Chapter 45
On the first day Xie Rin was confined, he had tried to invade Fu Xia’s dream, planning to properly punish this wretched human who had abandoned him.
However, Xie Rin quickly discovered that his ability was ineffective.
A vampire’s ability only failed under two conditions: when used against a stronger vampire, or when… the target was their Lighthouse.
Fu Xia was still human; she certainly wasn’t stronger than Xie Rin. That left only one possibility.
Recalling the disgusting expression on Yan Zhu’s face when he said, “She’s my Lighthouse,” Xie Rin suddenly broke.
Was Xie Rin supposed to admit he had fallen in love with a human?
—That was absolutely impossible.
After destroying everything in sight, the young man stopped, panting.
…But if Fu Xia really was his Lighthouse, then Xie Rin would stop at nothing to get her.
But before Xie Rin could even leave Xie Yan’s custody, he learned from his subordinates that Fu Xia had been taken by Song Yingxi and was now hidden in one of the Prince’s villas.
Xie Rin hasn’t even gotten to play out the “forceful abduction” script yet. What right does Song Yingxi have?
Is Yan Zhu useless? He can’t even protect a single human!
Enraged, Xie Rin smashed another room full of things.
Xie Rin went through great pains to finally enter Fu Xia’s dream, but in it, he could only speak to her; he couldn’t harm her in any way. And Fu Xia looked at him as if she had no memory of him at all.
Xie Rin was very, very displeased!
—But Fu Xia had no time for Xie Rin at the moment.
Upon seeing Xie Rin, the fog that had been clouding Fu Xia’s memories vanished. Two completely different sets of memories clashed in her mind. Fu Xia couldn’t help but marvel; vampires, having lived for so long, were truly insidious creatures.
Fu Xia woke up.
When she did, she felt a hand on her waist. Song Yingxi had returned at some point. His breathing was steady, as if he were really asleep. Fu Xia looked at the face so close to hers, a strange sense of calm washing over her.
So he’s a vampire.
The unsettling feeling Fu Xia couldn’t ignore finally had an explanation. No wonder he was like that.
It was a good thing Fu Xia had a slight aversion to intimacy; otherwise, she would have probably been tricked by his ability already.
Fu Xia’s gaze lingered for too long. The sleeping Song Yingxi slowly stirred. When he opened his eyes, they were still a little dazed. Then, he smiled at Fu Xia, and the hand on her waist tightened, pulling her into his embrace.
In the soft bedding, their bodies pressed together. Song Yingxi performed these actions with such practiced ease, as if they were truly an intimate couple.
He let out a sigh, as if exhausted, and then whispered, “I missed you so much.”
Fu Xia paused, then interacted with Song Yingxi according to the post-kidnapping script. “If you’re tired, you should sleep a little longer.”
Song Yingxi let out a muffled “mhm” and, still holding her tightly, fell back asleep. After being besieged from all sides, he hadn’t slept in days. For a vampire, sleep was a way to recover. Although no vampire had been able to seriously injure Song Yingxi, in this pleasant atmosphere, the Prince didn’t mind letting his guard down.
Fu Xia snuggled deeper into the covers.
Fu Xia slept until one in the afternoon. When she woke up, Song Yingxi was already up. The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out all sunlight. Though there were dedicated rooms in the villa, he had chosen to turn on a small night light and was reviewing documents in this room.
If it weren’t for Fu Xia’s sixth sense, she would have firmly believed that Song Yingxi was a gentle, wealthy, and perfect boyfriend. He didn’t even ask about Zhu Ye, acting as if such a person had never existed. Fu Xia suspected that the reason Zhu Ye had been able to come and feed her his blood every day was because Song Yingxi, frustrated by passing out every time he bit her, had sought out his rival for a few days.
The radiant student council president was dedicated to showing Fu Xia his vulnerable side. After returning, Song Yingxi had become obsessed with hugging her from behind when no one was around, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Fu Xia pushed herself up and looked down at the small belly she had recently developed. …She hadn’t had much money before, so her diet had been average. The food here was excellent, and Fu Xia had gained a little weight. But thinking about their purpose, she suspected these were her last meals.
Fu Xia was sure this was a sugar-coated bullet. No matter how good the food was, she had to run. Otherwise, she didn’t know when Song Yingxi would dig out her heart.
In the morning, Fu Xia played the part of a loving couple with Song Yingxi.
As for the night—
—she would dream of Xie Rin.
Xie Rin always had an expression that said, “You deserve this,” but he still faithfully appeared every night. And the dream setting was always their old dorm room. Fu Xia suspected he was still hung up about running away that time.
