《My Good Life》 CH 1.1 ¡°I think Li Wei likes you,¡± Li Zhi said with her mouth stuffed with grilled chicken. ¡°Last time, when you talked to your old classmate downstairs. I saw him standing at the entrance of the corridor, staring daggers at your old classmates for a long time.¡± Although Li Zhi was Li Wei¡¯s sister, I never believed her instinct. She lacked experience of being in love. Despite both of them, Li Zhi and her brother were vampires. ¡°I also think Li Wei likes you.¡± The mermaid, Yu Meimei, spoke. She sat on the edge of the fish pond and ate a grilled fish. She was a mermaid and loved to eat fish! I stared at her in disgust: ¡°Meimei, why do you mermaids eat fish?¡± ¡°Sharks eat fish as well, why don¡¯t you ask them, why?¡± Her words made sense. I couldn¡¯t refute and added a sentence to counter her words: ¡°Eat less, see you¡¯re so fat, a shark isn¡¯t as wide as your hips.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just trying to change the subject.¡± not a least affected by my words, she swayed her fish tail. ¡°Last time I saw Li Wei waiting to pick you up at the bus stop. When it rained, he brought a big black umbrella for you. If he is only a landlord, can he be so nice to his tenants?¡± ¡°Oh, he¡¯s so good to you, gave you an umbrella?¡± Li Zhi ate a piece of meat, chewing it without any grace. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t mean anything to you, then it will be difficult for him to pursue you. The probability of changing your mind is even smaller than the sky.¡± ¡°He gave me an umbrella because I didn¡¯t have one. He left immediately after.¡± I explained, ¡°Don¡¯t overthink. The whole building is gossiping about us.¡± ¡°I¡­ I also think¡­ the landlord likes you.¡± Next, the voice of the young boy came from a corner. He was roasting corn. Werewolf! As he said his thoughts aloud, a red blush formed on his face. He bowed his head down, shy and spoke in a mosquito voice, ¡°You¡­ both met because of me.¡± Yes, Li Wei and I ran into each other thanks to the little wolf. On that full moon night; although moonlight isn¡¯t bright in the city like Chongqing. It didn¡¯t hinder him on being transformed into a wolf and steal my only ration. In the past twenty-three years of my life, I have lived a quiet, dull life. I fell in love, fell out of love, graduated, and then began to do what I like the most ¨C drawing comics. Unfortunately, I might not be a creative person as the editor gave me his evaluation. ¡°Your sketches are good, but the content is boring.¡± That time was the lowest point of my life: lost love, unemployment, parents who didn¡¯t understand my choices, no friends to encourage. Dreamlike fantasies. The reality was a mess. The future¡­ was bleak. I used the money I had to buy ration for the last week of my freedom. The house rent contract was expired. So after this week, I decided to go back and live according to arrangements made by my parents. But I never imagined that in such a worse situation, my food would¡­ stolen by a werewolf. I didn¡¯t hesitate to follow him. There was only one thing in my mind I can¡¯t let my food fall into the hands of others! Even if there was only one week left in the dream-seeking, I would stick to the last minute! Food can never be lost! The city was built on a mountainous region which wasn¡¯t cut flat. The ¡°person¡± who took my food was running below as I ran on the top of the high section. I watched him turn and run into the place I couldn¡¯t follow from up. Jump! I closed my eyes and flew straight from above. When I hugged the ¡°person¡± tight, something was wrong. This person¡­ His shoulders were wide¡­ He was hairy¡­ When I slammed down, I hung around his neck. It pulled my arm muscles, making them sore, But I didn¡¯t move a single step. I smelled a beast on him. He turned his head and stared at me, hanging on his back. His green eyes were gloomy and terrible, and his lips were eye-catching¡­ Demon¡­ Monster? Before he spoke, I slapped him in the face. The head that turned to stare me was pushed back. CH 1.2 ¡°Help!¡± I jumped down and ran in the opposite direction, climbing up the slope. After running a few steps, I stumbled on a stone on the ground and rolled back to him. ¡°Help! Monsters!¡± I ran again. The monster squealed a few times but didn¡¯t chase me. My mind had only one thought¡­ Run! After I ran ten meters, somebody held my collar. I was dragged like a chicken. Startled I looked at him. A blonde guy in a leather suit and gold rim glasses was frowning at me. He carried me, his other hand in the pocket of his trousers. ¡°Hey, you scared my pet.¡± he accused me. My eyes moved over to the man and the monster beside him. Pet? The monster who was two meters tall had broad shoulders, narrow waist, long hair, and erected ears, was his pet? I couldn¡¯t make sense of the situation. When this monster saw the man, his face changed? The monster grabbed the chocolate from my bag. He didn¡¯t even tear the wrapper and threw it in his mouth. ¡°Oh.¡± The man roared. As his hand left the pocket, I saw golden iron chains whip like lighting spewing from his fingertips. It wrapped around the monster¡¯s mouth, pulling his head back. He struggled to eat chocolate¡­ ¡°Hey!¡± The tied up monster cried. The man pulled the chains. The monster dropped to his feet. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you, wolves die if they eat chocolates?¡± Everything I saw was so unreal. It has been the first time in my life. I felt I¡¯m not smart enough to process a situation. And aside from everything, I got one question I asked aloud. ¡°A dog dies eating chocolate. Would a wolf as well? Werewolves too?¡± The man turned to look at me and narrowed his eyes: ¡°As a human, you are very courageous.¡± The wolf on the ground threw temper like a child. He struggled to get up and push the blonde man. The man dragged me with him. I stumbled, missing a step on the ladder as I closed my eyes to greet the cold ground. A stone ladder would crack my head! But the expected pain did not arrive! A hand placed on the back of my head prevented me from falling and pulled me up. Due to momentum, I landed on him as his lips met mine¡­ Pain! I opened my eyes and saw with the blond man. My lip was broken as blood flowed out of my mouth, dyeing his pale lips. The red looked so bright on him¡­ He frowned, his eyes darkened. I don¡¯t understand why he was angry. We fell on the ladder in an awkward posture. I was on top, and he was under me¡­ He pressed my head with one hand, another hand¡­ was on my chest¡­ ¡°What!¡± CH 2.1 Li Wei was called Li Wei because he berated people without any reason. (Note: Àîí¡í¡=Li Wei. í¡í¡=hate hate.) Li Wei was a vampire who hated everyone in the world. ¡°Cough¡­ cough¡­¡± When he saw Li Wei coming, the little wolf who was eating corn comfortably, choked on it. It probably went down the wrong way. Mermaid Meimei rushed into the fish pond. I continued to flip meat on the barbecue. Li Zhi was the most fearless one among us. She pulled up her sleeves, prepared to fight with her brother. But he beat her with the first sentence¡­ ¡°Li Zhi, where is your rent?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Zhi drew her sleeves down and in a meek voice said. ¡°The school hasn¡¯t sent me the salary yet¡­¡± Li Zhi was a teacher at the Vampire School. Every day from 10:00 in morning to 4:00 in the afternoon, she worked as a civil servant in the non-human world. She did not make much money, living. She had to live in her brother¡¯s broken house and pay rent to him. She wished her brother would waive her debts. ¡°Why are you standing brother?¡± ¡°Sit.¡± Li Zhi pulled him to a seat. He sat down. Li Zhi¡¯s sly look didn¡¯t escape his eyes. He also found Yu Meimei struggling in the fishpond with fish in her hand above water to prevent it from getting wet. With a cold gaze behind the gold rim glasses, he said, ¡°Yu Meimei, the fish meat will drop in the water. Don¡¯t throw it, give it to me.¡± Yu Meimei came out and sat up. ¡°The landlord. It¡¯s all good. I was a little bit short of breath so¡­ water¡­¡± ¡°Where¡¯s your rent for this month?¡± Yu Meimei had a bitter expression on her face. ¡°It¡¯s winter. The water¡¯s cold. The fishes in the river got smarter. They aren¡¯t easy to lie to anymore. There aren¡¯t many big ones. So, the business isn¡¯t good¡­¡± Meimei sold fish in the vegetable market. In fact, she used the power of the mermaids to swindle the fishes in the river. Picking a few big ones, and then bringing them to the market to sell. From a certain point of view, she was the ¡°human trafficker¡± or the ¡°cannibal¡± in the fish world. I think she was a terrible mermaid, but according to her, she was very ethical. After all, she never sold small fishes. She didn¡¯t have a net. So, she fished only to earn her daily expenses. Li Wei stared at the grilled fish bones in her hand. ¡°Are you qualified to eat fish?¡± Yu Meimei lost her fish meat into the fish pond with only its bones held in hand. ¡°I only lick¡­ bones¡­¡± She pointed her to the side. ¡°The little wolf is also eating meat!