Embrace That Vampire - Chapter 20.1

As soon as Lu Que spoke, the atmosphere fell into a weird silence.

Du Jian couldn’t help but dig at his ear, wondering if he had misheard. The person involved, Little Pei, was equally confused.

An eight-hundred-word self-reflection? Even a middle schooler’s apology letter is longer than that nowadays. And did he mean what Pei Yun thought he meant? By writing a self-reflection, did he avoid getting a disciplinary demerit on his record?

Sheng Hui’s face turned ashen as he questioned Lu Que, “What is the meaning of this, Professor Lu? You want to let this slide so easily? This favoritism is far too unreasonable!”

In contrast to Sheng Hui’s nearly frantic demeanor, Lu Que was as calm as if he had just walked in to assign homework. “Slide what?”

Sheng Hui: “Nonsense. What else do you think it could be, Professor Lu?”

“If Professor Sheng is referring to a fight, then I’m sorry, but I didn’t see one,” Lu Que said, then countered: “Did Professor Sheng see it?”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hui’s expression became even uglier. “According to your logic, you’re prepared to distort the facts and shield him to the end?”

Lu Que: “I am simply stating the facts as I saw them.”

Sheng Hui: “So I formally discipline my student, while you give yours nothing but a light self-reflection?”

Lu Que: “Whether or not to discipline is entirely up to you, isn’t it, Professor Sheng?”

Sheng Hui: “Lu Que! You!”

Du Jian’s eyes were glowing as he muttered under his breath, “Fck fck f*ck! Professor Lu is so cool! So badass! This is the kind of guardian I’ve only ever had in my dreams!”

Pei Yun was equally shocked. He really hadn’t expected his uncle to pull a move like this. The man standing in front of him was so persuasive in both logic and tone that even Pei Yun almost doubted whether he had actually been in a fight just now.

“You guys say it!” Sheng Hui turned his spearhead toward the three onlookers. “Did you just see them fighting?”

An Lan (calmly): “I didn’t.” Du Jian (standing on tiptoe): “No, I’ve been cleaning the lab table this whole time.”

The monitor was timid. Stared at by Sheng Hui, she didn’t dare say “no,” but she didn’t say “yes” either. She just whispered, “Professor Sheng, how about we just let it go? We’re all juniors now. If they get a demerit, it’s hard to get rid of, and it might affect their postgraduate applications…”

As she spoke, she managed to convince herself. Finally, she mustered the courage to add, “Anyway, I didn’t see it either.”

The veins on Sheng Hui’s forehead were throbbing. Watching this magical development, Pei Yun blinked, his lingering anger vanishing as he felt a surge of joy. He poked half his head out from behind Lu Que, intending to give Yu Nian a smug sneer, but pulling the corner of his mouth caught his wound, making his face contort in pain.

But so what? I have the best uncle in the world. He definitely won’t leave me hanging.

Back in the car, Pei Yun immediately pulled down the sun visor mirror to inspect his wound. Yu Nian’s blow had been with full force; he’d almost thought he’d lose a tooth. Luckily, it was fine.

“What happened?” Lu Que inserted the key into the ignition but didn’t start the car yet. Now that it was just the two of them, things needed to be clarified.

Pei Yun put the mirror back. He wasn’t thinking about acting cool anymore and answered properly, “He called vampires ‘things that deserve to die’ and said some really nasty things. I couldn’t hold back.”

Lu Que: “You made the first move?” Pei Yun: “Yes.” Lu Que (turning to look at him): “Other than your face, were you hurt anywhere else?” Pei Yun: “No, this is the only serious part.” Lu Que: “And Yu Nian?” Pei Yun (thinking): “About the same as me. The area on his cheekbone is the worst.”

Then it’s a draw.

Lu Que hummed in acknowledgement, asked nothing else, and started the car.

“Uncle, are you done asking?” Pei Yun gripped his seatbelt, asking tentatively. Lu Que: “What else do you want me to ask?”

Pei Yun gave a cautious grin. “No, it’s just—if you’re done asking, isn’t it my turn?”

Lu Que said nothing, so Pei Yun took it as permission. “Uncle, you didn’t ask anything just now and shielded me without knowing the cause or consequence. What if I had committed a huge mistake?”

Lu Que said tonelessly, “What huge mistake could you possibly commit?”

Pei Yun immediately did a tactical lean-back. “Uncle, are you looking down on me?”

Lu Que didn’t entertain his banter. “I wasn’t shielding you.” Pei Yun: “If that wasn’t shielding…” Lu Que: “I truly did not see it.”

Pei Yun stared at his uncle for a moment, then leaned back against the seat, ruffling his hair and sighing in admiration. He had finally witnessed the pinnacle of speaking nonsense with a straight face.

