Chapter 43
School, the corporation, the hospital.
All these places required Song Yingxi’s presence. Song Yingxi couldn’t be in the sun for long, so his sleeping hours were in the morning, but Fu Xia rarely saw Song Yingxi sleep. At night, Song Yingxi would entangle himself with Fu Xia. Fu Xia sometimes suspected that Song Yingxi had been too abstinent for the past decade, and it was all erupting now.
…Is he really not going to die from sleep deprivation?
Sometimes, Fu Xia might not see Song Yingxi for a full day and night. But Fu Xia didn’t mind. Due to her upbringing, Fu Xia wasn’t the type to be clingy, so she adapted well to Song Yingxi’s schedule.
This residence was huge, with many servants who all had their own duties and rarely disturbed their masters. Fu Xia was happy with the peace and quiet.
…At least, she used to be.
Ever since another person had arrived yesterday, Fu Xia had been feeling troubled. Zhu Ye’s presence was just too strong.
Fu Xia closed her textbook. She looked up at the person across the table. Zhu Ye had been sitting there for half an hour and hadn’t moved. Zhu Ye’s elbows were on the table, his chin in his hands, watching Fu Xia with a smile.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“Nope, sister-in-law.”
“Then can you stop staring at me? I can’t concentrate like this.”
Zhu Ye blinked, not agreeing.
Fu Xia paused and rubbed her arms. “And don’t call me sister-in-law. It’s weird.”
“Mmm, okay, I’ll try.” Zhu Ye looked very disappointed.
The young man hadn’t found the right opportunity. Although Song Yingxi had allowed Zhu Ye to come, which meant the Prince was temporarily accepting another vampire coveting his prey within his territory, Zhu Ye knew that if he made a rash move, the human, having lost her memories, would probably just turn and run.
—Zhu Ye had no desire to play right into Song Yingxi’s hands.
Zhu Ye’s gaze fell on the desk, where he saw that Fu Xia was studying the curriculum for the semester after next. Fu Xia wasn’t the most gifted student, but studying ahead had become a habit, even though Song Yingxi had told her she was on leave from school.
“Your grades are very good, right?”
“They’re okay. Average.”
“Then can you teach me?”
Fu Xia gave Zhu Ye a strange look and then lowered her head again. “You can ask your brother.”
Zhu Ye pouted and continued to watch Fu Xia study for another half an hour.
Fu Xia stood up to do some simple stretches, walking a lap around the first-floor hall and looking at the plants in the garden to relax her eyes. Zhu Ye followed her every step, like a little tail.
“Don’t you have your own things to do?”
“I guess… not?”
This idle rich kid!
Fu Xia returned to the table and looked at the calendar. Nearly half a month had passed since the kidnapping. Because of it, Fu Xia had gotten a new phone and a new SIM card. She rarely contacted her family anyway, so while it was a hassle, Song Yingxi had taken care of everything for her.
A person’s greatest charm was their ability to solve problems. The more Fu Xia interacted with Song Yingxi, the more she found him to be flawless. A few days ago, Fu Xia had even had the terrifying thought that Song Yingxi is a great partner, this is pretty good.
The thought was dangerous, Fu Xia knew. Everything around her seemed to be saying, “This is normal, it’s only human,” but she always felt that something was off.
…Just because of a kidnapping, we’re suddenly madly in love?
And Song Yingxi wouldn’t let Fu Xia leave the villa. At first, Fu Xia could understand. After what had happened, Song Yingxi was worried she would be targeted again if she went out. But it had been too long. Fu Xia couldn’t stay here forever, could she?
Zhu Ye peeked over Fu Xia’s shoulder and saw a circle drawn on a date on the calendar. “What’s that?” Zhu Ye asked curiously.
“The day I go back to school.”
“Wow…” Zhu Ye exclaimed. She’s still thinking about going to school. Such a human thing to do.
Fu Xia saw the hint of mockery in Zhu Ye’s expression. She turned and stared at his handsome face for a long time. Then, she glanced at the camera in the corner of the ceiling and walked toward the second floor.
Naturally, Zhu Ye followed.
Fu Xia felt like she was walking a puppy. She quickened her pace, and just as she was about to reach the study, she ducked around a corner. When Zhu Ye followed her, Fu Xia quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the camera’s blind spot.
Using the momentum, Fu Xia pinned Zhu Ye against the wall, her forearm pressed against his neck. “What do you know?”
Zhu Ye’s eyes widened. A flash of excitement and greed crossed them. He had been wanting to cause some trouble for Song Yingxi for a long time, but before he could speak, the power of the contract bound him.
