Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Ajin Receives the "Nice Guy" Card

With his blurry and lifeless eyes fixated on Ji Huan, Grandfather obstinately refused to drink the porridge.

"Why aren't you drinking, Grandfather?" Ji Huan sipped his own portion of the congee laced with his blood as if nothing was amiss.

"No! No! I won't drink it!" Today, Grandfather was being stubborn like a mule, refusing to eat no matter how much Ji Huan pleaded. Eventually, Ji Huan pretended to be "angry," standing up abruptly. He unbound the bandage on his left wrist and held it out in front of Grandfather.

"If you won't drink the porridge, then just drink this." A straight, fresh wound gaped on Ji Huan's left wrist, its edges still unhealed. As he removed the bandage, a crimson trail of blood trickled out.

A rich, fresh... scent of blood.

Grandfather tried to pull back, but Ji Huan didn't give him that chance. He pressed his wrist against the old man's lips, forcing Grandfather to drink his blood.

"Is it good?" Surprisingly, at the end, Ji Huan even asked, just as he did every time he made a new dish for Grandfather to taste, "Is it delicious?"

"T-Too delicious, Little Hua!" Grandfather cried through his tears.

Ji Huan: ...

All of this was witnessed by Hei Dan, who was now a bit older and had developed a fondness for mimicking adults, especially his uncle.

Hei Dan's favorite person to imitate was, without a doubt, his uncle.

Thus, he extended his tiny paws to tug at his grandfather's beard, forcing him to lower his head. Confused by the action, it took the old man a moment to understand, but after licking the little paws affectionately, he broke down in tears: "Hei Dan is delicious too! Even more so than your uncle..."

And with that, Hei Dan let out a delighted whine.

After clearing the dining table, Ji Huan grabbed his schoolbag and headed off to school, with Grandfather carrying the "delicious" Hei Dan to see him off.

These two were the most important people in his life – as he watched Hei Dan, still clueless and waving goodbye with his tiny paws held by his grandfather, Ji Huan reminded himself of this fact.

Then, he hurriedly ran towards the bus.

"Good morning!" The bus driver today turned out to be the same one from that night. Recalling his words of advice, Ji Huan unexpectedly greeted him proactively.

"Good morning." The driver, wearing a tattered T-shirt, lazily scanned Ji Huan. Seeing that he seemed to be in high spirits, he asked, "Did you get beaten up that night?"

Since their schedules didn't align, they hadn't seen each other for several days after that encounter.

"No, Grandpa would never hit me," Ji Huan said with a hint of youthful pride, a rare sight for him.

Ever since he was a child, Grandpa had never laid a hand on him because "Little Hua is always so well-behaved!" On the other hand, his sister Little Hei was a troublemaker, constantly causing mischief and trying out all sorts of mischievous things. She had received her fair share of spankings from Grandpa with a feather duster, which eventually made Grandpa feel that he had named his grandchildren opposite their genders – Little Hei, given a boy's nickname, was more mischievous than any boy, while Ji Huan, with a girl's nickname, was as obedient as a little lady, always sticking close to Grandpa and going nowhere else.

Grandpa adored Little Hua the most!

"Mm, it seems you two have sorted things out. That's good. As a family, there's nothing that can't be resolved with open communication," the driver commented in a wise, old-fashioned manner, unaware of the true situation.

Ji Huan nodded, a slight upward curve forming on his lips. "Yes, we're a family, and everything will pass."

Knowing Grandpa's true identity, Ji Huan didn't feel fear or distance; instead, he approached life with even greater seriousness.

Today, Ajin had brought purple sprout tea, but it was Ji Huan who prepared it. Having watched a few times before, Ji Huan had picked up the basics of brewing tea.

While Ji Huan was occupied with the tea-making, Ajin held a notebook – Ji Huan's homework notebook. Now, whenever Ji Huan encountered problems he couldn't solve on his own, he would seek Ajin's help.

But he didn't ask for assistance for free. He would bring Ajin gifts from outside. Naturally, one should give gifts tailored to the recipient's interests. However, so far, Ji Huan knew only that Ajin enjoyed drinking tea. Good tea, however, required connections to acquire, and he didn't believe he could buy better tea than what Ajin brought. Thus, he had to think of another approach.

Following Wang Xiaochuan's suggestion, Ji Huan started giving Ajin CDs.

They were CDs of popular artists of the time, as Wang Xiaochuan had said. Most people enjoyed listening to music, even if they didn't have a specific favorite artist. But with so many options, there was bound to be something he'd like.

Ji Huan agreed with Wang Xiaochuan's perspective. Indeed, even someone like himself, who never paid attention to trends, had a favorite pop singer – Song Xingying, whose songs were truly delightful!

Wang Xiaochuan: Hey... that's a pop singer from decades ago.

