Chapter 23
When Fu Xia woke up, she found herself in a car.
Good, my kidneys are still intact.
Her head was still a little fuzzy. That pretty specialty drink hadn’t tasted of alcohol. She had discovered her inability to handle alcohol in middle school; surrounded by teachers and classmates, she had passed out, thankfully waking up after a little while. Since then, she had never touched alcohol again.
The car moved at a slow, steady pace. Soothing light music played from the speakers as the city’s nightscape drifted past the window.
Zhu Ye hadn’t noticed she was awake. He was sitting casually, his body leaning slightly as he rested his head against the window, his soft, curly blond hair looking a little messy. He was holding a tablet, likely reviewing some documents. The dim light from the screen illuminated his face, making the silver earrings he wore sparkle. His brow furrowed slightly, as if he’d hit a snag. But these small movements didn’t detract from his handsome appearance; if anything, they added to his youthful charm.
Fu Xia watched him quietly for a little longer.
Zhu Ye shifted, turned off the screen, and glanced in her direction, his eyes meeting hers.
Zhu Ye: “…”
Fu Xia: “…”
The young man sat up with lightning speed, quickly running a hand through his messy hair. “I was going to wait until we reached the school gate to wake you…”
“I didn’t do anything weird, did I?” she asked. …Please don’t let me have thrown up on him.
Zhu Ye put away his tablet. “No, senior. You just fell asleep and I couldn’t wake you up.”
(He had carried her to the car. The half-breeds, drawn by the scent of her blood, had followed them the entire way. If she had opened her eyes mid-journey, she would have been terrified. But now, the oblivious human was just embarrassed.)
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“I was the one who invited you to dinner,” Zhu Ye said earnestly. He told her it was his fault for not being more considerate and that he wanted to compensate her.
The car entered the grounds of Lorenz Academy.
Fu Xia had truly never met such a wealthy, giving person before. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m not allergic to alcohol or anything, I just fell asleep.”
Zhu Ye fell silent. The car was suddenly quiet. As the silence stretched, the awkwardness grew, and Fu Xia edged closer to the door.
The car stopped in the parking lot near the dorms.
“I’ll walk you back, senior,” he said.
It was just after eight in the evening, and the campus wasn’t very crowded. Zhu Ye put on a mask and a hat and walked beside her. He looked dejected, and after a moment’s thought, Fu Xia swallowed the words of refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue.
Their shadows overlapped on the ground. Not knowing what to say, she quickened her pace.
Zhu Ye suddenly reached out and tugged on her sleeve. “Senior,” he said softly, “am I making you uncomfortable?”
As he spoke, his shoulders slumped, like a puppy left out in the rain, exuding a sense of profound dejection.
Fu Xia sighed. “No, it’s just that I’m not used to it… Students like you don’t usually interact with scholarship students.”
Zhu Ye looked down. “Can I still come and see you, then, senior?”
Fu Xia hesitated for a few seconds. “You should let me know in advance…”
A smile bloomed on his face. “Great!”
They walked quickly and soon reached the scholarship student dorms. Just as they rounded a corner, Fu Xia stopped short.
Under a streetlight, a masked young man was leaning against the corner wall, and they had nearly run right into him.
Recognizing him, Fu Xia instinctively raised a hand to greet him.
But Yan Zhu didn’t reply immediately. He gave a light tug and pulled her behind him.
Zhu Ye’s gaze flickered over Yan Zhu’s mask before he looked at Fu Xia behind him. “Senior, is this someone you know?”
Fu Xia peeked out from behind Yan Zhu. “It’s fine, he’s a friend of mine.” She didn’t sense the undercurrent flowing between the two of them and waved at Zhu Ye. “Thanks for tonight.”
Zhu Ye ignored Yan Zhu, his bright eyes fixed on her. “Okay, senior. Let’s meet up again when we have time.”
Probably worried that lingering would annoy her, Zhu Ye gave Yan Zhu a cool glance and turned to leave.
Fu Xia breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t know how to navigate her interactions with someone like him and still felt a little tense. Just as she was relaxing, she realized that Yan Zhu’s mood was off.
“What’s wrong?”
The young man checked her over from top to bottom. “What were you doing out with him? Are you okay?”
Fu Xia explained that she had helped him once, so they had gone out for a meal.
The tremor in Yan Zhu’s voice was obvious. “…Next time, tell me in advance before you do something like this.”
Do I have to report to him now? Fu Xia felt a strange twinge.
His fingertips traced her face, moving down the curve of her neck. Just as he was about to pull her collar aside, she caught his hand. His fingers were trembling.
“Calm down,” Fu Xia said, holding his hand. “I just had a meal with a first-year. He didn’t do anything to me.”
The young man froze. He bent down, wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his forehead on her shoulder, his mask pressing against her. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could hear him mutter, “With a face like that, and the way he looks at you… he’s definitely no good.”
