Chapter 28: The Vampire’s Prey (28)
Yu Jiao stared silently at the exquisite wedding dress she was wearing.
Then she looked at the black suits the twins were wearing.
…She had to admit, their sense of possession and ritual was truly bizarre.
Under the almost affectionate gazes of the ‘two grooms’, Yu Jiao had an untimely thought: So, who gets to consummate the marriage first?
She couldn’t be blamed for having such things on her mind. She simply didn’t believe the twins would be brotherly and courteous on this particular issue.
And once an unequal treatment occurred, she could exploit the jealousy inherent in human nature to find a path to survival and maximize her own benefits between the two emotionally obsessive men, thereby achieving her ultimate goal—completing the mission and getting the hell out.
So now, it was time to add a potent ingredient—
A glint flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes. She pulled her hand from Xie Zhenye’s grasp and lowered her eyelids, avoiding Xie Yanchuan’s gaze. A faint air of resistance emanated from her.
She sat on the edge of the bed, the holy, voluminous skirt spread out around her, accentuating her slender waist. Her back was straight, her neck bowed, like a saintess, devotedly and loyally praying to her god.
This sight made the twins’ gazes gradually darken. An ominous, deathly silence spread. Finally, she spoke:
“What is this…”
She sighed, her voice thin and weak, tinged with a hint of exhaustion.
“Why bother?”
“…”
“Why bother?” Xie Zhenye’s lips pulled into a slight sneer, a suppressed fierceness rising in his eyes. He enunciated each word, “What do you mean?”
The young woman turned her head away as if to escape, her lips pressed into a firm, hard line.
“I am already Xue Zhu’s fiancée.”
Her neck was slender and beautiful, her collarbones straight. And on her pale chest, the symbol of ‘betrayal’ was a piercing, dark red.
In an instant, the twins’ thoughts were pulled back to that unpleasant engagement night.
“Tch.”
A soft scoff, filled with a chilling coldness.
Xie Yanchuan slowly stood up and looked down at her, his deep blue eyes carrying the oppressive weight of an avalanche.
The young woman’s eyes flickered in alarm. She clutched the bedsheet. “What… what are you doing?”
“What am I doing?”
Xie Yanchuan repeated slowly, his gaze locked on her as he approached, step by step. He rested one long leg on the bed, unyieldingly parting her legs, and then pushed her down.
A lock of hair fell across his forehead. His pure, jade-like, handsome face was expressionless. His pale, thin lips parted slightly:
“Fucking you.”
“…You!”
The young woman’s eyes widened. Her hair spread out on the white bedsheet, like a blooming flower, ready to be plucked, breathtakingly beautiful.
She weakly pushed against his unmoving chest.
The incandescent light outlined a cold, jade-like glow. His face was blank as he tugged at his tie with his well-defined hands.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. His impeccable attire was disheveled, like a deity, fallen from his pedestal, tainted by desire.
Like a prelude to blasphemy.
The young woman clutched her chest and curled into a ball, her trembling voice a cold snort. “Even if you force me, I will never belong to you! Stop deceiving yourselves! I’m already engaged—!”
Before she could finish her harsh words, she let out a sudden, startled cry, the end of it like a delicate, fluttering feather, tickling one’s heart.
Her cheeks were flushed. It was unclear if it was more from shame or anger. In any case, she found some strength and pushed the darkening-eyed Xie Yanchuan aside. She propped herself up, her eyes glistening with tears as she glared at the foot of the bed.
—That bastard Xie Zhenye had, at some point, knelt by her feet and lifted the voluminous, soft skirt.
“You?!”
The young woman bent her leg in shame and anger and kicked at the scoundrel, but he, pushing his luck, caught her foot.
His large, hot hand wrapped around her ankle, his long fingers caressing it with extreme slowness.
Seeing her glare at him, he licked his lips and snorted, “Keep talking.”
“Are you a dog? Get lost!”
He braced his strong arms on the edge of the bed, his hot breath washing over the skirt.
“I am.”
“Why don’t you keep talking about your fiancé?” He slowly narrowed his eyes, then smiled as if in sudden realization. “Cat got your tongue?” he drawled.
