Mordgemälde

Kapitel 31

As if the demon that controlled him had not yet left, Feng Nian'en asked again, "Are you a virgin?"

"No!" the girl shouted thunderously, "I've already been messing around with other people!"

Feng Nian'en nodded, remained silent for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Let's go back."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and slowly walked forward. His boiling blood cooled down and became numb; everything became numb.

"Feng Nian'en!"

The girl's sharp voice pierced the night sky. He turned around and saw Siwen still standing in the distance.

The girl walked up to him slowly, looked up, stared at him for a while, and then spoke softly: "Is it that you can only accept virgins?"

"……yes……"

As the reply, as soft as a night breeze, rang out, a loud slap echoed across the face.

"asshole!"

She suddenly turned around and started running frantically.

Feng Nian'en watched the white figure grow ever more distant: a CACHAREL suit, short, bright purple hair, a slender figure, and dark blue sneakers.

There were no streetlights, only a narrow asphalt road, no wind at all, and although the weather was nice, the moonlight was not bright.

That white figure, with tears in her eyes—he saw her red-rimmed eyes as she turned away, reeking of alcohol—they both reeked of alcohol, and just like that, little by little, they disappeared…

The next day, around 2 p.m., Feng Nian'en was called back by Zhang Jiru.

In that study filled with ancient books, Zhang Jiru sat on a high-backed mahogany chair, holding a white porcelain teacup with blue patterns, and looked at him gently.

"Have a seat," Zhang Jiru said, pointing to a tall stool next to him.

He declined for a moment, then sat down.

Zhang Jiru sipped his tea and slowly praised his performance, then put down his teacup: "If you hadn't been by Wenwen's side these past three years, I don't know how much gray hair I would have gotten."

"I didn't do anything," he mumbled incoherently, trying to sound humble.

“If I wanted to save myself the trouble, I would let you continue to look after Wenwen. But I can’t let Mingqian down. You’re his only son, and if you continue like this, you won’t bring honor to the family. Besides, you can be said to be someone I raised, just like my own son. I can’t let you waste your precious time.”

Feng Nian'en remained silent, simply listening quietly with her head down. She couldn't help but recall that night under the waning moon, when Zhang Hanwen, reeking of alcohol, cried and shouted at her.

“Originally, from any perspective, you shouldn’t have started from the bottom, and I believe in you. But this way, aside from the gossip, it might also make things difficult for you. Fortunately, young people always need more experience. How about you start by working in the business department?”

"Yes, thank you, sir," he replied softly without any hesitation.

Zhang Jiru chuckled twice: "I like your down-to-earth nature, just like Mingqian's! Don't worry, the business department is where results are most likely to come. As long as you work hard, I can transfer you to the board of directors in a few years. But for now, you have to work as hard as everyone else."

"Yes, I know, I will be the same as everyone else."

Zhang Jiru laughed again: "Good! Good! Mingqian hasn't seen you for a few days either, so I won't keep you two from having a get-together."

Feng Nian'en said a few words of thanks, then got up and left.

He walked slowly down the veranda. His dream—the long-held dream of a stable job—had come true, but why didn't he feel happy? Was it simply because his status had changed?

He stepped out of the corridor, where the scorching sunlight shone mercilessly on him, and dizziness and stinging pain enveloped him once again, but even the grief and anger in his heart had vanished.

He felt that nothing mattered anymore, whether they were human or vampire. Just last night, he might have lost the most important thing, but that didn't matter—it shouldn't matter.

Seeing him approach, Feng Mingqian walked over with some excitement and joy, but upon seeing his son's expressionless face, he said with some dissatisfaction, "What, is it too much of a burden for you to be a salesman?"

“Of course not.” He took a deep breath, trying to make his face look more lively. “I know my abilities, Dad.”

Feng Mingqian knew that his son was indeed not ambitious, and a smile appeared on his face again: "So, you don't really like the sales department? You're not very good at dealing with people, but this is also the master's good intention."

“No.” He shook his head again.

Feng Mingqian looked at him, and as if he understood something, a gloomy expression appeared on his face. He patted his son's shoulder: "Think it over carefully, Nian'en. What do you want? Think it over carefully."

Feng Nian'en looked at the empty space between herself and her father's shadow and whispered, "Yes, Dad, I will think about it carefully."

