Qin Feng looked up as she entered the room. He could not believe what he was seeing. Green Snake had always fought so ruthlessly. He was shocked to see her looking so womanly. Her hair was usually braided or pulled back, but now it rippled over her shoulders and chest carelessly. Qin Feng looked straight at her face, the corners of his mouth lifting in a smile, and he said, "Oh, who is this beautiful girl coming into my room in the middle of the night? Are you here to have some fun, Miss?"
Green Snake gave him a startled look and said, "Go to the next room. It's not appropriate for us to be in the same room at night."
Qin Feng was a little taken aback, but he shrugged and said, “You didn’t seem to worry about that when you booked us this one room for the night.” Then he put on a serious face and said, “Even though the One-Eyed Dragon has died, there are still others to worry about. What if they come to us and you can’t fight back because of that horrible poisoning earlier? Won’t you let me stay to protect you?”
"Ah. Yes, yes I suppose that’s a good reason…” Green Snake didn’t quite know how to respond now that she was in the room with Qin Feng. She sat down on the edge of the bed stiffly, and then slowly laid down, stretching her long, bare legs out in front of Qin Feng. Her robe had slid up, exposing her smooth thigh.
Qin Feng’s breath caught in his throat. He reached out and put his hand on the lower part of Green Snake’s legs, pressing down lightly.
In response, Green Snake said teasingly, “What are you doing, Qin Feng? Trying to play a game?” She was actually incredibly nervous, but she did her best to hide her feelings. Although she smiled at Qin Feng, she didn’t dare look him in the eyes.
Qin Feng leaned over, coming to rest beside Green Snake on the bed. Propping his head up with one hand, he looked at her playfully and said, “It’s almost sunrise. Are you still planning on sleeping?”
“Of course, or taking a long day to rest. Do you think we’re still young? We’re getting older and our bodies need more time to recover,” she said seriously in response to Qin Feng’s teasing question.
Green Snake had started to speak at an increasingly fast pace when she suddenly stopped and looked at Qin Feng. Then she said seriously, “How did I end up in Sister Flower’s bed? Wasn’t I in the second bedroom? And I wasn’t wearing clothes when I woke up! What did you do to me? Did something happen between us?”
“No, no. Absolutely not.” Qin Feng waved his hand in an assuaging manner, but he felt tense.
Green Snake saw through Qin Feng. She lightly humphed and said, “Men are no good.”
In response, Qin Feng said, “I’m serious about the Tianhe being precarious right now. I can’t leave, but you don’t have to stay here. I’ll lay low for two days, then I’ll accompany you back to the capital. But right now, there are many uncertainties, and besides, you still haven’t recovered. If something were to happen, I’d be afraid that I couldn’t take care of you.”
"Couldn’t take care of me?" Green Snake’s heart sank and with a dull voice she asked, “Do you want to go take care of Sister Flower?”
"That's not what I meant. But you should know that Xiao He died for me and that’s a debt that I still haven’t been able to repay." Qin Feng hadn’t intended to discuss this subject, but now that Green Snake had addressed it, he thought about his duty to Sister Flower. It seemed to have become a habit and something very important in his life.
"I know, I’ll always be your spare tire, your second choice," Green Snake said disappointedly. “You know, since I met you, you’ve never really looked me in the eye. I’m always the alternate, the second choice. I’m used to it and that’s why I haven’t told you how I felt over the years.”
Hearing these words, Qin Feng felt guilty. He held Green Snake’s hand and said, "Don't think like that. You’re excellent, strong, independent. So you don’t need my extra protection and attention…”
Green Snake understood his meaning. However, she felt unsatisfied with his response and said, "I might be a great fighter, but I’m also a woman with feelings. I need care, comfort and warmth just like anyone else. But you’ve never even offered anything like that, not even an encouraging word.”
They both reflected on their past together. Qin Feng had treated Green Snake like his teammate, but he’d never really treated her well on a human level. He didn’t think much about her personal feelings or needs other than when he wondered what her relationship with Green Dragon was.
Until this moment, Qin Feng had ignorantly assumed that Green Snake had no vulnerabilities. He hadn’t realized that as they fought together, Green Snake was looking after him with love and concern.
"I'm sorry."
When Qin Feng spoke his apology, Green Snake was moved to tears. She’d suffered greatly over the years and put many of her own thoughts and feelings away. Her thoughts were all bursting out now, but she didn’t expect that Qin Feng would actually apologize.
In a few minutes, it was like years had passed between them. Qin Feng felt incredibly surprised to realize that Green Snake had such deep feelings and that many of those feelings were for him.