Chapter 80: A Twisted Mixer and a Ruthless Reckoning

“Let’s go too.”

The two girls Xia had brought exchanged glances, their voices tinged with obvious disappointment and a lingering hint of fear.

Their gazes involuntarily flickered towards Xiao Moyuan, who stood not far away, then quickly darted away. Finally, their eyes settled on Su Mian, who was standing very close to Xiao Moyuan, and their expressions became complex and subtle.

“Hmph, what a boring mixer,” one of the girls muttered, pouting. Her voice was low, yet clear enough for Su Mian, who was nearby, to hear. “Some people just don’t know how to consider a girl’s feelings.”

The other girl immediately chimed in, her tone laced with undisguised malice and speculation. As she passed Su Mian, she deliberately whispered in a clear, mocking voice,

“Exactly. Two grown men being all lovey-dovey and talking about ‘love rivals’? Don’t tell me they’re using the ‘rival’ excuse to hide *that kind* of relationship? How disgusting!”

These words burned into Su Mian’s ears, and her cheeks instantly flushed crimson. A searing heat spread rapidly, encompassing her entire neck.

She yearned to retort, but her lips merely fumbled for words. Finding herself utterly at a loss for how to defend herself, she could only lower her head in embarrassment, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

Lu Yang, who had been simmering with frustration because these two girls had ignored his overtures and only stared at Xiao Moyuan, suddenly erupted. Hearing them dare to openly slander his roommate, his temper flared.

He lunged forward, positioning himself in front of Su Mian. His usually cheerful face was now contorted with fury as he pointed at the two girls and cursed without reservation.

“Damn it! You two little hussies, do you really think you’re something special? Did I not try to consider your feelings earlier?

It was your eyes that were only on Xiao Moyuan, and now that you’ve been rejected, you start spouting nonsense? You judgmental pieces of trash, scram!”

Lu Yang was tall and an athlete. Now, in a fit of rage, a fierce aura radiated from his brows and eyes, startling the two girls.

They seemed not to have expected Lu Yang to openly tear into them. Their faces cycled through shades of green and white, and though they tried to argue, Lu Yang’s fierce glare silenced them.

Ultimately, they merely huffed, “Lunatic! Clown!” before stomping away on their high heels.

Su Mian was utterly stunned. She had never imagined Lu Yang would so brazenly defend her, completely disregarding his image, by directly confronting those two girls.

Xiao Moyuan subtly retracted the hand he had slightly raised, ready to strike the two girls. His gaze now rested on Lu Yang as he commented blandly, a hint of almost imperceptible approval in his tone.

“Su Mian, this roommate of yours is a good person.”

***

“The girls are all gone.” Lu Yang’s earlier ferocity instantly deflated.

He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping, his face etched with dejection. “Sigh, it seems this mixer was a bust again. My grand mission to find a girlfriend remains eternally out of reach…”

He scratched his head, looking at Qin Xuan and Su Mian with a touch of uncertainty, his voice laced with self-doubt. “But was I really like a clown just now?”

Qin Xuan adjusted his glasses, his gaze towards Lu Yang now holding less of his usual teasing and more genuine seriousness. He shook his head, his tone firm.

“I retract my previous statement. Your actions to protect your roommate just now were not ugly at all.”

Su Mian also nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lu Yang, speaking with heartfelt sincerity. “Yes, Boss Lu, you were super cool just now! Especially handsome!”

Praised by both of them, Lu Yang became somewhat shy. A faint, almost imperceptible blush spread across his tanned face.

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “Really? Hehe… But now that the girls have all run off, it’s just us bachelors left. What should we do next?”

He had initially thought of suggesting they go to a bar, but his gaze fell upon Su Mian beside him. He immediately recalled her terrible alcohol tolerance and subsequent “heroics” at the KTV.

He quickly suppressed that idea.

Su Mian watched the scene before her, a faint sense of self-reproach rising within her. She vaguely felt that she had “monopolized” Xiao Moyuan for the entire day.

She had slept against him in the KTV, and he had carried her out of the haunted house… It seemed he hadn’t given anyone else, especially Shen Zhixia, any opportunity to approach Xiao Moyuan.

It was no wonder those two girls had voiced their opinions. Perhaps… Zhixia had left early for the same reason?

She had initially hoped this mixer would help her grow closer to Shen Zhixia, but her plans had completely fallen through. Instead, her relationship with Xiao Moyuan seemed to have inexplicably grown even closer?

This bizarre development left her with a mix of emotions. However, from another perspective, at least Xiao Moyuan hadn’t interacted much with Shen Zhixia today…

From the standpoint of “revenge” and “competition,” this outcome didn’t seem so bad after all.

Lu Yang sighed again, waving his hand. “Forget it, forget it. It seems today isn’t an auspicious day for a mixer. It’s getting late anyway. Let’s all go home and meet up another time.”

