Chapter 23: The Vampire’s Prey (23)
Perhaps it was because the Xie family had only risen to prominence in recent years, their foundations ultimately lacking depth, while the Xie family head was a man obsessed with appearances.
From the etiquette between superiors and inferiors down to the details of daily life, he secretly tried to emulate the old, established clans in every aspect.
So, when the black sedan, a symbol of the Xie family heirs, screeched to a halt at the school gate, everyone assumed that the twins, who had been absent for days, had finally returned.
Many watched in silence.
A few subtle gazes lingered on the Xie family’s illegitimate daughter, who was leaning against Xue Zhu.
For some time now, her love-hate entanglement with the Xie twins had been the talk of the town. And today, this illegitimate daughter was entangled with Xue Zhu, about to be confronted by her ‘old flames’…
Everyone was waiting for a good show.
Click.
Under the watchful eyes of all, the car door opened. A smooth, slender leg elegantly stepped out, a high-heeled shoe landing on the ground with an air of imperious disdain.
—Xie Ning slowly got out of the car.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and surveyed her surroundings, her spirit high. Her provocative gaze was fixed on Yu Jiao.
An uproar went through the crowd.
Although this scene wasn’t as dramatic as a ‘meeting of new and old lovers’, it was still a monumental event!
“Is the Xie family… undergoing a change in power?”
“Xie Ning is the new heir? No way. Even in eight hundred years, her bloodline purity couldn’t catch up to those two, right?”
“With her old lovers out of the picture, this Second Miss Xie’s days are probably numbered!”
Some of the more quick-witted individuals had already stepped forward to congratulate Xie Ning and, at the same time, gather information.
Like a victor, Xie Ning didn’t even glance at Yu Jiao. Surrounded by her followers, she left, smug and triumphant.
Yu Jiao’s face was blank. Without turning her head, she jabbed an elbow hard into Xue Zhu’s solid abdomen. The man cried out in exaggerated pain and bent over, burying his head in her neck like a spoiled child.
Yu Jiao wasn’t buying it. “I assume you haven’t forgotten our deal,” she said coldly.
“Of course not.”
His hot, moist breath washed over her skin, like the intimate caress of lovers. His voice was low and husky, full of emotion. “Out of selfishness, I wanted them to suffer a little more… That’s not too much to ask, is it?”
Yu Jiao broke free from his embrace and turned to face him. A confrontational stance.
“Selfishness?”
She reached out a long finger and tapped his chest. “So you do have such a thing.”
The casual taunt made Xue Zhu freeze. His gaze was as dark as a black coffin. Before she could investigate further, the sinister, decaying aura vanished without a trace.
Like a hidden, unknown monster, accidentally revealing a monstrous corner of itself before instantly concealing its true nature, burying it deep beneath the lake. And so, he was once again the elegant, smiling, and powerful head of the Xue family.
Yu Jiao was unfazed. Her fingertips tapped lightly on his chest.
“I thought every part of you was made of madness.”
A soft laugh.
A well-defined hand caught her mischievous one.
An intimate caress.
The distant atmosphere between them instantly became viscous.
“This is the jealousy of a partner.”
He stared at her deeply. “Besides, I’ve already come to an agreement with that old fool Xie. They can return to the academy today, with all their limbs intact. After all—”
He winked playfully, his long, bewitching phoenix eyes like an electric shock.
“—I’d still like to invite them to our engagement ceremony.”
…How vicious.
The few underlings who were eavesdropping couldn’t help but click their tongues. This Eldest Miss surely wouldn’t want to face such a dramatic scene, right?
But then they saw the Eldest Miss’s eyebrow arch. She flipped her wrist and intertwined her fingers with his, a sweet smile on her face. “Of course. I can’t wait to receive their blessings. In that case… let’s have the engagement banquet tonight.”
Her voice was light, as if she were deciding on the dinner menu rather than a major life event.
Xue Zhu’s deep, dark eyes were filled with sunlight, making them look surprisingly warm.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly, a gentle smile on his face. “That suits me just fine.”
“…”
The underlings were petrified.
What? It’s decided?? Tonight??? And they’re inviting the old flames????
