Chapter 18: The Vampire’s Prey (18)
Water gushed from the faucet, only to be stopped by a pale hand.
Yu Jiao looked up at the mirror.
After washing the tears from her face, all that remained on her exquisite features was a look of detached contemplation.
I’ve temporarily dealt with Wei Changlin. I need to let that ambiguous feeling ferment for a while. With the twins, there’s a risk of my identity being exposed, so I can’t act rashly. The current breakthrough point…
Yu Jiao took a tissue and dabbed the water from her face, a plan already forming in her mind.
After composing herself, she went to the cafeteria and found Lin Qiuzhe, who had been waiting for a long time. She briefly explained what had happened, then said, as if by chance, “After listening to you talk about the Secret Society this morning, I’ve been feeling a bit on edge.”
As she spoke, she poured two glasses of warm water, her slender fingers restlessly tracing the rim of her glass. “These people, they’re right here among us… I really don’t know what they’re capable of.”
She pushed a glass towards Lin Qiuzhe.
“Indeed,” Lin Qiuzhe said, accepting the glass with a word of thanks.
He pressed his lips together. “You may not know this, but this is the time of year when the Secret Society selects its new prey. After the prey is chosen, all the blood-race students in the school can participate in the hunt. If someone from outside the Society succeeds in the hunt, they can join. So, the academy will be a bit chaotic for a while.”
Yu Jiao asked, puzzled, “What’s the benefit of joining the Secret Society? Why is everyone so eager?”
“On one hand, the Secret Society is a symbol of the center of power,” Lin Qiuzhe said, taking a small sip of water. “On the other hand, for every hunt, the Society feeds the chosen specially-admitted student a type of pill called the Holy Medicine.”
“Any vampire who succeeds in the hunt can obtain the power within it. It can greatly increase the success rate of awakening, and even enhance one’s strength.”
“But this medicine is monopolized by the Xue family. No one knows where it comes from.”
“I see,” Yu Jiao nodded.
Just then, the noisy cafeteria suddenly fell silent, an ominous signal.
Lin Qiuzhe, sitting across from her, his face grew grim, as if facing a great enemy. Yu Jiao was about to follow his gaze when she heard—
“Don’t turn around.”
Lin Qiuzhe’s expression was grave, his eyes filled with concern. He paused, then explained in a low voice:
“It’s Xue Zhu.”
Yu Jiao blinked, realizing: Lin Qiuzhe had witnessed her being harmed by Xue Zhu last night. He was worried that coming face-to-face with her abuser so suddenly would trap her in a fearful memory.
Under the young man’s worried gaze, Yu Jiao gave him a grateful smile, then lowered her head and began to poke at the food in her bowl with her chopsticks. She appeared calm, but the hand holding the chopsticks was trembling slightly, as if she were desperately trying to suppress her fear.
Yu Jiao’s long eyelashes drooped, hiding the calm indifference in her eyes.
Encountering Xue Zhu in her current identity would only lead to him tormenting her, and it wouldn’t advance the plot at all.
She didn’t want to cause any trouble and just hoped he wouldn’t notice her.
A strange silence filled the cafeteria.
Xue Zhu, seemingly oblivious, instructed his underling to get him food. He casually scanned the room, looking for a seat.
At the same time, Yu Jiao, who was trying her best to shrink into the background, suddenly heard a familiar “Ding—!”
[Law of Causality]: As the female lead of an otome game, you are the favorite of fate.
Yu Jiao’s expression was almost numb.
In the vast cafeteria, with countless empty seats, the one Xue Zhu chose was right in front of her.
In the dead silence, the sound of lazy, unhurried footsteps suddenly rang out, carrying with them an oppressive, chilling aura. They drew closer, step by step, like the ticking of Death’s pocket watch.
He’s coming.
Yu Jiao took a deep breath. Although she couldn’t escape the hand of fate, she could at least choose how to face it.
For example: the angle at which she bowed her head, the frequency at which her eyelashes trembled, and the way she curled her fingers.
Though they were only minor changes, the young woman’s entire aura was transformed. She was like a pearl, carelessly left in a corner, now emitting a soft, unignorable light.
