“Things given by the clock usually work in our favor,” Luo Yu said. “Could this pink cloak have other uses?”

Si Nan raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Why don’t you try wearing it later?”

“…If anyone should try it, it should be you first,” Luo Yu said, slightly blushing.

Yu Sen stared at the mural on the wall, resting his chin on Si Xuanyang’s shoulder. He whispered, “It looks like there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have died in this basement. Where have all their bodies gone?”

A chill wind blew in through the ventilation, and Si Nan shivered, saying, “Don’t scare me.”

“What’s wrong? You’ve already spent a lovely night with the vengeful spirits. Why are you afraid of a corpse that can’t move?”

“Goddamn lovely night! Yu Ge, are you even human anymore?!”

“Not anymore. I won’t be human tonight.” Yu Sen tilted his head and glanced at Si Xuanyang with a smile that was as sly as a fox.

Si Xuanyang remained expressionless, but his ears gradually turned red in the dim candlelight, casting a blood-red hue.

Si Nan intentionally observed the interaction between the two, and the flicker of hope in his heart quickly extinguished.

…

After coming out of the basement, Yu Sen suddenly felt dizzy from the stagnant air, his heart pounding like a drum.

He held onto Si Xuanyang’s hand as he sat down on the sofa, while the orange sunlight streaming through the front door felt like a dizzying halo that wouldn’t fade from his mind.

He could feel Si Xuanyang gripping his hand tightly, even sweating in his palm.

Yu Sen pursed his lips, which had cracked and bled slightly.

The taste of rust exploded on his tongue, and the chaotic, sharp sounds from the castle began to ravage his mind again, like a wandering snake slithering through every part of his body, with a shivering, tingling sensation overwhelming him.

The sound of Si Xuanyang’s voice in front of him magnified. Yu Sen focused intently, looking at Si Xuanyang’s anxious face as he leaned in, forcing a bitter smile and saying, “Don’t worry, just kiss me, and I’ll be fine.”

As always, he was teasing.

In his daze, the person in front of him seemed to freeze for a moment. Then he felt a warm, almost burning hand cradle the back of his head, lifting his face unconsciously. A pair of soft lips carefully covered his cracked ones.

“!!!”

He felt the surroundings go silent, the sunset turning everything quiet, and the chaotic, eerie laughter in his head was suddenly muffled as if locked outside a soundproof room.

All senses focused on the moist, soft touch, like an orange dream.

Si Xuanyang’s eyelashes were close, and his tongue slowly traced Yu Sen’s dry, pale lips, adding some normal color, before slowly withdrawing.

As he withdrew, he playfully nibbled on the corner of Yu Sen’s mouth.

Yu Sen stared wide-eyed and weakly smiled, “…Your brother is still standing behind you. He looks like he’s about to have a stroke.”

“There’s nothing to be done. He’s an adult; he needs to learn to handle the ups and downs of reality,” Si Xuanyang said, pressing his finger on Yu Sen’s cracked lip, his eyes dark.

“Oh,” Yu Sen, still dazed, nodded slowly. “So, by kissing me, are you saying you want to date me?”

Si Xuanyang laughed, seeing how this person, who had teased him so many times, looked so innocent when kissed.

“Dating is another matter. Don’t forget, you still haven’t explained why you were pretending to be my brother’s boyfriend. Once we’re back and you’re healed, you can give me a proper explanation.”

Yu Sen pouted, “Seems like the ‘playing the victim’ strategy doesn’t work much on you…”

Si Xuanyang smirked, “It does work. My heart aches for you, it really does.”

Seeing his brother’s ‘gentle as water’ gaze, Si Nan was shocked, his body covered in goosebumps, trembling as if he had a mental problem.

He fearfully pushed Luo Yu, “Did you see that? Did you hear that? They kissed… They kissed!”

“I saw it,” Luo Yu replied, his expression complicated, “I had a feeling this would happen. The signs were pretty obvious, weren’t they?”

“Obvious? How did I not notice?” Si Nan said, his face paling almost as much as Yu Sen’s, “How am I going to explain this to my mom? Is our family about to go through World War II…”

Yu Sen tugged at Si Xuanyang’s sleeve, “Go check on your brother. He’s about to be beaten into a wilted cucumber by the winds and rains of reality.”

Si Xuanyang calmly replied, “No need. Let him digest it himself. People with low IQ are generally optimistic.”

Si Nan: “…This is really too much, you heartless younger brother!”

…

After sitting on the sofa for a while, Yu Sen felt much better and was about to get up when a few people suddenly walked in through the door. Among them were Tian Tian and Tian Jing, whom they knew.

