Chapter 8: Kissing

After school, Lin Zhihan hurried home. When she opened the door, she stopped in surprise.

The mess in the kitchen had been cleaned up. The dishes were back where they belonged. The water stains on the floor were gone. The spatula hung neatly in its place. The only things that couldn’t simply reappear out of thin air were the seasoning bottles that had been smashed to pieces.

Vaniel sat in the corner, turned away from Lin Zhihan.

Lin Zhihan went over and stopped in front of her. “You’re very weak right now.”

Vaniel lowered her head and didn’t answer.

“Leaving here won’t do you any good.”

The succubus remained silent.

Lin Zhihan watched her lowered lashes for a moment, then spoke very softly, as if she were making an offhand remark. Each word fell clearly into the quiet.

“If you’re hungry… I can feed you.”

Vaniel flinched all over.

She didn’t say anything. Her silence was an answer in itself, like a wall hastily thrown up—thin and fragile, but stubbornly standing all the same.

Lin Zhihan watched her for a moment.

She figured the succubus probably despised her.

She didn’t say anything else. She turned, lay down on the bed, and soon fell asleep.

In the dark, Vaniel hugged her knees tighter, but secretly turned her head to watch the human sleeping.

A cool breeze slipped through the window, carrying the damp smell of the night. Lin Zhihan was fast asleep, breathing slow and even. Her brow had smoothed, and even her usual cold expression had softened.

Vaniel looked away.

She knew she wouldn’t kill this human.

But there were still humans who deserved to die.

The ones who had tormented her. The ones who treated her like a plaything, locked her up, and laughed while they beat her. She had never forgotten them.

If she could get out, find them, and take revenge, she could end this punishment and return to her true form.

She’d been determined to do that. Then who could’ve guessed she’d get zapped and pass out on the spot?

The succubus clenched her fists. She had to admit she’d grown very weak. She’d never imagined she could become this feeble.

Her body felt like an old house on the verge of collapsing. A dull ache came from her leg now and then. She’d only tried to climb out a window, and it had left her dizzy and seeing stars.

She couldn’t kill anyone, much less go out. She’d only collapse somewhere again.

Without thinking, she glanced at Lin Zhihan on the bed.

The human smelled wonderful. She was pretty, too…

Maybe… she really did need to eat her fill first.

The thought startled Vaniel as soon as it crossed her mind. It was as if she’d been burned. She pushed it away at once.

What was she thinking? Why was she like this?

She buried her face in her knees.

Over the next few days, Lin Zhihan felt that Vaniel was acting strangely around her.

Whenever she happened to look back, she seemed to catch Vaniel sneaking a glance at her. The moment Lin Zhihan looked her way, Vaniel’s gaze darted off in another direction, as if she didn’t want to see her.

Lin Zhihan was puzzled, but didn’t pay much attention. She had bigger things to worry about.

She noticed that the succubus was sleeping more and more. She would lie there with her wings draped loosely over her, breathing so lightly it seemed she might fade into the air.

Lin Zhihan grew worried. The system’s increasingly frantic reminders only confirmed that there wasn’t much time left.

She couldn’t keep putting this off.

On a weekend morning, the sun had only just climbed above the windowsill when Lin Zhihan took a big, warm coat from the closet. She went over to Vaniel, crouched down, and set it in front of her.

Vaniel looked up, still groggy from sleep. She glanced at the coat, then at Lin Zhihan, a hint of surprise in her expression.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Zhihan asked. “Don’t you want to go out?”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have nearly torn the window apart to escape, Lin Zhihan thought to herself.

“If you want to go out, I’ll take you for a walk.”

Vaniel opened her mouth, but didn’t refuse.

The weakness of the last few days had worn her down. Even her usual stubbornness had faded. She was quiet for a while, then obediently put on the coat with her head lowered.

Lin Zhihan handed her a backpack and gestured for her to put it on, to hide her wings. Vaniel took it, too, her obedience a little awkward.

When they left, Lin Zhihan bent down and lifted her onto her back.

Vaniel bit her lip, but didn’t say she could walk this time.

“Where are we going?” she asked, her voice muffled in the collar of the coat.

“Where were you trying to go when you kept trying to escape?”

There was another long silence.

Lin Zhihan waited. When no answer came, she set off on her own, walking down the alley.

At dusk, the urban village had a bustle all its own.

The setting sun stained the sky a deep orange-red, and the low houses cast long shadows beneath it. A food cart rattled as its owner packed up for the night, the smell of scallion pancakes and roasted sweet potatoes mingling in the air.

The auntie who sold tofu pudding was putting away her things when she looked up and saw Lin Zhihan carrying someone. She smiled and called out, “Well, look at you! Carrying someone today?”

“My friend’s sick,” Lin Zhihan replied. “I’m taking her out for some fresh air.”

The auntie looked toward Vaniel. She could only see the lower half of her face, but even that seemed striking. She clicked her tongue. “What a pretty girl! And you’re a kind one, carrying your sick friend out for a little air.”

Hidden beneath her roomy hood and coat, Vaniel peeked through a gap and looked at the auntie, whose face was lined with wrinkles but whose smile was warm, then at the children playing beside the cart.

She quietly looked away again.

Some humans had eyes full of greed and cruelty. Others were warm and kind.

