Chapter Five: Meeting Mo Chen

This morning, after having breakfast attended by Ang, I got into the car heading toward Night Sakura Academy. Sitting in the car, I gazed out at the gloomy sky through the window, which looked as if it might rain at any moment, and couldn't help but sigh, "What a wonderful day."

Ang sat quietly beside me. Last night, the three visitors had delivered fifty blood servants, so now Ang could finally step away from trivial chores—at least, she no longer had to act as my chauffeur.

Surrounded by curious glances and hushed whispers, Ang respectfully opened the car door for me, holding an umbrella and standing behind me. Even though there was no sunlight today, Ang was as meticulous as ever in shielding me perfectly—such a worrier.

"Nana!" A cheerful female voice called out from not far behind. Without turning around, I already knew: in this world, the only person who could address me so familiarly and still be alive was the girl now running up to me.

"Nana, is this your family’s car?" Le Xiaoyou asked, eyes wide with surprise as she looked at the vehicle.

"Yes," I replied indifferently.

"Nana, your family must be so rich. But why aren’t you in Class One or Two?" Le Xiaoyou asked, puzzled. It was true—most would choose a better environment if they could.

"I like the location of Class Six," I answered, not bothering to hide anything. Hearing my reply, Le Xiaoyou stared at me in astonishment. "No wonder you're wealthy—your way of thinking is so unique," she exclaimed with genuine surprise. Even among the rich, I doubted anyone would think this way. The real reason my perspective was so unusual was simply because I wasn’t human.

As I spoke with Le Xiaoyou, I felt more and more eyes gathering on me, which I found deeply unpleasant. What right did these lowly beings have to gaze upon my bearing?

"Ang, let’s go," I said coolly, ignoring Le Xiaoyou, and walked toward the classroom.

"Nana, wait for me!" she called, persistent as ever.

"Nana, you left so early yesterday—did we do something to upset you?" Le Xiaoyou asked cautiously. Upset? There was only one thing that annoyed me yesterday, and even now, you’re still doing it. "No, I was just tired," I replied coldly. "That’s good; I was worried we’d made you angry," she said, patting her chest with relief.

"You’re not sick, are you?" Le Xiaoyou seemed to recall something and asked worriedly. "No, just tired," I gave the same answer. "That’s a relief. Xingyu was worried you might be ill yesterday," she said, and her words touched a chord in me. Xingyu… so he was worried about me? I couldn’t explain why, but the thought brought a hint of joy to my heart.

Class Six.

The moment Le Xiaoyou and I stepped into the classroom, the noisy chatter quieted instantly. Curious eyes sized us up. My gaze turned cold; I hated being stared at by humans.

In the crowd, Xingyu saw us come in and gave a gentle smile that seemed to relax with relief. So he was worried about me after all. I couldn’t help but let a slight smile tug at my lips in response.

"She smiled! Liliana smiled!" "Liliana looks so gentle when she smiles. I think I’m falling for her." "She’s really beautiful… Bai Ye looks good with her." The classroom buzzed with all sorts of comments. Such a noisy bunch of humans. For the first time, I found the vampires’ extraordinary hearing so unpleasant.

My eyes turned icy as I strode to my corner seat. Under my frosty gaze, the classroom fell instantly silent, and it took a long while for the usual clamor to return. "Liliana’s gaze is scary." "Yeah, but that coldness is kind of nice." "Especially paired with that gentle smile before—she’s stunning."

I ignored the classroom’s bustle and sat quietly in my seat.

"Good morning, Liliana," Bai Ye’s voice sounded beside me—he was there again, smiling softly. "Did something happen yesterday? If you have any trouble, you can always come to me," he offered with concern.

"It has nothing to do with you," I replied coldly. His constant presence annoyed me, and if he kept disturbing me, I wouldn’t mind swatting a bothersome ant—even if it would sully my hands.

"All right, I’ll go then. But if you need anything, you know where to find me," Bai Ye said with an awkward smile before leaving. Finally, peace.

With Bai Ye gone, the morning passed quietly. I continued to ignore the lesson, watching Xingyu’s back in silence.

After the second period, Xingyu and Le Xiaoyou came over.

