Chapter 1

"You're a good person, but you can't give me what I need. We are destined to not belong to the same world, so Li Muhan, stop hounding me. Goodbye."

After making a bow to Li Muhan, the girl with the face of an Angel got into the passenger seat of a luxury sports car.

The sports car sped away, leaving behind a dazed Li Muhan still holding two ice cream cones.

Everything had been going so well; how had he suddenly been dumped? And with the most cliché script possible, no less.

Li Muhan sat on a park bench, eating both ice cream cones as he replayed every memory of Gu Ruoxi in his mind.

He and Gu Ruoxi were childhood sweethearts, attending the same middle school and high school, and they had officially become a couple during their final year of high school.

For Gu Ruoxi's sake, Li Muhan had studied desperately hard, eventually getting accepted into the same university as her.

Yet, just in the first month of starting university, Li Muhan deeply experienced what his best friend had warned him about: once people reach university, both guys and girls change.

With their horizons broadened, they would see many things they had never witnessed before, and their hearts would be exposed to countless shocks and temptations.

Li Muhan refused to believe it. He felt that Gu Ruoxi must have had some hidden hardship for breaking up with him.For the past few months, Li Mohan had been trying to salvage the relationship, even gritting his teeth to buy a bracelet that cost two thousand yuan.

For Li Mohan, who worked a part-time job to support his studies, this was already a significant expense.

It wasn't until today, when he saw with his own eyes Gu Ruoxi getting into the car she had longed for to embrace a future that took her far away from him, that he finally realized the bracelet in his hand fell pitifully short of what Gu Ruoxi truly wanted.

Dragging his exhausted body, Li Mohan returned to his rented apartment.

Studying away from home, he had resolutely rented this place just to live together with Gu Ruoxi, but Gu Ruoxi had only stayed here for a single week.

Without him realizing it, she had already moved all her belongings away, leaving behind only an empty, desolate room.

All at once, Li Mohan felt as though he had lost everything.

Ring, ring, ring—

His phone rang.

"Li Mohan, Xiao Wang has an emergency and can't make his night shift tonight. Come and cover for him."

It was the owner of the 24-hour convenience store where Li Mohan worked.

