Chapter 10: The Vampire’s Prey (10)
Under Xie Zhenye’s chilling stare, Yu Jiao looked at Lin Qiuzhe apologetically, her lips pulling into a faint, reassuring smile.
Averting her gaze from his worried eyes, Yu Jiao lowered her head and walked, step by step, towards Xie Zhenye. Her figure was slender and frail, like a lamb caught by the scruff of its neck by a predator.
Xie Zhenye’s face was grim as he pulled her into his arms, sheltering her as if under his wing.
His eyes swept across the room. The intimidating glare sent the onlookers scattering. Finally, his cold gaze lingered on Lin Qiuzhe for a moment, a silent warning.
Once they reached the second floor, Xie Zhenye didn’t even glance at the pale-faced Xie Ning. He gave a cool command, “The Eldest Miss is tired. Take her back to her room to rest.”
As he finished speaking, two blood servants appeared behind Xie Ning like ghosts and forcibly dragged her away. Xie Ning struggled and shouted, “Xie Zhenye, you can’t do this to me! I’m the head’s— Mmph, mmph!!”
The atmosphere in the banquet hall turned frigid. The hand Lin Qiuzhe was using to hold his handkerchief fell to his side, then slowly clenched into a fist.
…
After changing into dry clothes, Yu Jiao buttoned up her shirt one by one, making absolutely sure the symbol on her chest was completely hidden. Then, she walked out of the room. Xie Zhenye was leaning against the sofa, his face cold. Hearing the noise, he didn’t say a word or turn his head.
Yu Jiao tiptoed over to him, then slowly sat down on the soft carpet, gently resting her chin on his knee.
She wrapped her arms around herself, the white sleeves of her shirt covering half her face, leaving only a pair of lively eyes exposed. Her hair and eyelashes were still damp, making her look like a pitiful stuffed toy.
Xie Zhenye looked down at her for a few seconds, then grabbed a soft, clean towel and placed it on her head, rubbing it vigorously. Yu Jiao’s damp hair was messily half-dried until it stood on end. She pleaded for mercy with a pathetic look.
The dark clouds on Xie Zhenye’s face dissipated slightly. He bent a finger and wiped a stray drop of wine from her cheek, using the motion to lift her face.
“How did you get yourself into such a state?”
“You have the nerve to ask?” Yu Jiao swatted his large hand away, puffing out her cheeks. “It’s all your fault I’m such a mess! You made a huge spectacle of sending those gowns, which made people jealous of me. And now look! Not only were the gowns ruined so I couldn’t wear them, but I also got a drink poured all over me.”
A flicker of emotion crossed Xie Zhenye’s face.
He had the untimely thought: So, she didn’t wear the gown because she didn’t like it.
Yu Jiao’s feisty display actually improved his mood, but then he heard her accusatory tone grow more dejected. Her small, pale face wilted, her eyes reddened, and the emotions within them scattered and fell.
“But when I was being bullied… where were you?”
“I…”
Xie Zhenye’s heart instantly melted into a puddle. He pulled her into his arms and buried his head in the crook of her neck, hiding his awkward expression. After a long moment, he mumbled, “I’m sorry.”
His hair was cool, like a wild, icy flame, and it tickled her neck. But his breath and body temperature were scorching hot as he spoke. He was just like a large dog begging for affection. Yu Jiao gave him a little push.
“…Don’t move,” Xie Zhenye said, catching her hand. “Why do I smell blood?”
He frowned and sniffed, following the scent. He pulled open her collar, and a thin, long line of blood came into view.
—It was the wound from her confrontation with the mysterious person last night.
Yu Jiao’s constitution was unique. Wounds on her body took much longer to heal completely compared to a normal person’s. The cut on her neck had finally stopped bleeding, but after being soaked in wine, it was now showing signs of reopening.
“You’re hurt,” Xie Zhenye’s voice was low and husky.
The sweet scent of blood turned his azure eyes a dark, crimson red. A hazy desire rose in his ruby-like pupils. He licked his increasingly sharp canine teeth and slowly leaned in towards her wound, murmuring, “So sweet.”
Yu Jiao froze. The dangerous feeling of being targeted by a predator made the hair on her arms stand on end.
I was careless.
