The Vampire Tycoon Secretly Loves Me - Chapter 5

The driver slammed on the brakes, and the front of the car veered to one side. The body of the vehicle spun ninety degrees in an instant before sliding forward in a straight line, coming to a diagonal halt on the road. Unprepared, Ye Linghan was flung forward by the inertia.

With a loud thump, his forehead collided with the back of the front seat.

Fortunately, he had been wearing his seatbelt, which prevented more serious injuries.

The cigarette butt from the passenger seat was sent flying by the violent impact; several fragments landed scattered at Ye Linghan’s feet.

“What happened?” Ye Linghan asked as he opened his mouth to inquire. While suppressing the pain, he pulled a piece of tissue from his pocket and, while the driver wasn’t looking, pinched a segment of the cigarette butt and tucked it into his pocket.

As he sat up, his peripheral vision suddenly caught a dark shadow flashing across the rearview mirror. He hurried to look in the direction of the shadow, but there was nothing there.

Perhaps he was dizzy from the bump and having hallucinations.

As the pain in his forehead surged, Ye Linghan shook his head and looked out the window again, seeing only a desolate and empty expanse.

He figured that even if someone were there, there was no place for them to hide.

“Which blind idiot was that?” The driver’s furious voice rang out as he clutched his forehead. Due to the inertia, he had hit the steering wheel in front of him; luckily, he had been held back by the seatbelt, narrowly escaping disaster.

However, when the driver looked out the window, there was no other car or person to be seen beyond the large windshield. The straight road was completely empty.

“Should we get out and look? Could they have been dragged under the car?” Both men were dazed from the collision, but Ye Linghan was the first to react.

“No, that can’t be… don’t, don’t move yet. I’ll get out and check,” the driver said in a trembling voice, clearly terrified. His hands were shaking so badly that he failed to push the car door open on his first attempt.

The situation was strange. Having experienced the events of the previous day, Ye Linghan had become more cautious. He did not follow the driver out to check, but instead sat quietly in the car and waited.

After a short while, the driver returned to the vehicle, muttering to himself, “This is wicked. I clearly saw someone crossing the road just now, so why isn’t there a single soul here now?”

He glanced at Ye Linghan and forced himself to appear calm. “It’s nothing. I must have been seeing things just now.”

Ye Linghan was half-doubting. Strange things were happening one after another; even the most oblivious person should have felt something was off, yet the fact remained that they hadn’t hit anyone.

Ye Linghan reasoned that since the driver had checked and found nothing unusual, and no useful information could be gained, he simply offered a few casual responses and stopped talking.

Once the car started up again, Ye Linghan felt a strange impulse to look back at the road behind them. The bare road confirmed the driver’s words.

After this episode, the driver was clearly spooked, and Ye Linghan did not believe the driver had simply “seen things.” Both men were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and for the next stretch of time, the interior of the car was dead silent.

Because he had received a call from Zhao Tang, Ye Linghan paid extra to change the destination again, heading directly to Zhao Tang’s workplace.

After watching the driver leave, Ye Linghan walked up to Zhao Tang, who was waiting for him on the steps.

Zhao Tang was holding a cup of instant coffee; even the cup was a common paper one found everywhere next to the office water dispenser.

As Ye Linghan drew closer, he saw dark circles under Zhao Tang’s eyes. His gaze was vacant, and his originally handsome, deep double eyelids had lost their support and were drooping. His clothes were covered in wrinkles.

“Another all-nighter?” Ye Linghan asked with concern.

Zhao Tang forced his eyes open and thoughtfully held out the instant coffee to Ye Linghan. “Want a sip?”

Ye Linghan didn’t stand on ceremony and reached out to take it, but Zhao Tang pulled his hand back, looking dissatisfied. “I offer, and you actually take it? You really don’t know how to show some care for an old classmate.”

Seeing that Zhao Tang still had the energy to joke, Ye Linghan knew he was fine and joined in the banter. “I couldn’t exactly reject your kindness. Besides, I’ve been up half the night too—shouldn’t you care about me a little?”

