Chapter 01

She remembered perfectly the first time she had found herself in this room. The stress had taken hold of every part of her body, especially her left leg, which wouldn't stop trembling. It was early December; the cold was glacial, yet Sophie felt hot. Her secondhand blazer suddenly seemed incredibly tight, and she was certain her underarms were getting damper by the second. If this kept up, she was going to have a full-blown panic attack during her first-ever job interview—what a fantastic memory that would make. Fortunately, just as she pressed a hand against her uncooperative leg, her future employer appeared.

She was a petite old woman with a distinctly unapproachable air. It took only one glance into her condescending eyes for Sophie to understand that this interview would be anything but easy. She wasn't surprised; before coming, she had, of course, done her research on the host. Madame An Wu was known for many things, but not for her warmth. She was, incidentally, one of the most brilliant minds in the world, responsible for major scientific breakthroughs such as identifying the gene behind werewolf metamorphosis and discovering the LC68 mutation, which affected sperm production in male elves, rendering most of them sterile. She was a pillar of modern medicine—and therefore could afford to be unpleasant.

Meeting her in person was already a privilege; being considered for a position on her team, an honor. By the end of the interview, Sophie was convinced she had completely blown it. Aside from stammering and nervously fidgeting with her hands, she hadn't done much. She had wanted to present herself as a confident, ambitious young woman, a freshly minted Harvard graduate. Instead, she had behaved like a schoolgirl called into the principal's office. That evening, she had crawled into the bed of her hotel room with a basket full of fortune cookies she had stolen from the reception desk. She could already see herself returning to Madrid, disappointed and defeated, seeking comfort in Mother Superior's arms.

But fate had other plans. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she received a call—the call that changed her life.

One year later to the day, she found herself in that same office once again. Just as anxious, but now armed with ways to hide it. She crossed her legs to appear more poised and convinced herself there was no reason to sweat. No more ill-fitting suits; now she wore a white lab coat over a crisp cotton blouse and navy-blue slacks. She even allowed herself to wear heels—whereas before, she swore by floral ballet flats. Sophie felt ready, holding the results of her latest experiment, certain that this was the purpose of their meeting.

As expected, Madame An Wu took her time before appearing. By now, Sophie knew it wasn't an intimidation tactic but simply a result of her packed schedule. And these few extra minutes gave her time to mentally rehearse her presentation. At every meeting, she wanted to reaffirm to her boss that she was a valuable asset, an essential link in the chain. The moment she heard the door open, she immediately rose and bowed slightly in greeting.

"Good morning, Sophie," the old woman greeted in return before settling behind her desk.

Sophie waited for the signal to sit, then immediately began speaking, handing over the report detailing the latest results from their research on orc DNA sequencing.

"We're making rapid progress, ma'am. By the end of the month, we'll be able to confirm that we've fully sequenced the genome."

Madame An Wu nodded in acknowledgment but didn't even bother to open the folder. Sophie was surprised but didn't let it throw her off. Maintaining a confident yet gentle tone, she continued, diving into the technical details of the project.

"How long have you been working for me, Sophie?" her boss interrupted, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Uh… well, it's been exactly one year, ma'am."

"Already?" she mused, resting her chin on her hand. "Time flies. Your job interview doesn't feel that long ago."

She laughed. Madame An Wu laughed. It was like stepping into a parallel universe. Sophie stared at her in disbelief, trying to stretch her lips into something resembling a smile. Even when joking, the old woman looked like a monster—her face contorted into a grimace, deepened by her wrinkles. Aware that she was making her recruit uncomfortable, Madame An Wu soon calmed herself and spoke again.

"You were my second choice, you know," she revealed. "That day, I was supposed to interview two candidates for your position. On one side, we had Yi Yuan, a brilliant young man from one of Beijing's oldest vampire families. And on the other… you."

She punctuated that last word by pulling a small box of pills from a desk drawer. Sophie barely had time to glimpse the label before her boss stowed it away again after extracting two capsules. Then, with a motion toward the water pitcher, she silently asked Sophie to pour her a glass, which she hurried to do.

"Hiring you caused me quite a bit of trouble."

"Trouble?" Sophie echoed hesitantly. "With whom?"

"My superiors, my colleagues, every man who thinks he has a say," she replied, exasperated.

"I… I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am."

For reasons she couldn't quite explain, Sophie felt guilty.

"Don't be. On the contrary, this is your chance to prove your worth."

Seeing Sophie's confusion, the old woman pulled open another drawer and handed her a file. As she took it, Sophie swallowed hard before lifting the cover, which bore the university's insignia.

"I… I don't understand," she murmured as her eyes skimmed the long list of names inside.

"After a rather heated discussion with my doctor, I've decided to lighten my workload.

The fact is, I'm not twenty-five anymore; I can't manage both the department and the second-year undergraduate courses. So, I'm entrusting that task to you."

Words—at this moment, all Sophie could hear were words. And among them, one stood out: teaching. She was going to have to teach. Speak in public. To an audience of over four hundred students.

