Chapter 25: The Vampire’s Prey (25p2)
The twins’ ghost-fire-like eyes were fixed on the intimate ‘newlyweds’ in the ballroom.
When the dance ended, they coolly blocked her path.
The two handsome, pale faces were marked with the same cold gravity. Their striking similarity gave them an unspeakable, horrifying, inhuman quality.
Like an inescapable ghost net.
The two of them opened their thin lips, as if to say something, but Yu Jiao cut them off without a shred of courtesy. “If you hate me, then feel free to take your revenge in the coming week.”
She shrugged, her tone indifferent.
“As for any other meaningless words, don’t bother.”
With that, she turned and left, leaving the twins standing there, their expressions dark, watching her retreating back.
The emotions in their eyes were like a boiling cauldron, and after the water had boiled away, all that was left was a dry, hot, twisted vessel, a mold-like blackness spreading.
【Capture Target Blackening Level: 40%】
…
After the dance, Xue Zhu was mysteriously pulled away by a group of nobles. Their gazes, when they looked at her, were filled with the word ‘seductress.’
Yu Jiao sat on a high chair and watched from a distance as the group of men, like a pack of eunuchs, surrounded Xue Zhu, earnestly trying to persuade him of something, while he responded with bored, perfunctory grunts.
Catching her gaze, he smiled and raised his glass to her from afar, then drained it in one go. He mouthed: They’re badmouthing you.
“…”
Yu Jiao looked away, speechless.
She could hear whispers, and in her peripheral vision, she could see pointing fingers, but for the time being, no one had come to cause trouble.
Yu Jiao took a small sip of wine.
She waited for the fish to take the bait.
A few people with ulterior motives came over, one after another, offering congratulations but actually trying to probe her. She blocked all their attempts without revealing any flaws.
Just as she was about to finish her glass, finally, like the grand finale before the curtain call, a dark, thick shadow fell over her.
Yu Jiao looked up. When she saw who it was, her eyebrow arched.
It was a tall, strange man, with grey hair and grey eyes. The marks of time on his face had settled into a story-like quality, handsome and solemn.
He looked like the head of some family.
And… he had a pair of peach-blossom eyes.
“May I sit here?”
His voice was deep, rich, and magnetic.
Yu Jiao’s gaze was peculiar. She enunciated with a half-smile, “No.”
The man smiled and, obligingly, sat down across from her.
They looked at each other.
He: “Congratulations on your engagement.”
Yu Jiao: “I’d rather be a widow.”
He: “…”
“It seems Miss Yu is not satisfied with this marriage?” His deep eyes were meaningful. He said, “I thought this was something you had meticulously planned.”
Hearing this, the young woman’s eyelashes drooped, as if to hide the pain in her eyes. Her voice was hoarse. “Sir, you’ve misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?” he asked in a low voice. “So just now, when I personally witnessed your cold and harsh words to the two Xie young masters, that was also a misunderstanding?”
He let out a very light laugh. “Then what, exactly, is not a misunderstanding?”
“…”
The young woman opened her lips, as if to say something, but at that moment, a pale, cold hand pressed on her slender shoulder.
The young woman trembled and closed her eyes, as if to suppress her fear. When she opened them again, her face was back to normal. This subtle change was caught by the man across from her.
She lifted her small face and gave a soft, serene smile.
“Darling, are you finished with your business?”
Two long fingers, as if by chance, tipped her chin up.
Xue Zhu’s eyes were filled with a novel curiosity. He looked at the smiling face, which was filled with ‘enduring humiliation’, from side to side. Hearing her words, he snorted, “Yes. I just finished, only to find that my home was about to be robbed.”
With that, his long, dark phoenix eyes shifted and fell on the strange man.
“Mr. Chi, what can I do for you?”
Xue Zhu’s eyes were lowered, his gaze superior, his scrutiny undisguised.
—This person is not right.
‘Mr. Chi’ smiled and took an unhurried sip of wine. He was about to engage in a verbal sparring match with Xue Zhu when he suddenly froze, as if his lifeline had been seized. The wine he had just drunk almost went down the wrong pipe, and he coughed until his face was red.
Under the cover of the draping tablecloth, a wicked foot had slowly hooked around his leg!
A pair of peach-blossom eyes were both shy and angry, glaring at him without leaving a trace, yet they were so misty they looked like a flirtatious glance.
Yu Jiao was putting on an act of ‘Ah, I have my reasons, ah, I’m being bullied by him, ah, please come and save me, boo hoo’, blinking at him pitifully.
But her foot was growing more and more audacious—
Thump!
‘Mr. Chi’ shot to his feet, knocking over a wine glass. A sensual wet spot bloomed on the pure white tablecloth.
Xue Zhu was completely unaware of their little exchange. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”
‘Mr. Chi’ looked as if he had been so humiliated he could die. His voice was hoarse. “My apologies. I must be leaving.”
