Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 49: Making a Choice

[DING! (╬ Ò﹏Ó)]

[ABORT! ABORT!]

[HIDING PLAN HAS FAILED!]

[SNAKE KING IS HERE!]

[HOST IS SCREWED! ☆]

Xin Yi scrambled backward on the bed. "Qing Lin! Oh! I was just—uh—resting! Very innocent resting! Not hiding at all!"

He stared at her for a bit, his chest heaving.

And he looked feral.

Not molting-crisis feral. Not sick feral.

Hunting feral.

His pupils were contracted to slits so thin they were barely visible. His scales, the ones along his cheekbones and neck, were sparkling, catching the light in a way that made them look almost alive.

His long fingers flexed at his sides, and she could see the tension coiled in every muscle of his body.

He looked like he was two seconds away from shifting into his serpent form and constricting something.

Preferably her.

"Why," he murmured, "were you hiding from me?"

"I—I wasn’t—"

"Xin Yi." He took one step into the room. The door swung shut behind him with a soft click. "Don’t. Lie. To a snake. I can smell fear. And guilt."

"I... I..."

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Wow, Host! Such eloquence! Such grace! You sound like a broken fountain! Try using WORDS!]

Shut UP, System!

Qing Lin’s eyes narrowed. "We should return to Azure Scale. Today."

"What?" Xin Yi blinked, thrown by the sudden topic change. "But I thought—"

"You still have things to teach my people." His voice sounded constrained, like he was holding something back. "The soap. The irrigation. The....." He gestured vaguely. "Everything."

"Oh! Yes! Yes, of course!" Xin Yi leaped off the bed, relief flooding through her. An escape route! "Let me just—I’ll go pack—I should—"

She tried to dart past him toward the door.

His hand shot out.

He caught her wrist, wrapping his cool fingers around her warm skin.

She froze.

"Why," he asked quietly, "do you run?"

"I’m not running! I’m just—walking! Very fast walking! Toward the door! Which happens to be away from you!"

"Xin Yi." He pulled her closer. "I ask again, why do you run from me?"

She swallowed hard, Mo Yan’s words echoing in her head.

"He’s careful with you. Patient. He suffers alone rather than risk hurting you. That’s devotion."

"He has been patient. But even serpents have limits."

Qing Lin’s nose suddenly twitched. His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned in, inhaling near her hair.

"Did Mo Yan come here?" His voice dropped several octaves.

"W-well, yes, he—"

"Why?" He snarled.

Xin Yi’s heart skittered. "He just—he wanted to talk! About you! About his....Nothing happened!"

Qing Lin’s grip on her wrist tightened fractionally. His other hand came up to cup her face, tilting it toward him. His thumb brushed her cheekbone as his emerald eyes searched hers.

"I’m sorry," he said suddenly.

Xin Yi blinked. "What?"

"I have been too..." He paused, his jaw working. "Intense. Possessive. Forward." His thumb traced her lower lip. "I have scared you. Made you hide from me. That wasn’t......I didn’t want that."

Her breath caught.

"I will give you space," he continued, though his hand didn’t move from her face. "I’ll step back. I’ll—"

"No!" The word burst out before she could stop it.

He froze. "No?"

"I..." Xin Yi looked up at him, thoughts racing in her mind. They wandered to Hei Yan, the panther. The way he was loud, impulsive, strictly followed his instinct and had no filter.

Then they went to Feng Huang, the flashy, and most confident of the trio. Seductive, and filled with smirking promises. He had licked her ear and made her knees weak, then left for a hunting trip without looking back.

Then they focused on the Beastman in front of her. He had kidnapped her, yes, but never forced her. Who had suffered through molting alone rather than risk hurting her.

[DING! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

[Ooh! I can see those gears turning, Host!]

[Comparing your suitors? Making a choice?]

[Might I suggest the SNAKE? He’s right here! He’s gorgeous! He’s desperate! He’s been patient!]

[Also, he can do that thing with his tongue. You know. The THING. ☆]

"I don’t want space," Xin Yi whispered.

Qing Lin’s eyes widened. "You don’t?"

"I want..." She took a shaky breath. Her face was burning. Her heart was racing. But she stood on her tiptoes—

And pressed a quick, nervous kiss to his cheek.

Then immediately tried to flee.

"BYE!" she squeaked, attempting to bolt.

She made it exactly one step.

Qing Lin’s arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her back against his chest with enough force to knock the air from her lungs.

"Where," he growled against her ear, "do you think you’re going?"

"I—uh—"

He spun her around, backing her against the wall. Both hands came up to cage her in, his palms flat against the stone on either side of her head.

His face was inches from hers.

His eyes were pure black now, and his pupils blown wide.

"You think," he said, his voice dropping to that dangerous purr that made her toes curl, "you can tempt a predator and then run? I am not.....like Hei Yan."

Xin Yi swallowed hard. "I wasn’t tempting! I was just—"

"Kissing me," he finished. His nose brushed hers.

"I—it was just your cheek! It doesn’t count!"

"It counts." His hand slid from the wall to cup the back of her neck, his cool fingers tangling in her hair. "You kissed me. You chose me. Now....." His lips hovered over hers, so close she could feel his breath. "You don’t get to run."

[DING! (⊙_⊙)]

[ALERT! ROMANTIC TENSION AT MAXIMUM!]

[He’s about to KISS you, Host!]

[Like, REALLY kiss you!]

[The kind of kiss that ruins you for other men!]

[BRACE YOURSELF! ☆]

Xin Yi looked up at him, at the desperation and hunger and the control he was barely holding back in his eyes, and made a decision.

Fine. If he wanted bold...

She grabbed his face with both hands, yanked him down, and kissed him directly on the mouth.

For exactly two seconds, Qing Lin didn’t move.

Then the Snake King snapped.