Chapter 2

An Xiang's current residence was far from where she had been, and considering her physical condition, the system thoughtfully used its own allowance to call her a ride-hailing car.

She was exhausted. As soon as she got in, she leaned against the seat and fell asleep.

She did not know when the jolting stopped. The driver woke An Xiang, and she groggily opened her eyes.

Outside the window was a desolate wasteland, with several old buildings standing alone amid the trees and fields.

She had heard this place had originally been intended for a new district, but an unexpected accident had forced the development to stop. Only these old buildings remained, forgotten amid the ruins.

Over the past few years, people had moved away one after another. Even during the day, it was hard to spot anyone here. At night, the lights in the abandoned playground would switch on by themselves, making the place feel ghostly. No one dared come near.

An Xiang's parents had bought three apartments in this complex: one measuring two hundred square meters and two measuring four hundred. The old couple had thought they could make a fortune from demolition compensation, but fate had other plans. By now, they could only rent them out at extremely low prices to support their daughter's monthly living expenses.

An Xiang lived in the smaller one, located on the first floor and equipped with a basement.

She took out her keys, unlocked the door, and entered. The mess before her made her stop in her tracks.

The living room curtains were tightly shut. Trash and takeaway containers of unknown age were piled across the floor, giving off a sharp, unpleasant stench.

An Xiang covered her nose and mouth, struggled to find a clean spot to stand, carefully shut the door, and stared blankly at the disaster filling the room.

The system knew that slow-witted An Xiang was practically incapable of adapting to human life. It glanced at the remaining balance in its wallet and asked painfully, [Do you need me to hire a cleaner for you?]

An Xiang came back to herself and shook her head. After looking around, she found a pair of relatively clean rubber gloves, put them on, and began tidying up in earnest.

Time passed bit by bit. Under her diligent cleaning, the filthy, chaotic house gradually revealed its original appearance.

Although An Xiang worked slowly, she was orderly and methodical. The system could not help but marvel, [Looks like you're quite suited to human life.] She was not nearly as helpless as it had imagined.

The system's praise made her pause. She answered quietly, "I... do this often."

[Huh?]

"My family... didn't take care of me." An Xiang was still unaccustomed to speaking aloud, her tone gentle and her words unclear.

She had lived with her clanspeople in an enormous manor halfway up the mountain. At first, An Xiang had blood servants to care for her too. But gradually, the family decided there was no need to waste manpower and resources on a useless defective, so they drove her from the manor and locked her in a dilapidated tower behind it.

The family regarded her as a disgrace and did everything they could to conceal her existence. Even when they saw her being bullied by her own kind, they remained indifferent.

Living in that tower, An Xiang had been like a helpless mud worm floating in a sewer. She had to survive, even if her survival was far from dignified.

An Xiang lowered her eyes, temporarily pushed aside those unhappy memories, and continued focusing on cleaning the house.

A day passed. She finally got everything inside and out cleaned up, and An Xiang was able to catch her breath. As soon as she sat down, she saw the face reflected in the mirror beside her—a completely unfamiliar face, and a very young one at that.

Her eyelashes trembled as her fingers unconsciously touched her cheek.

This was the first time since transmigrating into this body that An Xiang had properly examined what she looked like now. According to the information given by the system, the young girl was the same age as her and resembled her somewhat in the eyes and brows.

She did not seem very good at taking care of herself. Her naturally curly long hair fell messily to her waist, her little face was pale, and her temperament was delicate and weak, like a dodder flower swaying in wind and rain.

—Even more fragile than humans in her memories.

After resting, An Xiang found a small notebook and carefully wrote down her plans for the future.

She had to live in this body for five years. Her savings were not much, so An Xiang planned to draw comics or open a milk tea shop. Those were things she had often done while imprisoned, and now they could become a source of income. Part of the money she earned would go toward daily expenses, while part would be saved for the child in her belly.

And—

Tomorrow, she had to go buy a big coffin!

