Chapter 9
Being yelled at by Xie Rin didn’t bother him.
The masked young man raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “It wasn’t on purpose, I swear. I was planning to call you out after you were finished.”
Xie Rin ground his teeth. “Can’t you use an electronic device?”
The young man tilted his head. “It was a message that couldn’t leave a trace.”
Xie Rin calmed down slightly. He wiped a finger across his lip, and the wound from his fangs instantly vanished. “The Elder Council? What are those old geezers up to now?”
“It’s not the Council’s problem…” the young man said. “The Progenitor’s last testament was leaked. That group of half-breeds knows about it now.”
Although the Princes didn’t always get along, they generally followed a set of rules to maintain the stability of their entire race. This allowed the vampires to not only integrate well into human society but also to stand at its apex, thanks to the wealth accumulated over their long lives.
But the half-breeds were not bound by these secret rules. Their bloodline was impure, making them prone to violent outbursts, and they were very likely to destroy this stability. The relationship between pure-bloods and half-breeds had been terrible for centuries. The superficial peace they’d maintained was only thanks to the Progenitor’s suppression.
But now, the Progenitor was dead.
“However, it seems there’s some disagreement among the half-breeds…” the masked man continued. “One faction plans to compete for the power, while the other wants to just kill the human directly.”
It had to be admitted that pure-blood vampires had certain advantages when it came to choosing a mate. Compared to the effort of making an uncontrollable human fall in love with you, it was much simpler to just eliminate the condition altogether. If the Progenitor’s power wasn’t inherited by anyone, then everyone could join the fray.
Therefore, Fu Xia’s situation was about to become rather dangerous.
Xie Rin ground his teeth again, his voice sinister. “…They should take a good look at what they’re worth.”
“But if you’re just planning to watch the show, you don’t need to…”
The young man’s words trailed off.
Watch the show?
If he were just watching, would he need to go that far?
An image from moments ago flashed through his mind. In the dim room, the girl sat on the edge of the bed. Moonlight draped softly over her shoulders as her fingers combed through Xie Rin’s long hair, her expression serene and gentle.
For a split second, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he were the one resting on her lap—
And in that brief moment of distraction, he was discovered.
Of course, the loud crash afterward had been intentional, to draw Fu Xia away. He wasn’t that clumsy.
Xie Rin sharply sensed the young man’s lapse in concentration. “What are you thinking about?”
Fortunately, the mask hid his expression well. He stammered for a moment before picking up where he left off. “If you’re just watching, you don’t need to worry about the half-breeds. The Executors will handle them anyway.”
The hand he had casually resting on the windowsill tensed. “By the way, Xie Rin, you weren’t about to… do that with her, were you?”
From his angle outside the window, Xie Rin’s kneeling posture had indeed looked overly intimate. Most vampires were arrogant by nature, and Xie Rin was even more so. It was hard to imagine him in such a… submissive position.
Xie Rin’s voice was chilling. “If you hadn’t interrupted, I would have had a taste.”
The young man stammered, “Uh, but didn’t you say you were going to let Pei Wang fall for her first? Don’t tell me you’re going to…”
Realizing what he was implying, Xie Rin’s face darkened to a thunderous black.
“…Do you want to die?”
His eyes, which had almost returned to their normal black, flushed red again with emotional turmoil. “Am I the kind of idiot who falls in love with his food?”
Do humans fall in love with the chickens, ducks, and cows they eat?
To Xie Rin, the suggestion was a profound insult.
“If anyone’s falling in love, it’ll be her falling for me.”
“Don’t get worked up… don’t get worked up,” the young man said. He checked the time and leaned against the window frame. “Aren’t the new first-years starting soon? Just be careful. A few half-breeds might try to sneak in.”
Lorenz Academy’s first-years had a half-month training camp, so they enrolled later than the second and third-years.
“Got it,” Xie Rin said.
“I’ll be staying at Lorenz for a while. If she spots me, just say I’m your bodyguard.”
“Oh, and for this upcoming Full Moon Ball, you should probably get your brother to attend…”
Before climbing out the window, he left one last piece of advice: “After all, it’s the first gathering after the Progenitor’s death… It’s better if all the Prince-level figures are present.”
…
The summer night was still a bit sultry.
She walked out of the dorm but didn’t see anyone who looked like they’d been smashed on the ground. The wind was warm, and after a few moments, Fu Xia’s head cleared considerably.
…I think I just agreed to something insane.
Objectively speaking, with Xie Rin as the other party, Fu Xia didn’t feel like she was getting the short end of the stick. He was beautiful, generous, and capable of admitting his mistakes. Among all the rich people at the academy, he was already one of the better ones. As long as he didn’t have a sudden psychotic break, Fu Xia could begrudgingly play the part of a canary.
But who would be on top, and who on the bottom?
Fu Xia pondered for a moment. Would this count as a rich family scandal? If people found out, would I be executed by the higher-ups?
Not wanting to go back to the dorm, Fu Xia started walking slowly along the path outside. At this hour, there were still people on campus, mostly students participating in club activities. Lorenz Academy had many student clubs, and thanks to its vast financial resources and the school’s strong support, most of them were well-known among high schools in the city, and even nationally. With Song Yingxi as the student council president for the past few years, the amount of sponsorship they received was frankly terrifying.
