chapter 31

Chapter 31

In that instant, a layer of being-hunted terror spread through Ning Qiuyan’s heart. It came from the depths of his soul-a prey’s keen perception of danger. Guan Heng was drinking his blood. They were so close that he could feel Guan Heng’s strong fingers gripping the back of his head, sense the faint chill of those fingertips, and was aware of Guan Heng’s cold hair falling against his neck.

He could also clearly hear his own fresh blood entering Guan Heng’s esophagus.

“Gulp.”

The sound of swallowing.

Ning Qiuyan was completely unable to move. Yet not only did he not think of escaping, his mind, even in this fright, faintly produced a trace of pleasure.

Shameful, absurd, and yet an undeniable sense of ecstasy.

He did not know whether this came from within himself or from the numbing toxin of the Vampire.

All sensations were hazy, his vision clouded.

But the process was extremely brief, as if it lasted only a few seconds before it stopped.

There was another possibility.

Ning Qiuyan thought that perhaps, like last time, there was something wrong with his perception. Because of the blood loss, he might have blacked out for two or three minutes.

When he regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Guan Heng’s deep, black eyes. In the center of those ink-dark pupils lingered a ring of deep red-no longer faint as before, but clear now that they were so close.

Ning Qiuyan saw the frenzy in those eyes, brought on by bloodlust.

His gaze moved slightly, passing over Guan Heng’s high, straight nose and pale cheeks, coming to his lips.

Those slightly cool, thin lips were stained with fresh blood. At the edge of the upper lip protruded two sharp, snowy points-Guan Heng’s fangs. No, on closer inspection, there were two pairs side by side: one longer, one shorter. The long pair were used to pierce prey, the short pair to hold the prey steady, allowing for better extraction of blood.

“Huff, huff.”

The sound of breathing was rough and heavy. It took Ning Qiuyan a moment to realize that the breathing was coming from himself.

Guan Heng was not breathing.

For a creature like him, unless deliberately mimicking a human, he could be absolutely silent.

A clammy sweat had broken out on Ning Qiuyan’s body. His chest rose and fell sharply, but his body remained numb. His limbs were limp, his mind not entirely clear, as though he had yet to regain control of his body.

A faint scent of blood lingered in the dimly lit room.

The atmosphere was ambiguous.

They looked at each other. Guan Heng’s hand did not leave the back of Ning Qiuyan’s head, probably because he knew that the moment he let go, this human would collapse to the floor.

“Don’t be afraid.” Guan Heng picked Ning Qiuyan up in his arms. “It’s over.”

Ning Qiuyan’s heart was pounding wildly. He had no strength, unable to hold onto Guan Heng’s neck for balance, and could only instinctively lean into Guan Heng’s embrace.

This seemed to please Guan Heng.

Ning Qiuyan heard what sounded like Guan Heng saying, “Good boy,” but the voice was so low he couldn’t be sure.

What he could be sure of was the note of approval in that tone.

This made Ning Qiuyan’s entire face heat up, and the flush did not fade even after Guan Heng placed him on the chaise he often used. Ning Qiuyan curled up, burying his face in the crook of his arm. He heard nothing more from Guan Heng and couldn’t tell if he was still there.

After a while, he heard Guan Heng open the door and say coolly to someone outside, “Come in.”

Ning Qiuyan felt a little dazed.

Then the room grew a little brighter, as if the lights had been turned on again. Dr. Ling’s voice sounded: “Xiao Ning, I’m going to disinfect your wound now.”

Ning Qiuyan was still sweating profusely.

He turned over and found the light unbearably bright, making him extremely uncomfortable. He raised an arm, now with a little strength, to shield his eyes.

“…Mm.”

A cool, damp sensation fell on the side of his neck, reminding Ning Qiuyan of the touch of Guan Heng’s lips.

But the scent was slightly pungent-a simple, familiar smell of iodine.

Ning Qiuyan gradually sobered up.

“How are you feeling?” Dr. Ling asked. “Still uncomfortable?”

