Ensnared by My Vampire Roommate

7

Jiang Banxu felt as if he’d had a long, deep sleep.

At one point, he woke up briefly, shivering from the cold. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was in a familiar place—his own bed, bundled tightly in his blanket. A drip IV was hanging by the bed.

He could hear voices nearby. Jiang blinked drowsily and saw a familiar tall figure—Ying Tiao, standing at the foot of his bed, facing away from him. A few other people, dressed in white, were busily working by a cart, occasionally speaking in hushed tones.

In his groggy state, Jiang wondered how Ying had managed to get doctors to come directly to the house. But before he could think much more about it, he fell back into a deep sleep.

This time, Jiang slept all the way through until the next morning. When he woke up, he felt noticeably better.

He figured it was just exhaustion and the heat that had caused him to pass out. Now that he had caught up on sleep, his energy had returned. Aside from some lingering weakness in his limbs, he felt no other discomfort.

The room was empty, and the curtains were drawn tightly, making the space quiet and cozy.

Jiang stretched lazily, noticing a packet of fever-reducing medicine on the nightstand. On the floor near the wardrobe were the two bags he had brought back from the hospital.

Staring at the bags for a moment, Jiang suddenly froze mid-stretch.

He remembered.

Everything that had happened yesterday, from Ying suddenly catching him at the entrance to him listening to Ying’s heartbeat just to confirm something…

Jiang shot upright, reaching for his phone. The first thing he saw were several WeChat messages from Ding Song:

[Did you have a fever? I called you, and your roommate answered.]

[He said you were sleeping and to call back when you woke up.]

A few hours later:

[I wanted to come over, but your roommate said it wasn’t necessary! Then he hung up on me!]

The last message was from 8 AM that morning:

[Banxu!!! Are you awake yet?!]

Ding was clearly worried. Jiang quickly called him back, hoping the conversation would help calm his nerves.

The phone barely rang before Ding answered, his voice full of relief. “Finally! I was about to storm your place!”

“I’ve been asleep this whole time. I just woke up. Sorry for worrying you,” Jiang said, feeling a little guilty. “My fever’s gone. I just took my temperature, and it’s below 37 degrees now.”

“That’s good. Since it’s the weekend, just take it easy for the next couple of days,” Ding said, though he could sense something off in Jiang’s voice. “You sure everything’s okay?”

Jiang hesitated, pressing his lips together. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

I’m fine, he thought, but something’s definitely off with my roommate.

But until he was certain, Jiang decided it was best not to tell Ding about his suspicions.

Jiang’s mind was spinning with wild theories. He wanted to do some research online, but he hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon, and now that his fever had broken, his hunger was back with a vengeance.

After a quick shower and getting dressed, Jiang carefully opened his bedroom door, peeking out first to make sure no one was around. Once the coast was clear, he slipped out quietly.

After grabbing a quick breakfast, Jiang didn’t head home immediately. Instead, he found a quiet café to sit down and figure things out.

Seated in a corner, Jiang pulled out his phone and began searching: What causes human skin to turn to ash in sunlight?

The answers appeared quickly, and Jiang scrolled through them.

The first result explained how skin color could turn gray due to prolonged exposure to sunlight.

That’s not it, Jiang thought. He had seen it clearly—Ying’s skin had been pale one second and turned to ash the next. It wasn’t a matter of skin color changing gradually.

The second answer described rough skin texture as a result of sun damage. Not that either.

Jiang scrolled through many answers, none of which seemed relevant. Frustrated, he posted his own question on a forum, asking if anyone knew what could cause skin to turn to ash from sunlight.

He took a sip of his drink, and by the time he looked back at his phone, there were already several replies.

Most of them questioned the legitimacy of his question, accusing him of making things up for attention.

Jiang knew it sounded ridiculous.

But he had seen it!

He kept scrolling until one user made a sarcastic comment: [Are you sure you didn’t mistake them for a vampire? Everyone knows vampires hate sunlight.]

Jiang’s fingers froze mid-scroll. It was as if the very thing he’d been trying to avoid thinking about had been laid out in front of him.

Stunned for a moment, he quickly switched tabs and typed in: vampire characteristics.

The search results flooded in.

[Vampires, also known as the Blood Clan, feed on fresh blood. They have no body heat, and their skin is pale. They possess retractable fangs, and their eyes turn red when they are bloodthirsty.]

As Jiang read, his back straightened instinctively.

That night after the party, when he’d seen Ying in the hallway, he had seen his eyes turn red.

But Jiang had never believed in such supernatural things, and the hallway had been so dark that he’d brushed it off as a trick of the light.

He continued scrolling.

Most of the information he found came from literature and films, describing various interpretations of vampire lore. Some of it delved into the history of vampires, which wasn’t particularly helpful to Jiang.

Scrolling down a few more pages, he found two pieces of information that stood out:

[Vampires are most vulnerable to sunlight. Exposure to sunlight will burn their skin and reduce them to ash. Only strong sunlight can kill a vampire.]

Jiang stared at the sentence, his expression tense, and his breathing quickened.

While he had occasionally watched vampire-themed movies, Jiang was a firm believer in materialism.