Su Mian quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Boss Lu, it seems I spoiled the fun today…”

Lu Yang waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned. “What does that have to do with you? It was clearly those two women who were tactless and had loose tongues! And Xia too, he just suddenly left without a clear word, acting all mysterious.”

Just then, Xiao Moyuan, who had been largely silent, suddenly spoke. His voice was calm yet clear. “I’ll treat you all to dinner.”

“Huh?”

Lu Yang instinctively cupped his ear, his face a picture of disbelief. He turned to Qin Xuan, asking in an exaggerated tone, “Xuan! Am I hearing things? What did the handsome, kind, and thoughtful Campus Prince Xiao just say? He wants to treat us to dinner?”

Qin Xuan maintained his usual unperturbed composure, calmly repeating, “He said he would treat us to dinner.”

Su Mian also felt utterly surprised. Shen Zhixia wasn’t present, so Xiao Moyuan wouldn’t be trying to curry favor with her by treating them. Why would he do this?

It completely contradicted his usual demeanor.

While Xiao Moyuan went to retrieve his car, Lu Yang winked at Su Mian, his voice filled with admiration. “Well done, Mianzi! You’ve really got a knack! How long has it been, and you’re already so tight with Xiao Moyuan?

You even got him to offer to treat us to dinner! My friend, I’m riding on your coattails this time!”

Su Mian’s cheeks flushed at his words as she softly protested, “It’s… it’s not because of me… Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lu Yang chuckled, an expression of ‘I’ve seen through everything’ on his face. “Oh, come on! Still pretending? With how Xiao Moyuan has been treating you lately, do you think it’s the same as how he treats others?

He let you lean on him and sleep for half the day in the KTV without a peep, and he must have taken good care of you in the haunted house just now. Qin and I aren’t related to him, so why would he treat us to dinner? It’s clearly out of respect for you!

Honestly, in my entire life, you’re the only one I admire for being able to get along so well with a love rival. I doubt there are many people in the world who could do that.”

Lu Yang’s analysis sounded quite logical. Su Mian thought it over carefully, and it seemed to be true.

Could it be… Xiao Moyuan was choosing this method to “show goodwill” and “seal her lips” because she held his “secret”? The more she pondered, the more plausible this possibility seemed.

Soon, Xiao Moyuan drove his understated yet expensive car to a stop in front of them. Lu Yang and Qin Xuan, ever so perceptive, almost scrambled to pull open the rear passenger doors and clambered inside.

Su Mian, however, stood momentarily frozen. Then, as if driven by some ingrained habit, she naturally walked to the front passenger seat, pulled open the door, and settled in. She even instinctively adjusted into a comfortable posture, as if she had sat in that very spot countless times before.

Sitting in the back, Qin Xuan’s gaze swept between Su Mian and the front passenger seat, as if he had discovered something intriguing. He remarked in a calm yet pointed tone, “Su Mian sitting in the front passenger seat looks quite fitting.”

Prompted by his observation, Lu Yang also realized, craning his neck forward in astonishment. “That’s right, Mianzi! How come you don’t even need to adjust the seat when you get in the front passenger seat?

It’s as if this spot was custom-made for you! Have you sat here before?”

Su Mian’s heart fluttered with panic at the question. She instinctively turned to look at Xiao Moyuan in the driver’s seat. Xiao Moyuan was focused on starting the car. Hearing the question, he didn’t turn his head, merely stating a fact in his unique, emotionless, bland tone:

“No one has ever sat in this seat but you.”

This statement was an almost direct hint. He was telling Su Mian that he knew the “sweetheart marshmallow” who often sat there was her.

However, at this moment, Su Mian’s brain seemed to short-circuit, completely failing to grasp the underlying meaning. She was merely shocked by the superficial implication of the words.

In all these years, Xiao Moyuan’s front passenger seat had truly never carried another woman? Including Shen Zhixia?

A strange, secret joy quietly blossomed, causing her lips to unconsciously curl into a slight smile. The melancholy and self-reproach she had felt earlier from being mocked largely dissipated. Her mood suddenly brightened.

***

Meanwhile, in a luxurious penthouse suite on the top floor of another city hotel.

The two girls Xia had brought had left so swiftly and decisively because they had almost simultaneously received messages from Xia, complete with a location and a substantial transfer of money.

“Oh, actually, if you think about it, Xia is quite good too, handsome and generous to us!” One girl said, her face beaming as she looked at the transfer notification on her phone.

“Exactly, exactly! Much better than that cold Xiao Moyuan! When we get to the hotel, don’t you dare fight with me; let me go first…” The other girl cooed, her tone suggestive.

“Dream on! We’ll see who Brother Xia chooses then~”

Filled with anticipation for the “romantic night” ahead, the two followed the address to the hotel and found the room. The door was ajar.

They exchanged glances, seeing the word “intimacy” in each other’s eyes, and with a knowing smile, they gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was unlit, with only a faint glow from the city’s neon lights outside filtering in, outlining the blurry contours of the interior. A tall figure stood with his back to them, facing the floor-to-ceiling window—it was Xia.