Though his romance was gone, life still had to go on, and the rent was due next week.Li Muhany's parents had died when he was very young, and he had long since lost touch with his other relatives. Therefore, seeking help from family was completely out of the question. After splashing some water on his face, Li Muhany headed to the supermarket. Fortunately, there weren't many people there at that time of night, and no one noticed that he had remained in a trance-like state almost the entire time. At five in the morning, when Li Muhany stepped out of the supermarket, he found that it had started to rain. Raising his umbrella, he dragged his exhausted body toward home. Yet as he passed the park not far from his house, Li Muhany suddenly spotted a girl sitting on a park swing without an umbrella. "Xia Yue?" Li Muhany knew who she was. She was quite a well-known figure at the university they both attended. A fellow freshman, she was famous for her aloof, icy demeanor toward everyone and her flawless, impeccable appearance. Even among the other freshmen, people kept their distance from Xia Yue. There were even rumors that she was actually a delinquent who dabbled in smoking, drinking, and fighting. As a result, the negative gossip about her just kept piling up, to the point where even someone like Li Muhany, who paid little attention to campus trivia, frequently heard her name. Li Muhany stared blankly for a moment at Xia Yue, who sat dazed on the swing in the rain, before finally mustering the courage to walk over to her. "Are you Xia Yue?" Beneath the pouring rain, the girl's solitary, lonely figure appeared minuscule, her once-beautiful dark hair looking somewhat dull and lusterless. It wasn't until the umbrella in Li Muhany's hand shielded her from the wind and rain that she slowly raised her head. "......?" The girl looked at Li Muhany with a puzzled expression. The tips of her hair were soaked with rain, and water droplets traced paths down her face. Her hooded sweatshirt, plaid miniskirt, and the black stockings enveloping her legs were completely drenched. She's going to catch a cold if this keeps up, Li Muhany thought to himself. "You'll catch a cold if you stay like this." "It's none of your business." Xia Yue's voice sounded very faint. Perhaps due to the roar of the rain, Li Muhany felt that had he arrived any later, this girl might have been completely swallowed up by the torrential storm. The other party had already made it clear that she didn't want you meddling in her affairs.However, looking at that petite figure, Li Mohan thought of how he, too, had once stood all alone in the torrential rain, silently enduring everything. What had he been thinking back then? He had wanted someone to help him, wanted someone to notice him. "I'll walk you home." So Li Mohan finally spoke up. He took a look at Xia Yue's clothes. Her hoodie, thoroughly soaked by the rain, looked somewhat worn and tattered, the pleats in her skirt were clearly visible, and her stockings had several runs in them. She looked as though she hadn't changed clothes in days. Xia Yue gripped the swing's ropes with both hands, staring straight ahead as she spoke, almost to herself. "I don't have..." "What?" Li Mohan hadn't caught what she said and stepped a little closer. "I don't have a home." "Why?" Li Mohan felt he had asked a very stupid question. Sure enough, Xia Yue said nothing more, merely closing her lips, which were trembling slightly from the cold. You should just leave right now. A voice in his head urged Li Mohan on. This girl was nothing more than a delinquent who stayed out late roaming the streets instead of going home; he must not get involved with her. Indeed, Xia Yue's reputation at school was quite poor. There were even rumors that she brought boys home at night, and here she was, still hanging out in a park at this hour. There had to be some complicated reason behind it, and the best course of action was to leave immediately and avoid trouble. Yet his brain's processing speed couldn't keep up with his mouth. Before Li Mohan's brain could issue an order, his mouth spoke first. "Then would you like to come to my place for a while?" "...?" Even Xia Yue's icy expression showed a trace of bewilderment at that moment. Li Mohan himself hadn't expected to say such a thing. "It's not good for you to stay out here like this, and it's so late—there might be bad people around. At the very least, you can take a shower at my place." Damn it. Li Mohan really wanted to slap himself twice. Why was he digging himself deeper? He had even brought up something as private as taking a shower. Or was he actually hoping for something to happen? Xia Yue stared at Li Mohan's face for a long moment before her expression shifted slightly. "Is that okay?" There was a hint of bitterness and sorrow mixed into her tone.In those eyes, Li Mohan saw none of the rumors about bitches or delinquent girls, but only a poor girl trying to grasp at a final straw.

"Of course you can, as long as you don't mind."

"...Thank you."

And just like that, sharing the same umbrella, Li Mohan and the girl walked back through the rain to that somewhat cramped rented apartment.

Chapter 2: This Beautiful Girl Is No Simple Matter

Everyone must have fantasized at some point about living with a beautiful girl.

Actually, Li Mohan could already be considered to have lived that dream, though it had only been for a single week, and during that week they hadn't done a thing.

That's right, Li Mohan and his ex-girlfriend Gu Ruoxi had gone from childhood sweethearts to dating, but their physical relationship had never gone beyond kissing.

At this moment, sitting in the living room and listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, while looking at the pile of the girl's clothes waiting in the laundry basket outside, Li Mohan sank into deep contemplation.

"I only completely gave up on my ex-girlfriend today, and yet here I am bringing another girl home by night. What on earth am I doing?"

Li Mohan covered his forehead. Only now did he seem to truly wake up to just how irrational a thing he had done.

What if it was a honey trap?

If Xia Yue really was a delinquent girl with a chaotic private life, just like the rumors said, then pulling off a honey trap wouldn't be strange at all. Were there already a few burly men waiting outside, ready to burst in at any second?

Right at that moment, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, followed by a rustling sound, and finally the bathroom door opened.

The girl, her hair still slightly damp, poked her head out slightly.

"Thank you for letting me use your bathroom, and also..."

She walked out wearing an oversized T-shirt and a pair of denim shorts.

"Thank you for the clothes."

Looking at Xia Yue right after her shower, Li Mohan couldn't help his heartbeat accelerating slightly. Her slightly damp, long black hair rested on the girl's delicate, fair shoulders.

