Encounter with a snake"

Matchmaker...

If it were someone else on this particular night, after such a first encounter, they would have been so exhausted that they would have fallen asleep immediately under the covers without waking up. However, Shen Qingxuan was never a person who could easily calm his mind. His thoughts were always heavy, and he usually couldn't sleep well. Tonight, both his body and mind were exhausted, yet he couldn't even close his eyes properly due to his light sleep. Throughout the night, he only had strange and bizarre dreams, sweating profusely. The night outside the window had turned pale, and he only vaguely fell into a deep sleep. He slept until the sun was high in the sky, with the sunlight directly overhead, without waking up.

He rarely indulged in such deep sleep. Today was an exception. The servants working in the courtyard didn't realize anything unusual, but Shen Qingxuan's personal maid felt that something was amiss. She had been waiting outside his door early in the morning with a basin of water and toiletries, but she never heard the sound of the bell ringing from inside the room. Feeling suspicious, she also worried that something might have happened to the young master's health. So, she quietly pushed open the door and entered the room.

This maid entered the Shen family at the age of five and had originally served by Lady Shen's side. When she arrived, she was young and sweet-looking, with clever wit. Lady Shen had never treated her like an ordinary servant, knowing that her son had a solitary temperament. She sent the girl to Shen Qingxuan's room, hoping that having a child around would brighten his mood. As the girl grew older, Lady Shen thought of arranging her to be a concubine for Shen Qingxuan, hoping to give him a son and a daughter, even though the girl was born of a maid, she still carried the blood of the Shen family.

Lady Shen's intentions were known throughout the mansion, and everyone knew the maid's status in the house was different from ordinary servants.

Shen Qingxuan was aware of his mother's intentions, but he simply had no romantic feelings for the girl who had grown up before his eyes. He had considered making things clear but never found the right opportunity. Besides, the girl had served him for over a decade, and he considered her close. He didn't want to hurt her feelings. Despite his solitary nature, he treated the girl with kindness. However, the maid was unaware of Shen Qingxuan's rejection. She assumed that he was just shy, and being a girl, she didn't dare to speak up. So, the matter had been dragging on like this.

In recent years, Lady Shen often spoke privately with the girl, and during their conversations, this matter had come up again.

Although she was to be a concubine, she had grown shy and reserved in her words and actions. She was more cautious than before.

She pushed open the door cautiously and saw the floor covered with broken pages. Her heart skipped a beat. Shen Qingxuan, although reclusive, never showed his emotions, let alone tearing books. It had never happened before.

Carefully treading on the fragments, she reached the bedside. The curtain was drawn, making it difficult to see clearly inside. But she could vaguely discern the shape of the figure on the bed. There seemed to be nothing unusual. The man on the bed breathed evenly, deeply asleep, unaware of her presence.

The maid steadied her nerves and reached out with trembling hands to lift a corner of the curtain. Her face flushed crimson at the sight. The bed was in disarray, the embroidered quilt wrinkled and spread in all directions, showing signs of being twisted in someone's hands. The air in the canopy carried an indescribable, yet instinctively blush-inducing scent. There were also dried white marks on the green bedsheet, indicating something had happened here, evident as day.

The maid turned to leave, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. She thought to herself, in this remote place, and with only Shen Qingxuan in bed, how could such an embarrassing situation occur? Even if there were private liaisons, there was no other maid in the estate more suitable than her. After hesitating for a moment, she cautiously lifted the covers on Shen Qingxuan's lower body and glanced sideways, only to see his clothes intact. Blushing, she quickly covered him again. Never did she expect more, thinking it was just Shen Qingxuan's loneliness that led to self-indulgence. Nevertheless, a shred of doubt lingered in her mind. After all, the traces on the bed were not something a recluse like Shen Qingxuan could easily create. But she had no way of guessing. So, she quietly closed the door and left.

Shen Qingxuan was unaware of everything. When he woke up, he felt exhausted and summoned a maid to help him wash his eyes with tea water and rinse his mouth with salt water. After washing his face and eating something, he lay back in bed and fell asleep again.

The next day, when he woke up, he felt much better. He sat back in his wheelchair, leaned over the desk, and read and painted. His face was serene, showing no signs of agitation. The maid waited by his side, unable to discern any clues.

Little did she know, since that night, Shen Qingxuan had been feeling a strange sensation in the places where someone had deeply penetrated him for several days, reminding him constantly of that wild night, something he didn't want to remember.

Strangely enough, after that night of turmoil, Shen Qingxuan felt that his mood had significantly improved. The previous restlessness and despair had vanished, as if the turbulent emotions of that night had cleansed him completely. When he was alone, Shen Qingxuan would ponder over this, wondering if being single for over twenty years had caused him to become so pent up. Otherwise, how could he explain that once he was satisfied, the fierce beast in his heart would retreat? Shen Qingxuan began to seriously consider the idea of marriage.

No man likes to be pinned down by another man and forced into such acts. Shen Qingxuan was no exception. Although it felt good and he was willing, he could see that Imo's heart was not in it. His clothes remained fastened, and he didn't even want to release inside him. After bringing him to the peak, Imo would leave, his posture high and mighty, more like an act of charity than lovemaking.

Moreover, one man and one demon, one willing and one unwilling, the gap between them was so great that Shen Qingxuan willingly admitted defeat, knowing he didn't have the ability to bridge that vast chasm. Some things, even a demon couldn't do.

Since that night, Imo hadn't visited for many days. Shen Qingxuan smiled as he looked out the window, watching the blooming flowers in the courtyard. He counted the days in his mind, realizing that his birthday was approaching, and he would soon be going down the mountain. Every year at this time, he would return to his family for a reunion. It was time to go back, to marry and have children, to be the eldest young master of the Shen family, to be an ordinary mortal. Instead of yearning for the unattainable snake demon.

It was strange, he thought, that he didn't feel