¡± Li Wei turned his head and stared at the little wolf. He was curled up in the corner, bullied by the corn. ¡°You? Are you qualified to eat?¡± The little wolf¡¯s face changed, he sighed. His face was exposed as the hair was blown away from his face. He coughed and gagged trying to keep the spittle in his mouth. He swallowed the corn. ¡°I was eating¡­ I-I will go back to work right away!¡± The little wolf owed Li Wei about half a year¡¯s rent. He was an amateur composer and a professional drummer who couldn¡¯t make money. Although usually, he seemed to be meek. Even in his wild form, he was a soft one. But when he hit the drums, he became a real werewolf. He formed a band. Now, he let the band sing his songs. He continued to write and submit manuscripts. Li Wei snorted. ¡°No one can pay the rent on time.¡± His tone was as if he was talking to a group of penniless people. Then¡­ His gaze fell on me. ¡°Su Xiaoxin. You owe three months. A total of four thousand five.¡± In fact, in this eight-story building, my apartment was a one bedroom hall kitchen. The rent of the other rooms were one thousand. But because I live on the top floor and I have a ¡®terrace garden¡¯, Li Wei forced me to pay an extra 500 yuan. Yu Meimei¡¯s fish pond often leaked into my living room. My neighbor Li Zhi on the same floor got a ¡®family discount.¡¯ He charged her a thousand rent. I knew Li Wei was targeting me. Li Wei hated everyone, especially me, because he was such a stubborn and dominating man. However, I broke into their world. So, he had to accept this ordinary human being living in the legendary building. So what do I say to the three monsters and my friends who thought he likes me? I really don¡¯t believe in that farce. Even if Li Wei was targeting me, I still have to live here. Even if my current life became less and less normal, I still have to live here. Even if I sometimes got threats from non-human creatures, I still have to live here! Not because I like it here. Not because I like these non-humans. But because they took me out of the dull, boring and unpredictable life. Most importantly, they give me stories to tell. They¡­ Give me a manuscript. My pay! Money¡­ Although it wasn¡¯t loads of money, I am very fortunate to have a werewolf steal my ration so I could bump into the other side of the world. ¡°My manuscript fee is coming next week.¡± I replied indifferently to his attitude. Li Wei, who couldn¡¯t even bear people¡¯s existence, what else can you expect from him? I also found out that for Li Wei, who couldn¡¯t get used to everyone, you shouldn¡¯t expect to win his favor by doing anything. The only thing you could do was to talk back to him. CH 2.2 You couldn¡¯t take care of anything if you didn¡¯t talk back. It was best to refute in a cold and calm voice. It should seem like you have a strong mind and that you weren¡¯t afraid of his appearance. Li Wei was really upset about my beggar¡¯s attitude, so he raised his hand up. Li Zhi slammed her elbow into my side twice, just like in the elementary school class. I wanted to remind everyone that the teacher¡¯s (aka Li Wei¡¯s) eyes and suspicion was on our table. ¡°If I remember correctly, a few days ago, your classmate who is an editor came to you. Didn¡¯t he give you a draft fee? Still no money to pay?¡± I turned around and looked at the four-person group on the roof. Aside from me, they were as quiet as dead chickens. Because of the pending debt, no one dared to question Li Wei. I wasn¡¯t a fowl corpse, so I tilted my head and stared at Li Wei while calmly saying¡±The roof was leaking. The corridor was missing. The toilet was often blocked. The water heater was broken. I fixed the roof. For the overhaul, the money spent was mine. It¡¯s reasonable to say those expenses should be paid by the landlord.¡± I pointed out more shortcomings. ¡°The only bus stop nearby was at a distance of 300 meters. But because Chongqing¡¯s terrain is mountainous, it takes fifteen minutes to reach there. Your price matches the current housing price in Chongqing. But you should know your eight-story old building¡¯s location is in a deserted area. The building is old. The traffic is inconvenient. The property management is bad. The elevator isn¡¯t working. It¡¯s only a 40 square meters small room. And you¡¯re demanding double months¡¯ worth of rent from me? You bully me. Is it because I¡¯m a human?¡± When I finished talking, the roof was dead quiet and the three non-humans looked at me with contempt. After releasing my temper, Li Wei with his calm cold voice said, ¡°I¡¯m bullying you because you are human.¡± He asked in a word. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± This shameless vampire! I really wanted to slap his face, but¡­ in this case, I swallowed my anger and smiled a little. ¡°I will give you your rent next week.¡± He just left. Before closing the door on the roof, he waved his hand and said, ¡°Clean up the roof. If I find another private barbecue next time, I¡¯ll be cleaning you up.¡± *Thud* The door closed and we felt like four defeated chickens. Li Zhi came around patted my shoulder. ¡°Xiaoxin, work hard again next time.¡± I took a big bite from the skewer. In today¡¯s update, I¡¯ll draw Li Wei as a pig. CH 3.1 Chapter 3 The readers consider me a fantasy comic author, but that wasn¡¯t true. I¡¯m a realist author. The comic I¡¯m currently publishing on the Internet is ¡°The Vampire Series ¨C The bloodsucking Prince licks intestines.¡± The protagonist was the well-deserved Li Wei. The sketches portrayed him collecting rent and the normal daily lives of everyone. The readers were very interested. Although I didn¡¯t quite understand why they assumed Li Wei was sky-breaking handsome, but as long as readers spend money to read, and I get my wages on time, I don¡¯t really mind. At present, earning to support myself is what I¡¯m striving for. So whatever readers request, I answer them within my art. For being able to do so, I am grateful to Li Wei. His words stung, were too mean to hear, and they came at me like poisonous darts. Regardless, because of them, I obtained a story to show you all¡­ I am even more grateful for his arrogance and narcissism, which made him ignore my comics. My current life could only have resulted because of this. Otherwise¡­ as far as I knew about vampires, it is easy for him to kill me. And he will once he knows. Thank you once more. So when I got the payment, I didn¡¯t stall. I immediately withdrew the money. I planned to throw it on his face. Well, not literally. This was the first month¡¯s rent I paid back. I still had some cash when I entered this building by chance. Although I have earned some more or less later on, it wasn¡¯t much¡­ ¡°AHH!¡± An ear-piercing scream came from the top of the building. The voice full of power was Li Zhi¡¯s. It was rare to see her awake during the day. I should have asked her what happened, but Li Zhi was a vampire who always shrieked for small reasons. I didn¡¯t have to care much. I went and knocked on Li Wei¡¯s door on the first floor. I knocked for a long time, but no response came. Vampires sleep during the day, But Li Wei and Li Zhi acted different. The brother and sister pair were ¡®day walkers¡¯, staying awake during the day, especially Li Wei. Any hour of the day, no matter the time, as long as he smells money, he can even rise from a twenty century slumber. A rush of footsteps came from the upstairs. I turned around and saw a pair of long legs in cartoonish coral velvet pajamas frantically rushing down. As for what looked like the upper body¡­ I saw the Alaskan husky. The dog of Li Zhi. His name was Dumbo. All day, he only knew how to eat, sleep, drink, and pee. Though a dimwit, Li Zhi treasured him. ¡°What happened to Dumbo?¡± I asked Li Zhi. She pulled down the dog¡¯s head. His tongue hanging out of his mouth, dripping saliva. He looked no different from a dead dog. ¡°He swallowed the whip!¡± My jaw dropped. Everyone had a weapon for self-defense. It follows the master for a lifetime. CH 3.2 Her weapon was a whip. In fact, it¡¯s a closed loop ball which rolls out like a whip. Once I had visited her messy room and there I saw the egg whip. She must have carelessly thrown it inside the coffin. It was untidy, like how you would expect a human¡¯s bed to be At that time, I foresaw, ¡°Your dog may eat your egg whip.¡± She answered me, much proud. ¡°I added a deadly aura on the egg whip. Dumbo is too scared to eat it.¡± My words from back then were enough to slap her now. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°I need to take Dumbo to the hospital and take it out!¡± ¡°Go quickly!¡± ¡°I have no money!¡± ¡°¡­¡± I had one hand gripping Li Wei¡¯s door, and the other holding a red envelope. It had my rent. I sighed. ¡°I got some, let¡¯s go.¡± That¡¯s right. No one could believe that every time I tried to pay rent, a peculiar and strange situation related to my neighbors would pop out. I had to spend a lot. After sending Dumbo in the operation room for expelling the foreign body, I sat with Li Zhi outside. She saw my hand, holding the envelope with only half of the contents now, and asked, ¡°Were you looking for Li Wei to pay your rent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pay. If you pay the rent, it will only make the others feel useless.