Chapter 1

My roommate found a white snake and insisted on keeping it in our dorm.

I warned her that wild snakes carry viruses, and pets weren't allowed, so she had to get rid of it.

Unexpectedly, the snake understood human speech and took it personally.

From that day on, dismembered parts of small animals would appear on my bed occasionally.

The day I brought my five-year-old sister to the dorm, the snake bit off two of her fingers when I wasn't looking.

I flew into a rage and grabbed a fruit knife to kill it. However, my roommate held me back and let the snake go.

Four years later, I got my master's degree and went home. The moment I opened the door, the metallic stench of blood hit me.

I looked up and saw dozens of snakes watching me. In the center was the white snake.

It had ripped my parents and sister to pieces. I didn't even have time to run before it swallowed me whole.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my roommate found the white snake.

*****

The red forked tongue of a snake flicked across my face.

The fear of being swallowed by it in my previous life washed over me.

My roommate Celeste Wagner was still laughing, "Selene, this white snake is injured. I'm going to keep it in the dorm."

I looked around.

The other two roommates had turned deathly pale with fear. They huddled together in a corner, casting me pleading looks, hoping I'd help.

My gaze returned to Celeste, noting the malicious smile on her face.

I knew she had deliberately brought the snake back because just yesterday I had mentioned I was afraid of snakes.

Celeste asked again, "Selene, what do you think?"

I nodded nonchalantly. "Sure."

Celeste's smile froze on her face.

The other two roommates then called my name. I knew they wanted me to refuse Celeste.

In my previous life, I had indeed done so.

Celeste had found the snake in the wild, and there was no telling if it carried any viruses.

Most importantly, most girls were afraid of snakes.

If we kept the snake in the dorm and it bit or scared someone, we would all face disciplinary action.

However, Celeste had disliked me since freshman year.

Despite my objections, she insisted on making a home for the snake in our dorm.

I couldn't stand it and reported the matter to our class advisor, Andrea Boyd.

Andrea scolded Celeste, and only then did Celeste reluctantly get rid of the snake.

I thought Celeste would take the snake to an animal shelter or a pet hospital.

To my surprise, Celeste released it into the school flowerbeds and would bring it food every day.

I once encountered her and heard her complaining to it, "Don't blame me; blame Selene. She drove us apart. Now I can't even give you a home."

Her words were truly ridiculous.

Celeste lived in this city, just like me.

If she truly cared about the snake, even if the school didn't allow it, she could have taken it home.

I didn't dwell on this matter. But I never imagined that the snake could understand human speech.

Provoked by Celeste, it held a grudge against me.

From that day on, disgusting things always appeared on my bed: half-eaten dead mice, headless toads, and mangled sparrows, identifiable only by their feathers.

I reported it to the police, but the snake was too good at hiding and couldn't be found.

The only one who could find it was Celeste, but she refused to cooperate.

She also claimed on the campus forum that I slandered the snake and didn't have any evidence that the snake had put the mutilated animals on my bed.

This went on for six months.

Then one day, my parents were unavailable to look after my sister, so I brought my five-year-old sister to the dorm.

I had only gone to wash some fruit when I heard my sister's heartbreaking cries.

I returned to see that two of my sister's fingers were gone.

The snake was coiled next to her, looking provocatively at me. There was still blood in its mouth.

My mind went blank for a few seconds. Somehow, I found the strength to catch it.

As I was about to stab it with a fruit knife, Celeste came in.

She shrieked and rushed over. She gripped my knife tightly and bit the hand which held the snake. "Cassie, run. She's going to kill you," she yelled at the snake.

I cried out in pain, and my hand loosened. The snake quickly fled.

Three years later, the snake became the king of snakes.

It came to my house with a group of snakes.

The sight of my parents and sister lying in a pool of blood flashed across my mind again, and I couldn't help but shiver.

In this life, I would let others stop Celeste from raising the snake.

I wasn't about to get involved.