"My secretary will email you everything you need to know—the syllabus, the schedule, the midterm dates. I'm already looking forward to reading the exam questions you come up with," she joked, entirely unconcerned with Sophie's growing panic.

All the while, she slowly stood up, extending her hand for Sophie to assist her.

"I know you're anxious, but you'll see—these new responsibilities will challenge you and allow you to prove yourself," she reassured her, patting her hand as they walked toward the door.

Sophie felt like time was speeding up, as if some divine entity had pressed fast-forward on reality. When had the pace of this conversation accelerated so drastically? Her mind was so clouded that she didn't even realize she was already outside the office, her boss having released her arm to lean against the doorframe.

"I personally chose your new office—I hope you'll like it," she said, attempting a smile. "Don't look so grim. You just got a promotion. Be happy and get to work. Don't forget—I expect a lot from you, Miss Durant."

Then Sophie felt a faint breath of air against her face. She blinked. And in the next second, she was staring at a closed door.

She stood frozen for a long moment, until Madame An Wu's secretary took pity on her and gently ushered her out of the hall.

***

As she left the campus, Sophie wondered who she should call.

She had just received some good news—perplexing, yes, but still worth sharing with someone. Someone who could both celebrate with her and understand the turning point her career was taking. The only name that came to mind was Laura Jin, but Sophie refused to call her. It was late, and her best friend had probably started her shift long ago. Even if she tried reaching out, she would likely get no answer. So, she resigned herself to celebrating her promotion alone in front of a C-drama.

To make this pathetic evening slightly less miserable, she at least needed a good meal. And her favorite food truck was closing in less than an hour. Sophie didn't know how to cook; it was just one of the many skills she lacked. The number of pots she had burned in her youth was in the dozens, as were the number of times she had nearly ended up in the hospital trying to be helpful. When she moved into her new apartment, she had promised herself she would only use the kitchen to make coffee or heat up microwave meals. She picked up her pace, not wanting to miss the subway that would—hopefully, in time—take her to her dinner.

She was surprised to see the crowd gathered around the terminals. Xizhimen Station was an intersection between several districts, and being crammed against strangers during a long commute was nothing new. Tonight, however, the level of proximity was unusual; Sophie literally felt like she was merging with the other passengers. And things didn't improve once she was inside the carriage. She didn't even have time to check whether she had taken the right line before she was once again surrounded on all sides.

And, as if fate were having a laugh, her position didn't allow her to grab onto a bar for support.

As a result, she could only rely on gravity and her heels to keep her balance—two things that were no match for the driver's sudden start. Helpless, she felt herself fall backward, taking the woman behind her down with her. Fortunately, a hand landed on her back, preventing her from crashing to the floor. Ignoring the strange sensation of a powerful palm pressing against her coat, she quickly lowered her head.

"Thank you," she stammered.

There was no response. Instead, the man stepped back slightly, allowing her to see a grab bar fixed in the middle of the carriage. His massive frame had blocked it from her view before. She thanked him again and quickly positioned herself before the driver took another turn. Sophie was now standing still, but no less flustered. Her rescuer was so close that she could feel his breath brushing against the top of her head.

With each exhale, she could hear her heart pounding harder in her chest, and she scolded herself for being so obvious. She wished she could disappear, become invisible, so that no one would notice the red spreading across her cheeks. And just when she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, more passengers squeezed into the carriage, filling the tiny space that had separated her from the man.

"Sorry," she murmured as her head brushed against his broad chest.

Again, Sophie received no reply and convinced herself that he was either mute or just as embarrassed as she was. Not wanting to insist, she focused on keeping her balance, struggling not to sway under the driver's questionable maneuvering. She began to suspect he was trying to get the ride over with when he failed to stop for an oncoming tram. The two vehicles scraped past each other with a loud metallic screech, making her jump several times.

"You should hold on with both hands," he advised, his tone both kind and commanding.

Instinctively, Sophie craned her neck up, nearly straining it, and met deep black pupils set in sharp, narrow eyes. She swallowed hard, not understanding how a stranger could stir so many emotions in her so quickly.

"I don't think that's necessary, I'll be getting off soon anyway," she replied, offering him a polite smile.

His gaze darkened, contradicting his otherwise expressionless face. She immediately realized she had said or done something wrong and, in an urgent need to fix it, she placed her second hand on the bar. Her movements were so quick and uncoordinated that she wondered whether they were really hers or if someone else had taken control of her body. The strangest part was the man's reaction when she obeyed him—he let out a low growl, so deep that only she could hear it. That was too much for her.

The moment she heard her stop announced over the speakers, she turned toward the automatic doors, which opened just as the tram came to a halt. Without hesitation, she slipped through the crowd and onto the platform, like a kitten fleeing from a larger, more menacing beast. Once outside, she was finally able to calm the wild rhythm in her chest—and perhaps, to her greatest surprise, the heat pooling in the depths of her underwear.

It wasn't until she heard the rails screeching again that she fully regained her senses, torn between relief and disappointment at the thought that this kind of encounter would never happen again.