Chapter 4: Bloodlust

The last class of the day was Introduction to Film. The elderly professor led the students to the large screening hall, where he played a long and tedious movie. To avoid being surrounded again, Han Qi chose a seat by the window in the very last row. Even so, he was still encircled by vampires. However, daunted by the somber aura that hung about him—and after Mu Chuan's repeated attempts to get close had been rebuffed—the rest of the vampires opted to keep their distance, sitting a little nearer than usual just to savor the faintly enticing scent he exuded, but few dared to actually press up against him.

Han Qi felt himself on the verge of fainting from hunger. He was sorely tempted to bite his own hand and drink his own blood, but he knew all too well that the taste of his blood was far from ordinary—it always awakened a carnal hunger in vampires. If a riot broke out in the screening room, he would never be able to bear the consequences.

Moreover, he stubbornly believed that the moment he drank blood, he would truly fall—becoming a creature of darkness and terror, much like a first-time drug user who tumbles into an abyss, never to return.

His eyes stared blankly at the screen as he struggled to distract himself and dull the pathological craving within. He never really saw the film from beginning to end, his consciousness flickering in and out.

As time passed, he found it harder and harder to hold on. Weak and powerless, he slumped against his seat, his head growing heavier, his vision blurring.

The chair beside him creaked softly. Someone seemed to have sat down next to him.

He was instantly alert, forcing his eyes open to see who it was.

The lighting in the screening hall was dim, and all he could make out was the silhouette of a man, shrouded in the shifting gloom, with an almost spectral allure.

Han Qi suddenly realized the world around him had gone silent; even the movie’s sound had faded, as if he had been separated from reality, sealed in another world.

The stranger gently took Han Qi's hand, leaned in, and pressed his lips to Han Qi’s. Blood slipped suddenly and unexpectedly into Han Qi’s mouth.

It was nothing like the seductive allure of scarlet blood—his companion’s blood was cool and pure, like a mountain spring. Instinctively, Han Qi craved more, clinging to the stranger’s lips, refusing to let go.

Slowly, Han Qi’s eyes turned a deep, vivid red.

The blood gradually restored his strength. At some point, his sharp claws and fangs emerged.

The taste of fresh blood in his mouth was intoxicating; the thirst for it grew stronger, and his vampiric nature was fully awakened.

With his strength returned, he gripped the stranger’s arm, pressed him to the floor, and finally saw his face clearly.

Han Qi was struck by a subtle, inexplicable sense of familiarity.

In the near-total darkness, dark blood trickled from the corner of his lips.

A new hunger rose within him—a yearning to get closer, to bite, to possess.

Han Qi lowered his head; his razor-sharp fangs pierced the icy skin.

Clutching the stranger’s shoulders, he bit down on the throbbing pulse with an urgency bordering on roughness, just like a true vampire. A storm of blood-red swirled in his eyes, his usually tranquil features now filled with greed and longing.

In the haze, Han Qi bit through his own lip as well, and the intoxicating scent—almost aphrodisiac—spread through the air.

Su Ye suddenly rolled over, pinning Han Qi beneath him, as Han Qi was lost in the euphoria of bloodlust. Han Qi, disliking this feeling of being subdued, instinctively tried to push him off. Yet Su Ye’s long hair swiftly wrapped around Han Qi’s limbs, smooth as silk but as strong as steel, making escape impossible.

Cool lips closed around Han Qi’s earlobe, making him gasp. Succumbing to his craving, Han Qi tilted his head back, baring his neck.

The dark red rose mark seemed to burn against his skin.

Su Ye’s throat grew parched.

His fingers threaded through Han Qi’s hair, holding his head in place, teeth sinking into the skin of his neck.

Han Qi clung tightly to Su Ye’s neck. The mingling of their blood sent him spiraling away from his humanity, forging a fierce bond between them. Han Qi craved even deeper intimacy, wrapping his legs tightly around Su Ye’s waist.

Reason vanished, leaving only pure, unbridled instinct.

And the first taste of bloodlust—such ecstasy—would never be forgotten.

"Qi... Qi..." someone called his name.

Han Qi opened his eyes. The dazzling light made him instinctively want to turn away; he raised a hand to shield his eyes.

Long He nudged Han Qi’s head and asked, “Did you fall asleep?”

Han Qi glanced around—class seemed to be over.

Long He asked, “Want to grab something to eat?”

Having indulged himself so thoroughly within the barrier, Han Qi no longer felt parched. His sustenance was blood, and blood alone.

Yet even as relief washed over him, a wave of helplessness and irritation gnawed at his heart.

He truly had become a fearsome vampire—drifting further and further from humanity.

Worse still, he didn’t even know who his partner had been, only that he’d bitten that person’s neck in a frenzy bordering on desperate desire, drinking eagerly of his blood.

Han Qi touched his neck—the rose tattoo still seemed to hold the warmth of what had just passed.

Drawing a deep breath, Han Qi steadied himself, rose, and nodded to Long He. “Let’s go eat.”

In truth, Han Qi had vastly overestimated himself. No matter how hard he tried to maintain his human habits, it was almost impossible for a vampire to feel the slightest appetite for human food. Worse still, ordinary ingredients now smelled utterly rancid to him.

While Long He looked ravenous, Han Qi could only clutch his stomach in discomfort.

In the end, he ordered a plate of bright red tomatoes—the taste as bland as wax to him now.

Noticing Han Qi’s listless state, Long He asked, “Are you worried that person will come bother you again?”

Han Qi gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

He had never really cared about Mu Chuan; what he feared was himself.

The wild desires surging inside him—the thirst for blood, the craving for union...

He was becoming less and less like himself, soon to be lost to darkness. No more basking in sunlight, no more mingling with humans, gradually enslaved by his own yearnings...

Han Qi took a deep breath and gazed out the window. The gentle sunlight outside was so bright, he could scarcely keep his eyes open.