Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Qin Weizhi did not ask Ning Qiuyan anything more about the information on Guan Heng’s phone, nor did he make any move. Everything seemed as normal as ever. Ning Qiuyan had no idea how far Guan Heng’s “solution” had progressed, and he did not dare contact him rashly.

In those dark corners, Ning Qiuyan never once ran into Guan Heng, nor even Li Tang and the others, because they were fundamentally different from Vampires like Qin Weizhi.

It was already the fourth day.

Although he desperately wanted to go home, most of the time had already passed. No matter what, Ning Qiuyan did not want to give up halfway.

Guan Heng had only told him to do one thing: keep himself safe and not worry about anything else. Even if, in the end, he could not be of any help, Ning Qiuyan did not want to fail at even that one simple task.

Things took a turn that night.

Wagner Jones’s Camellia Night opened once again.

Qin Weizhi intended to bring Ning Qiuyan along. He seemed not to mind letting everyone know that the person standing beside him was Guan Heng’s Blood Contract Partner.

Should he go?

Ning Qiuyan did not want to. If he attended an occasion like this, in a certain sense, it would be a declaration of betrayal against Guan Heng. It was utterly absurd.

But he could not find a reason to refuse.

In the end, he still rode in Qin Weizhi’s car to the manor.

The instant he stepped out, he and the ruby on his earlobe almost immediately became the focus of every gaze.

The stars of the evening were a couple who, from appearances alone, had a considerable age gap.

The young human looked very reserved. Dressed in a black evening suit, he was gently led down the stairs by his Blood Contract Partner, just as Ning Qiuyan had been the first time he appeared here.

The banquet was all rustling finery and elegant shadows.

Ning Qiuyan sat beside the banquet table, feeling as though the scene of him and Guan Heng whispering to each other amid this lively occasion last time had happened a very long time ago.

This time, Ning Qiuyan drew no less attention than he had before. Because of his special status, however, no Vampires came forward to strike up a conversation with him, and before long, he was swallowed by the crowd of guests.

Wagner really did seem to be, as he himself had said, “not on the same side” as Qin Weizhi.

Although he was inextricably connected to what had happened with Lu Qianque, he was indeed rarely seen together with Qin Weizhi.

At this moment, as the host of the banquet, Wagner moved smoothly through the crowd, greeting people on all sides. After making a full round of socializing, he stopped beside Ning Qiuyan.

First, he gave him a slight nod. Then he looked at him with those glass-marble-like silver eyes and used his familiar opening line: “Hello, my young friend.”

Qin Weizhi was not there. Ning Qiuyan was alone.

Of course, Ning Qiuyan had not wanted Qin Weizhi to be there in the first place.

“You look melancholy. Are you sad?” Wagner said. “Why do you look even unhappier than the last time I saw you? Seeing you like this, I almost don’t know whether I should have introduced you two back then.”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

At Wagner’s age, he really was not suited to playing out this sort of act.

Wagner pulled out a chair and sat down beside Ning Qiuyan, swirling the specially made wine in his glass. “Seeing familiar things and thinking of the one you miss. Qin shouldn’t have brought you to an occasion like this today.”

They both knew Guan Heng would not come tonight.

Unless absolutely necessary, Guan Heng would never appear at a banquet like this.

Ning Qiuyan stared at the small card on the tabletop printed with a camellia and said, “It’s fine.”

Wagner asked, “Has Qin agreed to help you?”

He was asking about turning. Ning Qiuyan answered, “Not yet.”

“…A little slow. What a pity.” Wagner’s gaze swept over his earlobe. “Never mind. Waiting is worth it. Even if Qin can’t help you, there will always be other opportunities in the future. Life has no end. Perhaps next time, you and Mr. Guan will come together.”

Wagner’s words puzzled Ning Qiuyan somewhat. The implication sounded as if there was no chance now.

Life had no end.

