Embrace That Vampire - Chapter 3

“Your class is truly a struggle to endure.”

“Endure it even if it’s a struggle. I’m only teaching you for half a semester.”

Endure it.

Endure…

As Pei Yun walked upstairs, those two lines of dialogue—the ones that had caused him immeasurable embarrassment—kept echoing in his head, making his cheeks burn with shame.

So, he had been heard. He had honestly thought he was being very quiet at the time.

However, he was never one to dwell on things that couldn’t be undone. By the time he reached his dormitory, he had already tossed the regret to the back of his mind.

Du Jian and Zeng Yichen hadn’t returned from class yet.

Bored, he dragged his crocodile plushie off the bed and held it while he watched game replays on his phone. After a while, he found it dull and returned to the homepage to look for a livestream.

The homepage was filled with recommendations for new streamers. Pei Yun scrolled down slowly with the mouse wheel, unable to find anything interesting for a long time.

A small Taobao advertisement popped up in the bottom right corner. He moved his mouse to close it, but his hand slipped, and he accidentally clicked right into a livestream.

“Welcome ‘Beating Up Little Monsters’ to the stream.”

The bullet comments weren’t numerous, and there weren’t many fans watching. The streamer was a young man who looked to be about the same age as Pei Yun. He was slumped in his gaming chair with terrible posture, lazily reciting the welcome before returning to his game.

Pei Yun originally intended to exit immediately, but after being “called out” by name, he suddenly felt a strange sense of mission. He felt that if he didn’t watch for at least two minutes, he’d be letting the guy down after that welcome.

He turned off the comments, let go of the mouse, hugged his little crocodile, and watched seriously for a while. He soon realized this streamer actually had some skill. His mechanics were solid and his reactions were fast—completely different from those streamers who used games as a mere gimmick to grab attention through shady methods.

Not bad for a newcomer. Hmm, he has a future.

He casually hit the follow button.

Just then, a match ended. The streamer paused on the results screen for a moment before entering the queue for the next one.

With nothing left to watch, Pei Yun listened to the streamer’s “talk show” banter.

“…Suddenly having no appetite for anything? That’s just anorexia from over-dieting. But if your mind is fixated on eating exactly one specific food, then congratulations—you might have entered the Guidance Phase.”

“What is the Guidance Phase? Didn’t I just say? It’s when your mind only wants to eat one thing, and you have zero interest in anything else.”

“Impact? There’s no real impact. If you want to eat it, just eat it.”

He paused here, glancing at the camera. “However, I suggest that before you eat it, you should have a subtle negotiation with your ‘food.’ Don’t just tell it directly that you want to eat it. If it’s unwilling, give up early and find the next one.”

It sounded a bit superstitious, yet it bore a bizarre resemblance to his current situation.

Pei Yun rubbed his chin and turned the comments back on:

【Hahahaha! The streamer is so funny, I’m dying!】

【Negotiating with food? Is that something a sane brain can come up with? Hahaha】

【Uh, I just tried to negotiate with the crucian carp my mom bought. It doesn’t seem very willing to be made into soup o(╥﹏╥)o】

【Holy crap, that makes so much sense! Thank you, streamer, for clearing that up! So the reason I’m craving fried chicken like crazy today isn’t because I’m a glutton, it’s just because I’ve entered the Food Guidance Phase!】

【Same for me with spicy konjac snacks!】

Tsk, must be nice.

Pei Yun was a bit envious of them. At least they knew what they wanted to eat; he, on the other hand, had zero clues.

Wait, that wasn’t entirely true. Back when he fainted, he seemed to have smelled it on Lu Que.

But given Lu Que’s personality, would he carry food on his person?

Unlikely, right?

Then could it be that the scent was just very strong, and the smell of his lunch hadn’t dissipated yet?

Pei Yun felt for his phone, wanting to send a message to ask. But upon opening WeChat, he remembered Lu Que might be in class. It was immoral to distract someone during a lecture, so he closed the app and decided to wait until school was out.

Just as he put his phone back on the desk, the dorm door was suddenly pushed open.

Du Jian rushed in like a whirlwind, not even catching his breath before pulling Pei Yun around to check him over. “How are you, Pei-bao? Is it anything serious? Did you get checked? What did the doctor say?!”

