Perhaps the blood that Zhao Qi lost, concentrated into a fine essence, was enough to satisfy Lance’s needs for the night. The scene that many had anticipated, where Si Xuanyang would be drenched in blood, didn’t happen.

After draining the last drop of blood from his cup, Lance’s pale lips were stained with a touch of crimson. He flashed a smile, revealing sharp white fangs, said “Good night,” placed his napkin down, and gracefully vanished into the darkness.

Everyone else breathed a sigh of relief, except for Yu Sen and his companions, who looked grim.

Because they all knew that the words “Good night” were clearly directed at Yu Sen, and the malicious intent in Lance’s gaze was blatantly obvious.

…

Yu Sen couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. On the way back to his room, he encountered the butler blocking his path. He nonchalantly retorted, “Move aside!”

The surrounding air froze for a few seconds. The others quickly shut their doors with a bang after casting fearful glances at Yu Sen, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. But once the doors were closed, they couldn’t help but eavesdrop on what was happening outside.

The butler glared at him sinisterly. Her bark-like face, paired with those eyes, would scare the wits out of any kindergarten kid.

But Yu Sen wasn’t afraid of her. By now, he realized that if he were to die in this castle, it would most likely be at Lance’s hands, probably in some ceremonial bloodletting, rather than at the hands of the butler.

The butler wouldn’t dare make a move on him before Lance.

Understanding this, Yu Sen no longer bothered to hide his arrogant attitude. He shot her a sideways glance, looking as if to say, “What are you gonna do about it?”

As he expected, the butler made no move, just stared at him as if trying to pierce through him, her eyes fish-like, mouth emitting an eerie laugh.

Si Xuanyang grabbed Yu Sen’s wrist, pulling him closer, and the four of them bypassed the butler and returned to their room.

As they entered, Yu Sen glanced back to see the butler still standing there, cloaked in black, motionless in the dim candlelight of the corridor, sending chills down one’s spine.

…

As soon as they entered, Si Nan punched both Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang: “What’s wrong with you two? Do you think this is your own home? You’re way too casual. What, is Lance your buddy now?”

“He’s a sister,” Yu Sen calmly replied.

“…You’re nuts.”

Si Xuanyang’s expression turned grim: “Why is that vampire paying so much attention to you?”

Si Nan immediately caught on: “Could it be that scent on you? Is it the smell of blood? Yu Sen, do you have rare blood or something?”

Yu Sen rolled his eyes: “Nonsense! I’m just O-type, the most common blood type! And even if I had rare blood, it wouldn’t have a scent. Do you have any common sense?”

“What scent?” Si Xuanyang frowned.

“It’s Yu Sen’s scent. It’s faint, you can only smell it up close, but I think vampires have a different sense of smell than humans. To them, it might be more enticing.”

Si Xuanyang paused, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he looked at Yu Sen.

Noticing his hesitation, Yu Sen suddenly embraced him, wrapping his arms around Si Xuanyang’s neck, and with a playful grin, said, “Come on, give it a sniff.”

Si Xuanyang’s face turned red in an instant. His hands hovered awkwardly around Yu Sen’s waist, not knowing where to place them, a hint of panic and confusion flashing in his eyes: “What’s wrong with you!”

How could he smell anything? His senses were all thrown into chaos along with his heart.

“I’m sick this time, remember?” Yu Sen responded smoothly, tightening his hold.

After all, if he had the chance to get close, he might as well seize the opportunity.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… I can’t watch this. How come you seem like a completely different person when you’re sick, all sappy and clingy?” Si Nan covered his eyes with a peace sign, both mocking and enjoying the scene.

With not much strength left, Yu Sen was easily pulled away by Si Xuanyang, who grabbed the back of his collar, casting him a sharp look: “Behave yourself!”

“I’m behaving. I’m an honest person,” Yu Sen said with a seemingly innocent smile.

“…Bullshit!”

“What do we do now? It looks like that vampire has his eyes on Yu Sen,” Luo Yu said.

“What else can we do? We’ll just have to fight back when he comes. Whether or not he’s interested in me, our goal is still to take him down. The only issue is time.” Yu Sen yawned.

His weakened body made it easier for him to feel drowsy with a fever.

“He’s not interested in you; he’s targeting you,” Si Xuanyang corrected coldly.

“What’s the difference?” Yu Sen gave him a puzzled look.

“The difference is that being interested means he wants to sleep with you, while targeting means he wants to eat you.” Si Xuanyang frowned irritably.

Yu Sen tilted his head, studying his expression, and then smiled teasingly: “Isn’t that still the same thing?”

“…Shameless.”

“Of course he’s interested. After all, I look so good.”

…

After seeing the horrors of room-switching in the previous world, this time Si Nan and Luo Yu didn’t dare stay too long in Yu Sen’s room. They left for their own rooms as soon as the moon rose above the trees.

Naturally, Yu Sen couldn’t find any garlic or ginger. Not that it mattered. He decided to soak in the bath a bit longer, hoping to wash away some of that scent, but he forgot that he was still feverish and nearly passed out in the tub.

