Chapter 43: Jiang Jianyue’s Invitation

Ye Xi patted Shen Ji’s shoulder sympathetically.

Thinking about his true identity, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for him.

As a human, he could have stayed away from all this. What could have led him so deep into this world?

“Shen Ji, why did you choose to become part of the Blood Race?”

Shen Ji paused for a moment before replying with a straight face.

“When I was at death’s door, a system fell on my head. It told me I was the chosen one and tasked me with becoming the hero who saves the Blood Race. So, I became one.”

Ye Xi jokingly put him in a headlock, baring her teeth.

“Tell your big sister the truth, or I’ll make sure you never see tomorrow’s sun.”

Shen Ji quickly patted her arm, pleading for mercy.

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’m gonna die!”

Ye Xi’s grip loosened as she looked at him curiously.

“To be honest, I don’t know. One day, I just suddenly became like this.”

Seeing that Shen Ji was truly clueless, Ye Xi dropped the subject and changed the topic.

“Then what are your thoughts about the future?”

“To survive, and then…”

“And then what?”

“To have a girl on each arm, a harem of wives, and live a carefree life.”

Ye Xi’s face instantly darkened.

She stomped on his foot and spoke through gritted teeth.

“Oh, a girl on each arm? A harem of wives?”

As if that wasn’t enough to vent her frustration, she ground her heel left and right.

Sss—

Shen Ji inhaled sharply from the pain.

The harem part was a joke, but having a girl on each arm was something he actually wanted to achieve.

After all, there was still the Little Stutterer, Jiang Jianyue, waiting for him.

He hadn’t approached her easily because his strength wasn’t sufficient yet.

When they parted at the entrance of the residential area last time, he had been forced to make a promise for her to wait for him.

Jiang Jianyue seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted.

Her only conditions were that Shen Ji had to meet her every week and reply to her messages promptly.

What he said just now was only to test Ye Xi’s attitude.

Looking at it now, there was still a long way to go before Ye Xi would accept Jiang Jianyue.

Ye Xi crossed her arms and turned her head away.

“How are things going with that human girl?”

“Which one are you talking about?”

“You mean there are others?”

Seeing Ye Xi about to flare up again, Shen Ji quickly raised three fingers in a placating gesture.

“The two of us are completely innocent. We’re just friends.”

“Do friends send you home? Do friends bring you food? Do friends hug and cuddle?”

Ye Xi’s triple interrogation shattered Shen Ji’s guilty mask.

He scratched his face awkwardly.

“What kind of jealousy is this? Jiang Jianyue is a human. How could I possibly mess with her?”

At the same time, Shen Ji added silently in his mind.

‘She’s the one who approached me. It has nothing to do with me.’

Ye Xi snorted coldly.

“It’s good that you know.”

*

Nanjiang New District, the Jiang family villa.

Jiang Jianyue had just returned from school.

She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto her bed, hugging a bear plushie.

She muttered to herself.

“Panpan, do you think Shen Ji will find me annoying because I chose to cling to him like this?”

“But I really can’t accept never seeing him again.”

“Do you think I’m being too selfish…”

Just as Jiang Jianyue was feeling discouraged, her phone suddenly rang with a notification sound for a special contact.

The gloom on her face vanished as she excitedly grabbed her phone.

-Little Stutterer, what are you doing?

-In bed.

-Then guess what I’m doing?

-Can’t guess.

-Little Stutterer, are you an AI? Talking like this makes it really easy to kill a conversation.

Jiang Jianyue panicked and sent a voice message.

-Shen… Shen Ji, it’s my fault. I’m… I’m too stupid.

-Alright, I didn’t mean to blame you. By the way, is there any new news at school?

-Wang Kai’s father came to the school looking for you. He said his son’s disappearance must have something to do with you. Shen Ji, are you really…

On the other side of the screen, Shen Ji rubbed his temples in frustration.

He really shouldn’t have been greedy and taken that money.

