Chapter 7
The current situation could only be described as “mortal enemies meeting, their eyes burning with hatred.”
Pei Wang wasn’t holding a bow. Fu Xia suspected he had thrown that arrow with his bare hands.
…Is that even possible? Is he human?
Then again, Xie Rin had also just bashed his head in with a baseball bat. When these two went at each other, they went for the kill, exuding an aura of not stopping until the other was dead.
Pei Wang’s gaze swept past Xie Rin and landed on Fu Xia.
“Come here.”
Before her brain could process it, her legs had already started to move.
But her wrist was immediately seized by Xie Rin. “Get lost. Why should she listen to you?”
Xie Rin’s exquisite face was twisted with fury. “You again, you arrogant freak, ruining my fun…”
Held fast in his grip, Fu Xia decided to play dead. Xie Rin was her roommate, Pei Wang her deskmate. Both young masters had terrible tempers; offending either one would be a disaster.
But she found something strange.
Why did she instinctively want to do whatever Pei Wang said? Logically, even if she acted submissively, there should have been some small part of her that resisted.
…Could it be because I’m so terrified of him? Do I subconsciously believe that if I don’t do as he says, I’ll end up getting stabbed like that poor guy in the alley?
Pei Wang let out a soft “tsk,” a flicker of impatience crossing his brow. He completely ignored Xie Rin and walked directly toward Fu Xia.
Xie Rin shifted, blocking the path between them.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Xie Rin’s face was dark. “Her time is mine now.”
“Don’t block the way,” Pei Wang’s words were as merciless as ever. “You don’t have the right to speak to me.”
The statement was delivered nonchalantly, but it instantly ignited Xie Rin’s fury.
Xie Rin’s voice was sinister. “…You look down on me?”
Pei Wang tilted his head. “Put away that pathetic pride of yours. If you want to talk to me, go defeat Xie Yan first.”
Under the rules set by the Progenitor, most vampires believed in the law of the jungle. Pei Wang was an exceptionally young Vampire Prince, and if ranked by power, he could easily secure a spot in the top three.
Xie Rin, however, was not a Prince. Although he possessed special abilities unique to the Princes and had considerable combat strength, the Progenitor had died before granting him the title. Pei Wang looked down on the other Princes, so naturally, he couldn’t be bothered with Xie Rin.
“…Ha, hahaha…”
Fu Xia heard Xie Rin start to laugh. It wasn’t a happy sound; it was the chilling laugh of someone who had been pushed past their breaking point.
The storage room was cluttered. There were at least twenty or thirty bows and arrows that had just been brought in, any of which could be grabbed and used as a weapon.
Xie Rin snatched a nearby arrow and lunged for Pei Wang’s throat, but it was easily parried.
Fu Xia: “…”
Xie Rin and Pei Wang had an intense competitive streak. When they fought, they fought viciously, and it was unclear if they even remembered there was a pitiful scholarship student in the room with them.
Fortunately, Xie Rin had enough of a conscience to let go of Fu Xia’s hand before the fight began. Otherwise, she was genuinely afraid he might, in a fit of rage, use her as a weapon and swing her around.
She flattened her back against a storage rack and, while the two were locked in a standoff, surreptitiously shuffled toward the door. Just as she slipped out, she heard a series of loud crashes from inside, along with the screech of a rack being dragged across the floor.
Deciding the doorway wasn’t safe either, she bolted out of the archery hall.
She had successfully escaped! It wasn’t easy to get away from two lunatics.
Fu Xia raised a hand to the spot on her head where the arrow had hit her in class. Her temple was still aching; she suspected there would be a bruise tomorrow.
There was a half-hour break after P.E. Before heading back to the classroom, Fu Xia made a detour to the infirmary.
The infirmary was unusually crowded today. On her way, Fu Xia saw numerous girls, some being supported by friends, looking as if they’d twisted their ankles. As she passed them, she overheard their hushed conversation.
“Didn’t they say President Song was in the infirmary?”
“Don’t tell me he’s already left…?”
