After walking a short distance, they could vaguely see a castle hidden in the forest. It was lush and green, and the cool moonlight cast a silver glow, highlighting the castle’s peak, which seemed to pierce through the clouds.

At first glance, it resembled a scene from a Nordic fairy tale, but upon closer inspection, it felt oppressive and made one anxious.

On the flat grassland leading up to the forest, several figures approached from all directions. Their wary and anxious expressions suggested they were outsiders like Yu Sen and his group.

A dozen or so people gathered tacitly, maintaining a cautious distance from each other, and followed the small path into the forest.

Si Nan made Yu Sen very satisfied this time, showing no favoritism. Considering Yu Sen’s night blindness and his weakened condition, he carefully supported him, frequently checking on his well-being, drawing several curious looks from the surroundings.

Yu Sen shot a sideways glance at Si Xuanyang and muttered, “He doesn’t care about me at all. I’m going to divorce him…”

Si Xuanyang glanced at him with a scrutinizing look, focusing on Si Nan’s arm around Yu Sen’s waist, meeting Yu Sen’s gaze with a cold smile, “Why are you supporting him around the waist? Is he pregnant?”

A few subtly curious glances from the surroundings: intriguing, a cross-dressing? A love triangle or cheating?

Yu Sen blinked and didn’t find anything wrong: “Yeah, it’s your child. Don’t you want it?”

Gasps of surprise erupted immediately.

Si Nan’s arm shook three times. It felt… awkward to remove it, but keeping it there also felt inappropriate.

Luo Yu shot him a disapproving look, and Si Nan, feeling inexplicably guilty, quickly let go.

Yu Sen: “……”

Si Xuanyang, who was already frowning from the earlier remark, now saw Yu Sen’s dejected expression and chuckled twice: “Serves you right.”

Yu Sen: “……Damn, a man’s words are deceitful.”

Wasn’t he supposed to be teaching his younger brother a lesson!?

---

After walking a bit further, they could faintly see the castle among the trees.

Upon closer inspection, the castle was actually pure white, but half of its walls were covered with red roses and thorns, with some vines climbing up, breaking through small windows, and slithering in like snakes.

The moonlight added an otherworldly soft glow to the scene.

Although it was a very dreamy and beautiful picture, considering the possible bloodshed in the coming days, everyone looked at the castle with a ‘horror and eerie’ lens.

The castle’s heavy door, about five meters high, slowly creaked open. The loud sound was particularly jarring in the quiet forest, startling a few hidden crows that flew away, dropping some black feathers that slowly fell to the castle steps.

A pair of leather mid-heeled wide shoes ruthlessly stepped onto the stairs, slowly descending. The navy blue long skirt was layered and complex, tightly cinched at the waist. The hands crossed over her abdomen were thin and wrinkled, with yellowed nails, wearing a copper ring.

The woman who descended was about fifty or sixty years old, with black hair mixed with some white strands, neatly pinned up, a pale face, stern and grim eyes, slightly upward-turned pupils, thin lips, and an expression that seemed like she hadn’t smiled in a hundred years.

She had none of the elegance or beauty of the vampires portrayed on TV.

Yu Sen pursed his lips, estimating that this person was likely a butler or servant.

Sure enough, she first gave a nod with a blank expression and then extended her arm inward, seemingly to lead them inside.

The interior of the castle was as they imagined, resembling medieval Europe, but there were no candles, and the small windows let in only a little moonlight, making the interior dark and cold.

The second floor was designated for guests, each room having a double bed.

Yu Sen frowned, unsure of what to say, when Si Xuanyang grabbed his wrist and said, “Si Nan, you and Luo Yu stay next door. I’ll stay with him.”

“Ah? Ah, oh!” Si Nan, surprised for a few seconds, agreed happily, his eyes darting between Si Xuanyang and Yu Sen, then brightly pushing Luo Yu into the room.

Luo Yu was a bit surprised: “You’re letting them stay in the same room? Aren’t you afraid they might fight?”

Si Nan was even more surprised: “Not really. Yang Yang is more likely to fight with you. It seems he dislikes you more than Yu Ge.”

“……” Luo Yu sneered, “Nan Ge, I really didn’t expect someone like you, who’s so clueless, to survive until today and even get into a relationship. It really is quite something.”

……

After Yu Sen was dragged into the room, he immediately expressed his dissatisfaction: “Why do I have to sleep with you?”

Si Xuanyang, while inspecting the room, replied coldly, “Otherwise? Are you planning to go seduce someone while pregnant?”