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Li Wei is annoying, but money is money. I have to give it to him.¡± ¡°Li Wei gave us the name ¡®Four great king tenants¡¯ If you¡¯re deciding to pay rent, then are you planning to leave our group?¡± Li Zhi tried convincing me. ¡°Besides, you can¡¯t pay rent in these two days.¡± ¡°How come?¡± Li Zhi grinned: ¡°The Vampire Association recently received a request for help. Decades ago, many corpses were robbed from Xiangxi border¡¯s town. Li Wei has been busy with this matter, and he has no time to collect your rent.¡± The Vampire Unification Association was referred to as the Vampire Association. Li Wei was the person in charge of the Association. I have heard someone call him Director Li. He has been busy with this business. It was no wonder I did not see him anywhere in the apartment. In a way, the vampire unification association was a very magical existence in itself. In recent years, there was an increase in Chongqing¡¯s infrastructure. The real-estate market has reasonable control. And the low housing prices attracted many non-human residents. Besides, Chongqing has a complex topography, with the cloudy and foggy atmosphere. During the day there was a little sunshine and ultraviolet rays. It was most suitable for vampires to live in, so the place was loved by vampires all over the world. In January 2015, the Vampire Unification Association officially moved their headquarters to Chongqing. They were determined to build their roots in this beautiful mountain city so that it served as a place for the bright future of the vampires. When I first arrived, Li Zhi explained to me the serious stuff. I merely ridiculed it as nonsense talk. Now I realized that, that was my shallowness and mistake¡­ ¡°Li Wei, I presume, will be busy for a while. As for the rent, don¡¯t need to pay up yet. Why don¡¯t we celebrate?¡± ¡°Celebrate what¡­ Celebrate that your dog was almost killed by an egg?¡± ¡°Xiao Xin, let¡¯s celebrate the fact we removed the egg, having him alive at the same time , and that you don¡¯t have to pay rent! I recently heard that there was a small bar to go check out and have a drink! If you spend money, you can always earn it back. But if you don¡¯t enjoy your time, you won¡¯t get that back.¡± CH 3.3 I was so naive to be tricked by Li Zhi¡¯s reason. After sending dumbo home, we left for the bar. Jie Fang Bei square was the small business. It had a pleasant atmosphere for chatting. There were singers staged for entertainment, and not much dancers. After two or three glasses of wine, Li Zhi¡¯s eyes wandered around to find men. After a while, a man ushered over. I held my own glass of wine and sat down in a corner. Li Zhi wished to find a love. She had no other way to approach men. The bar became an essential social gathering. She was here to get to know people, looking for someone who can bring her a sense of dying. On the contrary, I was a person who held some prejudice in my heart. I thought that these easy going fellows weren¡¯t all that good. My eyes swept throughout the place. Friends chatting. One person would buy drinks, and his friends tagging along to have fun. There were practical and recreational activities. The waiters rushed back and forth. The bartender wiped the glass and looked up at the person sitting in front of the bar. His eyes reflected the tiredness of work every day. All the people were in a state of mind, and they have performed a little in this small bar. As far as I can see, the most dazzling one here was probably Li Zhi. She was not the same as normal humans, dazzling in between¡­ My gaze paused at a man sitting alone in the corner. He was wearing a black down jacket and staring quietly at the wine glass in front of him. He didn¡¯t do anything, but the air seemed to solidify around him. His silence was so out of place with the lively atmosphere of the whole bar. I saw his sharp well defined face. In his glass-like eyes, there was a cold light that I had never seen before. He sat there, but he was waiting for someone. I was attracted by his eyes. Perhaps, people could feel the gaze of others. He turned his head; his eyes were unfazed as he only stared at me. The moment our eyes met I felt the terror as if I was hit by a sharp sword. This man¡­ ¡°Su Xiaoxin!¡± Li Zhi yelled. My gaze staggered from the man to Li Zhi, but I noticed when she glanced at the man, her face grew ugly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked her. ¡°Walk away.¡± Li Zhi pulled my wrist, and we left the bar. Out of the door, Li Zhi stopped only after running a few lanes. She groaned. ¡°He scared me to death, I even got goosebumps. I¡¯ll keep egg fastened to me from now on. That could have been dangerous¡­¡± I got confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Wasn¡¯t he just a vampire? Don¡¯t you guys fight with inhuman the speed?¡± Li Zhi rolled her eyes.¡±What speed? You watch too many animations.¡± She rubbed her arms. ¡°He wasn¡¯t a vampire. I couldn¡¯t see what he was, but he¡¯s not a human.¡± There are many creatures in the world: monsters, elves, legends. After the Second World War, with the establishment of the United Nations, to cope with the era of more and more explosive force, the human race decided to form alliances with non-humans and help each other. In the world of more human beings, they can live with each other¡¯s strengths. So the World Non-Human Alliance came into being. The World Non-Union was probably their UN. Under the World Non-Union, there is also the China National Non-Human Management Committee, referred to as the State Non-Party Committee. There are also provincial and municipal management committees under the State Non-Commission. Different races have associations of their own, like the Vampire Association, the Werewolf Association, the Mermaid Association, and all sorts of mess. They are non-human beings in human society, but they are actually a huge group. I am no stranger to these non-human beings in life and am no longer afraid. I had my doubts since Li Zhi was scared. After all, in my opinion, Li Zhi is good. At least the little wolf and Meimei can¡¯t beat her. As for the strength of Li Wei, I don¡¯t know. In Li Zhi¡¯s words: ¡°Even ten of me aren¡¯t enough to beat him.¡± Even if Li Wei is so powerful, Li Zhi isn¡¯t afraid to fight him. It¡¯s really amazing to meet a stranger today but she didn¡¯t insist on fighting. Even though the person¡¯s gaze does told otherwise¡­ ¡°In short, you don¡¯t go to that bar.¡± Li Zhi looked at the time. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s almost ten o¡¯clock. I am going to class. Go back first, be careful on the road.¡± I waved and said goodbye to her, then went to the bus and slowly swayed back. There are several hills on the bus, several intersections have been more than eleven o¡¯clock. It takes another twenty minutes to walk back from the bus station, but there was a sudden drizzle in the sky. In Chongqing, this kind of weather was also very common. I bought a hat and planned to sprint back. I just stepped out and my toes stepped on a black shadow on the ground. I looked up and Li Han, who was in a suit, started with a big black umbrella and stood in front of me. ¡°Where have you been?¡± Perhaps because of the tiredness of these days, his voice was a bit low. But with a little temper which was his natural thing. Mixed with soft rain, my ears listened, the illusion of¡­ care. CH 4 Chapter 4 CH 5.1 When Ouyang Yu walked into the office, Gu Yubai was standing by the window, staring at the sky. This morning, he received a text message from a strange number. It read: ¡®Gu Yubai, sorry!¡¯ No one owed him an apology except her. For all the years he suffered, he received a measly apology. Sorry¡­ so distant! She never understood him. What he wanted from her was not remorse. The moment he saw the text message, he realized that there was nothing except regret between them. Love? Not an ounce¡­ She gave him fake affection and that¡¯s what he received. Fake love¡­ ¡®So, Lin Meng, we are still not done. You owe me a lot, you ought to pay back.¡¯ He looked out the window, his sinister eyes turned more unpredictable. ¡®Is your apology sincere?