Now, trouble had arrived.

Fortunately, after he returned, he had already asked Liu Yao and the others to take Xiao Wan away.

This allowed them to further investigate Xiao Wan’s condition and facilitate the solution for her to become human again.

It also avoided any potential retaliation from Wang Kai’s father.

-Of course it has nothing to do with me. Don’t worry.

After getting a positive answer, Jiang Jianyue patted her chest in relief.

-Can you go to Nanjiang Square with me tomorrow?

Jiang Jianyue waited expectantly for a reply.

She had consulted her only best friend in class, Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi told her that if she wanted to be with a boy she liked, she shouldn’t just capture his stomach; she also needed to create time to be alone with him.

Meanwhile, Shen Ji was screaming in his heart.

The Little Stutterer really knew how to pick her timing.

The Midnight Society was going to start their move at Nanjiang Square tomorrow, yet she wanted to take him there.

-Don’t you have classes tomorrow?

-I took the day off.

-But…

-Then should I go find you right now?

Just seeing that sentence, Shen Ji could already imagine Jiang Jianyue’s pitiful expression.

But then he looked up.

Through the sliding door of the bathroom, he could catch a glimpse of Ye Xi’s graceful figure through the water droplets.

Ye Xi was at his house!

If Jiang Jianyue came over now, wouldn’t things explode?

No, he absolutely couldn’t let that happen.

-Tomorrow, then. We’ll go early and come back early.

Jiang Jianyue gave a silly smile and sent a cute “Understood” emoji before putting her phone away with satisfaction.

Shen Ji let out a long breath.

The Blood Moon would descend at night.

As long as they didn’t delay until evening, there was still room for maneuver.

*

Just then, Ye Xi’s voice came from the bathroom.

“Xiao Jizi, bring me my clothes.”

“Huh?”

“Or should I come out and get them myself?”

“Don’t! You stay there. I’ll bring them to you right away.”

Shen Ji cautiously opened Ye Xi’s suitcase.

Besides a few simple sets of cosmetics, there were some clothes.

Among those clothes, some made Shen Ji turn bright red.

“Wh-Which… Which ones do you… want?”

Ye Xi pursed her lips in the bathroom, her voice teasing.

“Of course, it depends on which ones you like.”

Shen Ji bit his lip and finally chose the most conservative set of undergarments.

The moment he picked them up, he was deeply shocked.

This girl, Ye Xi, was really hiding a lot of talent!

“Here.”

Shen Ji turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut.

“No peeking.”

“Am I that kind of person!?”

Steam accompanied by the scent of body wash wafted toward Shen Ji.

Then came the sound of dripping water.

drip, drip

Shen Ji turned his head even further away.

“Hmm… Not bad. Since you’re being so honest, I’ll give you a reward.”

Suddenly, Shen Ji felt wet strands of hair brush against his neck.

Then, a warm and soft sensation touched his cheek.

Shen Ji dug his nails into his palms.

‘I’m just a hot-blooded young man. Ye Xi, don’t push me!’

Looking at Shen Ji, whose face had turned the color of a beet, the corners of Ye Xi’s mouth curled up.

She took the undergarments and went back into the bathroom.

Hearing the bathroom door close, Shen Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

But then it occurred to him that Ye Xi would likely be staying at his house for quite a while.

That meant he might encounter scenes like this more than once.

“This is a disaster!”

At that moment, Ye Xi pushed open the door and said.

“What are you muttering about out here? Move aside. You didn’t even bring me my pajamas. If I had known, I wouldn’t have given you a reward.”

Shen Ji quickly covered his eyes with both hands.

“You didn’t say!”

“You clearly wanted to look, and you even specifically picked this style.”

Seeing that he couldn’t win the argument, Shen Ji changed the topic.

“Why did you send A Ran to Liu Yao’s side?”

“First, I don’t want her to disturb our time alone.”

“Second, we need to know exactly how far Liu Yao and the others are planning to go.”