With that, before Xue Zhu could react, he fled.
Seeing Wei Changlin’s mature, elegant, middle-aged handsome man persona completely break, a flicker of a smile crossed Yu Jiao’s eyes.
She also grabbed Xue Zhu, who was about to give chase. “Hey, don’t.”
A pair of deep phoenix eyes fell on her. He asked, “Is that your vampire hunter companion?”
Before she could answer, Xue Zhu sneered, “He ran away in fear at the sight of me. A vampire hunter… nothing more.”
Like a petty, childish squabble.
Yu Jiao: “…”
“However,” he looked at her with a resentful gaze and asked with a smile, “darling, why did you protect him just now?”
Yu Jiao coaxed him casually, “Because I don’t want you to hunt others. I only want you to look at me.”
Xue Zhu: “…”
“Don’t come any closer! We’re talking! Why are you using your mouth!”
Yu Jiao struggled angrily.
…
The eventful engagement banquet finally came to an end. The guests dispersed, and the lights of the Xue Manor were extinguished.
The long night passed.
The next day.
Yu Jiao, who now had a luxurious private suite in the Xue Manor, had a dreamless night. She yawned and stretched.
After enjoying the meticulous service of several blood servants, she got dressed and went downstairs to have a lavish breakfast with her impeccably dressed fiancé, during which she ignored his seventeen flirtatious remarks and thirty-two flirtatious glances.
Then, the two of them took the same car to the academy and, under a barrage of strange gazes, walked side by side like a model couple.
When they reached a fork in the road, Yu Jiao once again ignored her fiancé’s requests for a kiss and a hug and walked into the teaching building alone with a cold expression.
The abandoned fiancé’s expression was pleased. He called after her persistently, “Let’s have lunch together.”
His only response was the young woman’s retreating back, not even a glance in his direction.
…
Although it was a public and irreversible fact that Yu Jiao had become the new prey, many people in the academy were still watching from the sidelines, not daring to act rashly, afraid that it was just a game between the couple. After all, everyone knew how crazy Xue Zhu was.
So, her school life was relatively peaceful until Xie Ning and her friends, lackeys, and admirers surrounded her.
The morning sun was faintly warm, and it felt comfortable on her skin, making her squint her eyes.
However, this contented expression, in the eyes of the hostile group, was a blatant provocation.
“Hey!”
Lackey: “You’re just prey now!”
Admirer: “What are you acting so smug for?”
Friend: “Exactly—”
Xie Ning raised a hand, silencing the cursing group. She licked her lips. “I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”
“I’ve been wanting to say that for a long time, too.”
Yu Jiao knew exactly what kind of nonsense she was about to spout and immediately cut off her insane rant.
She carefully placed the book she was holding on the windowsill, freeing her hands. She then gripped her right wrist with her left hand and rotated it, warming up her joints.
“Xie Ning.”
Yu Jiao lifted her cold, grey eyes. “How incompetent are you?”
The moment her words fell, her figure shot forward like lightning. A fierce punch forced Xie Ning to retreat.
Xie Ning’s triumphant expression changed. As she parried the attack, she glared at Yu Jiao. “What did you say?”
Yu Jiao gave a very cold smile. “I said—how. In. Com. Pe. Tent. Are. You.”
With each emphasized syllable, a thunderous attack struck a weak point in Xie Ning’s defense.
“You can’t take revenge on the one who betrayed your family, so you take your anger out on an equally innocent woman and child instead. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that ‘my mother’ was forced by that old fool Xie, and that after she gave birth to ‘me’, your dear mother had her tormented to death.”
Yu Jiao’s gaze was cold. She ruthlessly kicked Xie Ning in the chest.
Xie Ning spat out a mouthful of blood, her anger rising. “Shut up!”
She turned angrily to her stunned lackeys and roared, “What are you standing there for? Attack her together!”
A soft laugh.
Yu Jiao moved between them like a ghost, taking down the unawakened students one after another in just a few moves.
“What? Can’t handle the truth?”
Yu Jiao tilted her head. Her figure was light and graceful as she walked with the leisurely steps of a cat towards the defenseless Xie Ning.
“It was clearly that man who was in the wrong,” Yu Jiao said in a ghostly voice. “Why don’t you hate him? Are you afraid? Afraid of being stripped of your rights and resources? Or are you worried that hating him will only make you seem more pitiful? But—”
She closed the distance in the blink of an eye. The terrifying killing intent froze Xie Ning in place.
“—You’re already very pitiful.”
Coming back to her senses, Xie Ning pulled out a knife and swung it wildly, roaring with hatred, “What do you know!!”
Thwack.
Yu Jiao kicked her wrist, and the knife fell limply to the ground.
Xie Ning could no longer withstand the fierce attacks. She was beaten until she collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Yu Jiao sneered, “Oh, I see. Because he’s a good father to you. So you can only hide behind ‘Father’ and be a good little baby, wagging your tail and begging for affection, barking at imaginary enemies.”
