Chapter 34

An Xiang had never expected Pei Yizhou's "random pick" to point right at her home. She felt somewhat troubled.

The man was far too refined. He probably wasn't used to ordinary home-cooked dishes.

She looked conflicted. "Mr. Pei, is there anything you don't eat?"

"I'm not picky." Food was merely a tool for Pei Yizhou to fill his stomach. Without a sense of taste, he would never experience the feeling others described as "so delicious it makes you cry," nor did he care whether something was spicy or sweet.

However...

Pei Yizhou secretly glanced at her. An Xiang might be different.

As he inhaled that fragrance, his brows relaxed again.

"Then... shall I stir-fry a few dishes? Or would you like hotpot?"

"Either is fine."

"Can you eat spicy food?"

"Whatever."

"..."

There was no way to keep chatting pleasantly.

An Xiang spent the entire drive considering what to cook for Pei Yizhou. When they were finally nearing the apartment, she was about to have them go back first while she bought groceries alone when she suddenly heard Pei Yizhou ask, "Do you need to go to the supermarket?"

An Xiang froze briefly, then nodded. "I can go by myself."

"Mm."

That "mm" from Pei Yizhou was impossible to decipher.

The supermarket was right ahead, and the car slowly pulled over.

Pei Yizhou called through the car's intercom and told the special assistant in the passenger seat, "Keep an eye on the child. I'll be back shortly." Then, beneath An Xiang's astonished gaze, he opened the door and got out. "Let's go."

"Mr. Pei, are you coming with me?"

"Mm."

"..."

All right.

An Xiang bent down and leaned against the car window, quietly giving An Zimo a few instructions. Only then did she follow Pei Yizhou into the supermarket.

Even though it wasn't a day off, there were plenty of people in the supermarket.

Pei Yizhou was strikingly handsome and possessed an eye-catching presence. His brows and eyes were even more elegant than those of the celebrities on the display signs, naturally making him the focus of the grocery-shopping aunties.

He had long grown accustomed to the attention of others. Without looking around, he walked shoulder to shoulder with An Xiang.

"What are we buying?"

"Vegetables first, then meat." This was not An Xiang's first time here. She skillfully made her way to the vegetable section and began picking through the produce.

Pei Yizhou obediently followed behind her the entire time.

This was the first time in his life that he had come to a supermarket, and he was here with the girl he liked most.

Pei Yizhou could not help lowering his eyes.

An Xiang was petite and delicate in his sight, with thick hair and slightly curled ends. Her eyelashes were long, and she spoke slowly whenever she talked to people...

Pei Yizhou's gaze drifted downward, lingering for several seconds on her fair earlobe before falling to her overly slender swanlike neck. Unconsciously, his Adam's apple bobbed.

"That's all. Sorry for the trouble, could you weigh these for me?"

"Sure." The vendor naturally took the bag and placed it on the scale. An Xiang came often, and over time they had become familiar. Seeing the man behind her, the vendor smiled and teased, "Did you get yourself a boyfriend?"

Boyfriend?

That word put Pei Yizhou in an excellent mood, and the corners of his lips lifted involuntarily.

An Xiang hurriedly explained, "Don't say that, sir. We're not that kind of relationship. His girlfriend would be unhappy if she heard you."

The vendor's smile deepened. Without saying anything, he placed the bag into the little cart before her.

The two of them walked another few steps.

As An Xiang selected vegetables, the man's cool, captivating voice suddenly sounded above her head. "I don't have a girlfriend."

An Xiang's eyes widened as she looked at him, startled by the sudden explanation.

"...You don't need to tell me that specifically, Mr. Pei."

"Mm."

After they walked a few more steps, just as An Xiang thought that little incident had passed, Pei Yizhou spoke again. "Then you don't need to tell other people specifically, either."

"...?"

"If you want to know something, I'll tell you."

"...???"

An Xiang stood there dumbfounded.

