Chapter 11: Dinner, Bath, or...?

Xu Ling pressed herself against a decaying concrete pillar, her breath catching as Wang Chong's gang lunged at Lin Fan. But when his foot became a silver blur, her fear dissolved into something hotter, sharper—a thrill that burned her cheeks crimson.

"My Little Lingling?" The nickname he'd whispered during last month's rainstorm echoed in her ears. She stomped her sneaker, gravel crunching beneath her heel. "Who allowed you to claim me, you shameless—!"

The last thug collapsed with a howl, clutching his groin. Xu Ling's traitorous pulse quickened as Lin Fan adjusted his collar, moonlight glinting off his sweat-dampened neck.

Twilight Confusion

"Liar! Reckless! Arrogant!" She kicked a soda can into the gutter, its hollow clang mirroring the emptiness in her chest. Why conceal his skills? Why let her toss all night worrying?

A moth circled a flickering streetlamp. Does he think I'm fragile? The thought cut deeper than Wang Chong's switchblade ever could.

Homecoming

Lin Fan paused at his apartment threshold. The air hung thick with braised pork and... rust? His vampiric senses prickled.

Ji Yemei materialized in a swirl of smoke and lace, her apron strings dangling over a corset that defied physics. "Darling~! I've prepared… nourishment."

The table groaned under caramelized ribs glazed in blood-dark sauce, wine shimmering like liquid night. Too lavish. Too human.

"Since when do ancient vampires play housewife?"

"Since I realized mortal spices enhance hemoglobin's bouquet." Her fingertip grazed his carotid. "Now… feast upon dinner?" Golden eyes dilated. "Or shall I be your midnight snack?"

Lin Fan's chopsticks trembled. "Pork. Definitely pork."

"F-Food first!" Lin Fan stammered, sweat beading his neck as Ji Yemei's jasmine-and-iron scent coiled around him. He shoveled caramelized pork into his mouth, each bite tasting like ash under her molten gaze.

She traced the rim of her wineglass, bath-steam still clinging to her hair. "Does my cooking displease you, darling?"

"Not at all!" His voice cracked. "Just… saving room for dessert!"

The lie hung thick as she leaned forward, cleavage threatening to breach the laws of fabric physics. "Oh? What kind of dessert…?"

Bathroom Gambit

Lin Fan lunged for the bathroom, triple-locking the door. Steam fogged the mirror as he sank into scalding water. Safe. No shadows. No cracks. No—

Creek.

Ji Yemei's laughter dripped through the keyhole. "Naughty pet~ Did you forget?"

"Blood doesn't need doors."

Her silhouette dissolved into smoke, reforming inside the bathroom in a swirl of black lace and bath pearls.