Chapter Twenty-Three: Farewell, White Night

When I woke up in the morning and looked at the gloomy sky outside, my spirits lifted. It would be a good day, I thought, and anticipation filled me. Looking forward to tomorrow’s spring outing, my mood became even more cheerful.

Ang, ever so meticulous, escorted me to school. This time, I didn't see Xingyu or Lexiaoyou on the way to the classroom, but as before, I encountered Mo Chen waiting for me.

"Liliana, good morning," Mo Chen greeted me happily.

"Mm." I responded coolly, not paying him any further heed as I walked toward the classroom. As he had the day before, Mo Chen followed quietly, step for step, never straying.

"How long do you plan on following me? Aren’t you tired of this yet?" I said to Mo Chen. Ignoring him was always an option, but having someone constantly trailing you was deeply unsettling.

"I already told you, just pretend I’m not here. Until you agree to be my girlfriend, I won’t give up." Mo Chen smiled at me, and I found his expression particularly infuriating.

"Then follow me for a lifetime, if you wish." I regained my indifferent expression and began ignoring him once more.

"A lifetime? I could live with that," Mo Chen’s annoying voice came from behind me.

Finally, with Mo Chen in tow, I reached the classroom and breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be free of his pestering. I glanced at Xingyu and Lexiaoyou’s seats; they weren’t here yet. Lately, the two of them were always together. I walked to my own seat and waited for their arrival.

As I made my way to the back of the classroom, a face that surprised me appeared—Bai Ye, who, after Ang’s warning, had vanished and not reappeared until now, was sitting in his seat.

"Liliana, it’s been a while." That flawless, perfect smile was unchanged, as was his gentle, cultured voice. Bai Ye greeted me with a smile.

Seeing that smile filled me with disgust. Why had he appeared before me again? Was the warning he received not enough?

Perhaps sensing my aversion, Bai Ye said, "Don’t worry, Liliana. I won’t bother you again. After all, I’m also Xingyu’s friend, and I’ve been warned enough to know what to do. Let’s coexist peacefully." His words were sincere.

"Hmph, remember what you said. You should know that I still find your existence repugnant. If you dare disrupt my life again, I won’t hesitate to erase you." My tone was cold as I spoke to Bai Ye. His words made me hesitate in my intent to make him disappear for good. Yes, he was also Xingyu’s friend. If he vanished completely, Xingyu would be sad. Forget it, he’s just a minor character; I’ll let him go this time. Yet I never imagined this decision would burden me with so much pain in the future.

"Thank you, Liliana. Rest assured, from now on, I will never interfere in your life again," Bai Ye promised.

"Nana!" At that moment, Lexiaoyou’s cheerful voice sounded from the classroom door. Xingyu and Lexiaoyou had arrived.

"Well, Liliana, I’ll take my leave," Bai Ye said tactfully upon seeing them, withdrawing just as he promised. I could only hope that, as he said, he would no longer disturb my life.

"Nana, wasn’t that Bai Ye? Why is he back again?" Lexiaoyou muttered with displeasure.

Hearing the annoyance in her voice, I asked curiously, "Lexiaoyou, you don’t like Bai Ye either? I thought you were all friends."

"Hmph," Lexiaoyou snorted. "Who would be friends with someone so fake? Only that fool Xingyu would fall for his act." She didn’t bother to hide her dislike for Bai Ye.

"Yes, he really is a hypocrite," I agreed.

Unlike our complaints, Xingyu seemed genuinely happy to see Bai Ye return. "Bai Ye, you’re back at school! How’s your health—are you all right now?" When Bai Ye abruptly disappeared, the excuse given was medical leave, so Xingyu must have been worried about him. Such a caring person. But then, wasn’t it this innocence and gentleness that attracted me in the first place?

"Thanks to you, I’m fine now," Bai Ye replied calmly. Indeed, it was thanks to Xingyu; if not for him, I would have made Bai Ye disappear from this world at once.

"All right, Xingyu, I won’t disturb you any longer. Oh, and Liliana is a good girl—you should cherish her," Bai Ye tossed out as he turned to leave, leaving Xingyu looking puzzled.

"Mm, I’ll treasure her; Lilith is an important friend," Xingyu replied to Bai Ye’s retreating figure.

I, meanwhile, fell into thought. What was Bai Ye’s real intention? Was it just a gesture of goodwill? I didn’t believe it. Bai Ye, what are you really after? I was beginning to regret letting him off so easily just now.

"Bai Ye was acting strange today," Xingyu remarked, still puzzled by his words. Yes, he only regards me as a friend. But that’s enough—as long as I can stay by his side, what more do I dare hope for?

"Enough about that annoying guy," Lexiaoyou grumbled to Xingyu.

Xingyu could only shake his head at Lexiaoyou’s straightforward nature.

"Did you know? Our spring outing tomorrow will be in the mountains west of the city," Lexiaoyou, ever the informant, announced.

The western hills? This small city’s west side is encircled by hills, making it a good place for a spring excursion. However, the western area isn’t under the vampires’ influence, nor the Bloodhunters’, not even the Dragon Fang Society’s—it belongs to the Bai family, one of the city’s three underground powers. Since it’s all barren mountains, none of the other factions are interested, but the Bai family set up their base there. Bai Ye, I hope you’ve truly learned your lesson. If you dare make a move that angers me, I really won’t hesitate to erase you. The power of the vampires is beyond your imagination.

"I heard we’ll be camping for the spring outing—three days and two nights! Isn’t that great?" Lexiaoyou was visibly excited.

"Camping? Looks like we’ll need tents and cookware," Xingyu said thoughtfully, always attentive to details.

As for camping, I’d leave it to Ang—he would make perfect preparations for everything.

"Xingyu, I’ll leave mine to you. You know how forgetful I am. Please?" Lexiaoyou said with a laugh.

"All right, all right, I know," Xingyu replied helplessly—clearly, this wasn’t the first time. Sometimes I really envied the relationship between Lexiaoyou and Xingyu. But envy was all; I never considered taking Lexiaoyou’s place. I simply wasn’t worthy.

"Class meeting’s about to start. Let’s go sit down," Xingyu said after checking the time.

"Mm, I can’t wait for the spring outing tomorrow," Lexiaoyou said happily.

During the class meeting, our homeroom teacher went over the plans for the outing—just as Lexiaoyou had said.

A spring outing... It truly is something to look forward to.