“……” Yu Sen’s eyes widened in disbelief. “So, Si Xuanyang, you’re admitting that it’s you who got me pregnant?”

Si Xuanyang: “……”

He shouldn’t have tried to use this issue to mock Yu Sen. In the end, he was the one left speechless!

When would he learn from his mistakes?

He decided to temporarily drop the subject and not argue with this annoying guy: “Alright, the windows are all closed. Which side of the bed do you want to sleep on? Choose for yourself.”

Yu Sen’s eyes, like glass beads, rolled around, and he broke into a smile: “I want to sleep in the middle!”

“……Damn it!”

---

In the end, they naturally ended up sleeping on opposite sides of the bed. Yu Sen slept on the side by the window, his back facing it. He watched the moonlight streaming through the window and gently landing on Si Xuanyang’s face. Up close, even the fine hairs on Si Xuanyang’s face were clearly visible.

Yu Sen leaned forward, wanting to see more clearly, and the person with closed eyes spoke up: “Lie back down.”

Yu Sen: “……Didn’t I say I wanted to sleep in the middle?”

Si Xuanyang remained silent, and Yu Sen asked again: “Yang Yang, are you nervous sleeping in the same bed with me? I’m so good-looking. Even Xiao Chen from your family said I’m good-looking.”

Si Xuanyang suddenly opened his eyes, startling Yu Sen: “What’s wrong?”

“Are you trying to seduce Xiao Chen too? You seduce anyone you want? Shameless fox!”

“……Your focus is really off.” Yu Sen sighed: “Are you nervous or not? If you are, it means you really like me……”

“What if I’m not nervous?” Si Xuanyang sneered.

“If you’re not nervous, it means you’re confident about winning me over.”

Si Xuanyang was almost laughing with anger: “You really have no shame! Have you considered a situation where… I just find you annoying?”

“Hmm… Really? I don’t believe it.”

Yu Sen suddenly leaned in close, their noses almost touching, and a slight movement could have led to a deep kiss.

Si Xuanyang: “!!!”

Yu Sen’s eyelashes fluttered in front of Si Xuanyang, and he felt his heartbeat skip a beat. His thoughts froze for five seconds, blinking slowly, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

Yu Sen’s eyes moved: “I saw you swallow.”

“……Bullshit!” Si Xuanyang pushed him back with his elbow, his face dark: “Why are you messing around at a time like this? Aren’t you dizzy? If you don’t sleep now, you’ll be even more dizzy tomorrow.”

“True.” Yu Sen indeed felt a bit tired. Probably because of the injuries he had outside, he felt unusually weak in this vampire world, which was quite dangerous.

“Well, I’m going to sleep now. Good night.”

He said this and closed his eyes in the same position.

Si Xuanyang looked at the pillow nearly half-occupied by Yu Sen and the head so close, sighing in resignation. He let it be.

Yu Sen quietly laughed to himself. The sense of emptiness caused by his weakness faded considerably when he sensed Si Xuanyang’s presence, giving him a sense of security, like being embraced amidst the storm. He thought of the elderly couple embracing on the Titanic as the sea water surged, tragic yet romantic.

The accommodation this time was a million times better than the previous ones. The velvet blankets and pillows felt like sinking into clouds, and Yu Sen fell asleep soon.

But his weakened body made him more sensitive than usual, and he was awakened by a faint crying sound at some point.

In fact, for the first few seconds after waking, he was groggy and the scene still seemed to spin. He didn’t realize he had been awakened by the crying sound. But after rubbing his aching temples for a while, the faint crying sound reached his ears.

He snuggled deeper into the warm blanket, shivering.

The crying sound clearly came from a young girl—soft and gentle, not harsh, but persistent, sometimes close, sometimes distant.

It didn’t seem to be coming from a room but rather… wandering in the corridor.

In the middle of the night, in such a forest castle, hearing crying outside the room wasn’t a good sign.

The air had grown much colder, and Yu Sen felt a bit chilly.

He moved, deciding to cling to Si Xuanyang to absorb some warmth, like a koala, and even draped one leg over him.

He sighed contentedly in his mind: So warm!

He looked down and met Si Xuanyang’s reproachful gaze. If he had been more observant, he might have seen the faint blush on Si Xuanyang’s face under the soft moonlight.

But he wasn’t paying enough attention at the moment. Instead, he only saw Si Xuanyang’s displeased expression and hugged him tighter, mouthing: ‘Will it kill you to warm me up?’

‘It will kill me.’

At this moment, there was a rhythmic knocking sound from outside the door.