Chapter 8

Four pairs of eyes met, separated by a candle with a flickering flame in between

I expressed my dissatisfaction, and in return, Li Duidui gave me a light glance and said, "Oh, then I am quite good to you."

... ...

Hmm?

I swallowed a mouthful of saliva

"You little brat, you are driving me crazy!" The young girl slammed down the phone and cursed in her dialect, "If it weren't for the fact that the noodles are almost overcooked, I would have cursed him to death today." As she spoke, she opened a pair of disposable chopsticks and took a couple of bites of noodles. The warm noodles soothed her stomach, as if calming her heart as well. Only then did she look up at me, her emotions no longer as intense as they had been during the phone call.

I know how much Li Duidui dislikes the term "together"

But Li Duidui, I could only stare at him blankly, and after a long while, I asked: "Are you asking me to wait for you to go home together?"

May I explore on my own

Surrounded by bluestone stairs and dilapidated buildings, in the distance below is the river, and not far up is a bustling tourist area. If my boyfriend were here, based on my years of accumulated experience, I could think of a thousand things we could do, whether warm-hearted or thrilling, anything at all, we could do whatever we wanted

I am not here for business, I, uh... am here to wait for Director Li to finish work.

Well, I am his neighbor. Today is a bit of a special situation, so... um...

He squinted slightly, turned around, crossed his arms, leaned against the dilapidated wooden door, pushed up his glasses, looked at me with a gaze that suggested I was foolish, and slowly said: "Besides waiting for me to finish work, what do you think you and I can do here?"

Wait for me

Li

Do you know that your expression and tone when you call me are just like Li Peipei calling Mangzi

Therefore, from the very beginning, I never considered that he would "deign" to return with me in order to protect me.

I was successfully frightened by him

Of course, as a necessity of life, blood powder occasionally has some counterfeit and inferior products infiltrating the market, which endangers the health of vampires. Therefore, their association also has a significant responsibility to combat these inferior products

I smiled slightly, neither affirming nor denying, and quietly listened to her other complaints

Yes, as I mentioned before, I believe Li Duidui secretly dislikes me because I have broken his rules

Did you have Li accompany you yesterday and lose your mind? Are you so foolish that you can't understand Chinese? He switched to confrontational mode, and I didn't respond in time because I was a bit confused

I always feel that any words, whether lies, exaggerations, or jokes, become the truth when Li Dui Dui stares at me while saying them

"Who loves lighting candles? It's both smoky and stuffy. The corridor light broke down last week, and no one has come to fix it. I had no choice but to light the candles." She walked in, tossing the small noodles onto the table, and the aroma of the noodles instantly filled the room. The spicy scent stimulated my taste buds, making me feel a bit hungry. "Excuse me, that's my office chair; you should sit over there."

This is simply a place of inspiration

In the reflection of his lenses, I resembled a startled fawn, pressing my lips together, holding my breath, and staring at him without blinking.

It is quite miraculous. I am a comic author who started drawing at home right after graduation and have never worked in any company. I never imagined that one day, I would find myself listening to a vampire complain about the troubles of work, deep underground at an unknown depth.

I... I had a nightmare. As I spoke, I sat up and realized that my palms were clenched so tightly that they ached, and my back was drenched in cold sweat

He is a predatory lion, well-fed, and in his leisure time, he gives me some warnings. So when he uttered the words "prey," I stood up with goosebumps all over my body.

I am not foolish, nor am I incapable of understanding what Li Duidui is saying to me; I simply do not understand him.

As I had just begun to speak, I suddenly heard a soft "crack" sound, and a flame leaped out. In the corner, Li Duidui lit a candle, and the flickering light danced across his face, accentuating his features. For a brief moment, I felt as if this place was not a dilapidated ancient town in Ciqikou, but rather a distant castle on the European continent, inhabited by a capricious vampire count.

He pulled up a chair, sat down beside me, crossed his arms and legs, and looked at me: "Go ahead, speak." That confident expression seemed to suggest that no matter how terrifying things might be in the world, they were insignificant in his presence

Then suddenly realized

He frowned, displaying a typical landlord's impatience: "Were you off in your own world while I was speaking just now? Do you expect two doctors to protect you on your way back?"