Ning Qiuyan’s breathing slowly steadied. He sat up from the chaise, glanced around, and asked, “Where is Mr. Guan?”

Guan Heng was gone.
There were only two people in the room: Ning Qiuyan and Dr. Ling.

Dr. Ling tossed the cotton swab away, took out a band-aid and applied it to Ning Qiuyan, saying, “Spending a long time in the same room with someone who has just had a toxin reaction after being fed on can be very dangerous. Of course, that’s for your sake. That’s why Mr. Guan left.”

“Toxin reaction?”

“Yes, just like what you felt just now.” Dr. Ling seemed to see right through Ning Qiuyan’s thoughts. “You didn’t want to stop.”

Ning Qiuyan’s face flushed instantly: “…”

Dr. Ling added, “It’s the same for the feeder.”

Ning Qiuyan half-understood, half-didn’t. Did it mean Guan Heng didn’t want to stop either?

Seeing him sitting there dazed, Dr. Ling comforted, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Guan has extremely strong self-control. It’s almost impossible for him to experience overdose. He only avoids it when facing blood that is especially compatible and that he especially likes.”

Especially compatible and liked blood?

Lu Qianque had once said that Guan Heng searched for a very long time before he found someone like him.

Could this be what he meant?

Ning Qiuyan soon recalled the previous times. “So the last few times…” He still couldn’t bring himself to say the words “feeding,” so he paused and continued, “So that’s why Mr. Guan left early each time before?”

Dr. Ling said, “Yes.”

Ning Qiuyan said, “I feel like this time was a bit different from before.”

He touched the band-aid on his neck. “By the way, the second and third times, I don’t think I ever noticed a wound.”

Dr. Ling smiled and pushed up his glasses. “I thought you wouldn’t notice, but you actually did.” While speaking to Ning Qiuyan, he removed his gloves and tidied up his instruments. “Before, everyone deliberately kept it from you, so when I pretended to draw blood, I’d pre-coat the needle with Mr. Guan’s toxin.

“The toxin directly released by the glands is very minimal. If I apply it manually, the amount is a bit greater, and you’d lose consciousness and have a dream or something, then forget everything Mr. Guan did to you. On the contrary, you would have a much clearer memory of the whole process this time, so of course it felt different.”

Ning Qiuyan was dazed.

Dr. Ling continued, “When he first fed on you, we noticed your body was very sensitive to Mr. Guan’s toxin, and the wound didn’t disappear easily, so for the next two times, Mr. Guan bit you somewhere else.”

Ning Qiuyan was shocked, his whole body tense: “Huh? Where…where did he bite?”

Dr. Ling, not knowing what he was thinking, replied calmly, “The back of your neck. If he bites there, you can’t see it.”

Only then did Ning Qiuyan breathe a sigh of relief.

No wonder he never found bite marks on his neck the previous times. So that’s why.

Yes, it could only be the back of the neck-only there he couldn’t see, otherwise where else could it be.

Ning Qiuyan felt a bit speechless about his own wild thoughts.

Ning Qiuyan put on his pullover sweater, and Dr. Ling finished packing up his things. They left the room together and went down to the third floor.

Back in his guest room, Ning Qiuyan washed his face, splashing cold water all over himself. Only then did the hazy feelings that had welled up in that room gradually fade away from within him.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, noticed the band-aid on his neck, touched it, but quickly withdrew his hand as if his fingertips had been burned.

In the whole mansion, only the kitchen that Guan Heng never visited and this guest room didn’t have partitions installed; the curtains could also be opened at will.

Ning Qiuyan realized belatedly that this was probably a special privilege for him.

It was still early. The morning sun spilled across the scattered patches of snow, shining into the room.

Ning Qiuyan walked a few steps to the window and saw that the ice on the pale blue lake outside had already melted. As the breeze passed over, the surface of the lake sparkled, like countless scattered, radiant diamonds.

“Mr. Ning.” The servant knocked on the door to deliver his meal, as a supplement after the blood loss.