¡¯ ¡­ Lin Meng looked at the text message on the phone she sent to Gu Xiaobai yesterday. Thereafter, Ouyang Ning never left Lin Meng alone, scared and worried Gu Yubai would come and cause trouble again. The man never cared about others. Lin Meng decided to explain what happened that day. It was her own problem, no one else should get in trouble because of her. She placed the phone on the dresser and walked out of the door. In fact, she wanted to find an opportunity to meet Gu Yubai and clear things. She owed him an apology, an explanation. However, since the last time, she had been scared of seeing him alone. After five years, he had really changed a lot. Compared to the past, he was calmer and more restrained. There was gloom in his eyes that made people wonder. His temper was just as bad as before. He was a stubborn man¡­ She entered the study room. In the middle of the night, everyone was asleep. No one would bother her, and she won¡¯t be a bother to anyone. It had been half a year since she came back but this was her first time visiting the study. Nothing had changed. Her desk was still placed as before. She was a little surprised. The corners of her eyes were moist. She stood at the table, poured some water on the inkstone and quietly ground the ink. Since childhood, grandfather had made her and Zi¡¯an learn calligraphy. ¡®If you want to use a brush you must grind the ink.¡¯ She was too lazy to practice often, but his writing grew more beautiful with continued practice. In the past, as he practiced calligraphy she would stand beside him, grinding ink. Those days were gone forever. CH 5.2 Her skin was dry and black. Blood crawled from her temples to her eyes. They looked like they would fall with a mere touch. ¡±Fuck!¡± A shiver ran through me, but at the same time adrenaline was secreted. Since I got along with non-humans especially Li Wei, I wasn¡¯t scared of them. My first reaction was not to run, but to scold her. ¡°You scared me to death.¡± Damn even if this person was not a human, but she was not the same as the non-human I knew. She¡­ she had a rotten corpse smell. Zombie? In Xiangxi a few dead bodies were robbed. Li Shi¡¯s words rang in my ears. As I stared at the zombie, the voice of the swaying streetlamp and the wind howling across the building built a dread. I got twenty RMB note, threw it to her head and ran. If you ask me why I threw 20 note, it was because it had the color of the RMB closest to the yellow flag! I didn¡¯t run two steps and the zombie seemed to catch up to me. I saw its shadow on the streetlight shining between the light and the dark. The zombie had rushed over me! I was pushed by my shoulders. Stumbling on a raised brick on the ground, I feel like a full-fledged dog and on me was the weight of the woman who pressed me. My knees and my nose were hurt. My nose was broken, but I couldn¡¯t feel any pain at this time. I wiped the blood and got on my feet. The zombie behind me did not let go. She held me tightly and climbed my body along my legs. She hugged my waist so I couldn¡¯t run. I turned back and hit her head. She opened her mouth to bite my neck, let me bleed, let me suffocate, then tear and eat my meat. I was no match for her strength. Except for wasting my energy, my movements provided no resistance. On the ground, my weak hands hit her chin. The rain last night made the stairs very muddy. My clothes were soaked in muddy water. My heart went cold, all my body from every muscle to joint went stiff. Will I be eaten by her? ¡°Zombie sister let¡¯s talk¡± I tried to communicate with her. ¡°I stay up all night. My liver isn¡¯t good, my body has many toxins, don¡¯t eat me. I will show you the way. You follow this road up the hill. There¡¯s building there it has food! She didn¡¯t care about my words. It seemed that she couldn¡¯t understand them. Communication failed I could only call for help. ¡°Help.¡± The zombie bit my palm. Her teeth pierced my flesh easily. Blood oozed from her teeth, I shouted for help. However, in this old demolished area. There wasn¡¯t anyone to heed my call. Not even a single dog, could be seen. It wasn¡¯t good to live alone¡­what happened to you, others would never know¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t eat barbecue anymore¡­¡± I choked. In the movies the people who were bitten by zombies will turn into a zombie. ¡®Am I going to die? No,¡¯ I was aggrieved. ¡°I still have a manuscript. I didn¡¯t even finish my comic¡­¡± ¡°Ah.¡± In the silent night the voice echoed. I thought it was an illusion, not daring to open my eyes, I lay there. A golden light fell on me and all the weight from my back vanished. I turned back and saw a man wrapped in a big black robe. From the head to toe, he was covered by the robe. Not a hair could be seen. At this moment, the zombie who just bit me was in his hands. She was like a toy in his hand. There was no resistance at all: ¡°Go.¡± CH 5.3 When he let go of the zombie with his hand, it rolled down the ladder and returned to life. The female zombie was not in a hurry to escape. She stared at the man for a while. I thought she would come biting me, but she didn¡¯t. She jumped to the child. Picking him in by one hand, she held him tightly in her arms and fled the place. The black robe was only quietly watching from beginning to end. He did not interfere with their retreat. I also stared at him, stupidly. My body trembled. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I was afraid, or because of the bitter cold brought by these wet clothes, or even¡­ It was because of this person who step by step came closer to me. He stopped by me. I could imagine how embarrassing I looked then. Coral velvet pyjamas with muddy water, bloody nose and my bitten hands. He knelt, and the black robes seemed to have a magical black mist that made me unable to see his face even at this close distance. He reached out to my face, with black leather gloves still on his hands. It was a gentle touch ¡­ Like brushing a piece of broken porcelain has been pieced together, so careful. So gentle¡­ His hand went down my hair on my face, and then wiped the blood under my nose with his thumb. ¡°Big brother, who are you?¡± He laughed again. His voice was so magnetic. He let go of me and took a step back. The wind passed, his black robe danced like the heroes in comics, novels and TV series. As a comic book author who was not imaginative but still obsessed with fiction element, the feeling was indescribable. I suddenly heard the sound of my heart. Jumping vigorously. ¡®Lub-dub¡¯ I always thought no one could touch the indestructible ¡°dimensional wall¡± around my heart, not even those strange non-humans ¡­ I never knew I would encounter a miracle. ¡°So, did he say who he was?¡± Li Zhi asked me. Sitting next to her Meimei and the little wolf nodded, ¡°Who is he? Does he live in the building? What species¡± I was about to answer, the door on the top of the building opened again: ¡°Imaginary love.¡± He stood at the door, ¡°Don¡¯t make money just be lazy all the time.¡± ¡°We need rest too. We have not delayed any work.¡± Li Zhi got her salary, so she was more vocal. ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble; let us listen to Xiao Xin.¡± I coughed. These three curious babies,¡±Li Wei said this to me.¡± Li Wei¡¯s face got ugly: ¡°Send the medical expenses to the old witch on the sixth floor.¡± Yesterday because of Li Wei¡¯s appearance, I lost the black-robed. At the moment, Li Wei found me. The figure of the black robe man disappeared into the mist of the mountain city like a cigarette smoke sat in the same place reminiscing the unbelievable love. Still guessing who was this person who fell in love with me at first sight. Li Wei¡¯s face appeared in my view. ¡°Su Xiaoxin.¡± He called my name, very serious. That was the first time I saw Li Wei like this. Frowning, and the lips were slightly tight: ¡°Tell me.¡± I took the medical bill from him and placed into my pocket: ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to remind me.¡± I wanted to ask him how he found me yesterday. ¡°So¡­¡± Li Zhi pulled back my attention. ¡°You are love with someone you don¡¯t know anything about, his name, his origins, even how he looks?¡± Li Zhi summarized it well. I nodded: ¡°Yes, I fell in love at first sight.¡± I know he wasn¡¯t human. CH 6.1 Chapter 6 After the encounter with the mysterious person who I fell in love at first sight, I began dreaming of him every day. It is a pity¡­ the dreams weren¡¯t spring dream. It had no relationship with romance and love stories. The scene I dreamed of were broken and chaotic. At times gun fired, and the huge explosion shocked me awake from my dreams. Sometimes they were very peaceful. A woman sang in pleasant weather like this mountain town in summer. Sometimes It took me to the battlefield of the cold weapon era. In my dream, I became a vague black general, raising a sword and beheading the enemy on the cold sand. I think that after being scared by zombies, my brain got over-excited. Too much inspiration that can¡¯t be all exposed by my drawings in the day, got reflected in my dreams. I drew down these dream scenes with dedication. I always thought God was open-minded and gave me inspiration every day until one day. I accompanied Li Zhi her to walk the dog. A rare sun in Chongqing got me comfortable like a spring sun. I stretched out and looked at Li Zhi¡¯s side. She was wearing a big sunhat, and huge sunglasses almost covered her face. She was wearing a sun mask, completely blocked the sun rays. ¡°Is it hard to get out during the day?¡± I asked her, then pulled the rope, letting Dumbo run. Li Zhi up pushed the sunglasses: ¡± I got a few days off and if I don¡¯t go out, it¡¯s so wrong.