he profound pain of not getting to eat the fried chicken finally motivated me.
But cultivating on my own was out of the question. I just became more diligent in… pestering Adrian.
13
Adrian had been acting very strange lately.
During the day, he was always walking around the house shirtless, his abs and V–line on full display.
At night, he went to bed very early, wearing very little. Sometimes he’d just sleep in a bathrobe, with nothing
underneath.
Whatever. It was very convenient for me.
A week later, I could finally maintain a complete human form. I even secretly ate a lot of the new snacks Adrian had bought.
Adrian, however, seemed exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes were much more pronounced.
Even John asked him, “Adrian, are you feeling a bit… weak lately?”
Adrian said nothing, just kept adding goji berries to his tea.
Not only that, but he also rarely locked me up anymore.
My opportunities were plentiful.
On another dark and windy night, I snuck out of the bedroom. Just as I reached the top of the stairs, I ran
Chapter 2
right into Adrian, who was wrapped in a towel.
What the hell? Wasn’t he just taking a shower?
“Lyra, where are you going?” he called out.
I panicked and went thump–thump–thump, tumbling all the way down the stairs.
Everything hurt.
But there was no time for pain.
I quickly turned human and ran to the front door.
It was locked.
Adrian was rushing down the stairs. “Lyra, please don’t go. Please.”
His voice was practically begging.
I glanced back at him. He looked like he was truly about to shatter. A drop of water fell from the tip of hi hair, like a teardrop.
I was unmoved. I grabbed a cup, smashed the window, and without looking back, turned into a snake and slipped away.
14
I had nowhere to go.
After much thought, I returned to my old mountain home.
When my mom saw me, she quickly ushered me into our cave. “Did you get on someone’s bad side?” she
asked.
was completely bewildered.
She told me that Adrian had posted a public reward for me online. The prize was two hundred thousand
dollars.
Seriously? Did this Adrian want me dead that badly?
My mom curled her tail around a bank card and gave it to me. “It’s not safe at home anymore. You should gc nide for a while. Your aunts and uncles are all dying to turn you in for the money. There’s some cash on this card, enough for you to live on for a bit. Remember not to turn back into a snake. The picture he posted is of
your snake form.”
She paused. “You haven’t managed to cultivate a human form yet, have you?”
For once, I had some confidence. I pouted. “I have, I have.”
Before my mom could say much more, we heard my second aunt’s voice. She slithered out of the cave to
Chapter 2
provide cover for me.