Fu Xia wanted to say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but then she heard his voice again. “…Do you like that type?”
He was very self-conscious about his appearance. Realizing this, she patted his head. “No, I don’t. It was just a normal social outing.”
Yan Zhu said nothing.
Students could appear at any moment. Fu Xia slid her hand down and gently pushed his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she said. “We’re the ones who are the same.”
Fu Xia was covered in the scent left by the half-breed, and there might be wounds under her clothes that she hadn’t even noticed. If she were to take off Yan Zhu’s mask right now, she would see that his uniquely colored eye had turned a dark, trembling red.
Vampires were extremely territorial creatures.
Yan Zhu took several deep breaths. He was contemplating what would happen if he tore out that pretty-boy half-breed’s heart. …But the half-breed had already formed a connection with Fu Xia. An “accidental” death would surely make her suspicious.
After a long moment, he finally whispered, “Xie Rin is coming back tomorrow night for your school’s welcome party.”
He held her a little tighter. “From now on, we can only meet in secret.”
…
As expected, Fu Xia’s period arrived. It didn’t hurt, but her lower back was a little sore. It wouldn’t stop her from working and earning money.
The campus was buzzing with excited students. The rich kids chattered eagerly about what they would wear, who they would meet, and what romantic campus love stories might begin.
Tonight’s party was at the Lakeside Theater.
The student council had hired a renowned band. A transparent platform extended from the theater out over the water, allowing students to move between the indoor and outdoor areas. Inside, several champagne towers had been erected, the sight of them exuding an air of opulence. The welcome party would last until midnight, and until then, the entire area around the theater was brilliantly lit.
But the festivities outside had little to do with Fu Xia. She changed into her server’s uniform and waited in the back. Chen Wang had already spoken to the organizers, so Fu Xia was assigned a simple task: she just had to carry a tray of wine glasses and walk a circuit around the venue every so often.
Perhaps it was her imagination—
—but she kept feeling eyes on her. The gazes followed her like shadows, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Though it was a summer night, she felt a chill.
A fellow scholarship student working as a server glanced at her and gestured for her to wait on the second floor and come down to take over when it was her turn. The party started warming up at six and would officially begin around eight. The second floor had a good view of the main stage below.
Fu Xia overheard some passing students saying that the student council president, Song Yingxi, was preparing backstage. She glanced over. The girls who were talking wore exquisite makeup and expensive gowns, each with a confident smile.
Fu Xia silently withdrew her gaze, quickly suppressing the ripple of emotion in her heart and fading into the background.
Tonight’s party wasn’t just for first-years; second and third-years could attend as well. She didn’t see Pei Wang or Xie Rin; they might have been here, but they could also be outside. As for Zhu Ye, he was the center of attention, surrounded by a crowd wherever he went. At one point, he spotted her but was considerate enough not to greet her, simply looking up and giving her a quick wink.
…Like a little secret just between the two of them.
Fu Xia’s mood inexplicably improved.
Soon, it was her turn to make her rounds. The music shifted from a slow, soothing melody to something more upbeat. Fu Xia carried her tray and followed her route through the venue. Halfway through, a boy stopped her.
He stared at her face and couldn’t help but swallow. “Give me a glass.”
Just as she handed him a glass, a commotion broke out behind them. The sound of a collision was sharp and clear even over the loud music.
Fu Xia glanced back.
Like a row of dominoes, the tall tower of champagne glasses collapsed in an instant. Screams erupted from the students. The floor was now wet and covered in broken glass.
Fu Xia: “…”
Why do accidents always happen when it’s my turn?
She wanted to quickly get away from the chaos on the first floor, but the person in front of her suddenly grabbed her wrist. She looked and saw that his eyes were tinged with red.
Startled, Fu Xia quickly shook him off and tried to run to the backstage area. But the crowd was dense. She couldn’t push her way through the lavishly dressed students and was instead shoved in the opposite direction. The music grew more and more intense. The people packed together seemed to be performing some kind of bizarre dance. She soon realized that hands were touching her arms, her waist, even her legs.
The feeling made her skin crawl.
Just as she was struggling to break free from the center of the crowd, someone gave her a hard shove. She had been pushed, at some point, right next to the shattered champagne tower.
Just as her face was about to have an intimate encounter with the broken glass on the floor, her wrist was caught. But even so, one of her knees scraped against the glass shards, and blood immediately began to well up from the wound.
The surroundings fell deathly silent.
Even the band stopped playing. Everything in the theater seemed to have hit the pause button.
Fu Xia looked up.
The beautifully dressed young men and women around her all turned their heads to face her in unison. Their eyes were locked on her, their beautiful faces twisted into grotesque expressions.
—The next second, as if they had gone mad, they lunged toward her.