¡± I bit my lip and didn¡¯t poke her anymore. All the time home she got bored. She couldn¡¯t help herself but pick up the dog for a walk during the day. In the past few days, she did not go to work. It was because¡­ She was afraid of ghosts. Yes, as a vampire with the same role as the ¡°ghost¡± , was afraid of ghosts. Especially the ghosts in Chinese legends, the ghosts in horror movies and even the infamous fear of the zombies appeared these days. After I was bitten by a zombie that day, she came knowing the zombies that had been scattered in the vicinity. So she didn¡¯t dare to go out to work alone at night. I walked with her for a while, then sat down on the chair under the trees, pondering over yesterday¡¯s dream. CH 6.2 I always felt some of these scenes in my dreams were connected. So I drew them. When I am bored, I look through them to find some other inspiration. I opened those pictures. Li Zhi walked with no spirit during the day. She sat beside me and placed her head on my shoulder. She was gasping like a donkey. Although she is a daywalker like Li Wei, but her strength was not like him. After a long walk, she felt tired. She looked down at my screen: ¡°Hey, these old Chongqing styles are so beautiful. I miss those times¡­¡± She curiously reached out her finger and stroked it twice on my screen. She saw a few pictures behind it: ¡°I also painted the big bombing of that year¡­ It¡¯s so realistic, Xiaoxin draw historical subjects recently?¡± She asked me,¡±Meimei said that her neighbor had returned recently. You can let the old man take you back to the past.¡± I certainly don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m not familiar with the old man who can travel through time and space. As for the old bombing in old Chongqing, I have a basic understanding. All you heard at history class in high school. After so many years, I only remember the bombings, the tunnel tragedy. The reason I remembered it was because on June 5th every year, air defence alarm rang throughout the Chongqing¡¯s main city. I got goosebumps. ¡°Li Zhi.¡± I asked her, cautiously, ¡°What was the period when the squad came to Xiangxi, to get rid of zombies.¡± ¡°The report seems to be the time of the Republic of China. Oh, it¡¯s about the same time as in your drawing.¡± ¡°This is the scene that I dreamed of these days after I was bitten.¡± Li Zhi and I looked at each other for a second. No one spoke a word. Although a bright spring sun shined on top, I felt I entered the cold wind. Goosebumps formed on my neck as hair at a speed visible to naked eyes¡­ She stood up and walked back two steps, ¡°I¡­ feel a little uncomfortable. I¡¯ll go to the toilet.¡±She said as she turned and ran away¡­ I sat for a while. But soon got in my senses and followed Li Zhi chasing and shouting: ¡°You stand! Don¡¯t leave me alone! I am so scared!¡± ¡°You stand!¡± she also shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t chase me! I am so scared!¡± I have never thought of it. I am timid and ordinary humans will one day chase a vampire in the whole parks. Dumbo was not clear. He thought I was playing with Li Zhi. So he went crazy, screaming ¡®Woof, woof¡¯ behind my ass. I chased for a few minutes, and ran into a secondary place. I didn¡¯t see a figure around me. The body that didn¡¯t exercise for a long time was as uncomfortable as if it was about to fall apart. Gasping, I shouted, ¡°You stand!¡± Li Zhi ignored me. I turned Dumbo and caught it: ¡°If you don¡¯t come back, I will kill the dog!¡± When Dumbo licked my face, its useless master appeared in front of banyan tree. She stared full alert: ¡°You are infected by zombies.¡± I was angry: ¡°Infected a fart! Your brother Li Wei said zombies wouldn¡¯t infect; they eat people! You don¡¯t know? I have seen many movies, how many did you see?¡± ¡°You got dreams!¡± ¡°In addition to these scenes of Republic of China, I dream of the ancient scenes of a time long before of swords!¡± CH 6.3 ¡°It could be connected to mutant zombies.¡± ¡°¡­¡± This came as a shock to me. ¡°Really?¡± Li Zhi hesitated. She came out from behind the tree and stepped in the sun: ¡°That isn¡¯t impossible. Before zombies attacked you, Li Wei had gone to the meeting. He said these zombies might have variations.¡± ¡°What is the variation?¡± ¡°These zombies in China are mysterious. Now there¡¯s no association in the World Federation. The corpse controls them. Many zombies who got orders have no sense of their own. They only know how to act. Their motive was their prey. But if there isn¡¯t a virus infection, the prey will be clean.¡± As an educator at the Vampire School of science, she said in a serious tone: ¡°The zombie you met a few days ago that attacked you. You said she took the child when she left. This proves she will protect her child; that is, she got some conscious, and¡­ I heard that the child seemed to be the zombie she kidnapped.¡± ¡°Kidnap?¡± ¡°Well, She robbed the child of a human parent. The parents went to the police station and reported the child was missing when he was out of school. The police are currently investigating the case, but now the State Non-Party Committee is also involved and wants to close the case as soon as possible. They want to catch the zombie and return the child, fearing that the presence of non-human beings would cause unnecessary panic to humans.¡± ¡°Why is she kidnapping children?¡± ¡°How do I know this? I know that these zombies have mutated. After she bit you maybe you changed¡­¡± She reached out. ¡°You give me the dog. It¡¯s crazy, bite and he will get mutated.¡± ¡°Dumbo is like your brother!¡± She didn¡¯t say anything, and her body shape like a flash of electricity rushed to me. I didn¡¯t have time to open my mouth as I got pushed to the ground. Dumbo cried and rushed out. I sat up. I was very nervous: ¡°What happened? What happened?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± I didn¡¯t get any answer. I looked up to see the big Alaska dog with fluffy meat. Now I¡¯m lying on the ground like the dead. There was only the man in a black robe standing in the sun facing me. I didn¡¯t have time to see his face when Li Zhi pulled me. ¡°Go!¡± She pulled me on her shoulders. With my ass in the air I couldn¡¯t open my eyes. The scene was chaotic. I saw Li Zhi¡¯s pulling out her egg whip. It tore the air, making a sharp whistling sound. When the weapon hit the air, it instantly turned turbulent. My hair and clothes, as well as the internal organs, were smashed. However, this happened so fast, like a roller coaster. When I opened my eyes and blinked, I was lying on the cold ground. I struggled to get up and turned around. I recognized the first floor of the old residential building in front of me. I climbed with support of the wall, ¡°Vomit¡± and spit out the sour water. ¡°Hey, you are dirty.¡± Blackie on the fence of the stairs of the corridor licked his cat¡¯s paw: ¡°Don¡¯t spit in front of my master¡¯s door. My master got a strong sense of smell. This will bother him.¡± He said, and I heard a ¡°click¡± The door opened. As soon as I turned my head, Li Wei¡¯s came in sight. He looked as if woken up from my dream. He blinked, his hair was messy. He glanced at blackie, who was leaning against the wall and moved his gaze to the gasping me. He lifted the gold glasses his nose. With a hoarse voice, he said: ¡°Who bullied you?¡± CH 7.1 Li Wei¡¯s leaned against the door, his posture was very handsome. I rubbed my stomach. My mouth was sour. CH 7.2 ¡±How many times have you told you? You can¡¯t jump out of the window.¡± Li Zhi said. The little wolf snorted: ¡°I¡­ my rent is not on time. If the landlord calls me, I have to come in time.¡± CH 8 I always felt that whatever words that left his mouth¡ªmay it be a lie, a brag, a joke¡ªif Li Weiwei said it while staring at me like this, it¡¯s the truth. He¡¯s like a lion. A predator with a full stomach and a spare time to give warnings. So, when he spat out the word ¡°prey,¡± I stood frozen with goosebumps all over my body. If his purpose was to scare me, then he succeeded. The image reflected in his eyes was me with the appearance of a frightened deer with its pursed lips, holding its breath and staring at him wide-eyed. He lowered his eyes and turned his head. He walked towards the unwelcoming house, while I was left standing behind him. Somehow, there¡¯s this feeling that he¡¯s smiling¡ªperhaps he thought I was funny¡ªbut when he looked back, there¡¯s no hint of humor in his eyes. ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± I was confused at first but soon replied, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the doctor who would go back with me to treat Li Peipei.¡± He frowned in his typical impatient landlord manner. ¡°Did you have something in your ear while I was talking just now? Do you think two doctors can protect you on your way back?¡± I stared at him for a moment. ¡°What then?¡± ¡° ¡°Wait¡­¡± I quietly waited for him to finish his sentence, but after ten seconds, he didn¡¯t say anything more and so I asked, ¡°Wait what?