Volume Two, Chapter One: Father's Last Words

A young girl's face was reflected in a bronze mirror encased in a black wooden frame. Even though this ancient mirror could not clearly reflect the appearance of objects, the girl's beauty could still be seen from the blurry, yellowish mirror surface.

Her lips were pink, her eyebrows delicate, and her skin was as white and flawless as porcelain. Of course, there were no wrinkles either.

This is a girl's face, a young face.

young?

A mocking smile curled at the corners of her pale, delicate lips. If it weren't for that night three hundred and forty years ago, this face would have long since rotted into a skeleton.

She reached out and untied the ribbon from her hair, letting her cloud-like black hair cascade over her shoulders. Then she picked up a dark brown horn comb and began to comb her hair, stroke by stroke.

She rarely combed her hair so carefully, and she rarely even looked in the mirror so closely. Yes, she was beautiful, even among the many handsome and beautiful vampires, her beauty was undeniable, but what good was it?

Even if time no longer has the same effect on them as it does on humans, even if her appearance remains unchanged, three hundred and forty years is enough to change the state of mind of a life, enough to make a young girl's heart more peaceful than that of those elderly people who are over seventy—or even ashen.

In this respect, she couldn't help but envy Cangya; time seemed to have no meaning for him. Not only had hundreds of years not changed his appearance, but his temperament remained that of a stubborn and bold child.

Thinking of Cangya, her thoughts inevitably turned to another person—Feng Nian'en, the member who had just joined the vampire clan due to an accident.

Humans are naturally afraid of death, and few people want to get rid of their identity as soon as they enter the vampire clan, but Feng Nian'en is an exception.

The ordinary-looking new vampire, who was bitten by Cangya, desperately wanted to escape from the beginning. The prince gave him three years to find a way, and she voluntarily watched over Cangya from the shadows while he was being punished, since it was very dangerous for a newly born vampire to be out there alone.

She had followed him for nearly two months and had come to know him somewhat. In most cases, he was no different from other ordinary people; he could associate with people he didn't like just to make a living, and he could endure insults that affected his dignity. To many, his forbearance was even seen as cowardice and foolishness, since other people could easily have received better treatment or simply found a way to reach the pinnacle of wealth.

There are certainly genetic factors at play, and Feng Mingqian's principles certainly set an example for his son, but another factor is probably affection.

If he had no feelings for Zhang Hanwen, if he hadn't been attracted to that foul-mouthed little girl, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Of course, she saw these things as good things, since a vampire is destined not to have any deep ties with humans.

Thinking of this, her brows furrowed slightly. It was within her expectations that Feng Nian'en would take the initiative to suck human blood, and she had even accelerated this expectation without leaving a trace. However, she did not expect that after nearly half a month, this vampire would not return on his own initiative. Instead, he officially joined Zhang's and became a junior employee in the business department.

Does he really think he can live like he used to?

A strange smile appeared on the girl's face.

She has yet to meet a single vampire who could resist the temptation of fresh human blood after tasting it.

That's right, they don't necessarily need human blood. The blood of most animals can satisfy the body's needs, but not the heart's.

Any vampire who has ever tasted fresh human blood will involuntarily recall that wonderful flavor. It may be bearable most of the time, but when it comes to the time when they must replenish their blood every ten days, the craving will devour everything.

Due to the Camarilla Treaty and to avoid trouble, vampires generally make their own cold blood from blood banks to meet their needs, but almost every vampire has their own source of fresh blood.

Their striking appearance, accumulated knowledge over many years, and of course, their vast wealth, all effortlessly attract a large following and admirers, who unknowingly have their blood drained. Of course, this blood loss doesn't cause much harm to the humans, as each newborn vampire is taught by their elders how to obtain what they want without arousing suspicion.

Aside from this unnamed vampire, Feng Nian'en, she found him troublesome but didn't dislike him much. Moreover, his actions this time had changed her impression of him somewhat.

Perhaps already aware of the irresistible allure of fresh human blood, this fellow prepared well in advance for his once-every-ten-day feast. Although he still drank blood, he forced himself to consume a sufficient amount of duck blood the day before. The taste was unpleasant, especially after experiencing the allure of fresh human blood; animal blood seemed like tasteless compressed biscuits, merely satisfying the body's needs. And vampires felt this even more acutely than humans.

In her eyes, Feng Nian'en was now like a small, broken boat adrift at sea, already submerged but still yearning to reach the shore.

She shook her head, put down the comb, and stood up. This couldn't go on. Although Cangya wouldn't be out of confinement for another four months, it wasn't a good thing for his juniors to live among humans like that, especially with that hunter named Zhou Renhou around!

