Into The Sea

The vampire’s tears were as cold as her body.

Ji Lingyue fell silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled and lifted a hand to wipe away the tears. “I didn’t even cry. Why are you crying?”

Lan Wu sniffled, her voice stubborn. “I already said I’m sad. When you’re sad, you cry. I’m not like cold-hearted like you…”

“Cold-hearted?” She repeated the word, feeling her temper rise again. “You’re the one who started it!”

“Then why are you mad?” Lan Wu raised her voice. “If you don’t like me and if you like that so-called perfect someone who’s prettier and braver than me, then why are you mad when I say I don’t like you?”

Ji Lingyue froze. That… was a good question.

Lan Wu continued shouting, “If you don’t like me, why did you sleep with me? Why don’t you just tell me who you actually like? I’ll go find her right now and tell her everything we’ve done!”

Ji Lingyue was incredulous. “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’?” The vampire bared her fangs, tears still streaming down her face. “Do you like her? Does she like you? Does she know you like kissing? Does she know you go weak when someone touches you? Does she know you love being—”

Before she could finish, Ji Lingyue, her face burning red, clapped a hand over her mouth. “Keep your voice down!”

Lan Wu took the opportunity to wrap her arms around her, leaning into her.

A tear slipped down her cheek and landed on Ji Lingyue’s slender hand. Ji Lingyue, too flustered to care, scolded her in a mix of embarrassment and anger. “You… do you have no shame? How can you just say things like that?”

The vampire trembled under her scolding, suddenly deflating like a wilted flower. She lowered her gaze and mumbled something, her voice muffled by Ji Lingyue’s hand. Ji Lingyue had to let go to ask, “What did you say?”

Lan Wu looked at her pitifully. “Can you stop liking her?”

Ji Lingyue was stunned for a moment, her gaze falling on Lan Wu’s crumpled face. After a long pause, she said softly, “But…I’ve already fallen for her.”’

Lan Wu’s eyes welled up again. She choked on her own voice. “Okay then.”

With that, she stood up stiffly and began climbing out the window. Ji Lingyue was shocked and quickly jumped off the bed to grab her. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to the rooftop. I need to be alone.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Ji Lingyue wrapped her arms around Lan Wu’s waist, dragging her back into the room. “It’s still raining outside. Don’t you remember you’re still injured?”

Lan Wu pouted. “Being with you hurts more!”

“Do you even know what time it is? Can you act your age for once?”

Lan Wu was feeling more and more aggrieved and said, “It’s not even four yet. I’m sad, and I just want to go to the rooftop to clear my head. Is that so wrong?”

“There might be zombies on the roof!”

“I am not scared.”

“You’re not scared? But if you get bitten, you’ll regret it!”

As she spoke, Ji Lingyue used all her strength to pull the stubborn vampire back inside. But as soon as she closed the window, she noticed Lan Wu standing behind her, her eyes red and her expression even more sad than before.

Ji Lingyue’s heart sank. She had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Lan Wu said with a trembling voice, “Are you worried that if I get bitten, I’ll have to drink your blood again?”

Ji Lingyue quickly said, “That’s not what I meant!”

But Lan Wu wasn’t listening. She kept talking, her tone getting more and more bitter, “If you’re so desperate to distance yourself from me, then fine! Even if I get bitten, I won’t drink your blood. There are plenty of people in this world. My sister has someone with her right now. I’ll go drink her blood instead. I’ll show you. I’m not some pitiful creature who’s hopelessly stuck on you!”

With that, she angrily wiped her eyes and turned to head for the door.

Ji Lingyue took big steps to block her. “You’re not going anywhere!”

“And who are you to stop me?”

“Because I… because I…” Ji Lingyue stumbled over her words, then blurted out, “Because I’m your master!”

Lan Wu was stunned, and widened her eyes in shock, “What?”

Suddenly, Ji Lingyue took two quick steps forward and pressed her hand against the collar around Lan Wu’s neck. Lan Wu shivered and shrank back, but Ji Lingyue leaned in and bit her lip hard.