Zeng Yichen was a few steps behind. After entering unhurriedly, he stood quietly to the side, watching.

“Relax.” Pei Yun patted his shoulder kindly. “It was just hypoglycemia. I’m fine.”

Du Jian said, “That hypoglycemia was way too scary. For a second there, I thought you had just passed away in your sleep.”

He had been blaming himself all afternoon, unable to calm down. “It’s my fault for being too dense. You said you were sleepy, and I really didn’t think of anything else. If it wasn’t low blood sugar, but a sudden stroke, heart attack, or high blood pressure…”

“That’s enough.”

Pei Yun hadn’t felt much before, but the more he listened, the more he felt a chill down his spine. “Your Brother Pei is young, strong, and fit. Hypoglycemia is the absolute limit; I don’t have all those ailments you’re listing.”

“Hehe, that’s good then. As long as you’re okay, I can relax.”

Only then did Du Jian remember he hadn’t come back alone. He turned to find the dorm head. “Hey, Roomie, that’s rare. Aren’t you usually the one who worries about Pei-bao the most? How are you so calm today?”

Zeng Yichen waved his phone at them with a gentle smile. “My information sources are a bit slower. By the time I saw the news that Xiao Pei had fainted, he was already out eating with Professor Lu.”

He had known for a while that Pei Yun was fine, so naturally, he wasn’t in a rush.

Du Jian: “How do you know about them eating? Even I didn’t know.”

Zeng Yichen: “Someone posted on the forum. The kind with pictures. Want to see?”

Pei Yun: “???”

Du Jian let out a resounding “Show me!” and lunged over to press his head close, reading aloud as he scrolled. ” ‘Fam, a once-in-a-century frame of Campus Heartthrob Pei and the Light of Ning University. A visual critical hit. I’m going to huan-gu-qi.’ What does huan-gu-qi mean?”

Pei Yun also leaned over, explaining casually, “It means ‘faint away’ in dialect.”

Du Jian gave an “oh” and scrolled to the second floor of the thread to see the photos. “It really is you guys. Professor Lu looks so cold, I didn’t expect him to be so warm-hearted, personally taking you out… HOLY CRAP!!!”

He pointed at a glowing keyword on the third floor of the thread. “Small Uncle?”

“What the hell, Small Uncle?! Pei-bao, they said they heard you calling Professor Lu ‘Small Uncle.’ Are they hard of hearing? Small Uncle???”

Pei Yun was still wondering who came up with the title “Light of Ning University”—what a genius. Hearing this, he said naturally, “They aren’t hard of hearing. He is my Small Uncle.”

Instantly, two gazes swept over him in unison.

Zeng Yichen remained relatively calm, but Du Jian couldn’t handle it. He abruptly raised his volume, startling Pei Yun. “Professor Lu is really your Small Uncle?”

“He really is.” Pei Yun paused for a second before adding, “That’s right. I am that ‘unlucky kid’ you were talking about.”

“But don’t you have your mother’s surname?” Du Jian said sheepishly. “Professor Lu’s surname is Lu, not Pei. How can he be your Small Uncle?”

It had to be said that although Du Jian was prone to theatrics, he occasionally had a talent for hitting the nail on the head.

Lu Que was Pei Yun’s Small Uncle, but not his biological one.

When Pei Yun was three years old, ten-year-old Lu Que had been brought home by Grandpa Pei, who held the boy’s hand.

He called Grandpa Pei “Uncle,” Pei Yun’s mother “Big Sister,” and Pei Yun’s father “Brother-in-law.” Thus, from that day on, Pei Yun gained a Small Uncle who was only seven years older than him.

As Pei Yun grew older, he learned that Lu Que’s biological uncle had been a comrade-in-arms of his grandfather. He had died heroically during a rescue mission, and before he left, he entrusted his only living relative—his younger sister, Lu Que’s mother—to Grandpa Pei’s care.

At that time, Mother Lu was still very young. Not long after being cared for by Grandpa Pei until she reached adulthood, she married a wealthy second-generation man she met on a university campus.

Unfortunately, she met the wrong man. The man showed two different faces before and after the marriage. Mother Lu quickly saw through the reality and divorced him.