At that moment, the engaged couple were gazing at each other ‘lovingly’, but it was more like a clash of blades, a head-on confrontation. One couldn’t call it false affection, only strange.
There was a bizarre atmosphere between them that no one else could penetrate… and yet, they were strangely well-matched??
Suddenly, a hesitant call broke their strange, two-person world.
“Miss Yu…?”
A young man with a gentle demeanor stood a few steps away, staring blankly at Yu Jiao and Xue Zhu’s intimate posture.
Yu Jiao paused, then smiled at him. “Long time no see, Qiuzhe.”
Lin Qiuzhe’s gaze shifted between the two of them. He stammered, “I… you…”
—The moment he heard that she was finally back at the academy, he had rushed to find her. He had a belly full of concern and questions, but now, he couldn’t get a single word out.
Xue Zhu narrowed his eyes and deliberately pulled Yu Jiao into his embrace, their bodies pressed tightly together. His snake-like gaze was fixed on the intruder. He whispered in her ear:
“Darling, a friend of yours? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
With that, he gave her earlobe a light bite, an extremely intimate gesture.
He was like a brat in kindergarten, possessively claiming a toy.
Yu Jiao was speechless.
She couldn’t push the tall, leech-like young man away—which made it seem as if she were tacitly accepting his closeness.
Across from them, the young man’s clear eyes instantly froze over, like a winter lake, shattered by a merciless foot, instantly covered in a spiderweb of cracks.
Seeing his dazed state, it was obvious to everyone what was going on.
Lin Wei, who had been pushed into a corner, saw a chance to turn the tables.
“Boss,” he immediately volunteered, “this kid doesn’t know his place. He’s got his eyes on the Eldest Miss. I’ll teach him a lesson right now!”
Xue Zhu’s smile was unreadable, and he neither agreed nor disagreed.
Seeing this, Lin Wei’s lips curled into a sinister grin. He cracked his knuckles and approached the still-dazed Lin Qiuzhe. The other underlings also moved to surround him, eager for a fight.
The situation was looking bad.
“Hey,” Yu Jiao frowned and pushed at the mountain-like Xue Zhu. “Stop messing around.”
His long fingers, like strangling vines, caressed her cheek. He sighed by her ear, half-joking, half-serious, “But I can’t control them anymore.”
“They follow your every command, and you say you can’t control them?” Yu Jiao almost sneered out loud.
“…”
Xue Zhu was silent, his gaze fixed on her slightly anxious profile.
Over there, the tall, muscular underlings had already begun to beat Lin Qiuzhe.
He hadn’t awakened his powers, and he was no match for the elites of the Secret Society. Soon, he was bruised and battered, his light chestnut hair stained with dust and blood.
Yet, he didn’t make a sound, his pale, clear eyes stubbornly fixed on Yu Jiao.
Like a lighthouse in a stormy, raging sea.
“…”
Yu Jiao’s tone grew cold. “Xue Zhu, don’t go too far.”
But his gaze was dark as he watched her. He suddenly smiled, the unreadable emotion in his eyes dissipating.
“Kiss me, and I’ll let him go.”
Like a spoiled, petulant child.
They stared at each other in silence.
The sound of fists hitting flesh filled the air.
Yu Jiao hooked her arms around his neck, pulled him down, and planted a kiss on his lips, which were always curved in a light, mocking smile.
There was blood.
It was less a kiss and more the tearing bite of wild animals.
The shared pain added a secret, sensual quality to the fierce kiss.
Yu Jiao tilted her head up. Due to their height difference, she had to look up at him, but her gaze was not the least bit submissive.
She curled her blood-stained, aching lips and, with her pale fingers, ruthlessly wiped his injured mouth, smearing the dark red blood.
“Little liar,” Xue Zhu licked his lips and chuckled. “You call that a kiss?”
He took her hand and, staring into her eyes, darted out his tongue and very slowly licked the blood from her fingertips.
His gaze was greedy, as if he wanted to tear her apart and devour her whole.
Yu Jiao pulled her hand away and patted his cheek, her tone coaxing and perfunctory. “A deal’s a deal. Fulfill your promise.”
