Chapter 35: A Bond Worth Protecting

“Noah Luoyao…”

The straightforward girl savored the odd name combo.

She furrowed her pretty brows, saying earnestly, “No way.”

Noah laughed. “No way? Why not?”

“So chuunibyou…”

“It sounds like a Mary Sue heroine from a middle-schooler’s romance novel.”

Luoyao recalled skimming pirated novels during college study halls.

They were greasy, sappy, and utterly shallow.

The heroines were all Mary Sues.

Rainbow hair, breathtaking beauty, immortal bodies.

And bizarre, tongue-twisting names.

Like “Liying Shang Angelina” or “Yingxueshuang Yuhanling.”

Stuff no normal person could dream up.

Now, “Noah Luoyao” felt just as bad as “Liying Shang.”

“That bad?” Noah asked.

“Yup, really bad.”

Luoyao said, “Plus, think about it.”

“If I married you—uh, no, no, pfft—not that!”

“I mean, if you turned me into a vampire and I took your surname…”

“I’d probably have to fight people, right?”

“Mhm.”

“If someone asks my name in a fight, and I say, ‘I’m Noah Luoyao! Come at me!’”

“God, the enemy would die laughing.”

Noah burst out laughing at Luoyao’s words.

She pulled Luoyao’s waist into her arms, adoringly squeezing her.

Her little dummy was too cute.

Her quirky logic was unpredictable, making her all the more lovable.

Luoyao nestled into Noah’s embrace like a little bird.

But her mind lingered on the Mary Sue topic.

She mulled over the “Mary Sue heroine” archetype.

Then glanced up at Noah, who was trying to nuzzle her cheek.

Emmm…

Rainbow hair (silver).

Drop-dead gorgeous (top-tier sultry beauty).

Near-immortal body (vampire’s near-eternal lifespan).

Weird name (Yelan Noah).

Hiss—

“Pfft! Hahaha!”

The dummy in her arms suddenly laughed out loud.

Noah, mid-nuzzle, froze, confused. “What’s so funny?”

Luoyao didn’t answer.

She wiggled her shoulders, slipping from Noah’s hold.

She skipped ahead, hands behind her back, turning with a tilt of her head. “Not~ telling~ you~ bleh~”

“Oh, now you’re keeping secrets from me? Gonna have to teach you a lesson.”

Noah pretended to chase her.

Luoyao let out a soft “Ah!” and ran.

They chased and played, heading home.

Under the streetlights, their sweet words and flirty banter twinkled like fireflies.

Faint but endless.

Noah could’ve used her vampire mind-reading to peek into Luoyao’s thoughts.

But she didn’t.

Romance meant keeping some mystery.

She wanted to learn about Luoyao bit by bit, as equals.

That kind of bond was worth protecting.

***

Back home, Luoyao tried to keep teasing Noah with little jokes.

But…

Once the silver-haired devil entered the “home” domain, her intimate urges flooded out.

Unstoppable.

“Hey, about that movie—mmph…”

Movies? Who cares about movies?

Kissing was the priority.

Noah’s hand gripped Luoyao’s slim waist.

The other traced the soft curve of her chest, climbing to her neck.

Long fingers wrapped around Luoyao’s swan-like neck.

Her body pinned her tightly to the wall.

The move was bold, almost rough.

But paired with Noah’s deep kiss, it felt so alluring.

Luoyao had no strength to resist.

The moment those cool lips met hers…

The moment Noah’s hands restrained her…

The moment she was wall-slammed…

That feeling of loving Noah’s teasing surged again.

Her brain flooded with dopamine and hormones.

The frail girl had no energy to think of anything else.

She melted into the moment.

She returned Noah’s passion.

The room’s atmosphere grew hotter, more intimate.

“Back… to the bedroom…” Luoyao gasped between kisses.

“Hm? Can’t hold back?”

Luoyao buried her head in Noah’s neck. “Mmm… wanna… feed you full.”

How could Noah resist that?

She scooped Luoyao up, heading to the bedroom.

Tonight, sleep was off the table.

***

They say you shouldn’t eat too much.

Same goes for vampires.

By noon the next day, Luoyao lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Questioning life.

Her body felt drained, inside and out.

Like something had sapped all her strength and energy.

Damn it.

She shouldn’t have let Noah feed while teasing her last night.

If Noah’s stamina was a pool, last night was like opening the drain and faucet at once.

Equal speed.

That left the silver-haired devil tireless, draining Luoyao endlessly.

Luoyao wasn’t just sleeping in till noon.

She’d been tormented by Noah from last night till now.

“Ah… keep this up, and my energy’ll be completely drained…” Luoyao sighed, closing her eyes.

Tricky.

Really tricky.

But.

It felt so good.

Thinking of it, Luoyao grabbed the Miffy rabbit, covering her face in shame.

Luoyao, you shameless, spineless thing!

Saying no, but your body’s loving it!

After wrestling with herself, sleepiness hit.

She rolled over, wanting to snuggle into Noah’s arms for a nap before working.

Noah wasn’t fully asleep.

Feeling Luoyao shift closer, she lifted an arm, eyes closed, inviting her in.

Luoyao smiled, wiggling her small frame closer.

But then, someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll check. Probably the landlord,” Luoyao whispered.

“Okay…”

That hazy, sultry voice sent shivers through her bones.

Luoyao got up gently, heading to the door.

Her place rarely had visitors.

Just the landlord, once a month, and that was it.

As she walked, another knock came.

“Coming, coming.”

Luoyao answered, reaching the entrance and opening the door.

She froze.

“S-Suyue?! What’re you doing at my place?!”