After learning about the Guan Family’s agreement, and after learning what Guan Heng had gone through back then, Ning Qiuyan felt as though he understood Guan Heng a little better. Anyone who had experienced such upheaval probably would not look forward to eternal life.

But would Guan Heng understand him?

If humans were too insignificant, if what they could give was too little, then what about companionship?

Ning Qiuyan thought that if companionship could lessen Guan Heng’s pain, even if only by a fraction, he would stay by Guan Heng’s side forever without regret.

It was just that Guan Heng did not seem to want his companionship all that much.

Ning Qiuyan was not talkative, and it was impossible for him to open his heart much to Wagner.

Wagner sat for a while, then raised his hand to call a waiter over. “Bring this young friend a glass of something sweet.”

After saying that, he stood and patted Ning Qiuyan on the shoulder, then gave him an elegant nod. “Don’t leave this place. I will bring you very good news in a little while.”

With that, he walked away.

What good news?

Ning Qiuyan did not think Wagner would have anything good for him.

Quite a few people from the Blood Supervision Council had also come tonight, including some lofty current administrators. They formed their own little circle at the banquet, becoming the targets of the Vampires’ flattery and fawning.

Ning Qiuyan noticed that they would occasionally glance in his direction, a faint, intermittent dark red flashing through their lifeless eyes.

So he picked up his wineglass and turned in another direction. Just then, he happened to see Qin Weizhi, his expression grave, hurrying through the crowd. The Vampires whispered to one another while staring after his back.

Ning Qiuyan felt that something was off. After hesitating for two or three seconds, he stood and followed in the direction Qin Weizhi had gone.

Halfway there, someone blocked his way in the dim light.

The person greeted him. “It’s you.”

Ning Qiuyan stopped. Under the glow of the corridor wall lamp, he saw the other person’s face clearly. It was the boy who had ridden a motorcycle to pick him up and take him to the club that day, the young man from among the blood slaves.

Not knowing whether the other party was one of Wagner’s people or Qin Weizhi’s, Ning Qiuyan had no desire to say much to him, but then he heard him say, “Are you looking for Mr. Qin?”
So it was the latter.

Ning Qiuyan nodded.

The boy scratched the back of his head, puzzled. “How did Mr. Qin forget you here?”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “Where did he go?”

“No idea. I think he went to the riverside,” the boy said. “Do you want to go? I can take you.”

“The riverside?” Ning Qiuyan echoed.

As they walked, the boy said, “Yeah. Mr. Qin has a house there. I’ve been there once. There’s even someone locked up inside.”

Ning Qiuyan quickly grabbed him and asked urgently, “What kind of person?”

The boy said, “I think it’s a Vampire. His hand was cut off. Probably an enemy or something. He’s locked in the basement.”

Lu Qianque!

Ning Qiuyan’s steps faltered. A strange feeling flashed through him, followed immediately by Guan Heng’s instructions.

Guan Heng had told him not to get involved no matter what happened.

But what if Qin Weizhi was moving him right now?

So he followed close behind the boy out of the corridor and down the steps. The manor grounds were silent. They passed through the hedges and headed toward the back, but the boy’s motorcycle was nowhere to be seen.

“Come on!” The boy walked up to a car, pulled open the door, and waved at him. “Get in!”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “Where’s your motorcycle?”

“Confiscated by the police for going too fast.” The boy shrugged, leaning against the car window with a grin. “Get in. I can drive this too. I have a license.”

Ning Qiuyan opened the door and got into the back seat.

The moment he sat down, the car doors locked with a click.

The first thing Ning Qiuyan felt was a wave of cold rushing over him. Alarm shot through him. Then he turned his head and saw Qin Weizhi’s expressionless face in the darkness.
—
Of course, the car did not go to any riverside house. Instead, it sped through the night.

The boy from the blood slaves in the driver’s seat focused only on driving and made no sound again.

Ning Qiuyan’s palms were slick with sweat, his face pale. “Where are you taking me?” he asked Qin Weizhi.

