Ye Xi nodded slightly.
“When are you leaving? Do you need me to go with you?”
“Tomorrow after school. I can go by myself.”
“Fine. Also, your strength is too weak. I can bring you breakfast tomorrow morning.”
Shen Ji rubbed his hands together, trying to negotiate.
“Actually, I’ve been used to this for so many years. There’s no need to bring anything.”
Recalling the nauseating Raw Beef Blood, the thought of having to drink it a second time was unbearable.
He couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t spray it out every time.
“Do you really think you can hide forever?”
“This…”
“Stop talking nonsense. See you tomorrow.”
Ye Xi did not hesitate.
She turned around, waved her hand, and stepped onto the window sill.
She looked back deeply at Shen Ji and said something baffling.
“Shen Ji, I have high hopes for you, and not just for now.”
Shen Ji was about to ask for clarification, but Ye Xi had already landed on the crooked tree outside.
Her figure flickered a few times, and she vanished from sight.
Shen Ji was slightly stunned, but he closed the window and lay on the bed with his hands behind his head.
Smelling the lingering fragrance she left behind, his mind began to wander for a moment.
However, the lingering metallic taste in his mouth pulled him back to reality.
She was a member of the Blood Race.
Even though he couldn’t get rid of his status as a member of the Blood Race for now because of the [Vampire Hunter System], he knew his path.
‘If I want to grow stronger quickly, I’ll likely end up on the opposite side of the Blood Race. When that time comes, will Ye Xi still treat me as one of her kind?’
‘No, maybe I’ll have sold Ye Xi out before then. As for what she said about the Official taking action against the Blood Race, I’m still skeptical. It might just be a reason she made up to deceive me.’
Although he had no grand ambitions, since the heavens had given him a second chance, he would only cherish his life more.
***
The next day, as the wake-up call sounded, Shen Ji shook his groggy head.
He glanced at the motionless Zhou Yang and felt a pang of anxiety.
‘That tigress Ye Xi… she doesn’t know her own strength. She didn’t kill him, did she? If she did, then all my previous plans are useless.’
Thinking of this, Shen Ji crept over and placed his hand under Zhou Yang’s nose.
Fortunately, he was still breathing. Shen Ji didn’t dawdle; he kicked him, forcibly waking him up.
Zhou Yang yelled in pain and rubbed his bleary eyes.
His memory was still stuck on the moment he saw Shen Ji and the School Beauty kissing passionately.
He immediately cursed, “Shen Ji! I treat you like a brother, but you actually forcibly kissed my goddess!”
Shen Ji rolled his eyes.
It was clearly Ye Xi who had forcibly kissed him.
“Have you slept yourself stupid? Where is your goddess?”
“Isn’t she right… there?”
Shen Ji looked at him as if he were an idiot.
Zhou Yang also began to doubt himself.
‘Could it really have been a dream? But that dream was so…’
“Stop your daydreaming. Class is about to start. If you’re late, let’s see if the homeroom teacher skins you alive.”
Watching Shen Ji head toward the washstand, Zhou Yang felt something was off.
He glanced at the muddy footprints on the floor but didn’t think much more of it.
Getting to class was the priority.
Shen Ji glanced sideways at Zhou Yang as he followed, beginning to recall the story of the original owner and this good brother.
The two had been assigned to the same dormitory since tenth grade.
Since both had reserved yet sly personalities, they got along well and eventually became best friends.
As twelfth grade approached, the boys and girls were at the age where their hearts were beginning to bloom.
Ye Xi, recognized as the School Beauty of the class, was regarded as a goddess by many boys, including Zhou Yang.
Thinking that Ye Xi would come to give him food this morning, Shen Ji couldn’t help but feel nervous.
If others saw it, he would likely become the center of school gossip.
Therefore, Shen Ji decided to head out early to see if he could intercept Ye Xi, preferably without being noticed.
But things didn’t go as planned.
Shen Ji looked at the empty classroom and realized he had arrived too early.
With a sigh, he cleared a space on his mountain of a desk and began to catch up on some sleep.
It had to be said that a school desk was a magical place.
Although the comfort level was close to zero, the sleepiness it induced was one hundred percent.
Just as Shen Ji was in a deep sleep, the sound of someone knocking on the desk reached his ears, followed by the familiar fragrance from the night before.
Shen Ji wiped the drool from his mouth and locked eyes with Ye Xi’s beautiful gaze.
The noisy surroundings suddenly became quiet.
“Shen Ji, I brought you breakfast. Taste it and see if it’s to your liking.”
Shen Ji didn’t seem to realize his situation yet.
He tilted his head and said casually, “Put it there. I’ll eat it later.”
“Tell me I’m dreaming. School Beauty Ye actually brought Shen Ji breakfast, and he’s acting like he doesn’t even care!”
“Brother, you’re not dreaming. This is real. My goddess, what do you see in this sickly guy?”
“Argh! Shen Ji, how can you treat School Beauty Ye like this? Go to hell!”
It was only then that Shen Ji sensed the faint hostility around him.
He looked up and scanned the room.
An emotion composed of jealousy and hatred was spreading.
His desk mate and best friend, Zhou Yang, felt this even more strongly.
He took a vicious bite of the fried dough stick he had brought back from the cafeteria.
His eyes and movements suggested he wasn’t biting a dough stick, but Shen Ji himself.
Ye Xi was the first to break the eerie atmosphere, her brow furrowed slightly.
“I’m watching you eat. Now. Right now. Immediately.”
Seeing the unquestionable look in Ye Xi’s eyes, Shen Ji ignored the stares from the room and opened the bag.
There were three white buns.
They looked much more normal than the Raw Beef Blood from last night, though their appearance was a bit difficult to describe.
They looked handmade.
Shen Ji raised an eyebrow.
‘Something’s wrong. There’s always a catch. The problem must be the filling.’
Sure enough, a chewy texture was accompanied by a thick metallic taste.
With just one bite, Shen Ji almost couldn’t stop himself from vomiting.
**[Ding! Detecting that the host is absorbing Raw Duck Blood.]**
Shen Ji looked at Ye Xi with a look of utter despair.
However, Ye Xi’s eyes told him: ‘Just try spitting it out.’
Shen Ji’s behavior undoubtedly ignited the anger of everyone around him.
The great School Beauty Ye was kind enough to bring him breakfast, but him?
Not only did he not appreciate it, he looked like he wanted to vomit?
Shen Ji was now powerless to complain.
He picked up the remaining buns and swallowed them in a few large gulps.
Just then, the bell rang.
A gray-haired man with a hunched back walked into the classroom.
Sensing the strange atmosphere in the class, he knocked on the blackboard.
“Your homeroom teacher is on leave. I will be taking this first period today.”
“The student at the back door, close the door. And the students by the window, pull the curtains. Today, we’re going to talk about some things that aren’t in the textbooks.”
These words immediately caught the attention of most of the class.
Ye Xi’s admirers were no exception.
Although they harbored resentment toward Shen Ji, the relationship between the two hadn’t been confirmed yet, which meant they still had a chance.
“I assume everyone is curious why our history only goes back 1,000 years. Is it possible we didn’t exist 1,000 years ago?”
“Obviously, that isn’t the case.”
“Sir, can you stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us?”
“A thousand years ago, the rulers of this world were the Blood Race. It stayed that way until we humans overthrew their rule. But recently…”
The man’s sharp eyes swept over everyone.
“Certain people among them have been instigating rumors that the Blood Race is about to undergo a Restoration. Therefore, the higher-ups have decided to carry out a Great Purge of the remaining Blood Race.”
This made Shen Ji feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
It seemed Ye Xi hadn’t lied to him; the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.