Wang Yibo, a 200-year-old vampire, falls in love with a human, Xiao Zhan. It's not for the thirst for blood; it's for the thirst for love. He wants to take Zhan to the vampire world with him, which is very easy with his power and magic, but he doesn...
I wake up with a hand curled around in empty air, like searching for something no longer with me. I stare blankly at the empty hand, eyes shining with unshed tears, before sitting up and putting a hand on my chest. Something is piercing my heart and bringing a feeling that I will never get it back, also giving me satisfaction. I don't know what it is.
I torment my head to recall what happened last night. Nothing comes except Yibo's handsome face. "Y-Yibo!" Had it meant he was out of seclusion and visited me? A question rises in my head, making me think about it. I need to know. I throw the blanket off me and stand up, noticing a black jacket on me. My fingers brush over it before tugging it to my nose and breathing it.
The sandalwood scent entices my nostrils and comforts me. A small smile curls on my lips. I got the answer. Yibo must have visited me last night. Maybe when I was asleep or just as usual, I forgot the important things with my poor memory. I slap the back of my head and tuck the jacket off, preparing for the day. I should go to college soon because I can't wait to see him.
I rush down the stairs with my bag and meet with a sweet immediately. I blink and glance at the hand that is holding the sweet to see my aunt smiling at me widely. Tears well up in my eyes, but I blink it away. I think I know why she's doing this. I open my mouth and take the sweet, which she forces it. As I expected, she's then pulling me into a hug and placing a kiss on my forehead.
"Happy birthday, A-Zhan! May all your dreams come true!" She cradles my cheek and places another kiss there.
Following her, my uncle appears and pulls me into an embrace. "Happy birthday, A-Zhan! I wish you a long life."
"Thank you!" I smile and pull away. I then rushed to leave, but they never let me, forcing me to have breakfast and presenting all my favorites. Each dish is delicious, bringing water to my mouth. Getting out of the shell, I eat almost enough and thank them before taking my leave.
When I step out of the house, a wind of rose petals pours over me. I stun in place for a moment before smiling brightly and catching the petals with my small hands. They are soft and fresh, bringing a beautiful fragrance. I look around to see who brought this surprise, but no one is there except a tiny white bat which is screeching to get my attention and flying off like wanting me to follow it.
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Holding the strap of my bag, I sigh and follow it blindly until I smack face-first into a solid muscular frame. "Xiao... Zhan, I," I hear a voice above me. I know the beginning of this sentence but not the end; it comes out of his mouth anyway, the way dew rolls off a leaf when it must. But I blink and smile, shoving him in the shoulder before he can finish.
When my eyes take Yibo's handsome face in, the smile fades and explodes all the frustrations I have bottled up for these past few days. "How did you dare to leave me?" I ask, shoving him away. I knew I should expose my happiness before starting all this, but somehow I felt I did already. Pure sadness engulfed me and brought my sufferings to the front of my mind. "Did you know how much I miss you?" I wail, hitting his chest.
Before he responds, I can't help but throw myself at him and curl my fists, clenching his jacket tightly. His heartbeat is a steady lullaby that puts my mind at ease, slowly calming the racing of my heart and my uncontrolled shaking. I'm shrouded by the soothing fragrance that he always seems to carry with him, and I close my eyes in bliss, feeling warm and safe, blanketed by his presence, a few traitorous tears streaking my reddened cheeks as they fall.
He sees them fall and holds me closer, his hands cupping my face as he brushes his thumbs under my eyes, resting his forehead against mine, humming softly under his breath. "I promise I will never spend a day without you." He pauses, his thumb drifting to stroke against my lips. "I will take you wherever I go. We will become the shadow of each other, sticking like one body and two souls!"
I try to smile, but it comes out choked, a small sob catching even as I laugh. "If you say things like this, I don't know how will I keep myself from thinking about you for a second?" I wrap my arms around the other's neck, pressing our bodies closer until we are chest to chest. "You're a pain but a sweet pain that I'm enduring for."
He doesn't say anything, just cradling my face tenderly, brushing away the wet clinging tears to lean in for a kiss. Our mouths open to taste until the world seems to fall, vanishing except for the breaths exchanged between lips. His tongue slips in slowly, sipping sweetness from my mouth, swiping my lower lip, and nibbling gently until I moan and drink from his all-consuming kiss.
"Yibo," I say breathily, pulling him close.
A brief smile flits across his face, and the hand that is cradling my face slides down to caress my back to hold me. "Mhm." He presses his cheek against my chest, the sound of my heart strong and real, whispering his name for each beat. We stay like this for God knows how long, with gentle rose petals showering and consuming us.
Cheng POV:
I watch distractedly, mind filling with thoughts as Ziyi picks up stones from the pathway and follows the nearby creek to throw a flat pebble into it, trying to be free from boredom. The pebble bounces twice before disappearing at the bottom with a plop. I snort and pick up a rounded rock to do the same, but the pebble sinks as soon as it touches the surface of the water.
My light brown eyes harden when I see someone's reflection that I hate the most in the water as the person passing by. My hands clench into fists, and my teeth grit in anger, but it fades off immediately when my mom's words repeat in my head. I uncurl my fists and calm my nerves, trying to approach that person, when Ziyi grabs my wrist and shakes her head.
I look her in the eyes momentarily before pulling her hand off mine and following that person. I have to do this even if I don't want to. I hate them with all my core, not only for stealing my spot but also for something unknown that I don't know how to describe. The person must hide something from everyone because they carry a strange vibe. Maybe we can't tell what, but we can definitely feel if we stay in their presence for a short time.
Stopping my mind to dig around the bush any further, I walk past them and block their way. Our eyes meet, dark brown glistening in the sunlight like molten gold and sending shivers to light brown. My body shudders for unknown reasons, but I calm down and try to talk with them. "We hate each other, and there's no doubt, but we should do this for A-Zhan!"
They raise an eyebrow at my words, then walk past me, not saying a word.
I growl, fists clenching at my sides. I then shut my eyes to calm down before approaching them again. "Idiot! Wang Yibo!" I hiss under my breath. "Look, I don't know what kind of spell you have put to win A-Zhan's heart, but he's already blindly in love with you. I don't want him to be heartbroken, so you will accompany him till the end, through good and bad, and treat him with respect and love. If you cause him even a single tear, you will need to answer me!" I threaten, trying to pull things together.
He gives me a look that clearly says, he doesn't care about my threatening.
I clench my fists in rage but unclench it, trying to force myself to handle things perfectly. "Tonight, we will throw a surprise party to celebrate A-Zhan's birthday. If you attend, he will be happy. So let's handle all this together and start fresh. Let us be friends, for A-Zhan's sake!" I hiss, rolling my eyes and extending a friendly hand even if I don't want to.
He glances at my extended hand, which makes me withdraw it without a word. Then, as usual, he walks past me without a slight change in his demeanor. His attitude fueled the rage in me, wanting to initiate the fight, but I restrained myself harder in order to fix everything between Zhan and me. I can do anything. I will do anything to mend the broken bridge between us, even lowering my pride because that is what brothers do. I can understand now...
