chapter 40

Chapter 40

After staying up all night, Ning Qiuyan was too exhausted to eat much when he returned to his room.

Dr. Ling, carrying his medical kit and heading straight to Ning Qiuyan’s room, was surprised to find they had already finished donating blood.

“Hey, you said it would be two hours. Why did it end so much earlier? You should have notified me as soon as you woke up this morning.” Dr. Ling prepared disinfectant supplies. “Some toxin residue may remain in the wound. If you don’t clean it in time, you’ll keep feeling dizzy and uncomfortable.”

Ning Qiuyan turned his head, exposing his neck as much as possible. “We were playing pool last night and didn’t sleep. We only decided this morning.”

Dr. Ling: “Playing pool?”

“Lu Qianque and Mr. Guan played together,” Ning Qiuyan said. “I kept score.”

Dr. Ling smiled, “How many cue sticks did they break this time?”

Ning Qiuyan replied, “Three or four, I think,” then asked, “Do they do this often?”

“Not really often. If they’re especially relaxed or tense, they might not pay attention to their strength,” Dr. Ling said as he put on gloves and leaned over, about to apply an iodine-soaked cotton ball to Ning Qiuyan’s neck. Suddenly, he paused noticeably. “This…”

Ning Qiuyan turned back. “What’s wrong?”

Light flickered on Dr. Ling’s glasses, making the astonishment in his eyes clear.

It was still early; the soft morning light quietly spilled into the room through the window.

In the distance, the freshwater lake looked like a sapphire, forming a beautiful scene with the emerald forest.

The boy sitting on the single armchair by the window had a soft, delicate appearance.

The wound, which should have been swollen and bleeding due to toxin residue, now only showed two small, clean puncture marks. It looked as if, after being bitten, someone had carefully licked and sucked the wound to clean it.

Dr. Ling knew very well that such an act shouldn’t have happened, because Ning Qiuyan’s blood was too special. Facing a prey that had a toxin reaction and could be taken at will, for Guan Heng, who also reacted to the blood, every second of intimate contact was a deadly temptation.

And on Ning Qiuyan’s slender neck, besides those two tiny punctures, there were also very obvious finger marks.

The marks ran from the base of the skull down to the side of the neck, faintly purplish-red, showing how that large hand had controlled Ning Qiuyan at the time-even though Ning Qiuyan wouldn’t have tried to escape.

The purplish-red finger marks on the fair skin made the body look as if it had been abused, yet the excessive force also revealed the restraint of the one who left them.

Dr. Ling’s expression changed slightly. He switched to a small flashlight, lifting Ning Qiuyan’s eyelid to check his pupils.

Then he took out a blood pressure monitor to check Ning Qiuyan’s blood pressure.

“What’s wrong with me?” Ning Qiuyan couldn’t help feeling nervous, thinking he’d missed a step. “Is something wrong?”

Everything was still normal.

Dr. Ling relaxed a little. “No.”

After thinking for two seconds, he added, “Mr. Guan wouldn’t let anything happen to you. It’s just…”

Ning Qiuyan’s eyes were round, making him look especially innocent when he stared at someone, making it hard to deceive him.

Dr. Ling put down the equipment, found a small mirror, and handed it to him. “It’s just that some marks are left.”

Ning Qiuyan took the mirror and was startled, immediately picturing the way Guan Heng had held him, his face flushing. Yet he had no impression of such a fierce grip at the time, nor did he feel any pain.

He whispered, “How… did this happen?”

“I told you, the toxin reaction is two-way. As the number of times increases, the one who feeds may find it harder to control their reaction. Like I said, when they’re relaxed or tense, they might not pay attention to their strength,” Dr. Ling said. “But don’t worry too much. Aside from Mr. Guan’s self-control, you only have one more trip to Du Island left. There won’t be any danger.”

Ning Qiuyan slowly put down the mirror and nodded. “Mm, next month is the last time.”

Dr. Ling finished treating his wound and said, “You don’t need to do anything about these marks for now, but if you feel uncomfortable, have someone call me.”

After Dr. Ling left, Ning Qiuyan stayed by the window for a while, then moved to the bathroom to check his neck in the mirror.

The bathroom mirror was larger, making the finger marks even clearer.

He was addicted.

Guan Heng had once told him bluntly that he was addicted to Ning Qiuyan’s blood.

It was true, because judging by the marks on his neck, Guan Heng had lost control a bit at the time.

Was he afraid?

Ning Qiuyan admitted he was, a little.

But more than that, what surged in his heart was a tingling sensation, making every cell itch, wishing to be embraced deeper, to be pierced, not minding if his blood was constantly drawn.

He covered his face in mild annoyance, only calming down after several minutes. After a quick wash, he threw himself onto the bed without another glance.

The mattress was slightly springy, reminding Ning Qiuyan of the feel of Guan Heng’s large bed, and he curled up in the same position as before.

It was the first time Ning Qiuyan slept from morning to afternoon during the day on Du Island.

The mansion was very quiet, with good soundproofing in the walls. As long as the curtains were drawn to keep out the light, it was almost no different from night. At first, Ning Qiuyan curled up under the covers, feeling cold in his sleep, and fumbled to pull the quilt over himself, hiding inside.

He didn’t dream much, slept for six or seven hours before waking, and the mansion was still silent, not a sound to be heard. Probably because of Guan Heng, the habit of keeping quiet during the day had become ingrained in everyone’s subconscious.
Through the window, Ning Qiuyan could see some figures by the distant lakeshore.