He, he, he, he, he... he didn't think she had been deliberately fishing for information just now, did he?

Ahhh!

That little brat An Zimo must have secretly said something to him when she wasn't around.

An Xiang ground her teeth in frustration. Speaking of grinding teeth, she suddenly remembered that she needed to buy something for her son to chew on.

For young vampires, teething was a brief but painful process. Their fangs usually emerged within five to seven days. They were fine during the day, but their teeth might itch at night. At times like that, they needed something hard to ease the discomfort.

An Xiang arrived at the meat section and pointed at the beef marrow bones on the counter. "Sir, give me two of these."

Beef marrow bones had little meat and large bones. Once the soup was cooked, the leftover bones would be perfect for Momo to chew on while teething.

They had bought almost everything they needed. When they passed the red wine section, An Xiang stopped and looked up to ask, "Mr. Pei, do you drink?"

"No." Pei Yizhou refused. "I can't hold my liquor."

He was the type to get drunk after one glass.

It was because of that one glass of alcohol that he had done something improper and somehow ended up with such a grown son without knowing it.

Pei Yizhou looked at An Xiang, his brows drawing tight.

Only when he saw the beef marrow bones did he realize that An Zimo would soon start teething. Once his fangs grew in... his identity would probably become impossible to hide.

An Xiang still did not know who he was. She might not even know that the child she had given birth to was a vampire hybrid.

He had originally wanted to find a suitable opportunity to tell An Xiang about his identity, but the situation before him no longer allowed him to consider so much.

The Vampire Clan had been rejected by this world since its very existence.

Back then, their numbers had been small, and they had never fought with the world. They had lived for a long time in unseen corners. Only after human society began progressing and the Vampire Clan contributed countless things to civilization with their abilities did they gradually enter human life.

Yet discrimination had not disappeared because of that.

Humans feared their special abilities and long lifespans. They constantly worried about becoming food, cautiously keeping their distance, with clear boundaries even in everyday interactions.

Although the total number of vampires was not even as large as the population of a single city, and although the state strictly controlled the remaining Vampire Clan families, placing restrictions on everything from education to employment, people still maintained their rejection and fear. They had even secretly established the Vampire Hunter Association.

Pei Yizhou had never deliberately told others about his pure-blood identity.

He was simply worried that An Xiang would not accept it. After all, the Vampire Clan had not become powerful enough to casually have children with humans.

They soon arrived at the checkout counter.

An Xiang waited patiently in line. Before long, it was their turn. Just as she was about to swipe her card, a slender hand holding a black card replaced her movement.

"I'll pay."

An Xiang hurriedly pressed down on his hand to stop him. "I'll pay, I'll pay. We agreed that I was treating you."

Pei Yizhou lowered his eyes to look at their tightly pressed hands, silently gathering his thoughts.

An Xiang's hand was small and soft, a stark contrast to the defined bones of his own.

She seemed to realize something as well and quickly pulled her hand away. After giving a concealing cough, she turned to the cashier. "I have a membership card."

"The total is 580."

The cashier swiftly completed the transaction, and An Xiang carried the large and small bags out of the supermarket.

"Give them to me." Pei Yizhou easily took the bags from her, carried them outside, and placed everything in the trunk.

Back at the apartment, An Xiang led the way.

It was Pei Yizhou's first time here. When he entered, the first thing he saw was the menu.

[Son.]

[Mommy.]

[Guest No. 1.]

And—

[Possibly Unwelcome Oolong Tea Gentleman.]

"What is this?" Pei Yizhou pointed at the menu.

"This?" An Xiang said as she changed her shoes. "They're juice names. The inspiration came from people I know." She did not deliberately explain that she could smell the scent of human blood. Ordinary humans would still be frightened if they heard that.

"So, Mr. Pei, would you like a glass?" An Xiang tied on her apron and stepped behind the bar.

Pei Yizhou raised his brows and walked closer, carefully examining the sample models displayed in the cabinet.

