Chapter８

Finally, a minute later, I was able to see a very familiar face. His blonde hair blew in the air as he closed the door. But what surprised me the most was his appearance.

His shoulders looked slumped and dark circles appeared beneath his eyes, making his face look haggard. When I glanced at his body properly, I even realized that he had thinned a little.

This kind of appearance made me frown, and I couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you?"

He smiled and dismissed my worries, sitting before me. Then he opened the menu and casually flipped through the pages. "It's nothing. I didn't make you wait longer, did I?"

"Of course, not." I lied without thinking twice. "I came here just five minutes ago."

Vampire raised his hands and the smile in his eyes deepened. "I'm sorry. The breakfast’s on me then."

"You can't! Even theyI don't earn, I don't need your charity!"

"Who said I was giving you a charity?" He raised his brows and cocked his head. "I would've given you something more, not just money."

"Something more…?" My mind swirled around this word, not even sure what he meant by this. What something more?

And I couldn't help but imagine something even more outrageous. Did he mean a relationship…? I licked my lips and lowered my head, not wanting to look at his face out of embarrassment.

After a while of embarrassing situations, Vampire finally cleared his throat, gaining my attention. “To be honest, I didn’t mean to approach you for this.”

“What do you mean?” I was instantly attracted by his words, and forgot what he had said earlier. And just like that, with the change of this one small topic, he was able to dispel the awkward atmosphere around us.

Vampire chuckled awkwardly for a while before saying, “Don’t take those words seriously. I was just kidding.”

I frowned for a while, not knowing what exactly he meant by saying he didn't want to bring me into this. Into what exactly? I still didn’t know, and didn’t dare to think about it. But from looking at him, I could tell that something bad had happened that made him stay awake for a couple of nights

At this time, my brows furrowed deeper as I realized that this person was meaning to change the topic. "But seriously, you're a mess."

Although I was pretending like I had just joked, I was still very worried. Anyone could hear a hint of anxiety in my voice.

When Vampire heard my voice, he smiled and closed the menu, calling out to the waiter and placing his order before turning toward me. "It's actually a long story."

"I'm all ears." I urged him to continue.

"Well…" He placed hand on his forehead and sighed in exhaustion. "We had meetings, we meant all the editors combined. And unfortunately for me, even after staying overnight, I couldn't find an appropriate solution. I really don't know what to do! They expect my submission by tomorrow, and I don't have a clue! I'm in a deep sh*t this time. I really have messed up…"

And he rambled on and on until I pressed my palm against his mouth and smiled awkwardly. "Can you tell me one thing at a time? I'm a little confused."

At first, we both glanced at each other awkwardly and then I noticed what I just did. Instantly, I took my hand back and felt a trace of blush creeping up my face. I lowered my head and stammered. "P-Please continue."

Even Vampire became flustered and cleared his throat before speaking clearly. "We had been having an editorial meeting, and the team leader…damn that guy! How can someone be so strict?! I haven't even slept for more than three hours for a week!" He turned toward me as his eyes were filled with complaints. "He actually made us all overwork, and finish our previous books, ordering us to deliver a new book by eight days."

"That's tomorrow, right?" I was still confused, but I decided to pretend that I understood his words.

Vampire instantly nodded and sighed. "The company's going to finish KPI, and if I don't submit, I'll be out, and lose my job. And I haven't even signed a new book!"

From his words, all I could get was that he really needed to sign a new book within a single day so that he could save his job. To be honest, I kind of felt a little uncomfortable at this.

First, being an editor, he should've gotten a project already. But why was he still facing atrocities? I was confused over this. But I really didn't think much on this topic because I was blindly thinking that this guy's situation must be similar to mine.

When I thought of the guidance he gave me for my book, I was even afraid that if I wouldn't finish my book on time, Vampire would approach someone else. But when I saw that he still hadn't finalized an author, I couldn't help but feel a spark of hope in my heart.

This guy could give spot on advice to the poor authors like me! For me, he was seriously a gem that was meant to lighten my darkened heart! So before Vampire could become a big editor, I would have to grab this opportunity and make him agree to take my book!

Won’t this also help him save his job? I couldn’t help but feel delighted at this thought. I could finally use myself for him. My book was obviously dedicated to this guy, and I could only wish that he would accept it, especially after my blunt confession. But before I could open my mouth, I heard Vampire cut me off.

It seemed like Vampire could read my emotions. So he just smiled seeing my determined face and said, “Elise, please don’t say you’re going to give me your book. It would be too embarrassing.”

“Why?” My heartbeat rose at this, and I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Why was he rejecting my book?

“I’m already like this.” A bitter smile formed on his lips. “I’m going to lose my job, and the author I’ll find perhaps would end up facing failure with me. I don’t want to make more trouble for you, Elise. You’re really a good author, and you deserve much more than what I can offer you.”

I could feel my eyes moistening at this. I sniffed and lowered my head, trying to control my emotions. Even at a time like this, a professional editor like Vampire was still thinking about me. Did that mean he also had feelings for me? Another spark of hope was ignited in my heart.

“Vampire.” I said softly with a hint of emotion in my voice. “I have dedicated this novel to you.”

The guy was stunned. It looked like he wanted to cut me off again, but I shook my head. “Let me continue first. As I was saying, this book is for you. But if you’re not here anymore, what will I do with this story? It would only be published by a certain editor named Vampire. So don’t tell me to back off now at this critical juncture.”

I stared at him for a long time. This man had shown me a new light to brighten my dark world. Now when this person was in danger, I wanted to save him at all cost. Anyway, I had come clean about my emotions for him. So there was nothing to hide. With this novel, me and him were bound to one.