The characters in this game all seemed so normal that she sometimes forgot they were vampires, extremely sensitive to the scent of blood.
Xie Zhenye gently pressed his lips to the side of her neck. She pushed back. “Don’t…”
A large, warm hand cupped the back of her head, a gesture that was both soothing and unyielding.
Cool, hard fangs pressed against her tender skin, like a falling snowflake. Yu Jiao closed her eyes—but the piercing pain she expected never came. Instead, she felt a series of wet, gentle touches.
He was just licking her, restraining himself.
The sensitive, soft flesh was repeatedly caressed by a slightly rough tongue, sending waves of a strange, tingling numbness through her. At the same time, a cool sensation soothed the stinging wound.
A glint flashed in Yu Jiao’s eyes.
A moment later, Xie Zhenye finally lifted his head from her neck. He extended the tip of his tongue to curl away the bloodstain at the corner of his lips. His expression was one of sated satisfaction, but his eyes churned with an even greater desire.
This version of Xie Zhenye didn’t make Yu Jiao feel threatened. Instead, it gave her the bizarre impression of a big cat exposing its belly, begging for a treat.
Yu Jiao touched her neck. The wound had already healed, not even a scar remaining. She looked at Xie Zhenye in surprise, only to see his gaze harden, his dark eyes fixed on the other side of her neck.
In her struggle earlier, her collar had been pulled wide open. There, blooming on the long, slender column of her neck, was a lurid love bite.
—Another mess left behind by that damn mysterious person from last night.
Xie Zhenye’s eyes were dark, the pressure around him dropping like a gathering storm. His long fingers gently traced the mark. The cool, jade-like touch made Yu Jiao shiver.
She was on high alert, her mind racing through various response strategies, prepared to face a tempest. But then she heard Xie Zhenye’s hoarse voice. “Did they do this to you too?”
“…Huh?”
For a rare moment, Yu Jiao was stunned. It took her a while to follow his line of thinking—the love bite was a bruised, reddish-purple, which did indeed look like a contusion left after a violent beating.
Yu Jiao’s expression turned serious. “Yes, that’s right. They bullied me in the dorm.”
She seamlessly shifted the blame.
Xie Zhenye frowned. He gently stroked her hair, treating her like a fragile, precious treasure as he wrapped her tightly in his arms.
Pressed against his chest, Yu Jiao could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and the promise that rumbled from his chest: “I won’t let you get hurt again.”
His voice was exceptionally solemn.
Yu Jiao lowered her eyes, a faint, unreadable smile on her lips.
Men’s promises are always made so easily. It’s only when trouble actually arrives that all the difficulties crop up.
Yu Jiao paid his words no mind. She just hugged his lean waist tightly, putting on a weak and vulnerable act, as if to say, ‘Oh, I’m so touched! You’re so good to me! You’re all I have!’
The two of them held each other in silence, like a pair of lovers whose hearts were in perfect sync. Just as the atmosphere was perfect, a knock suddenly came at the door. The blood servant outside spoke in a low voice, “Second Young Master, there is an urgent matter.”
“What matter could there possibly be that Xie Yanchuan can’t handle?” Xie Zhenye said impatiently.
“It was the First Young Master who sent me to fetch you.”
Xie Zhenye clicked his tongue. He rubbed against Yu Jiao reluctantly and settled her in, wrapping her up in layer after layer. He stared at her and ground his teeth. “I’ll be back soon. Wait for me here. Don’t sneak off again like last time.”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Yu Jiao said, blinking innocently from within her cocoon of blankets. “Wait, bend down a little.”
As he leaned down, Yu Jiao sprang up and planted a loud peck on his cheek.
“Happy birthday,” she said with a grin.
Xie Zhenye was stunned for two seconds, the tips of his ears turning slightly red. He mumbled, “That’s no way to send someone off.” He gently pinched the soft flesh of her cheek, and then, at the blood servant’s repeated urging, he finally left.
The moment he was gone, another knock came at the door.
“Miss Yu Jiao, the First Young Master has requested your presence.”
A flicker of amusement appeared in Yu Jiao’s eyes.
This move by Xie Yanchuan… should I call it ‘luring the tiger away from the mountain,’ or ‘shamelessly trying to steal what’s not his?’