Zhou Ji simply assumed that Shiyu was also glad to have such a great opportunity, but lacked confidence in his own strength.
He encouraged him, “You shouldn’t think you can’t do it. As the saying goes, never bully a youth for being poor; the two of us will definitely be able to play our part.”
With a surprised glance, Shiyu gave him a sideways look, trying his best to comprehend Zhou Ji’s thought process. A hot-blooded train of thought wasn’t hard to understand, after all.
“Since you knew this news yourself, wouldn’t it have been better not to tell me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll compete with you?”
Though tall and lean, Zhou Ji had a remarkably carefree mindset. Shiyu’s words hit right in line with his own thinking, and he said open-mindedly, “Don’t worry, I’m all about fairness and justice. Since Big Sis promised both of us, we might as well work hard together.”
“Your perspective is spot-on,” Shiyu praised him, though he smiled and shook his head, “but I’m really just here to tag along as a hanger-on; I have no desire to go to the academy.”
“Do you really not want to try striving for it?” Zhou Ji’s illusions were finally shattered as he stared at Shiyu with wide eyes.
“My apologies,” Shiyu said, pressing his lips together and looking entirely innocent. “I really don’t want to strive anymore.”
Given the choice, Shiyu only wanted to be a flat-lying, lazy salted fish.
The kind who lay flat and preferably never even had to flip over.
Transforming once again into a melancholy giant mushroom, Zhou Ji retreated all by his lonesome to the corner of the ship.
“How come you’ve gone and made him sad again?”
Appearing out of nowhere after eavesdropping on their conversation, Wennisi popped up once more.
“Are you really a vampire?”
Shiyu felt that Wennisi didn’t resemble a vampire in the slightest; he was more like a gloomy male ghost, drifting out unexpectedly from behind him every now and then.
“I don’t have to be a vampire, either.” Wennisi asked with a matter-of-fact tone, “What would you prefer me to be?”
Judging by the look in his eyes, whatever Shiyu was thinking in his head definitely wasn’t anything nice.
Choosing not to answer, Shiyu simply smiled with pure, innocent eyes, the earring hanging from his ear swaying right along with the motion.
As he looked at Wennisi with appreciative eyes, he finally noticed the new outfit the other man had changed into at some point. A light gray overcoat lent him a languid and casual air, while his broad shoulders and narrow waist made the standard-issue black blood hunter attire underneath look like tailored haute couture. Even the slightly unbuttoned collar at his throat exuded an innate aristocratic elegance.
“Did you change into a new outfit?”
“Mhm.” Wennisi smiled, looking as though he had been caught in the act, though he remained completely unbothered. “You looked at me for a long time, so I suppose I didn’t wear the wrong thing.”
The implication being that Wennisi had worn this exact look purely to catch his attention.
The horizon was ablaze with boundless sunset glow, and as Mermaid Island gradually receded from view, night slowly descended.
In a spot out of Shiyu’s sight, Zhou Qi had unexpectedly brought along plenty of wine.
Not only the blood hunters, but even the young mermaids of the mermaid clan participating in the trial had been reeled over to join them.
By the time Shiyu noticed, several mermaids were already sitting there hugging wine bottles with starry eyes and dazed expressions.
There was no denying it the little mermaids of the mermaid clan were truly far too easy to trick.
Zhou Qi held her liquor well, showing not a single trace of drunkenness, whereas Diyou, sitting off to the side, had a face flushed completely red.
Seeing Shiyu, Zhou Qi’s eyes lit up.
A sense of impending doom washed over Shiyu. Before he even had a chance to make a run for it, he saw Zhou Qi casually toss a bottle of wine right toward him.
Catching it instinctively with his arms, Shiyu only felt a solid thud against his chest as a full bottle of red wine landed squarely in his embrace.
“Hiss…”
A moment too late, a dull ache radiated through his ribs from the impact of the wine bottle.
“Little bro, come join us!”
“That’s right, Shiyu, do you want to have a drink too?”
Taking the red wine away from his embrace, Shiyu looked questioningly toward Wennisi.
“Let’s go. I just picked up some wine glasses.”