¡± He narrowed his eyes and turned around facing me. He leaned on the crumbling wooden door, pushed down his glasses, and looked at me with those judgmental eyes of his and said slowly, ¡°In addition to waiting for me to get off work, what else do you think you and I can do here?¡± Surrounded by bluestone stairs and dilapidated houses with a river in the distance below, and a crowded scenic spot far up, if I was with a boyfriend, I could think of ten thousand things to do here after all the readings I did over the years¡ªhot, exciting, everything I desired¡­ But with Li Weiwei, I could only stare at him blankly before asking, ¡°Are you saying I should wait for you, and we¡¯ll go home together?¡± ¡°Did Li Peipei turn your brain upside down yesterday? You can¡¯t even understand Chinese now?¡± He turned his scolding mode on, but I couldn¡¯t argue in return because I was still confused. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m stupid, nor that I couldn¡¯t understand what he said. It¡¯s Li Weiwei himself that I couldn¡¯t understand. I knew how disgusted he was with the word ¡°together¡±. Not only did he not like it when he¡¯s ¡°with¡± others, he also didn¡¯t like it when Li Peipei, Xiao Lang, Xiao Mei and I were ¡°together¡±. He called it gambling when we¡¯re only playing mahjong, and an illegal assembly when we were only having barbecue. Because of that, our gatherings became less frequent. It¡¯s only because we¡¯re living on the same floor that Li Peipei and I were often in contact with each other. It was as if Li Weiwei wanted us to keep our distance from each other¡­ Or rather¡­ He wanted me to keep my distance from everyone. As I said before, I believed that Li Weiwei truly hated me deep in his heart because I broke his rules. So, from the very beginning, I never thought that he would actually go home with me for my protection. ¡°Come in.¡± I was still dazed when he said these words and walked into the run-down house. Looking up at the cracks on the wall above and the deserted hallway, I was nervous. With small steps, I stepped inside, and the door immediately slammed shut with a creak and the room was plunged into darkness. There was no way back, and I couldn¡¯t see Li Weiwei walking in front of me anymore. ¡°Li¡ª¡± I was cut off by a soft sound followed by the sight of Li Weiwei standing in the corner holding a candle. The flame swayed in front of his face, making his angular features defined. For a moment, instead of a house in ruins in Ciqikou, it felt as if I¡¯m in an ancient castle in Europe, and in that old castle lived a gloomy vampire Count¡­ ¡°Come here.¡± At the Count¡¯s order, the image in my imagination shattered. ¡°Did you know that every time you call my name, you sound like Li Peipei whenever she calls Mangzi?¡± I raised my dissatisfaction, and he glanced at me in return. ¡°I must be treating you well then.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As we talked, I walked towards him. When I reached his side, the candle he was holding lit up fiercely and light shone from under my feet. I looked down and saw a magic circle drawn on the ground emitting a golden glow. Although I¡¯ve lived in that residential building for a while now, it¡¯s the first time seeing this form of magic and it was very exciting standing here. ¡°It¡¯s like an animation!¡± As soon as I shouted this though, the light around me disappeared. Now in front of me was no longer the dark, crumbling interior of the house, but a dark passage built by piled up stones. The place was damp and dimly lit by oil lamps mounted on the walls, but the lack of lighting didn¡¯t extinguish my avid interest. In fact, it only increased my fascination instead. I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes from roaming around. This place was very inspirational! I turned to Li Weiwei and asked, ¡°Where are we now? Are we still in Ciqikou? Is this underground? How deep have you gone? I was just thinking about how strange it was that your vampire association was located in a dilapidated house. Am I going to wait for you here? Can I walk around on my own? I promise not to touch anything!¡± I chattered with excitement, gasping for breath and realized that I had broken the tranquility here. It was like breaking into a dance in the library, so inappropriate. Yet, Li Weiwei didn¡¯t even stop me and told me to shut up. I turned to look at him only to find that he was looking at me. Our eyes met, and between us, was a candle with a flickering flame. He was staring at me like someone who had seen the other side of time and space. But after I reached out and covered his mouth, he blinked, and the misty veil in his eyes dissipated. He finally returned to his usual overbearing demeanor. ¡°Hold this in front of you so you won¡¯t scare the vampires.¡± He handed the candle in his hand to me then said, ¡°Take this and wait for me inside the room by the third lamp ahead.¡± I suppressed the irritation in my voice. ¡°I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can I walk around on my own?¡± His lips curled into a shallow smile. ¡°What did I say? Prey.¡± I swallowed. He turned and walked into the darkness behind him without any source of light. The sound of his voice seemed to float from the void, colliding back and forth in the dark passage, hollow and terrible. ¡°Go ahead if you have the guts. The underground is big and there¡¯s a lot of vampires here. Take the candle, that¡¯s your pass.¡± He paused then turned to look at me before being completely engulfed in the darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t let it run out.¡± As if hearing a terrible curse, my scalp went numb. In an attempt to protect the candle, I walked to the room Li Weiwei mentioned as carefully as possible. Inside was a simple chair and a desk. I sat down and stared at the flame without moving. All my curiosity died the moment Li Weiwei said those words. I think the main reason my ordinary self was able to survive in this dangerous world was because I prioritized my life. So here I am, just sitting and staring at the fire for a long time. I was so bored. I took out my phone, and unsurprisingly, there¡¯s no signal. As I played PopStar! Destroy the Stars for the second time, I heard a soft click. Then, a white light flashed from above. I looked up and saw an incandescent lamp hanging overhead. That¡¯s when I realized the interior had brightened up, as bright as a well-maintained ordinary government office could be. The gloomy atmosphere was gone. ¡°Oh ?§ß¦É§ä! You scared me to death. Why are you sitting here alone without turning the lights on?¡± A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl at the door asked me with a puzzled face. I responded with the corners of my mouth twitching in an attempt to smile and kept the negative emotions from showing. ¡°No¡ªno one told me that there were lights here¡­I thought you guys like to use candles¡­¡± ¡°Who likes to light candles? It¡¯s smoky and stuffy. The lights in the corridor were broken last week and no one here knows how to repair it so we can only use candles for now.¡± She walked in and placed a cup of noodles on the table and its fragrance wafted all over the room. Its spicy taste stimulated my taste buds making me hungry. ¡°That¡¯s my office chair. You can sit over there.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I held the candle and moved it away. ¡°What are you doing with that? Can¡¯t you still see even with the lights on?¡± ¡°Not that¡­ Aren¡¯t candles a requirement?¡± The girl was stunned. She opened the document on the desk and pulled out a landline in the corner and made a phone call. ¡°Hello? General Secretary¡¯s Office, I am here at the front desk. Can you please talk to the director and tell him to stop frightening the newcomers? I¡¯m tired of having to explain to people that we are a modern and law-abiding work unit! I¡¯m also busy, okay? ¡­¡­Oh, you don¡¯t want to? You want me to talk to him myself? What¡¯s the secretary¡¯s room for then?¡± The girl was tearing up as she argued with the person on the phone. This was how I got to witness a scolding war between non-human colleagues. And then came the realization¡­ Damn it, Li Weiwei! I didn¡¯t expect him to be a petty vampire! He actually tricked a newcomer who didn¡¯t know the rules here! ¡°??? ?? ? ?????! He¡¯s making this old lady angry.¡± She threw the phone and scolded in a dialect, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that my noodles were about to get soggy, this old lady would have scolded him to death today.¡± She pulled apart the disposable chopsticks and ate two mouthfuls of noodles. Seeing her small face, it seemed like the noodles warmed her stomach as much as it calmed her heart. When she looked up at me, it¡¯s clear that her emotions were no longer as intense as they were minutes ago. ¡°What business are you here for? Don¡¯t be afraid, we haven¡¯t drunk human blood for a long time.