From this difficult young master, Fu Xia learned that Yan Zhu was trying everything to find her, even clearing out several of Song Yingxi’s and the half-breeds’ strongholds. He was used to being alone; doing all this was no small feat for him.
Xie Rin propped his chin on his hand, his tone cool and haunting. “Why don’t you beg me? I can send people to find you.”
Fu Xia automatically ignored the first part and replied to the second. “That’s so nice of you. Thank you.”
Xie Rin: “…” He hates her!
But Fu Xia had never been outside, so she could only describe the villa’s surroundings to Xie Rin. The beautiful, gloomy young man took notes while humming. “Some humans talk about becoming the new Progenitor, but they get imprisoned after just a few days.”
Fu Xia looked straight ahead, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
Xie Rin sat on the edge of the bed and continued sinisterly, “Why don’t you treat Song Yingxi the way you treated me?”
…Is he that resentful? It wasn’t like Fu Xia did much, just used him for an experiment, took a little of his heart’s blood, and then left him tied up and helpless.
“Actually, if you have to compare,” Fu Xia said sincerely, “being locked up by Song Yingxi is a bit more pleasant.” At least Song Yingxi put on a good act and didn’t switch from calling her “sweetie” to choking her in the span of a second.
Xie Rin’s beautiful face twisted for a moment.
Fu Xia was kicked out of the dream.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while.
…She still remembered the first time Xie Rin had used his ability on her. Pei Wang had become a shadow in her heart. But now, the person she had once admired had become her opponent, while Pei Wang seemed a little safer.
I really have to thank my incredible resilience, Fu Xia thought.
The illusory reality continued.
Until one night, the night she had arranged with Xie Rin, Fu Xia didn’t sleep. She sat on the villa’s terrace, looking up at the full moon. The area was sparsely populated, and the night sky was full of stars. The occasional chirp of insects and call of birds filled the air, as if all of nature were putting on a show for one person.
Fu Xia rarely had such seemingly leisurely moments. At school, she had seized every second to improve her grades. When working, she had wished she could split one day into three. She’d never had time to appreciate nature.
Wealth and power were such wonderful things.
As Fu Xia was thinking, a jacket was suddenly draped over her shoulders, and a gentle voice was carried to her by the evening wind. “It’s a little windy tonight. Don’t catch a cold.”
Fu Xia didn’t turn around. “…Why do you like me?”
The young man behind her said softly, “Why do you suddenly ask?”
“Just curious.”
Song Yingxi paused for a few seconds. The vampire was probably considering how to answer to lower her guard. He had lived for a long time, spending most of it in human society, and had studied them extensively. But emotions were such inscrutable things.
As the thoughts passed through his mind, Song Yingxi looked down at the small whorl of hair on the crown of Fu Xia’s head. He couldn’t give Fu Xia an answer.
But he still said, “It’s hard to find a specific reason for liking someone.”
“I want you by my side. I want to see you always. I define this feeling as ‘like’,” he said, his hand touching Fu Xia’s shoulder, his eyelashes slightly lowered. “What do you think of that answer?”
The girl before him didn’t reply.
Song Yingxi could feel Fu Xia’s heartbeat, slightly faster than usual, like the drumbeat of victory—
The next second, Fu Xia was pulled behind him.
Under the moonlight, shadows appeared outside the villa.
The smile on Song Yingxi’s lips vanished. He looked down at the vampires who did not belong here.
…They never give up.
The various vampire factions have been in chaos for a long time, Song Yingxi thought. Perhaps I should take advantage of the Progenitor’s death to get rid of these guys—
He adjusted his tone, about to tell Fu Xia to go back inside, when he felt her move closer.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s nothing, just some family…”
—The sound of a blade entering flesh.
A searing pain made Song Yingxi’s eyes widen. Disbelief and rage flashed in his light blue eyes. But then, he heard Fu Xia’s voice.
“I’m sorry, senior,” Fu Xia said.
The figures below began to move.
Fu Xia could feel the blood flowing down the silver dagger and onto her hand. Amidst the clamor, she forcefully pulled the dagger out.
Song Yingxi coughed twice. With the vibration of his chest, blood poured from the wound in his back. The dagger Zhu Ye had given Fu Xia was made of silver, and the patterns on it were designed to cause damage both on entry and exit, making it highly lethal to vampires. A wound from such a weapon was extremely difficult to heal, especially one to the heart.
“Actually, if you had just cut out my heart from the beginning, you might have already obtained the Progenitor’s legacy by now.”
Fu Xia had once admired the person on that high platform. She had envied his excellence and success, imagining how wonderful it would be if she were the one standing there.
Now, the ladder to that platform was right in front of Fu Xia.
So, it was time for useless admiration to end.