He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
…
“Don’t…”
Watching Yu Jiao ‘beg’ Xue Zhu for him, and then submit to him, Lin Qiuzhe’s eyes were blazing. A powerful, molten-gold emotion surged within his amber, star-like eyes.
At Xue Zhu’s signal, the attackers reluctantly backed away. Lin Wei cursed and spat. He turned around and met the young woman’s cold, dark gaze, and couldn’t help but shiver.
Yu Jiao looked away.
Over there, Lin Qiuzhe looked pitiful.
A purple bruise marked the corner of his tightly pressed lips, and his warm, flawless white skin was stained with dust. He had a refined, noble face, and even after being beaten, he didn’t look pathetic. Instead, he had the air of a fallen noble, strangely pitiable.
Meeting his eyes, which were filled with pain and heartache, Yu Jiao sighed inwardly.
From Lin Qiuzhe’s perspective, the last time he had seen her, she had been a trembling little white rabbit before Xue Zhu. But now, he had suddenly discovered that the little white rabbit and the big bad wolf were lovers… She had no idea what kind of tragic, melodramatic story the foolish boy had concocted in his head.
In truth, her feelings for him were complicated.
On one hand, since he wasn’t a system-designated capture target, she didn’t need to care about his feelings.
On the other hand, because of his pure, sincere affection, she really couldn’t bring herself to do anything too cruel to him.
As she was thinking, a pair of pale, cold hands suddenly cupped her face and unyieldingly turned her head. Then, a dark, beautiful face domineeringly filled her entire vision.
“Don’t look at him,” the pitch-black phoenix eyes reflected only her. Xue Zhu said, as if in a fit of pique, “Look at me.”
Yu Jiao stared at him silently. Suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss on his lips, completely different from the fierce bite from before.
The kiss was like a soft, fragrant petal falling onto a still pond, creating ripples of ethereal beauty. It was so tender, so gentle, it gave the illusion of a deep, passionate love.
Xue Zhu was caught off guard. His phoenix eyes froze, his dark pupils dilating as if in a daze.
Before he could react, Yu Jiao pulled away, linked her arm dependently with his, and turned to face Lin Qiuzhe, a shy, happy smile on her face.
“Qiuzhe, tonight is my engagement banquet. As a very special friend, you have to come, okay?”
—For a pure, gentlemanly, lovesick boy like him, the most direct and effective method was to make him give up all hope.
Just as she’d expected, Lin Qiuzhe was completely deceived by her flawless acting. He stared blankly at her, and at her words, his long eyelashes suddenly drooped, hiding his dim eyes.
After a moment, he forced a bitter smile, one that was even more painful than crying. “Okay.”
Yu Jiao, as if oblivious, waved goodbye to him, took the still-dazed Xue Zhu’s arm, and turned to leave.
The pack of underlings followed, leaving the dejected young man standing there, stunned, the air silent.
After an unknown amount of time, a slow, insincere cry rang out:
“Oh, my. How did you get so hurt?”
It was the flat, wooden delivery of a third-rate actor in a cheap play.
A pair of well-defined hands waved in front of Lin Qiuzhe’s face. “Hey, hey, are you alright?”
Lin Qiuzhe’s frozen pupils shifted, and he slowly recognized the person. “You are…”
The young man before him wore black-framed glasses and was holding a thick stack of lesson plans. Though he was dressed like a gentle, refined scholar, there was a lazy air about him.
Very familiar…
“Never mind who I am,” the young teacher said, smiling as he slung an arm around his shoulder. “You’re seriously injured. I’ll take you to get patched up first.”
“Huh? Wait—”
“Let’s go~”
…
Meanwhile, after walking some distance, the rebooted Xue Zhu suddenly stopped, his dark phoenix eyes fixed on Yu Jiao.
“So, I was just a tool.”
His low, husky voice was laced with a faint resentment.
The young woman was still holding his arm coquettishly. Hearing his words, she looked up and smiled sweetly. “What are you talking about? Isn’t it normal for a husband and wife to help each other?”
Xue Zhu paused, then returned a gentle smile. “My dear, you’re right.”
They smiled at each other, and a strange chill spread.
“…”
Yu Jiao was the first to be disgusted. Her smile vanished, and she dropped his arm with a cold expression. Xue Zhu’s lips curled.