¡± I knew that these vampires didn¡¯t drink much human blood anymore. In modern society, they have long created a high-nutrition, high-value blood powder that can be efficiently produced, just like milk powder. It was clean and pollution-free. Prices range from high to low and taste could be sweet or fishy. Some drank it with sugar and salt. There¡¯s even a debate among vampires whether it should be sweet or salty. Of course, since it was a necessity, there were counterfeits and shoddy products sold in the market which endangered the health of the vampires. It was the association¡¯s responsibility to get rid of them. Some time ago, I heard that Li Weiwei seized a ton of fake and low-quality blood powder and arrested several lawbreakers and locked them up. ¡°I¡¯m not here for business. I¡¯m uh¡­ I¡¯m waiting for Director Li to get off work.¡± When she heard this, her eyes lit up. ¡°You¡¯re waiting for the director to go home together?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m his neighbor and today is a bit of a special case, so¡­ Uh¡­¡± It seemed like I didn¡¯t explain it well as the girl¡¯s eyes were getting brighter with excitement. Hence, I shut up and let her look me up and down. Then she spoke while eating noodles. ¡°Our director is good at everything. Just that he seemed to love scaring people. The people who come to do business with us get were often frightened to the point that they can¡¯t speak. They¡¯re afraid that we¡¯ll eat them. The director said it would make them less troublesome, but it also made our work much more difficult. There¡¯s no way we could gain their trust. Miss Neighbor, if you have the chance, please talk to our director.¡± It¡¯s better to tell him that yourself¡­ I smiled evasively and just listened to her other complaints. It¡¯s amazing how a comic artist who started drawing as soon as she graduated without applying to any company, was now in an underground office, meters deep and listening to a vampire vent her frustrations in the workplace. The little girl kept talking for who knows how long. I didn¡¯t know what time it was, but my eyes started to feel heavy. With my eyes closed, I sat on the chair with her voice becoming a background noise. But slowly, the female¡¯s voice was replaced by another¡¯s. The voice sounded alarmed. She seemed to be in a stuffy and hot place. She was struggling her way through the crowd who had identical sorrowful expressions on their faces. The atmosphere was filled with misery. She kept on frantically asking the people around her. ¡°What about my child? Did you see my child? He¡¯s a little boy in blue clothes. Did you see him?¡± The world was silent. She was alone in the search. And suddenly there was a ¡°boom¡±. The sky opened up and debris fell from above. The crowd started screaming, and amidst this chaos, she screamed in despair, ¡°My boy! Where are you?¡± She was shouting at the top of her lungs that every sound was tearing my eardrums. However, after that piercing sound, the world suddenly fell into darkness. ¡°Su Xiaoxin.¡± Someone¡¯s calling my name. When I opened my eyes, Li Weiwei was right in front of me with a calm expression. It was a stark contrast to the panic I felt in my dreams. ¡°I¡­had a nightmare.¡± I sat up and realized that my hands were sore, and my back was drenched in cold sweat. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. With his legs crossed and hands clasped together, he looked at me. ¡°Tell me.¡± Seeing his confident demeanor, it seemed like no matter how terrible things were in the world, it¡¯s not worth mentioning in front of him. So, around him, I also felt an inexplicable confidence that this nightmare was really not worth mentioning. The author has something to say: Vampire Society office building half-day tour ~ CH 9.1 ¡°Do you have a pen?¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll draw what I saw for you.¡± Li Weiwei handed me a ballpoint pen and a small notebook. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± He said as if afraid that I would not be able to draw under the pretext of using the simple tools, so I rolled my eyes, took the items and focused on drawing. As a professional comic book author without much imagination, solid drawing skills were the foundation of my life. I sketched out scenes I couldn¡¯t describe through words. With quick strokes, it¡¯s inevitable that the picture was a little sloppy, but it didn¡¯t affect the entire image of the scenery and the people. Neither I nor Li Weiwei said a word as I drew. In a quiet underground office of the Vampire Association, there¡¯s only the light sound of the pen scratching against the paper¡¯s surface and my breathing as I drew each stroke echoing in the room. When I stopped the pen and looked up, I found Li Weiwei staring intently at the notebook. He raised his head and our eyes met. I could hear him breathing and the figure reflected in his pupils were so close. I lifted the drawing up, putting the notebook between us as a barrier shielding me from him. ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Li Weiwei leaned back on his chair, held his hand out and called my name. ¡°Su Xiaoxin.¡± Seeing his gesture, I immediately said in defense, ¡°Okay, I didn¡¯t tell you it would be good so just see it as it is. No need to judge.¡± ¡°Your drawing isn¡¯t bad.¡± Boom. My heartbeat raced for no other reason than that¡­ Li Weiwei actually complimented me! ¡°The way you draw is also good.¡± My eyes widened. When the ability I was proud of the most was being recognized by the person who¡¯s most unlikely to do so, after the initial shock and astonishment, I couldn¡¯t keep the corners of my mouth from twitching slightly. ¡°Then¡­¡± ¡°The next time you see me, don¡¯t talk, just draw.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I was so na?ve. What ivory can this guy spit out of his mouth? [1] I tapped the notebook with the pen. ¡°Look at this! Here¡¯s what I saw!¡± Li Weiwei fixed his gaze at my sketch again. ¡°An air-raid shelter during the Great Bombing. It didn¡¯t look big. This must be a mother who lost her child. Give me a detailed portrait of her face and I¡¯ll get people to scan and distribute a copy of it.¡± I was stunned. ¡°Scan and copy for distribution?¡± ¡°What you saw is probably the memory of the zombie that bit you before their death.¡± Li Weiwei spoke with a cold expression, sending chills down my spine. ¡°Li Peipei told me about your dreams yesterday. I discussed it with a few doctors and a hunter. It is possible that the zombie¡¯s saliva entered your blood, and the result was seeing what happened to the zombies before their deaths. It is reasonable to say that a zombie¡¯s saliva shouldn¡¯t have that effect, but those zombies showed signs of mutation. What sort of mutation their saliva contained however was still unknown.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± I said with a trembling voice, ¡°Am I poisoned by a corpse?¡± Am I¡­ Going to die? I tried, but fear and the urge to cry still ended up being evident in my voice. Li Weiwei glanced at me, and the conceited expression on his face seemed to say, with this daddy here, it¡¯s not so easy for you to die. I tried to control my emotions, and after a while, I couldn¡¯t help but think about my comics. I have to go back and write a good outline for my unfinished comics. If something were to happen to me, the story could give the readers an explanation and they wouldn¡¯t be left hanging! That¡¯s what it¡¯s like to be a professional comic artist! As I thought about it, I turned the pages of the notebook, drew an oval shape and began to sketch the facial features of the woman in my dream. As I drew, I suddenly remembered something and paused for a moment to ask Li Weiwei. ¡°Last time I was bitten by that zombie, why didn¡¯t you make me draw its appearance right away?¡± Li Weiwei wiped his glasses, then asked me with narrowed eyes. ¡°Well, then, do you remember what that zombie looked like?¡± ¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Oh. To be honest, I forgot most of what happened that night. I only remember the man in black whose face I didn¡¯t get to see and his gentleness¡­ Indeed, it seemed that after a day or two of being attacked, I didn¡¯t care about being bitten at all. Instead, I was immersed in the feeling of a ¡°love at first sight.¡± I remained silent and focused on my task. After wiping his glasses, he put it back on the bridge of his nose then stood up. ¡°Once you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll bring someone over who¡¯ll come back with us.¡± Without giving me another chance to ask questions, he walked out with his hands clasped behind his back. After about an hour, the tip of the ballpoint pen stopped at the corner of the woman¡¯s eye, deepening a shadow. I straightened my back and breathed out. After I looked at my surroundings, I returned to my drawing, adding two strokes to the corner of her mouth. ¡°Wow!¡± I heard a childish exclamation, and a black head immediately came over next to me and avidly said, ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± A child, whose eyes were as translucent as obsidian, was looking up at me. ¡°You¡¯re really good at this!