***

After tossing and turning all night, An Xiang got up at dawn and headed for Jiang City's most famous coffin shop.

The coffin shop stood in a deep alley in the suburbs, remote and deserted. Ancient walls and green trees made the old store look especially lonely.

The shop was not large. Several newly made coffins were displayed inside, urns lined the walls, and there were other miscellaneous funeral items scattered about.

"What do you need, miss? We only accept custom orders here."

"I want to buy a coffin." An Xiang stared at the carved coffin in the center, her eyes practically glowing.

Ever since she was little, she had slept in boxes and wardrobes. If she made her family unhappy, they would throw her straight into the cellar and lock her up with rats.

An Xiang had never slept in a comfortable coffin in her life. As a child, she had been especially envious of her older sister's crystal coffin and had desperately wanted a beautiful coffin of her own.

The shop owner got up to greet her. "This one is a dragon-and-phoenix double coffin made from golden-thread nanmu. It's perfect for joint burial. This one is made of rosewood, and all the carvings on it are handmade. Smell it—it even has a fragrance."

The rosewood felt excellent to the touch, and its woody scent was soothing.

"Is it comfortable to sleep in?" The coffin lid was tightly closed, so An Xiang could not see what it was like inside. To her, looks were important, but sleeping comfortably was even more important.

The shop owner turned away and pursed his lips, muttering, "Dead people don't care whether it's comfortable or not." Then he asked, "Miss, are you buying it for family or a friend? If it's for a friend, I'd recommend this one..."

An Xiang said, "I'm buying it for myself." She awkwardly clenched her slender fingers, slowing her speech considerably. "So... is it comfortable to sleep in?" Her eyes were full of anticipation, and even her breathing slowed.

The shop owner: "..."

The shop owner: "..."

"You... are buying it for yourself?" The shop owner suspected he had misheard and could not help asking again.

Having only just entered the human world, An Xiang did not find anything wrong with it.

All she wanted was a comfortable coffin. The shop owner's doubt made her heart tighten. She bit her lower lip, then cautiously uttered three extremely soft words: "Can't I?"

"..." It was not that she could not.

The shop owner silently sized An Xiang up a few times.

She wore simple casual clothes. Her features were delicate and beautiful, though she was somewhat thin. Standing there quietly, she resembled a lifeless doll.

She probably had no parents and was sick with something.

The shop owner's thoughts began to wander, and he could not help feeling sympathy for her.

He had run this shop for so long, yet this was the first time he had seen someone buy a coffin for herself. Sure enough, if one lived long enough, one would see everything.

The shop owner shook his head and went over to the double coffin from earlier. "This one should meet your needs. It's 7,800 after the discount. Rush orders cost more. Those over there are discounted items, and the materials may not be as good as these. See which one you like."

There was no reason to turn away business delivered right to his door, so the shop owner still diligently introduced the products to An Xiang.

Hearing the price, An Xiang immediately hesitated and unconsciously touched the deflated wallet in her backpack.

The coffin cost more than she had expected. Although the balance in her bank card was enough, it was only enough to sustain her life. If she bought the coffin today, she might have to live frugally afterward.

But...

An Xiang looked toward it several more times.

The coffin's patterns were exquisite, its coloring even, and it felt wonderful under her hands. It fell somewhat short of the crystal coffin she had dreamed of, but she still loved it.

An Xiang steeled herself, gritted her teeth, and decisively made up her mind. "I want this double coffin!"

She was now an independent vampire. She no longer needed to live under her family's control.

It was only 7,800. She could earn it back later!

"Certainly." The shop owner nodded. "Pay the deposit here. We can finish it in ten days at the earliest, and we'll deliver it to your home then. Please leave your personal information."

An Xiang promptly paid the deposit, carefully filled in her address, bid the shop owner farewell, and walked out.

Outside, the sun had turned scorching, beating brightly against her shoulders.

