Chapter 1: The Vampire’s Prey (01)
This was the master bedroom of a luxurious suite, decorated in a low-key yet opulent Baroque style.
Yu Jiao stood in the center of the room as a line of black, ornate text slowly unfurled before her—
【First Arc: The Vampire’s Prey】
At the same time, as if hearing a soft pop, the barrier separating her from this world shattered.
The antique clock on the wall began to tick, and a cool night breeze rustled the curtains.
Yu Jiao shivered.
Only then did she realize she was wearing a sexy, short slip dress. The fabric was light and thin, like sleepwear.
Lifting the hem, Yu Jiao found a long, crescent-shaped, pinkish scar on the side of her waist.
—This was her own body.
The System’s notification chimed right on cue:
【Your Identity Card: The hidden illegitimate daughter of a certain vampire clan, recently brought back to the family.】
She let the hem fall and scanned her surroundings.
The lavish bedroom was impeccably tidy. It looked nothing like a place a “hidden illegitimate daughter” would live in. It didn’t resemble a room in a grand family mansion either; it was more like a top-tier dormitory at an elite academy.
Yu Jiao’s gaze paused. A sheet of paper on the nightstand had caught her attention.
It was an invitation, written on vintage paper in a flamboyant script. The contents were cryptic and unsettling.
[Blessings are curses. Slaughter is atonement. Destruction is consummation. —The Secret Society]
【Ding! Congratulations on triggering the main quest:】
【Successfully get selected as prey by the Secret Society and survive for one week. (Progress: 1%)】
Although the System didn’t specify what this “Secret Society” was, Yu Jiao could guess. It was undoubtedly some boring pastime for a group of privileged elites.
However, with the added layer of their vampire identities, this “pastime” was tinged with blood, turning it into a hunting game.
With a clear understanding of the situation, Yu Jiao did a quick sweep of the bedroom before walking out. She was immediately drawn to the massive family portrait hanging on the living room wall.
It was clearly a large clan, and the middle-aged man in the center position had to be the family head.
Two young men with similar features stood on either side of him. They appeared to be twins, both strikingly handsome with blond hair and blue eyes. Their expressions were cold, though their auras differed slightly.
Looking at the vibrant hair and eye colors in the photograph, Yu Jiao understood: it seemed everyone in this game world had the color palette of an anime character.
Suddenly, her eyes froze, her expression turning peculiar.
She had found “herself” in an inconspicuous corner of the photo—a gloomy, transparent figure with black hair and grey eyes.
【Ding! Congratulations on triggering a clue. Unlocking memories (1/2).】
A torrent of information flooded Yu Jiao’s mind. After reviewing this portion of memories, she wasn’t the least bit surprised by the original owner’s tragic story.
It was worth noting that the original owner’s biological father was, in fact, the family head in the portrait. The twins were the heirs he was grooming, and they frequently received invitations from the academy’s Secret Society.
A glint flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes. This was an excellent entry point. By increasing the twins’ affection level, she could naturally come into contact with the Secret Society’s members…
Suddenly, the sound of laughter and chatter echoed from the hallway outside, interrupting her train of thought.
Judging by the voices, there were seven or eight people. They were getting closer, about to reach the ajar door of the suite—
【Ding! Congratulations on triggering a clue. Unlocking memories (2/2).】
In this new wave of information, Yu Jiao saw the original owner’s future:
Manipulated by someone with ill intentions, she had dressed in a skimpy, sexy slip and snuck into the room of the older twin, Xie Yanchuan, that very night, climbing into his bed.
However, Xie Yanchuan happened to bring friends over, a few of whom were members of the Secret Society. As a result, “Yu Jiao’s” disheveled state was completely exposed to everyone.
The Secret Society members’ mocking gazes licked over every inch of her bare skin. What drove “Yu Jiao” to true despair was Xie Yanchuan’s look of disgust. Unable to bear the humiliation, she fled in panic, attracting countless onlookers.
The incident escalated.
The next day, “Yu Jiao” was expelled from the Xie family for premeditatedly seducing the Xie heir. Without the family’s protection and having already aroused the sadistic desires of the Secret Society members that night, she predictably became the next week’s prey and was soon tortured to death.
Yu Jiao: “…”
She felt herself breaking down.
What kind of death trap was this for a starting scenario?
