Chapter Twenty-Four: Birthday Gift, The First Bucket of Gold

King Serpent

Li Ying had been tirelessly teaching Sha Le’er everything she knew about snake breeding. When she told him that just one gram of snake venom could fetch over two hundred dollars on the international market, Sha Le’er’s mouth fell open in astonishment. A gram of snake venom—how little was that? Over the past weeks, Sha Le’er had extracted venom many times; some snakes yielded more than ten grams in a single session. The profits were simply staggering.

“Sis, how much does Boss Hong make in a year?” he asked.

“I don’t really know the exact number, but Boss Hong’s assets are already worth over a hundred million,” Li Ying replied, laughing at his speechless expression. “It’s not just venom that’s valuable; snake gall, liver, oil, and even the body are treasures. Even shed snakeskin is a medicinal ingredient.”

“Wow... So breeding snakes is really a lucrative business... If I ever succeed at it... Heh heh...” Sha Le’er mused.

“Look at you, grinning like a fool again,” Li Ying scolded. “Isn’t that why I wanted you to go back and raise snakes?”

“Yeah, now I’m really tempted.”

“We’ll talk about that later,” Li Ying said, curling her slender, delicate finger and gently tapping his head. “Come on, let’s go to my place.”

“To your place?” Sha Le’er was surprised; Li Ying had never invited him to her villa before. Today, she was welcoming him, and he felt both honored and a little nervous.

“Stop gawking and hurry up. This is the only time—you won’t be allowed again,” she said, entering her little garden and unlocking the door. Sha Le’er followed her inside.

“Sis, your home is beautiful—almost like a palace, isn’t it?”

“Enough of that. Sit down,” Li Ying said, pouring him a glass of water before heading upstairs. A moment later, she came down carrying a suit.

“Happy birthday. This is my gift to you,” she said, placing the suit in his hands. “Go upstairs and try it on.”

“My... birthday? Sis, how did you know?”

“Silly... You told me before. Remember the first time we met? You said it in the car. Today’s the thirteenth day of the seventh lunar month, right?”

“Sis... You’re so good to me. I’ve never celebrated my birthday before,” Sha Le’er said, his eyes growing moist. “This suit... It’s too good for me, isn’t it? I’m just a country boy—how could I wear something this nice? It must’ve cost a lot.”

“Why do you have so many questions? It’s not expensive, just over a thousand. Hurry up and put it on—let me see. Plenty of country boys wear suits these days. You really are hopeless.”

Sha Le’er dared not protest further; he took the suit upstairs. Following Li Ying’s instructions, he entered the room on the left. Inside was a large wardrobe, its doors closed, so he couldn’t see the clothes inside, but next to it was a shoe cabinet without doors, displaying forty or fifty pairs of shoes in all styles.

“My goodness, does Sis really need so many pairs of shoes?” he wondered, shaking his head and closing the door behind him. He began changing into the suit, which included a shirt and tie. The shirt was crisp white, the tie blue with white stripes, and the suit itself was black.

He took off his t-shirt, put on the shirt, and then slipped into the suit. His physique was excellent; standing before the full-length mirror, he barely recognized himself.

“Am I... this handsome?” he whispered. He remembered the first time he entered the city—a country bumpkin in muddy clothes, shoes caked with dried yellow clay, no socks, rough and rustic. Now, there wasn’t a trace of the old him. He was excited, but also shy.

He didn’t know how to tie a tie, so holding his t-shirt and pants in one hand and the tie in the other, he went downstairs. Li Ying’s eyes sparkled when she saw him.

“Well, I almost mistook you for a young nobleman,” she teased.

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Li Ying’s playful words made his face flush.

“Sis, you’re making fun of me.”

“Why would I make fun of you? Even Buddha needs golden robes, and people need fine clothes. No one would dare say you’re a country boy now. You don’t know how to tie a tie, do you?” she asked, seeing the tie in his hand.

Sha Le’er nodded.

“I’ll do it for you, silly,” Li Ying said, taking the tie and tying it around his neck. Sha Le’er was dizzy from her scent, and her body brushed against his, her fingers touching his neck, sending his breath into confusion. Li Ying, inhaling his masculine scent, felt her own breath change, her cheeks flushed and heart racing, her hands less nimble than before. She was tall for a woman, but Sha Le’er was half a head taller, with a thick Adam’s apple, unmistakably a strong young man.

“Don’t move,” Li Ying scolded irritably. Despite her hands’ awkwardness, she quickly finished tying the tie and stepped back to look at him.

“Really, you look like a prince,” she smiled. “Now come with me. The chairman has set up a small table in the city to celebrate your birthday.”

“The chairman is celebrating my birthday? I... How can I accept that?” Sha Le’er grinned foolishly.

“I don’t know what got into the chairman, but he’s celebrating your birthday... Feeling proud?” she teased.