Ye Linghan and Zhao Tang had been close since their school days. Ye Linghan trusted Zhao Tang immensely, so Zhao Tang knew many of his secrets, including his relationship with Yin Chen. However, Zhao Tang had always been very respectful; he never pried and was a very good listener.

“Why did you ask me to come? Is something wrong?” Ye Linghan asked, remembering the phone call.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot the main business.” Zhao Tang shoved the coffee into Ye Linghan’s hand, then looked left and right. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to put an arm around Ye Linghan’s shoulder and lead him down the steps.

Ye Linghan took a sip of the coffee Zhao Tang had handed him. To be fair, a 1.5-yuan packet of instant coffee certainly didn’t taste as good as the imported brands in Yin Chen’s house.

“I’ll bring you some good coffee another day. This instant stuff doesn’t suit your current status,” Ye Linghan said, smacking his lips and nodding toward Zhao Tang.

Zhao Tang shot him a look and said irritably, “What status? The status of an overworked beast of burden? If you really feel for me, stop bringing me trouble.”

As he spoke, he shook the briefcase tucked under his arm.

Ye Linghan’s eyes followed the movement. “What is it? Why so mysterious?”

Zhao Tang led Ye Linghan toward the parking lot. “This involves classified information. Why don’t you come to my place so we can talk in detail?”

That wasn’t a problem for Ye Linghan. Since he was usually alone anyway, it didn’t matter where he went.

As they walked, Zhao Tang suddenly stopped. Ye Linghan looked at him in confusion, only to see Zhao Tang turning his head toward him. “I remember you just said you also stayed up all night?”

Ye Linghan didn’t understand why he was asking, but cooperated with a nod. “Yeah, why?”

“Then we’re in trouble!” Zhao Tang slapped Ye Linghan on the back.

Ye Linghan was startled. “Huh? What’s in trouble?”

“We have to call a cab. Driving would be considered fatigued driving! Zhao Tang said with a straight face.

Because he had just been scammed out of several hundred yuan by the previous driver, Ye Linghan’s head throbbed at the mere mention of the word “cab.” He rolled his eyes and said flatly, “Fine, you call it.”

Although he firmly believed that one couldn’t be unlucky enough to get scammed constantly, shifting the responsibility was perhaps the optimal solution.

Zhao Tang held his phone and gave Ye Linghan a meaningful look. “What, has your allowance been cut off?”

He was referring to Yin Chen.

Ye Linghan remained silent, feeling a secret bitterness. It wasn’t that Yin Chen had cut him off; it was that he had just been fleeced.

The sound of the phone vibrating came from Zhao Tang’s palm. “A driver accepted the order that fast?” He looked at the app interface and marveled, “And it’s only a two-minute wait. Looks like they’re right nearby.”

Ye Linghan leaned his head over to look at the screen, but he found the bright license plate number on the screen exceptionally piercing.

This license plate… why did it feel so familiar? A flash of realization hit Ye Linghan’s mind. In a near-instinctive move, he swiftly snatched a mask from Zhao Tang’s pocket and put it on his face.

Ye Linghan knew that Zhao Tang always carried a few masks with him.

As it turned out, the world was too small; some people were destined to cross paths again and again.

Zhao Tang instinctively covered his pocket, completely bewildered by Ye Linghan’s actions, his sleepiness half-faded. “What bad thing did you do? Do you have a guilty conscience?”

Just then, an e-hailing car approached from a distance. Seeing there was no time for a detailed explanation, Ye Linghan whispered a summary: “This driver is a total scammer. You handle it—just don’t back down.”

Before Zhao Tang could react, the car arrived, and Ye Linghan followed him inside.

Initially, the driver didn’t notice Ye Linghan. It happened that while asking Zhao Tang for the last four digits of his phone number, he accidentally caught a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror.

He stared into the mirror for a moment, then narrowed his eyes with a fawning expression. “Oh, haven’t we met just recently?”

“No, I don’t think so?” Ye Linghan didn’t want to admit it, but the other man wouldn’t let it go.

“Aiyoo, brother, I can tell just by your voice. Since that’s the case…” The driver made a gesture for money in front of the two people in the backseat.

