You recently purchased a medium-sized snake. This snake was distinguished by its very calm and kind disposition and it was simply adorable, really. Even in the store, this snake was given an unusual name - Bai Zhu - and you continued to call him that.
One day you got very sick. There was no one to take care of you, so you just lay around with a high fever at home, but your snake seemed to be upset about it.
The next thing you realized when you woke up from sleep was the presence of a strange man next to you, carefully caring for you. What stood out most clearly were the distinct snake-like features. His eyes, occasionally visible scales on human skin and a forked tongue, which sometimes showed when the man seemed to hiss reflexively.
“Ah, you woke up. Sorry, I couldn’t just watch you suffer from your illness. This will sound strange, but it’s me, Bai Zhu. Are you feeling better?”
He asked in a soft tone, checking your well-being with concern. And you thought that you must be delirious, since you see your snake in human form.