As a scholarship student, however, Fu Xia hadn’t joined any clubs. She had spent all her time after class last year working part-time jobs.
There was a dedicated notice board just outside the scholarship student dorms where campus merchants would post job advertisements. Students short on cash could pick up odd jobs in their spare time. The school would even subsidize some of their wages. It had to be said, as long as it didn’t involve conflicts between students, the school was actually quite good to its scholarship students.
At that thought, Fu Xia pulled out her phone. She was about to contact her boss from last semester to see if he was still hiring when a friend request popped up on her app. The sender was brazenly using their own photo as their profile picture; Fu Xia recognized Chen Wang at a glance.
The moment she accepted the request, a series of messages came through.
Chen Wang: [Location]
Chen Wang: Be here before eight.
Fu Xia wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen it, but then she noticed the “read” receipt. Damn it, who designed this app?
Humiliated, she replied with an “okay” and tapped on the location. It was in the southeast corner of the campus, where most of the school’s clubs were located.
Fu Xia rushed to the designated spot. A flight of stairs at the entrance led down about two floors. The walls along the staircase were covered in calligraphic script, and the wall sconces cast a dim, reddish light, creating a strangely intimate atmosphere.
She pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairs, and music flooded her ears. The first thing she saw was something that resembled a bar, currently empty, with only flashing red lights.
…How weird.
It was a rather enclosed space, clearly designed by a professional. Fu Xia was about to turn and leave when she heard Chen Wang’s voice.
“What are you standing there for?”
She was leaning against the railing of a spiral staircase, waving Fu Xia over. “Come up to the private room on the second floor. It’s easier to talk here.”
Fu Xia did her best to ignore the handcuffs and other small props on the tables as she followed Chen Wang up the stairs.
Chen Wang closed the door and casually sank into a sofa.
“How’s the progress?” she asked.
Feeling like she was in a job interview, Fu Xia stood stiffly. “Uh… does owing Pei Wang thirty million count as progress?”
Silence.
Chen Wang sat up from the plush red sofa, her hands on her knees, staring at Fu Xia, speechless.
Fu Xia tried to salvage the situation. “…But there were no cameras, and he didn’t make me sign an IOU.”
Chen Wang rolled her eyes. “You think he needs an IOU?”
Forget losing his things; if Pei Wang demanded money from Fu Xia for no reason, she would have to pay up through her tears.
Probably feeling that her chosen helper was unreliable, she ran a hand through her hair and pursed her lips in thought.
“…No, we can’t take the conventional route.”
The Full Moon Ball was next month. It was only held twice a year, and Pei Wang was an exchange student from the Night Division; there was no telling when he would go back. The Day and Night Divisions were on different campuses, and the security for the latter was top-tier. If she couldn’t get an invitation within a month, seeing anyone from the Night Division again would be next to impossible.
Chen Wang knew time was of the essence. As far as she knew, no one who had approached Pei Wang had gotten anywhere. The guy was arrogant to the extreme and told everyone to get lost.
…Although it wasn’t what she’d imagined, owing him money was, in its own way, a kind of relationship.
Chen Wang quickly made a decision. “Starting tomorrow, you’ll come here after class and stay until nine before going back to the dorm.”
Fu Xia said tactfully, “…Actually, I have to work after school.”
“Then just work here,” Chen Wang said. “Monthly salary of fifty thousand. If you can get the invitation to the Full Moon Ball, you can keep working here afterward.”
Why is it that when I’m drowning in debt, people offering easy money suddenly appear?
“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is this place?” Fu Xia asked.
Chen Wang tossed her a club brochure. Fu Xia caught it and began to flip through. The promotional text was all about “exploring the secret desires of the inner heart” and “releasing spiritual pressure…”
Flipping further, Fu Xia saw the promotional images.
She slammed the brochure shut.
…What is this? BDSM?
“Is this legal?” Fu Xia asked weakly. If the police suddenly raided the place, would she be arrested too?
Chen Wang rolled her eyes. “This is Lorenz Academy. Do you think just anyone can get in? Besides, a lot of people just come here to learn the techniques.”
Right, Fu Xia thought sourly. Being rich really does let you do whatever you want.
“A guy like Pei Wang has definitely never experienced someone who’s tied up,” Chen Wang said with a dark smile. “So, if you show him a different side, you’ll definitely catch his eye.”
Fu Xia felt she was more likely to be beaten to a pulp by Pei Wang first.
“Alright, enough nonsense. Let’s give you some basic training first. I can’t have a total novice working in my club.”
She produced two masks from somewhere, putting one on her own face and tossing the other to Fu Xia. “If you don’t want to be recognized, put it on.”
Fu Xia took the mask.
The next second, Chen Wang clapped her hands.
The door to the private room opened, and several masked figures walked in. Each wore a different mask. They all had broad shoulders and narrow waists, their bodies well-toned with just the right amount of muscle.
As Fu Xia watched, the five men obediently lined up and knelt before the sofa. With deft movements, they unbuttoned their white shirts, revealing bodies bound in red rope.
Fu Xia: “…”
Fu Xia: “? …?”
Is this a respectable establishment?