Chapter 3
Moonlight spilled into the room through the gap in the curtains.
Fu Xia could feel the warm breath ghosting across her skin. Looking down, she could see Xie Rin’s skin, so pale it seemed to glow.
Xie Rin was truly beautiful. Her eyelashes were like the unfurled wings of a butterfly, thick and curled. Glancing lower, Fu Xia could see a large expanse of skin exposed by the pure white silk nightgown.
Combined with the unique, rich fragrance that lingered around Xie Rin, the dizzying sensation returned.
Hearing your roommate cry, then climbing on top of them to lick the tears from their face… Is that something a normal person would do?
Xie Rin’s hand began to creep up under the hem of her shirt. Fu Xia had a strange premonition just as the cold metal of a ring touched a certain spot.
As if discovering something interesting, the young man let out a soft “ooh,” his fingertip tracing a circle.
“What… are you doing?”
The young man’s finger pressed down. “I’m comforting you.”
Fu Xia’s head swam even more; she suspected she was still dreaming.
“Could you get off me first… please.”
Xie Rin looked slender, but the weight pressing down on her felt like a small mountain, leaving Fu Xia breathless.
To her surprise, the beautiful young man didn’t refuse. He withdrew his hand and gracefully rolled off her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Propping his chin on his hand, Xie Rin asked, “What kind of dream did you have, sweetie? Tell me about it.”
His words carried a clear, guiding tone. Fu Xia answered instinctively, “I dreamed that I was being hunted by Pei Wang, and then…”
She stopped abruptly.
The dream, a terrifying and yet slightly erotic nightmare, didn’t seem appropriate to share with someone else.
So, she altered the details. “…and then he died, and I was arrested by the police and sent to prison.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
“So that’s what you were afraid of…” Xie Rin said, his face still in his hands, a smile playing on his lips. “Don’t you worry, sweetie. Neither of them are dead, so they won’t arrest you.”
Vampires weren’t so easy to kill. Even if they were drained of all their blood, as long as they consumed enough, they could completely heal themselves. Especially a monster like Pei Wang.
“But that guy really does hold a grudge. Once he’s locked onto you, he’ll never let go. You should be prepared for that, sweetie.”
Fu Xia was already sleep-deprived, and now her anxiety spiked. “Then what should I do?”
Dropping out was not an option. Not only did Lorenz Academy have the best educational resources and a generous scholarship, but Fu Xia had also signed a contract upon enrollment. Unlike her former roommate, who came from a reasonably well-off family, she couldn’t afford the exorbitant breach-of-contract fee.
Xie Rin spoke in a low, haunting voice. “Sweetie.”
Fu Xia looked at him.
The moonlight draped over the young man kneeling by her bed, lending him a holy aura, as if he were an angel descended from the clouds. He was so beautiful it was hard to look away.
Xie Rin pushed himself up. His movements were slow, and as he gradually rose to his feet, Fu Xia felt a surprising sense of pressure.
She saw Xie Rin tilt his head. “Were you really listening to me?”
A chill crept up Fu Xia’s spine.
The now-standing young man stroked her cheek. The touch was gentle at first, but gradually, the pressure increased, the motion becoming repetitive and rough. When Fu Xia tried to turn her head away, he forcefully wrenched it back. She was half-afraid her skin was being scraped raw.
“I was listening… ugh.”
The second Fu Xia spoke, that hand moved slowly downward, coming to rest on her neck.
Xie Rin’s hand was large, easily encircling her entire throat with just one hand. His palm was as cold as his rings. The raised edges of the jewelry pressed into her skin, making it difficult to breathe.
Fu Xia looked up at Xie Rin, bewildered.
The angelic curve of the young man’s lips had flattened, and his voice was now laced with ice. “Didn’t I tell you? As long as you let me observe you, I will protect you.”
…Xie Rin’s hand was tightening.
Realizing this, Fu Xia raised her own hands to try and pry his fingers away, but his strength was astonishing.
His dark eyes overflowed with a gloomy darkness. Xie Rin stared intently at Fu Xia, seemingly very dissatisfied with her reaction.
Why is he suddenly doing this?
“…You lied to me, sweetie. If you were only dreaming about being hunted, why would you make a sound like that?”
“And when I touched you just now, you flinched, didn’t you?”
“…This is part of the observation, too.”
…
This one’s a complete lunatic, too!
