The vampire girl who loves the sun

The sun rose silently from the city’s watery horizon, brushing the sky with its first streaks of vivid light before scattering the remaining dust of radiance across the urban silhouette.

The city stirred to life, carrying its half-awake inhabitants with it.

The silver-haired girl’s face was touched by the gentle caress of light; the rays lingered like a warm, quiet kiss, causing her eyelashes to flutter as nimbly as if caught in a breeze.

“Mmh~”

A cute, subtle sigh escaped the girl’s lips. Her eyes slowly cracked open, revealing a pair of crimson pupils that were lazy and tranquil. Her delicate, slender hand squeezed the power button of her phone; seeing it was still early, a joyful smile blossomed on her face. She turned and buried herself back into the quilt, exhaling softly, desperately trying to summon her drowsiness back to keep her company.

“Hum~ ♬”

She hummed an unrecognizable tune—not a song, but a melody of her own inner state.

“Three, two, one!”

The girl counted down, pressing the alarm just before the phone could start buzzing.

“Full marks! Early bird check-in successful! I’m never oversleeping again!”

The girl sprang up into a sitting position, swaying her body with her eyes closed. Her small hands waved like she was holding glow sticks, and she chirped a tiny nursery rhyme to celebrate her victory over the morning. Her legs, devoid of any excess fat, looked pale and pristine under the bath of light, resembling some sort of precious, endearing alabaster.

Truly, the moments of happiness were often this simple.

With that, she felt energized for everything that followed.

Wash up, tidy the hair, eat breakfast.

Xu Feng didn’t know why, but after becoming a member of the Kindred, she seemed to love basking in the sun even more. Her body temperature remained normal; she hadn’t become cold-blooded.

Being a sun-loving vampire princess isn’t a bad gig at all, she thought.

Sucking on a blood bag, Xu Feng enjoyed the sunlight bathing her skin on the balcony.

Last night, she had told Uncle Shui most of what was on her mind—except for the part about turning into a girl and the matter regarding her “ego.” These were major secrets she wanted to figure out on her own first.

As for today, Xu Feng planned to buy some new clothes to change up her style, and then head to the security room to check the surveillance footage from the night she got drunk.

Before heading out, Xu Feng picked out a white off-the-shoulder dress with a few black accents.

The dress actually dated back to her first year of high school. During one of her occasional trips home for New Year’s, she had accidentally packed one of her younger sister’s summer outfits when heading back out. Her sister had never worn it in front of her, and by now, her sister probably couldn’t fit into it anyway.

I’m just borrowing it, dear sister.

Xu Feng became the first person to officially debut the outfit.

Standing before the mirror, Xu Feng lifted her hem and spun gracefully. She followed it with a deep bow, her right toe tucked behind her left heel, looking every bit like a noble greeting a peer.

“Perfect.”

Xu Feng was smug, appearing immensely satisfied with her current look—completely forgetting her own mantra from last night: “Wake up, Xu Feng!”

Done with her vanity, she grabbed yesterday’s sunglasses and donned a round straw hat she had mistakenly bought online. She slung a large backpack over her small back, but just as she was about to step out, Xiao Hei came flying out of the room to chase after her.

“Hmm? You stay home. You’re too conspicuous,” Xu Feng tapped Xiao Hei. The little shadow shook its body, clearly unwilling to cooperate.

“What am I supposed to do with you then? Unless you can stay still and act like an accessory.”

The moment she finished speaking, Xiao Hei flew onto her head and emitted a white light.

The hair on both sides of her head suddenly curled up, smoothed out by a sudden gust of wind. Xu Feng reached up to her hair and felt two hairpin-like objects.

Could it be?

She ran back to the mirror. Sure enough, she now sported beautiful twin-tails, held by hairpins adorned with butterfly ribbons that added a splash of color to her hair. The look was far more balanced now.

“Xiao Hei, you’re quite the shapeshifter, aren’t you? Can you turn into a catgirl?” Xu Feng joked as she stroked the hairpins.

Xiao Hei didn’t answer, content to remain a pair of pretty hair clips as its master left the house.

She closed the door and locked it. A breeze in the hallway caused her skirt to flutter, but it didn’t matter! She was wearing shorts underneath for cover, so everything was fine!

Xu Feng jogged all the way to the guardhouse. After greeting the elderly security guard—who quite liked this lively little “child”—she was allowed to view the footage.

She adjusted the timestamp to that night, holding her phone up to record while the old man helped her lock onto the specific time.

“Yes! That’s the one!” Xu Feng spotted the man in black, and the guard hit the pause button.

Xu Feng began recording, capturing all the relevant footage from that window of time. Once finished, she sent the video to Uncle Shui for analysis.

“Thank you, Grandpa Guard!” Xu Feng rummaged through her large backpack and pulled out an apple. She wiped it carefully with a tissue and presented it with both hands.

“A friend gave me these, and I can’t finish them all. Here’s one for you, Grandpa!” Xu Feng cared deeply about social graces, especially since the guard was a good man—diligent and kind. She still remembered how he had taken a large broom to clear snow for the residents during last year’s blizzard.

“Little one, thank you,” the guard beamed. Looking at Xu Feng, he suddenly recalled the young couples he often heard calling each other “my angel,” but in this moment, he felt this child was the true angel.

Not the kind that saves you when you’re in a pit, but the kind that heals your soul when it’s weary.

Afterward, Xu Feng squeezed onto a bus and found a window seat. She hugged her backpack to her chest and rested her chin on her hand, watching the scenery outside.

Thump, thump.

The last passenger to board wore a mask and sunglasses. He appeared to be a man, though his hair was grown long, like an artist’s.

Initially, Xu Feng didn’t pay much attention to the man in sunglasses, but even after several stops when many seats opened up, he remained standing right next to her. The trajectory of his gaze behind those lenses seemed fixed entirely on her.

Is he tailing me? I hate to think that way, but at least stop staring! You’re being so obvious! I wouldn’t even suspect you if you’d just look out the window!

Xu Feng grumbled inwardly, trying to devise a way to lose him.

I’ll get off at the next stop, Fengshui Station. I’ll lose you in the crowd!

Inside Chengyi Co., Ltd.

Uncle Shui sat at his desk, brow furrowed as he analyzed the files Xu Feng had sent.

Suddenly, the phone rang!

Uncle Shui picked up the landline, and Xiao Xuan’s voice crackled through.

“It’s bad, Uncle Shui! We’ve detected an abnormal Dreamscape reaction near Fengshui in the city district!”

“What!” Uncle Shui bolted upright, grabbing his white jacket and preparing to move out.

“Wait, Uncle Shui, we have a teammate’s signal at that location! Let’s see if they can handle it on-site… the signal belongs to… Feng… Feng?” Xiao Xuan’s voice died in his throat, but Uncle Shui had already sprinted away from his desk.

That child couldn’t enter a Dream alone again!