Chapter 18
Yan Zhu had no idea how to handle a situation like this.
A vampire’s body temperature was always cold. They never got sick. At most, they would be injured in factional disputes, which could be healed by consuming enough blood and sleeping for a period of time. As long as their heart wasn’t pierced by a silver weapon, vampires were an immortal race.
Yan Zhu was at a complete loss.
He had lived for several hundred years, making him a relatively young vampire. Aside from participating in the Great Hunt, his contact with humans was minimal. And even then, it was only as prey.
As her temperature rose, Fu Xia’s face flushed red, and Yan Zhu’s face turned red along with hers. From the moment she had hugged him, the mind of the normally clever, glib-tongued vampire had slowed to a crawl.
He stood up with her in his arms, gently placed her on the bed, stood there for a few seconds to boil a kettle of water, and then returned to her side. He knelt by the bed, held her hand, and asked softly, “Are you feeling very unwell?”
…So gentle, Fu Xia thought.
For as long as she could remember, she had never been treated so gently. When she was sick, she always had to tough it out on her own. Once, her fever had reached forty degrees, nearly frying her brain. Fortunately, her luck held, and she pulled through.
Fu Xia buried her cheek in the young man’s cool palm.
Yan Zhu felt the scorching heat against his hand. “I’ll take you to the hospital,” he said, worried, no longer caring if Xie Rin found out.
Fu Xia shook her head. It wasn’t like a cold or a fever; she just felt incredibly hot. Her body was boiling, in desperate need of something cool to bring the temperature down.
Yan Zhu’s low body temperature was perfect. She pulled him into the covers, stripped off his clothes in a few swift movements, and practically draped herself over him, using him as a mattress.
Like a giant ice pack. So comfortable.
As she was thinking this, she wanted to see his expression, but when she looked up, she couldn’t see his face at all.
Fu Xia thought for a moment and lifted the mask from his face.
Those strangely colored, beautiful eyes were staring at her with deep concern, his eyelashes trembling, his anxiety almost spilling out.
Fu Xia felt a restlessness stirring deep within her. She lowered her head, brushed the stray hairs from his forehead, and moved closer to his blind eye.
“Can you… see out of this one?”
Yan Zhu felt as if his heart had been squeezed. He stared blankly at the girl so close to him. “That eye… can’t see.”
Compared to other vampires who were born whole, with irresistibly alluring features, Yan Zhu was different. He was a vampire born with a disability. After using his perception-altering ability a few times, that eye had gone completely blind.
Fu Xia let out a soft “oh” and leaned down to press a kiss to that eye.
Yan Zhu reacted almost instantly. He didn’t know if it was the altered perception that made her pity him, or if she genuinely didn’t mind his eyes.
Fu Xia, on top of him, froze for a second, feeling something pressing against her. She dazedly reached a hand down, but he quickly caught her by the wrist.
He held back, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You…”
Do you want to?
Before he could finish, the girl on his chest collapsed, her breathing evening out as she fell asleep in a matter of seconds.
Yan Zhu took a deep breath.
…Should I get rid of Pei Wang and Xie Rin?
Xie Rin would be relatively easy, but Pei Wang might be a bit more difficult.
Yan Zhu held her, staring blankly at the ceiling in the dark. He had no interest in the Progenitor’s legacy, and he certainly never thought he would fall in love with Fu Xia at first sight.
But since it had happened… then he had to find a way to eliminate the competition.
…
For the first time in a while, Fu Xia slept well.
When she woke up, Yan Zhu was gone. She was alone in the dorm, which was the state she found most comfortable. He was Xie Rin’s bodyguard; he could only be alone with her when his employer wasn’t around.
A still-warm breakfast was on the bedside table, with a note beside it that read, “Remember to eat breakfast,” in beautiful handwriting.
So thoughtful.
Fu Xia was rarely cared for. She thought this was probably how she had been moved.
The young woman touched her face. Her body was no longer hot, and she didn’t have the dizziness that usually followed a fever. It was as if last night’s sudden symptoms had been an illusion. She did a quick search online and found that it was possible to get a fever from a sudden release of stress after a period of overload.
The past few days had certainly been a rollercoaster. If it weren’t for Yan Zhu…
Strange.
Am I the type of person who becomes so intimate with someone after just a few days?
The question flickered through her mind but was quickly suppressed.
She left with breakfast in hand.
In the classroom, the other scholarship students looked at her with incredibly complex expressions—the kind of look that was both envious and jealous of a peer who had successfully latched onto someone powerful.
—Too bad they didn’t know she was dealing with psychos.
But of course, Fu Xia wouldn’t say that. On the surface, she was Pei Wang’s little shadow, and his presence could prevent the others in the class from messing with her.
…Then again, without his presence, she wouldn’t have had to go through any of this in the first place.
Fu Xia opened her book and began to study for the next semester.
“The new students should all be here in a few days. When’s the welcome party this year?”
“The student council will probably send out a notice tonight. Sunday night, maybe?”
“I’ve already ordered my dress. I’m definitely going to blind the first-years!”
Lorenz Academy was an elite institution. The rich seemed to have a particular fondness for balls, auctions, and charity galas. These students often held private parties off-campus as well. But a school-organized event was different; it was a better opportunity to expand one’s social circle.
“I wonder if Song Yingxi will be there… If the President asks me to dance…”
“Don’t even think about it! The President will probably just make an appearance and leave. But I hope it’s at the Lakeside Theater again this year, so we can see him up close~”
Fu Xia pricked up her ears, eavesdropping. Scholarship students rarely attended these kinds of parties. Others wore suits and gowns that cost tens of thousands, while Fu Xia’s entire wardrobe, outside of her uniform, was worth less than three hundred. Going would just be humiliating.
