7. Lost Youth and Naxos

Since they were already there, Qiu Rong had to make a trip to the laboratory.

As the end of the semester approached, many people were stationed in the laboratory building. Qiu Rong and Yuan Shang’s advisor had to go on a business trip, so they had pushed the two of them to finish their papers and make a summary of the academic year. They only had the common course exams left, so there was nothing to be nervous about.

Qiu Rong and Yuan Shang were roommates since college and both managed to enter their advisor’s research group through recommendation for graduate studies.

Working on research projects had its benefits in terms of learning, but it also required more time and energy on a regular basis.

They couldn’t count on the summer vacation anymore, so having a week of rest would be a great favor. Yuan Shang had given up on going home.

Fortunately, their advisor didn’t make their students do pointless work. Both of them were actively learning and conducting research in the group.

When they arrived at the laboratory, there was a senior graduate student from the second year present. After exchanging greetings, they went about their own tasks.

Yuan Shang felt too lonely going to the laboratory alone every day. Today, he finally caught Qiu Rong, who was alone and pitiful, and insisted on taking him out for some fresh air.

With only half of his report written, Yuan Shang leaned over to Qiu Rong and made an early arrangement, “Later, accompany me to play basketball. No excuses this time. Besides, no one is waiting for you at home.”

Qiu Rong looked at him with some resentment but ultimately agreed.

Unfortunately, the weather was not on their side. In the afternoon, Qiu Rong received a severe weather warning on his phone, and shortly after, a senior female student who had just left sent a message asking if they had umbrellas because it had started raining outside.

It had been scorching hot in the morning, and no one could have expected such a sudden change in weather.

They had initially expected it to be a passing shower, but the rain kept pouring and showed no sign of stopping, growing even heavier as time went on.

Qiu Rong’s car was parked in the dormitory area, so they couldn’t leave.

Yuan Shang suggested they just run back to the dormitory since the laboratory building wasn’t too far away. He would lend Qiu Rong some clothes to change into.

Qiu Rong shook his head and considered asking Ruan Sijia to come over.

Ruan Sijia was a sophomore in the Department of Literature and also stayed on campus during the weekends.

“Hey, you two are still here.”

Before making the call, luckily, the senior female student who had left just before the rain arrived returned, holding two umbrellas in her hands.

“…Clan leader.” Ruan Sijia on the other end of the line seemed hesitant. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “There’s someone here who wants to see you.”

The “lost” teenager who had begged Ruan Sijia to help him meet the Clan leader under the dormitory building in the rain was here.

It was the boy who had been lured by a beautiful vampire in the food court.

Huo Ye had just finished his college entrance examination last week.

The last subject he took was English, with 120 minutes of answering time—100 minutes for answering, 5 minutes for daydreaming, and 15 minutes for checking the paper.

The first thing he did after the bell rang was not to breathe a sigh of relief but to suddenly feel enlightened.

Huo Ye calmly waited for the invigilator to collect the exam papers and left the examination hall with the rest of the students.

However, he had no intention of going home. Without any hesitation, he left the big brother at the school gate, turned around, and climbed over the back wall of the school. With a heart full of enthusiasm, he went to find Ruan Sijia.

“…Later, his brother came and took him away. I didn’t expect him to come here today,” and he even found them directly under the dormitory building.

Ruan Sijia adjusted his glasses and helplessly said, “On such a rainy day, he didn’t bring an umbrella and didn’t go into the dormitory building. He just insisted on meeting you.”

Due to Huo Ye’s appearance, Yuan Shang, who had finally found a basketball buddy, was once again stood up.

Just as he was leaving, Ruan Sijia and Huo Ye happened to arrive. Yuan Shang squinted his eyes and saw a handsome young man. He grumbled and threatened to go back and complain to Yan Ling, vowing to make New Moon Media switch to vinegar production next month.

Qiu Rong: “…”

Qiu Rong had never seen Huo Ye before and had always thought that he was delicate and frail like Ruan Sijia, which was why he was targeted and manipulated by the vampire.

Now, as he looked at the person in front of him, he was at least 1.9 meters tall. He seemed to have gone through a growth spurt during puberty, with a slightly slender figure but definitely not weak. He looked like a promising candidate who could take down three vampires with a single punch.

Huo Ye wore a black duckbill cap and a loose army green T-shirt. True to his name, he exuded a sense of wildness.

…If you didn’t look at his face.

“Clan… clan, Clan Elder…” Since his worldview had been refreshed not long ago, Huo Ye was not very familiar with the terminology used in the supernatural world. Whenever he called out, he felt like he was indulging in a case of Chuunibyou, and his face turned red in embarrassment.

Qiu Rong, being tolerant, said, “You can call me senior.”

“Okay, senior!” This time, he managed to speak smoothly.

Huo Ye sat on a large swivel chair in the restaurant, his clothes slightly damp from the rain. He tilted his head and revealed a silly smile.

Qiu Rong suddenly realized where the strange feeling in his heart came from.

It seemed like they had collided with each other’s character concepts.

Wasn’t this the sunny puppy image he had pretended to be in front of Yan Ling?

Tall, handsome, and full of sunshine and naivety.

Except he was a fake sun, and this person was the real sun.

“What do you need from me?” Qiu Rong asked, covering up the subtle discomfort in his heart.

