Chapter 9: The Vampire’s Prey (09)
Yu Jiao tilted her head up slightly and refused in a cold tone, “No, thank you.”
The man with the peach-blossom eyes kept his hand extended, still smiling.
The atmosphere grew tense.
The group of dandies noticed the situation and someone immediately shouted, “Wei Changlin, you can’t hit on a friend’s girl! What do you think you’re doing!”
The reprimand broke the heavy silence.
Wei Changlin spread his hands. “Miss Yu and I hit it off right away. What’s wrong with having a little chat?”
“You shameless bastard!” one of them said, hooking an arm around his neck with a laugh.
In an instant, the group was roughhousing and laughing together. Lin Qiuzhe tried several times to get past them to Yu Jiao but was pulled into the fray, once again trying miserably to break them up.
The tension in Yu Jiao’s heart eased slightly, and she couldn’t help but smile. But at that moment, an authoritative reprimand cut through the lighthearted atmosphere.
“What is the meaning of this behavior!”
A middle-aged man with a stern face and lavish clothes stood not far away. It was the head of the Xie family, the man who, in the game’s setting, was “Yu Jiao’s” biological father.
The rowdy group of dandies lazily stood up straight and said in unison, “Good evening, Uncle Xie.”
The Xie family head’s gaze shifted to Yu Jiao. “You, come here,” he said in a heavy voice.
Yu Jiao’s smile vanished. She walked towards him calmly.
The dandies whispered amongst themselves, “That old man only acts so high and mighty because the Xie family has those two monstrously talented geniuses. He’s always looked down on us. Miss Yu—no, I mean, Second Miss Xie—is in for it now!”
Lin Qiuzhe watched her slender, retreating figure with worry. Wei Changlin threw an arm around him. “Let’s go, Mr. Lovesick. Stop staring. Time for a drink. And while we’re at it, you can tell us how you managed to get captured by this Miss Yu.”
“I-I didn’t! Changlin, don’t talk nonsense…”
…
As Yu Jiao got closer, she saw that two blood servants were following behind the family head. One of them was a familiar face—011 gave her a slight nod.
Yu Jiao’s gaze swept past him and landed on her father’s displeased, aged face.
He frowned. “You are a daughter of the Xie family. What does it look like, mingling with these unsavory characters in public?”
Yu Jiao put on a look of someone earnestly seeking guidance. “Then in your opinion, who should I be mingling with? Those with noble bloodlines? Those with wealthy families?”
Her expression was so sincere that her father didn’t even detect her sarcasm. He nodded. “Both should be considered, but bloodline is the most important.”
“It’s for your own good that I’m telling you not to associate with this riffraff. They may look glamorous, each one a direct heir of their family, but in reality, they can’t even awaken their bloodlines. After they come of age, they’ll be cast aside by their families sooner or later.”
In truth, what he said wasn’t without reason.
As time went on, the vampire lineage had grown thinner. Most of them possessed the bloodline but would never be able to awaken their powers. Such descendants were no different from ordinary humans, situated at the bottom of the power structure.
The optimal age for awakening was between ten and twenty. After twenty, the purity and strength of one’s bloodline were set, and breakthroughs were nearly impossible. This was why the Xie twins were so highly valued.
—At such a young age, they possessed an extraordinary purity and strength of blood, surpassing even the leaders of many major clans, which made the old, established families deeply wary.
The family head continued, “Interact more with talented young men who have promising futures. This is for your own sake.”
Yu Jiao stared at the tips of her toes. I don’t need you to teach me that, she thought. To complete her mission, she would naturally be interacting plenty with the noble vampires who were her capture targets.
Seeing Yu Jiao’s obedient demeanor, her father’s tone softened. “I am aware of what happened with your roommate. Rest assured, Daddy will give you a proper resolution.”
He hesitated for a moment, raising a hand as if to pat her shoulder, a gesture to display a father-daughter bond that was practically non-existent.
“Daddy!”
With a coquettish cry, a girl flew into his arms like a cannonball, making him stumble. The hand that had been reaching for Yu Jiao was now used to steady the girl instead.
“Ning’er,” he chided helplessly. “Why are you being so flustered?”
Xie Ning pouted. “I was just in a hurry! Uncle Lin asked me to tell you to come upstairs for a discussion.”
“So it was an important matter.” He tapped her nose playfully. “It seems Daddy misunderstood you.”