Vampires of the new era were not afraid of strong light, but they still disliked direct sunlight.

An Xiang might have been an exception. During those days when she had been shut in a narrow cabinet, she had imagined the colors of the sun countless times. She had longed countless times to walk beneath sunlight and be kissed by the day, yet all that answered her had been endless night.

Compared to vampire life, human life actually seemed better suited to her.

An Xiang gazed from afar at the daylight overhead, let out a sigh, and lowered her head as she walked into the shadows.

Suddenly, a car sped past her side. An Xiang hurriedly dodged. In the blink of an eye, the sleek black sedan disappeared from view. She did not pay it any mind and casually hailed a passing taxi.

The taxi sped away, but the black sedan not far off slowly pulled over by the roadside.

"President Pei?" The driver cautiously glanced toward the back seat.

Although it was not yet the hot season, the air conditioning inside the car was running at full blast.

The man sat quietly in his seat, his long legs crossed. He was solemn and unsmiling, his eyes beneath his black hair dark and unfathomable. His expression was faint, and he stared deeply out the window without saying a word, no emotion visible on his face.

"It's nothing. Go."

He withdrew his gaze. His cold voice echoed through the car, and the driver let out a breath of relief before slowly starting the engine and driving away.

The man lowered his lashes, revealing a bewitching mole hidden within the crease of his eyelid. The red mole was not especially noticeable, but against his cool pale skin, it made his features even more striking.

**

Ten days later, the coffin shop delivered the newly made coffin to An Xiang's home.

It was truly a stretch to put such a large coffin in the bedroom. Fortunately, An Xiang had prepared in advance and asked the delivery workers to place the large coffin in the basement.

The basement was spacious and cold, making it perfect for a nest.

After paying the remaining balance, she eagerly spread the mattress she had bought online inside the coffin, lit two scented candles, and happily lay down inside.

Wrapped in the scent of wood, An Xiang felt a long-lost sense of happiness. Even though she was human now, the essence of her soul was still that of a vampire. She simply could not resist a comfortable coffin.

Sure enough, buying a coffin had been the right decision.

The more An Xiang thought about it, the happier she became. Blissfully, she rolled around twice on the soft mattress.

Bang!

Overexcited, An Xiang had not noticed the limited space and slammed her forehead heavily into the hard wooden lid.

She covered the spot she had hit and let out a muffled groan. The next second, she carefully protected her flat belly.

Don't get too happy, don't get too happy. Be careful of the baby. A miscarriage would be troublesome...

An Xiang kept muttering to herself inwardly. The system was speechless. [Don't worry, host. Even if you smash your brain, it won't affect the child.]

An Xiang's ears reddened as she slowly turned over.

—She had decided. Once she had money, she would buy a crystal coffin 2.5 meters wide!

—And sleep in it with her son!!

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

Son: That really won't be necessary.

Her son would appear tomorrow!!

The coffin prices were searched up on Taobao, so don't complain!

*

The male lead has a bewitching mole. The Classic of Mountains and Seas recorded that in a previous life, such people were demons skilled at beguiling hearts. But I don't think the Classic of Mountains and Seas mentioned that it is actually just an ordinary mole, similar to a tear mole, so please don't complain. Also, I searched Zhihu and saw an incredibly beautiful picture about Zhou Yu. Search for the highly upvoted answer on "bewitching mole" and you'll see it.

There's also a little anecdote: [When Yu was young, his face was as flawless as polished jade. Only a mole rested between his eyelids; it disappeared when he raised his eyes and appeared only when he lowered his lashes. Ce teased Yu, saying, "Is jade without flaw? Or does jade have a flaw?" Yu lowered his lashes and replied, "When I see you, there is none. When I do not, there is."]

*

There will still be five hundred red envelopes for comments on this chapter. Show this washed-up author a tiny bit of love.

Wuwuwu, the editor ruthlessly rejected "slept with the wrong person" in the blurb, so I changed it to "mistook the wrong person."