His dark gaze was fixed on her, like a greedy beast.
“…!”
The young woman’s face was flushed, and for a moment, she was at a loss for words.
She struggled angrily, but it only served to pull him closer, adding fuel to the fire.
Of course, she could not tame a starving beast. She had no choice but to feed the tiger with her own body, to be devoured completely.
…
The shameless younger brother at her feet was one thing, but the older brother at her side was no better.
Xie Yanchuan’s eyes were downcast. With one hand, he pinned Yu Jiao’s hands above her head. With the other, he let his fingers wander nonchalantly, and the magnificent dress, along with its owner, seemed to melt into water.
—He was the one who had dressed her, so now, undressing her was all too easy.
The young woman was already powerless to resist. Her cool, merciless grey eyes were veiled in a hazy mist, shimmering like water.
Xie Yanchuan’s cold gaze swept over her, inch by inch. The scorching beauty of the sight gradually melted the ice.
He took hold of the young woman’s hands, which were bound by the necklace, bringing them to his lips, his gaze fixed on her without blinking.
He tilted his head and bit through the delicate chain. His cool lips fell upon her feverish skin like snow, sending a shiver of cold through her. He parted his lips and slowly licked the red marks on her pale wrist, soothing the faint, stinging pain.
The fleeting coolness was like drinking poison to quench a thirst, only making her crave more. Her moist, red lips, like ripe cherries, parted slightly, the tip of her crimson tongue flashing for a moment.
Xie Yanchuan paused. He gave her a soothing kiss, then guided her limp arms to wrap around his neck for support.
His own clothes remained immaculate, preserving his noble and frigid demeanor. His kisses fell one by one, like the first snow on a mountaintop, melting into a sweet, cloying slush upon contact with her scorching skin.
The clear, light kisses gradually transformed into a sweeping, all-consuming sea.
…
…
.
Xie Zhenye lay sprawled on the side of the bed, propping his chin on his hand. His dark gaze was fixed on the young woman, who looked exceptionally beautiful with her cheeks, lips, and the corners of her eyes flushed crimson. He curled his lips in pleasure, like a dog that had just been praised.
Xie Yanchuan sat on the bed, his expression cool as he looked down, hiding the thick desire in his eyes. His long, slender fingers slowly and deliberately tidied the young woman’s sweat-dampened hair, his touch lingering on her still-feverish cheek.
After a moment, Yu Jiao’s pupils shifted, a sliver of clarity returning.
She saw that both of them were impeccably dressed, while only she looked a mess.
“…”
As if in a fit of pique, Yu Jiao rolled over and buried herself in the soft bedding.
“…Tsk.”
Xie Zhenye complained, “Why are you turning on me now?”
Xie Yanchuan: “She’s shy.”
“Just for this?” Xie Zhenye let out a soft laugh, his voice a lazy drawl. “Won’t she die of shame and indignation tomorrow?”
“…Get lost!”
The young woman’s muffled, angry curse came from under the covers. Her voice was still a little hoarse, which only made it more alluring.
A flicker of amusement crossed both twins’ eyes.
Xie Zhenye chuckled. “Alright, we’ll get lost. Jiao Jiao, you take a moment for yourself.”
Xie Yanchuan stared at the young woman, who was hiding like a turtle in its shell. “The bath is filled with hot water,” he instructed softly. “There are new clothes in the wardrobe. Rest well.”
As he spoke, his cool fingers lightly hooked her still-burning earlobe.
The young woman let out a muffled “mhm.”
This prompted Xie Zhenye to lean over and plant a kiss on her bare back. “See you tomorrow,” he said, his voice husky.
“…”
After they left.
Yu Jiao sat up, slipped out of the sweat-dampened wedding dress, and walked, naked, into the steamy bathroom. She slowly sank into the tub, let out a refreshing sigh, and closed her eyes in comfort.
—She had to admit, the twins’ service was very much to her liking.
However… it was somewhat surprising that they had managed to restrain their own desires the entire time, focusing solely on pleasing her.
Yu Jiao gathered her long hair in front of her, a thoughtful expression on her face as she opened the system interface.
