Chapter 22
Fu Xia walked behind Zhu Ye.
The private kitchen looked unremarkable from the outside, but the interior was lavishly decorated. Perhaps to create a certain ambiance, the lighting was dim. The paintings on the walls and the porcelain vases on display were clearly not cheap.
Zhu Ye, walking ahead, noticed her looking around and thoughtfully slowed his pace.
“A friend of mine owns this place,” he said, turning slightly to introduce it as they walked. “Don’t worry, senior. It’s all innovative cuisine, very popular with young people.”
“I’m not a picky eater,” Fu Xia said.
In truth, she didn’t care what she ate. She wasn’t fussy and didn’t eat much. She had agreed to this meal mainly to thank him for his help.
Zhu Ye turned back to look at her, his puppy-dog eyes shining. “If there’s anything you don’t like, you have to tell me.”
Fu Xia instinctively broke eye contact, and as she did, she caught sight of a person standing at the side of the corridor. Under a single beam of light, a waitress stood silently. The light made her skin look deathly pale, and her dark, hollow eyes were fixed on them, like an unmoving statue.
Fu Xia’s heart skipped a beat. It took all her willpower not to scream. She reflexively grabbed the only person near her—Zhu Ye’s sleeve.
Seeing her obvious fright, Zhu Ye stopped mid-sentence. The smile on his handsome face faded slightly. He turned his head and locked his gaze on the waitress who had scared her.
The waitress trembled, pushed open the door to a private room, and lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
Zhu Ye led Fu Xia by the hand into the room. “Let’s go in, senior.”
The private room wasn’t large—not spacious, but certainly not cramped. A few cold dishes had already been set on the round table. Zhu Ye pulled out a chair for her and then sat down beside her.
The pale-faced waitress clapped her hands lightly, and other staff members appeared from nowhere, bringing in the hot dishes.
Fu Xia: “…”
Such a grand display. So much food.
“This is our restaurant’s specialty drink,” the waitress said, stepping forward and placing a beautiful, orange-pink beverage in front of Fu Xia. “Our boss specifically instructed us to give it to you as a gift.”
A chill seemed to emanate from her. Fu Xia looked up and saw the waitress’s cheek twitching slightly, as if she were holding something back.
…Isn’t her skin a little too pale?
Beside her, Zhu Ye tapped the table with his knuckles. Fu Xia looked at him.
His ears were a little red. “She probably misunderstood our relationship… I’m sorry, senior. I’ll explain it to my friend.”
The waitress set down the drink and quickly left the room.
The rich young master certainly had good taste; the dishes were all delicious. But eating with someone she didn’t know well was a bit awkward, especially since he barely touched his chopsticks.
Fu Xia couldn’t help but ask, “Is there something you want to ask me?”
Zhu Ye blinked innocently. “Hm? I just wanted to have a meal with you, senior.”
Fu Xia poked at the mushrooms in her bowl. “…I don’t really believe that.”
Life wasn’t full of so many coincidences with handsome guys. If she had that kind of luck, she would have met a few in her first year.
—So she’s the type who doesn’t believe in fate.
Zhu Ye quickly amended his mental description of her, not at all flustered. He used his looks to his advantage, propping his chin on his hand and looking at her with a slightly wounded expression.
“So I seem like the kind of person who would approach you with an ulterior motive, senior?”
From her perspective, his shoulders slumped, and his fluffy blond hair seemed to droop. He looked pitiful.
Fu Xia steeled herself, telling herself not to go soft for a pretty face. “Is it because of Xie Rin, or because of Pei Wang?”
Thinking it over, they were the only two people around her who would be worth a rich young master’s effort to get close to her.
Zhu Ye put down his chopsticks.
“…Senior, it’s true that my family’s relationship with theirs isn’t the best, but I’m not talking to you or eating with you because of them.”
He leaned toward her, closing the distance slightly but still remaining outside her personal space.
“It’s because I saw you rushing around that day…” Zhu Ye said. “I think you’re a very gentle person.”
Fu Xia: “…”
That was the first time anyone had used that word to describe her. In reality, she just couldn’t afford to offend anyone she met, which made her seem good-tempered and patient. But of course, she wouldn’t say that to him.
“You must have met plenty of gentle people,” she said.
“It’s different,” he replied. “It’s comfortable being with you, so I want to be your friend.”
It was baffling. Fu Xia felt she truly couldn’t comprehend the thought processes of the rich. She nodded and turned her attention back to the food.
…It’s really good. I wonder if I can get it to go?
Just as she swallowed a mouthful and was about to take a break, Zhu Ye asked out of the blue, “What kind of guys do you like, senior?”
Fu Xia immediately became wary. “Why are you asking that?”
“Just curious.”
