hapter 1
I am Adrian Sterling’s most treasured little snake.
As I was lounging contentedly on his chiseled abs, a series of pop–up comments suddenly materialized bef
ore my eyes:
[The main couple is finally going to meet! Go, brooding Adrian, love her fiercely!]
【Here it is, here it is! The heroine gets scared by the hero’s snake, and it’s love at first sight for him. He plays t cool and drops that classic line: ‘Is that all it takes to scare you?‘】
[But it’s a shame about the little princess snake. In the end, to win back the heroine, the hero sends her to the fighting pits, where she gets eaten by the second male lead’s snake.]
This snake: ?!
looked up and saw the two of them staring at each other, just as the comments described.
And so, this snake decided to run away from home.
No sooner had the text faded than the handbag in Sophia’s hands clattered to the floor. Her face was a
mask of terror.
Adrian scooped me off his stomach and placed me into my cold, sterile terrarium. He tossed in a baby mou
se for good measure.
Tying the belt of his silk robe, he drawled, “Is that all it takes to scare you?”
Your job is to raise the mice and feed the snake according to her requirements. If you can’t handle that, you
can leave.”
Sophia’s eyes reddened, a picture of pitiable beauty. “No, Mr. Sterling, I can do it. I can.”
‘m scared! I can’t handle it!
‘m just a lazy, spoiled little snake who does nothing but cause trouble. For dinner, I only eat live, mini–mice
For snacks, I only eat the tiny worms from inside fresh fruit. I’m the kind of useless snake whose only real skill is coiling prettily around Adrian’s wrist.
Sending me to a fighting pit is no different from sending me to my death.
Didn’t he hire Sophia because I was being too picky with my food, and he was too busy to raise the mice himself?
Why did he have to go and hire the Grim Reaper for me?
Suddenly, the baby mouse didn’t look so appetizing anymore.
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“Fine,” Adrian said. “The specific feeding instructions are in the snake house. Just follow them. But every six days, you must bring me a live, five–gram baby mouse. It must be every six days, five grams, and alive. I feed her this one myself.”
He pointed at me.
“Yes, Mr. Sterling,” Sophia replied.
And just like that, he agreed.
I panicked, darting back and forth inside the glass box.
Adrian glanced down and noticed I wasn’t eating. His voice softened with affection. “What’s wrong, not eati ng again, hm? Should I switch to the peach worms for you?”
He reached in, his fingers stroking my scales. The thought that this same hand would one day send me to my doom filled me with rage. I struck, sinking my fangs into the back of his hand.
Adrian just laughed. “What’s this? Trying to eat me now, are you? You ungrateful little thing, my dear Lyra.”
He’s the one who’s ungrateful, ditching me for a pretty face!
2
Adrian still doted on me.
For the entire week, aside from delivering my mice, Sophia barely crossed paths with him. I was starting t
doubt the truth of the pop–up comments.
But then, they hit me with a bombshell:
【It’s happening! The drama starts today. The hero is meeting the second male lead and runs into the heroi ne, who’s working part–time at a bar. The love triangle begins!)
What? How many jobs does this Sophia have?
Before I could even process my complaint, Adrian had grabbed his car keys and was heading for the door.
I thrashed around in my heated terrarium, desperate.
He was just about to leave when he turned back. “Lyra, what’s wrong with you?”
I slithered back and forth, flicking my tongue out frantically.
“You want to go out with me?” He shook his head. “No, it’s too crowded, too dangerous for you.”
I was not happy. I coiled into a dark, dramatic spiral.
Adrian sighed. “You usually won’t even see strangers. Why are you so desperate to go out today? Don’t blam me if you get scared.”
But he couldn’t resist my pleading. He opened the terrarium.
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Overjoyed, I wound myself around his wrist and gave him a little lick with my tongue.
Adrian pouted. “This happy just to go out? You’re even willing to lick me now.”
The bar was packed. I shrank back, a little scared.
Adrian chuckled. “Scaredy–snake. And you were the one who insisted on coming.”
He dared to laugh at me!
Indignant, I let out a few hisses and bit the back of his hand again.
Adrian poked my head gently. “You little princess. The moment you’re unhappy, you bite me. Who else in the world would dare treat me like this, hm?”
3
didn’t care. I turned my head away haughtily.
‘Adrian, is your hand okay?” John asked him.
He’d met Adrian through the snake fighting circuit. He was supposed to be something of a friend, but now, h was probably my potential rival’s owner. He had brought a massive python with him.
got even more scared and hid myself inside Adrian’s collar.
‘It’s fine. Just a love bite from my little princess,” Adrian said, frowning at John. “Cover that thing up. You’re scaring her.”
John draped a cloth over the python’s cage. “What made you bring your precious treasure out today?”
The treasure wanted to go out. What could I do?”
John stared at me for a long moment. “She really is beautiful. No wonder you treasure her so much. How about we make her the stake for our next bet?”
Adrian cursed at him. “Get lost.”
Just as he said that, the comments appeared again:
【Here comes the classic scene! The heroine gets scared by the snake and drops the tray of drinks. The hero asks her bluntly, ‘Why are you working so many jobs?‘】
【Then the second male lead feels sorry for the heroine and plays the hero, paying for the drinks for her.】
【And thus, the love triangle is complete.]
I turned my head towards the door. Sure enough, there was Sophia, holding a tray of drinks.
The moment our eyes met, the glasses crashed to the floor.
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Chapter
Oh no. It seemed the pop–up comments were real after all.
My world went black, and I went limp. My whole body hung limply from Adrian’s wrist.
He panicked, cupping me in his hands. “Lyra, what’s wrong? Lyra!”
Without even glancing at the door, he snapped, “What is the meaning of this? If you can’t even carry a tray of drinks, what are you doing working here?”
