Chapter 2

An Xiang's current home was far from where she was. Considering her present physical condition, the system thoughtfully used its own pocket money to book her a ride.

She was very sleepy and fell asleep against the seat back as soon as she got in.

At some point, the jolting stopped. The driver woke An Xiang, and she opened her eyes groggily.

Outside the window lay a desolate landscape, with a few old buildings standing forlornly among trees and wilderness.

Apparently, a new district had originally been planned here, but unexpected circumstances had forced development to stop, leaving this old building forgotten amid the ruins.

Over the years, people had moved out and left. Even in daylight, hardly anyone could be seen. At night, the abandoned playground in the residential complex would light up automatically, eerie and ghostly, and no one dared come near.

The An Family's parents had bought three apartments in this complex: one measuring two hundred square meters and two measuring four hundred. The couple had thought they could get rich from demolition compensation, but things had not gone as planned. Now, they could only rent them out at extremely low prices to cover their daughter's monthly living expenses.

An Xiang lived in the smaller apartment, on the ground floor, with its own basement.

She took a key from her bag, unlocked the door, and entered. The mess that greeted her brought her to an immediate halt.

The living room curtains were tightly drawn. Garbage and takeout containers that had been there for who knew how long littered the floor, giving off a pungent, unpleasant smell.

Covering her nose and mouth, An Xiang struggled to find a clean spot to stand. She carefully closed the door and stood there, looking at the mess filling the apartment, suddenly at a loss.

Knowing that the slow-witted An Xiang would have trouble adjusting to human life, the system checked its remaining balance and spoke with a pang:

[Do you need me to hire a cleaner for you?]

An Xiang came back to her senses and shook her head. Looking around, she found a reasonably clean pair of rubber gloves, put them on, and began tidying in earnest.

Time ticked by. Under her diligent cleaning, the filthy apartment gradually revealed its original appearance.

Although An Xiang worked slowly, she was methodical. The system could not help being surprised.

[You seem pretty well suited to human life.]

She was not nearly as helpless as it had imagined.

The system's praise made her hands pause. She replied quietly, "I... do this a lot."

[Huh?]

"My family... didn't look after me." An Xiang was still unaccustomed to speaking, her speech slow and indistinct.

She and her clan had lived in an enormous manor halfway up a mountain. At first, An Xiang had blood servants to care for her too, but gradually, the family had decided there was no reason to waste manpower and resources on a useless defective specimen. They had driven her out of the manor and locked her in a dilapidated tower behind it.

The family considered her a disgrace and did everything they could to conceal her existence. Even when they saw other members of the clan tormenting her, they remained unmoved.

Living in that tower, An Xiang had been like a helpless worm drifting through a sewer. She had to keep living, even if her life was not particularly dignified.

An Xiang lowered her eyes, set those unpleasant memories aside for the moment, and continued focusing on tidying the apartment.

By the end of the day, everything had finally been cleaned, inside and out, and An Xiang could take a breather. As soon as she sat down, she caught sight of the face reflected in the mirror beside her-a completely unfamiliar face, and a very young one.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and her fingers unconsciously rose to her cheek.

This was the first time since entering this body that An Xiang had properly examined her current appearance. According to the information the system had provided, the girl was the same age as her, with features that resembled hers somewhat.

She did not seem particularly good at taking care of herself. Her naturally curly hair fell in a disheveled mass to her waist. Her small face was pale, her bearing delicate, like a dodder vine swaying in a storm.

-Even more fragile than the humans I remember.

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

She would be living in this body for five years, and her savings were not particularly substantial. An Xiang planned to draw comics or open a milk tea shop. Those were things she had often done while locked away, and now they could serve as a source of income. Part of what she earned would cover daily expenses, and part would be saved for the child in her belly.

And-

She was going out tomorrow to buy a big coffin!

After a night of tossing and turning, An Xiang got up at first light and headed to Jiang City's most famous coffin shop.

The coffin shop stood deep in an alley on the outskirts, secluded and deserted. Old walls and green trees made the old shop look especially forlorn.

The shop was small, with several newly made coffins displayed inside. Urns lined the walls, along with various other odds and ends.

"What do you need? We only take custom orders here."

"I'd like to buy a coffin." An Xiang stared at the carved coffin in the center, her eyes shining.

Growing up, she had always slept in boxes and wardrobes. If she upset her family, they would simply throw her into the cellar and lock her in with the rats.

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

The shopkeeper rose to greet her. "This is a dragon-and-phoenix double coffin made from golden nanmu. It's an excellent choice for a joint burial. This one is red sandalwood, and all the carvings are done entirely by hand. Smell it-it's fragrant too."

The red sandalwood felt lovely to the touch and gave off a refreshing woody fragrance.

"Is it comfortable to sleep in?" The lid was shut tight, so An Xiang could not see inside. Looks mattered to her, but sleeping comfortably mattered even more.

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

"I'm buying it for myself," An Xiang said. She nervously clasped her slender fingers, speaking much more slowly. "So... is it comfortable to sleep in?" Her gaze was expectant as she spoke, and even her breathing slowed.

The shopkeeper: "..."

The shopkeeper: "..."

"You're... buying it for yourself?" Suspecting he had misheard, the shopkeeper could not help asking again.

New to the human world, An Xiang saw nothing wrong with this.

All she wanted was a comfortable coffin. The shopkeeper's doubt made her heart tighten. She bit her lower lip and carefully let out a very soft question. "Can't I?"