“Nooo, does that mean I faked this injury for nothing? Let’s wait a little longer, maybe the President will come out soon.”
Fu Xia’s steps faltered.
The “President Song” they were talking about was Song Yingxi.
Fu Xia knew of him. At last year’s opening ceremony, Song Yingxi had given a speech as the student council representative. The moment he appeared on stage, she’d heard gasps from all around.
…He was breathtakingly handsome. Perhaps he was of mixed heritage, with stunning blond hair and blue eyes. He looked like an angel from a fantasy story who had fallen to earth.
Song Yingxi wasn’t just the student council president of Lorenz Academy; he was also the heir to a top-tier conglomerate. He had near-perfect scores in every subject and had already been accepted into the world’s #1 university; he was only staying at Lorenz to experience campus life. Moreover, he had an incredibly gentle personality and treated all students as equals. He was one of the few who would interact peacefully with scholarship students and had advocated for the student council to recruit them.
He was so perfect that no one in the student council, or even the entire academy, could surpass him, which was why he was still the president in his third year.
…His only flaw was his poor health; he couldn’t stand under the sun for long periods.
Fu Xia shook her head, clearing the information about Song Yingxi from her mind. She walked quickly toward an empty room.
Fortunately, the infirmary at Lorenz Academy was huge and well-equipped. Even with so many people faking illnesses to catch a glimpse of Song Yingxi, there were still plenty of nurses available. She found a room and entered after getting permission.
However, once inside, Fu Xia realized there might be another patient. A curtain was drawn around the bed by the window. A light breeze blew in, causing the curtain to sway, revealing the faint silhouette of a person behind it.
Fu Xia turned on her heel. “Sorry, I’ll find another room.”
“It’s alright, come on in,” the nurse said gently.
Since the pain hadn’t subsided, the nurse gave Fu Xia some medication to reduce swelling and bruising, and also put some medical alcohol and cotton swabs in a bag for her. She pointed to her own mouth and handed Fu Xia a soft, damp towelette. “You still have a lipstick mark on your mouth. Is that okay?”
Fu Xia touched her lip and couldn’t help but hiss in pain. “It should be fine. The cut on my lip will heal quickly.”
The nurse nodded and added some other medicine to the small bag. She was being uncharacteristically gentle for a scholarship student. Fu Xia’s luck had been so bad lately that the nurse’s kindness almost moved her.
The nurse glanced toward the curtain. “By the way, if you ever run into any trouble, perhaps you could seek help from the student council.”
Fu Xia shot to her feet.
She grabbed the medicine, not daring to look in the direction of the curtain, and mumbled a “thank you” before bolting out of the infirmary.
…
When Fu Xia left, there were still plenty of people waiting eagerly by the door. She took the medicine back to the classroom.
Xie Rin and Pei Wang must have had an intense fight. After P.E., Pei Wang didn’t return to class.
Chen Wang, however, who sat in the front row, would occasionally prop her chin on her hand and turn around, giving Fu Xia a look that said, “Don’t forget your mission.”
Burdened with a mission, a massive debt, and a few of her own girlish anxieties, Fu Xia was listless in class. She didn’t absorb a thing.
This is definitely all Pei Wang’s and Xie Rin’s fault…!
With a heavy heart, she dragged her feet back to the dorm.
Fu Xia had braced herself before opening the door, but when she did, she realized she hadn’t braced herself enough.
The floor was a mess. Those priceless little dresses were scattered everywhere, and ornate, expensive gemstone accessories had been ripped off and thrown about.
Her own things, however, were untouched on her desk.
Xie Rin, wearing a nightgown, was kneeling on the soft carpet that had just been laid yesterday. He stared at a tablet with a shattered screen on the floor, his eyes red.
Hearing the door open and close, he shot his head up.
His sudden movement startled Fu Xia, and she instinctively took a step back. But Xie Rin didn’t give her time to react. He shuffled forward on his knees and tugged on the hem of her uniform.
Only then did Fu Xia realize he had been crying.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Today was all my fault.”