Everyone sat clustered in a circle, drinks placed before each person.
Assuming Wennisi had brought the glasses to pour him a drink, Shiyu watched as Wennisi simply set the bottle of red wine down on the table.
Instead, Wennisi picked up a glass and retrieved several cartons of juice from behind Zhou Qi.
“Which one do you like?” Wennisi asked, selecting one for him.
The cartons of juice were all different colors. Giving Wennisi a puzzled look, Shiyu pointed right at the red one.
Just as expected, Wennisi smiled. “Just like I guessed—this is peach-berry juice.”
Prying open the juice carton, Wennisi first pulled out a bottle of vodka, pouring a tiny measure into the glass before slowly topping it up with the peach-berry juice. His movements were swift and fluid, demonstrating complete familiarity. He finished it off with a dash of lemon juice, a few droplets of water still clinging to his cold, jade-like fingertips, and gently handed the glass over to Shiyu.
After blending, the red peach-berry juice resulted in a soft, pale pink cocktail that, against the backdrop of the glass wall, exuded a translucent, pink-tinted clarity.
Taking the glass, Shiyu took a tentative, gentle sip under Wennisi’s lingering gaze.
An ice-cold, mildly sweet little beverage.
Unsure of his own alcohol tolerance, Shiyu felt that the drink Wennisi had mixed was very low in proof.
“It tastes really good.” Shiyu looked at Wennisi, offering his review.
Instead of pouring himself another glass, Wennisi picked up the same bottle of vodka he had just used for mixing and took a few sips straight from it.
Seeing Wennisi drinking vodka straight from the bottle, Zhou Qi couldn’t help frowning. “Why aren’t you drinking the sweet little juice like your little bro?”
Sweet little juice.
Gazing down at his glass once more, Shiyu realized this drink didn’t even count as alcohol in Zhou Qi’s eyes.
Staring straight at Wennisi with an intent, eager-to-try look, Shiyu asked, “Is what you’re holding good?”
The drink in Shiyu’s glass shimmered with a glossy, tender pink hue. Perhaps because his alcohol tolerance truly wasn’t great, a faint pink flush had already crept up his cheeks.
“Want to have a taste?” Without commenting on whether it tasted good or not, Wennisi simply brought the bottle closer in his hand, carrying a distinct air of gentle enticement.
With moist, glossy lips gleaming attractively, Shiyu tilted his head to look at Wennisi, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
“Mm-hm.”
Reaching out to take the bottle from Wennisi’s hand, he seemed to have forgotten all about pouring it into a glass. His rose-colored lips brushed lightly against the rim of the bottle as he carefully took a few sips.
Lifting his fair neck, his throat bobbed as he swallowed.
Darkness swirled deep within Wennisi’s eyes as he quietly licked the corner of his lower lip.
The spot on the rim where he had just handed the bottle to Shiyu was precisely where his own lips had rested moments earlier.
After taking two sips, Shiyu stopped drinking. Frowning in displeasure at Wennisi, he complained, “It’s so bitter. You can drink this yourself.”
“Alright.” Wennisi agreed with a smile, acting completely obedient as he actually took back the bottle and continued drinking straight from it.
As the night grew deeper, the members of the mermaid clan gradually drifted off.
Only Diyou remained.
His neck was thoroughly flushed red, making it obvious that he was completely drunk.
While Zhou Qi wanted to find someone to escort him back to his room, Diyou kept his gaze locked steadily on Shiyu with a hazy, unfocused expression.
“Shiyu.”
“Hmm?” Holding his wine glass, Shiyu looked back at Diyou, but the man said nothing further.
Clueless himself, Zhou Qi assumed Diyou was simply drunk and wanted Shiyu to walk him back to his room.
“He’s probably passed his limit. Shiyu, why don’t you see him back to his room?”
The moment those words left her lips, Zhou Qi felt a wave of intense scrutiny wash over her, carrying an obscure, unfriendly undercurrent.
Glancing sideways toward Shiyu’s vicinity, she caught sight of Wennisi watching her with a half-smile.
