Chapter 14

He would smile and squint at her, still softly saying, "Good night."
In that moment of eye contact, she felt a warm sense of belonging, as if she was being protected by a lover.
Thinking of this, Derlin Shala couldn't help but laugh at herself. What nonsense she was thinking; she had never been in love, how would she know what it feels like to be protected by a lover?
She sighed lightly, looking over the crowd dancing outside the bar, then her gaze returned to Emil standing behind the bar.
Fate is also an organism, what happens before will inevitably affect what follows.
The month she had intersected with him, what kind of variable would it become in her life? Surely, it would be an unforgettable chapter...
Tonight, Emil was still dressed in black, a color that seemed to be embedded in his bones. He was personally mixing drinks for the patrons, surrounded by brightly dressed women, every word they spoke revolved around him, and every glance revealed their infatuation, clearly not focused on the wine.
He listened to each word with a smile, casually responding while neither accepting invitations nor explicitly refusing them, maintaining his usual aloof demeanor, leaving the women itching for more.
He enjoyed their longing looks, especially compared to the fearful demeanor of those in the laboratory, which always tempted him to burst into laughter.
Women who saw his handsome appearance approached him eagerly; those who knew he was a vampire dared not even glance at him.
He was always himself, yet people's attitudes towards him varied greatly, making him realize—it was perception, not the essence of things, that determined how people treated them. Everyone interpreted and speculated about him in their own way, no one understood his true nature, not even he remembered his original appearance...
His gaze wandered around the room, and unintentionally turning back, he caught a pair of eyes that didn't have time to look away.
Those clear eyes immediately froze, awkwardly meeting his. She seemed to want to move her gaze away, but feeling it too obvious, hesitated slightly, and their eyes locked deeper, becoming increasingly ambiguous until she decisively turned her head, her fair cheeks tinged with a faint red.
The gloom in his eyes receded, replaced by interest, and the smile on his lips deepened. He handed the finished drink to a female patron, instructed the bartender with a few words, and then turned back to Derlin Shala.
"I've always been confident in my eyesight, the one you were staring at just now couldn't have been the bartender who's already married with kids, right?"
"Even a horse trips." Derlin Shala was annoyed that he deliberately mentioned "staring intently," but she responded succinctly, meaning that even with his good eyesight, he could make mistakes, also implying he was flattering himself.
"Are you subtly calling me a beast?" He laughed nonchalantly, his large hand touching her tender cheek, appreciating her rare discomfort, "I've been a bit busy tonight, I'll make something for you to eat when it's less crowded."
She didn't eat much, preferring small frequent meals, and he always instructed the bartender to prepare some snacks for her to take at any time, but tonight was really too busy, she must be hungry.
She was used to his occasional affectionate gestures, then turned to look at the many jealous gazes outside the bar, "I'm not hungry, but you..." Since she moved in, she hadn't seen him bring any women upstairs. Counting the days, he hadn't "fed" for seven days.
He didn't "feed," but he ate a lot, a lot of medicine, every day, the amount of medicine was more than what a person eats in three meals...
Emil saw through her doubts, smiling wickedly, "I am hungry, the hunger of a vampire is terrible, if too hungry for too long, one can lose their sanity and turn into a bloodthirsty beast. Honestly, if you saw me biting some woman's neck, wouldn't you stop me?"
"…Of course." Her reaction was slightly hesitant, but she was clear she wouldn't just stand by.
"Because this is the duty your people have taught you, even if I don't harm anyone, you are trained to stop such 'atrocities,' aren't you?" He kissed her lips, sighing, "I don't want to put you in a difficult position, so I have to endure."
Derlin Shala was stunned. Difficult position? Why would she be in a difficult position?
Before she could understand his meaning, a coquettish call from the women at the bar for Emil to return.
He stole another kiss on her lips, "I'll be right back," and turned to walk back to the bar.
Derlin Shala watched his back in a daze. When he mentioned being in a difficult position, could it mean that living together day and night had fostered affection, making it hard for her to take action when necessary?
He underestimated her; the Ji family's training for sorcerers was extremely strict, her foster mother wouldn't have sent her to deal with him if she wasn't sure she was strong enough. How could she make such a basic mistake—but then, could she really act ruthlessly, why did she hesitate when answering him?
She bit her lip; his kiss left no scent on her lips, but the feeling turned into a thread, drawing out one confused trace after another. She remembered her foster mother's earnest warning—be extremely careful of vampires, they look like humans, behave like humans, like another form of human, emitting a dark and seductive glow, most capable of bewitching people's hearts.
So, his restraint these days was just a tactic to confuse her? But it was true that he hadn't smelled of blood for days, if he intended to deceive her, why risk his own life?
She felt as if she was trapped in a huge maze, unable to find a reasonable direction.
Suddenly, a young woman with long hair squeezed to her side of the bar outside, shouting, "Miss!"
She thought the other party wanted to order a drink and pointed to the bartender and Emil in front, "Please order at the front."
But the person didn't leave, looking at her with a smile. The originally sweet female voice suddenly changed to a clear male tenor, speaking in a low voice, "Sister Shala, don't you recognize me?"
Derlin Shala was stunned, the woman in front of her wore light-colored glasses, dressed in a dark coat and jeans, the delicately made-up beautiful face looked somewhat familiar, but she didn't remember knowing this outstanding woman.
"Even you didn't recognize me, it seems my makeup was very successful." Liam took off his glasses, lifted a corner of the wig to reveal trimmed short hair, and smiled, "I don't have to sneak around anymore when I go out, just dressing as a woman is fine."
Derlin Shala recognized him, exclaiming in surprise, "Liam? How come you're here?"
Liam was her cousin's high school classmate, the young master of the well-known Matrix Group, who had walked the runway for charity events as a child, henceforth active in front of the cameras. She knew he had once shocked everyone with his cross-dressing appearance but had never actually seen him dressed as a woman.