She seemed very resistant to advances from the opposite sex, even though she clearly had a weakness for handsome guys. But Zhu Ye was certain that if he were to be direct right now, she might get scared and bolt.
When he asked the question, a clear image had already appeared in her mind.
She picked up the specialty drink and took a sip.
“…I don’t have anyone I like. If I had to say, I guess I like money.”
It tasted sweet, like fruit tea. Delicious.
Zhu Ye just propped his handsome face on his hand and watched her, his docile puppy eyes full of curiosity.
Fu Xia took several more gulps to hide her awkwardness and anxiety, and soon half the glass was empty.
—But then she realized something was wrong.
“…Does this have alcohol in it?” she asked.
Zhu Ye blinked. “Hm? I don’t know. They’ve never given me this drink before.”
Fu Xia’s head started to spin. …Unfortunately, her tolerance for alcohol was very, very low.
Zhu Ye’s voice sounded like it was muffled by a cloth, hazy and indistinct. “Senior… senior?”
The dizziness intensified, accompanied by a wave of nausea. She tried to stand up to go to the restroom and ended up stumbling right into Zhu Ye, who had hastily stood up to check on her.
His gaze flickered over the half-empty glass before he smoothly caught her by the waist and supported her.
“Senior?” he asked, concerned.
Fu Xia was completely out of it.
Zhu Ye’s lips curled into a smile.
He effortlessly swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the sofa. He settled into the plush cushions, his expression no longer showing any concern. Instead, he looked like a large predator that had just made a successful hunt.
“…Her guard is so high. No wonder she didn’t react to those two, Pei Wang and Xie Rin.”
He slowly raised a hand and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.
Fu Xia was covered in injuries. The bruise on her temple was a little better, but still faintly visible. The marks on her neck, however, were almost gone, showing that Xie Rin had restrained himself. Zhu Ye pulled her collar down toward her shoulder, revealing the nearly healed fang marks on her neck.
Humans were such fragile creatures. Did the Progenitor choose such a person to satisfy some twisted sense of humor, or was there some special purpose?
Zhu Ye lowered his head, opened his mouth, and bit down on the same spot. The moment his fangs broke the skin, the taste of blood exploded in his mouth.
His pupils contracted violently, red instantly eclipsing the gold.
“Hah…?”
He couldn’t help but sink his fangs in deeper. A little further, and he would hit the main artery. The half-breeds had intended to take this pitiful human’s life anyway. As the leader of one of the factions, there was no reason he couldn’t drain her blood right here…
The thought hit him like a tsunami, nearly destroying his sanity.
—Wake her up. Listen to her cry and beg for mercy. Devour her while she looks at me in terror.
The next second, the door to the private room was kicked open. The red-eyed waitress, drawn by the alluring scent of blood, had burst in on pure instinct.
Zhu Ye merely lifted his head.
The red-eyed vampire’s gaze was cold, the veins on his neck bulging with restraint. He looked at his pale, snarling kin, not moving an inch from his position holding Fu Xia.
In a cold tone she had never heard before, Zhu Ye said, “Get out if you don’t want to die.”
He was like a rabid beast now.
The half-breed who had burst in swallowed several times, his eyes glued to Fu Xia, but he slowly backed out.
The door closed again.
The taste of blood filled his entire mouth, a flavor a thousand, ten thousand times more delicious than any of the human food on the table. He took a deep breath and licked the wound on her neck repeatedly, until not another drop of blood could be coaxed out. Only then did he reluctantly move on.
His kisses traveled past her neck, along her jawline, and finally landed on her lips.
Fu Xia’s brow furrowed in discomfort. Her breathing was uneven, her mouth slightly open. Zhu Ye slipped a finger inside. He carefully explored her teeth, his fingertip brushing past her not-so-sharp canine tooth, before his middle finger followed, pinching her tongue gently.
The unconscious girl instinctively made a gagging motion.
Zhu Ye smiled. He withdrew his hand and licked the sweet, drink-flavored moisture from his fingertips.
Then, he bent down. His sharp fangs grazed her lips. His kisses gradually changed from slow pecks to a deep, sucking motion, their breaths tangling and exchanging between their lips.
He suddenly bit his own lip. He was merciless with himself. His vampiric blood dripped into her mouth, and as their lips intertwined, the metallic taste grew stronger. Like feeding a fledgling, he gently patted her back, the motion bizarrely tender.
Finally, just as she was about to run out of air, Zhu Ye pushed himself up. His blond bangs hid his now blood-red eyes. He licked the cut on his lip and watched as she, completely unaware, drank his blood.
The young man stared at her flushed face. Then he pulled her into a tight embrace, his cheek pressed against hers, his arms squeezing her like he was holding a small animal.
Hearing her let out a soft, uncomfortable whimper, Zhu Ye’s smile grew even brighter.
“Tomorrow night… we’re going to liven up the party.”