The air was stripped away, bit by bit. Just as Fu Xia was about to suffocate, Xie Rin released his grip.
Oxygen rushed back into her lungs, and she broke into a violent coughing fit. But the next second, Xie Rin grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back down onto the bed.
He leaned over and kissed the corner of her lips, whispering, “Sweetie, I like people who are obedient.”
“So don’t do that again, okay?”
…
After his psychotic episode, Xie Rin hugged Fu Xia and apologized, saying that sometimes he just couldn’t control himself. Then he clung to her, kissing her affectionately for a while.
After everything she’d been through today, facing multiple death threats, Fu Xia felt her emotional state had stabilized to the point where she could probably face the end of the world with a calm smile.
Actually, it would be great if the world ended right now. A single meteor could just smash us all to bits.
Since I’m broke anyway, it’s no loss if we all die together.
Fu Xia was completely numb. She didn’t even bother asking what she should do to avoid Pei Wang’s grudge. Her life, once simple, was already turning into a mess with the intrusion of these lunatics.
Xie Rin was a cute girl on the surface, but in reality, he was a controlling, landmine-type psycho.
And Pei Wang was even weirder. He acted like a typical untouchable, arrogant young master, but he was actually a pervert with a pica-like fetish.
Two absolute psychos.
Still, needing to conserve her energy for whatever emergencies the next day might bring, Fu Xia forced herself to sleep.
This time, at least, she didn’t have any more nightmares, and she slept until she woke up naturally.
Fu Xia’s internal clock was set for six-thirty.
The first class at Lorenz started at nine, but as a scholarship student, Fu Xia was used to getting up early to study in the classroom or the library. She wasn’t the type who was naturally brilliant; she had to make up for it with hard work.
Today, however, Fu Xia woke up and just stared at the ceiling for a long time.
Are these rich kids so twisted because their childhoods were too perfect? Do they have to seek out thrills by tormenting poor people like me?
The most depressing part was that she had no way to fight back.
If Xie Rin really has some kind of weird designs on me…
Well, at least he’s rich and very good-looking. Being kept by him wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Nothing could be worse than being married off to a man twenty years my senior for a bride price.
At that thought, Fu Xia glanced over at the black-haired young man sleeping in the other single bed.
The Art Division’s class schedule was different from the regular curriculum, so Xie Rin’s sleep schedule was clearly out of sync with hers.
His breathing was shallow, his chest barely rising and falling. His sleeping face was as serene as an angel’s, completely unguarded against the other person in the room. There was no trace of the madness from last night.
Fu Xia’s gaze fixed on Xie Rin’s neck. The hand hanging by her side twitched.
Then, just as quickly, she realized she had been staring at him for too long.
Despite what had happened last night, she couldn’t do anything to Xie Rin.
Fu Xia tore her gaze away before he could wake up.
She quietly changed her clothes, quickly washed up, and left the room. She didn’t notice that Xie Rin, still in bed, had already opened his eyes and was silently watching her go.
A few minutes after the dorm room door clicked shut, Xie Rin pushed himself up.
His expression was utterly cold. He casually stripped off the silk nightgown, tossed it carelessly onto the floor, and walked barefoot to the closet.
If Fu Xia had still been in the dorm, she would have seen Xie Rin getting dressed.
The young man’s frame was tall and slender, his long hair casually tied back. His androgynous face was exquisite enough even without makeup. The black choker he wore around his neck had been removed, revealing the curve of an Adam’s apple so pronounced that no one could ever mistake him for a girl.
Xie Rin stood before the rows of beautiful dresses, carefully considering his options before finally selecting a dark red one.
After putting on the dress, Xie Rin walked over to the trash can.
Inside the trash can were several blood-stained tissues.
They were from the night before, left there when Fu Xia had cleaned her wound after coming back.
Xie Rin lowered his head, staring at the bloodstains for a long time.
Yesterday, at the crime scene, the scent of the other vampire’s blood had masked Fu Xia’s. On top of that, that idiot Pei Wang had licked her wound, consuming the blood that had welled up. Because of that, Xie Rin hadn’t noticed it at first.
—She smelled sweet. Incredibly so.
As a vampire who had lived for a very long time, it had been ages since Xie Rin had smelled anything like it.
Moreover, when he had been close to her last night, he could clearly feel his own stagnant blood begin to boil.
The scene he’d witnessed in her dream overlapped with reality: her, lying in Pei Wang’s hand, body completely unfurled, revealing her softest, most vulnerable side.
