Since undergoing his bone surgery, Shen Zhiheng had managed every aspect of Shen Zhiqi’s life.
Shen Zhiqi had been forced to lie in the bed in his bedroom for a full two weeks. Even with his brother keeping him company, the boy’s naturally active nature made it impossible for him to sit still.
By the time he was finally allowed to be taken outside to the villa’s garden to soak up the sun, his already restless heart could no longer be contained.
“Young Master! Young Master, slow down!”
In the spacious and bright living room, the frantic shouts of the servants echoed.
Shen Zhiqi, wearing an oversized shirt that fit him poorly, glided rapidly past one of the servants.
The adults had not caught a clear look at his running form, but the speed at which he was parkouring around the living room was enough to terrify anyone.
To make matters worse, his older brother had just stepped out briefly to meet with the doctor to confirm the schedule for the follow-up surgery. If Shen Zhiheng found out that the little snake was running around the house while still in the recovery phase, there was no telling how angry he would be. Everyone knew how the young master cherished this little one, valuing his health above all else.
Shen Zhiqi stopped and raised his upper body higher to reach for the villa’s front door lock. Only then did the others get a clear look at his new method of movement: he had folded his human legs backward, crossing and locking them against his thick, dark-green tail.
When he had been parkouring earlier, he had kept his entire upper body pressed low against the carpet, moving like a true snake, relying solely on his abdominal scales to slither through the living room in a frantic S shape.
The servants following him still had not figured out how the little one used his non-human flexibility to pull off such a move. They only knew that seeing Shen Zhiqi running around like this was enough to cause heart failure. The look on the eldest young master’s face when he was angry was even scarier than the sticky, slithering snake himself.
“Young Master, don’t run so fast! If you’re going outside, at least put on some pants first!”
A servant stood behind the little snake, panting heavily as he held a pair of soft, pure cotton trousers.
“I don’t want to wear them! They’re not comfortable at all. You are all bad people. I already said I don’t want to wear them!”
Shen Zhiqi finally managed to open the door. He turned his head to look at the exhausted people behind him, gave a little twist to his waist, and with a drift of his tail, slipped out the door.
He cautiously glanced back at the humans who could not keep up with him, lowered his upper body even closer to the ground, and scurried away quickly.
“Young Master! Young Master, wait for us! Young Master!”
The human voices grew distant. Shen Zhiqi curled his lips in pride and moved even faster.
He had fully adapted to his tail, whereas he was still uncomfortable with his legs. Playing the part of a snake that did not know how to walk in front of his brother was just a little trick to get his brother to carry him. He had plenty of jailbreak skills; otherwise, he would not have successfully escaped the hospital.
Distracted, the little snake did not pay attention to the path ahead and ran headfirst into a human wall. He let out a small “Ah,” covered his forehead with both hands, and lifted his head, feeling dizzy.
Looking up along a pair of straight, suit-clad legs, he met a pair of bottomless black eyes. The height and size difference between Shen Zhiheng and his human form was enough for his brother to stand before him like a wall.
“What are you running from?”
Shen Zhiheng’s voice was low. It was impossible to tell if he was angry or not, but the oppressive atmosphere was heavy.
The air in the villa’s small garden instantly froze. The servants who had been chasing him sucked in a cold breath, standing by in terrified silence, not daring to let out a peep.
The young Shen Zhiheng was not without his moments of madness; his reputation as a dissolute young master was never just an empty name. None of them knew how Shen Zhiheng planned to turn the island upside down.
Shen Zhiqi was still stunned. The servant next to him, unable to bear the weight of the eldest master’s scrutinizing gaze, stepped forward and reported tremblingly:
“It is like this, Young Master. Today, while you were out, the little young master was parkouring in the room, and he refused to wear pants when he went outside.”
Shen Zhiqi’s brain was already struggling to keep up, and he was not quick-witted enough to defend himself. Since the adults were telling the truth, he did not know what to say. His arrogance deflated; he unhooked his legs from his tail and sat down on it, allowing his brother’s gaze to sweep over him.