Oh... I moved aside while holding the candle

The voice was clearly filled with panic. It seemed she was in a place that was both stuffy and hot. She kept walking, weaving through the crowded masses, and every face she passed was clouded with sorrow and despair. The atmosphere was one of deep sadness and hopelessness. She asked everyone she encountered: "Where is my child? Have you seen my child? He is a little boy, wearing a blue cloth outfit. Have you seen him?"

I would have been better off not explaining; once I did, the little girl’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. I couldn't articulate my thoughts clearly, so I simply kept quiet, allowing her to scrutinize me from head to toe. Then, while eating noodles, she began to speak to me:

Li Duidui seems to hope that each of us maintains a distance from one another or rather

I heard someone calling my name

I looked at him for a while: "What else?"

To preserve my life and avoid unnecessary risks, I believe this is the primary reason for my survival in this perilous world as an ordinary and unremarkable individual

"What are you doing holding the candle? Can't you see even with the light on?" she asked me

Then Li Dui Dui smiled with a forced grin and said: "What do you think, prey?"

I turned my head to look at him, only to find that he was also looking at me

As I surveyed my surroundings, I asked: "Where are we now? Are we still in Ciqikou? Is this underground? How deep did you dig? I mean, how could the Vampire Association, with such an interesting name, be operating in a dilapidated building? Should I wait here for you? Can I walk around by myself? I promise I won't touch anything!"

He lowered his gaze and turned his head to walk towards the dilapidated building. I stood behind him, sensing that he was laughing, at least he found me amusing... However, when he turned back to look at me, there was not a trace of amusement in his eyes, still as aloof as usual.

The young girl was arguing with someone on the phone, and I observed a verbal battle of a non-human public institution up close.

Hello? This is the front desk, can you communicate with the director? Could you please ask him to stop scaring the new employees? It is really exhausting to explain every time that we are a modern, law-abiding workplace! I am very busy, you know! ... ... You are not saying anything? Are you expecting me to talk to the director myself? What is the purpose of your secretarial office? ... ... You are not saying anything? Are you expecting me to talk to the director myself? What is the purpose of your secretarial office?

His words left me bewildered. I was stunned for a moment before responding: "Let's wait for the doctor to return with me to treat Li Peipei."

I chattered excitedly, and only when I paused to catch my breath did I realize that I had shattered the tranquility of this place, much like a square dance intruding into a library, so out of place. Yet, Li Duidui surprisingly did not admonish me to be quiet.

Isn't it said that ... ... a candle is a passport

Suddenly, with a loud "boom," the sky collapsed and the earth shattered, stones fell from above, and the crowd began to scream in panic, creating a scene of chaos. In the midst of this turmoil, she could only scream in despair: "Youngest child! Youngest child!"

I know that vampires no longer drink human blood as much. In modern society, they have long developed a high-nutrition, high-value blood powder that can be produced efficiently, similar to milk powder. Just add water, and it becomes a bag of blood, clean and uncontaminated. The prices vary, and the flavors range from sweet to bloody, with some even allowing the addition of sugar or salt for consumption. Among vampires, there is also a debate over the sweetness and saltiness of blood powder.

All my curiosity died in the moment when Li Duidui threatened me just now

Damn it, Li Dui Dui! I didn't expect you to be such a childish vampire! You actually bullied me, a newcomer who doesn't understand the rules of your vampire association!

"Oh my, you scared me! Why are you sitting here alone in the dark?" A confused little girl, around fifteen or sixteen years old, asked me at the door.

What business are you here for? Do not be afraid, we have not drunk human blood for a long time

I suppressed my voice: "I just have one question."

Like in an animation! As soon as I shouted this, the brilliance around me suddenly vanished. Before my eyes was no longer the dark interior of a dilapidated building, but rather a dim passageway constructed from piled stones. The passage was damp, with flickering yellow candles lit on both sides. However, the dim environment did not dampen my high spirits; my eyes continuously scanned the surroundings.

It felt as if I had heard some dreadful curse; my scalp tingled, and I immediately shielded the candle, carefully moving it along with the book to the room that Li Duidui mentioned. Inside, there was a simple desk and chair. I sat down holding the candle, staring motionlessly at the flame.