Ning Qiuyan thanked him, then sat by the window and carefully finished all the food.

*

This time, just like before, Ning Qiuyan never saw Guan Heng again until he left Du Island. Even when he spent the whole day in the puzzle room on the third floor, he never once ran into Guan Heng.
Returning once again to the land of Wutong, Ning Qiuyan’s mood was much better than before.

He specifically asked Uncle Kang to consult Guan Heng’s opinion, saying he didn’t want to be picked up in a luxury car and wanted to return to his previous way of getting around. Besides, he knew Guan Heng would not withdraw the people secretly protecting him, so he figured he would still be quite safe.

This request was approved that very afternoon.

Just as Guan Heng had said: as long as he gives himself up, everything he needs will be allowed.

Ning Qiuyan carried his canvas backpack and walked alone along the coastline for a kilometer or two before the bus to the Wutong City terminal finally arrived.

After returning home, Ning Qiuyan first called Su Jianzhou to let him know he was safe, then started cleaning up the mess and garbage he had made at home over the past month. Once he finished tidying up, the house was neat and clean again, and his sense of dejection was swept away.

While sorting through books and novels about vampires, Ning Qiuyan suddenly remembered something important. He quickly went to his computer, his fingers clattering on the keyboard, and began searching for war records about the Qing Dynasty.

Ning Qiuyan was weak in certain subjects, especially history; even memorizing the sequence of dynasties was a struggle for him.

Guan Heng hadn’t provided much information, but every detail was crucial. If there were historical records, he should be able to find some traces in them.

Over a thousand years ago, Qing Dynasty, border war, lasted three months.

The counties and prefectures became deserted.

The eldest legitimate son of the Guan family’s commanding general led infantry in a surprise attack on the enemy’s supply camp and won.

The Qing Dynasty existed for only a short time in history, just over a hundred years, always plagued by internal and external troubles, with countless border wars breaking out. Ning Qiuyan had browsed only a few records before his mind went blank, realizing this wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought.

But he quickly remembered that Guan Heng had given him the privilege of “asking one question a day.”

He hadn’t seen Guan Heng in the past two days, so he hadn’t had a chance to ask. But if he sent a text, that should count too, right?

Ning Qiuyan had only ever texted Guan Heng twice before: once to thank him for the guitar, and once to wish him a happy New Year – both out of politeness.

This was the first time he sent Mr. Guan a message about something else.

[Mr. Guan, you still owe me answers to two questions.]

He was a little nervous as he sent it, but once he pressed send, it didn’t seem so nerve-wracking after all.

Yet his sense of anticipation kept growing.

Guan Heng was probably sleeping during the day; five or six hours passed with no reply.

Feeling reckless, Ning Qiuyan sent another message: [Including today, that’s three questions now.]

That night, after Ning Qiuyan finished his shower, Guan Heng’s message finally arrived.

Guan Heng: [Mm, ask.]

Ning Qiuyan’s heartbeat sped up a bit. He curled one leg up on the edge of the bed, towel-drying his hair with one hand while typing on his phone with the other.

He’d thought about the question many times, so he typed quickly, and the message was a bit long. But just as he was about to send it, he suddenly hit delete and erased every word.

Guan Heng: [What do you want to ask? You’ve been typing for so long.]

From this sentence, Ning Qiuyan could imagine Guan Heng’s casual tone, making his heart flutter a bit.

After a pause, he still followed his heart.

He typed in the chat box: [What does my blood feel like to you?]

He trembled and hit send.

Then he tossed his phone to the other end of the bed.

Ning Qiuyan stood up, a bit annoyed at himself for asking such a question. Would Guan Heng reply? Would he think it was a silly question?

He rubbed his hair hard to stop himself from thinking about it, pacing irritably around the room. Only after he had blow-dried his hair completely did he get back into bed and pick up his phone.

Guan Heng had already replied.

In the chat box was a single, quiet blue bubble with just one simple words: [Addictive.]