After this encounter, both of their blackening levels had first risen from 40% to 50%, and then dropped to 20%.
Although she still didn’t understand what the blackening level was, and the system was tight-lipped about it, lowering it couldn’t be a bad thing.
After her bath, Yu Jiao opened the wardrobe. Just as she’d expected, it was filled with wedding gowns of all shapes and sizes.
Yu Jiao: “…”
Resigned, she chose a light silk gown to use as a nightdress.
Given the twins’ paranoid possessiveness and sense of ritual, she had a feeling that the next time they were intimate, they would come up with some other torturous new trick.
With that thought, Yu Jiao checked the door and windows and was not surprised to find them all locked. Not only that, but from the sounds, it seemed a new batch of blood servants was stationed outside her door every hour, and the changing of the guard involved a series of complicated identity checks.
They were probably on guard against Wei Changlin and his ability to disguise himself.
Yu Jiao sighed.
This kind of high-security “little black room” was really…
Perfect!
—If she could just stay here for seven days, wouldn’t she clear the level without a scratch?
With this wonderful plan in mind, she drifted off to sleep.
…
The next day.
After a full night’s sleep, the afterglow of passion had completely faded. Yu Jiao’s mind was much clearer, and she couldn’t help but wonder: Would this treacherous game really let her pass the level so easily?
Although she didn’t know the game’s true intentions, she thought of the main quest: Successfully get selected as prey by the Secret Society, and survive for one week.
Two days of that week had already passed, yet her mission progress was still stuck at 60%…
Yu Jiao poured a glass of warm water, her mind focused as she went over every detail of what had happened, preparing backup plans in case of an accident.
Since the twins were imprisoning her so brazenly, it meant they had already broken free from their father’s control. They had most likely seized power in the Xie family and were about to formally oppose the Xue clan.
If the twins’ plan didn’t proceed smoothly, she would have no choice but to…
Remembering the note Wei Changlin had slipped her, a glint flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes. Her mind was made up.
The entire day passed peacefully. As night fell, Yu Jiao finished washing up. For some reason, the feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger.
As she was lost in thought, suddenly! Her vision was plunged into a pitch-black darkness.
—The bright incandescent light had, for some reason, suddenly gone out. The room was plunged into an absolute darkness, like the stomach of a great beast, becoming more and more like a cold cage.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The sound of light, slow footsteps broke through the despairing darkness. It came from the corridor and stopped before her door.
Click.
The door was opened.
A sliver of light leaked in, outlining two tall figures, their builds almost identical.
They were backlit, their expressions unreadable.
Yu Jiao called out hesitantly, “Yanchuan? Zhenye?”
She received no answer.
Then, the heavy door closed, and not a sliver of light remained. It was as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
The footsteps, unimpeded, drew closer.
Yu Jiao knew that the twins were both high-purity vampires and were naturally at home in the dark. Now, she was the only one who was blind, trapped in a passive position.
A heavy sense of unease seized her heart.
The footsteps stopped by the bed. Yu Jiao could almost feel two tangible gazes fall upon her, like invisible hands.
Then, a familiar voice spoke:
“Jiao Jiao, let’s play a game.”
The voice was unhurried, the tone extremely ordinary. However, with the deliberate concealment, she couldn’t tell who was speaking.
Only now did she realize how similar the twins’ voices were.
Yu Jiao had a premonition. “…What kind of game?”
The bed dipped on both sides at the same time.
Yu Jiao almost lost her balance, but two pairs of hands caught her at once.
—Both were wearing thick formal gloves.
With their body heat blocked, the equally large hands, the similar strength, and the synchronized movements made it impossible to tell them apart.
Yu Jiao stared into the darkness, her heart sinking: It seems they came prepared.
“Jiao Jiao,” one of them whispered in her ear, “forgive us for being unable to be courteous when it comes to you.”
The other caressed her cheek. “And today is our official wedding night.”
“So.”
“You will be the one to choose.”
“Tonight’s groom.”
The two of them took turns, one after the other, explaining the rules of the game.
Then they both took her hands, and two pairs of deep, dark eyes looked at her.
They asked in unison:
“So, Jiao Jiao, who do you want?”