He lowered his head, his hands clutching the hem of his oversized shirt, and whispered in rebuttal, “I did not.”
Shen Zhiheng looked down at him condescendingly; without bending over, he could only see the top of his head.
“Did I not tell you that you just had surgery and cannot run around or engage in strenuous exercise? Have you forgotten all of it?”
The little snake knew he was in the wrong, but he felt he had his reasons for not being a good kid. He pursed his lips in grievance, looking like a puppy with its tail tucked after doing something wrong. He knew that when his brother’s tone became serious, it was a major issue, but he still felt unsettled. He replied, not very convincingly:
“Brother, I know I was wrong.”
The apology came out sounding more like the grievance of someone who had been bullied.
Shen Zhiheng could hear the little one’s reluctance and grievance, but he placed great importance on the snake’s health and did not intend to coddle him this time. Since he had decided to be a good older brother to Xiao Qi, he had to teach him the basic rules from an early age.
“You are not being obedient at all.” Shen Zhiheng’s tone grew sterner. “If you continue to be disobedient, Brother will have to use the family rules to punish you.”
In truth, Shen Zhiheng did not even know what the family rules were, as he had grown up on this isolated island without a normal family structure. He was purely using rhetoric to scare the little thing that did not know the gravity of his actions. He had been in so much pain on the operating table; how could he have forgotten it so quickly?
Shen Zhiqi was truly intimidated by his brother. He kept his head down, looking at the ground, and awkwardly scratched at the snake scales behind his waist. “I, I know.”
The servant holding the pants, seeing this, quickly stepped in to mediate: “Young Master, Zhiqi is just bored. A child his age naturally cannot sit still at home. Please do not be angry.” He finished advising the big one, then turned to the little one: “Young Master, please run slowly. Your body has only just recovered; if you fracture a bone again, you will have to lie in bed for another three months. Besides, you have human legs now; how can you go out without wearing pants?”
Having been scolded by his brother and then lectured by the adults, Shen Zhiqi felt even unhappier. He pressed his lips together tightly, not saying a word, only secretly wiping away tears with the back of his hand.
Shen Zhiheng took the pants from the servant and waved them away. Only then did he notice that the little one was only wearing one of his own oversized white shirts. The ill-fitting clothes hung loosely; the sleeves were too long, and the hem reached just to his thighs like a short skirt. Even though his brother had bought him a whole wardrobe, this little one insisted on stealing his clothes to wear.
Because of the recent exertion, the little one was breathing heavily. But he bit his lip stubbornly, his eyes brimming with tears, looking both angry and wronged. Shen Zhiheng softened his temper and sighed lightly.
“Alright, don’t be sad. Brother is not trying to punish you; I am just worried about your legs getting injured again.”
Before his hand could touch the top of Shen Zhiqi’s head, the little one pouted in a fit of pique and turned to leave. In front of his brother, Shen Zhiqi did not use his legs, which had not fully recovered, to walk. Instead, he used the standard snake-crawling posture, keeping his upper body low and wiggling his waist bit by bit toward the villa. His legs were tucked behind him, and not yet strong enough to fully grip his thick tail, he had to exert effort to keep them clamped tight.
Shen Zhiheng was stunned. It was rare for the little one to be angry with him; the last time was when he had been very busy and away from home during the day for a long time. The little one’s temper was getting bigger.
The way he walked, with his legs hooked behind him and using his tail, was quite peculiar. It was slow and clumsy, bearing no resemblance to the parkour the servants had described. It was clearly meant to lure his brother into coaxing him.
Shen Zhiheng followed him and asked, “Xiao Qi, are you angry with Brother?”
“No!” Shen Zhiqi said, but he twisted his waist forcefully, drifted his tail again, and dodged the hand his brother reached out to rest on his shoulder.
Shen Zhiheng was now certain that the child was truly angry.
