Chapter 37
She shot up from the bed with a carp-like flip.
This wasn’t the companion room from before. Fu Xia quickly checked herself over and found no new wounds.
Good, I wasn’t bitten.
She wasn’t sure if she was safe, but the fact that she had passed out was highly abnormal.
…Don’t tell me someone took advantage of my unconsciousness to modify my body again?
Fu Xia circled the room. She couldn’t find her phone or any handy tools. Her heart sank. After a few minutes of hesitation, she decided to go out and take a look.
The door was unlocked. She opened a crack and saw that it was already nighttime outside.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, she pushed the door fully open and found that the room’s layout wasn’t much different from the one she’d been in before she fell asleep. It had just been restored to its state before she had ransacked it.
Song Yingxi was here.
He was sitting sideways on the hospital bed in his patient gown, an open book resting on his lap. The light fell on his face, creating a faint halo around his golden hair. He had a strange, domestic, husband-like air about him.
Hearing the sound, he lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes still holding their characteristic gentleness.
Fu Xia didn’t move forward. She leaned against the doorframe and looked at the young man on the bed.
“Are you hungry? There’s food on the table, still warm. You should eat something.”
His reaction was so calm and normal that she decided to be direct. “Why did I pass out?”
“Sleeping gas,” he said softly. “It seeped in through the crack in the door. I passed out not long after you did.” He closed the book, placed it on the bedside table, and said, “Given the current situation, it seems we’ve been kidnapped.”
Great. My mission was a failure before it even began.
Fu Xia calmly accepted this convoluted turn of events. Even if he was up to something… there was nothing she could do now. She was out of options. She had just escaped from Xie Rin, only to run into this while looking for Zhu Ye.
There was no one in her family who could call the police—and besides, could the police even handle vampires?
She sat down at the table. Before eating, she asked, “This isn’t poisoned, is it?”
He was watching her. “It shouldn’t be. If it were, I’d probably be on the floor by now.”
She acknowledged his point. Including the time she was unconscious, she hadn’t eaten for nearly a whole day and was starving. After wolfing down the food, she moved her chair to his bedside.
“How are you now?”
He didn’t seem to mind letting her take control of the conversation. He looked at her with his gentle blue eyes and nodded. “I woke up quickly, but by then, we were already here. I didn’t see anyone else… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”
“It’s fine,” she said. “Let’s analyze the situation.”
There was a 50% chance the half-breeds were after her. But how did they know she would be at the hospital? The other possibility was that their original target was him.
But could he possibly know about vampires? Rich families like his probably knew secrets that ordinary people didn’t.
“They probably won’t kill us for now,” she said. “How about we try to escape through the window under the cover of night?”
He blinked. “Jump? I’m not sure I approve of that option…”
“I’m kidding. Do you have any leads on this kidnapping?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure if the Song Corporation has offended anyone…” he said, his eyes downcast, a hint of vulnerability showing. “…After all, this kind of thing happens often. I… I’m sorry, it seems inappropriate to reminisce at a time like this.”
“…Being rich seems tough,” Fu Xia said.
Seeing her troubled expression, he asked, “Fu Xia, did you ever think about abandoning me and escaping on your own?”
Being tied to him wasn’t necessarily a good or bad thing.
“Let’s not,” she said. “If I’m with you, at least your family will come looking for us.” If it were just her, no one would probably even care.
“If you really feel that my presence is a comfort, then treat me to a meal after we escape.”
He agreed. He noticed that she hadn’t mentioned what he’d said before she passed out, but she was subconsciously avoiding his gaze. This undoubtedly proved one thing—she remembered, and she was running from it.
“You have feelings for me, don’t you?” he asked softly.
In that instant, her heart began to race. She snapped her head up and met his gaze. His light blue eyes still held no extra emotion, still as gentle as water—but in them, she saw her own flustered reflection.
No. She realized it with absolute clarity. She didn’t believe in love, and she wasn’t about to confess her past secret feelings to him. To her, that would be like handing over a bargaining chip that could be used against her.
“Senior.”