How could vampires actually exist in the real world? And what were the odds that he’d somehow crossed paths with one?

He exhaled slowly, trying to calm down, but he wasn’t ready to let go of his skepticism.

He typed another search query: Do vampires have heartbeats?

According to what he knew, vampires were the undead. Their hearts shouldn’t beat.

But Ying’s heart had been beating. Jiang had heard it himself.

[Once a person becomes a vampire, their heart stops beating. However, vampires can control their heartbeat, using it to blend into human society.]

“...”

Jiang’s fingers trembled against the table.

He stayed at the café until nearly noon, then returned home with a bag of fruit and fresh vegetables.

Even though he was scared, all his belongings were still in that apartment. He couldn’t avoid going back.

This time, Ying was in the living room.

Jiang opened the door as quietly as possible, only to see his roommate sitting on the couch with his back to him.

The couch was small, and Ying’s tall figure seemed to dwarf it. From where Jiang stood, he could see the man’s broad shoulders. Just the silhouette, sitting in the dim light, was enough to make Jiang feel a sense of danger.

His guard immediately went up around Ying. Not daring to pull the curtains open, Jiang instead turned on the lights in the living room.

At least now it wasn’t so dark.

Ying turned around when he noticed Jiang’s presence, his gaze softening slightly. “Your temperature reached 39 degrees Celsius yesterday. The doctor said it was a combination of fever and heatstroke. The medicine on the nightstand needs to be taken on time.”

After spending some time with him, Ying’s expression had softened compared to when they first met, and his words were full of concern. This made Jiang feel conflicted. Beyond the fear and suspicion, a part of him wondered if he was overreacting.

Maybe I did see it wrong. Maybe I’m just scaring myself.

“Thanks… Sorry for the trouble,” Jiang mumbled, placing the bags on the kitchen counter. “Let me transfer the money to you for the medical bills.”

Humans might think they could hide their emotions well, but Ying could hear the slight tremble in Jiang’s breathing, and he noticed how Jiang’s hand gripped the hem of his shirt nervously.

Ying’s gaze flicked over him, and the hint of a smile deepened in his eyes. “There’s no need. It’s only right that roommates help each other.”

“...”

Truth be told, Jiang had already started considering moving out.

Everything else felt normal after that. When Jiang started making lunch, he asked if Ying wanted him to make something for him as well.

Ying declined, saying he’d already eaten.

Jiang continued cooking, lost in thought and moving slowly, but deliberately.

Just as Ying was about to head back to his room, Jiang, who had clearly been thinking about this for a long time, called out, “Wait a second.”

Ying stopped and turned to look at him, black eyes patiently meeting his gaze.

“There’s a performance in the park nearby this afternoon. If you’re free, do you want to go see it with me?” Jiang asked, his voice soft and hesitant, his nerves clear in the slight tremor of his words.

It was a sunny day, and the afternoon sun would be particularly strong.

Jiang looked at Ying with forced calmness, but his heartbeat was racing out of control.

This is a test, Jiang thought.

If Ying refused, Jiang would pack up and leave immediately.

But if Ying agreed, then they could go out together in the afternoon.

As long as Jiang could see Ying standing in the sunlight without any issues, he could finally dismiss this absurd idea that Ying was a vampire.

He preferred to believe he had been hallucinating due to his fever. At least that explanation made sense.

As he asked, Jiang’s heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst out of his chest.

But Ying’s expression didn’t change. He smiled naturally and said, “Sure.”

Jiang’s tense grip on the doorframe loosened.

Ying’s response had been so calm and straightforward that half of Jiang’s doubts vanished. “Great. I’ll come get you at three.”

After Ying returned to his room, Jiang finished his lunch and had completely calmed down.

Recalling how naturally Ying had reacted, Jiang was now convinced that he had misunderstood.

He cleaned up the dishes, but as he turned, he accidentally knocked over a glass.

The glass fell into the sink, shattering on impact, and a shard flew up, slicing a small cut across Jiang’s arm, causing blood to bead up along the wound.

Hissing from the pain, Jiang quickly pressed a paper towel to the cut and rushed to the living room to find a bandage.

Just as he crouched down by the cabinet, he heard the sound of a door opening.

Jiang looked up in surprise to see Ying standing in the doorway of his room. But something was different. The warmth from earlier had vanished, and the atmosphere around him had shifted.

The man’s gaze was fixed coldly on Jiang, his black eyes dark and intense, pinning Jiang to the spot.

Jiang didn’t even have time to process what was happening before his body reacted on its own, scrambling backward instinctively. He tried to hide his injured arm behind him, but it was too late.

It felt like he was a trapped animal, every small movement drawing attention.

Before he could blink, Ying was standing over him. A shadow fell across Jiang, and his wrist was caught in an icy grip.

Ying was suddenly right in front of him, his cold fingers gripping Jiang’s wrist tightly. Jiang had fallen back onto the floor, his entire body rigid with fear.

Ying’s eyes were locked on the wound on Jiang’s arm, and Jiang watched in horror as his roommate’s normally dark eyes bled into a deep, bloodthirsty red.