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1720 Words
After signing the agreement, Jiang Banxu quickly finished his meal and returned to his bedroom.
He vaguely remembered taking a shower the previous night, but after a moment's hesitation, he decided to take another one.
The marks on his body were obvious, some already turning into bruises that would likely take a week to fade.
As his emotions settled, the initial embarrassment faded, leaving only an awkward feeling behind.
Jiang hurriedly checked his body, confirming the injuries weren’t too serious, and quickly dried himself off and dressed, making sure the marks were hidden. Out of sight, out of mind.
Having just accepted his roommate's identity as a vampire and signed a formal agreement with him, Jiang was far too restless to sleep.
He needed to take some time to process his relationship with Ying Tiao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even know how to interact with him from now on.
Simplifying complicated issues had always been one of Jiang Banxu’s strengths. After staring blankly at the ceiling for a while, he quickly figured it out.
In reality, there was no need to overthink things. He just had to focus on the agreement they had just signed.
If he looked at it that way, his relationship with Ying was straightforward: a transactional one.
Jiang would provide fresh blood for Ying, and Ying would pay him. In this sense, Ying was just his boss.
As for that other matter... that was simply an uncontrollable side effect of the blood-sucking. It held no real significance and could be ignored. There was no reason to feel awkward about it anymore.
Then there was Ying’s identity as a vampire.
To be honest, thinking about it still felt surreal, and Jiang couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.
But after their conversation earlier, the fear was more of a conditioned response. Jiang felt like it was something he could overcome.
---
The next day was Monday. By the time Jiang Banxu returned to school for classes, he had fully adjusted his mindset.
The first class of the day was Diagnostic Medicine with Professor Shen Qingyan. Jiang had planned to use this opportunity to inform him that he would be withdrawing from the summer internship program.
The classroom was lively before the class started, and Ding Song came over to get Jiang’s notes for the final exam. The two of them sat in the back row, chatting.
Jiang was known for his thorough note-taking, and he had already compiled all the key points for the important subjects and printed them out.
He handed Ding Song a copy. “The red-highlighted sections are must-study material, yellow for secondary topics. The ones without highlights are optional—you can skim them if you have time.”
“Got it, got it.” Ding carefully put away the notes, then asked Jiang when he planned to talk to Professor Shen and whether he needed any company for moral support.
“I don’t need to work a part-time job this summer,” Jiang said.
After signing the agreement yesterday morning, Jiang had received a notification in the afternoon that the money had been deposited into his account.
It was a large sum, but for Jiang, it was crucial, and he wouldn’t waste a penny of it.
With this money as a safety net, there was no longer any urgent need to take on a part-time job, so Jiang could now choose the internship without worrying.
This made him really happy.
Ding was a bit confused. “What happened?”
The first clause of the agreement was to keep Ying’s identity as a vampire a secret, and Jiang had no intention of dragging Ding into this mess.
So, he came up with a small lie, saying that he was helping Ying with some tasks and Ying was paying him in return.
Jiang wasn’t good at lying, and his nerves nearly had him breaking into a sweat.
But Ding was too focused on being happy for him to notice anything. “Did he pay you well? I always had a feeling he was loaded.”
“Pretty well,” Jiang nodded earnestly.
“Well, that’s great then,” Ding clapped his hands in excitement, before adding, “Wow, your roommate is really turning out to be a great guy.”
Ding didn’t even bother asking what kind of tasks Jiang was doing for Ying.
He’d always known Jiang was something of a jack-of-all-trades, excelling at everything from academics to daily life and part-time jobs. Ding had never seen Jiang fail at anything, so he had no trouble believing that someone would pay top dollar for his talents.
Seeing how happy Ding was for him, Jiang felt touched. He couldn’t help but lean over and give him a hug. “Thanks.”
The next two periods were for their lab exams, and after finishing, it was Jiang’s group’s turn to clean up.
As the other students gradually left, Jiang and his group stayed behind to put the lab equipment away.
Jiang made an extra trip, so by the time he returned, he was alone in the storage room.
