Chapter 14
Footsteps stopped just outside the door.
Xie Rin was intensely possessive of everything in his territory. If he saw his bodyguard and Fu Xia in this position, with blood welling up on her hand… that guy would absolutely lose his mind and start screaming, likely launching an indiscriminate attack.
Therefore, Xie Rin absolutely could not find out about this.
The scent of blood filled the young man’s mouth. He barely resisted the urge to sink his fangs into Fu Xia’s neck and lowered his voice.
“Xie Rin will go crazy if he sees us in the room together. He might even tear down the entire scholarship student dorm.”
He had to pause several times while speaking, biting his own lip to fight the urge to drink her blood, struggling to get the full sentence out.
“…You don’t want that to happen, do you?”
Fu Xia certainly did not.
She only hesitated for two seconds, but the young man behind her had already gotten his answer from her reaction. He swiftly hoisted her onto his shoulder and, just before the doorknob could fully turn, leaped with her out of the fourth-floor window.
Fu Xia: “…?!”
“I won’t let you fall,” the young man said.
His jumping ability was astonishing. He leaped from the windowsill to a nearby tree; from Fu Xia’s perspective, all she could see was the swaying of the branches after they landed.
…Is this guy a monkey?
The jostling was making her nauseous.
After finally reaching a secluded spot, the young man landed lightly on the ground and set her down. He quickly put some distance between them. Beneath the cat mask, his lips were bitten bright red, which only made the rest of his face seem paler.
Clutching her stomach, Fu Xia said weakly, “…I’m going to call the police on you.”
The masked young man took two deep breaths. “I told you, it’s a misunderstanding. Xie Rin really can’t find out.” He added, “He might choke you to death… or something.”
“He’d tear you to pieces first,” Fu Xia retorted.
…This was completely different from the flippant, confident demeanor he displayed around Xie Rin. With the mask on, she couldn’t see his expression, but he pursed his lips and still seemed agitated.
The sweet scent of her blood continued to entice him. Ever since that glimpse from outside the window, certain scenes had been replaying in his mind, and now, the main character of those scenes was standing right in front of him. About ten meters away—practically within arm’s reach for a vampire.
…For the first time, he was glad his self-control was decent. He wasn’t about to pounce on her and tear at her like a wild animal.
“Fine,” Fu Xia said, pressing on her stomach. The pain was finally starting to subside, and she caught her breath.
Logically, this man was much bigger than her, could hold his own against Pei Wang, and had demonstrated incredible athleticism. She should be treating him with caution. It was just that seeing a stranger in her dorm had thrown her for a loop.
Fu Xia was now increasingly certain that Xie Rin and Pei Wang were high-ranking members of some kind of underground organization.
“…Anyway, I don’t care what you’re here for,” she conceded. “It’s fine if you’re protecting Xie Rin, but please don’t appear in front of me again.”
Even if you come to the dorm, please do it secretly.
The masked man: “…That’s up to Xie Rin.”
“I’ll bring it up with him,” Fu Xia said.
She had made the biggest concession she could, but the young man didn’t answer. Fu Xia couldn’t see his expression, couldn’t see that it had turned rather grim. Just as she was about to turn and leave, he suddenly took a step toward her.
Fu Xia: “?”
What’s he doing now?
He took a step forward, and she took a step back. Soon, her back hit the tree behind her.
The masked man lowered his voice. “Look up.”
“…What now?” Fu Xia asked.
The next second, he raised a hand and removed the black cat mask from his face.
Fu Xia hadn’t been particularly curious about the face behind the mask, but when he took it off, her eyes widened. In terms of looks, he was on par with the first-year she had met today.
And… his eyes… were extraordinary.
One eye seemed blind, with an inorganic quality. The other had a clear green iris, but the pupil was a bright, orange hue, with a small, red, teardrop-shaped mark just below it. It was a strange yet uniquely beautiful combination. Like a bizarre vortex, it could capture a person’s gaze in an instant.
A familiar dizzying sensation washed over her. Fu Xia’s eyes were wide open. She wanted to look away, but she didn’t want to miss the sight of those strange eyes.
The young man’s eyelashes trembled. The more colorful of his eyes instinctively darted away before forcing itself to meet hers again.
“…Look at me.”
“What I’m about to say… concerns your past, your present, and your future.”
His ability was to alter perception. The conditions for its activation were strict: the target had to be looking into his eyes, and he had to maintain the altered perception every 48 hours. Each use would harm him, requiring him to consume a large amount of blood afterward, or else he would fall into a slumber proportionate to the degree of the alteration.
…For various selfish reasons, he didn’t want Xie Rin to know he’d had contact with Fu Xia today, nor did he want to agree to her request.
The young man had originally planned to tell her to “just forget what happened today,” which wouldn’t consume too much of his power, but for some reason, the words changed as he spoke them.
He said, “Xie Rin doesn’t like me interacting with you, but we get along very well… behind his back. Of course, we can’t let him find out about our relationship.”
(The young master is very possessive and doesn’t like it when his friend and his bodyguard get along. Reasonable.)
“We talk privately sometimes. You trust me a lot and will complain to me about your classmates or your roommate.”
