A Sunlit Smile

A flash of light passed, and as Qiao Wei had just found her footing, a languid voice reached her ears: “You dragged your feet for so long, I was starting to think you were too afraid to come.”

Qiao Wei merely glanced at Luo Chen, as if she hadn’t heard him at all. “Hey, which direction should we go?”

Luo Chen gave a wicked little smile. “Well, look at that. You seem pretty determined. What’s the rush? You should at least let me get ready, shouldn’t you?”

Irritation flickered across Qiao Wei’s features, and she frowned slightly, about to speak. But Luo Chen stepped forward and gently placed his hand on her brow. “Didn’t I tell you not to frown? Why do you always…”

Qiao Wei froze, unconsciously stepping back. Luo Chen suddenly realized he’d slipped again and awkwardly let his hand fall. The air between them grew stiff and uneasy.

Trying to shake off the discomfort, Qiao Wei spoke up, her tone unnatural. “Well, go get ready then. Let’s go.”

Luo Chen looked into Qiao Wei’s dark eyes, then turned away, a little crestfallen, and walked slowly ahead. Qiao Wei followed him carefully, the two of them moving in silence.

“This method may not work, you know,” Luo Chen suddenly said, breaking the quiet. “It’s just a legend. No one’s actually proved it.”

As they walked, Qiao Wei admired the roses blooming in brilliant profusion on either side of the path. She smiled. “But that means it could still be true, right? As long as there’s hope, you have to try.”

Luo Chen’s steps faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, trying to sound casual. “You really are an optimist.”

Qiao Wei caught up to him, walking by his side. “Of course. My father used to tell me, if you look at the world optimistically, everything becomes beautiful. If you let yourself get trapped in sorrow and never move on, you can’t call yourself strong. By the way, Luo Chen, can I ask you something?”

Luo Chen, head down, kicked at a stone. “What is it?”

Qiao Wei squinted into the dazzling sunlight, curiosity in her voice. “How can vampires walk in the sunlight? Do you have something like a sun ring, like in those TV dramas?”

Luo Chen looked at Qiao Wei—her familiar, innocent face barely reaching his shoulder—and a warmth stirred in his heart. He smiled gently at her. “Something like that. We have rings made from the blood of Judas’s first descendant. But he’s long dead, so only Luo Xuan and I have them. Other vampires who want to hunt in daylight can only go to places thick with roses—their scent can shield us from sunlight. Otherwise, we can only go out at night to feed.”

Qiao Wei looked up, catching the sunlight on Luo Chen’s smiling face. The deep red of his eyes held none of their usual wickedness. “So there’s a grain of truth in those TV shows after all. Vampires really do have it tough. You know, Luo Chen, you’re not as cynical as you pretend to be. You look so much better when you smile like this.”

Embarrassed, Luo Chen quickened his pace, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. He didn’t look back as he said, “You sure do talk a lot. Hurry up.”

Qiao Wei laughed, watching Luo Chen’s retreating figure before breaking into a run to catch up.

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The computer crashed miserably twice—could it be that it’s rejecting me?