For some reason, she felt a small surge of relief. She had held on to her principles. She hadn’t fallen into the pattern of killing people at the slightest provocation.

Lin Zhihan carried her, doing her best to avoid the run-down alleys and head toward better-lit streets.

When she grew tired, she turned toward the plaza outside a shopping mall and found a bench.

Night slowly settled in. The plaza stayed crowded with people. Children ran around the fountain, couples walked side by side, and the streetlights came on one after another, bathing everything in a warm golden glow.

Vaniel sat beside Lin Zhihan and quietly watched it all.

Lin Zhihan glanced at her several times, wanting to say something but not knowing what.

Truthfully, she’d taken Vaniel out today partly because she hoped to get a little closer to the succubus.

But she couldn’t think of anything to say. After all, she’d probably need to move the plot along soon… and play the villain.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared on the other side of the plaza.

Lin Zhihan raised an eyebrow.

Jiang Yeman?

She was alone, apparently just out for a walk. She wandered along, glancing around, until her gaze paused in Lin Zhihan’s direction.

What a coincidence.

Lin Zhihan frowned instinctively. She quickly thought through her options and started to get up, but Jiang Yeman was already striding over. It was too late.

“What are you doing here?” Jiang Yeman asked when she reached them. Her gaze moved between Lin Zhihan and Vaniel, and she looked curious. “Who’s this?”

“A friend,” Lin Zhihan said simply.

“A friend?” Jiang Yeman narrowed her eyes at Vaniel. “She’s not from our school, is she? Is that hair dyed?”

Before she could finish, she reached out to pull Vaniel’s hood away.

Vaniel had seen Jiang Yeman in her visions. The moment she appeared, Vaniel’s expression had gone cold.

Now she was reaching out without warning. Something inside Vaniel snapped taut. She abruptly stood, one arm already lifting.

Lin Zhihan reacted faster. She wrapped both arms around Vaniel from behind and held her tightly.

“Don’t do anything rash…”

Vaniel froze. The human’s scent washed over her without warning, strong and familiar, and her limbs went weak.

“…Let go of me,” she whispered. “Don’t hold me.”

Lin Zhihan didn’t have time to worry about that. As she dealt with Jiang Yeman, she kept Vaniel’s hood firmly in place so her horns stayed hidden.

“She’s sensitive to light,” Lin Zhihan told Jiang Yeman calmly. “Don’t touch her.”

Jiang Yeman paused, baffled by how strongly they’d reacted. If anything, it made her more curious. What was going on?

She leaned closer and studied Vaniel’s profile. Her eyes widened. “Wait. Are those contacts?”

Lin Zhihan didn’t answer. She grabbed Vaniel’s wrist and turned to leave.

“Hey!” Jiang Yeman called after them. “I’m not done asking you!”

They had already turned into an alley, leaving the crowd behind. The night was dark, the lights along the little buildings dim and yellow. The farther they went, the quieter it became.

Vaniel suddenly stopped. She bent forward, bracing a hand against the wall as she panted.

Remembering her injuries, Lin Zhihan bent to check her feet. She was about to speak when she looked up and met Vaniel’s eyes.

The pink in the succubus’s eyes had spread without a sound, tinting them soft and hazy. It was as if rouge had dissolved in clear water, slowly blooming outward.

Vaniel gazed at Lin Zhihan, dazed, as if the human were the only person she could see.

“Let’s go home,” Lin Zhihan said.

Vaniel seemed not to hear. She swallowed.

Lin Zhihan was puzzled. “Vaniel?”

The succubus slowly moved closer. Her eyes were half-lidded as she sniffed softly, as if Lin Zhihan’s breath had bewitched her.

“…Are you okay?”

As soon as Lin Zhihan finished speaking, Vaniel’s beautiful eyes filled her vision. Before Lin Zhihan could react, a soft touch landed on her lips.

Lin Zhihan went completely still.

The kiss lasted only a moment, but it sent ripples across a still pond. Before they could fade, Vaniel’s breath hitched and she pressed against Lin Zhihan again.

“You smell… so good…”

The succubus’s eyes were entirely pink now, her lashes trembling as she eagerly brushed her lips against Lin Zhihan’s. Her arms wound around Lin Zhihan’s neck, and she leaned almost all her weight against her.

“…!”

Lin Zhihan stared, dumbfounded. Her ears soon burned as if they were on fire.

“Wait, mm.”

But the succubus seemed drunk on the scent. Her wings burst open behind her coat, and her tail slipped out without warning.

Lin Zhihan faintly heard someone coming. She pressed one hand against Vaniel’s restless wings and guided her a couple of steps into the corner, turning her back to the alley entrance and shielding the succubus with her body.

“Shh!”

Jiang Yeman came after them, but she looked around and couldn’t find anyone.

Then she stopped at the mouth of the alley and narrowed her eyes, peering into the darkness.

Suddenly, her eyes flew wide.

Lin Zhihan was pinned in place by the girl from before, who had both arms wrapped firmly around her neck…

Lin Zhihan seemed to be trying to dodge, but the two of them were still pressed close together.

The dim streetlight layered their shadows against the wall, intimate and unmistakable.

They were… kissing!

Jiang Yeman’s face turned red in an instant.