Fu Xia was a bit stunned by his sudden apology.
Xie Rin’s voice trembled. “You wouldn’t tell me what happened, and I got angry for no reason…”
It was hard not to be moved by the sight of a beauty in tears. Against her better judgment, Fu Xia said, “Uh, it’s fine…”
It’s not fine! Can I get some compensation?
Xie Rin looked up. “Sweetie, how can I make it up to you?”
Fu Xia answered instantly. “Can you transfer me ten thousand?”
Xie Rin: “Okay.”
The little person in her mind beat its chest in frustration. I should have asked for more!
Considering Xie Rin’s unstable mental state, Fu Xia suppressed the urge to ask for more money.
Xie Rin’s fingers crept upward. Still kneeling, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his cheek against her stomach.
“Sweetie, I’ve never had a friend before, so I don’t know how to act around them…”
Xie Rin explained that he couldn’t control his emotions. When he was overwhelmed, only painting or doing other activities could calm him down, which was why he had recently transferred from the Night Division to the Art Division.
“You heard him, didn’t you? Pei Wang looks down on me.”
Fu Xia didn’t know what to say to this wealthy young miss pouring his heart out to her. After all, being looked down on was a normal part of her life.
Her thoughts began to drift.
“My whole life… I’ve tried so hard, but no one ever pays any attention to me.”
—I can listen to your childhood trauma, but you know what I’ll want after I’m done.
“Everyone around me is like that. They think my brother is better, so they give him priority in everything. And then he’ll say he doesn’t even want it.”
“The people who get close to me only do it for my family’s sake. No one is willing to stay for me…”
He looked up at her. “Does that make sense to you, sweetie?”
Honestly, Fu Xia couldn’t really relate. She didn’t know anything about his family situation. Could it be because he’s a girl, so they won’t give him the inheritance? Are rich families like his still so misogynistic?
However, the part about everyone favoring his brother did remind her of her own cheap stepbrother. Her father was a misogynist who believed having a son brought glory to the family. Her stepbrother had bad grades and an arrogant personality, but he was praised for everything he did. Every time Fu Xia saw that smug face, she wanted to punch it—unfortunately, she never got the chance.
At this thought, Fu Xia raised her hand and gently patted Xie Rin’s head twice.
But what does any of this have to do with me? she thought again. Is this really any different from someone saying, “I don’t need a lot of money, but I need a lot of love”?
She truly found it hard to empathize with Xie Rin. No matter how much he suffered, at least he never had to worry about his next meal, wash dishes with cold water in the dead of winter, or sleep on a small balcony without a bed. The only thing Fu Xia could understand was the feeling of being the “girl” in a misogynistic family.
But she would never say these things out loud.
She lowered her gaze to meet Xie Rin’s. His black hair was soft, and a few of the red-streaked strands slipped through her fingers.
“I can,” Fu Xia said. She sighed. “It’s not that I want to be friends with Pei Wang. It’s just that I now owe him thirty million.”
Xie Rin paused. “Did he scam you, sweetie?”
Fu Xia: “…No, I accidentally broke his cufflink.”
The more she spoke, the more she felt her life was a tragedy.
“Oh,” Xie Rin said.
Fu Xia found his hair to be very smooth; stroking it was almost addictive. The young man pressed his body tightly against her stomach, and with every word he spoke, she could feel the rise and fall of his breath.
“So are you going to sell yourself to him, sweetie?”
Fu Xia said mournfully, “Can I seduce him so that he’ll voluntarily drop the debt?”
Xie Rin’s mood seemed to stabilize a little. He spoke softly, “Sweetie, if you want to seduce Pei Wang, the usual methods won’t be enough…”
Pei Wang had been in a position of dominance for too long. He was used to being superior to others, both physically and psychologically. Ordinary tactics wouldn’t faze him in the slightest. Especially not from a human like Fu Xia, who seemed to know nothing.
Fu Xia asked instinctively, “Then what should I do?”
Xie Rin looked up and mouthed the words.
He said, “Sweetie, I’ll teach you.”