071 I Have a Date with a Vampire

Since her intention was to persuade Xie Chitong, the story she told naturally centered on a brother and sister. It recounted the girl’s dependence and deep attachment to her brother, followed by the bitterness and hatred that arose when her cherished affection was usurped, leading to her downfall.

The protagonists were Gu Xiaomo and Gu Xiaoran, siblings from the Gu family. Though not wealthy, Gu Xiaoran had been raised like a princess, showered with love until the age of thirteen. Perhaps her family was not the wealthiest, perhaps she was not the most beautiful, but she had loving parents and an exceptional, doting elder brother.

Yet, on her thirteenth birthday, everything changed—this was where the story began. The Gu family adopted an orphan girl, Su Lingyun, and thus the seeds of disaster were sown. Consumed by jealousy, Gu Xiaoran’s judgment became clouded. She opposed Su Lingyun at every turn, rebelled against her parents for protecting the new girl, and in the end, even pushed her beloved brother to Su Lingyun’s side.

Once a gentle and obedient child, Gu Xiaoran became a rebellious delinquent—skipping school, hardened, fighting, and lost. What truly shattered her was witnessing her brother kiss Su Lingyun, followed the next day by the boy she secretly loved confessing to Su Lingyun as well.

All she had clung to crumbled. How could this orphan, with nothing to her name, steal away everything that belonged to her? Was it just because of her beautiful face, or that delicate, ever-victimized demeanor? Gu Xiaoran resented it deeply, but she could not bring herself to harm Su Lingyun, for she was the one her brother admired and depended on.

To outsiders, Gu Xiaoran was nothing but a vicious girl, one who bullied Su Lingyun without mercy. Since she could not hurt the girl herself, she lashed out at the world. She started staying out all night, haunting bars, seeking out the darkness hidden within this seemingly bright city. She became the poisonous flower of the night.

Yet, the drunken revels could not fill the emptiness inside. She longed for her old home, for the days before Su Lingyun arrived. Why, she wondered, did the world need someone like her?

Once, she peered secretly through the window, only to see the family of four sitting on the sofa, laughing as they watched television. No one thought of her. No one mentioned her name. It was as if she had been forgotten by everyone.

Later, much happened—she found love and friendship. But youthful bonds were feeble, and love was fragile. Without financial means or inner strength, how could a teenage girl survive on her own?

Twisted by suffering, she finally resolved to drag Su Lingyun down with her. If she had lost everything, so would Su Lingyun. She lured Su Lingyun to the seaside, intending to push her into the waves, but instead, Su Lingyun pushed her into the sea.

She was rescued by Gu Xiaomo, who had followed them, but he never resurfaced. Gu Xiaoran survived, but her beloved brother perished in the storm, his body only washing ashore the next day.

Some things, once lost, can never be regained. Some people, once gone, leave only a lifetime of regret.

Do not, in the wildness of youth, commit acts that will bring you lifelong pain.

Thus, when Xie Chitong, now in her third year of middle school, read the words Su Lingyun said to Gu Xiaoran in the book, she could no longer hold back her tears.

So it was true—the person her brother cared for most was still…

Gu Xiaoran was lifted by Gu Xiaomo, and the people on the boat pulled her up, but could only watch as Gu Xiaomo was swept away by the giant waves.

Gu Xiaoran had wanted so desperately for Su Lingyun to disappear that she chose such a stormy, windswept day. In the end, she could only watch as Gu Xiaomo died before her very eyes.

This became the shadow she could never dispel for the rest of her life.

She stared blankly at the surging waves, unable to accept that her ever-excellent brother, who had always stood tall before her, was simply… gone.

A sharp slap rang out—Su Lingyun struck her, bringing her back to her senses.

Staring at the turbulent sea, Gu Xiaoran screamed desperately at Su Lingyun, “Save him! Please, save my brother! I’m begging you!”

Another slap. Su Lingyun’s reply.

With hatred, Su Lingyun spat, “You brought this on yourself. Didn’t you want me dead? Well, now you’ve killed the one you loved most. Let me tell you, he died because of you. Gu Xiaomo died because of you, Gu Xiaoran!”

As if jolted awake by her words, Gu Xiaoran screamed back, “It should have been you! Not my brother—it should have been you! You’re the one who stole everything from me. All of this is your fault!”

Su Lingyun laughed coldly. “Let me tell you something—I never liked Gu Xiaomo. The only reason I accepted his kindness, the only reason I flirted with him, was because of you. Because I envied you.”