But after the party, there would probably be a lot of pictures of Song Yingxi on the forum. At that thought, Fu Xia refocused. Her life and the lives of these rich people would probably only intersect for this short period. Once Pei Wang returned to the Night Division and Xie Rin finished his project, their paths would likely diverge.
—And that would be fine.
Being around people so far above her station could easily make her anxious and unstable.
The moment class ended, Fu Xia headed to the Secret Garden.
Chen Wang looked at her as if she were some kind of treasure. She was very pleased with Fu Xia and even tried to get some gossip out of her.
“So, how’s his technique?”
“…Haven’t tried it yet, but he’s big.”
Chen Wang let out a cackle and pressed a red rope into Fu Xia’s hand, gesturing for her to go upstairs. “Good! Let’s take this guy down in one fell swoop!”
What did ‘we’ do?
But Chen Wang had already deposited this month’s salary into her account. Seeing the tens of thousands arrive, Fu Xia felt she could endure it. After all, she was under someone else’s roof, and the pay was, for her, quite generous.
Fu Xia went up the spiral staircase to the second floor. To advance her grand plan, Chen Wang hadn’t let any other club members in for the past two days, so the second floor was empty.
Fu Xia put on her mask and pushed open the door to the private room.
Pei Wang was sitting on the sofa, his chin propped on his hand, looking at something. His back looked relaxed. Fu Xia moved closer and saw that he was watching the fish in the room’s aquarium, his gaze following a golden arowana. She saw her own reflection in the glass.
In that reflection, her eyes met his. He had shifted his gaze at some point and had been staring at her for who knows how long.
Fu Xia: “…”
Is the young master in such a good mood today?
Without turning his head, Pei Wang asked, “Have you had your fill of looking?”
“Young Master, you noticed me even from there,” Fu Xia said, adopting a familiar tone.
Pei Wang turned to look at her.
Fu Xia stood behind him, her hands behind her back, speaking like a world-weary elder. “You bit me before and acted like nothing happened. I locked you up yesterday, so let’s call it even.”
Before he could answer, she quickly added, “Shall we continue today?”
A small section of the red rope she had been winding around her hand dangled down, swaying like a snake’s tail.
Pei Wang confirmed that Fu Xia’s courage had grown considerably. Perhaps the scorching sun had drained the Vampire Prince of his energy, which was why he was allowing this weak human to stay by his side for so long.
He lowered his head and slowly began to unbutton his shirt. The mask hid his expression, as if allowing them to forget the difference between them.
Fu Xia noticed the rope was tangled around her hand. “Uh, wait a minute.”
Pei Wang sat on the sofa, propping his chin on his hand and watching her. “You can’t even manage a rope. Do you even know how to use it?”
“I’ve only been learning for two days. I’m already very good,” Fu Xia said.
Pei Wang’s movements were swift. His body was exceedingly pale, and as he unbuttoned his uniform, the beautiful lines of his muscles were revealed.
In the past two days, Fu Xia had learned a simple tortoise-shell tie. Due to the differences in male and female bodies, she had also learned a modified version. The red rope traced the lines of his body. The normally arrogant and cold young man was half-kneeling on the soft carpet, strangely not stopping her at all.
Fu Xia swallowed. His build was similar to the one in her dream. In the dream, he had been in this very position, and she had stepped on the arrogant bastard.
Pei Wang let out a sneer, as if mocking her for being distracted.
She pulled the rope a little tighter. Pei Wang instinctively frowned, his back arching slightly, but he quickly realized that any small movement would only make the ropes dig in deeper.
“If you struggle…” Fu Xia pointed down, “…this part will tighten, so it’s best not to move.”
The young master had probably never been mistreated before. The sensation was completely new to him. Fu Xia was only timid at the beginning; she quickly got into character.
“You seem very excited when you do this.”
Pei Wang followed the pull of the whip, tilting his head up slightly to meet her eyes. “Do you like the type you can humiliate?”
An image of a certain face flashed through her mind.
She shook her head. “I guess… not really.”
Pei Wang tilted his head. “Then, what type do you prefer?”
Pei Wang was not one to please others. He had been a loner since he was young, not growing up within the social structure of the vampires. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. He was less a noble creature of high society and more… a beast of the jungle.
But the tactic of instilling fear wasn’t working. Fu Xia was like a fluid; the harder others pushed, the harder she pushed back.
Pei Wang was thinking. He didn’t mind teaching the weak Fu Xia how to survive in vampire society, how to be cruel to those who threatened her.
And Fu Xia suddenly smelled something different.
Why did he get aroused when he was holding me? And why is he asking questions like this?
An unlikely answer surfaced in her mind.
She remained in a squatting position, the small whip in her hand tracing a line up his abs, not looking directly into his emerald-green eyes. “I don’t know what type I like.”
She said softly, “At the very least, they have to make me happy.”
The whip hooked the red rope and pulled outward, causing the whole structure to tighten. His abdomen tensed, and his previously calm body began to flush with blood, showing signs of revival.
“Pei Wang, can you give me an invitation to the Full Moon Ball?”
…The dagger was revealed at the end of the scroll.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Fu Xia actually felt a little embarrassed. She lowered her voice and changed her request. “Or you could reduce my debt a little.”
“Did no one ever tell you not to show weakness during a negotiation?” Pei Wang asked.
Fu Xia shook her head honestly.
He closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He said with strained patience, “If you can make me come, I can agree.”