Lan Wu let out a gasp, her eyes fluttering with panic. Ji Lingyue held her head firmly, their lips and tongues mixing with the blood from the bite. The metallic taste quickly spread through their mouths.

Lan Wu’s expression grew dazed for a moment, and she couldn’t help but reach out to grasp Ji Lingyue’s waist, biting down on her tongue in return.

“Mmm!”

Ji Lingyue frowned, her body stiffening as she gripped Lan Wu’s clothes. But as their breaths grew more ragged, she gradually relaxed, trusting Lan Wu enough to wrap her arms around her shoulders.

Their steps grew tangled as they swayed together.

Thud…

Ji Lingyue’s waist bumped against the desk, and she let out a soft moan, her breathing uneven. Lan Wu seemed to notice and quickly lifted her onto the desk, her hand sliding to Ji Lingyue’s lower back to soothe her.

“Mmm, ah…”

Finally, Ji Lingyue turned her head away, gasping for breath. Her lips were wet, and her face was flushed red. Lan Wu nuzzled against her, wanting to kiss her again, but Ji Lingyue pressed a finger to her lips. “Wait… give me a second.”

Ji Lingyue caught her breath, her eyes glistening as she glanced at Lan Wu. “Have you calmed down now?”

Lan Wu stared at her for a moment, then mumbled, “You kissed me again… even though you said you don’t like me…”

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help herself. “You act like liking me is something shameful.”

Lan Wu guiltily lowered her eyes. “I never said that.”

“But you thought it.”

Lan Wu weakly defended herself, “I… I didn’t really think that either.”

“…” Ji Lingyue let out a soft sigh, nudging her tongue against the roof of her mouth where it still stung. “Forget it. Let’s stop arguing.”

Arguing with a dumb vampire would never lead to the result she wanted.

Lan Wu was shocked, and suddenly raised her head, “You’re not mad anymore?”

“I’ll stop being mad the moment you stop thinking liking me is something to be embarrassed about.”

“I… I don’t feel that way anymore…”

“I don’t believe you.”

Seeing how stubborn Ji Lingyue was, Lan Wu pursed her lips and said resentfully, “I’m really sorry. I guess it’s my fault for not being brave and beautiful or perfect as the person you realy like. No wonder you don’t believe me.”

Ji Lingyue creased her eyes, “Are you being sarcastic with me?”

“No.”

Her words said one thing, but her face was full of resentment.

The vampire wore her emotions on her sleeve, making it easy to guess what she was thinking. Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but laugh, crossing her arms and saying slowly, “Fine. Actually… I wasn’t being completely honest earlier.”

Lan Wu silently looked at her.

“I do like you… at least a little.”

“…”

After a pause, Lan Wu muttered, “Should I be happy about that?”

What kind of statement was that—I do like you… at least a little? It sounded like charity, and it made Lan Wu think of the person Ji Lingyue liked, making her teeth itch with the urge to bite something.

Ji Lingyue chuckled softly. “If you behave, maybe I’ll like you more and more.”

Lan Wu reluctantly said, “So… are you going to like two people at the same time?”

“Of course not.” She stroked the injuries on Lan Wu’s lips, and lazily said, “The more I like you, the less I’ll like her. And maybe one day, I’ll only like you.”

Lan Wu frowned, feeling like something was off with that statement, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. After thinking it over, she decided to accept it and nodded seriously. “Okay, then tell me who she is. I’ll find her, and we’ll compete fairly.”

Ji Lingyue’s smile stiffened, and nearly could not maintain her perfect expression, she sighed, and stretched her hand to hug the stupid vampire, “You’re really dumb. Haven’t you ever heard the saying?”

Lan Wu lowered her head and looked at her blankly. “What saying?”

Ji Lingyue opened her arms, leaning into Lan Wu’s embrace as her soft lips brushed against Lan Wu’s cheek. “The pavilion closest to the water…”

“…”

Lan Wu widened her eyes, as she had finally understood.

Translation note:
近水楼台先得月- The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the moonlight first. A Chinese idiom that means—Those in an advantageous position (or closer proximity) tend to receive benefits before others.