“Brother Xia~ You left so suddenly just now, were you just too eager to be ‘intimate’ with us alone?” one girl purred, her voice sickly sweet, as she casually shed her small jacket, revealing a sexy slip dress underneath.

The other girl was not to be outdone, approaching him while saying in a seductive tone, “Exactly, you made us worry for so long…”

Xia, standing by the window, slowly turned around. His voice sounded unusually hoarse and low, as if he was trying desperately to suppress something. “Come here…”

The two girls didn’t notice the strangeness in his voice, mistaking it for mood-setting. They giggled and walked towards him as instructed.

In the faint light from the window, they could still make out Xia’s handsome profile, which only made their hearts flutter even more.

However, as Xia lowered his head and slowly brought his face close to one of the girl’s tender necks, she was still lost in shyness and anticipation, closing her eyes and cooing, “You’re so impatient~”

The gentle kiss she imagined never came. Instead, there was a sudden, sharp, bone-chilling pain!

“Ah—!”

A piercing scream instantly shattered the intimate atmosphere in the room. The girl’s eyes snapped open, and she looked in horror at Xia, who was terrifyingly close.

In the moonlight, she clearly saw that Xia’s once captivating pale blue eyes had now turned a bestial crimson!

His face was contorted, bearing a nearly savage greed, and from the corners of his mouth extended two sharp fangs, glinting with cold light!

The other girl was petrified by this sudden turn of events, standing frozen for a second. Then, she let out an even more terrified shriek, turning to flee towards the door.

But Xia was faster!

He violently flung aside the girl in his arms, who was rapidly shriveling as her blood was quickly drained. His figure flickered like a ghost, instantly blocking the escapee’s path.

“No… don’t! Help me…” The plea for mercy abruptly ceased. Xia mercilessly seized her, his fangs once again piercing her warm neck. A greedy slurping sound echoed, eerily clear and terrifying in the silent room.

In just a few moments, two vibrant lives had completely vanished, their bodies collapsing to the floor like discarded refuse, faces frozen in expressions of ultimate terror and agony.

After absorbing the vital blood of the two young girls, Xia’s face, which had been pale and weak from the spiritual artifact’s attack, regained some color. The unstable, violent aura surrounding him also slightly subsided.

He licked the lingering blood from the corner of his lips, a flash of satisfaction in his crimson eyes, which was quickly replaced by gloom. “A high-grade spiritual artifact… to injure me so severely…”

He muttered in a low voice, filled with suppressed anger and a hint of bewilderment. Even with the replenishment of blood, this burning pain and sluggishness of power would still require some time to fully recover.

He simply couldn’t fathom how an ordinary student from the human world could possess such a powerful item, specifically designed to counter the strength of their vampire clan. It was this unexpected defense that had caused him such a great loss.

Just then, the room door was gently pushed open, and Shen Zhixia silently entered. When she saw the two shriveled corpses on the floor and the strong scent of blood in the air, her pupils constricted slightly, but her face didn’t show much surprise.

Her gaze fell on Xia, and the surprise in her eyes flickered away as she respectfully lowered her head. “You… what happened?”

Xia snorted coldly, explaining in an unpleasant tone, “That Su Mian has a very high-grade spiritual artifact protecting her. I was momentarily careless and was injured by it.”

Shen Zhixia was stunned by this revelation. Su Mian had a spiritual artifact? This was completely beyond her expectations.

However, upon learning that Su Mian had apparently escaped harm because of it, a subtle sense of relief involuntarily washed over her.

“Then… what about Xiao Moyuan?” Xia’s crimson eyes turned to Shen Zhixia, questioning her.

Shen Zhixia’s heart tightened. She lowered her gaze, speaking in a hushed tone, “My apologies, Lord Xia… Today… I never found a suitable opportunity to act.”

“Useless!”

Before her words fully faded, Xia violently raised his hand, striking Shen Zhixia’s face with a fierce gust of wind! A crisp *smack* echoed, and Shen Zhixia staggered back, a clear red five-finger mark instantly appearing on her cheek, burning with pain.

She bit her lower lip, not uttering a sound, but a fleeting trace of suppressed resentment and humiliation flashed in her eyes. Xia’s voice was icy and chilling, leaving no room for doubt:

“I’ll give you three more days. If you fail to deal with Xiao Moyuan within three days, don’t blame me for being ruthless and reclaiming the blood I bestowed upon you. You know what fate awaits you then!”

Shen Zhixia’s body trembled almost imperceptibly. For her, losing the blood supply meant a decline in power, aging, and ultimately, complete demise.

She bowed her head deeply, concealing the complex emotions swirling in her eyes, and responded in an almost inaudible voice, “Yes… I understand.”

With that, she silently exited the blood-soaked room, gently closing the door behind her. In the dim light of the corridor, she caressed her swollen cheek, the ruthlessness and determination in her eyes growing ever clearer.

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