That evening, Pei Yun sat in the study for half an hour and managed to squeeze out about a hundred words. His uncle seemed to have urgent business to handle; after telling Pei Yun to wait, he sat behind his computer and started working.

After sitting for a few minutes, Pei Yun began to get restless. He poked at the keyboard from left to right, spun the mouse in circles with his finger, or lay on the desk poking his head out from beside his computer to look at Lu Que. On his fourth attempt at a secret peek, he was caught red-handed.

Lu Que: “Finished?” Pei Yun rested his head on the desk, playing the pity card. “My brain juice is all squeezed dry.”

He had been energetic since he was a kid, but he was always sensible. He had never reached the level of having to write a self-reflection, and he didn’t even know where to start reflecting on this matter.

Lu Que asked, “How much did you write?”

Pei Yun sent over the document with a hundred-odd words. Lu Que opened it and scanned it. He looked up. “‘Because Classmate Yu Nian’s values are too extreme and his words too punchable, I couldn’t restrain myself from throwing the fist of justice’?”

Pei Yun didn’t see anything wrong. “Is there a problem?” Lu Que closed the document. “Rewrite it.” Pei Yun: “Huh? But I really can’t squeeze out any more.” Lu Que: “Baidu it.”

Pei Yun looked up suddenly, his eyes bright. “Then can I just copy one?” Lu Que: “As you wish. Just make sure to change some parts.”

You should have said so earlier! Pei Yun sat up straight, his energy instantly refilled. He finished the self-reflection in ten minutes and happily moved on to his daily gaming time.

He put on his headphones, and Du Jian shouted inside, “Pei Bao, you finished your self-reflection that fast?” Pei Yun: “Of course. It’s just a self-reflection. How long did you think it would take?”

Du Jian praised him for being amazing. “I thought you’d be depressed for a few days. I didn’t expect you to be in the mood for games so soon.” Pei Yun (smugly): “Of course! Games can cure all my depression!”

By the third match with Du Jian, Lu Que finally seemed to be finished with his work. He got up and left the study, and when he returned, he was holding medical cotton swabs and two bottles of topical medicine.

“Apply the medicine before you keep playing,” he said, placing the supplies by the desk.

Pei Yun gave an “oh,” found a hidden spot to camp in the game, and took off his headphones. To avoid missing what Du Jian was saying, he turned on the speakerphone.

The disinfectant stung a bit. Lu Que, having anticipated this, used a bit of force with the hand holding Pei Yun’s face to keep him from moving. Du Jian, seeing Pei Yun’s character crouching in a corner for ages and hearing hissing sounds of pain, asked, “Pei Bao, are you slurping noodles?”

Pei Yun couldn’t help but grimace; the sudden pain made him want to reach through the screen and give Du Jian a smack. “I’m applying medicine, you’re the one slurping noodles.”

Du Jian burst out laughing, his voice filling the study. Pei Yun couldn’t be bothered with him.

Lu Que leaned over to carefully apply the medicine. They were very close, and with every breath, Pei Yun seemed to smell that familiar scent again. It was very, very faint—the same scent he had smelled on Lu Que’s bed. So it wasn’t perfume on the bed, but his uncle’s scent that had rubbed off on it?

He wanted to ask, but then heard Lu Que remind him: “Do you remember you’re going back home this weekend?”

“I remember.” After saying it, Pei Yun finally remembered something he had been ignoring. “Crap! I’m going home this weekend. What am I going to say if my parents find out I’m ‘wounded’?”

He instinctively looked to Lu Que for help. “Uncle, if they ask, you absolutely have to help me cover it up.” Lu Que: “I have work this weekend. I won’t be going back.

So he had to fight this battle alone?

Pei Yun’s face fell, and he pitifully grabbed his uncle’s sleeve. “Remote assistance is fine too! In any case, I can’t let my mom know I got into a fight at school. She’ll ask questions endlessly.”

And the main reason involved a sensitive topic. His dad was meticulous and had a high IQ; if he saw something… No! The fight absolutely cannot be exposed.

Pei Yun: “Otherwise, I’ll say I accidentally tripped and fell, or ran too fast and hit a corner?” Lu Que: “Doesn’t look like it.” Pei Yun: “Huh?” Lu Que’s gaze fell on the injury. “It looks like you were punched.” “…”

“Then what should I do? How about I tell my mom I’m not going back either? Uncle, what work are you doing this weekend? Can you take me with you?” “No,” Lu Que said. But before Pei Yun’s face could reach his chin, he spoke again: “Don’t worry. I’ve already called home. They won’t ask you anything.”

Pei Yun: “Did you find a good excuse for me?” Lu Que: “Mhm.” Pei Yun’s mood turned from cloudy to sunny visibly. He opened his arms and gave Lu Que a hug, deeply moved. “Wuwu, Uncle, I knew you wouldn’t leave me hanging!”

