Into The Sea

Lan Wu couldn’t hold back anymore. She stepped forward. “Stop trying to sweet-talk her! What’s so great about being with you? All the fighting and running into danger! It’s better to come home with me!”

Ye Qingjun replied evenly, “Sure, staying with us isn’t exactly peaceful. But she’s human, do you really think it’s any safer for her to follow you into a place full of vampires?”

“Of course! As long as she stays with me, no other vampire will dare lay a hand on her.”

Ye Qingjun chuckled. “Then how is that any different from keeping a canary locked in a cage?”

Lan Wu was stunned, stammering, “It’s… it’s definitely not the same. I… I’ll treat her well…”

Ye Qingjun cut her off. “Whether you treat her well or not is beside the point. Shouldn’t we respect her opinion? You think she’ll be safe as long as she stays by your side, but have you ever asked her if she wants to live like that?”

Lan Wu panicked. “Of course she does! Right, Ah Yue?”

Ji Lingyue was silent for a moment before turning to Lan Wu. The vampire stared at her nervously, her red eyes glistening, as if she would burst into tears if Ji Lingyue said no.

But…

Ji Lingyue sighed silently and raised her hand, brushing the remaining silver dust from Lan Wu’s shoulder.

“I used to see you on TV when I was working part-time at the mall,” she said softly. “You always dressed beautifully, always had a bright smile, like nothing in the world could trouble you.”

Lan Wu didn’t quite understand why she was bringing this up now, but as Ji Lingyue leaned closer, she instinctively grabbed the hem of her shirt.

Ji Lingyue looked up at her blotchy red face and said gently. “But now, you get hurt almost every day and you cry all the time. Your face is always dirty, like a little stray cat.”

Lan Wu’s lashes trembled. A tear slipped down her cheek. “It’s not like I want to be like this…”

Ji Lingyue smiled. “See? You’re going to cry again.”

Lan Wu sniffled, stubbornly. “I’ve never been hit before. What’s wrong with crying when something like this happens?”

Ji Lingyue nodded. “Exactly. You’re a delicate little vampire who’s never been through anything. You’ll go hungry every day, and you’ll get hurt easily when you run into vampire hunters. So, Lan Wu, you’re not suited for the outside world. You need to go home.”

“What about you? Will you come home with me?”

Ji Lingyue lowered her gaze. “I still have my mom…”

“I can take her with us.”

“Your mother?” Ye Qingjun frowned, asking, “What’s going on? Is your mother here too?”

Before Ji Lingyue could answer, Meng Changge said, “It’s like this…”

She explained everything that had happened earlier to Ye Qingjun. The woman raised an eyebrow, surprised. “She still has consciousness even after turning into a zombie?”

Meng Changge nodded. “Not much, but it’s still there.”

Ye Qingjun pondered for a moment, then turned to Ji Lingyue. “Then that’s even more reason you can’t go with her.”

Lan Wu was shocked, so angry she wanted to bite Ye Qingjun. “Stop trying to drive a wedge between us! Even if it’s Ah Yue’s mom, I’ll protect her too!”

“It’s not because of that,” Ye Qingjun gestured to the side. “Shanye, play that broadcast we received earlier.”

Yu Shanye quickly rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a phone. Soon, a fragmented female voice came through:

“…official directive… all evacuating north… escorting researchers… Karen City Polar Research Institute… serum… citizens… evacuate… static—”

Lan Wu stood frozen, silent.

Even she could glean the information contained in the fragmented words amidst the static.

The Karen City Polar Research Institute held humanity’s greatest hope. She also knew that Ah Yue would definitely want to go after hearing this news.

As expected, Ji Lingyue said softly, “Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu shook her head, “My home is in the south.”

“I know.”

“It’s in the opposite direction.”

“I know,” Ji Lingyue stepped forward, wanting to take her hand. “Lan Wu, if there really is a serum, maybe my mother…”

“Don’t say it.” Lan Wu yanked her hand back, her voice choked. “You’re going with them. That’s what this is. You lied to me all along. Said I had an advantage because I was close to you. Said if I behaved better, you’d like me more. But you never meant to stay with me! If you want to go north, then go! You’ve been planning to leave from the start. Your kind are there, maybe even the one you really like…”     

Ji Lingyue couldn’t help but interrupt. “Lan Wu!”

Lan Wu flinched at the shout, bit her lip, and forcefully tore at the collar around her neck. “Take it off! I don’t care about you anymore! I’m leaving!”

Ji Lingyue stared at her intently. “Is that really what you want?”

“I…” Lan Wu was about to stubbornly agree, but seeing the girl’s reddened eyes, the words caught in her throat. “What does it matter what I want? Do you even care?”

Ji Lingyue took a deep breath, clenching her fists. “Yes, I have liked someone for a long time.” Just as Lan Wu was about to explode, she added fuel to the fire. “And you really can’t compare to her.”

She looked up at Lan Wu with a self-deprecating smile on her face. “After all, the real you is spoiled, arrogant, self-centered, and cold-hearted. You’re nothing like the perfect version I saw on screen.”

Lan Wu was stunned, as if not understanding what she was saying. She frowned in confusion.

Ji Lingyue’s eyes were red as she continued, “My sister used to like you a lot. Even on her hospital bed, the only time she smiled was when you were on TV. I never understood why she liked you. But later… I figured it out. You were perfect, flawless and full of hope. Of course everyone liked that.”

She took another step closer.

Lan Wu’s gaze darted away, suddenly unsettled. She couldn’t hold eye contact.

“Actually, you guessed right. I’ve been paying attention to you for a long time. I knew every show you were on, every song you liked, all your rumored girlfriends. I even went to your seventeenth birthday party.”

She tilted her head slightly, her black eyes flashing with a short, unsettling smile. “I’m creepy, aren’t I?”

Lan Wu shook her head quickly. “No! You’re not creepy at all!”

“But when my sister died, I promised myself I’d stop liking you. And then… the virus broke out. And somehow, I ran into you again.” She let out a laugh. “But you weren’t anything like who I remembered. You were weak, reckless, spoiled, and always crying. How could I ever like someone like that?”

Lan Wu glanced at her cautiously, feeling wronged. “I’m not that bad… am I?”

Ji Lingyue glared at her, her voice trembling. “You’re irresponsible. Immature. You never think about anyone else.”

Lan Wu wanted to retort, but seeing the tears in the girl’s eyes, she suddenly understood and lowered her gaze. “…I’m sorry.”

Ji Lingyue roughly wiped her face with her sleeve. Her voice came out hoarse. “She was right, you know. If going with you means being a caged bird… then no, I don’t want that.”

“…I see.”

Lan Wu’s lips pressed together in disappointment, but when she saw the redness around Ji Lingyue’s eyes from wiping, her heart ached. She gently reached out to touch the spot. Ji Lingyue’s eyelashes fluttered, and she leaned her cheek into Lan Wu’s cool palm, placing her hand on the back of the vampire’s hand.

“Lan Wu.”

“Mm?”

“…Have you ever thought about coming with me?”