Different midnights

Du-du-du.

Xu Xiaoyu held her phone with both hands, tapping away at the screen. Xu Feng sat right beside her, silently craning her neck to peek at what she was typing.

“Alright, I’ve sent the message to my brother. We’re staying at the Dream-Protection Bureau tonight,” Xu Xiaoyu said, turning to smile at Xu Feng without even waiting for a reply.

“But he hasn’t answered yet,” Xu Feng said blankly, looking at Xiaoyu’s smiling face. She felt her sister was being far too presumptuous.

“Eh, it’s fine~ Bro will definitely agree. I know him inside out,” Xu Xiaoyu said, confidently rubbing her nose.

You bratty sister, have I spoiled you too much? Staying out all night and acting like you own the place… No, I have to give her some pressure.

“I need to use the bathroom,” Xu Feng said, standing up from her chair.

“Oh, okay,” Xu Xiaoyu replied, her head still buried in her phone.

Once Xu Feng reached the bathroom and shut the door, she whipped out her phone and immediately fired off a message to Xu Xiaoyu.

Xu Feng: Come home right now! You are not allowed to stay out overnight!

Outside, Xu Xiaoyu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise when she saw the message. She quickly typed back a long explanation.

Xu Xiaoyu: Bro! I’m taking Weijiu out for a rare day of fun. What’s wrong with staying in a hotel? I’ll definitely be back tomorrow. Stop worrying about me all the time.

Looking at Xiaoyu’s lie, Xu Feng frowned and decided to go straight for a threat.

Xu Feng: Do you want Mom and Dad to find out?

“Tsk!” Xu Xiaoyu clicked her tongue and glared at the screen, her thumbs flying as she spammed angry emojis.

Xu Xiaoyu: (╬◣д◢)(╬◣д◢)(╬◣д◢). Bro, what about your gaming habit?! Hmm?!

In the bathroom, Xu Feng clutched her head, a massive headache forming. She had forgotten that her sister held the “gaming” card over her.

Xu Feng: Sigh! Fine, just stay safe.

Xu Xiaoyu: Hmph! Glad you’ve seen reason!

Xu Feng tucked her phone away and stepped out of the bathroom. Seeing Xu Xiaoyu still resentfully poking at her phone, she sat down silently beside her.

“Weijiu, let’s go take a shower together and then head to bed. It’s getting late,” Xu Xiaoyu said, suddenly grabbing Xu Feng’s hand. The gesture gave Xu Feng a start.

“So… suddenly?” Xu Feng couldn’t help but shrink back, but Xu Xiaoyu only gripped tighter.

“Don’t be scared! I’m sure the Bureau’s bathrooms and beds are very clean.”

“But…” Xu Feng hesitated at the thought of sharing a bed with her sister.

“But what? Come on! We’re both girls, what’s the big deal about showering together?”

Xu Xiaoyu boisterously pulled Xu Feng up. Xu Feng ended up being dragged along stumbling, having no real chance to refuse.

A few minutes later.

The shower room was right before Xu Feng’s eyes. It happened to be a double-stall setup, separated only by a panel of frosted glass.

“Left or right?” Xu Xiaoyu asked, tilting her head while holding a medium-sized washbasin.

“Left,” Xu Feng replied, clutching her own smaller basin. She pulled the door open and hurried inside with her head down.

Sizzle—

After changing out of her clothes, Xu Feng tilted her head back into the warm stream of water, using a soft towel to wipe her arms, waist, and hips. The walls were smooth and reflective; looking at the front wall, she could clearly see her own petite, unclothed body.

And the small “steamed buns” partially veiled by the steam.

Small can be cute too, right?

Xu Feng suddenly began to ponder. How long would it take to grow up in this form? Or, given the nature of a vampire’s transformation, would she stay like this forever?!

Xu Feng blinked and gave a light sigh. Beside her, the sound of water started up, mingled with the sound of Xu Xiaoyu humming a little tune.

Splash, splash.

The two sounds of water merged. Xu Feng listened to Xiaoyu humming the whole time, separated from her only by a sheet of frosted glass.

“Eh? What’s this?” Xu Xiaoyu suddenly discovered something.

“Huh?” Before Xu Feng could react, the glass beside her was suddenly slid aside. She was greeted point-blank by Xu Xiaoyu’s bewildered face.

Water droplets slid down Xiaoyu’s cheeks, which were flushed a warm red like a peeled boiled egg dusted with rouge. Her wet black hair hung down, and Xu Feng could catch a glimpse of her sister’s developing figure—it was several sizes larger than her own! Her skin was snowy white and lustrous, looking as though it would bounce back at a single touch.

“Wha—ah!” Xu Feng quickly covered her eyes and spun around. She could feel her entire body burning up, especially her face!

“Oh? So it can be opened.” Xu Xiaoyu didn’t retreat to her own stall; instead, she started examining Xu Feng.

“Weijiu, are you shy? We’re both girls, don’t be so modest.” Xu Xiaoyu reached out and poked Xu Feng’s back. Xu Feng reacted like a startled grasshopper, looking as if she wanted to bolt right out of the room.

“Hahaha… Weijiu, you’re so funny. Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Have a good wash.” Xu Xiaoyu didn’t torment her any further and slid the glass partition shut.

Only after Xu Feng slowly turned her head back and confirmed the door was shut did she try to organize her emotions.

I saw it! I saw everything!

An indelible image was now burned into Xu Feng’s mind. She doubted she would ever forget such a vivid scene for the rest of her life.

A pair of small feet clad in white socks swung back and forth. The hem of a blue dress fluttered gently. Haidier sat in her office chair under a yellow lamp, leaning her face on one hand as she worked at her desk.

Perhaps because there was too much to catch up on after returning to the Bureau, Haidier felt a bit frustrated. She dropped her pen and let her face go thud against the stack of reports.

I want to slack off… I want to slack off… I want to slack off…

As Haidier thought listlessly, her gaze happened to fall upon the photo frame on her desk—something she always kept in her office.

“How did it get so dusty? Did no one clean it while I was gone? I knew I shouldn’t have hidden it in the book pile.”

Haidier blew a hard breath at the frame, but it had been too long; blowing wasn’t enough. She manifested a small stream of water from her fingertip, carefully controlling the pressure to wash the frame.

The blue water cleared away the grime, allowing the contents to reappear before Haidier’s eyes.

The background was the boundary between a white sandy beach and a deep blue sea. In the center of the photo was a massive silver-striped fish, taking up half the height of the frame! It was being held up with one hand by a grey-haired man with golden eyes. The man was smiling, but his gaze wasn’t on the fish—it was on the black-haired little girl cheering beside him.

It was a joyful photo of a harvest, the main subjects being the man and the girl.

Haidier’s finger gently brushed over the surface of the photo. She placed the frame back in a prominent position, then buried her head again, clenching her left fist to give herself a silent pep talk.

Go, Haidier!

She began writing rapidly once more, as if some nameless motivation was driving her.

While Haidier was working hard, someone was peeking at her through the crack of the door.

“Uncle Shui, the Director is still a child. Should we remind her to go to sleep?” Xiaoxuan asked worriedly.

“We won’t be able to convince her. Xiaoxuan, you should know why the Director works so hard,” Uncle Shui said, shaking his head.

“Sigh. If only going home were as simple as buying a bus ticket for her,” Xiaoxuan said regretfully.

“Let’s go. We need to watch the Key.”

“Right. Uncle Shui, I’ll take over your shift.”