Yu Sen frowned slightly. The people who walked in all looked unwell and anxious. Some were rubbing their stomachs and dry heaving, and the person leading them was carrying a bucket, his muscular arms tensed, and his expression was grim.

After entering the room, they didn’t talk much and quickly dispersed, with most choosing to go upstairs to their rooms.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Si Xuanyang pulled Tian Tian and Tian Jing aside. “What did you go out to do?”

The two of them, still shaken, exchanged a glance before warily facing Yu Sen and the others. “We went out to investigate a bit. Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be associated with us?”

Si Xuanyang nodded thoughtfully, without answering their question. “Tell me, what did you see?”

It was as if he could read their minds. “It doesn’t really matter whether you tell me or not. But if you’re planning to do something at dinner tonight, Yu Sen and I are sitting closest to Lance. We can signal you. You asked the butler too, right? The seating arrangement tonight is the same as last night, it can’t be changed.”

Tian Tian’s body stiffened. She squeezed her sister’s hand, hesitating for only a moment before speaking. “We found a pit of corpses beside the castle, possibly the bodies of people who were killed by the vampire. It was filled with…”

She grimaced in disgust, her face turning pale. “…corpse oil. We tested it, and it burns very quickly. Guo Xiang brought a bucket back, planning to use it when Lance shows up tonight…”

She didn’t finish, but everyone present understood what she meant.

Yu Sen tapped his fingers against his lips, recalling the note that said, “Burn the silver-haired vampire.” The corpse oil might indeed be an important discovery, but he didn’t think it would be that easy to succeed.

“You won’t be able to kill Lance that way. Do you think he’ll just sit there and wait for you to set him on fire?”

“We can’t wait any longer,” Tian Jing said anxiously. “This castle is very strange. Every night and every day, it’s easy to get injured, and there are eerie noises everywhere, like they’re inescapable. Lance only appears for a short while. If we keep waiting, we might all die here.”

She looked at Si Xuanyang, pleading, “You’re sitting close. If you notice anything unusual tonight, please let me know immediately.”

After saying this, she didn’t wait for Si Xuanyang to respond and dragged Tian Tian upstairs.

Luo Yu watched their backs and sighed. “It seems that staying in this castle for too long makes people become restless.”

“Exactly!” Si Nan shot a vicious glance at Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang. “Restless! People’s hearts become restless!”

Yu Sen ignored him and asked, “When is the full moon here?”

“There’s no calendar here, but I looked at the moon last night. It’s almost full,” Si Xuanyang replied.

“Then maybe…if we’re lucky, Lance will start weakening tonight…”

---

At dinner time, Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang didn’t arrive late like yesterday. Everyone was seated earlier than yesterday.

Yu Sen casually glanced around. No one was missing, which meant no one had died that day.

He noticed Guo Xiang and the others acting suspiciously and glanced at Guo Xiang’s feet, understanding what was going on.

Usually, he wasn’t someone who got nervous easily, but maybe due to his physical condition and the effects of this strange world, his heart was pounding with anxiety, and a suffocating pressure was slowly building up in his chest.

Si Xuanyang shot him a concerned look from across the table. Yu Sen smiled back, speared a roasted tomato with his fork, and slowly chewed it. The salty-sweet juice slid down his throat, easing the tension slightly.

Perhaps because no one had died, the butler’s face was especially grim tonight. Her bulging eyes were filled with malice as she scanned everyone, as if she wanted to flay them alive and eat them.

The sound of soft-soled shoes echoed ominously in the darkness. Yu Sen’s fingers trembled slightly as he put down his fork and, like the others, sat up straight.

If he could, he wouldn’t want to be the one special to the vampire at all.

Lance slowly walked to the head of the table and sat down, his pale fingers tracing the rim of an empty glass.

As his fingers tapped the glass, the crisp sound instantly froze the already tense atmosphere.

Lance’s nostrils flared, and his previously cold, bloodless expression suddenly became animated. A faint red glow appeared in his eyes, and his tongue flicked at the corner of his mouth. He spoke softly, “Something smells different today, doesn’t it?”

Yu Sen’s heart skipped a beat as he lowered his gaze. He had suspected that the corpse oil, even tightly sealed in the bucket, might still emit a faint odor, and vampires were highly sensitive to scents.

Had they really been discovered?

But the next moment, he froze in place.

—An icy hand reached out to him without warning, gently touching the crack on his lips.

^[1]Author’s Note: I, the motherly author, had to have Si Xuanyang kiss Yu Ge before that creepy vampire did! I did it! PS: Friends, when you go to play with vampires in the future, remember to … Continue reading