“Do you know what that kind of behavior is called?”
Perhaps because she had lost her will to fight after the barrage of verbal attacks, Xie Ning’s eyes were red, but she could no longer raise her fists.
Yu Jiao looked down at her from a superior height, slowly and meticulously wiping her hands with a tissue. She tilted her head in thought and said:
“Actually, I don’t know what that kind of behavior is called either, but it looks really—”
Her light, airy voice seemed to be able to melt into the sunlight and freeze it over.
“—Pathetic and pitiful.”
The tissue floated down like a snowflake and landed on Xie Ning’s back, like the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The last bit of pride that had been supporting her was stripped away. She collapsed to the ground, staring at Yu Jiao’s retreating back, muttering, “What do you know…”
…
Not long after, the news of Xie Ning’s confrontation spread throughout the academy.
Although Yu Jiao had handled it perfectly herself, many people thought that Xue Zhu would get revenge for her. But after waiting all afternoon, they found that he didn’t care at all.
It was like a signal.
The eager hunters raised their guns.
Thump!
A solid body hit the ground with a muffled sound, kicking up a fine cloud of dust.
At the same time, long, black hair fell. The young woman maintained her shoulder-throw posture.
A gust of wind rushed towards her. Her cold, grey pupils suddenly shifted, her sharp gaze sweeping behind her. A fist the size of a sandbag, taking advantage of her surprise, aimed for her seemingly weak back.
The slender young woman nimbly sidestepped the attack, then executed a beautiful, high spinning kick, ruthlessly striking the last person’s temple.
The man’s eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he crashed onto his companions, who were already lying on the ground.
The place returned to silence.
The brilliant sunset was like blood, silently filling the room, outlining Yu Jiao’s slightly panting figure.
The eleventh wave.
Yu Jiao counted silently in her head, calmly wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand.
Her stamina was already running low.
I need to find a once-and-for-all solution…
Yu Jiao listlessly washed her hands, walked out of the teaching building, and passed through the various eager gazes to the academy cafeteria.
The automatic door beeped and slowly slid open, revealing her beautiful, indifferent face.
The cafeteria, which had been filled with a light, cheerful atmosphere, strangely fell silent.
Yu Jiao, as if oblivious, stuck her hands in her pockets and walked purposefully towards another center of attention.
—There sat the president of the Secret Society and a group of its members.
Seeing her approaching with a fierce aura, the members of the Secret Society all looked pained. Most of them stared at their noses, pretending not to see.
The quick-witted Vice President glanced at his boss—who was smiling as he watched her approach. Sensing a signal, the Vice President immediately stood up, cleared the seat next to Xue Zhu, and said with an obsequious smile, “Eldest Miss, please sit here, sit here.”
Yu Jiao waved her hand. “No need.”
With that, she scanned the area, grabbed Xue Zhu’s uniform jacket, which was hanging on the side, and, with a whoosh, spread it over the dining table.
The series of movements was extremely natural. The underlings watched with a sense of dread as a few drops of grease stained their boss’s jacket.
Yu Jiao braced her hands on the table and gracefully hopped up onto the now-‘tableclothed’ surface. Her smooth, beautiful legs dangled in front of Xue Zhu, occasionally brushing against his trousers.
Like a playful fish.
She extended her right hand and held it out to him.
“It hurts,” she said, her face blank.
Looking at the pale, slender, flawless hand before him, Xue Zhu smiled good-naturedly and slowly enveloped her outstretched hand in his large one.
He lifted his phoenix eyes, his voice laced with a smile. “Hmm? Are you trying to act cute?”
His pale, cold hand wrapped around hers and began to knead it slowly. It was like a soft ice pack.
The soreness in her joints from beating up so many people eased considerably.
Yu Jiao squinted her eyes in comfort.
“If you say so,” she said, her tone indifferent.
The massaging stopped for a moment, then became even more gentle. “Then I am truly honored.”
The two of them maintained this intimate posture, one above, one below, holding hands, making jaws drop all around.
The more uncertain people were about their relationship, the more they would hesitate before trying to attack her.
In that case, her goal had been achieved.
Just as the two of them were being ‘clingy’, a tall, ‘oblivious’ figure approached, breaking the warm, ambiguous atmosphere, and said in a swaggering voice:
“Yo, Miss Prey, good evening~ May I invite you to a private hunting activity?”
He made the perfectly normal brawl sound strange and somehow sensual.
“…”
The noisy cafeteria was instantly dead silent.
Xue Zhu looked at the newcomer coldly for two seconds, then smiled and whispered in her ear, “It’s your vampire hunter companion. But this time—he won’t be leaving here alive.”
With that, he slowly stood up, completely blocking the unpleasant gaze.
His voice was gentle and lingering, like a steel blade wrapped in cotton.
“I can keep you company.”