“Baby?” Shen Zhiheng called out again.
The little snake ignored him, intentionally slithering onto the grass, arching his tail, and moving forward at an incredibly slow pace. Shen Zhiheng watched the little dog-snake perform with a smile, sighing helplessly. He knew this would not be easy to brush off and would require some serious coaxing. He strode forward, bent down, and scooped up the sulking little snake by his waist.
Shen Zhiqi let out a cry of surprise. Being suddenly lifted off the ground caused him to struggle instinctively, his two little legs kicking helplessly in the air. “Put me down! Brother, you, you are bad too!”
His strength was far too inferior to his brother’s; his brother could subdue him with just one hand.
“Stop moving.” Shen Zhiheng tapped the little snake’s dangling tail, hearing the little one let out an exaggerated cry. He held the little snake firmly in his arms and supported the large snake tail securely with his other hand. “If you move again, you will get hurt.”
The little snake truly stopped moving. As if caught by his seven inches, he went limp like liquid, draping over his brother’s strong arm. Shen Zhiheng returned to the villa in a few steps and placed the little one on the soft sofa. He leaned both hands against either side of the armchair, enveloping the little snake in his shadow.
“What did I tell you?” Shen Zhiheng asked in a deep voice.
Shen Zhiqi did not dare meet his eyes. He just stared at the buttons on his brother’s shirt and muttered, “During the recovery period, you cannot run around.”
“And what were you doing just now?”
“I, I…” Shen Zhiqi stuttered. Recalling how bored he had been and his desire to escape the servants, he shut his mouth, feeling guilty. After thinking for a long time, he finally found a reason: “That rule is not in the family code!”
Shen Zhiheng raised an eyebrow in surprise, realizing that the little snake, having recovered part of his human body, was indeed a bit smarter than before. Though not by much, he was really trying. He quickly responded, “Then I am adding it now!”
“That is not fair!” The little snake’s round eyes widened. “Brother is being unreasonable!”
“Then you tell me first: why were you running around the island? Why did you refuse to wear pants and get angry?”
Shen Zhiqi turned his face away. His small, pink snake-tongue flicked out in dissatisfaction, and his cheeks puffed up with anger. His chin was gripped and straightened by his brother, forcing his line of sight back to him.
“Do not turn away. Look at Brother and answer the question.”
Shen Zhiqi’s stubbornness finally softened slightly under his brother’s near-commanding tone. “I clearly was not running around. Did you not see, Brother? I was walking with my tail; my feet did not touch the ground at all.” He found his defense and his tone became firmer. “I was taking good care of my legs. Brother never said I could not run with my tail.”
Shen Zhiheng’s mind flashed back to the comical image of the little snake with his legs hooked behind his tail, sprinting while pressed against the ground. He suppressed a laugh and nodded, “Alright, Brother saw clearly now. This time, I will count it as you not running around.”
Receiving his brother’s affirmation, the little snake immediately became spoiled, his voice rising a few notches. “I did nothing wrong. I protected my legs; I listened to Brother. And yet Brother said I was not obedient and threatened to use the family rules to punish me!”
His angry appearance had no bite, and his speech was a bit incoherent, but the way he listed his grievances was extremely cute. Even Shen Zhiheng, who had determined not to be soft-hearted, chuckled.
“Alright, that was my mistake. It was Brother’s fault, and I apologize to you.” Shen Zhiheng’s fingers, which were gripping the little snake’s cheek, changed from a light touch to a gentle rub, turning the cheeks he had worked so hard to fill out a light red. “Now let us talk about the second thing: why did you refuse to wear pants? Surely, I did not misjudge you this time?”
Shen Zhiqi sniffed, feeling a bit wronged, and his fingers subconsciously clutched the oversized shirt he was wearing, his brother’s shirt. “Do not want pants.”
“Why?”
“Human pants are not comfortable at all. The edges rub against my tail, specifically the place where the back connects to the tail. It hurts when I walk.”
