DECRESCENDO

Decrescendo: Italian dynamic marking meaning to gradually get softer.

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A new day in a new week. As usual, Yang Liu was preparing to go to school this morning. Actually, he still didn't understand. What was the use of a school for vampires like him?

A vampire like him surely had no future. He was not a human who dreamed of becoming a judge, a lawyer, a doctor, or an astronaut. For him, the school was just a camouflage effort he needed to do so that his identity remained safe.

He had no dream, and he had no future. He was just an unlucky vampire.

In ancient times, vampires roamed the human world a lot, spreading the inevitable terror all around the world. But nowadays, the number of blood-sucking creatures was dwindling. There were many reasons for that phenomenon, and one of them was the existence of vampire hunters who kept hunting them like a hobby.

So far, Yang Liu had never seen other vampires during his stay in Beijing. His vampire radar had never reacted in this big city. He had thought that maybe he was the only vampire left in this city. Creatures like him may have become extinct in this big city.

As usual, Yang Liu rode his black motorbike to go to school this morning. Actually, he preferred to teleport, but teleporting in a broad daylight was too risky. Moreover, he knew that he had to save his energy so that his stomach wouldn't whine for a drink afterward.

He didn't want to hunt in the forest every day. Nowadays, the number of animals in the forest was also decreasing. He had thought about hunting in the zoo, but it was totally against the rules and had the potential to cause chaos. That was not a good idea.

Yang Liu's bike was speeding at a moderate speed, maybe only 50 km/hr. He didn't need to hurry. The distance from his apartment to his school was not too far away, anyway.

The motion of the two-wheeled object suddenly got slower as his sharp eyes caught sight of a boy falling on his knees near a bus stop not far from his school. No one knew what prompted Yang Liu to stop his motorbike on the sidewalk near the boy.

"Can't you use your eyes well?" The pale-skinned guy asked from behind his black helmet.

The boy, who was asked the question, suddenly looked up. His face showed a hint of surprise to see Yang Liu's figure there. He then stood up and patted his pants which were dirty because of the little incident earlier. "I'm out of focus," he replied.

Yang Liu frowned at the boy's reaction. Usually, the boy was always cheerful and full of enthusiasm. Why did the boy look so gloomy this morning?

"Just keep in mind not to glance sideways[1]," Yang Liu responded. "What's wrong with you, anyway? You dreamed of meeting a vampire last night?"

He could see the boy made a startling grimace and ran over to him. His thin hands pushed Yang Liu's shoulders. "Don't scare me! That would be my worst nightmare!" He exclaimed angrily.

Yang Liu tried hard to lock his lips in order not to laugh. It amused him to imagine how the boy would react if he found out that he was now standing side by side with a vampire. The nightmare had come true.

"Need a ride?"

Again, the boy made a shocking twinkle beside Yang Liu.

That expression confused Yang Liu. 'Did my offer sound that strange?' He thought.

"You... You are Yang Liu, aren't you? You are not a vampire who disguised as him to suck my blood, right?"

This time, Yang Liu did laugh. He was laughing, but his laughter sounded pitiful. He was really pathetic, huh? Everyone would be afraid if they found out that he was a vampire. The paradigm of people regarding vampires was very predictable. Those people must have been thinking negatively about the mystical creature.

"Even if I were a vampire, I would definitely choose a fatter target that provided me a lot of blood."

"Ah! Is it because of this that Weisheng gege really hates you? You must have made him your target because he is chubby, right?"

Zhou Yongliang, the boy meant to joke around, but accidentally he pierced Yang Liu's heart piercingly. The expression on Yang Liu's face immediately turned gloomy again. His face turned flat like an emoticon with his eyes and lips forming a straight line.

Without a sound, the taller boy started the bike engine again, causing Zhou Yongliang to quickly restrain his movements.

"Wait!" The boy screamed. "I need a ride. My leg hurt a little from the fall earlier."

"I don't have an extra helmet with me."

"So what, huh? You had offered me a ride! Besides, the school is also close by, anyway. There is no police in this area."

'Such a naughty boy,' Yang Liu thought.

He sighed in embarrassment as he furiously said, "Just hop on quickly!"

Finally, Zhou Yongliang happily hopped on straight into the back seat of Yang Liu's motorbike.

"You can always make me feel better! Yang Liu is the best!"

Yang Liu rolled his eyes and then accelerated his motorbike.

It was certainly wrong. From the moment he stopped his bike on the sidewalk, everything was not in the right place. Especially when he easily chatted with the boy who was now sitting quietly behind him. Everything felt wrong, but it felt right at the same time. Everything felt softer gradually. It was confusing.

The bike finally reached the school, and Yang Liu stopped it at the parking lot.

"Thank you, my vampire."

Zhou Yongliang got off Yang Liu's motorbike and smiled so widely that his eyes narrowed. Fine wrinkles even appeared at the corners of his eyes that formed the scythe.

Yang Liu took off his helmet and glared at Zhou Yongliang. "I'm not a vampire," he said.

"Yes, I know." Zhou Yongliang could still smile even though Yang Liu's tone was very cold. "But, you are very much like a vampire. You are cold, haughty, and your pale skin makes it perfect. I wonder if your canines can stretch when you bite your prey."

"Still, I'm not yours."

Zhou Yongliang quickly put his right hand forward and wagged his index finger in front of Yang Liu's face. "Just not yet. In the end, you will be mine." He pulled his hand back while smiling broadly. "I'm going to class first, okay? I'm a shy person, so I'm not ready to be the center of attention if I walk with you."

Without waiting for Yang Liu's reply, Zhou Yongliang immediately ran away from the guy who had given him a ride earlier.

Whether he realized it or not, the two corners of Yang Liu's lips lifted to form a smile curve. "What shy person?" He whispered amusedly to himself. "It's true Fang Xing said. The boy is very attractive."

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Footnote:

[1] Not to glance sideways: from a Chinese idiom "Mù bù xié shì" that means "To be fully concentrated."