Invincible Snake Emperor-Chapter 28: A Good Thing Ruined by Mosquitoes

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Good Thing Ruined by Mosquitoes

Lei Ao was so angry he wanted to scream. He was just about to succeed, but a mosquito had ruined everything.

How could he not be furious? He suppressed his rage, looked imploringly at Tu Xiaoyue, and forced a smile. "There are just so many mosquitoes in the summer," he said. "I’ll pour another. I refuse to believe another one will fall in."

Tu Xiaoyue was speechless. Two mosquitoes had fallen into her teacup in a row. She couldn’t help but wonder, ’Could it be that even the heavens don’t want me to drink this tea?’

Worried Tu Xiaoyue might get suspicious, Lei Ao quickly poured a fresh cup of tea and pushed it in front of her.

But strange things happen, and tonight was particularly strange. The new cup of tea had just been pushed in front of Tu Xiaoyue when, before she could even react, another death-defying mosquito brazenly flew in for a "swim."

It instantly contaminated the tea.

"Damn it! Where are all these mosquitoes coming from?"

Cursing, Lei Ao shot to his feet and scanned the area. Strangely, he couldn’t see any mosquitoes flying around.

’What’s going on?’

Three mosquitoes falling into three teacups in a row—to call it a coincidence would be a bit of a stretch.

Just then, Tu Xiaoyue said, "Brother Lei, maybe we should just skip the tea. I can just write you the IOU."

"No! You have to drink the tea."

Lei Ao blurted out, his expression leaving no room for argument.

Tu Xiaoyue was momentarily stunned. She looked at the insistent Lei Ao, then at the teapot, and a strange expression crept onto her face.

Lei Ao cursed inwardly. ’That was too forceful.’ He quickly explained, "My dear girl, don’t get the wrong idea. This is excellent tea, brewed especially for you. I just wanted you to have a taste."

"No, thank you. I’m not thirsty. Let’s just get down to business," Tu Xiaoyue said coolly. No matter how slow on the uptake she might be, she could sense that something wasn’t right.

’Those damned mosquitoes!’ How could Lei Ao not be furious? He was one step away from success and couldn’t bear to give up. He dumped out the tea, poured yet another cup, held it in one hand while covering the top with the other, and leaned in close to Tu Xiaoyue. "My dear girl, you can drink it without worry now. I guarantee no mosquitoes will get in."

To be so attentive for no reason meant he was up to no good. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Tu Xiaoyue saw a Snake bizarrely appear behind Lei Ao.

Her eyes widened slowly; for a moment, she thought they were playing tricks on her.

When she got a clear look at the Snake, Tu Xiaoyue was even more shocked. ’Isn’t that my family’s House Snake? What is it doing here?’

She couldn’t be mistaken. It was the Snake from her home. Although it looked quite a bit larger than she remembered, its distinctive appearance and striped pattern were unmistakable.

What surprised Tu Xiaoyue most was that the Snake kept shaking its head at her. The gesture was incredibly human-like, filled with an intelligent spirit.

’Shaking its head... What does it mean, shaking its head at me?’ Suddenly, like a splash of cold water, it dawned on her. She understood instantly. ’It’s telling me not to drink this tea!’

The House Snake was known to be intelligent. Its appearance here said it all. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Combined with Lei Ao’s bizarre behavior, Tu Xiaoyue was instantly and thoroughly sobered to the reality of the situation.

Tu Xiaoyue snapped back to the present. With a smirk, she looked at the tea Lei Ao was offering her and said coolly, "Brother Lei, since this tea is so good, you should drink it. I’m no tea connoisseur."

"Xiaoyue, you’re not showing me any respect." Lei Ao’s face instantly tightened, and he glanced at the fifty thousand yuan on the coffee table.

Tu Xiaoyue suddenly stood up from the sofa and glanced outside. "Brother Lei, I don’t think I’ll borrow this money after all. It’s getting late, I have to go home."

’I’ve figured it out,’ she thought. ’I can’t take this money. Even if I did, it would only lead to trouble.’

Besides, being here alone with him was far too dangerous for her.

"Hmph!"

Lei Ao snorted. "Xiaoyue, you don’t really think I drugged your tea, do you?" he said coldly. "Am I, Lei Ao, that kind of person?"

"You know perfectly well whether you drugged it or not. If the tea is so good, why haven’t I seen you take a single sip?"

From the very beginning, Tu Xiaoyue had only seen Lei Ao urge her to drink; he hadn’t taken a single sip himself. It was far too suspicious.

"Sigh, Xiaoyue, you’re really overthinking this. Look, how about this? I’ll drink the tea in my hand to prove my innocence. Then, I’ll pour you a fresh cup. That should settle it, right?"

Lei Ao decided to go all in. ’It’s just an aphrodisiac, anyway,’ he thought. ’It’s no big deal if I drink it. It might even make things more... passionate!’

’There’s no way she’ll drink this cup now. I’ll have to drink it myself to prove it’s not drugged.’

"Alright. Then I’ll trouble you to drink it first, Brother Lei. Once you’ve had yours, it won’t be too late for me to have mine!" Tu Xiaoyue said with a small smile.

Lei Ao immediately said, "Fine, fine! No problem!"

Not wanting to waste any more time, he downed the tea in his hand in one gulp. Then, he quickly grabbed the teapot, poured another cup, and said, "See, Xiaoyue? Now you can rest easy. I, Lei Ao, am not that kind of person!"

It was as if Tu Xiaoyue hadn’t heard him. She just stood there, watching him with a cold sneer, her eyes filled with loathing.

She wouldn’t drink that tea now if her life depended on it. Three mosquitoes had died for her, and her family’s House Snake had appeared to warn her off. That sequence of events told her everything she needed to know.

"Xiaoyue, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Lei Ao felt things slipping out of his control. This wasn’t how he’d planned it at all.

’It’s all those damned mosquitoes’ fault,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, she would’ve drunk it long ago, and I’d be having my fun by now.’

"There’s nothing on your face," Tu Xiaoyue said coldly, "but it’s the most disgusting face I have ever seen." The saying, "you may know a person’s face, but you can’t know their heart," fit Lei Ao perfectly.

Lei Ao’s face twitched, then darkened. "Tu Xiaoyue, what’s that supposed to mean? I was kind enough to lend you money and invite you for tea, and not only are you ungrateful, you’re just flinging insults!"

"Hmph... Invite me for tea? That’s hilarious. If I’d drunk that tea, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to leave even if I wanted to!"

The moment Tu Xiaoyue said that, a jolt went through Lei Ao. How could he not understand? She knew he’d drugged the tea. He took a deep breath. "How did you know?"

"The only way to keep a secret is to not do it in the first place. Lei Ao, you’ve got some nerve. Do you have any idea that you’re breaking the law?"

’Drugging someone... What was he planning to do?’

Tu Xiaoyue shuddered at the thought. If she had rashly drunk that tea, the consequences would have been unimaginable. She didn’t dare let her mind go there.

’That was a close call. Far too dangerous. I was so desperate for money, I fell into a Demon Barrier.’

She had been so focused on borrowing money for her mother’s treatment that she’d nearly fallen right into someone else’s trap.

Truthfully, she had sensed Lei Ao’s lecherous intentions, but she never imagined he would be brazen enough to actually use drugs. That was the kind of thing she thought only happened in TV dramas.