Seeing Gu Xiaoran so devastated, Su Lingyun curled her lips in scorn. “My dear, are you still so naive? Do you know where I came from? Nowhere special—an orphanage. There, we never had enough to eat or wear, and we fought over the smallest toys.”

“I schemed so hard to get the Gu family to adopt me, just to escape that place. And you… you’re not prettier than me, not smarter than me, you just had the luck to be born into a good family. You were coddled like a princess, cherished by your parents, and adored by your brother.”

“But so what? You could have stayed their sweet, foolish princess forever. Only you shouldn’t have crossed me.” Su Lingyun’s voice was full of venom. “You had everything, but you still fought me for the only toy your father bought me. Used it, then tossed it to me in disdain. I resented you, but had to pretend to be gracious, because they were your parents, not mine.”

“They scolded you with words, but their eyes overflowed with love. For me, though they never said a harsh word, there was never any warmth.”

“So I planned everything. I deliberately got close to your brother. I knew, with your domineering nature, you could never allow someone else to take what you thought was yours. You were so stupid—everything went exactly as I predicted. It was almost too easy, no sense of achievement at all.”

“Let me tell you—it was you, with your own hands, who pushed your most precious one, bit by bit, into my arms. It was you who shoved your brother into the sea.”

“I won’t tell the police any of this. I’ll let you live, so you can suffer this soul-crushing agony for the rest of your life. With your record, do you think the police or your parents will believe you, or me?”

She laughed. “The beloved daughter killed the beloved son. I guess your parents will go mad, if they aren’t already!”

With those last words, Su Lingyun plunged Gu Xiaoran into darkness—she had knocked her out with a stick.

How closely this story mirrored Xie Chitong’s own feelings. She was Gu Xiaoran, Liu Ziqing was Su Lingyun. Of course, there were differences; Liu Ziqing did not have Su Lingyun’s twisted mind. She came from a good family, was childhood friends with Chen Zimo, and together they made a fine couple.

What Lin Xia had not expected was that after reading this story, Xie Chitong, though she did not push Chen Zimo toward Liu Ziqing, could not help but project Su Lingyun’s motives onto Liu Ziqing. She became convinced that everything Liu Ziqing did was calculated, manipulative, just like the character in the story.

Naturally, she refused to let such a person become her sister-in-law.

Because the story made the sibling bond grow ever more distant, Xie Chitong adopted a clever strategy—she discussed things with Lin Xia and the others. As the saying goes, three cobblers are equal to one Zhuge Liang. She was determined to separate the two.

Of course, all this is for later. For now, let us leave it unspoken.

At present, Lin Xia chatted briefly with Miaomiao about their upcoming plans, then closed her laptop and went to bed. Perhaps thanks to the group chat, she had no more nightmares. Still, in her dreams, there was always a vague shadow, shrouded in mist, like watching a historical drama.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lin Xia slung her bag of specialties bought in W City over her shoulder and headed to Xie Chitong’s house. She had barely pressed the doorbell when the door swung open.

Changing her shoes, Lin Xia asked curiously, “So fast! Were you standing by the door this whole time?”

Xie Chitong closed the door. “I’ve been waiting in the living room for you! I’m all alone, bored to death.”

“Your parents aren’t home? Isn’t today the weekend?”

“Don’t mention it. My mom teaches senior high, and her school has meetings today—after all, the dreaded June is coming. As for my dad, he’s out on business. My brother? Don’t even ask, he left at dawn, off to who-knows-where.” Xie Chitong slumped onto the sofa, punching a cushion.

Lin Xia took off her backpack and pulled out some snacks. “There’s nothing special in W City, so I just brought you some local treats.”

Xie Chitong cheered, instantly forgetting her earlier annoyance, tore open a bag, and started sampling the snacks. Seeing Lin Xia still rummaging in her bag, she asked, “Looking for something?”

Lin Xia grinned mischievously. “Heh, I brought some DVDs. Let’s watch together.”

“DVDs?” Xie Chitong was intrigued.

Lin Xia winked. “You’ll see soon enough.”

She picked up the discs, walked over to the LCD TV, and slipped one into the player. Soon, the first episode began.

“Vampires, born of the world’s resentment, neither aging nor dying, cast out from the three realms of heaven, earth, and mankind, wandering homeless, exiled from the six paths of being…”

As soon as it started, Xie Chitong snapped out of her daze and let out a piercing scream.

“Ah—!”

Lin Xia had chosen to play one of her all-time favorites from years ago, “My Date with a Vampire.”

P.S.: Ahem, I was obsessed with that show back in the day, drooling over it… (To be continued. If you like this work, please subscribe, reward, and support me—your encouragement is my greatest motivation.)