In the midst of the conversation, I walked up to him, and just as I steadied my feet, suddenly, the candle he held flared brightly, and a brilliant light erupted beneath my feet. I looked down and saw a perfectly round magic circle shining with golden radiance. Although I had been living in the old residential building for some time, it was my first time standing in such a magic circle, and I felt very excited

His gaze lingered a bit too long, as if he could see through me to the other end of time and space. However, after I, understanding the situation, covered my mouth with my hand, he blinked, and the layer of mist in his eyes dissipated, restoring his usual pride

What are you doing standing there

He hopes that I maintain distance from everyone

I sat there staring at the flames for a long time, feeling quite bored. I took out my phone, but there was no signal, so I started playing a game called "Eliminate the Stars." After playing a couple of rounds, I heard a soft "pop" sound, and the white light above flickered twice. When I looked up, I saw that the incandescent light hanging above had turned on, instantly brightening the room to a stark white, as bright as an ordinary government office, and that dark, eerie atmosphere vanished in an instant

He turned and walked into the darkness behind him, where there were no candles. The sound seemed to drift from the void, echoing back and forth in the dark passage, hollow and terrifying: "Go ahead and stroll. The underground office building of the Absorption Association is vast, with everything you need. Take the candle; that is your pass. " He paused, and I saw his figure turn to glance at me just before it was about to be engulfed by the darkness, "But don't let it go out."

Thus, beside him, I inexplicably felt confident that this nightmare was truly insignificant

He not only dislikes being "together" with himself and others, but also hates it when I am "together" with Li Peipei and Xiao Lang Light Beauty. He claims that our playing mahjong is a form of illegal gambling and that our barbecuing is an unlawful assembly. Every time we meet, we end up in a confrontation, which has caused our gathering frequency to plummet. Only Li Peipei and I, due to living on the same floor, still maintain relatively frequent contact.

I looked up at the cracked walls above, glanced around the deserted path to my left and right, feeling a bit unsettled. I took a small step into the door, and almost in the next moment, the door creaked shut with a "creak," plunging the entire room into darkness.

The louder she shouted, the more piercing her cries became, each sound tearing at my eardrums. However, after a particularly high-pitched wail, the world suddenly plunged into darkness

There is no way out, and I cannot see Li Duidui who is walking ahead.

"Come in," Li Duidui said these two words, leaving me, who was still in a daze, and walked into the dilapidated building

It would be better if you spoke for yourselves rather than me saying it...

The young girl was taken aback for a moment, then pushed aside the documents on the table, rummaged through a corner to find a landline phone, and made a call

I opened my eyes, and Li Duidui was standing in front of me. He looked at me with such calmness, forming a stark contrast to the panic in my dreams

Oh dear, our director is great in every way, but he loves to scare people. Many times, those who come to handle business are so frightened that they hardly dare to say a few more words to us, fearing that we might eat them. The director says this will prevent them from causing trouble, but it has unexpectedly increased our workload significantly, making it impossible for us to gain their trust. Miss neighbor, if you have the chance, please have a word with our director.

Su Xiaoxin

The world is enveloped in silence, with only her persistently searching.

The little girl brightened up upon hearing this: "Are we going home together with the director?"

The little girl was incredibly talkative, and I lost track of how long she had been talking. Perhaps it was already time for me to go to bed in the evening. I closed my eyes while sitting in the chair, and her incessant chatter continued to fill my ears. Gradually, the nagging female voice beside me transformed into another voice

"Come here," the Count commanded me, successfully shattering my imagination

So I quietly waited for him to finish the second half of his sentence, but after staring at him for ten seconds like this, he still did not say the next sentence. I kindly reminded him, "What are you waiting for?"

I responded with a twitching smile: "No... no one told me there was a light here..." I said, "I thought you all just liked to light candles here..."

"Gather the light in your eyes, lest you blind the vampire below who cannot bear the light," he said, handing me the candle in his hand. "Hold it to light the way, and wait for me in the room behind the third candle ahead."

Recently, it was reported that Li Duidui and his team seized one ton of counterfeit blood powder and apprehended several criminals, who were subsequently detained