“I want to find someone,” Huo Ye leaned closer, as if afraid of others overhearing. He looked at Qiu Rong with cold and determined eyes and said in a low voice, “I want to find the bloodsucker who bit me!”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Qiu Rong asked, “What do you want to do with him?”

Exorcize evil? Take revenge and erase humiliation?

Huo Ye: “I…”

Huo Ye gathered his courage and said, “I want to confess my feelings!”

Qiu Rong: “…?”

Qiu Rong: “Say that again?”

Huo Ye lowered his head, blushing, and said, “It’s a bit embarrassing.”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Ruan Sijia sighed silently beside them.

It’s not like he hadn’t advised him before, but this little brother insisted on charging straight into Qiu Rong’s line of fire. There was really no stopping him.

The school cafeteria wasn’t a suitable place for this conversation. Qiu Rong drove back to the dormitory area and took the two of them to his own residence.

Huo Ye’s elder brother was born with two pointed ears and was a natural-born wereWerewolf. He had warned his younger brother repeatedly about confessing to a vampire after finishing the exam.

However, this kid was quite the romantic type. Taking advantage of his brother’s inattention, he sneaked out and put on a pitiful act under Ruan Sijia’s building.

Qiu Rong wasn’t sure if Huo Ye was genuinely infatuated or if he was playing the same white-hearted role as him.

Glancing at the rearview mirror, Qiu Rong saw Huo Ye sitting obediently in the back seat, consulting Ruan Sijia about A University’s credit system. He still had two tufts of disheveled hair on top of his head, flattened by his cap, showing no signs of becoming a dark character.

Qiu Rong smiled in self-mockery.

Other people had happy families and straightforward lives. Why bother with darkness when there was no need?

The private residence that the Werewolf clan leader hid from his spouse was located on the opposite side of the vampire’s old house in another part of the city. It was an old neighborhood where he rarely visited. The furniture in the villa was covered with dust sheets.

Pulling off the white cloth from the sofa, Qiu Rong washed three cups in the kitchen, poured hot water for both of them, set down the kettle, and began listening to the young boy’s love story.

Let’s go back to Huo Ye’s eighteenth birthday.

Huo Ye was handsome, academically successful, and had a simple and pure personality. He had a good reputation at school.

On his birthday, a group of his good friends carried a cake and kidnapped him to a popular hot pot restaurant, Hai Di Lao.

With a birthday hat on his head and eyes sparkling like bright headlights, Huo Ye blew out the eighteen candles in front of him amid the enthusiastic singing of his good friends, the lively service staff, and the crowd of onlookers. He only had time to make a wish for himself, “I hope my English test scores in the college entrance exam won’t be so disappointing.”

The ramen master was still dancing youthfully on the side when a blonde young man slipped into the chaotic crowd from an unknown direction.

It was uncertain whether he could be called a young man since he appeared rather young. He had shoulder-length, slightly curled golden hair, and a refined face sculpted with the proportions of a golden ratio. In that instant, Huo Ye thought of Narcissus from Greek mythology, the young man who fell into the water and transformed into a daffodil.

With his long and curly eyelashes fluttering, the unfamiliar young man held Huo Ye’s hand, which had accidentally been scratched when he struggled outside the door, and gently placed a kiss on it. He tilted his head back and gazed at Huo Ye with deep, ocean-blue eyes, whispering in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “I want you.”

Qiu Rong: “…”

Ruan Sijia: “…”

It’s unclear who broke the silence first.

Huo Ye scratched his cheek and continued the story.

The astonishing move by the young man stunned the students on the spot. After a clumsy conversation, everyone learned that he was indeed older than everyone present. He was twenty years old this year and had come to China for a study trip while visiting relatives.

As for the reason for his connection with Huo Ye, the young man responded with a mysterious smile.

With the heavy workload of senior year, after finishing the hot pot, the students should return home to study. Before dispersing, the young man had become quite familiar with everyone, yet no one managed to get his contact information.

He only added Huo Ye.

The young man’s name was Danny.

Although the deer in Huo Ye’s heart went wild after that gentle kiss, Danny never brought up the incident again. He only mentioned that if Huo Ye had any problems with English, he could provide assistance.

Danny was majoring in English international education at university.

Every day, Danny would explore and dine in City A, occasionally going to the entrance of Huo Ye’s school to share newly discovered delicacies.

On Saturdays, when there were makeup classes for senior year, Danny would accompany Huo Ye to the library to study.

Through frequent English communication, Huo Ye’s sense of the language improved by leaps and bounds. His English grades were not bad to begin with, just slightly lower compared to other subjects.

With the improvement in his language proficiency, Huo Ye made fewer mistakes in reading comprehension questions, and his quiz scores were good. They no longer stood out on his report card.

Danny seemed like an angel who had descended to fulfill Huo Ye’s birthday wish.

Huo Ye was certain that he had fallen in love with Danny.

It wasn’t just because of the stunning appearance that seemed to belong only in medieval oil paintings.

Rather, Danny’s beauty was divine, too pure to be tainted by worldly affairs.

And Huo Ye wanted to defile the divine.

Qiu Rong: “…”

Ruan Sijia: “…”

Alright, there’s no need to use so many words to describe the other person’s beauty, really unnecessary.

Huo Ye restrained himself and returned to the main point.

Author’s note:

I don’t want to get stuck here either, but I want to catch up in these last few minutes QvQ!