Chapter 91

Chapter 91

That man had said, “You know how hard that feeling is to resist.”

He said Rong Qi’s condition was countless times worse than Ning Qiuyan’s. Even if they helped him cut off the source, that emptiness would remain deep within his body forever. For the rest of his life, he would never stop searching for some comfort that could replace Huanle.

Vampires had used Venom to control humans for thousands of years. It had always been this way.

In the end, he smiled at Ning Qiuyan and said, “I knew Rong Qi was your friend, so I helped out in passing. Guan Heng and I are already strangers now. There’s no need for you to mention me to him.”

His long black hair fell over his cloak, smooth as satin, flowing like a waterfall.

Up close, on that seemingly young face where time had frozen, Ning Qiuyan could still make out the traces left by the years.

This man had been older than Guan Heng when he was transformed.

The fact that he had deliberately said as much meant he knew Guan Heng. Perhaps they had once been friends and shared a deep connection.

As for whether he truly did not want Ning Qiuyan to mention him, that was hard to say.

Sometimes, Ning Qiuyan found it difficult to fathom other people’s thoughts-especially the thoughts of Vampires.

No matter what, leaving this place first was the right decision. Guan Heng had only given Ning Qiuyan fifteen minutes.

By the time Ning Qiuyan carried Rong Qi out of the club on his back, he was drenched in sweat. It was even darker outside. His mind was in turmoil, and when the man in black emerged from the shadows to help, he jumped in fright.

“Sir gave instructions. Leave everything that follows to me,” the man in black said with a slight bow. “I will take him back to the hotel and notify his family.”

Rong Qi could not return to school in this state. Guan Heng’s way of handling it was the right one.

Ning Qiuyan came back to himself and handed the still unconscious, trembling Rong Qi over to the man in black. “If he has any questions when he wakes up, tell him to call me.”

The man in black said, “Yes. Please rest assured.”

Ning Qiuyan nodded and looked at the haggard Rong Qi. Then he got back on his bicycle and rode all the way back to the Black House.

The huge house no longer felt quite so empty.

There was still very little furniture, but all the necessities of life were complete. Ning Qiuyan had added a projector, soft cushions, a floor lamp, and had even prepared diffuser stones in the cloakroom. He had quietly asked Uncle Kang about the brand of incense Guan Heng usually used.

Guan Heng’s plane ticket was for next Wednesday. He would keep his promise and arrive as agreed in early April.

Ning Qiuyan took off his scarf and knelt on the cushion, the words that man had spoken replaying over and over in his mind.

Was it because of Guan Heng’s Venom that he had developed admiration and desire?

Was that why, after donating blood for the first time, he had had those suggestive spring dreams?

Because he had been bitten, he had… unconsciously submitted to Guan Heng.

No.

Ning Qiuyan quickly dismissed the thought.

It was not like that.

His feelings for Guan Heng could not be because of Guan Heng’s Venom.

Long before he officially donated blood, on that night when the power had suddenly gone out and a deer had charged into the manor; on that night when he had run into the woods in a panic and Guan Heng had carried him away from the thin ice that was about to shatter; from the very first moment he saw Guan Heng, he seemed to have already fallen for him.

Aside from the irresistible desire that had arisen after they confirmed their relationship, during the rare period when Guan Heng drank his blood frequently, he had never been addicted to Guan Heng’s Venom before that. At most, while harboring an unspoken crush, he had longed for Guan Heng’s fangs to pierce him-not because he longed for the Venom, but because he longed for Guan Heng himself, for the unique pain only Guan Heng could bring him.

Guan Heng would ask him whether he was an adult, whether he had thought it through, whether he was willing to give himself over.

He would not control him with Venom.

If not for curiosity getting the better of him, if he had not followed Ray and accidentally stumbled upon the secret of Vampires, he might never have known he had been bitten. He might never have truly stepped into the world of Vampires or glimpsed their secrets.

Ning Qiuyan was very clearheaded.

He knew Guan Heng had always protected him very well.

From the very beginning of their agreement to the six months they had later spent apart, Guan Heng had always been the more restrained one.

Even if Guan Heng really were the terminally ill patient Su Jianzhou believed had withdrawn from the world because of severe illness, after so much time spent together and after coming to know him so deeply, Ning Qiuyan still would have fallen for Guan Heng.

But if it was a physiological fact that the person being fed on would develop this kind of bond with the holder of the Venom, then why had no one ever told him?

Lu Qianque had not. Dr. Ling had not. Even Guan Heng had not.

Ning Qiuyan realized that he already trusted Guan Heng enough to surpass everything else in the world.

After learning this, his first reaction had not been to doubt his own feelings. Instead, he believed there had to be a reason behind it. Guan Heng had not said anything; perhaps the other party was exaggerating. Perhaps it was simply false. Or perhaps it did not matter at all.

The notification chime on his phone suddenly rang, pulling the dazed Ning Qiuyan back to himself.

It was a message from Lu Qianque.

Lu Qianque: [Did Little Puppy pick up his friend?]

Information circulated within the Vampires. Lu Qianque had probably heard somewhere that Ning Qiuyan had gone to Lost Club and had specially come to ask him.