They were neither Servants nor the noisy, energetic Gu Yu. There were about seven or eight people, walking slowly along the lakeside.

Ning Qiuyan suddenly remembered the important event of the day-a three-party meeting regarding the development of Du Island.

He stood up and went to the window, pushing open a pane of glass, hoping to see more clearly.

It was afternoon, and sunlight flooded the outside world.

The weather seemed warmer than the day before. A gentle breeze brushed over the lake and treetops, lifting Ning Qiuyan’s black hair and making him feel at ease.

As the group moved, Ning Qiuyan could more or less guess their identities. In such a formal setting, most wore suits, those afraid of the cold wrapped in long, thin down jackets, while the younger ones had added trench coats. They faced the lake, sometimes raising their hands to point at something, sometimes stopping to talk. Ning Qiuyan couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could sense the rather serious atmosphere.

Ning Qiuyan reached out, just about to close the window he had opened, when he noticed a figure at the end of the group and instantly froze.

That person was also dressed formally, with a black overcoat-a very understated and deep outfit, yet so distinct, perhaps “outstanding” would be the best way to describe it.

Because of the angle, Ning Qiuyan hadn’t seen him at first. Only now did he notice that Uncle Kang, with his gray hair, was by his side, keeping a certain distance from the rest of the group. The man stood tall and graceful; although he was supposedly the “wealthy island owner” cooperating with the inspection, he looked more like a silent controller-never interfering, only watching.

That person seemed to sense something as well, turning his face toward the mansion.

So far away, and with the branches and leaves of the forest in the way, Ning Qiuyan couldn’t be sure if the other man was looking in his direction, much less make out that pale and strikingly handsome face.

A white boat floated on the lake; in this light, the water appeared a paler, more translucent blue.

That person stood bathed in dazzling sunlight, blending perfectly into the breathtaking scenery of Du Island.

The sunlight also fell across Ning Qiuyan’s face, making his breath catch for a moment. His dark eyes took on a pure amber clarity, and his lips remained parted.

Lu Qianque had told him, “Sir looked for a long, long time before he found someone like you.”

“Animal blood is just a way of selection, but you are essential,” Dr. Ling had also explained to him, telling him why he had to come to the island to donate blood. “A minuscule amount of Venom needs to react directly in your body, and only after it’s absorbed again does it have any meaning.”

He thought of that painting, that stunning sunrise over the sea.

He recalled that Guan Heng had once said: “Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.”

And also, “We could never die from sunlight.”

The gentle, lingering piano melody from the previous night suddenly echoed in Ning Qiuyan’s mind again, accompanied by the imagined roar of waves crashing against the rocks.

*

Ning Qiuyan did not attend the evening banquet, nor did he ask anyone about the outcome of the first three-party meeting. He was just a passing visitor on the island.

There were plenty of people in the mansion, more than enough to host a small banquet. Uncle Kang even found time to have a servant deliver his dinner, and Gu Yu came into his room with the servant-Lu Qianque had also gone to the banquet.

“So boring,” Gu Yu said. “Lu Qianque wouldn’t let me go to the farm today, he said Guan Ziming and the others would be busy, but I don’t see anything worth being busy about.”

Ning Qiuyan guessed Lu Qianque was simply afraid Gu Yu would make trouble.

“Sir didn’t let me come see you either-he told me to let you sleep,” Gu Yu complained. “I’ve been bored all day! Why didn’t you invite me when you played ball last night?”

Ning Qiuyan asked, “Mr. Guan… didn’t let you come see me?”

Gu Yu nodded. “Yeah, he was so mean-he told me himself.”

Ning Qiuyan’s heart skipped lightly.

Gu Yu asked when he would leave, and whether he could stay on Du Island for a few more days. Ning Qiuyan shook his head. “I have to go take an exam.” Seeing how troubled Gu Yu was, he asked, “Don’t you have school too? Why did you take special leave to come here?”

“I didn’t want to either,” Gu Yu said. “Lu Qianque has a lot of enemies. He’s afraid that if he’s away for too long, someone will target me.”

Ning Qiuyan fell silent.

Gu Yu was not exaggerating. He told Ning Qiuyan, “Brother Xiao Ning, don’t doubt it-Lu Qianque really does have lots of enemies waiting to bleed him dry and skin him alive. If it weren’t for Mr. Guan backing him, he’d have died a hundred times already.”

Ning Qiuyan had never heard Lu Qianque mention this. “Why?”

“I don’t really know, I think it’s something about Huanle,” Gu Yu muttered.

Ning Qiuyan was taken aback. Huanle-he hadn’t heard that word in a long time.

The last time, he’d seen Ray using it at N°, which later caused some trouble. All of it had been handled by Lu Qianque. Lu Qianque had also clearly warned him that, if not for his own curiosity, he never should have known about these things.

The conversation ended there. Ning Qiuyan knew well that Guan Heng didn’t like them discussing such matters, so after dinner he played games with Gu Yu for a while.

Not long after, Gu Yu fell asleep and was carried back to his room by a servant.

Ning Qiuyan looked up at the third floor but didn’t go up.

Guan Heng, Lu Qianque, and the experts staying here were still in a meeting.

Ning Qiuyan returned to his bedroom, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Just like that, his journey to Du Island had come to an end.