Chapter 18: Overcompensating

The next morning, Shen Xin stretched lazily and opened his eyes, only to see Yu Yanan curled up in a corner. He was puzzled for a moment, then remembered something. When he saw the sunlight streaming in from outside, it dawned on him: vampires are afraid of sunlight.

“Yanan, are you afraid of sunlight?”

“A little bit, yes,” she admitted.

Shen Xin recalled what Sister Dan had said last night, remembering that Yu Yanan was a low-level vampire, so her aversion to sunlight was perfectly normal.

“Yanan, why don’t you take a bit more blood from me?”

Shen Xin pulled his shirt down, exposing his shoulder, only to discover that the bite wound from last night had healed completely.

“No… I can’t! Sister Dan said I only need to feed once a week,” Yu Yanan resisted her inner craving and firmly refused.

“You have classes to attend soon. How will you go outside like this?”

“I… I’ll just cover myself from the sunlight.”

“Come over, look—my shoulder is already healed.”

Yu Yanan walked over curiously and examined Shen Xin’s shoulder. “Wow, it really is. You heal so quickly.” She touched her own neck, finding no trace of the wound and no pain.

“Hehe, I recover pretty fast too. I’ll just wear a hoodie and a pair of sunglasses,” she said.

Shen Xin found her a hoodie. There were no sunglasses, since he disliked wearing them, but he knew Chen Jiawang, that flashy guy, would surely have a pair. So he borrowed Chen Jiawang’s sunglasses.

The two left the courtyard cautiously. Shen Xin basked in the sunlight without any discomfort. Yu Yanan stretched out her pale, bluish hand; the sunlight stung her immediately, so she quickly withdrew it into her sleeve. She said nothing, silently bearing it.

At noon after class, Yu Yanan asked Shen Xin to take her to a traditional medicine shop.

There, she purchased large quantities of expensive blood- and energy-boosting medicinal herbs. The cashier’s smile nearly broke her face. The final bill came to thirty-five thousand yuan.

“Wow, that’s outrageous!” Shen Xin gasped.

“I’ve got money, I’ll pay,” Yu Yanan said generously, pulling out a card.

“Swipe it!”

Shen Xin clung to Yu Yanan’s arm playfully. “Yanan, you’re so rich! I never knew you were a little heiress. Please take care of me.”

“Haha, I’ll take care of you,” Yu Yanan said, in high spirits, as she left with a large bag of supplements.

Then the two headed to the market, buying hens, pigeons, ribs, and other ingredients.

“Yanan, where are we going to cook all this?” Shen Xin worried—his rental had no kitchen.

“Uh, well, um…”

“How about we send it to Hualong Restaurant and let their chefs handle it?”

“No way!” Yu Yanan refused outright, concerned, “What if they swap out the ingredients? Maybe I should rent a bigger place.”

“Yanan, are you serious about taking care of me?” Shen Xin teased.

Yu Yanan shot him a look. “You’re not happy about it?”

Shen Xin hurried to explain, “No need to rent, there are plenty of empty rooms in the courtyard—all free. It’d be silly not to use them. And the courtyard has a kitchen; we can cook there.”

Yu Yanan hesitated, “Is that alright? With so many people, how will we divide things?”

Shen Xin shrugged, “There’s so much food, I couldn’t possibly eat it all. If I eat too much, I’ll turn into a fat guy, and then you won’t want me anymore.”

Yu Yanan imagined Shen Xin as a chubby man—she couldn’t picture it—so she agreed to his suggestion.

“Alright then.”

When they arrived at the courtyard, Sister Dan and the others were already eating lunch.

Upon seeing Shen Xin, Sister Dan quickly stood, bringing out a clay pot from the kitchen, and said with a strained smile, “Shen Xin, you’ve been looking pale lately, so I made a nourishing soup just for you. Drink it while it’s hot.”

Yu Yanan bristled, “Thanks, Sister Dan, but I’ve already bought ingredients for broth.”

Sister Dan remained unruffled, smiling, “Little sister, your soup will take hours to simmer. Let him drink mine for lunch.”

Yu Yanan was speechless.

Shen Xin noticed Chen Jiawang and Old Mo’s odd glances. Embarrassed, he said, “I never expected Sister Dan to cook soup. I’ll have to try it—everyone should taste her cooking.”

Unexpectedly, Sister Dan replied coldly, “This pot is for Shen Xin alone. No one else gets any—not even me.”

Shen Xin tried to say more, but Sister Dan cut him off forcefully:

“From now on, I’ll make soup for you at noon, and your girlfriend will cook at night. If you end up shriveled like dried meat, don’t blame me.”

“Whoa!” Everyone gasped, mouths forming perfect O’s.

Yu Yanan, unfazed, quietly carried her supplements and ingredients into the kitchen.

Sister Dan placed the clay pot before Shen Xin, smiling, “Little brother, be good. Eat it all up. Only then will you stay healthy.”

“Sister Dan, I’m not really weak,” Shen Xin tried.

“Eat. Right now. If you leave so much as a scrap, you’ll regret it,” she threatened.

“Okay!”

Everyone watched Shen Xin with gossipy curiosity.

“Alright, I’ll eat. Don’t misunderstand—I’m just a bit anemic,” Shen Xin explained, picking up the clay pot and gulping down the soup, then devouring the rest.

Sister Dan nodded in satisfaction and went upstairs.

Once she’d gone, Chen Jiawang gave a thumbs-up, grinning slyly, “Bro, you’re something else. From now on, you’re my big brother.”

Shen Xin protested, “Wang, it’s not what you think.”

Old Mo patted Shen Xin’s shoulder, speaking earnestly, “Shen Xin, you’re young and strong, but you need to know your limits. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when you’re my age—once your health is spent, you can’t get it back.”

Tang Ziran ate quietly throughout, occasionally looking up in puzzlement at the group.

“Uncle Mo, I haven’t…” Shen Xin tried.

Old Mo gave him a knowing look, “We’re all men, all young once—I get it.”

Shen Xin screamed inwardly, “You don’t get anything!”

Unable to defend himself, Shen Xin vented his frustration on the food, eating everything in the clay pot. To be fair, Sister Dan’s soup was genuine and nourishing; after finishing, he felt warm all over.

In the days that followed, Sister Dan made soup at noon, Yu Yanan at night. After two weeks, Shen Xin had gained weight, and occasionally suffered nosebleeds—he was being over-nourished.

He ended up asking Yu Yanan to feed more often, and even had Sister Dan draw a bag of his blood, just to feel better.

One morning, a little after seven, as Shen Xin hurried to school, his phone rang.

“Shen Xin, come quickly. We have an urgent mission.”

It was Old Mo calling. Shen Xin immediately phoned Yu Yanan, asking her to request leave for him, then rushed to the courtyard.

Everyone else was already prepared.

“Shen Xin, hurry up and put on your combat gear and camera. We’re waiting in the car.”

“Alright.”

As he ran, Shen Xin wondered—they’d all bought combat suits through Sister Dan, each costing a million, but rarely wore them for missions.

Could this task be dangerous?