The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

The ward fell silent, the atmosphere delicate.

In the end, it was Bai Yanzhi who was the first to notice Bai Ci's abnormality.

He closed the laptop on his lap and placed it aside, then looked up at Bai Ci, who was lying on the bed looking restless, and asked in a gentle, warm tone, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Bai Ci snapped back to reality and shook her head vigorously: "No! I'm fine!"

How could he dare to tell the truth? He couldn't very well tell his older brother that he had just overheard a phone call and learned that his second brother, whom he had never met, was coming back, and that he had imagined a terrifying scene of a python swallowing a rabbit, and was so scared that his heart was pounding and his hands were shaking, could he?

How can I say that?

Bai Yanzhi assumed that he had been undergoing too many tests in the morning and his body couldn't take it anymore. He walked closer and touched his forehead with the back of his hand to check his temperature: "Don't worry, your older brother has already asked for leave for you. You can go back to school after you've recovered. After the report comes out, no matter what the result is, your older brother will ask the best experts to take a look at it."

"...Hmm." Bai Ci responded absentmindedly. He was still thinking about the snake. Although he answered, his mind was filled with the image of a python coiled up like a mosquito coil. Then he realized that Bai Yanzhi had just said "the best expert." His older brother thought he was worried about the medical report.

He quickly added, "Big brother is the best."

These words were spoken with genuine feeling. Bai Yanzhi's eyes paused slightly, and he reached out to gently rub the top of his head, a faint warmth flashing in his eyes, before turning around and sitting back on the sofa.

Bai Jiheng, who was standing to the side, finally finished peeling the orange. He looked up and saw Bai Ci's absent-minded look, and said in a casual tone, "Why is your face all scrunched up like a bun? Weren't you quite brave during the check-up this morning?"

"...No wrinkles." Bai Ci retorted softly, stubbornly sticking to her story.

"It's wrinkled like a freshly steamed bun." Bai Jiheng smiled and pushed the orange dish to his side, wiping his hands with a wet wipe. Suddenly, he changed the subject, as if chatting casually, "By the way, big brother, Mo Mo seems to have gained weight recently."

Bai Yanzhi raised an eyebrow at him: "Didn't you usually dislike it? Last time it sneaked into your room and dragged your limited edition helmet into its enclosure, you were furious and threatened to stew it. Why are you suddenly concerned about it?"

"That was so long ago. It was still small and didn't know any better back then. It doesn't dare to mess with me now. The last time I saw it, it was very well-behaved and docile." Bai Jiheng said casually, completely forgetting his outburst of anger back then. "If it weren't for my second brother protecting it, I would have fed it some special nutritional paste, which is good for shedding its skin. Of course, I didn't pay special attention to it; Uncle Chen just mentioned it casually."

Bai Yanzhi picked up his teacup and took a leisurely sip: "You suddenly brought up Mo Mo, is it because the second brother is coming back?"

Bai Jiheng twirled his phone between his fingers and nodded casually: "He just called me. The overseas project is finished, and he should be home in the next couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ci silently pulled the blanket up, burying half her face in it.

This is not a drill, not a nightmare, it's real.

The second brother who keeps a giant python is really coming back.

Bai Yanzhi caught Bai Ci curling up into a ball out of the corner of his eye, and his eyebrows twitched slightly: "Bai Ci, are you worried about your second brother coming back?"

With her secret exposed, Bai Ci bit her lower lip, unable to maintain her composure any longer, and whispered the truth: "I'm not afraid of Second Brother... I'm afraid of Mo Mo."

Bai Yanzhi comforted her, "In all the years Luo Chen has raised snakes, Mo Mo has never harmed a single family member."

"MoMo really doesn't bite?" Bai Ci asked, her eyes still wet with uncertainty.

Bai Jiheng, who was standing to the side, said with a smile, "It doesn't bite. It just likes to use its tail to curl things. Last time, it curled my trophy off the shelf and made a dent."

Bai Yanzhi added calmly, with a clear bottom line: "It won't bite, but if it dares to climb onto your bed, absolutely not."

This sentence instantly conjured up a completely new and terrifying scene in Bai Ci's mind.

In the stillness of the night, a slightly cool python slowly crawled into the hospital room along the heating pipe and silently slipped into his bed. In his sleep, he touched something cool, slippery, and still slightly wriggling…

He shuddered, his scalp tingling, then pulled the blanket back under his chin and muttered, "Then I'll definitely lock the door when I sleep from now on."

