"Starting tonight, you'll sleep in my room."
In the afternoon, Ren Siyi woke up groggily.
The heavy drapes in the room blocked out every ray of sunlight, as if she were still immersed in the night.
Her mind was foggy from sleep. She squinted at her surroundings, couldn't make out anything, felt her eyelids were too heavy, and drifted back to sleep.
When she woke again, she grabbed her phone and checked the time—it was three in the afternoon.
But her head was still hazy.
Lately, she'd been sleeping a lot, but she'd never slept this long.
She got out of bed, feeling top-heavy and unsteady. After washing up and changing clothes, she opened the door only to find Lu Sen standing at her doorway, who knew how long he'd been there.
He wore a black butler's uniform, shoulders squared, expression solemn.
Ren Siyi thought he looked remarkably like a statue of the King of Spades.
"Butler Lu, what are you doing standing here?"
"Mr. Shen wants to see you."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Please wait a moment!" Ren Siyi hurried back into her room, dashed to the bathroom mirror, and quickly tidied herself up, staring at her pale face.
Her hair had a natural fluffiness that went completely wild after waking up.
She ran her fingers through it a few times, picked up a small cross-shaped sparkly clip from the table to pin back her side bangs, and applied some rose-beige lipstick to add a bit of color.
Ever since Mr. Shen had accompanied her out to buy sanitary pads, she'd been kicking herself for not putting on makeup that day.
Whenever Shen Shen was home, Ren Siyi would make a bit of an effort with her appearance.
After finishing in a flurry, she stepped out of her room and followed Lu Sen to Shen Shen's study.
Lu Sen knocked, pushed the door open, ushered Ren Siyi inside, then closed the door behind them.
"Mr. Shen, you wanted to see me." Ren Siyi was a little nervous.
She couldn't quite say why, but lately, every time she saw him, she felt a bit anxious.
Shen Shen sat at the corner of the sofa, arms spread, one hand resting on the plush armrest, the other holding a contract.
His posture was relaxed, languid and at ease.
Soft lamplight framed his handsome, refined features. Ren Siyi glanced at him, then quickly looked away.
She didn't dare look too long.
It was like when she was a child, following her grandmother to the temple fair, and a procession carried by an incredibly beautiful statue of Guanyin passed by—she'd shyly look away too.
Beautiful, precious, lovely… things she didn't deserve, as if even a second glance was a desecration.
That was how she felt about Shen Shen.
"Come here," he said.
Ren Siyi walked over, feeling top-heavy, as if every step were treading on soft, squishy mushrooms, swaying unsteadily.
Shen Shen set down the contract and simultaneously pulled out a black bank card, placing it on top of the contract. He said patiently, "Our employment contract expires in ten days. You'll be heading off to university soon. The money on this card is enough to cover your tuition and living expenses for all four years…"
It was his way of expressing an apology, for the health issues she'd been having during this period.
"Also, I plan to double your salary…"
Before he could finish, Ren Siyi felt a dizzying spin, her balance lost, and she pitched forward.
Shen Shen reacted swiftly, catching her in one smooth motion.
In his arms, the girl's face was pale, her forehead damp with sweat, strands of hair clinging to her skin.
Shen Shen frowned.
Ren Siyi hadn't completely lost consciousness. She could feel a cool embrace holding her, and she could catch the faint scent of grass and wood on him—clean, crisp, and cold.
Before her eyes was a veil of white mist, and through the swirling fog, she saw a man's face, godlike in its beauty.
She felt her body being gently lowered, her head resting on something springy. Wait… it seemed to be… his lap.
She was still dizzy, but this dizziness wasn't unpleasant. Instead, it felt reassuring, like she was in the middle of a beautiful dream.
Shen Shen could tell at a glance that the girl was already anemic.
"Ren Siyi." He pressed on her philtrum while calling her name, trying to bring her back to consciousness.
The girl's eyes fluttered open slightly, pupils unfocused, gazing at him in a daze.
"Ren Siyi." His voice was low. "Look at me."
"Mmm…" She let out a soft, weak sound, then threw her arms around his neck. "Dad…"
Shen Shen: …
She was soft, yet she clung to him and wouldn't let go.
With that embrace, the tip of his nose happened to land right against the red mark on the side of her neck.
His nostrils flared slightly, and that sweet, fragrant scent rushed at him like a surging wave from the deep sea, instantly swallowing him whole!
His fangs began to itch.
He opened his mouth, struggling, tearing, suppressing…
"Dad." Ren Siyi called him that again, her voice tinged with tears, like a lonely little girl begging for a thin sliver of warm, paternal love. "Dad, is it you? Have you come back?"
Shen Shen suddenly remembered—she was looking for her father.
Her father had gone missing.
The itch between his teeth subsided somewhat.
