Chapter 3 : Principal Farrow

“Alright, this is so damn fancy!” Dorothea exclaimed as she got out of the car and headed straight for the freshman registration office.

“Please follow me,” Yan Shishuang said, walking towards the academic building.

Ten o’clock at night.

In the principal’s office, Ms. Farrow and the new member, An Xiaoyi, sat across from each other at a tea table.

The office was decorated in a simple style, with two steaming hot cups of coffee on the table and the admission letter laid flat beside them.

Taking a closer look at the principal, she was a relatively young woman with long brown hair and glasses, possessing refined features. She was wearing a fluffy blue nightgown, seemingly having been about to rest.

Even in her nightgown, she couldn’t hide her slender figure, nor her… rather modest bust.

Apparently noticing his intrusive gaze, Principal Farrow coughed softly.

An Xiaoyi immediately straightened his posture.

Principal Farrow was very satisfied with this new professor, overlooking minor issues like his being too young.

“Congratulations, Mr. An Xiaoyi. From now on, you will be a treasure to our school.”

“A treasure?” He was startled by the description.

“Ahem, an exceptional talent,” the principal corrected.

“That’s quite casual.”

“Judging a person involves many aspects. For example, your parents and I are old acquaintances.”

“You don’t need to be so subtle about pulling strings, do you…”

“Ahem, our school has very strict assessment criteria for incoming professors. In short, you meet all the requirements for a professor at our school, so your assessment has passed. Congratulations! Have you had dinner yet?”

“Yes, I have.”

An Xiaoyi quickly pulled back his hand, which the principal had been gripping tightly.

He didn’t know why, but he felt that the principal’s eyes weren’t just gleaming with interest; they were like a hungry wolf eyeing a lamb, as if she couldn’t wait for him to join.

“May I ask, Principal Farrow, aren’t you going to question my abilities?”

“You’re very skilled in history, aren’t you?”

“I mean my teaching ability.”

“Teaching ability? What do we need that for?” Principal Farrow shrugged nonchalantly.

She could tell what An Xiaoyi was worried about; this young man was quite responsible.

“An Xiaoyi, don’t worry about the future. After all, St. Antiona is a combat institution that trains violent individuals. See that twin tower next door? That’s the Enforcement Bureau. Here, most professors are just making a living, and only a very small number of professors participate in the Enforcement Bureau’s missions. Clearly, you’re the former.”

“That’s a bit disheartening.”

“Let’s be frank. I know who you are,” Principal Farrow’s voice suddenly turned cold.

An Xiaoyi’s nerves tensed; the conversation had taken a sudden turn.

He thought it was a trick by the school to ascertain his identity.

Then, Principal Farrow broke into a smile:

“Don’t worry, your parents and I are very close. I even held you when you were little.”

She paused, then continued, “In today’s internet slang, you’re a ‘lying flat’ vampire. As for me, while I never provoke those ‘lying flat’ vampires, I would also never allow a vampire to approach St. Antiona School. However, you’re an exception, because your parents entrusted you to me.”

An Xiaoyi felt a slight stir within him.

Entrusted?

How… sentimental.

Nonsense! He had hands and feet; why would he need to be entrusted? His excellent parents were truly something, treating him like a left-behind child and sending their daughter… no, son, to the most dangerous place.

However, he didn’t want to say things like “You’re joking” or “I don’t know what you’re talking about” to deny it.

Given Principal Farrow’s attitude, it was clear she knew everything about him.

An Xiaoyi lacked self-pity and easily resigned himself to what had already happened.

He just wanted to know what his parents were up to.

He was supposed to be an ordinary vampire who could “lie flat” his whole life, but instead, he had to become a professor.

Maybe it was to infiltrate and revitalize the vampire race’s future?

No, no, humans were the victims; did vampires even need to be revitalized?

His thoughts were in a jumble.

An Xiaoyi felt he should first worry about the consequences of his identity being exposed, not the reasons for becoming a professor here… his reaction was too slow.

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice Principal Farrow had subtly moved closer.

“Principal?” An Xiaoyi leaned back slightly.

“Don’t question it. Even I’m not entirely clear on your parents’ intentions,” Principal Farrow said in a low voice.

“However, I trust them. They are the most peaceful vampires I’ve ever met and have provided much assistance to the Enforcement Bureau multiple times, even serving as members of the St. Antiona board. Perhaps they believe this is your best option. As long as you don’t expose your identity, you’ll always be safe.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Who can truly understand the painstaking efforts of parents in this world?” Ms. Farrow sighed, looking up.

“I don’t understand why you have to get so close…” An Xiaoyi, unable to bear it any longer, pushed her away.

“Ahem.”

Ms. Farrow sat back on the sofa and meticulously scrutinized An Xiaoyi again.

After a while, she said, “I was verifying your vampire identity. Strangely, I don’t sense you as a vampire. To be precise, your vampire aura is particularly faint, so faint it’s as if you had just rolled around with a vampire girlfriend a few days ago.”

“Are you from the Flowery Country (China)?”

“Is there a reason you ask?” Farrow’s spirits lifted.

“In Mandarin, metaphors aren’t usually this overtly exaggerated.”

“Oh, right, I see. Anyway, you don’t seem like a vampire. Sign this contract first.” Farrow handed over a document.

It was a simple contract, clearly outlining salary and campus-related matters.

An Xiaoyi glanced at it and signed it.

With his exceptional memory, he wasn’t worried about overlooking anything, which was also why he had such a prodigious talent for history.

The principal took the document, tossed it into a cabinet, and then leaned in to observe him again.

An Xiaoyi looked up, tilting his head to meet her gaze.

“Principal?”

“How about you show me your true form?”

“W-why?” An Xiaoyi grew wary.

“Because I want to see it. Your parents said your vampire form is very beautiful,” Ms. Farrow mused.

“A little girl. I’ve never seen such a unique vampire. I really want to catch her…”

“What did you say?” An Xiaoyi’s expression was odd.

“Ahem, just observing.”

“I’ll be leaving now,” An Xiaoyi said, starting to back away.

“Double salary!” Ms. Farrow held up her fingers, wiggling them.

A few minutes later, a silver-haired girl in an elaborate blood-red gown looked utterly resentful.

Principal Farrow, while praising her, moved around, meticulously observing from every angle, exclaiming over such a delicate and beautiful girl.

“Are you done?” An Xiaoyi, now accurately An Xiaoxue, rubbed her forehead.

She was used to both identities and both names.

“I’m all good,” Ms. Farrow said, a serious expression on her face as she pulled up her pajama bottoms.

“Where’s the dorm?” An Xiaoxue asked with a firm, slightly angry tone, wanting to escape this place as quickly as possible.

“That building behind us that looks like a hotel. Oh, that is a hotel,” the principal pointed.

“I’m leaving now.”

She grabbed her suitcase and practically bolted out of the principal’s office, unwilling to speak another word to this principal, who was just as eccentric as her parents.

In her memory, her parents were exactly like Ms. Farrow, often treating her like a doll to dress up when she was little.

They were truly the most extreme of the extreme, appearing not at all reliable.

“See you tomorrow! I’ll be relying on you a lot from now on!” Principal Farrow waved at her retreating back.

An Xiaoyi, in the hallway, paused for a moment, then quickly ran out as the access control system automatically opened.

“Sigh, she’s really like a child, too used to an easy life,” Farrow sighed.

“She’s so trusting, too, so easily accepting her identity being revealed without the expected reaction, even believing others. Either she’s heartless and easily led astray by older women, or… she’s incredibly cunning.”

“Could she have investigated me beforehand…? I underestimated her. She’s quite the actress.”