Every cell in Xie Rin’s body was screaming at him to bite through her neck, drain her blood, and devour her completely.
Unfortunately, Xie Rin could also clearly sense Fu Xia’s fear and restraint. If he applied too much pressure, she might just abandon everything and run.
Humans were such timid creatures, lacking the courage to face things beyond their comprehension.
Xie Rin decided he would introduce her to the other world slowly.
But for now… he was hungry.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. Just as Xie Rin was considering whether to pick the tissues out of the trash, the window was tapped twice.
He felt a pang of regret but turned and sat back down at his desk.
A few seconds later, the dorm window was pushed open from the outside, and a figure leaped nimbly inside.
The young man was dressed in a stealth suit that outlined a lean waist. His face was covered by a mask, and his entire body was wrapped up, ensuring no part of him was exposed to the sunlight.
“I braved the sun to bring you a meal. Aren’t you going to give me a little something in return?”
The man tossed two dark-red blood bags over. Without turning around, Xie Rin casually raised a hand and caught them.
He opened his mouth, and sharp fangs pierced the bag.
The same bland, uninteresting, monotonous taste.
He thought of how Fu Xia looked last night, pinned to the bed and crying. A flicker of interest returned, and he began to drink the blood much faster than usual.
…And here I thought she was just an ordinary human.
So cute. She’d make a perfect pet. I could put a leash around her neck and watch her tremble.
The newcomer had no idea what Xie Rin was thinking, nor did he mind his cold attitude. The young man leaned against the desk and began to survey the room.
He said with disgust, “Why are you living in such a shabby place?”
Xie Rin finished the two bags of blood in under a minute. He licked a stray drop from the corner of his lips and lifted his eyes to look at the man in the stealth suit.
“I’m not asking you to.”
The young man’s tone was filled with revulsion. “Do you really have to wear clothes like that?”
Xie Rin tossed the empty blood bags aside and began applying lipstick. “If you don’t want to look, gouge your own eyes out.”
The young man made a retching sound. “I’ll never get used to this disgusting habit of yours… Whatever. What’s your plan? Are you really getting involved in this?”
Xie Rin hadn’t moved in with Fu Xia on a whim, and Pei Wang hadn’t transferred from the Night Division to the Day Division for no reason.
—The Progenitor had left a final testament before his death.
He had chosen a human. Only the one who first won her love, and then cut out her heart, could inherit the Progenitor’s power.
In recent years, the internal struggles among the vampires had grown increasingly severe. The various Princes had been coveting the Progenitor’s power for a long time. Right now, some factions were still waiting and watching, but it wouldn’t be long before the situation descended into chaos.
“This is going to be quite a show,” Xie Rin said, propping his cheek on his hand. He tapped his fingers against his skin, admiring his reflection in the mirror. “How could I possibly miss it?”
The man in the stealth suit replied, “I thought you were like your brother and had no interest in the Progenitor’s legacy. He doesn’t even attend the Great Hunt or the Full Moon Ball.”
Xie Rin raised an eyebrow.
The young man thought for a moment. “Actually, that works. ‘The pavilion closest to the water gets the moonlight first,’ as they say. Is that human to your taste?”
“How should I put it? She’s ordinary and timid,” Xie Rin said, once again picturing the corners of her eyes turning slightly red as he choked her, “…but she’s a rather cute little pet.”
For now, he would be very patient in his “observation” of her.
Realizing Xie Rin was starting to slip into his usual madness, the young man warned him, “Don’t forget the Executor is watching. Don’t cross the line. If you mess up and kill her, you’re finished.”
Xie Rin shrugged.
“Oh, right. Her blood… it tastes a little special.”
Pei Wang was an exceptionally keen vampire. He was arrogant and conceited, but his combat prowess ranked among the top of the Princes. He was utterly self-absorbed and looked down on all his peers, to say nothing of a mere human.
Logically, the instant Xie Rin had swung that baseball bat, Pei Wang should have noticed someone approaching from behind.
But he hadn’t.
Pei Wang had seemed completely intoxicated by Fu Xia’s blood, even using his power of Domination on a human. Both his reaction time and his senses had been drastically dulled—a fatal weakness for a vampire like Pei Wang, who had countless enemies.
As if thinking of something amusing, the smile on Xie Rin’s lips slowly widened. “Perhaps… she’ll capture Pei Wang’s attention first.”