The Morning After: A Heist, a Home, and a Hasty Apology

Slender fingers slowly twisted the doorknob, prying open the door just enough for her to slip through. In a whisper of silence, Bai Xia stole out of the apartment.

“Phew~ I’m finally out.”

Standing before the elevator, she glanced back at the tightly shut apartment door, her hand instinctively reaching for the wad of cash in her pocket. Despite the twists and turns, at least she had secured the money.

At this thought, Bai Xia’s ruby-red eyes curved slightly, a smile of profound relief gracing her lips. No wonder they always said opportunity and risk went hand-in-hand—and the bigger the waves, the more valuable the catch. Though she had nearly lost herself in the process, this substantial sum meant she wouldn’t have to worry about food and drink for quite some time.

With this comforting thought, the young woman—still clutching her newfound fortune—couldn’t help but hum a little tune of self-satisfaction. Just then, the elevator arrived with a soft ding.

“See you Monday, Mo Ge~”

Her soft murmur vanished into the empty corridor. The moment the elevator doors parted, Bai Xia darted inside and quickly pressed the close button, terrified that a still-groggy Mo Bai might suddenly burst from his apartment and scare her half to death.

That would truly be terrifying…

As the elevator doors slowly sealed shut, Bai Xia leaned against the cold metal wall, exhaling a long sigh of relief. The frantic pounding of her heart, which had persisted since she awoke, finally began to settle.

If Mo Bai had caught her, she wouldn’t have known what to do. And given her state yesterday, he would surely have pressed her about what happened. What if he called the police…

“Good thing I ran fast…”

Bai Xia mumbled softly, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a strand of her snowy-white hair. She glanced down at her dress; though wrinkled and marred with bloodstains and dirt, thankfully, there were no tears. It wasn’t a major issue.

Dirty is fine—a wash will clean it. As long as it’s not torn…

She’d spent a considerable sum on this dress for her bar shift. If it had been damaged, her heart would have ached terribly.

Pulling out her phone, she checked the time. It was just past six in the morning. The map showed her location in the southern district of the Imperial Capital—quite a distance from her rented room. But who was she now?

With cash in hand, what did she have to fear? If she couldn’t walk, she might as well hail a cab.

Normally, she would walk whenever possible to save money, but with tens of thousands in her pocket now, why quibble over a small taxi fare?

Exiting Mo Bai’s residential complex, Bai Xia hailed a taxi with a flourish and settled into the back seat. At this hour, she could still grab breakfast downstairs once she arrived home, then head to the market for lunch ingredients and daily necessities, before returning to her rented room for a delightful nap.

After all, not sleeping in on a big weekend like this would be a pure waste of time!

“Driver, Xicheng First Village.”

After giving the address, Bai Xia leaned back comfortably in her seat and began playing on her phone.

Opening Penguin Chat, she skillfully navigated through various group chats, browsing for entertainment and “spicy” images—typical pastimes for Bai Xia. Most of the time, she was a silent lurker, only occasionally surfacing when a topic piqued her interest. As her fingers glided across the screen, she habitually opened the chat interface with her deskmate. Instantly, two chat records appeared on her screen:

[Xia: Mo Ge, I get paid today. I’ll pay you back tonight.]
[Xia: I’ll treat you to milk tea when we go to school on Monday.]

“…”

Oh no! This is bad!

Staring at the messages she’d sent Mo Bai yesterday morning, she suddenly remembered promising to repay him.

But last night, she’d been rendered unconscious by the drugs—how could she have remembered to repay him on time? While breaking her word was certainly her fault, the circumstances of last night were entirely beyond her control. She wasn’t a superhero, after all.

Never mind. I should send a message to explain first—otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if Mo Bai misunderstood.

As for an excuse, she could just say she was too busy last night, fell asleep as soon as she got home, and forgot. She hadn’t actually meant to.

Bai Xia’s small hand gripped her phone, her fingers rapidly tapping out words on the screen. Two messages were quickly composed and sent:

[Xia: Mo Ge, I’m so sorry! I accidentally fell asleep last night.]
[Xia: I’ll transfer the money to you in a bit.]

After sending the messages, she stared at the screen with a guilty conscience. Mo Bai notoriously disliked people who broke their promises. Someone had borrowed money from him before and was immediately blacklisted for returning it half a day past the deadline.

Though Mo Bai had once told her it was alright if she couldn’t repay him immediately, Bai Xia still didn’t want to damage her credibility in his eyes. After all, Mo Bai had always been quite good to her in every respect.

Right! I’ll go to the ATM in a bit to deposit the money, then transfer it to Mo Bai immediately. But since I’ve earned so much, perhaps I can treat myself a little today?

At this thought, Bai Xia’s lips curved upward slightly, and she began planning her morning itinerary. Repaying the money was important, but for her, the immediate priority was to replenish her body’s energy.

Once the money was deposited, she could head to the market to prepare lunch. The blood she’d stored in the fridge yesterday—originally meant for the evening—was likely undrinkable after sitting overnight. Besides buying ingredients for lunch, she’d also need to specially buy a chicken or duck to drain its blood.

Overnight blood? That’s definitely not good stuff.

Not only did stale, spoiled blood taste awful, but leaving it overnight would also breed all sorts of bacteria. Drinking it wouldn’t just fail to replenish her energy—even a small sip could turn her into a “spray warrior” in her rented room’s bathroom.

As for how she knew…

Bai Xia still remembered a time when, trying to save money, she hadn’t dared to throw away overnight duck blood. One gulp, and she’d ended up vomiting in the bathroom for half a day, finally emerging with trembling legs. The mere thought still sent shivers down her spine.

However, compared to duck blood, she still preferred chicken blood.

It wasn’t necessarily because of the taste. Primarily, after a chicken was slaughtered, it could be used for soup or many other delicious dishes—like fried chicken wings. A duck, once killed, offered far fewer culinary options.

If she had to choose between them, Bai Xia could only say…

What normal person would drink this stuff for no reason?! Are they sick?!

If blood wasn’t the only way to restore her energy, she wouldn’t touch such foul-tasting, pungent stuff even if her life depended on it. Though she was a vampire princess now, her taste buds still retained the memories of her human days! The same went for her habits.

Bai Xia wrinkled her small face, unconsciously touching her pointed canine teeth, a hint of helplessness gracing her features.

What could she do? She couldn’t just stop living, could she?

Every day, she had to use energy to disguise herself as her former male self for school. Without blood to replenish her energy, she simply couldn’t attend classes.

Sigh… Life is hard—a vampire princess sighs.

But even if she’s a vampire princess now, she still has to live diligently, darn it!

Ten minutes later, the taxi slowly pulled to a stop at the entrance of Xicheng First Village. After paying the fare, Bai Xia hopped out, her snowy-white hair shimmering with a soft halo in the sunlight. This urban village before her was home. Dilapidated utility poles were plastered with small advertisements, the scent of breakfast stalls wafted through narrow alleys, and several early-rising aunties—carrying vegetable baskets—pointed and whispered about her. Everything here stood in stark contrast to the gleaming bustle of the Imperial Capital.

Naturally, her appearance—long white hair and a delicate dress, especially one stained with dirt and blood—was quite conspicuous in this urban village. She had no choice but to return to her rented room to change. Running around the streets like this would be far too strange—not to mention that Bai Xia’s true female form was usually only used when she went out to work. Within the village, she always presented herself as a boy.

Ignoring the aunties’ hushed whispers, Bai Xia jogged all the way into the familiar depths of the alley, pulled out her access card, and swiped open the unit door of a small building.

“Phew~ I’m finally home…”