(Fu Xia has no friends at the academy, and a bodyguard isn’t high-status, so there’s no class difference. They can even bond over how weird Xie Rin is. Reasonable.)
“And… you don’t mind my strange appearance.”
As he spoke these words, a secret thrill shot through him. In terms of status, his family and his abilities were no less than Xie Rin’s; otherwise, he wouldn’t be his “friend.” He just wasn’t a warrior and had no intention of participating in this game, only occasionally acting as a “messenger” between the Princes.
But that didn’t mean he lacked the vicious traits of a vampire. He was just as greedy.
The young man’s eyes traced the face of the human girl before him, and he couldn’t help but soften his voice. “If you understand, just nod.”
The girl stared straight at him and nodded.
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, she tilted her head and asked, “…What’s your name?”
The young man’s pupils contracted sharply.
This shouldn’t be happening.
Even without knowing his name, Fu Xia should have subconsciously filled in the blanks of their relationship herself, not actively asked for his name.
Why…?
His body began to ache. Before he lost control and attacked the sweet-smelling person in front of him, the vampire took a deep breath and put the black cat mask back on.
“Yan Zhu,” he said softly. “You can call me that.”
…
Fu Xia felt that something was strange.
As she walked back to the dorm, she felt like she was missing something. Did she leave something in the infirmary? It was almost eight o’clock, and the sun had already set. …Strange, was she really busy that late?
It felt like a piece of her memory was missing, but when she thought about it, nothing seemed out of place. Perhaps she had just spent more time than she thought reporting back to the supervising teacher.
Puzzled, Fu Xia pulled her phone from her uniform pocket, and several new messages popped up on the screen. She usually kept her phone on silent, which was why she hadn’t noticed them before.
As she walked, she opened the message from her new contact.
Zhu Ye: Senior, thank you for taking me to the infirmary today! [Dog Wagging Tail Emoji]
Zhu Ye: [Transfer 20,000]
Zhu Ye: Senior, it seems like this is the daily transfer limit for this app [Crying Dog Emoji]
The hand holding the phone trembled.
Indeed… a person’s bad luck has to run out eventually.
Lately, a lot of people had been dropping money on her. But what was this? A sweet, simple-minded, rich young master?
The transfer went directly to her account. She had no intention of sending it back, but out of a sliver of conscience, she asked a question.
Fu Xia: No trouble at all -w- If you have any questions about the school, feel free to ask me. By the way, how’s your allergy?
She was just being polite, but he immediately sent a photo in response.
Zhu Ye: [Image]
Zhu Ye: The redness is completely gone, thank you for your concern, senior!
Zhu Ye: By the way, senior, if you have time, can I treat you to a meal? I’m really grateful for your help today.
The photo was taken from an excellent angle, a top-down shot. Although his face wasn’t visible, he was shirtless, and you could even see his V-line.
Fu Xia: “…”
She repeatedly tapped open the photo, was silent for a few seconds, and then shamefully saved it. Whatever this young master was thinking, who would refuse a gift from the gods?
Zhu Ye was incredibly enthusiastic. For every one sentence she sent, he would reply with three. He was also very perceptive of her mood; the moment he sensed her spirits were low, he would quickly change the topic.
Fu Xia unlocked her dorm room door and sent one last reply.
Fu Xia: I have to do my homework now. Let’s eat together when we have time.
She was kidding. With the amount of attention Zhu Ye had garnered on the forum on his first day, Fu Xia suspected that if she had a meal with him, she would disappear without a trace shortly after. Besides, the concentration of young masters and misses in her life was already at a critical level. She still had to deal with Pei Wang and Xie Rin.
A chance encounter, and she got twenty thousand yuan. Not bad at all!
Fu Xia returned to the dorm.
Xie Rin didn’t like the overhead light, and the curtains were drawn, so the room was a bit dark. However, a small night light was on by the bed, casting a dim, warm glow that was just enough to see by. Xie Rin liked rich fragrances, and ever since he moved in, there was often incense burning in the room. The scent wasn’t overpowering, and Fu Xia found it pleasant.
She scanned the room and suddenly noticed a water bottle that had rolled onto the floor. Strange…? I think this is the bottle Zhu Ye gave me. When did I bring it back?
Xie Rin heard her but didn’t turn around. He was half-kneeling on the bed. Today, he wasn’t wearing a dress but a sharp-looking prince-style outfit. His red-streaked hair was tied up in a high ponytail, revealing the sharp angles of his face. He was focused on something, and in the dim light, Fu Xia saw that the bed was covered with many newly opened boxes.
Did he buy that much stuff…?
Confused, Fu Xia took a few steps forward.
The beautiful young man on the bed looked up at her.
Xie Rin’s lips curled. There was no mirth in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on her, like a life-sized doll in a shop window, looking somewhat terrifying in the dim light.
He urged her softly, “…Sweetie, I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
“You haven’t forgotten what you promised me yesterday, have you?”
It was just after eight. Fu Xia didn’t think she was back that late.
She walked toward the bed. As she got closer, she finally saw what was in the boxes in front of him.
Inside were… toys of various special shapes, different functions, and assorted sizes.
Fu Xia: “…”
He’s serious…!