Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

Lin Yu stopped at the tent entrance. Through the gray-white canvas, he could hear suppressed breathing coming from inside, with an unsteady tremor.

Lin Yu didn't lift the curtain; he simply stood there, his voice neither loud nor soft: "Miss Mia, why aren't you out for rehearsal?"

The noise inside the tent stopped.

A few seconds later, Mia's voice came from inside, tinged with a hint of panic and a deliberate attempt to maintain calm:

"Mr. Lin Yu... I, I'm fine... I'm just feeling a little unwell... I'll be fine after a rest... Don't worry, it won't affect tonight's performance..."

Her voice trembled at the end, as if she had just done something strenuous and her breathing hadn't fully calmed down.

Lin Yu stood outside the tent for two seconds: "I happen to be a potion master, perhaps I can help you take a look."

"No need—" Mia's voice rose half an octave, then quickly subsided, carrying a hint of embarrassment and softness:

"I mean... this is such a small matter, there's no need to trouble Mr. Lin Yu..."

A very faint gasp came from inside the tent, as if something was pulling at it in pain.

Lin Yu didn't ask any more questions. He raised his hand, lifted a corner of the curtain, and slipped inside.

The tent was small, and light leaked in through the gaps in the canvas, casting several thin, bright spots on the ground.

Mia curled up on the hay mat in the corner, her back to the door, her hands wrapped around her snake tail, struggling to tear off a piece of old skin that was already starting to loosen.

Her clothes were already stretched taut.

The neckline of the deep red tight-fitting top was askew, revealing half of her shoulder and collarbone, and the hem was rolled up to her waist.

The snake's tail peeked out from the edge of the skirt, and a crack appeared in the old skin starting from the tip of the tail, extending all the way to the vicinity of the abdomen.

Newly grown scales peek out from the cracks, lighter in color than the old skin, with a moist pinkish hue.

Mia's fingers gripped the edge of the old leather, and she tried to tear it apart, but the old leather was stuck in the middle and she couldn't pull it off no matter what she did.

Because of excessive force, a thin red mark was torn off the edge of the tender scales.

Mia froze when she heard Lin Yu enter.

She then turned her head sharply and saw Lin Yu standing at the entrance of the tent.

Her pupils contracted, her lips moved, and a sound was forced out of her throat:

"Mr. Lin Yu... what's wrong...?"

Mia's words caught in her throat. She pulled her hand back from the edge of the old leather and instinctively put it in front of her, but she didn't know where to put it.

Her neckline was wide open, revealing a large expanse of fair skin underneath.

She turned her face away, using the snake's tail to cover it: "...No, don't look at me...I'm very ugly right now..."

Lin Yu squatted down a few steps in front of her and stopped: "So Miss Mia is going through a skin shedding process."

Lin Yu smiled as he spoke, "However, I don't agree with what Miss Mia said. Miss Mia is very cute."

Mia's tail twitched, moving slightly away from her face to reveal one eye, red and glistening with moisture.

"...real?"

"And it doesn't look like things are going smoothly." Lin Yu glanced at the red welt on her side.

"If the wound is not treated, it can easily become infected."

"I happen to be a potion master, and I know a bit about demi-humans. If you don't mind, let me help you."

Mia glanced at Lin Yu, then quickly looked away.

Her cheeks were flushed, whether from the discomfort of peeling skin or from being seen like this, it was hard to tell:

"...I thought I could hold on for a few more days...but I moved a bit too much during rehearsal just now, and the old skin cracked..."

Her voice trailed off, and the tip of her tail tapped lightly on the ground, as if expressing some kind of dissatisfaction.

However, looking at Lin Yu's serious eyes, it seemed that he was really just thinking about her.

Mia's eyelashes trembled. She turned her head to look at Lin Yu, her lips moving as if she was hesitating about something.

Her tail slowly slid across the ground, its tip gently brushing against Lin Yu's hooves before retracting.

"...Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Mr. Lin Yu?"

"No," Lin Yu said.

Mia's breath hitched. She lowered her head, her voice muffled in her throat, "...Then...thank you, Mr. Lin Yu."

Lin Yu did not rush to get closer.

He first raised his hand, and a pale golden light emanated from his fingertips, converging at the edge of the tent.

The soundproofing magic silently spread, shutting out the sounds of flutes and wind from outside.

"You might feel a little uncomfortable during the shedding process," Lin Yu said calmly.

"Soundproofing magic should be helpful in avoiding embarrassing Miss Mia."

Mia's ears turned red for a moment, but she didn't object. She softly said, "...Thank you~"

Lin Yu took out two bottles from his storage magic bag.

One contained a cleaning potion, and the other contained a moistening potion.

He unscrewed the cork of the first bottle and poured the liquid into his palm.

The medicine was cool and had a refreshing herbal scent.

"It will be a little cool," he said.

Mia did not answer, but her tail moved away from her side, revealing the snake's tail.

Lin Yu placed his palm on the scales on her waist.

That's where the old leather meets the new leather.

The moment the medicine touched her skin, Mia's body shuddered violently, and she let out a very soft gasp.

Lin Yu's fingers pushed upwards along the curve of her waist, the movement neither too light nor too heavy, his fingertips touching her skin, spreading the medicine evenly.

The surface of the new scales is softer than the old skin, and you can feel a slight resistance when you slide your fingers over them, like touching a piece of silk that has just been soaked in water.

Mia's breathing became erratic, from steady to rapid, and then from rapid to broken.

Her hands gripped the edge of the hay mat, but she didn't pull away.

When Lin Yu's fingertips brushed the edge of the new skin near her tailbone, her tail suddenly straightened, and she let out a short, muffled groan before immediately biting her lip to suppress it.

Lin Yu switched to a second bottle, unscrewed the cap, and the milky white paste melted on his fingertips, carrying a faint oily smell.

Snake people need to keep their skin moisturized after shedding their skin, otherwise the newly grown scales will dry out and crack.

Lin Yu applied the potion to the red mark on her side, gently rubbing it along the edge of the wound with his fingertips. Mia's body trembled slightly, and a voice escaped her throat:

"...Mr. Lin Yu..." Her voice trembled at the end.

"Does the wound hurt?" Lin Yu asked.

"It doesn't hurt...it's just...a little strange," Mia said softly.

His gaze gradually hardened.

Lin Yu's fingers slid down her side, past her hip bone, and saw a slightly raised area.

The scales are thinner and softer than elsewhere, and the edges have begun to loosen.

Mia's body tensed abruptly: "...Mr. Lin Yu, I can do that myself..."

"Leave it to me," Lin Yu said. "Miss Mia can just lie down."

Mia's lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

She tapped her tail lightly on the floor twice, but ultimately did not refuse.

Lin Yu's finger touched the edge of the scale and gently hooked it.

He peeled off the detachable scale that was used as a cover.

Mia wasn't clumsy or impulsive either; she was rather round and chubby.

Mia's body jerked, and she lifted her hand from the hay mat to grab Lin Yu's wrist:

"Tame~...there—"

Mia didn't finish her sentence because she was too shy.

Her face turned red from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears, and she felt as if she had been nailed to the ground, unable to move or utter a complete sentence.

Lin Yu's finger stopped:

"Sorry, I don't know much about snake people's anatomy. So that's what it is—"

However, Miss Mia is indeed very beautiful.

Lin Yu apologized, his voice filled with confusion, as if he were completely unaware of the situation.

Mia's lips moved, and she stared at his face for several seconds before finally managing to squeeze out a sound from her throat:

"...No, it's okay...please, please don't say such embarrassing things again~"

Her voice was much softer than before, carrying an indescribable gentleness.