Zhou Qi (“…”)
“I”
Before Shiyu could finish speaking, a warm weight slumped heavily against his shoulder.
Shiyu: “?”
Turning his head slightly, his chin bumped directly against Wennisi’s forehead. From his vantage point, he could see Wennisi’s thick eyelashes, deep-set brows and eyes, and those flushed lips curving beneath a high, straight bridge of nose.
Perhaps because he had just been drinking, those lips looked exceptionally soft and moisturized.
“I’m drunk,” Wennisi muttered vaguely, leaning in close right beside Shiyu’s ear, his scorching breath sending a shiver that made Shiyu’s earlobe burn red.
“Drunk…” Shiyu repeated involuntarily, giving a probing look at the face resting against his shoulder. “Really drunk?”
Acting just like a puppy whose loyalty had been doubted by its master, Wennisi’s tone inexplicably carried a wronged, aggrieved nuance.
“Mhm”
Glancing between Shiyu and the mermaid High Priest who was still staring fixedly at him, Zhou Qi figured the latter was definitely out cold. Then, casting another pensive look at Wennisi draped over Shiyu’s shoulder as if he had melted into him and couldn’t possibly move away, she felt as though she suddenly understood something and broke into a meaningful smile.
“Drinking straight vodka will do that to you,” Zhou Qi said earnestly. “Why don’t you help him back to rest instead? I’ll have someone else take Diyou back.”
Evidently, after she finished speaking, she even fancied she saw Wennisi spare her an appreciative look. Yet when she turned back to Shiyu, the man was still slumped limply against Shiyu’s shoulder like a clinging koala, completely immobile.
“Alright.”
The difference in build between Shiyu and Wennisi was striking. As Shiyu hauled him up, Wennisi swayed and stumbled, keeping himself glued to Shiyu’s side with his head bowed. Viewed from behind, he effectively shielded Shiyu completely from sight, leaving not a single gap exposed.
Realistically speaking, dragging or half-carrying Wennisi all the way back to his room should have been an exhausting ordeal for Shiyu.
Yet, he managed to drag Wennisi all the way to his doorway with relative ease.
Bearing most of his own weight while only loosely leaning against Shiyu, Wennisi let himself be guided back.
“We’re here,” Shiyu whispered, though the groggy man beside him made no move.
“Wennisi, you can…” rest now.
Before the words left his mouth, Shiyu felt the force from behind shove him directly back against the door.
His back landed heavily against the wood, yet the expected pain never arrived instead, Wennisi’s palm had cushioned the space behind him, saving his spine from colliding with the door.
His eyes widening in surprise, Shiyu contracted his amber pupils and glared fiercely at Wennisi. The outer corners of his eyes were flushed with a rosy crimson whether from the alcohol or not, it made him look all the more stunningly vibrant right now.
“Wennisi, what are you doing?”
Recovering his wits, Shiyu raised his arms, preparing to push Wennisi away, only to find his wrists locked tight by a pair of much larger palms. Wennisi’s hands encircled his wrists, wrapping around them like handcuffs holding them fast in place, before gently pressing them outward against either side of the doorframe to immobilize him.
In short, there was no way in hell he was letting Shiyu escape his personal space.
“Baby…” Wennisi’s eyes lacked their usual clarity, making him look genuinely intoxicated and out of it. Inch by inch, he leaned in closer until their noses were mere fractions of an inch apart, stopping right there. Deep within his pitch-black pupils, a flush of red gradually bloomed, revealing his true vampire traits.
Gazing intently down at Shiyu, he looked as though he were earnestly counting every single one of Shiyu’s eyelashes.
The dense, dark lashes quivered lightly, resembling the fluttering wings of a butterfly.
“Baby, did you know? There’s an extra mole right here.” As he spoke, the tip of Wennisi’s nose lightly brushed past the side of Shiyu’s bridge of nose, as if tracing that tiny, chestnut-brown freckle.
Before falling into deep sleep, Shiyu had also borne a faint little mole on the side of his nose bridge.
And right now, that mole had returned, God knows when.
Panic fluttering in his chest, Shiyu furrowed his brow and lifted his gaze.