Combined with her cheeks, flushed pink from the hot water, and the collar of the shirt that hung so loosely it slipped slightly off one shoulder, all of it made Li Mohan feel an unbelievable atmosphere in the air.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Seeing Li Mohan staring at her, Xia Yue tilted her head slightly and asked in confusion.

"No, no. I'll wash your old clothes and give them back to you later."Li Muhany quickly turned his head away, not daring to look at Xia Yue again. He had been able to get along so naturally with Gu Ruoxi, but why, just because this was a different girl—a completely unrelated girl—was he suddenly so nervous? Thump, thump— He could even hear his own heartbeat. Xia Yue lowered her head to look at her own body, then glanced around the room. Finally, she slowly walked over to Li Muhany and, as if she had made up her mind about something, said to him, "I understand what you mean." "Huh?" Li Muhany had no idea what she thought she understood. Just as he raised his head, he suddenly realized that Xia Yue was standing right in front of him. The girl's petite, fragile figure stood before him, and droplets of water from the tips of her hair were dripping onto his trousers. "As repayment, I will let you do whatever you want with me." "?" Li Muhany froze. His brain felt as though it had crashed, unable to send commands to his mouth for the longest time, leaving him to simply stare blankly at the girl in front of him. "Usually, when a guy brings a girl home at night, he probably wants to do this kind of thing. Especially with someone like me, homeless and penniless—this body is all I have left to repay you." With that, the girl slowly put her hands behind her back and turned her head to the side, looking somewhat shy about what she had just said. Good grief, did she even know what she was talking about? Li Muhany thought in secret astonishment. Though he had indeed entertained that thought for a fleeting second, he had just been dumped—how could he possibly be in the mood for such things right now? Besides, that would be taking advantage of someone in distress. Li Muhany raised a hand, intending to push Xia Yue away or guide her over to sit down so he could gracefully extract himself from the situation, but the moment he lifted his hand, he noticed the girl flinch nervously. "W-Wait a minute." The girl said with a trembling voice. "I have one more thing I must tell you. If you can accept it, then please, go ahead." Li Muhany wanted to say he didn't mean any of that, but before he could speak, the girl let out a slight sigh. Her gaze turned as cold as frost, and she looked down from her height at Li Muhany sitting on the sofa. Suddenly, the lights in the room began to flicker, turning everything dim and bright by turns. Was the wiring unstable? He was pretty sure he hadn't turned on any high-power appliances. Li Muhany looked up at the ceiling chandelier in bewilderment. Swish— Everything was plunged into darkness. It takes a moment for human eyes to adjust to the dark, and until that happens, one's hearing becomes exceptionally sharp. Li Muhany felt as though he heard a sound. A rustling sound, like something unfolding. "As you can see, I am not human." Along with the girl's voice, a pair of pupils emitting a deep red glow appeared before him. By now, Li Muhany's eyes had adjusted to the dark, and he could clearly see the girl standing in front of him... No, that was no girl at all. Behind the previously slender and petite girl had grown a pair of demon-like, tattered wings. Her face remained beautiful, but with an added touch of eerie allure. From her slightly parted lips protruded two sharp fangs resembling canine teeth, and even more startlingly, her head of black hair had now turned completely snow-white. Li Muhany's mouth hung open as a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Could this... be... "A... demon?" Li Muhany was stammering incoherently. Seeing Li Muhany like this, Xia Yue closed her eyes slightly. As her eyelids concealed that flash of crimson, the ceiling lights flickered back on, the wings behind the girl vanished, and her entire appearance reverted to that of a girl who had just taken a shower. "More or less. I am what you humans call a vampire. If you aren't afraid, I can offer you my body as payment—after all, aside from my body, I have nothing left. Of course, you can rest assured, I will absolutely not resist, nor will I harm you." "..." Li Muhany swallowed hard, still seemingly lost in the shock of what had just happened. "If you are unwilling, I will leave right now." With that, the girl looked down at the white T-shirt she was wearing. "Once I find a way to wash these clothes, I'll bring them back to you." Seeing Li Muhany still sitting in a daze on the