She heard her own voice, and her heart rate quickly cooled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
An awkward silence fell over the room.
His eyelashes trembled. He looked down and said softly, “I’m sorry.”
He was always saying sorry.
Fu Xia ran a hand through her hair. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”
“After all,” she said, “so many people at school admire you. I have no intention of overstepping.”
He looked even more hurt.
She couldn’t stand it when boys made that face, especially since his features were so androgynous. At first glance, he had the tragic beauty of a weeping maiden, making one instinctively want to comfort him.
She was just about to stand up when the closed door was suddenly thrown open.
Outside was still the hospital corridor. She figured they had just been moved to a different room, not taken to his territory like Xie Rin had—or maybe the half-breeds just weren’t as powerful.
And now, a casually dressed vampire was standing in the doorway.
The half-breed stared at her, and she could clearly see him swallow several times, though his rationality seemed to hold him back.
“Hey, the girl… you, come out. The boss wants to see you.”
Fu Xia crossed her arms. “Who’s your boss?”
“You’ll know when you see him,” the half-breed said coldly.
She didn’t want to move, but he cracked his knuckles, bared his fangs, and started walking toward her.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said. A person has to know when to yield.
The corridor was a mess, the walls spattered with blood. The half-breed quickly pushed her into a room.
There was only one person inside.
Unlike his school uniform, Zhu Ye was now dressed in something very… aggressive. He wore a black combat suit, the tight design outlining his excellent figure. He was sitting backward on a chair, his posture relaxed.
Her gaze flickered over his waistline. “…”
These vampires really won the genetic lottery.
Zhu Ye rested his folded arms on the back of the chair, his chin on his arms, his golden eyes watching her with amusement. “Did you come all this way just to find me, senior? I’m so happy.”
“You’re a vampire, aren’t you? A half-breed.”
He blinked, then showed her his snow-white, sharp fangs. “You guessed right, senior,” he said. “But my target isn’t actually you. It’s those other vampires.”
He paused. “But if you were to fall in love with me, I’d be even happier… I haven’t gotten to properly use this body yet. If I were to be intimate with someone, I’d only be willing to do it with you, senior.”
Fu Xia tilted her head. “If you want to drink my blood, just do it.”
He cupped his face and asked with a smile, “Do I look like an idiot, senior?”
Damn it. I take back my first impression. He’s not a sweet, simple-minded golden retriever at all!
“What did you put in my body?”
He looked up, his slightly curly, brilliant blond hair shining in the light. “It’s okay, senior. That blood won’t affect you. It’s just to test its effect on those who drink your blood.”
“Will it be metabolized?”
“Nope. You’ll have to drink my blood again.”
Her expression turned a little strange. “You fed me your blood?”
He just blinked. “You’ve been asking all the questions, senior. Shouldn’t it be my turn now?”
He pushed himself up from the chair and, with a long stride, walked toward her. He stopped in front of her, cupped her face, and lowered his head so she could see him clearly. The silver cross-shaped earring on his earlobe made his ear look slightly pink.
He stroked her face and said softly, “Help me, senior.”
It was undeniably a handsome face. Though their hair color was similar, he and Song Yingxi were completely different types. The former was more aggressive, the latter more angelic. There was a smile on his lips, but the look in his eyes was exceptionally cold.
“You probably don’t know the situation with the half-breeds. We’re not accepted by pure-blood society, and we can’t fully integrate into human society either.”
Fu Xia felt an itch on her cheek. She turned her head, but he brought it back. His palm was large, easily cradling her face.
“Senior,” he said, his expression holding a hint of lust, though she couldn’t tell if it was for food or something else. “I quite like you. So, how about we do something big together?”
Fu Xia stared at him coldly. “And if I say no?”
“If… if that’s the case…” He lowered one hand, fumbled in the back pocket of his combat suit, and pulled out a small pillbox. The cylindrical container was likely full of pills; a slight shake produced an audible rattle.
Fu Xia caught a glimpse of the writing on it. If her translation was correct, it was for—
“I can’t bear to torture you, senior. So I’ll just have to torture your friend instead.”