Chapter 7

Mu Yang put on trousers, a white shirt and a blue coat matching the trousers, grabbed his car keys and went out.

He quickly reached the venue mentioned in the messages and stepped inside.

The place was rather plain, with sofas, small tables and dim lighting.

It was the location chosen for his meeting with the vampire — a human venue, in a quiet part of town, where no attacks had been reported.

Jia Hao stood up as soon as he saw him enter, and Mu Yang walked over. He offered his hand with a smile, and they sat down on opposite sides of the table.

"I'm glad to see you've made a full recovery," said the vampire.

"I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't rescued me so promptly, I probably wouldn't be here now."

Jia Hao bowed his head with a slight smile.

A waitress brought them the menus.

"Would you like to eat something?" the werewolf asked.

"Gladly."

They ordered burgers and fries, and the waitress walked away.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I was in shock that night... I wanted to apologise and thank you in person."

Jia Hao looked at him with his warm hazel eyes. "You were attacked by a stranger and seriously wounded. It's perfectly understandable that you were wary. I'm a vampire, and that could only have made you feel even more uncomfortable."

"Not every vampire would have stopped to help a wounded werewolf — especially one attacked by an unknown person who vanished without a trace. They'd have feared being blamed for it."

Jia Hao looked at him. He knew he was right. Many would have preferred to walk away and pretend they hadn't seen anything.

"I could never leave someone wounded without helping. I only regret I didn't get there in time to catch whoever fired the shot."

"You still did a lot. I'm in your debt."

"You don't owe me anything. It's enough to know that you're alright."

The waitress placed their plates in front of them and walked away.

Mu Yang took a bite of the sandwich, but after chewing for a moment, he slowed down and swallowed with difficulty. The meat was tough, the sauce sour, the tomato tasteless.

He set the sandwich down and looked at the vampire, whose expression mirrored his own.

"It's awful, isn't it?" he asked, laughing.

Jia Hao nodded, pushing the plate aside. "They focused on safety, not on the food quality when they chose this place."

"Exactly." Mu Yang drank his water eagerly. "At least let me take you out for a proper dinner sometime."

Jia Hao gave a faint smile. "Unfortunately, I have to go now — my shift is about to start."

Mu Yang nodded, placing some cash on the table. "I won't keep you any longer," he said as they both stood. "It was an honour to meet you and thank you properly." He said goodbye.

Jia Hao watched him leave, with the nagging feeling that he was making a mistake. Then he headed for the exit.

He saw the werewolf get into a dark sedan and drive off.