Lu Que moved his hand away quickly before Pei Yun could pounce. “Sit properly.” “Got it!”

Pei Yun returned to a primary student’s sitting posture and looked up obediently. “Uncle, just in case, let’s get our stories straight. What did you tell my mom?” Lu Que: “That you hit yourself.” “…?”

Pei Yun’s smile froze. “W-what?” Lu Que finished applying the medicine, threw away the swab, and screwed the cap back on the bottle. “I told them that while sleepwalking, your brain wasn’t clear, and you punched yourself.” “…………”

Pei Yun was petrified. As Lu Que left with the medicine, the study echoed with Du Jian’s uproarious, endless laughter.

Pei Yun knew Ms. Pei’s temperament well and had prepared to be ridiculed before going home. However, when he was actually in the thick of it, his mental state still crumbled.

After dinner, he hurried back to his room and made a video call. As soon as the other side picked up, he started complaining: “Uncle, my heart and soul have suffered a major trauma. According to my calculations, it’s entirely your fault!”

Lu Que was just stepping out of an elevator. “Were you mocked?”

Pei Yun buried his face in his quilt, leaving only a despondent back of his head visible. “Yes! My mom has been mocking me since I got home this afternoon. She was still laughing after dinner just now!”

Ms. Pei was always delighted by her son’s mishaps. She’d performed a token check to make sure there was no major damage before laughing until she shook. She’d been curious about what kind of dream could make him so ruthless as to punch himself, and checked to see if he’d hit himself hard enough to loosen a tooth. She even asked if water leaked when he drank, and brought a piece of celery to “interview” him on how it felt to be punched by himself.

The pride of a tough guy was completely lost in this “benevolent lie.” He’d almost performed a “mental breakdown” right in front of his mother.

“My apologies.” A quick smile flashed in Lu Que’s eyes as he offered a graceful apology. “What compensation would you like?”

This actually made Pei Yun feel embarrassed. A pair of eyes peeked out from the quilt, his face a bit flushed from being smothered. “I was just kidding. You helped me; how could I ask for compensation?”

He hadn’t looked closely before, but now he noticed Lu Que wasn’t home yet. “Uncle, did you just get off work?” “Mhm.” Lu Que took out his keys to open the door. “Was there something else?” “No.” Pei Yun rested his chin on the bed like a puppy. “I just wanted to see what our Professor Lu is doing when I’m not at home.” Lu Que turned on the living room light and said casually, “Checking up on me?” Pei Yun laughed. “I wouldn’t dare.”

A call for “Xiao Yun” came from downstairs. Pei Yun scrambled off the bed. “My dad is calling me. I’ll be right back down. Uncle, you go ahead and tidy up!”

He left his phone on the desk. When he returned to the room after eating half a fruit platter, the person was no longer visible on the other end—only a crystal chandelier was in the frame. It was the one in the dining room. Pei Yun guessed his uncle had left his phone on the table to go shower.

Since the other side hadn’t hung up after all this time, he didn’t intend to hang up until the person returned. At least I have to say goodnight, he thought.

Over a dozen messages popped up in the WeChat group; his gaming squad was one person short, and Du Jian was frantically urging him to get online. Pei Yun put his phone aside and joined the team.

Young men in their twenties have boundless energy. Once they start playing, they throw everything else to the back of their minds. Their heads are filled with nothing but survival or kills. At intense moments, they can start shouting at each other across the screens.

“Pei Bao, someone’s behind you!!!” “I see them, I see them! Keep it down!” “What are you afraid of? They can’t hear me.” “You’re so loud I can’t even hear the footsteps!” “Aaaaah An-an, there’s a landmine! Save me save me save me save me!” “Be quiet.” “Save me save me save me—”

BOOM. A landmine exploded beside Du Jian. One less person on the map, one more loot box.

“…Watching me die without saving me. You guys have no hearts.” “We didn’t watch you die without saving you,” Pei Yun said. “I’m the one who threw that landmine.” “???” “You were shouting so much you gave me tinnitus!!!”

The school’s weekend power cut was at 1:30 AM. Pei Yun played until Du Jian and the others went offline “unnaturally” before closing his computer.

Sitting for so long had made his shoulders stiff. He stretched his arms wide, picked up his phone, and rolled onto the bed. He was about to do his routine pre-sleep Weibo scroll when he realized the video call still hadn’t ended.

Lu Que was still in the study. From the angle, the phone seemed to be propped up against a small potted plant on his right, perfectly capturing him as he worked.

Pei Yun was stunned. He sat up on his knees wrapped in his quilt, staring at the person in the video for a while before calling out tentatively in a tiny voice: “Uncle?” Lu Que: “Mhm.” Pei Yun: “!”