¡± Very few children appreciated my work. I was about to say a few words of modesty, even though I felt so proud at the moment, when the notebook in my hand was taken away by Li Weiwei who just came in. He picked up the receptionist¡¯s landline and made a call. ¡°Hello. Come to the front desk and get the documents. Send me a copy today. It¡¯s a Class 2.¡± The Vampire Association¡¯s arrest warrants were divided into six categories¡ªa special warrant and classes one to five. Generally, the first class warrant was the highest order. For example, if there¡¯s an occurrence of non-human serial killings, or non-human large-scale fights with heavy casualties, it will issue a first class arrest warrant for the main criminals. The second class on the other hand was the highest level for ordinary events. It seemed that the matter with the zombie put a great pressure on them. As for the special warrant, Li Peipei said that it strictly belonged to their non-human organization and was something that most people didn¡¯t know¡­ ¡°Little sister, not only do you draw beautifully, but you¡¯re also beautiful yourself, I¡¯m surprised.¡± Huh? Translator¡¯s Notes: 1. There¡¯s a Chinese saying, ¡°there¡¯s no ivory in the mouth of a dog¡±. It means you cannot expect a decent language from a filthy mouth as ivory represents valuable stuff while the dog represents nasty people. ? CH 9.2 I took my eyes off Li Weiwei and saw the face of a child. The little boy blinked at me with a pair of translucent, obsidian eyes. I couldn¡¯t believe it was this boy who said those words just now. ¡°Little sister¡¯s eyes are so beautiful. It must be because of that that her drawings are also beautiful.¡± What!? Wait a minute! This kid! This kid is simply¡­ ¡°Oh my, I can¡¯t help but blush when a beautiful lady is staring at me. So embarrassing!¡± The little boy then buried his head on my lap, but just as his forehead was about to rub against me, a pale hand behind him picked him up by the back of his collar. Li Weiwei narrowed his eyes on the boy. ¡°You¡¯re already old. Stop selling meng[1] to take advantage of others.¡± ¡°Huh? Uncle, what are you talking about? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Li Weiwei stared at him with disgust. He waved his hand and the boy was thrown against the wall like garbage. I cried out, thinking that the little boy was going to break his head and bleed on the spot. However, the child held his head in the air and spun several times, his feet were firmly on the wall, his waist and abdomen were twisted, like those gymnasts players seen in the Olympic Games, and then perfectly landed on the ground. He was barefoot and a bell was tied around his ankle, but even after those movements, the bell didn¡¯t make a sound. ¡°Don¡¯t just look at his face. This guy is in his 40s or 50s already. He¡¯s old enough to be your uncle, so don¡¯t look at him as if he¡¯s a child prodigy.¡± ¡°Huh? Forty or fifty?¡± That¡¯s really surprising. ¡°Tianshan Tong Grandma?¡±[2] ¡°No, I¡¯m really just a little boy.¡± With a smile on his face, he introduced himself. ¡°My name is Yu Shao. Little sister can call me Little Shao or Little Yu. I am a corpse catcher and I am going home with little sister today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a building, don¡¯t think too much about it.¡± Li Weiwei cut in. ¡°I¡¯m going to live in the same building with such a beautiful little sister today, and I feel so happy just thinking about it. Foreign zombies are unsightly though.¡° ¡°If you¡¯re not happy, you can continue sleeping in here the office building.¡± Yu Shao didn¡¯t look at Li Weiwei. Instead, he walked up to me and held out his hand. ¡°We¡¯re leaving. The front is so dark, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t see it, I want little sister to lead, otherwise I can¡¯t walk.¡± I looked at him quietly, then at Li Weiwei. When he nodded, only then did I put my hand in the palm of this strange child. But the moment he held my hand, his cute and innocent eyes sharpened. ¡°Little sister was bitten by a zombie a few days ago and had been having nightmares since, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Then be careful these days.¡± My heart raced. ¡°Be careful of what?¡± ¡°Be careful of being taken away by zombies when you dream.¡± Damn that¡¯s scary. My legs immediately went limp, and seeing how frightened I am, he laughed while leading me along then said, ¡°But little sister, rest assured, your building already has an enchantment against zombies. Although I don¡¯t want to admit it, he is really powerful. Those few disobedient zombies are not capable of breaking in¡­¡± He briefly mentioned, and then changed the topic. ¡°However, no matter what kind of zombies, now that I will also be in that building, I will not let such a beautiful little sister play with them. If you want to play, you can only play with me.¡± Hearing this, I figured out that this corpse catcher turned out to be a guard that Li Weiwei had found. ¡°Did you drive away those lost zombies?¡± Yu Shao smiled lightly. ¡°Little sister, I haven¡¯t personally driven away corpses for a long time, those are all made by my subordinates, but this time I ran into trouble. I was asked to come over from Xiangxi to clean up the mess. It just so happens that I haven¡¯t come to Chongqing for a long time, and I miss the spicy old hot pot here.¡± He pointed to the side, ¡°Thanks to this stingy workaholic uncle, I¡¯ve been working in the basement for two days without letting me go out to play.¡± During the conversation, we had already left the underground office building of the Vampire Association, and in the flash of the magic array, we came to the room that we had walked into in the afternoon. Yu Shao pushed the door open and walked on the street of Ciqikou with ease. It¡¯s no longer early in the morning and compared to daytime Ciqikou, it really looked like an ancient town at night, but the traces of commercialization are still evident. Occasionally one or two stores take advantage of the night to catch up on renovation. While other shops were closed, there were a few bars with musicians playing folk songs with their guitars. The spring breeze was no longer cold, and with the humidity from the river, it gently brushed my face bringing drowsiness in me. ¡°If it¡¯s a hotpot, come upstairs another day and we can buy vegetables and make our own.¡± I yawned, then saw that a shop selling mahua[3] on the side of the road was about to close. When I was a child, my parents would buy mahua for me. Even now, it¡¯s still a hot business during the day and it would take at least ten minutes to queue up, but since it¡¯s late, there¡¯s no one there. I walked over, still feeling sleepy, and bought two packs of mahua with cash since my phone¡¯s battery is only at 3%. ¡°Xiao Shao Shao, come here. Here¡¯s a gift.¡± I gave him a bag, ¡°I¡¯ll trouble you to take care of it later.¡° ¡°Wow! Little sister, you are so nice!¡± Yu Shao happily took it, tore it open and ate one. His eyes squinted in delight and praised the delicious food. The seller next to me saw it and called Yu Shao over. They grabbed two handfuls of mahua and stuffed it into his hands saying, ¡°Children like to eat more.¡± Cute and talkative children are really popular. Yu Shao continued praising the owner. I turned to Weiwei, who was staring at the cat on the roof, and handed him a bag of mahua. ¡°This is for you.¡± Only then did Li Weiwei look down at me and said, ¡°You gave him a first meeting gift, and you¡¯re giving me a¡­ Protection fee?¡± ¡°Then will you take it?¡± Li Yi was silent for a moment, then raised his hand, and lifted a little mahua. I stressed: ¡°Now that you have the protection fee, you have to protect me.¡± The protection fee was collected, but it was to protect me. He glanced at me, and when Yu Shao ran back holding a mahua, he softly said, ¡°Draw as much as you want.¡± Author has something to say: Will be ~ freshly baked chapter ~ Hong Kong Zhen, before writing this article, I never thought that I would really run to Ciqikou at eleven or twelve o¡¯clock in the evening¡­ This time, I did! The ciqikou at night really feels quite good ~ and during the day like two worlds ~ recommended that the girls in the same city have time to go to see. TN: 1. Selling meng means to fully display one¡¯s cuteness in public in order to draw attention or benefit oneself. ? 2. Tianshan Tong Grandma is a character in Jin Yong¡¯s martial arts novel ¡°Dragon Babu¡±, whose real name is unknown, the master of the Spirit Vulture Palace of the Ethereal Peak of Tianshan Mountain. She¡¯s also the eldest disciple of Xiaoyaozi, the former head of the Xiaoyao faction, and the senior sister of Wuyazi and Li Qiushui. But she still looks like an eight- or nine-year-old girl despite that. Her martial arts skills are extremely high, and she is one of the highest female masters of martial arts in the Dragon Babu. ? 3. Mahua or Fried Dough Twist is a Chinese dough twist that is fried in peanut oil. It is prepared in various ways with different flavors, which range from sweet to spicy, and usually has a dense and crisp texture.?