Sophia stood at the entrance to the private room, looking pitiful, tears welling in her eyes.
No, I couldn’t let them interact.
Thinking fast, I slithered over to John, trying to draw Adrian’s attention.
4
It worked. Adrian’s gaze was glued to me.
I ducked into John’s jacket, poking my head out to hiss at Adrian twice.
“This little one is quite lively,” John laughed.
Adrian’s brow furrowed into a deep knot, his voice tinged with hurt. “Lyra, have you no conscience? Where d you think you’re going?”
“Don’t call her Lyra Sterling anymore. Call her Lyra Stone,” John teased, scratching under my chin.
I played along, rubbing my head against his palm.
No one was paying any attention to Sophia at the door.
I did it!
Just kidding.
Adrian, green with jealousy, snatched me back. “You little thing. So heartless.”
After he said that, he still looked towards the doorway and delivered the line from the pop–up comments: Why are you working so many jobs? If this affects your work at my snake house, you’re fired.”
Sophia looked like she was about to cry. “It won’t, Mr. Sterling. I promise it won’t affect my work.”
Seeing this, John immediately stepped in to mediate. “Hey, it’s no big deal. You can go. I’ll cover the cost of the drinks.”
After Sophia left, he said cheekily, “Adrian, why don’t you hire me to take care of your snakes? I’m an expert. I guarantee I’ll keep little Lyra looking beautiful.”
Adrian shot back, “Get as far away from me as possible.”
It seemed there was no changing this plot at all!
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5
So I decided to run away.
That night, to keep Adrian from putting me back in my terrarium, I was incredibly clingy. Every time he put me down, I would crawl right back onto his hand, my tail wagging nonstop.
He was completely exasperated. “Lyra, why are you so clingy today? I usually have to beg you to come out
for a little while.”
Helpless, Adrian took me to bed with him.
He looked at me seriously. “You have to be good, you hear me? The terrarium is safer.”
flicked my tongue out, trying to look cute.
That did it. Adrian was completely defeated. “Alright, alright, I get it. But if you feel uncomfortable, you have
to wake me up, understand?”
Adrian fell asleep quickly.
By the moonlight, I began to survey the bedroom. The doors and windows were shut tight, very secure. The only possible escape route was the crack under the door.
Goodbye, Adrian. You were really good to me, but I have to save my own skin first.
I took one last look at him, then started slithering towards the door.
I was halfway out when the door suddenly swung open.
A firm grip seized the back of my neck, and I was lifted into the air. Adrian and I were face to face, his eyes
filled with an emotion I couldn’t understand.
‘I knew something was off with you being so clingy today. Turns out you were planning to run away, you little iar. I take you out just once, and now you can’t get enough of the outside world?”
I flicked my tongue out guiltily.
Adrian was unmoved. “Acting cute won’t work. Since you won’t listen, your punishment is to sleep back in the
terrarium.”
6
Damn it. I had lost my snake–rights to free movement.
Unless Adrian was watching me, I was to be locked in the terrarium.
I protested by lying on my back, belly up, and not moving an inch.
Adrian was busy cutting open peaches for me nearby. “Don’t be difficult. This is your punishment for being naughty, you understand?”
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Peach worms were hard to find. He had already gone through a whole pile of peaches without finding a sing- le one. This was, in fact, because I was on a hunger strike. He felt so bad that he was trying to tempt me with my favorite treat.
“There, now be good and eat.”
He tossed a fresh little worm into my terrarium and went back to his task.
My mouth watered. But a snake must have dignity.
Adrian chuckled. “Alright, my little princess, I’m begging you. Please eat.”
On the surface, I remained stoic, but inside, I was just putting on a show.
He brought his hand close to me. “Here, you can bite me as an apology. I’m sorry, Lyra. I shouldn’t have kep you locked up.”
That was a sincere enough gesture.
I gave his hand a gentle nip and then began to feast happily.
Full and satisfied, I stretched out on my back. I was feeling a little protein–drunk (not really).
I was enjoying Adrian’s gentle pets when the doorbell suddenly rang.
It was John, saying he had a new snake to show him.
Adrian tucked me into his pocket and led John into the snake house.
Sophia was there too, and the pop–up comments flared to life:
【The second male lead is definitely here for the heroine, right? He’s going to ask her to come work at his snake house soon.】
【That means the snake fight isn’t far off. Poor Lyra. Actually, if the hero gets the heroine, it wouldn’t be sc bad if the second male lead got the snake.]
I thought that was an excellent idea.
If I became John’s snake, surely I couldn’t be eaten by his other snake.
So, I quietly wriggled out from the edge of his pocket and, with a swoosh, launched myself into John’s arms.
John jumped, then laughed. “Lyra?”
Adrian’s face instantly darkened. He reached out to grab me back.
I deftly dodged his hand, wrapped myself around John’s wrist, and nuzzled my head into his chest, acting as affectionate as possible.
Adrian’s hand froze in mid–air, his eyes looking like they wanted to devour me. “Lyra. Come back.”
0028
John gave an awkward smile. “Come on, little princess, go back to him.”
I just coiled around John tighter.
“Put her back in the terrarium,” Adrian commanded, his voice tight.
“Alright.”
John carefully began to pry me off, ignoring my writhing.
He still dropped me back into the terrarium.
I was furious.
I slapped my tail against the glass over and over.
Adrian’s voice was stern. “Lyra, what exactly are you trying to do?”
He was raising his voice at me!
I hissed at him, whipping my tail even harder against the glass.
“You want to go with him that badly, is that it?”
Adrian spoke each word slowly and deliberately. “I’ll open the terrarium. If you still choose him, I’ll let you go