Thus, Ajin began receiving a steady stream of CDs from Ji Huan, but it wasn't always music. He would also send other items, none particularly expensive, but all trendy among young people. Taking into account Ajin's supposed "college graduate" status, he and Wang Xiaochuan had speculated on the interests of university graduates, resulting in an even more diverse array of gifts for Ajin.

Ajin even received a collection of glamourous photos of female models from Ji Huan.

Well then!

Not showing the slightest hint of dislike, he accepted it all with a smile.

"It feels like... you've been very motivated lately." Sipping the tea prepared by Ji Huan, Ajin handed back the homework notebook, which now included the step-by-step solutions to the problems.

"Well, did I give it away?" The youth's dark eyes swept over his face before lowering to peer at his workbook again.

Rare, truly a most uncommon occurrence.

When sitting in front of someone, it's unsettling when they don't look at you, their focus entirely on something else.

Drinking his tea, Ajin gazed at Ji Huan as he studied the problem-solving steps with his head lowered.

His gaze inadvertently fell upon the wrist wrapped in bandages, but he didn't comment.

"I've decided to take the entrance exam for Jinghua University, and I'll definitely get in," Ji Huan declared suddenly after carefully reviewing the steps.

"I want to make Grandfather happy. He's always hoped that I would enroll in that school; it's his greatest wish." With a stiff smile, Ji Huan noticed that Ajin's cup was empty and promptly refilled it for him.

Observing the earnest young man as he carefully poured tea for him, a smile tugged at the corner of Ajin's lips.

Fascinating, truly fascinating ——

Indeed, it's been a long time since I've come across such an intriguing human!

Raised by a Karas himself, he now adopts a low-ranking newborn creature, unknowingly making what could be deemed as the "wrong" choice. When he inadvertently exposes the creature's true nature, he assumes that the next day will surely bring an end to his encounters with the young man. Yet, to his surprise, the youth continues to show up as if nothing has changed!

Not only that, the young human even inquired, under the pretense of subtlety, about Karas's dietary preferences. Upon discovering that the blood and flesh of common livestock failed to meet his needs, he went so far as to personally offer his own blood to satiate the hungry Karas!

With a gentle smile still on his lips, Ajin said warmly, "Your grandpa's greatest wish is for you to attend Jinghua University?"

A Karas's ultimate desire was for a human to go to college?

What kind of joke was this?

Didn't Karas's desires usually revolve around famine, calamity, and war?

For a Karas, it was the best of times when they could indulge their insatiable appetite.

To everyone's surprise, Ji Huan also chuckled. "Yeah, Grandpa first wanted my sister to attend, but she didn't do well in her studies and failed the entrance exam. Now, it's only me who can take the test. Once I'm admitted to Jinghua University, I'll take Grandpa with me to the capital."

There were hot springs near the capital as well. By then, he would rent a house in a place with hot springs, study during the day, work at night, and continue living together as a family. He had heard that university coursework was less demanding than high school. Life would become even more convenient, and he had been wrong to worry about spending money or leaving home.

"Ajin, I'm glad to have met you. During this time... I've learned a lot from you. If... if I really get into Jinghua University, would you like to come over to my place to play?" Ji Huan fiddled with his fingers for a moment before lifting his head. His face suddenly flushed with bashfulness.

This was the first time he had ever invited someone to his home.

He had made up his mind. If he passed the exam, he would invite Ajin and Wang Xiaochuan to visit his home and let Grandpa meet his friends. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Ji Huan genuinely appreciated these two friends.

Wang Xiaochuan had been instrumental in assisting with the upbringing of Hei Dan. Apart from that, he was an open and sincere person. If he saw that Hei Dan was genuinely scared... he would explain carefully to him. If it proved impossible for Hei Dan to accept, Wang Xiaochuan would take Ah Ye and Hei Dan away, never to return.

As for Ajin, though Ji Huan still didn't know what kind of family Ajin came from, he had given Ji Huan much help in his studies. As for whether Ajin would be afraid when he met Hei Dan and Ah Ye... Ji Huan had never considered that possibility.

Ajin must have known something. That's why he had mentioned the demon Akas earlier... he had done it on purpose, right?

Yes, after the event, upon reflection, Ji Huan felt that Ajin's words that day were not random. He must have noticed signs of a demon like Akas living nearby, and thus deliberately warned Ji Huan.

Looking into Ajin's honest black eyes, Ji Huan finally said what he had wanted to express for some time: "Ajin, thank you. You're such a kind and gentle person."

After CDs, manga books, and idol photo albums, Ajin received yet another 'kind person' card from Ji Huan.

Kind... and gentle?

These words echoed repeatedly in Ji Huan's mind. For the first time, he was the one who left first between the two of them. Not long after saying those words, it was time for Ji Huan to finish work. According to the rules, one had to leave immediately after work and not linger. After reminding Ajin about the closing time, Ji Huan hastily bid farewell with his belongings.

Left alone, Ajin continued sitting in the deserted corridor. After a while, he smiled.

It was a smile that was anything but gentle, anything but that of a good person.