Luckily, Si Xuanyang noticed the time and knocked on the door, calling out to him, which snapped him back to full consciousness.

“I’m coming out, stop rushing me.”

“Are you okay? I thought…” Si Xuanyang’s voice sounded a bit worried.

“Thought what? That I passed out? Well, I am feeling pretty dizzy now. Do you want to come in and help me get dressed?”

Yu Sen heard the sudden silence outside. A smirk formed on his lips, but before he could fully enjoy it, a shadowy figure appeared on the mist-covered mirror.

His smile instantly froze.

In the bathroom, even though he was alone, he was standing there catching his breath, waiting for the dizziness to pass. He didn’t move, so what was that swaying?

Yu Sen wrapped himself in a bathrobe, paused for a moment, and forcefully wiped the steam off the mirror with his hand.

The round mirror with a copper edge was dripping water, reflecting his pale face.

There was nothing else.

Could it be that he was seeing things due to dizziness?

Yu Sen frowned, staring at the mirror for half a minute. Still, nothing unusual appeared. He took two steps back and was about to turn around when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flitting across the mirror.

A chill ran down his spine.

“Fuck!” Yu Sen cursed quietly, holding his bathrobe tightly and staring intently at the mirror.

The mist in the bathroom had cooled, wrapping around him with an icy touch, seeping through the thin silk of his robe into his skin. He couldn’t help but cough a few times.

Outside, there was again the slightly anxious voice of Si Xuanyang: “What are you still doing? Are you okay?”

Yu Sen opened the door, glanced at Si Xuanyang with still foggy eyes, and coughed a few more times with his fist against his lips.

Si Xuanyang looked at his exposed pale chest, his face darkening. He pulled him towards the bed.

“Be careful, be careful. You’re about to rip off my clothes and still say you have no improper thoughts about me,” Yu Sen sighed.

“Shut up! Your face is almost as pale as a vampire. You’re not attractive to me.”

“Pfft, I don’t believe that.”

Yu Sen obediently nestled into the bed and reached out to hold Si Xuanyang’s wrist: “Yang Yang, be careful when you go to the bathroom. It’s best not to close the door. Don’t worry, I won’t peek.”

Si Xuanyang’s cheeks turned a faint red. He furrowed his brows, about to get angry, but then realized what Yu Sen meant: “Did something happen when you were inside? Why didn’t you call me?”

“It wasn’t a big deal, just the mirror was a bit scary,” Yu Sen wearily rubbed his temples. “There shouldn’t be any danger for now.”

Si Xuanyang tucked Yu Sen’s hand into the blanket: “Got it, hurry up and sleep.”

“I’ll wait for you to come out before sleeping.”

Si Xuanyang looked at his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes, pressed his lips together, said nothing more, and turned back towards the bathroom.

Yu Sen yawned. The blanket was warm and cozy, making him feel like he was soaking in hot water, slowly pulling his consciousness down.

He forced himself to stay awake, but his head throbbed painfully, and the redness on his lips from the bath quickly faded.

Fortunately, Si Xuanyang didn’t make him wait too long. The blanket next to him was lifted slightly, and before the cool air could come in, it was blocked by a warm body.

Yu Sen was very familiar with this scent. He moved his weak body closer, wanting to hold the warm body like a plush toy.

However, as soon as his arm flopped down, it was shaken off.

Si Xuanyang sighed lightly, wrapped his arms around Yu Sen’s waist, and pulled him closer. He asked softly, “Still cold?”

Yu Sen, feeling dizzy, murmured, “…A kiss from you would warm me up.”

Si Xuanyang chuckled silently. Even in this state, Yu Sen was still trying to tease him. If things got heated, he wasn’t sure who would end up on top.

“What happened in the bathroom…?”

“Nothing. It seems that the ghosts and monsters in this house aren’t very interested in me.” Si Xuanyang tightened his embrace and said gently, “Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep.”

The room soon became quiet. Yu Sen’s breathing became much more even but was still somewhat irregular due to the high fever. His mouth was slightly open, and he frowned even in his sleep, showing restlessness.

Si Xuanyang’s gaze grew darker. He moved closer to Yu Sen’s collarbone, lowered his head, and rubbed against his neck. The thin, soft neck flesh was warm, and the artery lightly pulsed under his touch.

His lips trembled slightly when they accidentally brushed against Yu Sen’s skin.

He slowed his breathing, taking a deep breath, and a cold, warm fragrance entered his nose, like a spark of flame in the icy snow, disrupting his senses.

The scent was really there. Si Xuanyang’s heart sank heavily in the darkness, and the arm around Yu Sen’s waist tightened slowly.

---

Yu Sen awoke in a half-dream, half-wake state with a racing heart. It was still deep night outside, and the arm around his waist was hurting him. He glanced at the ceiling and immediately snuggled into Si Xuanyang’s embrace, weakly groaning, “Help, Yang Yang, the ghosts are coming for us…”