Son and Mommy were both nearly identical shades of orange. Guest No. 1 seemed to be soda, while Oolong Tea Gentleman was merely the color of ordinary tea.

Pei Yizhou pointed at one of the samples. "This is Zimo?"

"Mm!" An Xiang nodded firmly. "Zimo is delicious. Mr. Pei, would you like a glass of Momo?"

Behind them, An Zimo rolled his eyes. "..." Drink your Mommy.

Pei Yizhou said nothing and looked toward the glass in the middle, a faint flicker passing through his eyes. "This is you?"

"Mm! I'm not very delicious. If Mr. Pei doesn't like Momo, Guest No. 1 is also a good choice. Pei Chen inspired this one." The boy had a very soda-like scent. Aside from Momo, An Xiang liked Pei Chen's scent the most.

Pei Yizhou's overly long, refined index finger lightly tapped the juice model. Then he raised his eyes, his burning gaze fixed on An Xiang's porcelain-white face.

"I want a glass of... you," he said in a low, clear voice.

An Zimo, who had just taken a sip of water, sprayed it all out.

The man's tone was completely normal, and his expression remained as calm and quiet as ever. Nothing seemed off.

For some reason, An Xiang's ears heated up. She desperately ignored the strange feeling and, blushing, opened the refrigerator to search for the ingredients she needed.

"The shoes, the shoe rack has disposable slippers I bought. Mr. Pei, you can change into them if you want."

After hearing that, Pei Yizhou changed his shoes and casually looked around.

It was very tidy, just a little small. There were also various hand-drawn pictures pasted on the walls.

An Xiang placed two mixed drinks before them. "Then I'll go cook. Momo, you can chat with Mr. Pei for a while. Remember, no watching TV." An Xiang only allowed An Zimo to watch two hours of cartoons each day, though he seemed to prefer the financial channel. It was not time yet, so An Zimo answered with silence.

The large and small figures sitting on the sofa had no topics to talk about at all.

Pei Yizhou kept glancing at An Zimo's head, seriously considering whether he should pluck out a few hairs first for a paternity test, then discuss things with An Xiang after the results came out.

Just as that thought flashed through his mind, the little boy beside him calmly shifted farther away. He even reassuringly patted his fluffy little head.

That tiny movement made Pei Yizhou narrow his eyes slightly.

If he had merely been suspicious in the morning, he was certain now.

Pei Yizhou stared deeply at the little face before him. Afraid that An Zimo might hear his thoughts again, he also moved farther away. The two maintained a safe distance of half a meter.

—This little bastard really could read minds.

Pei Yizhou's thoughts were complicated.

Within the Vampire Clan, only complete pure-bloods awakened supernatural abilities during their coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen. The older generation called this ability "a gift bestowed by the Night God." As for hybrids or vampires created through an Embrace, it was impossible for them to possess any abilities.

An Xiang was undoubtedly human, and An Zimo undeniably had half-human genes. So why did he possess an ability unique to the Vampire Clan at such a young age?

A mutant?

Or perhaps he was a chosen vampire. Just as a very small number of geniuses appeared among humans, the Vampire Clan occasionally had exceptional cases like this.

Pei Yizhou was not happy about it. On the contrary, he was worried.

An Xiang was far too innocent. Although the child before him carried his bloodline, he possessed an extremely evil soul. If he truly did something, An Xiang would be the first victim.

He was too different. Given An Xiang's personal abilities and overly kind nature, she simply could not discipline him.

Pei Yizhou took a deep breath and finally made up his mind. He stood and entered the kitchen.

"An Xiang, I have something to tell you."

He looked at her, his eyes deep like a thick, bottomless dark sea.

In the first chapter, I wrote that humans seemed unaware of the existence of other races. After thinking it over, I changed it because it conflicted with my later settings.

The first two hundred commenters will receive red packets.

See you tomorrow.