The Vampire Queen and the Mortal Pauper

Chapter Nine

A Perfect Ruse

That evening after class a dejected Sharael was walking along the streets on his way back to the apartment. His hands were pocketed and eyes staring ahead listlessly. He came across several pedestrians rushing up and down. Some brushed against his slumped shoulders, but he never minded them. His mind had long drifted away to notice anything.

Thoughts on what transpired today consumed his mind. Was fate trying to play a cruel joke on him? Were these resembling women hell-bent on flipping both his lives upside-down? One betrayed him and left him for dead, while this one was currently trying to ruin his newly acquired normal life. Even though the former was no longer existent, this doppelganger was proving to be a likeminded schemer.

News of him rejecting the Campus' number one beauty spread around like wild fire. Students, lecturers, staff and non-staff_ all and sundry_ came to know about it. He became infamous. The public enemy. Everywhere he passed looks of disdain and disgust would follow. Even some of his lecturers gave him a hard time in class. The severe consequences of a toad rejecting the swan.

This was her plan. This was the harsh game she decided to play against him. Sharael's desire of a normal and quite life at school went up in flames. The spotlight was now focused on him, eliminating any chance of living low-key. The only solution was talking it out with that woman. But that in itself was tricky. Nothing will be simple with her.

A frustrated sigh soon escaped his lips. He was about to cross some road, when a slight scuffle nearby caught his attention. Just ahead, there was a short and portly fruit vendor angrily chasing away some woman, who appeared to be of Asian descent. 

"Fucking stupid foreigner, can't you see I have zero clue on whatever gibberish you're sprouting? Go and ask someone else, damn it!" the fruit vendor angrily barked, but the woman desperately clung to him and cried while waving some pierce of parchment in his face.

Their little scuffle drew a few curious gazes which made the fruit vendor livider. "Aargh, crazy bitch, get out' a here! Do I look like a person who speaks your twaddle language? Shit! You really starting to piss me off!"

The woman was feebly crying in a foreign language that seemed Mandarin. It was clear she was seeking some assistance, but the seething vendor was beyond giving a rat's ass.

"How many times will I have to tell you? I don't understand a thing you're saying. Beat it before I beat your sorry ass!" The fruity vendor growled and shoved the woman to the ground.

The woman yelped as she braced for the fall. However, a pair of firm hands held her just then. She was startled when her pretty black eyes looked up at her savior.

Sharael was the apparent savior who carefully helped the dazed woman to back to her feet. He examined her and asked with a gentle voice, "Are you okay, miss? You're not hurt, are you?"

The question was casual, but the woman gasped in surprise. "You can speak my language?"

Sharael had fluently spoken in Mandarin. Well, it was not that surprising for someone here to speak the language, but the fluency sounded like he was a native.

"Just a little bit." Sharael just laughed it off and glanced at the map parchment the woman held. "You having troubles finding your way?"

"Mmh." The woman nodded with a frown. "I travelled here recently but got lost while strolling around. Now I can't even locate my hotel and my phone just died. Even this secondhand map sheet is useless."

Sharael gave her a nod of pity but before he could speak, the grumpy fruit vendor interrupted, "Oi! Can you two love birds find a room or something? Does this look like some Chinese joint? I am trying to work over here."