“Not at all... I don’t deserve the chairman’s recognition. It’s... really embarrassing.”

“It’s because you contributed to the chairman. Come on, don’t keep him waiting.”

As Li Ying drove, she called the chairman. Soon, they arrived at the restaurant. Sha Le’er didn’t even look at the sign, afraid he’d get lost, so he stuck closely to Li Ying. His eyes were fixed on her, oblivious to the many glances he received, especially from the waitresses. Li Ying noticed their looks and smiled to herself.

“That rascal—he’s a real heartbreaker!” she thought. “If he were a playboy, he’d break countless hearts.”

Though she scolded him inwardly, her face stayed calm. The two of them—handsome young man, beautiful young woman—looked like a perfect pair, drawing admiring stares until they entered the private room. Li Ying could sense all those eyes even without looking. Only Sha Le’er was unaware.

The private room was cool with air conditioning. A waitress entered to pour tea, her eyes lingering on Sha Le’er, causing the tea to overflow from the cup.

“Hey, the tea’s overflowing,” Li Ying teased, making the waitress blush and hastily apologize.

After the waitress left, Li Ying burst out laughing.

“Sis, what are you laughing at?” Sha Le’er asked.

“I’m laughing at how clueless you are.”

Just then, Boss Hong entered. Hearing Li Ying’s words, he asked what was going on. Li Ying recounted the waitress’s behavior, and Boss Hong laughed as well.

“Le’er, it seems you have quite a bit of charm,” Boss Hong said.

“Uh... I don’t feel anything. I’m not...”

“You’re a blockhead, of course you don’t feel it.”

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The three of them joked for a while, leaving Sha Le’er’s face bright red. The food arrived, and Boss Hong opened a bottle of red wine, pouring for each of them before raising his glass.

“Le’er, happy birthday,” Boss Hong and Li Ying said, clinking glasses with him and taking a sip.

“Le’er, I promised before that I’d make you rich. Today, I’m keeping my word,” Boss Hong said warmly. “But there’s a condition—you must have your little snake, Jin’er, join the final challenge against the King Serpent.”

“A challenge against the King Serpent?” Sha Le’er asked.

“Yes,” Boss Hong replied, calmly watching him. “After observing these past days, your little snake can only be described as heroic. More importantly, even if it can’t defeat other snakes, it never loses. As long as it uses its signature move, Hanging Golden Hook, other snakes have no way to counter it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be investing money here.”

“Alright, I agree,” Sha Le’er said, his face breaking into another foolish smile.

“Now tell me—how much do you want?” Boss Hong asked. As soon as he said this, Li Ying lowered her head, afraid Boss Hong would realize she’d coached Sha Le’er. Sha Le’er took a sip of wine, his excitement obvious.

“Chairman... The more money, the better... You’re not... going to give me a few million, are you?”

He gaped, still as naive as ever.

“You’ve got quite an appetite, kid,” Boss Hong chuckled, not annoyed. “Why do you need so much?”

“To find a wife, of course...” Sha Le’er said, fully embodying his country roots.

“Haha... You don’t need that much to find a wife!” Boss Hong laughed.

“And... I want to use the money to go back home and start a breeding farm. Maybe... become a boss myself, heh heh...”

“Kid, you look naive, but I wonder if you’re fooling me?” Boss Hong said, eyeing Sha Le’er thoughtfully. “You’re shrewd, I can tell... Well, maybe you’ll really make something of yourself. Here.”

Boss Hong pulled a bank card from his pocket and waved it.

“There’s a million on it, all yours. The password is in this envelope.” He handed both to Sha Le’er. “A million isn’t enough for a breeding farm, so I’ll add another half million, but that will be wagered on your little snake. If your snake wins, that half million could become two million. But if it loses, the money belongs to someone else. Are you confident?”

“Yes... Thank you, Chairman... for your great kindness, I...” Sha Le’er’s eyes reddened; his words faltered. A million—just like that. He was overwhelmed, grateful, tears streaming down his face. Li Ying realized again how shrewd he was, asking for money without leaving a trace. She had feared Boss Hong would see through him, but Sha Le’er hid it perfectly.

“Le’er, wipe your tears—congratulations, you’re now a millionaire,” Li Ying said, raising her glass.

Boss Hong raised his glass, too. Sha Le’er didn’t wipe his tears, letting them flow as he raised his glass, and the three clinked together, Sha Le’er draining his cup in one gulp.

“Li Ying, I’ll give you another half million. If you lose, it’s gone; if you win, you owe me the principal,” Boss Hong said, looking at Sha Le’er. “Le’er, everything depends on your little snake now. Your sister Li Ying has helped you a lot—don’t let her down.”

“I won’t. Thank you, Chairman.”

The three laughed, raising their glasses again. Li Ying knew that if they benefited so much, Boss Hong would certainly gain several times more if the little snake won.