The Mute Villainess and Her Snake Prince - Chapter 8
The day of Miao Miao’s visit was getting closer.
I quietly packed a small bag.
Besides the things I brought from the orphanage,
I selfishly took a photo of Mom and Dad.
After some thought, I also took a family photo we had taken since I arrived.
Even though my brother was scary.
When he wasn’t a snake, he looked quite human…
I’ll miss him too.
With everything ready,
I went to the swings in the park.
I had always been envious watching other kids swing so high.
But I never had the courage.
Today, I have to be brave for once!
This swing was usually surrounded by kids, but it was rare to see it empty today. I carefully sat down.
“Boss, report! Someone’s taking our turf!”
“Who dares? Take me to them.”
A few little boys swaggered over from a distance.
The leader was chubby and dark, kind of resembling a character named Fat Tiger.
Fat Tiger asked me fiercely, “Hey, don’t you know girls aren’t allowed to play here?”
I looked at them without speaking or moving.
“This swing has been claimed by our boss, so it belongs to our boss!”
“If you don’t believe me, get up and look.”
I stood up, confused.
Scribbled on the plastic seat of the swing were the characters for “Zhu Xiao Hu.”
“Hey, why aren’t you talking?”
“Are you looking down on our boss?”
“State your name!”
I opened my mouth but no sound came out.
“Boss, report, she’s looking down on you.”
“Get her!”
“But boss, my mom told me not to hit girls.”
“What about you guys?”
“Boss, me too…”
“Me too… if my mom finds out, she’ll kill me…”
“Ugh… then squirt her with water guns!”
Fat Tiger pulled out a water gun from behind his back and squirted it at my face.
The others followed his lead.
Soon, my hair and clothes were soaked.
I turned to leave, but they blocked my way.
So I had to crouch on the ground and cover my face.
I wanted to scream, but my throat felt blocked, and no sound would come out.
“Ahhh, it’s a snake!”
“Boss! There’s a snake!”
“What?”
“Boss! Boss, help me! I got bit by the snake!”
“Waaah, I got bit too. I’m not gonna die, am I? My mom’s gonna beat me if she finds out…”
“It bit my nose! It hurts! It hurts!”
“Throw rocks at it!”
“Yeah! Throw rocks at it!”
Hearing their panicked shouts,
I slowly looked up, stunned.
I saw a familiar little black snake wrapped around Fat Tiger’s neck, biting his nose.
His friends were all throwing rocks at the snake.
But most of them hit Fat Tiger instead, making him yelp in pain.
Soon, the group of kids ran away, crying.
The little black snake stood before me, hissing and flicking its tongue.
I could actually see concern in its icy blue, vertical pupils.
For the first time,
I didn’t feel so scared.
As if worried about frightening me, it slowly slithered to a corner of the wall, secretly transformed back into a human, and then came to find me.
My brother helped me up from the ground and carried me on his back.
As he walked home, he tried to act nonchalant. “Hey, why are you so useless?
“If you want to come out and play again, you have to bring your brother, you know?
“If they know you have a cool and strong older brother, they won’t dare to bully you.”
There was a cut on his forehead, probably from being hit by a rock.
I said worriedly, “Bro…ther… your face, hurt…”
His whole body went stiff. “What did you say? I didn’t hear you clearly.”
“Hurt… hurt…”
“What did you call me?”
“Brother…”
He quickened his pace without another word, rushing home.
As soon as we got there, he quickly put me down.
He stared at my face, his eyes shining incredibly brightly. “…You can talk now?”
