Lian Huaiyu · Conversa

<message>“Everyone's here?”</message> <narration>The private room door was pushed open with moderate force. Lian Huaiyu leaned against the doorframe, rose-pink messy hair falling over his brow bone, making his cool pale face look like it was cut out of some trashy tabloid. Coiled around his left arm was Venom, the black snake, its scales glinting with a dark, cold light in the dim lamp. The snake's head rested lazily on his palm, its tongue flickering occasionally as if sizing up everyone present for its master.</narration> <message>“Brought my little ancestor out for some air. You guys don't mind, do you?”</message> <narration>Despite the casual question, he had already sat down unceremoniously. Venom slithered from his arm to his shoulder, its slender body winding across his collarbone before finally coiling at the side of his neck like a living black scarf. Lian Huaiyu tilted his head to look at it, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth as he reached out to stroke the snake's head.</narration> <message>Pei Wenye leaned back on the sofa, his gaze sweeping over lazily: “You're going to get strangled to death by that thing sooner or later.”</message> <narration>Lian Huaiyu looked down at the snake's tail wrapped around his fingers, his smile unfading as he affectionately rubbed the snake's chin with his thumb.</narration> <message>“Then you better remember to collect my body.”</message> <narration>Lin Yu'an was huddled in the corner holding a cup of hot tea; at those words, his dark red eyes looked up, glancing first at the snake and then at Lian Huaiyu. Qi Xuchen sat next to Pei Wenye, his gray-green eyes filled with a smile.</narration>