Qin Weizhi did not answer. He merely reached toward him.

Ning Qiuyan immediately tried to dodge, but that cold, pale hand clamped around his jaw like a steel bar, pinning him back against the car door.

Ning Qiuyan’s breathing grew rapid. He bit down hard on his lip. A moment later, pain shot through his earlobes.

But Qin Weizhi had only removed his earrings.

Inside the two rubies, light shimmered and flowed. Only very specialized equipment could detect the tiny tracking components hidden within.

Then Qin Weizhi rolled down the window and threw the earrings out.

“You-”

The car was moving at incredible speed, the shadows of trees on both sides flying backward.

In the blink of an eye, the spot where the earrings had been tossed was no longer visible.

“I knew things wouldn’t go too smoothly…” Qin Weizhi gripped Ning Qiuyan’s face again, forcing him to look at him without being able to move. “But I never thought it would end this way.”

Ning Qiuyan’s cheeks throbbed with pain. He struggled, but it was useless.

A human had no power to fight back before a creature countless times stronger than himself.

What had happened?

Panic surged through Ning Qiuyan. Had something gone wrong with Guan Heng and the others?

Could Guan Heng be in danger?

“Such a farce. All because of one human. How disappointing.” Qin Weizhi narrowed his eyes and said slowly, “They probably still think I’m on my way. Unfortunately for them, they misjudged me. It’s not as if I can’t accept losing.”

His grip tightened.

The human in his hand could not utter a single word. Physiological tears streamed down from the pain, and pitiful choking sounds rattled in his throat.

Confusion and fear filled those dark, bright eyes, stirring an almost instinctive urge to destroy.

“I should have listened to Wagner and used you as leverage from the very beginning.” He admired Ning Qiuyan’s pained expression. “But it doesn’t matter. It isn’t too late now.”

With that, he finally let go.

Ning Qiuyan shrank into the corner of the back seat. Bruises in the shape of fingers quickly surfaced on his cheeks.

Qin Weizhi no longer looked at him. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window.

Perhaps the cold had long since eroded his blood over the course of endless years. His emotions barely fluctuated at all. Apart from that brief loss of composure just now, there was almost no expression to be seen on his face.

Enduring the sharp pain, Ning Qiuyan tried to open the car door, but failed. Then he quietly slipped a hand into his pocket, only to find that his phone was gone.

That boy from the Vampires.

When they had bumped into each other in the corridor, he seemed to have brushed the place where Ning Qiuyan kept his phone.

Ning Qiuyan’s heart went cold.

Qin Weizhi turned back, his long hair tucked behind his ear.

His face, marked by the traces of time, was very calm as he offered Ning Qiuyan a friendly suggestion. “I advise you not to entertain thoughts you shouldn’t have.”

Ning Qiuyan went rigid.

The car stopped in the woods by the roadside.

Another car was already parked there.

After getting out, Qin Weizhi forced Ning Qiuyan into the passenger compartment, then beckoned.

The boy from the blood slaves came over.

Qin Weizhi patted his face, and the boy revealed a deeply satisfied smile. Then Qin Weizhi said something, and the boy’s expression turned sorrowful, as if he would never see Qin Weizhi again. Suddenly, he began to cry.

Qin Weizhi had been about to leave.

But the boy’s tears changed his mind.

He reached out and pulled the boy into his arms. As the boy hugged him back, Qin Weizhi’s hand closed around his neck.

With a gentle twist, the boy-controlled by toxins and utterly loyal-let out one short sound from his throat.

Then his head tilted to the side at an unnatural angle.

His eyes were wide open as he collapsed limply to the ground.

Qin Weizhi glanced at him once more, then got into the car with cold indifference.

“Drive.”

He gave the order to the driver.

Ning Qiuyan had witnessed everything. A chill spread through his entire body. In Qin Weizhi, he had seen the most standard form of Vampires.