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Clutching his briefcase, Feng Nian'en nervously knocked on the business department manager's door. Today was his first official day at work; ten days of short-term training had given him a general understanding of office workers' jobs. But as he walked through the work area, he still felt uneasy.

He has never been good at dealing with people. Although Zhang Jiru had good intentions in arranging for him to work in the sales department, he already knew that he was not cut out for this job. However, he never knew how to refuse other people's kindness—even if it was just superficial kindness.

His only requirement for himself now is not to do too badly; as for the future, he dares not think too much about it. What right does he have to think about the future now?

He walked into the manager's office, about to recite his prepared opening remarks, when he saw someone who should never have been there.

"You've arrived." Chen Xing, who has a baby face and is approaching thirty, greeted him warmly.

Feng Nian'en did not answer, but stared blankly at the other person in the room.

Volume Two, Chapter Three of Father's Last Words

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Pink lips, delicate eyebrows, skin as smooth as porcelain, Ruoya!

Why is she here? What is her purpose in coming here?

Seeing him standing there dumbfounded, a mocking and contemptuous look flashed across Chen Xing's face. He cleared his throat and said casually, "Come, come, Xiao Feng, this is our famous Ms. Ye. Ms. Ye just transferred from Weite a couple of days ago. You're lucky to be in the same group as Ms. Ye right away. This is something many people dream of."

Then he turned his face and nodded with a big smile, saying, "Miss Ye, this is Xiao Feng. He's a newcomer, so I'll have to take good care of him in the future."

"Not at all, Mr. Feng is a very handsome man, and he must have a bright future ahead of him. I am just an old-fashioned person." She said, extending her fair and delicate right hand.

Feng Nian'en grasped that fair little hand in a daze, and a cold feeling instantly spread throughout his body. He suddenly snapped out of his shock and looked at that beautiful face with suspicion, hoping to find some clue.

That usually cold and emotionless face now held a faint smile, not radiant, but as fresh as a budding pink flower in the spring breeze. If it weren't for the constant calm in the corner of her eyes and the familiar scent of her own, Feng Nian'en would almost have thought she had mistaken her for someone else.

“We’ll be partners from now on,” she said with a smile, not avoiding his gaze. “Whether my wallet can stay full depends on Manager Chen’s help and Xiao Feng’s help as well.”

Chen Xing let out a long laugh: "Miss Ye, you really know how to joke. If it weren't for your kindness, how could I still be sitting in this position? Miss Ye, please take good care of me. Alright, Xiao Feng, it's time to let go. You'll be in the same group as Miss Ye from now on, so there will be plenty of opportunities. Holding onto her hand now would be disrespectful to her."

Ruoya calmly withdrew her hand: "If the manager has nothing else, Xiao Feng and I will head out first."

"Of course, of course. I'll have Xiao Yang show you around your office first. If you have any other requests, just let me know, and I'll have her send over some documents later."

Although he entered Zhang's through connections, Feng Nian'en knew from the beginning that he would not receive any special treatment if he did not achieve results. So when he followed Secretary Yang into the office with its white, blue, and gray color scheme, his already confused mind became even more muddled.

“Everything is done as you instructed,” Secretary Yang explained. “Miss Ye, is there anything else that seems amiss?”

Ruoya's gaze swept quickly around the room, then she smiled and said, "Very good, I like it very much. Thank you so much, Secretary Yang."

"I'm glad you're happy, Miss Ye. I won't disturb you any longer." She said, closing the door behind her.

"What exactly do you want to do!" Feng Nian'en roared almost as soon as the door closed.

"What are you doing? Can't you tell?" She sat in the swivel chair, looking at him with a smile, her unpainted fingers lightly tapping the smooth tabletop.

"No matter what, I won't go back, I..."

Two knocks came at the door, and Ruoya called out loudly, "Come in!"

Secretary Yang came in, put down the documents, and then left amidst Ruoya's smile.

"No matter what, I will absolutely not go back! I will absolutely not go back in less than three years!" Feng Nian'en reiterated.

"Do you still have any unrealistic fantasies?" Ruoya looked at him sideways, her posture lively, but her eyes remained calm, only with a hint of sad mockery. "Do you still think there's anything that can make you turn back?"

Volume Two, Chapter Four of Father's Last Words

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Volume Two, Chapter Four of Father's Last Words