Chapter 8
The two words were mouthed without a sound.
But Fu Xia could still read their meaning from Xie Rin’s lips.
She was silent for two seconds. “Isn’t that a little… intense?”
Is this how the rich and powerful get their kicks?
Perhaps sensing the disbelief on her face, Xie Rin called her name softly, pulling her wandering thoughts back.
“Didn’t I say you were my observation subject, sweetie? You can just think of this as a physical examination.”
Xie Rin gave Fu Xia a bewitching smile. “It won’t waste your time, and it’ll help you achieve your goal… I definitely know that arrogant freak better than you do, so isn’t this the perfect way for me to help you?”
Fu Xia still felt something was off. The rich fragrance emanating from Xie Rin enveloped her. She lowered her gaze to look into his eyes.
Xie Rin said, “…And I can pay you.”
The most important part had arrived!
Fu Xia looked hesitant. “How much?”
Xie Rin’s eyes curved into crescents. “How much do you want, sweetie?”
Fu Xia decided to test the waters. “A hundred thousand…?”
Xie Rin nodded. “Sure.”
Fu Xia: “A week?”
Xie Rin: “Mhm.”
Fu Xia: “Uh, then a million…?”
Xie Rin’s eyelids lifted. “So greedy. Can you handle that much, sweetie?”
His eyes were dark and bottomless, like those of a doll displayed in an exquisite shop window. When his lips were hidden, his expression was surprisingly cold.
Fu Xia decided to quit while she was ahead. “Alright, but can we take it slow?”
The smile on Xie Rin’s lips widened. “Of course.”
He was incredibly handsome. His cat-like eyes were alluring, his nose was high and straight, and his lips were thin. His features were exceptionally sharp and vivid. Xie Rin’s face wasn’t the cute type; he was the kind who would be stunning as either a man or a woman.
Remaining in his kneeling position, he lowered his head, his nose nudging at the hem of Fu Xia’s uniform. His cold skin made direct contact with her abdomen, and his lips brushed against her skin as he tried to unbutton her skirt.
Any lower would be a very dangerous place.
Despite the temptation of a million yuan, and the fact that Xie Rin was a girl, this was Fu Xia’s first time, and she was still a little panicked.
When she backed away, Xie Rin followed on his knees.
Her back was already pressed against the door. Her legs were starting to feel weak, and she clumsily pushed him away a little.
“…Look, sweetie.”
The beautiful young man removed one hand from behind her waist and spread his fingers. His hands were long and slender, visibly larger than Fu Xia’s. The beautiful rings on his fingers glinted strangely in the dim light.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. It won’t be any worse than what Pei Wang has.”
Fu Xia’s mind uncontrollably followed his words.
…Wait, what a weird thing to say!
Her face instantly flushed beet red.
Xie Rin clearly noticed the change in her. Vampires were hunters, born with exceptional looks and keen senses. Xie Rin knew exactly when his prey would lower its guard, willingly letting him in.
Like right now.
The human before him was exuding a scent he found irresistible.
What would it be like under her skirt? he thought suddenly. Would she be looking forward to my intrusion?
Xie Rin’s gaze became a little unfocused, and his speech quickened. “Pei Wang isn’t considerate. He’ll just charge in like a dog. What if you get hurt then, sweetie? Let me help you get used to it first… that way, it won’t hurt so much.”
Fu Xia: “…”
I can’t take it anymore. How can he say things like that with such a beautiful face? And I said we should take it slow…!
Fu Xia’s gaze fell on Xie Rin’s hands. As he raised them, she noticed a scrape on the back of one. She didn’t know if it was from Pei Wang or from when he was throwing things around. At least Pei Wang had some fighting ethics; he didn’t hit Xie Rin’s beautiful face.
So, just as Xie Rin looked up at her, saw her staring at his hand, and moved his fingertips toward the button of her skirt, Fu Xia raised her own hand.
The plastic bag of medicine in her hand rustled loudly.
“Your hand is hurt. Shouldn’t we put some medicine on it first?”
…The sensual atmosphere dissipated amidst the annoying rustle of the plastic bag.
Xie Rin looked up at her with a haunted expression. After a few seconds of what seemed like an internal struggle, he allowed Fu Xia to pull him over to the bed. He stepped over the expensive, ornate clothes on the floor, his eyes glued to Fu Xia, the Adam’s apple hidden by the black lace on his neck bobbing up and down.
Fu Xia could feel his gaze on her back. The pressure was so immense she almost started walking with her left arm and left leg in sync.
Xie Rin didn’t sit on the edge of the bed. Instead, he knelt beside it. It was a strange posture, as if he were trying to hide something under the hem of his nightgown. He rested his head on her lap and placed his hand in her outstretched palm. His movements were docile, like a well-trained pet, not a demon who would choke someone by the neck.
When their hands touched, Fu Xia noticed how cool his were. He was meticulous about his appearance, and his hands were well-maintained. Fu Xia’s hands, on the other hand, had calluses from endless studying and were a bit rough from the occasional dishwashing gig.
Fu Xia squeezed his hand gently.
When she applied the medical alcohol to his wound, Xie Rin didn’t react. He looked up, his pale body visible beneath the nightgown, his black cat-like eyes staring at her with obsession. In the darkening room, it was actually a little terrifying.
…I should have turned on the light.
Enduring the bone-chilling coldness, Fu Xia finished treating his hand. Seeing him press his hand to her knee and try to get closer again, Fu Xia held his face back. “…Are you hurt anywhere else besides your hand?”