In the process, she took half of his fortune.

Due to extreme exhaustion in her youth, Mother Lu’s health had never been good. Coupled with her constant depression after the divorce and her stubborn refusal to return to the Pei family to trouble them, she finally passed away when Lu Que was ten.

His biological father’s side originally wanted to take Lu Que in, but Grandpa Pei didn’t trust him. Fearing Lu Que would be bullied and mistreated, he insisted on bringing Lu Que home.

Lu Que’s original surname wasn’t Lu; he had taken his mother’s surname after his parents divorced. The reason he never changed it to Pei after moving in was simple: he was never on the same household register as Pei Yun.

In other words, this Small Uncle of Pei Yun’s had neither a biological nor a legal relationship with him.

Since he wasn’t a Pei in the true sense, he naturally didn’t need to change his surname.

However, in many cases, the subtle emotions between people are not governed by a piece of paper. Even so, it didn’t stop Pei Yun from acting as submissive as a plucked quail the moment he faced his Small Uncle.

Of course, Pei Yun couldn’t tell others these details.

He said to Du Jian, “If I can take my mother’s surname, of course my Small Uncle can take his mother’s. In our Pei family, the status of women has always been exalted.”

“Exalted status? Even the genes are exalted!”

Du Jian was green with envy. “Setting aside Professor Lu—a heavenly talent like him isn’t for us mortals to judge—Pei-bao, you’re also quite badass. Didn’t you also skip grades as a kid?”

“That, I didn’t.”

Pei Yun said, “I’m only younger than you guys because I started school early. I can’t compare to my Small Uncle.”

“Anyway, for as long as I can remember, he was either skipping grades or on the way to skipping another. When I was still a little ‘shut-in’ who only knew how to stare and quack, he had already been recommended for admission to Ning University.”

Pei Yun spoke with a strange sense of pride, as if he shared in the glory.

Du Jian: “No wonder Professor Lu called you ‘Xiao Yun’ when you fainted and even deigned to carry you to the infirmary himself.”

Pei Yun froze. “He carried me there?”

Du Jian: “What did you think? That you could just bundle yourself up and roll there?”

…So his mount wasn’t a big cat; it was the Professor.

Pei Yun blinked, suddenly feeling a sense of piety toward himself. He felt an urge to immediately bathe, burn incense, and bow to his reflection in the mirror three times.

How did I deserve such an honor?

Zeng Yichen thought of something. “Since Professor Lu is your Small Uncle, why did you fail your Microbiology final last semester?”

“Because a true sage never hesitates to prioritize justice over family when faced with the truth.” Pei Yun slumped again, pouting. “Why do you think I’m afraid of him?”

Du Jian chuckled for a moment before steering the conversation back from outer space. “Oh right, I kept forgetting something. Pei-bao, didn’t you say you had no appetite? I have a divine item that’s guaranteed to give you an appetite instantly.”

He ran to the cabinet and pulled out a box, handing it to Pei Yun. “Here, this—Garlic Hawthorn!”

“Garlic Hawthorn?”

Zeng Yichen frowned. “What kind of demonic creation is that?”

Pei Yun had zero appetite just hearing the name.

Skeptically, he opened the packaging. The pungent smell of garlic rushed into his nose. Pei Yun’s expression changed instantly; he shoved the box into Zeng Yichen’s hands, rushed into the bathroom, and threw up.

Du Jian and Zeng Yichen stared at each other in a daze before rushing to the bathroom door.

“Holy crap! Pei-bao, you okay?!”

“I knew your stuff was unreliable. Stop feeding it to Xiao Pei.”

“Waaa, my fault. Sorry.”

Pei Yun leaned against the wall and waved a weak hand. “I forgive you.”

Unfortunately, the only decent meal he’d managed to finish in two days had just been thrown up.

Zeng Yichen immediately turned to get his phone. “An Lan is coming back soon. I’ll message him right now and have him bring a jar of pickled radish from his hometown. That’ll open your appetite.”

Only Du Jian remained, clinging to the bathroom doorframe with a conflicted face. “Pei-bao, although it’s impossible for you to be pregnant, this situation with the sleepiness and the vomiting is really…”

He paused and whispered, “Are you having a phantom pregnancy?”