He was in a rush to get to lunch, so he focused completely on tidying up. That was until he felt a shadow fall over him, and a cold presence approached from behind.
Even though he had a good idea who it was, Jiang still jumped when he turned around and saw Ying standing there.
He clutched his chest in surprise and instinctively glanced around the room before asking in shock, “Why are you here at school? Is something wrong?”
Ying stood in the shadows, holding up a bag. “Your blood replenishment supplement. You forgot to take it.”
Jiang froze.
The blood replenishment supplement was something Ying had given him yesterday afternoon.
Unlike the synthetic blood that vampires used, this was specially formulated for humans who had been fed on by vampires. It was designed to prevent anemia caused by excessive blood loss.
Ying had mentioned that it could be taken before or after feeding, but it needed to be taken daily for a week. One dose a day, and no more than twenty-four hours apart.
Jiang had remembered, and he’d even taken one dose on the spot.
But the supplement had a strong, metallic taste and was almost unbearable to drink.
Plus, he’d spent the entire day with Ding, and Jiang didn’t want to be caught drinking it and have to come up with an excuse. So, after much hesitation, he decided to leave it at home and planned to take it later that night.
Jiang never expected Ying to deliver it to him personally.
Standing right in front of him, Ying opened the supplement, inserted a straw, and handed it to him with a neutral expression. “You should take better care of your health.”
“…”
In that moment, Jiang felt like he was being lectured.
Left with no choice, he thanked Ying and forced himself to down the supplement. His face scrunched up as he swallowed the last sip.
Jiang quickly grabbed his water bottle and chugged as much water as he could, but the metallic aftertaste lingered in his mouth.
He had been starving just moments ago, but now he had no appetite left.
Watching Jiang’s expression of utter despair, Ying’s usually stoic face shifted slightly, his brow furrowing. “It’s that bad?”
“…” Jiang let out a breath. “It’s fine. I’ll take it like I’m supposed to.”
At least it was better than getting anemia.
After locking up the storage room, Jiang slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out of the lab building with Ying.
Ding Song ran over, calling Jiang to join him for lunch. When he spotted Ying, he looked surprised, and Jiang quickly explained that Ying had stopped by for something.
“Why don’t you join us for lunch?” Ding offered enthusiastically. “Our school’s cafeteria has a ton of great food!”
“Thank you, but I’ve already eaten,” Ying declined politely.
As they spoke, the group walked toward the building’s covered walkway. The weather was scorching hot, with the midday sun at its peak.
Jiang had already seen what happened to Ying’s skin when it was exposed to sunlight. The image of Ying’s flesh turning to ash under the sun was seared into his mind, making him more anxious with every step they took.
Even though it had been a while since classes ended, there were still a few students here and there on the campus paths.
Jiang clutched his backpack tighter, his pace slowing as they neared the end of the walkway.
He kept sneaking glances at Ying, hoping to signal that he should come up with an excuse to leave.
Ying noticed his gaze and even turned to meet his eyes, but his expression remained calm, as if he had no idea what Jiang was trying to convey.
Jiang’s palms began to sweat with nerves.
They were only a few steps from the end of the walkway, where the sun’s harsh rays waited. Jiang couldn’t hold back any longer and reached out to grab Ying’s wrist.
But he was a step too late. Just as Jiang grasped his arm, Ying had already stepped down into the sunlight.
The vampire stopped and turned, standing fully in the bright sun as he looked back at Jiang.
Jiang froze, his worst fear not coming true.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ying for several seconds, confirming that nothing was happening. His skin remained pale but perfectly intact.
“You’re not…” Jiang started, surprised.
It was only then that he noticed the amused look in Ying’s eyes, as the vampire gazed down at him. “Not what?”
Ding, who had been walking ahead, turned back just in time to witness the scene.
First, he saw Jiang clutching his roommate’s hand tightly, something completely out of character for someone as reserved as Jiang.
Then, he saw Ying, who was usually cold and distant, actually smiling as he teased Jiang.
The two of them stood so close, practically pressed against each other.
Something about the whole
scene felt off!
Ding Song shouted in shock, “You two look so... intimate!”
- Writer