Harm was the easiest thing for a Blood Clan member.
Protection was what was hard.
Shen Shen had no intention of playing god, but he didn't want to be a demon either.
He gently set her down, letting her sleep peacefully on the sofa, then called for Lu Sen—
"Go get a hundred-year-old wild ginseng and make a soup with it."
"Very well." Lu Sen withdrew as instructed.
After a moment, he returned carrying a small porcelain bowl. The precious wild ginseng had already been simmered into a thick medicinal broth.
Shen Shen had already left, leaving only Ren Siyi in the room, dozing off on the sofa that belonged exclusively to Shen Shen.
Lu Sen crouched down and patiently fed her the medicine bit by bit. She drank it all, and the aged ginseng was also eaten by her in small bites.
When it came to taking care of people, Lu Sen was a master. After feeding her the broth, he used a napkin to wipe her mouth, then gently helped her lie down and covered her with Shen Shen's small blanket.
The medicine was, of course, an exceptional one. Before long, Ren Siyi propped herself up and sat upright.
Seeing herself collapsed on Shen Shen's sofa, and Lu Sen watching her with concern—
"Ah, sorry, Butler Lu." Ren Siyi stood up awkwardly. "I've been a bit drowsy lately. Did I fall asleep again?"
"It's fine." Lu Sen pressed her shoulder to make her sit back down. "You can rest here. There's no need to work today."
"R-really?" Ren Siyi blinked, then suddenly remembered, "Hey, I think I just had a dream. I dreamed that Mr. Shen was going to fire me, but he gave me a card to spend freely, and told me to ask him for more when I ran out. I was so happy I wanted to scream, and then I woke up."
She glanced at the coffee table. It was completely empty.
She rubbed her forehead regretfully. "It really was just a dream."
Rarely, Lu Sen's poker face actually cracked into a smile. Though it returned to seriousness in a second, when he smiled, his whole demeanor came alive.
"Perhaps it wasn't a dream. In any case, rest for now. For the loss to your health, Mr. Shen will certainly compensate you."
"Uh." It wasn't that bad, really. She'd felt a bit tired lately, but she didn't think it was any kind of health issue. Rest more when tired, and it would pass.
Of course, if someone was offering money, she definitely wouldn't refuse.
…
Shen Shen was prepared to simply dismiss Ren Siyi and settle the matter with money.
But before that, he needed to inform Shen Du.
Ren Siyi's blood was sweet and fragrant, and Shen Du couldn't control himself—that was understandable. So Shen Shen wouldn't punish him severely.
Still, he had broken the rules Shen Shen had established.
A minor punishment to serve as a warning was necessary, to prevent Shen Du from losing control and seeking her out again after she left.
He didn't knock, entering Shen Du's room directly, expecting the guy to still be asleep.
Unexpectedly, the moment the door swung open, a flood of sunlight poured out.
Shen Shen instinctively raised his hand to shield himself from the harsh direct light.
The room was bathed in sunlight, bright and clear.
After a moment to adjust, he saw Shen Du's tall, slender figure standing directly in the blazing sun beneath the arched window.
His entire body was steeped in golden light!
Hearing footsteps, Shen Du turned around, his face wearing an ecstatic, show-off grin—
"Bro! I think I've evolved!"
"Holy shit! I'm not afraid of the sun anymore!"
"I'm so fucking awesome!"
Shen Shen was surprised for a few seconds but didn't make a fuss. He only asked, "How long has it been?"
"No idea, I only found out today."
"How did you find out?"
"Aw! I often test my hand in the sunlight to measure my endurance." Shen Du shrugged and grinned foolishly.
"Why would you do that, may I ask?"
"I saw someone on the Blood Clan forum saying that getting more sun exposure can boost your immunity."
"…"
That was exactly the kind of thing this idiot would do.
Sunlight was a natural counterforce to vampires—the more exposure, the weaker they became.
No wonder this guy didn't look anything like a high-ranking vampire who should have been transformed by Shen Shen, the progenitor himself. He was pathetically weak.
So it was his own doing.
But that wasn't the point. The point was that he no longer feared sunlight.
"What's your longest record so far?" Shen Shen asked.
"That's what I'm testing right now. I've been out here in the sun for three hours already. Not only am I not afraid of it, my body temperature has even returned to a normal human level." As he spoke, he pulled a thermometer reading 36.8°C from under his armpit.
"Besides the nanny, whose blood have you drunk?"
"No one's. These past few days I've only gone into Sisi's room…" Shen Du coughed, not wanting to elaborate, and immediately changed the subject. "Bro, am I about to evolve into an invincible tyrannosaurus vampire? See, more sun really does boost immunity! Bro, come get some sun too!"
With that, he enthusiastically approached, inviting his brother to sunbathe together.