Xie Rin let out a muffled laugh into her palm. “Are you asking me to take off my clothes so you can check, sweetie?”
Fu Xia: “…”
Seriously, is he an incubus?
She felt the pressure on her knee trying to push her legs apart and had a sudden thought.
“Has anyone ever forced you to do this before?”
Fu Xia now suspected that the students of the Night Division lived lives of debauchery and hedonism, with chaotic relationships. Materially satisfied but spiritually empty, their personalities had become twisted, and they had started seeking out thrilling, exciting experiences.
Xie Rin was certainly twisted. His first reaction to seeing her cry was to lick away her tears. When he felt jealous, his first thought was to kiss her to erase the previous person’s mark. It was not at all the normal way one should interact with people.
Xie Rin’s expression turned strange. “…Are you worried about me?”
Fu Xia remembered his behavior in the storage room that morning. Her muscles tensed instinctively. “No… just a little concerned.”
With that look on his face, Fu Xia was genuinely afraid he would suddenly stand up, grab her by the neck, and scream, “You think you’re worthy of pitying me?!”
But, to her surprise, Xie Rin stopped moving. The smile on his lips widened, and to hide his loss of composure, he lowered his head and rested his cheek on her lap.
“Sweetie…” he said softly. “You’re the first person to ever worry about me like this.”
Such a weak and pitiful prey.
Caught in the power struggle of monsters, yet still showing kindness to one of them.
On the day she learns the truth, how terrified, how helpless will she be?
When that time comes, if I offer her a helping hand, compared to Pei Wang or the others who are still watching from the sidelines, she will surely fall deeply in love with me, the one who came to her first, right?
At this thought, Xie Rin’s mood brightened considerably.
He lowered his voice, deliberately sounding pitiful. “It’s just that I was kidnapped once… locked in a dark room with no way out, and someone tried to… touch me…”
In reality, it was a vampire training exercise. Xie Rin had killed everyone in half a day and was smiling when he came out.
“I don’t have many people I know. Just annoying, arrogant freaks like Xie Yan. And others want me to get on good terms with the old geezers for a family alliance…”
The “old geezers” were other vampires. Hundreds, thousands of years old—what else could they be? Of course, it wasn’t that people were targeting him specifically; it was just that very few vampires could tolerate his personality. When he went crazy, he would kill anyone. He would only occasionally speak to Prince-level figures at events like the Full Moon Ball. But because their fights always ended in a stalemate and their families were rivals, Xie Rin thought none of them were any good.
“But don’t worry, sweetie. I’ve never done this with anyone before…”
He held out his hands. “See? Clean.”
Fu Xia didn’t answer right away. Some of what he said had registered, some hadn’t.
…Her leg was starting to go numb from him resting on it.
Fu Xia wasn’t sure if being friends with a rich young miss like this was a good thing. Xie Rin said he “couldn’t live without her,” but in reality, due to the huge wealth gap, he held almost all the control in their relationship.
Fu Xia needed money, and she really needed the money he was offering. Exchanges were always of equal value. Since she was already an observation subject with her life under a microscope, asking for money seemed perfectly normal, right?
But because of his volatility, she couldn’t trust him completely.
The curtains were open, and cold moonlight streamed in. In the silence of the room, Fu Xia took a quiet breath. She didn’t mind having a physical relationship, and she had a certain tolerance for unusual behavior, as well as for this kind of emotionally pressuring situation. After all, she had grown up in a repressive environment. Fu Xia thought of herself as a spring: flexible and resilient.
Her fingers combed through Xie Rin’s long hair, smoothing out the messy strands, putting on a gentle display of someone who had been moved by his story.
“…Okay. But we’ll definitely take it slow.”
Xie Rin’s eyes curved into a smile.
Fu Xia glanced out the window, wanting to catch her breath.
But as her gaze fell outside, she met a pair of strange eyes.
This was the fourth floor.
For a moment, Fu Xia’s heart nearly stopped.
She suppressed her panic and looked again, realizing the person was actually in a tree a little ways out. The strange face was a black, plague-doctor-style mask, worn by a young man in a stealth suit.
Perhaps he was daydreaming, or maybe he hadn’t expected her to turn her head so suddenly, because the young man squatting on the tree branch lost his footing.
The next second, Fu Xia saw him fall from the branch, followed by a loud THUD.
Fu Xia: “…?”
The sound of the fall was accompanied by a scream from a passerby below. Fu Xia instinctively stood up, pushed Xie Rin away, and ran to the window. She pulled it open and looked down, but all she saw were other students leaning out of their windows. There was no sign of the man in the bird mask.
Seizing the opportunity, Fu Xia turned to leave. “I saw someone fall. I’m going to go check it out.”
She didn’t even change her shoes, bolting out the door and remembering to close it behind her.
Xie Rin: “…”
He remained kneeling on the floor, his black cat-like eyes turning blood-red with emotional turmoil. The young man bit down hard on his lower lip until his sharp fangs broke the skin and blood trickled down.
She always, always runs so fast.
Xie Rin could feel that she had been wavering. He could have smoothly proceeded to the next step…
Less than a minute after Fu Xia left, an awkward cough echoed through the room.
Xie Rin pulled at the corner of his lips. He grabbed the blanket from the bed, covering the bulge under his nightgown, and spoke coldly to a corner of the dorm room.
“You goddamn idiot…”