Ning Qiuyan replied to Lu Qianque. Then, remembering he still had not told Guan Heng after leaving, he hurriedly called Guan Heng.
“Sir,” he said. “I’m home.”

Not the dormitory. No. 47 Jinghua Road. Home.

Guan Heng’s end was very quiet. His voice was as deep as ever. “Mm.”

“Thank you.” Ning Qiuyan thought back to what had happened inside the club, and his skin still crawled. Lingering fear had yet to fade. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

Guan Heng’s tone was calm, without the slightest fluctuation. “What won’t happen again?”

It was as if Ning Qiuyan were sitting low on the carpet, with Guan Heng looking down at him from above.

Ning Qiuyan had done something bad. He was testing the edge of punishment, and only by admitting his mistake first could he satisfy Guan Heng.

He said obediently, “I won’t go to such a dangerous place again.”

Guan Heng received that from the other end of the phone. Like an invisible hand, it crossed two spaces in time and arrived before Ning Qiuyan, then stroked his head. “As long as you know.”

With that, the matter came to an end, and the taut string in him loosened.

Ning Qiuyan had always relied on Guan Heng. He asked, “Will Rong Qi be all right in the future?”

He still couldn’t let go of Rong Qi right away.

“That depends on what level of ‘all right’ you’re hoping for,” Guan Heng said patiently. “It also depends on his own will. Some things are very hard to keep at, but very easy to give up.”

Ning Qiuyan thought for a moment, then told Guan Heng, “I ran into a very strange person at the club just now.”

He didn’t want to guess at the other person’s true intentions. In any case, telling Guan Heng first was enough.

He described the man’s appearance and repeated that last sentence to Guan Heng as well. “Oh, right. He was also there the last time I ran into Mr. Jones. Who exactly is he? Do you know him?”

“Qin Weizhi,” Guan Heng said. “An old acquaintance.”

“An old acquaintance like Li Tang and Professor Yu?” Ning Qiuyan recalled the guests who had come to Du Island on the night of the Spring Festival and used them as a comparison. “Then why did he say the two of you were already like strangers?”

Guan Heng replied, “No. Much earlier than them. He was once one of my father’s aides.”

Ning Qiuyan was startled. That long ago?

Then the age at which the other man had become one of the Vampires should be about the same as Guan Heng’s.

“Like I told you yesterday,” Guan Heng said. “He is that insignificant passerby.”

For such a person to suddenly appear, Ning Qiuyan instinctively felt the reason was not simple.

Especially since he was with Wagner Jones. Lu Qianque had said that Mr. Jones had tried to win Guan Heng back to the Blood Supervision Council, but Guan Heng did not share their ideals.

Wagner Jones not only cultivated large numbers of Newborn, he was also inextricably linked to Huanle. Rong Qi’s single step into this had alarmed Lu Qianque enough to make a move. Ning Qiuyan didn’t know whether it would affect Guan Heng.

Whether it affected Guan Heng or not, Ning Qiuyan should never have entered that club.

Ning Qiuyan bit his lip and said what was on his mind. “Sir, maybe you shouldn’t come to Sujing on Wednesday after all.”

Guan Heng said, “Why?”

Ning Qiuyan said, “I’ll be fine in Sujing by myself. I have a lot to do every day, and I don’t feel lonely. Besides, I’ll have a break in May and can go back to Du Island once, and I’ll have two months of summer vacation in July too. You don’t need to come here to keep me company.”

It was exactly the same line of reasoning as before winter break.

How could Guan Heng fail to understand what Ning Qiuyan was thinking? He asked, “What are you worried about?”

“You,” Ning Qiuyan said. “I’m worried a lot of people will come disturb your life. I know they don’t dare actually do anything to you, but I keep feeling that if you come, there will be so many annoying things. Like last time you came to Sujing, so many people came to-”

“Ning Qiuyan.”

Guan Heng called his name in a low voice.

“That is not something you should be worrying about.”

Guan Heng did not need Ning Qiuyan’s concern, nor would his decisions be swayed by a few trivial matters. Ning Qiuyan fell abruptly silent.

“I land at two forty in the morning on Wednesday,” Guan Heng said. “Come pick me up.”

Ning Qiuyan said sullenly, “I might not be able to get up.”

He still had a bit of a stubborn streak.

Guan Heng seemed to laugh softly on the other end, his tone as usual. “Are you sure you’ll be able to sleep?”

Ning Qiuyan: “…”

The call ended, and Guan Heng started a video call.

Ning Qiuyan could not control the hand that pressed the answer button. The screen lit up. Both of them were in rather dim surroundings, just like every night they had spent nestled together in the grand house on Du Island.

Guan Heng leaned against the sofa and lowered his eyes to look at the camera. “Tell me the truth.”

The adjusted projector was playing sample images, casting picture after picture of flowers onto the screen.

Ning Qiuyan sat between the two. The hazy light left brilliant traces across his fair face, illuminating the watery glimmer in his eyes.

“I want you to come. There’s no way I could sleep.” His face reddened at a visible speed. He moved his lips and said softly, “I miss you. I set a countdown. Every day, I want you to come.”