Ye Linghan never expected this driver to be so overfamiliar—after only one meeting, he was naturally trying to play on their “connection.”

Before Ye Linghan could answer, Zhao Tang, understanding what was happening, spoke up first. “Impossible. There’s a recording in this car; be careful, or I’ll report you.” Because he was grumpy from working all night, his tone was not friendly.

The driver was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing that Zhao Tang was not someone to be trifled with, he didn’t dare speak again and obediently drove them to their destination.

Zhao Tang’s home was also in the city center, not far from Ye Linghan’s place, and he lived alone.

As soon as they entered, Zhao Tang tossed away the disposable paper cup he had been holding the whole way. He then pulled several sheets of paper from his briefcase and handed them to Ye Linghan.

“What’s this?” Ye Linghan took them.

“The injury report of the person attacked by the Blood Hunters last night.” Zhao Tang sat down beside Ye Linghan, took a glass from the coffee table, poured some water, and set it in front of him.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Ye Linghan asked. Logically, these documents shouldn’t be shown to others casually.

Zhao Tang took the report back from Ye Linghan, flipped to the results section on the last page, and pointed it out to him. “I wasn’t supposed to show you, but this matter is of great importance. I don’t think it’s simple, so I thought about it for a long time and decided to tell you.”

Ye Linghan looked where Zhao Tang was pointing. The identification result read: Detected containing a small amount of CLY-20 reagent components.

“I remember the teachers mentioned some knowledge about CLY-20 back in school, but not much; it was almost glossed over. It’s a hallucinogen that is rarely seen—you could even say it’s impossible to find.”

“But it was detected,” Ye Linghan said, his expression grave. Although the two had been roommates, they were not in the same major, so they knew very little about specialized reagents.

“Exactly, that’s where the problem lies.” Zhao Tang carefully gathered the documents and placed them on the table. “The teachers once said that this specific hallucinogen originally came from the Vampire Race.”

“But…” Zhao Tang paused and lowered his voice. “Later, while I was reading, I accidentally saw that it is actually extracted using secret techniques. That’s why I don’t understand why it would suddenly appear after so many years of being absent, especially when even the teachers didn’t have a full understanding of it.”

Hearing this, Ye Linghan fell into deep thought. He stared intently at the identification reports, his gaze seemingly piercing through the paper to land directly on the letters “CLY-20” on the last page.

He understood the reason Zhao Tang told him: he wanted Ye Linghan to relay this to Yin Chen. After all, if the Vampire Race took control of the world, it would surely lead to chaos.

But he couldn’t just abruptly tell Yin Chen. One reason was his status, and the other was the lack of substantive evidence to prove the reagent originated from the Vampire Race. No one would take the fall for an unsubstantiated accusation.

“Okay, I understand.” While contemplating, Ye Linghan suddenly thought of the cigarette. He pulled the cigarette butt from his pocket. “Can you help me test this?” He unwrapped the tissue and held it out to Zhao Tang.

“What is this?” Zhao Tang took it and looked it over. “A cigarette butt? I remember you don’t smoke?”

Ye Linghan nodded. “I don’t. I picked this up; it felt suspicious, so I want you to help me test it.”

Seeing Ye Linghan’s vague answer, Zhao Tang didn’t press him. He only asked, “Are you in a hurry for the results? Because if I use my private process, it’s not a hassle, but it will take a long time.”

Ye Linghan shook his head. “No rush. Just follow your process.” Since he was asking for a favor, he couldn’t make too many demands. Besides, it was just his own suspicion, so he really wasn’t in a hurry.

Ye Linghan stayed at Zhao Tang’s house until late. They had dinner together and chatted about recent events. Since graduation, everyone had gone their separate ways with few chances to talk, but fortunately, Zhao Tang lived close, so they saw each other fairly often.

After saying goodbye to Zhao Tang, Ye Linghan walked alone along the dark, narrow path of the residential complex. He kept his head down, thinking about everything that had happened that day and how to casually reveal the news about the reagent to Yin Chen.

Suddenly, he saw a dark shadow emerge on the ground, rapidly growing larger as if something were diving down toward him.