The golden-eyed young man pouted and tapped Fu Xia’s elbow. “I can’t breathe…”
Fu Xia didn’t lessen the pressure. “Why do you keep following me?” They weren’t children anymore.
Fu Xia’s skin was pressed against Zhu Ye’s Adam’s apple. When she pushed back, he could clearly feel the pain.
“Would you believe me if I said I like you?”
Fu Xia gave him a “what-the-hell-are-you-talking-about” look. “Say that again in front of Song Yingxi when he gets back.”
“Sister-in-law, did you know that Song Yingxi isn’t coming back tonight?” Zhu Ye said suddenly. The handsome young man’s eyes drooped slightly, like a harmless dog, but his hand completely enveloped Fu Xia’s elbow. He used a bit of force to get his breath back, and then his hand began to wander up her arm.
With some unknown trick, Fu Xia felt all her strength drain away. Zhu Ye’s hand clasped the back of her neck, his palm cool.
Perhaps the long life of a vampire was too boring. Whether it was the pure-bloods of the Princes’ faction or the half-breeds, they all loved excitement. Yan Zhu could have openly participated in the struggle for the legacy, but he had chosen to alter Fu Xia’s perception behind Xie Rin’s back. They all knew you couldn’t wrap fire in paper, but perhaps what they were looking forward to was the moment the flame burned the paper to ash.
“…Actually, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”
There was no warning. Zhu Ye cupped the back of Fu Xia’s head and did what he had been dreaming of for days.
This time, it was Fu Xia’s eyes that widened.
Zhu Ye’s fangs lightly grazed Fu Xia’s lip, and a cut instantly appeared. Blood welled up, and Zhu Ye fed his own blood into Fu Xia’s mouth. In the dim room, he took several excited breaths and then deepened the kiss.
Fu Xia was forced to swallow several mouthfuls. The shock was quickly replaced by a strange feeling. Vaguely, she felt the taste was familiar… as if she had drunk someone else’s blood like this before.
Zhu Ye noticed Fu Xia was distracted. The young man straightened up, annoyed, but before he could speak, a slap landed.
SLAP!
The force of the blow turned Zhu Ye’s head to the side, his curly blond hair obscuring his eyes. Fu Xia saw the earring on his earlobe.
—A sense of familiarity.
“Are you sick?” Fu Xia’s voice was hard. “I’m Song Yingxi’s girlfriend.”
Zhu Ye touched his cheek. Fu Xia had hit him hard, and a red handprint quickly appeared on his pale skin.
Zhu Ye lowered his head and let out a deep laugh.
Even as a half-breed, Zhu Ye had never experienced this before. The first sensation was the sting of the slap, and then his heart began to bubble. Such moments were rare in a vampire’s long life. It was like the past few days, when he had tossed and turned, always thinking of the scene in the hospital, of Fu Xia pinning him down and forcing medicine into him. He remembered Fu Xia’s eyes, holding none of the fear a creature should have for one higher on the food chain, only the resolve to hurt him.
—That vitality reminded Zhu Ye of himself, before he was turned.
But Zhu Ye could only think about it, not see or touch Fu Xia. He had waited patiently, just for this moment.
A week together—such a short time in an eternal life.
“Do you like him?” Zhu Ye asked.
“Whether I like him or not, what you just did constitutes harassment, Zhu Ye.”
“But I like you, sister-in-law.” Zhu Ye pronounced the last word strangely, his golden puppy-dog eyes shimmering with moisture. “Aren’t you very satisfied with my face? What’s wrong with adding a little fun to a boring life?”
It was obvious. This handsome, sunny-looking young man was a terrible person.
—A completely different type from Song Yingxi.
“I’m not interested in playing this kind of game with you,” Fu Xia said, her patience wearing thin.
“What’s the problem?” Zhu Ye said, his handsome, hand-printed face still smiling. “Isn’t this how it is in rich families? Don’t you read novels?”
Fu Xia: “…” Do you want me to say your circle is a mess? Interesting.
“Let’s do something fun while Song Yingxi’s not around.”
Fu Xia felt she should slap his other cheek, for symmetry, and to maybe knock some of the water out of his brain.
“Besides,” Zhu Ye said, “haven’t you already started to feel that something is strange?”
Zhu Ye’s words were pointed. He took a step back, his back against the wall, and pointed to the cut on his lip.
…It was healing.
Fu Xia wiped her mouth and saw the bloodstain on the back of her hand. She stared at it, lost in thought.
Indeed, there was a strong sense of déjà vu.
“Seven days,” Zhu Ye said. “I’ll be here for seven days. As long as you’re willing to spend time with me, I’ll tell you a little secret about yourself. How about it?”