The footsteps that were about to pass her by paused.
A pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes turned, and a cool, dark gaze was cast upon her.
Xue Zhu looked down at her from the side.
He saw a familiar figure, head buried like an ostrich, shoveling food into her mouth. A cruel smile slowly formed on his lips.
He turned to the person sitting behind Yu Jiao, kicked the leg of their chair with the tip of his shoe, and said softly, “Are you done eating?”
The person was stunned and quickly agreed. He left with his full tray of food, but not before wiping the table clean with a trembling hand.
Staring at the young woman’s stiff neck, Xue Zhu gracefully sat down.
His tongue licked over his canine teeth.
He felt an itch.
His underling returned with the food. Seeing that Xue Zhu was in a good mood, he rubbed his hands together and struck up a conversation. “Boss, are you going home for lunch today?”
“Too tired. Too lazy to go back,” Xue Zhu said, propping his chin on his hand.
He complained, “The bed at the Xie Manor is so hard. I didn’t sleep well last night. If you ask me, the beds in the dorm are even softer than the one at the Xie’s.”
The underling was puzzled. He wondered why the topic had suddenly shifted to the beds at the Xie Manor. Then, he saw his boss extend a long, slender finger and poke a passerby in the back.
“What do you think, Second Miss Xie?”
She instantly trembled like a startled rabbit, her snow-white neck so pale it was almost blinding.
“I’m asking you a question,” Xue Zhu said, his voice a lazy drawl.
She stammered, “Yes…”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. She was trembling, looking weak and helpless.
“Tsk.”
Xue Zhu turned away, bored.
The oppressive aura gradually faded.
Lin Qiuzhe’s hands, which were hanging at his sides, clenched into fists. He looked at the still-frightened young woman with a complex expression.
Yu Jiao forced a smile at him.
Lin Qiuzhe suddenly stood up and took her cold wrist. “Miss Yu, I know a great shop in the academy. Shall we go and try it?”
His hand was warm. Yu Jiao let herself be pulled up by the firm, reliable force.
Xue Zhu’s gaze shifted. He stared thoughtfully at their departing figures, a strange sense of familiarity making him slowly narrow his eyes.
…
After lunch, Yu Jiao waved goodbye to Lin Qiuzhe.
During the lunch break, she hid in a remote corner, used [One-Click Outfit Change] to disguise herself as a boy again, and slipped into the boys’ dormitory building.
Xue Zhu’s dorm was on the top floor, occupying the entire level.
Yu Jiao knocked on the door.
A low voice, laced with anger, came from inside. “If you don’t want to die, get lost.”
Yu Jiao ignored it and knocked again.
The door was yanked open.
Xue Zhu’s face was dark, his eyes bloodshot. He braced one hand on the doorframe and pressed the other to his temple, as if he were fighting against some intense pain.
He was only wearing a pair of trousers, his upper body bare, the powerful muscles tense.
After seeing who it was, he narrowed his long, narrow phoenix eyes. The impatience in them gradually faded, and a smile suddenly appeared. He was once again the delicate, elegant President Xue. He teased, “Finally using the front door this time?”
He stepped aside and invited her in.
The room was dim, the air conditioning blasting, like the lair of some creature.
Xue Zhu turned and walked barefoot across the carpet to a long table. He took out two wine glasses. His bare shoulders and back were pale, the lines of his back muscles graceful.
Yu Jiao got straight to the point. “I want to know what the Holy Medicine is.”
Xue Zhu uncorked a bottle of red wine and said nonchalantly, “Why are you asking?”
The sound of gurgling liquid filled the air as he poured two glasses.
Yu Jiao approached and took the glass he offered. She braced one arm on the table and gracefully hopped up to sit on it, meeting his gaze.
“Because the Xie family wants it.”
Due to their positions, their trouser legs brushed against each other.
“Since you want to know…”
Xue Zhu’s eyes were deep. He stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly braced his hands on the table and leaned in close to her ear. His voice was low and husky, full of emotion as he enunciated each word, “It’s my heart’s blood.”