Shen Zhiqi covered the connection point between his snake tail and human body with his hands. The red marks from trying to walk in pants that morning were still there, occasionally sending sharp jolts of discomfort. If he had not truly been in pain, why would he have chosen to be a disobedient bad child?
Shen Zhiheng picked up the cotton trousers and examined them repeatedly. As a high-end design, the elastic waistband was sewn with very soft cotton thread. But even so, for a snake-Omega with an exceptionally sensitive sensory system in his lower body, it was still an unbearable torment.
“Then what did you do before you had legs? Did you not wear pants then?” Shen Zhiheng asked, concerned as he looked at the red marks on the little snake’s back that were on the verge of chafing.
“Before, I had those big, big blue striped clothes. Like a big bag that went down to my ankles, so I did not have to wear pants.” Shen Zhiqi exaggeratedly gestured with his hands, drawing a circle in the air.
He was, of course, talking about the lab gowns or psychiatric hospital patient clothes that barely covered him. So, my little snake only acts out when he has a reason. Shen Zhiheng realized this even more deeply. He would need a lot of time and patience to communicate with the little snake until they were on the same page.
“Alright, Brother understands.”
Shen Zhiheng placed the pants on the side of the sofa, sat next to the little snake, and pulled him gently into his arms. “This was my negligence. I will solve the problem of the pants being uncomfortable and get you some comfortable ones.”
Shen Zhiqi frowned, moved a small step closer in grievance, pressed his face against his brother’s arm, and whispered, “But the puppy really does not like it.”
He almost never referred to himself like that; saying it now was purely for the sake of acting spoiled. Shen Zhiheng, truly captivated by the little one, took a breath before saying: “Baby, your immune system is fragile. There are many bacteria outside. If you get an infection and inflammation, you will get very sick, you know that?”
“Brother will find a way to prepare comfortable pants for you. Will Baby promise Brother to wear pants properly? Will you?”
Shen Zhiqi bit his lip, summoned all his determination, and nodded obediently.
“Good child.” Shen Zhiheng finally managed to maintain his bottom line despite the little snake’s cute pleading and sighed with relief. “You only know how to act spoiled and get your way with Brother.”
Shen Zhiqi blinked in confusion, his forked tongue licking his sharp little teeth. He looked at his brother blankly and replied, “I, I was not acting spoiled.”
He was just stating a simple fact.
Shen Zhiheng truly took this small matter to heart, treating it as a very important task. He carefully selected soft velvet fabric, learned how to sew from a servant, and personally stitched a layer of soft velvet into the back waistband of his brother’s pants. The servants once felt there was no need for the eldest young master to be so hands-on, but they could not sway the headstrong Shen Zhiheng.
When Shen Zhiqi found his brother, he was by the sofa, patiently sewing the pants. He curiously leaned in to poke at the white soft velvet on the little trousers, then tilted his head to look up and down at his brother, who was wearing an expression of intense focus.
“Brother, what are you doing?”
His brother was always staring at these things; his eyes were bloodshot, and he could not play with him!
“Alright, Xiao Qi, come and try these on.”
Shen Zhiheng bit the thread off and shook the modified little trousers. He knelt naturally in front of his younger brother, his large hands gently gripping Shen Zhiqi’s ankles. The socks the little one had hidden were put back on his feet, and the edges were straightened out.
These legs had only reappeared because of his brother’s diligent care, and now they were gradually gaining the ability to run and jump. He had personally massaged, dressed, and cared for them until they became healthier and healthier. Even the matter of wearing pants was done by Shen Zhiheng himself. He picked up the little snake, adjusted the waistband, and checked that the connection point at the lower back was covered by the soft velvet.
“Stand up and walk a few steps to try.”
Shen Zhiheng put the little snake down from the sofa and patted his back lightly.
Shen Zhiqi walked tentatively, his thick, heavy tail brushing against the carpet with a rustling sound. The connection point, which usually had such a strong sensation, now only felt the soft, cloud-like touch of the velvet against his skin and scales.