Shen Shen raised a hand, and an invisible force pushed Shen Du back two steps, keeping him from getting close.
The lingering heat of sunlight on his body still made Shen Shen uncomfortable.
"Such fine sunlight—I won't compete with you for it. Enjoy it yourself."
"You got it!" Shen Du sat blissfully on the bay window, crossed his legs, and began meditating.
Shen Shen withdrew from the room, feeling his heart racing wildly.
How many years—he couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt a heartbeat like this.
A Hetero-blood. He'd actually found one!
Shen Shen hadn't really held out much hope. The idea that a Hetero-blood's blood could allow vampires to walk in daylight was practically a legend.
And now, that legend was unfolding right before his eyes.
He had witnessed it with his own eyes!
On the stairs, Ren Siyi slowly descended.
Meeting him head-on, the pale-faced young girl broke into a smile. "Mr. Shen, I just fell asleep, sorry about that. Did you want to tell me something?"
"It's nothing." Shen Shen said calmly. "Go back to your room and rest first."
"Uh…"
So that was it—the huge bank card had been a dream.
She'd still been holding onto a sliver of hope.
"Were you about to fire me just now?"
"No."
"Huh?"
"By the way, no work needed tonight. I'm giving you a few days off—rest well."
"Ah? Then the pay…"
"Paid leave."
"Mr. Shen, I adore you!" Ren Siyi wasn't the type to hide her emotions—joy and displeasure were written all over her face. At this moment, her brows curved like crescents, utterly delighted.
Shen Shen watched the girl's cheerful figure retreat, his gaze gradually turning cold.
Hetero-blood humans couldn't achieve immortality; their hearts would inevitably age one day.
But Shen Shen's experiments had already produced a Cultivation Device capable of keeping a heart beating forever, providing an endless supply of blood…
This Cultivation Device had been prepared for the Hetero-blood.
…
That night, Ren Siyi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
She'd slept too much during the day, and now her biological clock was completely flipped.
Clearly she'd been so sleepy during the day, feeling like she might pass out at any moment, but now that she actually wanted to rest, her mind was wide awake instead.
Her body was a bit weary, her limbs weak, so she couldn't be bothered to get up—she just lay in bed with her eyes closed, resting.
Then, she heard the sound of her door being opened.
The darkness amplified every faint sound, and she remembered that she'd locked the door before getting into bed.
Someone had opened it with a key.
Ren Siyi's heart instantly leapt to her throat, pounding wildly.
Who was it? Lu Sen? Or Shen Du?
It couldn't possibly be Shen Shen.
There was no moonlight tonight, and the room was pitch black. She kept her eyes closed, not daring to move, only peering through the narrow slits of her eyelids to see a dark silhouette.
A figure was standing beside her bed, right in front of her, looking down at her from above.
When she made out the face, it was Shen Du.
But… no… his legs!
How was he walking in? He was clearly disabled!
Fear engulfed her like a tidal wave. The more terrified she was, the less she dared to move—until she felt the man bend down and lean over her.
What did he want to do?
Having been rejected all this time, was he finally going to force himself on her?!
Ren Siyi was about to shove him away when she suddenly realized she couldn't move at all, as if a ghost were pressing down on her.
It felt exactly like when she'd been captured by those thugs!
A faint pain came from her neck, like the prick of a thin needle when she'd had blood drawn at the hospital for a checkup, though the pain quickly faded.
No, no!
This man was drinking her blood!
His breathing was heavy and greedy, like a wild beast's.
Ren Siyi's eyes flew wide open, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, her gaze filled with terror.
She couldn't move! She couldn't move!
Just then, a man's low voice came from behind: "Shen Du, that's enough. Stop."
Shen Du raised his head, his mouth covered in blood, which made his features look eerily enchanting.
The sweet, bloody scent spread through the room. His pupils contracted into vertical slits, like a beast's.
"Brother, she's too delicious—don't you want a taste?"
"I said, stop!"
Shen Shen suddenly raised his hand, and an invisible force surged forth. Shen Du's body was hurled away as if flung by an unseen hand.
"Crash!"
The glass window shattered, shards scattering everywhere as cold wind rushed in.
Shen Du didn't even have time to cry out before he was thrown out through the window, vanishing into the night.
A suffocating pressure enveloped the entire room.
Only then did Ren Siyi feel the ghost-press lifted. She bolted upright, scrambling backward until she hit the headboard, curling into a ball.
Her whole body trembled as she stared in utter terror at the handsome man slowly approaching her.
She was too afraid to speak.
Shen Shen walked up to her and looked down at her from above.
"Don't be afraid. I won't touch you." The words were spoken gently enough, like soothing a frightened prey.
He pulled out a black handkerchief and wiped away the beads of blood seeping from her neck, his gaze lowered to her, restrained—
"Starting tonight, you'll sleep in my room."