“You’re going the wrong way, darling.”
He caught the young woman, who was heading straight for the teaching building, and guided her towards the school gate.
Yu Jiao: “?”
“Did you forget?” Xue Zhu’s voice was leisurely. “We need to hurry and prepare for tonight’s engagement banquet.”
…
That night.
The ancient, magnificent Xue Manor was brightly lit, and guests streamed in endlessly.
Although they had only received their invitations a few hours ago, the nobles showed no dissatisfaction on their faces. They were all dressed in proper attire, carrying carefully prepared gifts, here to attend the engagement ceremony of the youngest and most promising head of the Xue family.
—And, at the same time, to find out who the future mistress of the Xue family was.
“She’s a daughter of the Xie family? Then why isn’t her surname Xie?”
“Because she’s the illegitimate daughter of the old man Xie and a human woman. Not only is her bloodline impure, but she was raised outside, so she has no noble etiquette. Tsk tsk.”
“No wonder. She shows no signs of awakening. I really don’t know what the Xue family head sees in her.”
Many people’s expressions were strange and peculiar.
One person chuckled, “That’s what you don’t know. She’s so beautiful that even the Xie twins fell for her!”
“What?”
This piece of gossip immediately piqued the interest of more people.
They couldn’t help but look towards a corner of the banquet hall. There, it was as if an icy barrier had been erected, separating it from the lively atmosphere, filled with a cold, low pressure.
At the center of the low pressure stood the Xie twins. Their faces were still impeccably handsome, but they had a sickly air, completely devoid of color, like a sealed ice cellar.
One was leaning against the wall with a blank expression, the other was holding a glass of wine with a blank expression.
Seeing someone peeking, one of them, it was unclear if it was the older or younger brother, shot a dark, heavy glare over.
The whispers were instantly frozen.
After a while, someone continued, “I-I can understand. The twins were brought from a branch family to be raised. The best way to deepen their connection with the main lineage is through marriage… But why not choose the legitimate eldest daughter of the Xie family?”
“Because this illegitimate daughter is capable. Otherwise, how could she have captured three of the most elite young men of the blood race in a row?”
“But, inviting your old flames to your engagement banquet with your new lover… hss—this Miss Xie has some guts!”
After the gossip, more and more people rubbed their hands together, looking forward to the show. Finally, under the watchful eyes of all, the stars of the evening made their entrance.
The once-noisy banquet hall was as if muted.
Everyone looked towards the second floor of the banquet hall.
There, the head of the Xue family stood, dressed in a well-tailored white suit. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he was tall and slender. Standing in the magnificent hall, he was like a prince from a fairy tale.
He wore a gentle smile, willingly taking a half-step back, becoming a foil to let the young woman beside him be the sole focus.
The young woman wore a magnificent, classical white gown. She was like a creation of snow and jade, veiled in the pale moonlight, graceful and elegant, her black hair like a cloud, her movements fluid and delicate.
However, on her chest was a tattoo-like drawing of a blood-red orchid, adding a touch of secret, seductive charm to her untouchable, fairy-like aura.
The young woman lifted her moon-like eyes and swept her gaze over the crowd, as if stealing their souls.
Guided by the man beside her, she lifted her skirt and gracefully descended the stairs, entering the silent banquet hall.
Like a piece of pristine snow, falling from a great height, the cool sensation brought everyone back to their senses.
After a long moment.
Someone muttered, “No wonder she can navigate between several talented young men.”
The low words were drowned out by a wave of congratulations and praise.
…
Listening to the congratulations and praise, Yu Jiao didn’t even deign to offer a smile. She was like an exquisite doll, following beside Xue Zhu with a cold, proper expression.
Yu Jiao lowered her eyes, hiding the eager light within them.
—From the moment she had appeared in the banquet hall, two scorching, yet chilling, gazes had been locked on her.
It was as if they wanted to strip her bare, to cut her open and see what was hidden deep inside.
They couldn’t hold back any longer.
As Xue Zhu led her to greet the next wave of guests, the twins, like deadly arrows, fiercely blocked their path.
It was unclear what kind of family punishment they had endured, but the twins’ faces were as pale as ghosts.
—And Yu Jiao was the culprit they had come to claim.