Xie Ning clung to his arm, acting spoiled. She then turned her head as if by accident, her triumphant gaze landing on Yu Jiao in a clear declaration of ownership.
Their display of father-daughter affection was already making Yu Jiao’s skin crawl. Now, receiving Xie Ning’s look, she felt as if she were watching a small, insecure animal guarding a garbage dump, baring its teeth at a passerby who was pinching their nose in disgust.
Yu Jiao found it laughable.
Before leaving, the family head instructed the blood servant behind him, “Shi Yi, look after the Second Miss.”
The blood servant, number 011, nodded in acknowledgement.
“Don’t worry, Daddy. Just leave my little sister to me.”
Xie Ning pushed her father away and then affectionately linked her arm with Yu Jiao’s, pulling her to the bottom of the grand staircase. “Yu Jiao, wait for me right here, okay? I have a little gift for you~”
She smiled, sweet and bright, but her eyes roiled with thick malice.
Yu Jiao glanced around with a knowing half-smile, immediately seeing through Xie Ning’s plan. She calmly waited where she was.
Her expression was indifferent, a mocking glint flashing in her eyes. Standing at the junction of light and shadow, her figure was delicate and thin, looking utterly pitiful.
Beside her, 011 paused, then offered a clumsy attempt at comfort. “Second Miss, the master actually cares for you very much.”
Hearing this, Yu Jiao shot him a look. “Have you been watching too many melodramatic soap operas? What are you imagining? Do I look like someone who would weep mournfully over something like this?”
011: “No.”
Though he agreed with her, the eyes behind his mask were filled with the sentiment: ‘She’s just putting on a brave face. I mustn’t expose her.’
After sizing him up for a moment, Yu Jiao lifted her chin. “You. Stand further away.”
011 skillfully took two steps back.
Just then, Xie Ning’s voice, thick with suppressed excitement, came from above.
“Yu Jiao! Look here—”
Yu Jiao closed her eyes and tilted her head up, feigning complete defenselessness. As expected, a stream of cold liquid poured down over her head.
Xie Ning stood at the second-floor railing, holding a bottle of red wine. She said with false sincerity, “Oh! I’m so sorry, Yu Jiao. My hand slipped.”
Xie Ning’s cry drew a crowd of onlookers.
Upon seeing the drenched girl, the clinking of glasses and chatter gradually died down, and the crowd fell silent.
The force of the liquid knocked her loose hair pin out. Her raven-black hair cascaded down, soaked and glistening. Her slightly loose dress, now wet, clung to her skin, outlining the perfect curves of her body.
Yu Jiao’s long eyelashes were half-closed. The transparent red liquid streamed down her cheeks like a demonic veil, giving her already alluring face a breathtaking beauty.
She looked up. A drop of wine slid down the smooth line of her jaw, past her long neck, and finally disappeared into her collar.
“Xie Ning, is this the gift you prepared for me?” Yu Jiao looked at the provocative Xie Ning and narrowed her eyes. “I love it.”
The rich, decadent aroma of wine filled the air.
Yu Jiao curved her lips into a smile. She looked like a beautiful, deadly water spirit.
011 was the first to snap out of his stupor. He stepped in front of Yu Jiao, took off his suit jacket, and draped it over her shoulders, wrapping her wet body up completely.
“This is even more uncomfortable,” Yu Jiao complained, wringing out her hair.
011 said in a deep voice, “I will take you to change at once.”
Yu Jiao said slowly, “No rush.”
She lifted her eyes and saw Lin Qiuzhe pushing through the crowd, hurrying towards her.
“Miss Yu, are you alright?”
The young man was out of breath, his expression worried. He hastily pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her.
Yu Jiao smiled. “Thank you—”
Just as she was about to take the handkerchief, a familiar, deep voice suddenly cut in.
“Yu Jiao?”
Xie Zhenye stood a few steps away, the magnificent banquet hall casting a radiant glow upon him. His exquisite face was as stern and cold as a classical Greek statue.
His sharp gaze shot towards the pale-faced Xie Ning on the stairs above. Then, it slowly swept over the large suit jacket draped over Yu Jiao’s shoulders and the clean white handkerchief being offered to her.
Xie Zhenye narrowed his eyes. His expression was dark, his aura chilling, like a feral dog guarding its food.
“Yu Jiao. Come here.”