“Is it better now?”
Shen Zhiheng, standing behind the little snake, asked.
“Very good, it does not hurt at all!”
Shen Zhiqi nodded in pleasant surprise and took another two steps forward.
Shen Zhiheng finally let out a sigh of relief, walked over, and rubbed his head.
“From now on, Brother will sew all your pants himself.”
“But you have to be obedient. You cannot run around without pants; you will get sick. You must wear at least your underpants, do you hear me?”
Shen Zhiqi nodded obediently, taking small steps while dragging his tail to return to his brother’s side.
“Brother, why did you learn to sew? Did you not say the house has a designer uncle to do all the clothes?”
His voice grew smaller as he mumbled, “Brother’s eyes are red, and you still will not play with me.”
Shen Zhiheng’s slightly tired eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you worrying about me?”
“Of course I am worrying! How could I not worry about Brother!”
The little snake answered without hesitation.
Shen Zhiheng rubbed his head and replied, “Brother was not very good at it at first, which is why it took so much time. It will not happen again.”
He did not explain much more. He put down the items in his hands and took the little snake’s small hand to play in the yard. His reason was simple: he had gained a sense of achievement and satisfaction from successfully taking care of the little snake, so he wanted to be involved even in the making of his intimate clothing.
He was Xiao Qi’s only family, his older brother, and naturally, he had to play the roles of both father and mother that he had imagined. Shen Zhiheng, who had never felt the love of a father or mother, once envied his classmates showing off the pretty patches their parents had sewn on the knees of their pants, wondering if their parents asked if their scraped knees hurt.
So, his little snake would not be a child without family to mend his clothes; he would have a brother who asked him why his pants were uncomfortable. Shen Zhiheng, who had never felt parental love, did not know what that love was supposed to look like, but he wanted to pour all the care and love he had once wanted into his little snake brother. Meanwhile, his little snake would, in his innocence and sincerity, worry that his brother’s eyes were tired from staring at the thread.
After walking several laps in the sunlight of the small garden, the little snake was a bit tired. Dragging his big tail was a weighted training for him, and soon his ankles began to ache. He ran toward his brother with an unstable gait, startling Shen Zhiheng, who immediately opened his arms to catch him.
Shen Zhiheng picked him up, checked his watch, and confirmed that the activity level and step count on the software were within a safe range.
“Activity time for today is up. It is time for us to go home.”
“Brother is so strict.”
Shen Zhiqi rested on his brother’s shoulder, muttering softly.
“If I was not strict, how could I keep an eye on a little thing like you?”
What the little snake saw and understood was only a small part of it. In reality, Shen Zhiheng was doing much more than he imagined. He seemed to have made the little snake the only purpose of his life, and his determination to plan for the future and work hard was all so he would have the capital to raise this sickly little creature in his arms.
As Shen Zhiqi adapted more and more to his legs, his life characteristics gradually shifted toward his human body. His intelligence slowly moved closer to that of a human, he could spend longer and longer times walking on his legs, and he gradually relegated his big snake tail to a decorative role.
The little snake wrapped his big tail around his torso in circles, leaving only a tiny, thin tip dangling behind him. He bounced in front of his brother, extremely excited, holding his big snake tail by his side and spinning around.
“Brother, have you noticed anything?”
Shen Zhiheng looked at his brother, whose upper body was wrapped in circles of snake tail, with a confused expression. “What are you trying to do to your tail?”
“Brother is stupid!”
Shen Zhiqi spun around halfway to show his back to his brother. His little tail tip naturally curled into a small hook, dangling behind him down to the level of his calves.
“There are no puppies in the world with a tail this long. So, am I a puppy now?”
Having said that, the little hooked tail curved from the left to the right, forming half of a heart.
Shen Zhiheng felt that the question of whether the little snake’s intelligence had fully recovered was open for further discussion.