The System said, innocently:
【Other identity cards would require scheming just to get close to the Secret Society. But you get to be chosen as prey right from the start! All you have to do now is survive for a week. It’s very simple~】
Yu Jiao pressed a hand to her forehead. She highly doubted she could survive a week in such a passive and vulnerable position.
She only ever fought battles she was prepared for.
The System’s interruption had wasted another few seconds. With a creak, the main door was about to be pushed open.
I absolutely cannot repeat the original owner’s fate!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yu Jiao dropped and rolled, hiding herself under the luxurious sofa. The long, draping blanket concealed her completely.
The next second, the person pushing the door open asked in confusion, “Huh? Yanchuan, why didn’t you lock your door?”
Hearing this, Yu Jiao’s heart leaped into her throat, terrified that the cautious and suspicious Xie Yanchuan would realize something was amiss.
A few seconds later, a deep, cold voice replied, “Forgot.”
Someone else remarked in surprise, “To think the great Young Master Xie could be so careless.”
They laughed and joked as they swarmed into the room, quickly forgetting the matter.
The only girl in the group suggested in a coquettish voice, “Why don’t we see if Brother Yanchuan has any… goodies… hidden in his room?”
“We might find a pleasant surprise,” the girl added meaningfully.
Everyone eagerly agreed. They scattered, shouting about tearing off Xie Yanchuan’s “prim and proper” mask. Xie Yanchuan didn’t stop them, letting them rummage around freely.
“Hey, you there, don’t just stand there! I’ll take these cabinets. You go check under the sofa. We have to dig up some dirt on Yanchuan today!”
The young man who was ordered about responded a beat too late, “…Oh, okay.”
As if just going through the motions, he walked towards the sofa, knelt down, and casually lifted the draping blanket. But suddenly, he froze—
A slender girl was curled up underneath. Strands of black hair cascaded over her smooth back, shoulders, and neck. She had an incredibly alluring face. At this moment, her eyelashes trembled, making her look fragile and utterly helpless.
Like a stranded mermaid.
The boy’s mind went blank. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should call the others over.
He had only come to search the sofa to fit in, but he never expected Xie Yanchuan to actually be hiding a beauty in his room.
Suddenly, the girl reached out and tugged on his sleeve. Her soft fingertips brushed against the wrist of the hand holding up the blanket. It felt as if a current shot through that small patch of skin, surging into his veins and flowing straight to his heart.
The boy’s heart instantly began to pound like a drum.
The mermaid-like girl blinked her beautiful eyes, her gaze a silent plea. “Please, help me.”
—He felt as if he’d been bewitched.
“Hey, what are you spacing out for? Find something?” someone called out.
The boy snapped back to reality. He slowly lowered the blanket and stood up, his expression unchanged. “No, I just got distracted by the sofa’s pattern. It’s really nice.”
The other person didn’t suspect a thing. Just then, an excited shout came from the study. “Look what I found!”
The boy followed the noisy crowd into the study. He glanced back at the motionless sofa before nonchalantly closing the study door behind him.
Silence returned to the living room.
Yu Jiao wasn’t surprised that this stranger was willing to cover for her. She knew that most men couldn’t resist a woman who was a combination of beautiful, vulnerable, and mysterious.
Besides, the allure of ‘possessing a beautiful secret all to oneself’ was far greater than ‘sharing a piece of the pie with everyone else.’
Yu Jiao crawled out from under the sofa and calmly patted the dust off her dress. She had seen too many people act on lust, and had even lost her life because of it.
Fortunately, on the verge of death, this otome game called The God’s Lover had found her, promising: Clear the game, and you can continue to live.
While everyone’s attention was on the study, Yu Jiao grabbed a thin blanket and draped it over herself. She tiptoed to the suite’s entrance, carefully turned the handle, and had just opened the door to make her escape when her vision suddenly went black and a sharp pain hit her nose.
—She had walked straight into a hard chest.
Yu Jiao clutched her nose, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked up. A handsome, blond young man with a cold face was looking down at her.
She immediately placed him. He was the younger of the twins, Xie Zhenye.
Compared to his slightly younger appearance in the family portrait, the young man before her had matured a little. His features were sharper, and his eyes held a faint, fierce aura.
His dangerous gaze swept over her from head to toe, and he slowly raised an eyebrow.
Yu Jiao froze.
—Compared to that simple-minded boy from before, this one looked far, far harder to fool.