sofa, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes. By the time Li Muhany snapped out of it, she had already reached the door. "Wait." Li Muhany stood up from the sofa. Xia Yue slowly turned back to look at him, her eyes regaining that despair and desolation he had seen in her back at the park. Li Muhany didn't even know what he wanted to say. She was a vampire—a monster? Yet she didn't seem to have any intention of hurting him. "I... I bought some breakfast on my way back. Want to eat together?" In the end, Li Muhany pointed to the soy milk and fried dough sticks resting on the table and said. "Eh?" This time it was Xia Yue's turn to be astonished. She looked at Li Muhany in disbelief and asked in confusion, "Knowing that I'm not human, you're still willing to let me eat with you?" "Didn't you say you were homeless? It's still raining outside, and no matter what, the education I received won't let me kick a homeless girl out of my home. Anyway, let's have breakfast first." He scratched his head, looking as though he had no idea what he was saying either. "......Thank you." The corners of Xia Yue's eyes grew slightly red, as if Li Muhany were her savior. Li Muhany sat across the table, watching as Xia Yue took a bite of a fried dough stick. "......Delicious!" She muttered to herself, then began to eat in large bites. The two sharp canine teeth in the girl's mouth were faintly visible, as if reminding Li Muhany that what he had seen moments ago was by no means an illusion. "How strange." Li Muhany said. "Eh? What's strange?" The girl lifted her head to look at Li Muhany, her mouth still full of food as she asked. "Do vampires eat human food too?" As if expecting Li Muhany to ask this, Xia Yue answered calmly, "Human food can provide us with basic energy, but just as you know, if we want to survive long-term... human blood is indispensable." Hearing her say this, Li Muhany's hand holding the cup of soy milk suddenly trembled. Seeming to notice Li Muhany's fear, the girl propped her chin in her hand, took a light bite of a fried dough stick, and said to Li Muhany with a hint of teasing in her eyes, "Don't worry, if you aren't willing, I won't drink your blood." "If I get bitten by a vampire, will I become a vampire?" The question Li Muhany suddenly posed left the girl stunned. She seemed to think it over for a moment before replying, "If I wanted to, indeed I could, but it's too much trouble. Humans wouldn't allow anyone to go around increasing the number of vampires at will, and besides, creating a fledgling requires a very special condition." "What condition?" Li Muhany asked. Xia Yue's expression grew somewhat hesitant. She took small sips of her soy milk, and finally, unable to withstand Li Muhany's thirst for knowledge in his gaze, she said, "We must become one in body and soul." I see... "So don't worry, I won't drink your blood, nor will I turn you into a fledgling." "If you want to, I can let you drink my blood." Clatter— The fried dough stick dropped onto the table, and Xia Yue stared at Li Muhany in absolute disbelief. "What did you say?" "I have to admit, I'm actually a bit curious about what it feels like to be bitten by a vampire." He had to admit, Li Muhany was feeling somewhat self-destructive at the moment. To say he could easily let go of being dumped by his childhood sweetheart with such a realistic excuse was impossible. At least not in the short term. And there was another reason: he was tired. Ever since he was little, he had lived in an orphanage that was practically like hell. Every day he had to get into brutal fistfights with children his own age just for a scrap of food. The directors and teachers there were the very incarnation of demons. They subjected the children to the harshest corporal punishment, embezzled donations from the government and charitable outsiders, and demanded absolute, groveling obedience. If a person spends their entire life in the dark, they stop yearning for the light. Originally, Gu Ruoxi had been the first ray of dawn Li Muhany ever saw in this world. It was just that this light had faded away far too quickly, leaving Li Muhany feeling as though his life was plunged back into utter darkness. If he were killed by a vampire, would that count as a novel experience? Suddenly, Li Muhany noticed that the vampire girl opposite him had a face flushed completely red, and he instantly realized that his words had caused a misunderstanding. "I just mean ordinary blood-sucking. I didn't mean having you turn me into your fledgling. Sorry, I didn't make myself clear." With that, Li Muhany offered a bitter smile. "Even just asking a vampire to drink one's blood is a pretty insane thing to do anyway." Xia Yue stared into Li Muhany's eyes, seeming to see within them the same despair and emptiness she had carried herself.