Yu Jiao was stunned.
She had imagined countless answers, but she had never thought that the so-called Holy Medicine would come from Xue Zhu’s own heart’s blood. No wonder it was monopolized by the Xue family.
Yu Jiao looked at his bare chest and only then noticed several thin, faint, pale scars on his left side, almost unnoticeable.
“Why?”
Why his heart’s blood?
Why does it have such a miraculous effect?
Why would he do this?
As if reading her unspoken questions, Xue Zhu smiled and raised his hand.
He slowly took her hand, which was holding the wine glass, and squeezed it. His large hand unyieldingly guided hers upwards.
The cold wine glass, separated by a thin mask, was pressed against her lips.
Xue Zhu watched her quietly.
The cool air brushed against the back of her neck. Yu Jiao met his gaze, then suddenly lifted a corner of her mask and, guided by his hand, drank the wine.
The sweet, cool liquid slid down her throat, leaving a strange, bitter taste on her teeth.
Xue Zhu’s lips curved in satisfaction. He continued, “The so-called Holy Medicine is also a secret technique of the Xue family, used to unite and control the other vampire clans.”
He took the empty glass from her hand.
“It’s more like a contract. Those who take the medicine are forced to become my followers. From then on, any harm I receive will be transferred to them.”
Xue Zhu tossed the two glasses into the sink. He then took out a dagger and began to toy with it. He looked back at her and smiled. “Want to try?”
Yu Jiao hopped off the table. “No, thank you.”
Hearing this, Xue Zhu looked disappointed and put the dagger away. He leaned leisurely against the table and slowly formed a bewitching smile.
“But you’ve already taken it.”
“…”
Yu Jiao’s gaze trembled. She understood. “The red wine.”
【Main Quest: Successfully get selected as prey by the Secret Society, and survive for one week. (Progress: 40%)】
Xue Zhu smiled but said nothing.
Yu Jiao’s face was blank.
She knew that with his current level of interest in her, he wouldn’t let her die so easily. Besides, the only side effect of the medicine seemed to be the transfer of harm, and she didn’t think anyone could actually hurt Xue Zhu.
Just as she’d expected, seeing that she wasn’t panicking, Xue Zhu sighed with regret and said meaningfully, “Don’t worry. It will only benefit you. There are no downsides.”
…
After leaving Xue Zhu’s room, Yu Jiao mulled over his last words.
She couldn’t figure it out.
She cursed under her breath, a sour look on her face: Riddle-speakers should be banished from the Earth.
Just as she passed through the corridor and rounded a corner, she suddenly bumped into someone.
A sharp pain shot through her nose.
A pain that was somewhat familiar.
She looked up.
—Xie Zhenye.
Yu Jiao: “…”
Didn’t this dog go back to the Xie Manor?
The dog narrowed his eyes, his aura fierce. “It’s you.”
In his eyes, the figure in a boy’s school uniform, with a hat and a mask, was none other than the culprit who had destroyed the ritual last night.
He violently twisted her wrist. Yu Jiao reacted quickly, aiming a kick at his waist. The two of them began to fight.
Yu Jiao was struggling. Her skills, after all, were bought with in-game currency. They were no match for Xie Zhenye, who had trained for many years.
He attacked fiercely. In a surprise move, he ripped off her mask. In that split second, Yu Jiao ducked her head and bit down hard on his hand.
“Fuck!”
Caught off guard, he slightly loosened his grip. Yu Jiao seized the opportunity to break free and ran for her life.
…
Xie Zhenye gave chase, following the culprit into the teaching building. The figure disappeared around a corner on the second floor.
This floor was for the students’ P.E. classes, with changing rooms and showers. Due to the nature of the rooms, there were no windows to escape from.
The culprit was trapped.
It was currently the lunch break, and the building was empty. Xie Zhenye’s face was hard as he silently pushed open door after door, checking each room.
He found nothing, until the very last one.
Xie Zhenye sneered. Time to catch a turtle in a jar.
He threw the door open—
But the sight that met his eyes was not the panicked figure of the culprit, but…
“Yu Jiao?”