"..." It was not as though she couldn't.

The shopkeeper silently looked An Xiang over.

She wore simple casual clothes and had exceptionally pretty, refined features, though she was rather frail. Standing there quietly, she resembled a lifeless wooden puppet.

He guessed she had no parents around and had come down with some illness.

The shopkeeper's imagination began to wander, and he could not help feeling sympathy for her.

In all his years running the shop, this was the first time he had seen someone buy a coffin for themselves. Sure enough, live long enough and you would see everything.

Shaking his head, the shopkeeper returned to the double coffin from earlier. "This one should meet your needs. It's seventy-eight hundred after the discount. A rush order costs a little more. Everything over there is on sale, though the materials might not be as good as these. See which one you like."

There was no reason to turn away business that had come to his door. The shopkeeper continued conscientiously introducing his wares to An Xiang.

At the price, An Xiang immediately hesitated, unconsciously touching the flat wallet in her backpack.

The coffin cost more than she had expected. Although she had enough money in her bank account, it was only enough to live on. If she bought the coffin today, she might have to scrimp and save afterward.

But...

An Xiang stole several more glances at it.

The coffin had exquisite patterns, an even color, and an excellent feel. Though it fell somewhat short of the crystal coffin she dreamed of, it was still lovely.

Steeling herself and gritting her teeth, An Xiang made her decision. "I'll take this double coffin!"

She was an independent, self-reliant vampire now. She no longer needed to live under her family's supervision.

It's only seventy-eight hundred. I can earn it back later!

"Certainly." The shopkeeper nodded. "Please pay the deposit over here. We can have it finished in ten days at the earliest and deliver it to your door. Remember to leave your personal information."

An Xiang promptly paid the deposit, carefully filled in her address information, said goodbye to the shopkeeper, and left.

Outside, the sun had grown scorching, its bright rays falling on her shoulders.

Vampires of the new century did not fear strong light, but they still disliked direct sunlight.

Perhaps An Xiang was an oddity. During her days locked in that cramped display cabinet, she had imagined the colors of the sun countless times, longing again and again to walk in sunlight and be kissed and embraced by the day. Yet all that answered her was endless night.

In truth, human life seemed to suit her better than life among vampires.

An Xiang gazed up at the daylight overhead, sighed, then lowered her head and walked into the shade.

Suddenly, a car sped past her. An Xiang hastily dodged aside, and in the blink of an eye, the sleek black sedan disappeared from view. She paid it no mind and flagged down a passing taxi.

The taxi drove away, but the black sedan a short distance away slowly pulled over.

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

Although the weather had not yet grown hot, the air-conditioning in the car was turned up all the way.

The man sat quietly with his long legs crossed, his expression serious, his eyes dark and fathomless beneath his black hair. His expression was impassive as his deep gaze rested on the view outside the window. He said nothing, and no emotion showed on his face.

"It's nothing. Drive."

He withdrew his gaze, his cool voice echoing through the car. The driver breathed a sigh of relief and slowly started the engine to leave.

The man lowered his lashes, revealing a bewitching mole hidden in the crease of his eyelid. The red mole was not particularly conspicuous, but against his cool, pale skin, it made his features all the more striking.

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

Fitting such a large coffin in the bedroom would have been difficult. Fortunately, An Xiang had prepared for this and had the delivery workers place the large coffin in the basement.

The basement was spacious, cold, and gloomy-perfect for a lair.

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

Surrounded by the scent of wood, An Xiang felt a happiness she had not known in a long time. Even if she was human now, her soul was still essentially a vampire's, and she had no resistance whatsoever to a comfortable coffin.

Buying the coffin really had been the right decision.

The more An Xiang thought about it, the happier she became, and she joyfully rolled over twice on the soft mattress.

Bang!

Carried away by her happiness, An Xiang forgot how little room she had, and her forehead slammed into the hard wooden board.

Clutching her head, she gave a muffled groan, then carefully shielded her flat belly.

I can't get too excited, I can't get too excited. I have to be careful with the baby. A miscarriage would be trouble...

As An Xiang kept muttering inwardly, the system was speechless.

[Host, don't worry. Even if you damage your brain, it won't affect the baby.]

An Xiang's ears reddened, and she slowly turned over.

-It's decided. Once I have money, I'll buy a crystal coffin two and a half meters wide!

-And sleep in it with my son!!

Son: There's really no need.

The son will appear tomorrow!!

I looked up coffin prices on Taobao, so don't roast me!

The male lead has a bewitching mole. The Classic of Mountains and Seas says that someone with one was an alluring demon in a past life, skilled at bewitching people's hearts, but I don't think the Classic of Mountains and Seas actually says that. It's really just an ordinary mole, more or less like a tear mole, so don't roast me. Also, I found such a beautiful picture when I searched Zhihu. It was of Zhou Yu. Search for "bewitching mole" and look at the highly upvoted answers, and you'll see it.

There's also a little anecdote: [In his youth, Yu's face was as fair as fine jade. Only between his eyelids was there a mole, hidden when he raised his eyes and visible only when he lowered his lashes. Ce teased Yu, saying, "Is the jade flawless? Is the jade flawed?" Yu lowered his lashes and replied, "When I see you, it is flawless. When I do not, it is flawed."]

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

Boo-hoo, my editor mercilessly rejected "slept with the wrong person" in the blurb, so I changed it to "mistook the wrong person."