off to Yvonne Li!"
...
"I really am your Xin'er—this is my real face, you dummy!" With that, she kissed him again.
"You... you really are Xin'er?" Lucian Vane stared at her, totally stunned. Right now, her face was bare, the waterfall’s glow making her skin look luminous and soft as jade. Her brows and eyes were full of spring, her big watery eyes seemed ready to overflow, and her lips held a teasing smile that tugged at his heart. Was this really her? Could anyone actually be this beautiful?
For the first time, Lucian Vane felt like he’d lost his shine standing next to such a stunning woman.
Seeing his lovestruck gaze, Ivy Shen blushed. "So... do you want to detox or not?" Before he could answer, she kissed him again. Bad snake, I’m not giving you a chance to say no—that’d be way too embarrassing!
Ivy’s inexperienced kisses snapped him back to reality. Surprise, awe, shock—his whole face cycled through every emotion. Once he was sure she really was Ivy Shen, his heart swelled up so much he could barely contain it. So this was what loving someone felt like!
Feeling him respond, Ivy Shen got even more into it. After all, you need two people for this kind of thing—she couldn’t do a solo act!
Just then, Lucian Vane rolled over and pinned her beneath him.
"Lucian... you’re too weak for this, maybe... maybe I should be on top!" Ivy Shen blushed as she said it out loud.
"Don't worry, I'll show you... I've still got plenty of strength."
Those straightforward words made Ivy Shen's face go from red to deep purple. Her blushing added a kind of adorable charm that drove Lucian Vane absolutely crazy, and his elegant, fox-like eyes and striking features were reflected crystal clear in hers.
He gazed at her, utterly mesmerized. "Xin'er... Xin'er..."
His kisses landed like fire—her lips, her brows, her cheeks...
He knew, in this moment, his heart belonged only to her. From now on, he'd love her, protect her, and never leave her—ever.
In that instant, the only sound left in the world was their ragged breathing...