"Nana, next is PE. Let’s go together!" Le Xiaoyou said happily; she clearly loved the subject. "Yeah, come with us," Xingyu invited.

PE… I hadn’t expected an outdoor class. It was a slight oversight, but luckily it was cloudy today, so being outside wasn’t a problem. I’d just have to find excuses to skip it in the future. But for today, I’d go—I didn’t want to spoil Xingyu’s mood.

"All right, let’s go together." I stood and left the classroom with them.

Outside the door, Ang stood quietly waiting for me, always appearing at just the right moment to keep me safe. "Hello," Xingyu greeted Ang politely. She didn’t speak, just nodded. The three of us made our way to the field with Le Xiaoyou chattering all the way.

The grounds of Night Sakura Academy were vast, with all sorts of courts and buildings: a professional running track, soccer field, basketball courts, volleyball and tennis courts, badminton courts—even a baseball field. By the time we arrived, the place was buzzing, students running and sweating everywhere.

Le Xiaoyou had been excited about PE from the moment she’d mentioned it; if it weren’t for me and Xingyu, she might have dashed onto the field immediately.

"You really love sports, Xiaoyou," Xingyu said, delighted to see her so happy. "Yes, I love the feeling of running—free and unrestrained, the wind in my ears, it’s wonderful," Le Xiaoyou replied with a smile. "You’re great at running too—you’ve won lots of trophies," Xingyu praised. "Oh, it’s nothing, not as amazing as you make it sound," she answered, blushing—a rare show of shyness from her.

"Nana, are you really not joining any clubs? I was hoping you’d join our track team," Le Xiaoyou said, as if to change the subject, her eyes shining with anticipation. "No. I’m not good at sports," I refused flatly. "Nana, you’re so heartless. I invited you so sincerely," she pouted with mock grievance. "All right, don’t make things difficult for Liliana. Not everyone is as athletic as you," Xingyu laughed, comforting her.

As the three of us talked, a soccer player on the field mis-kicked a ball, sending it flying straight toward us.

"Watch out!" People nearby cried out as the ball hurtled toward us. Startled by the shouts, we looked up, but it was too late to dodge. Xingyu and Le Xiaoyou squeezed their eyes shut in fear.

I glanced at the incoming ball and snorted, making no move to stop it. But just as it was about to hit us, a strong arm intercepted it. Ang, who had been quietly following behind me, reached out and caught the ball in one hand.

Xingyu and Le Xiaoyou, eyes still clenched shut, waited for the pain but felt nothing. They opened their eyes timidly, just in time to see Ang crush the soccer ball in her grasp. The sharp burst of the ball made them shriek, and the crowd either gasped in shock or stared wide-eyed. Crushing a soccer ball with one hand was not something an ordinary person could do; Ang had unwittingly performed a shocking feat.

"Ang, that was too much," I rebuked her with a blank expression.

"Forgive me, Miss. I just got agitated thinking you might be hurt; I’ll be more careful next time," Ang apologized.

"Amazing!" Le Xiaoyou exclaimed in awe as she recovered from her shock, her eyes sparkling. Xingyu, too, finally relaxed, though his face still showed the aftereffects of fear.

"I’m so sorry, is everyone all right?" An anxious male voice interrupted—a boy in a soccer jersey hurried over, bowing repeatedly. "I’m really sorry, I nearly hit you!"

"It’s fine, no one was hurt. You don’t need to blame yourself," Xingyu replied gently.

"I truly apologize. If you ever need anything, just let me know—think of it as my way of making it up. My name is Mo Chen, second year, Class One," the boy said, still apologizing.

"Enough already. We’re really fine; your friends are still waiting for you," Xingyu comforted him, pointing to the other players on the field.

"I’m really sorry. If you ever need my help, just ask. I’ll go now," Mo Chen said, glanced at his waiting teammates, apologized one last time, and ran off.

"Hey, old Mo, you didn’t kick the ball at those two beauties on purpose, did you?" "Yeah, Captain Mo, fess up—which one do you like?" As soon as Mo Chen returned to the field, his teammates teased him mercilessly. "Stop it, I was scared to death—thank goodness no one got hurt," Mo Chen replied with a wry smile, glancing our way once more.