Bai Jiheng clicked his tongue from the side: "What's the point of locking the door? Do you even know that Mo Mo can turn the doorknob?"

Bai Ci's pupils contracted sharply, and his eyes widened instantly.

Bai Jiheng admired the "the sky has fallen" expression on his face, and finally mercifully added the second half of the sentence: "Just kidding. It doesn't have that kind of intelligence."

Bai Ci's pillow landed precisely on Bai Jiheng's shoulder.

Bai Jiheng caught the pillow, weighed it in his hand, and said with genuine surprise, "Wow, you've got some strength. You're so weak after the checkup, yet you still managed to throw it at someone?"

He put the pillow back on the bed and looked at Bai Ci, whose ears were red, eyes were wide, and lips were tightly pursed, making him look like a cat with its fur standing on end.

Bai Ci avoided his teasing gaze and turned to ask in a low voice, "Big brother, which room will second brother stay in when he comes back?"

"His room is right next to yours," Bai Yanzhi answered truthfully.

Bai Ci's face scrunched up again.

Bai Jiheng added gloatingly from the side, "Mo Mo's enclosure is also in his room. But don't worry, it's locked. Although the lock broke once last year, Mo Mo managed to push it open and climb out."

In an instant, Bai Ci's face paled a shade lighter, and even her lips became paler.

Bai Yanzhi couldn't stand it anymore and glanced at Bai Jiheng indifferently: "Jiheng."

Two simple words, yet they carry a powerful deterrent effect.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore." Bai Jiheng raised his hands in surrender and looked at Bai Ci to comfort him, "Third Brother was just joking, don't be afraid, Momo is really quite docile. Last time I accidentally deleted the experimental data that Second Brother had worked hard on for half a month, it only hissed at me a couple of times to scare me, it didn't really bite, it's more stable than some people's temper."

But this attempt at comforting had absolutely no effect.

Bai Ci felt even more panicked, thinking that she would definitely have nightmares tonight.

He gripped the blanket tightly, his mind filled with only one thought: the python named Momo only hissed twice at Third Brother who deleted the data, would it only hiss twice at him, a stranger?

Amidst his chaotic thoughts, Bai Yanzhi quickly followed up with a reassuring statement, his tone steady and calming: "It's just a snake. With me here, it won't dare touch you."

Bai Ci was stunned.

He turned to look at Bai Jiheng, who also dropped his joking tone: "Don't be afraid, I wouldn't dare to contradict what you say, Big Brother. But to be honest, Momo really doesn't dare to provoke you, Big Brother. Last time you went to Second Brother's room, it huddled at the very back of the incubator, not daring to stick its head out. It was such a coward."

The starkly contrasting scene instantly flashed into Bai Ci's mind.

The majestic python was so intimidated by Bai Yanzhi's single glance that it hid in the corner of the box, too afraid to show its face.

It's a little funny, but also inexplicably reassuring.

The tension in my heart finally eased quietly.

"If you're really worried," Bai Yanzhi looked into his eyes, his tone steady and reliable, "when he comes back, I'll have him lock the snake up in front of you."

Bai Ci was stunned for a moment.

Why would a complete stranger, who sounds like a formidable opponent, have his second brother lock up snakes just for him?

"...No need," Bai Ci said softly. "Third Brother already said it's quite well-behaved. I just..."

"Just what?"

"I've just never seen it before, so I need to mentally prepare myself."

Bai Yanzhi chuckled and gently touched his forehead: "Don't overthink it. Instead of wasting your energy, why don't you think about what you want to eat for lunch?"

Bai Ci muttered, "Red date and millet porridge."

Bai Jiheng clicked his tongue and stood up to leave, saying, "You really know how to pick hospital food. I'll go tell Uncle Chen to stay in bed and not move."

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back, a sly smile playing on his lips: "You picked up the pillow, huh? Next time, hit it harder. Your third brother's shoulders are strong; I'm not afraid of pain."

Before Bai Ci could react, the door was closed.

Bai Ci looked at the tightly closed door, then at Bai Yanzhi, and finally belatedly asked, "Was he just teasing me?"

Bai Yanzhi reopened the computer page, his expression calm and composed, and readily admitted, "Yes."

"...You knew but didn't tell me?" Bai Ci said angrily.

"You seem quite engrossed in it."

Bai Ci was completely humiliated. She pulled the blanket over her head and let out a muffled wail.

Bai Yanzhi looked at the bulge under the blanket, and a very faint, gentle smile curved his lips.