On the second night, the park lit up, and although the lights were dazzling, from the outside, they were shrouded in thick fog.
This was the oldest park within St. Antiona University, overgrown with trees, winding cobblestone paths, and an artificial stream.
Compared to this park, the other three parks were simply havens for leisurely strolls, relaxation, and dates, with halos, squares, and tulip beds… But here, there was nothing romantic to be seen.
Another reason for its unpopularity was its location; the park was behind the campus maintenance building, too far from the cafeteria and dorms to walk, requiring a bike ride, and the maintenance staff didn’t have the leisure to go there either.
An Xiaoyi looked up at the entrance sign, which read “Tred Park,” and then followed the cobblestone path deeper.
The path wasn’t long, the environment was misty, and faintly, a ball of light could be seen at the end.
The woman didn’t specify the meeting time, just “night.”
She said she didn’t care if An Xiaoyi came or not, speaking very confidently, as if she knew An Xiaoyi wouldn’t report her to the school.
An Xiaoyi did come after all.
Tred Park had a small plaza, with a statue standing majestically in the center.
A circle of light bulbs beneath the statue cast bright white beams, illuminating the plaza.
On a long bench, the woman rested with her eyes closed, still wearing the same outfit, like a blood-stained gauze dress.
She had been waiting for an unknown amount of time.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting long?” An Xiaoyi sat on the other end of the bench, pulling his clothes tighter against the cold wind.
The woman opened her eyes, looking straight ahead, saying nothing.
An Xiaoyi felt nervous and followed her gaze, only then noticing that the statue in the plaza was a woman.
“You’re here,” the woman said.
“Let me state upfront, my coming doesn’t mean I’m going to cooperate with you, and I have some questions for you,” An Xiaoyi didn’t close off the conversation.
“And why do you think I definitely won’t tell the school and the Enforcement Bureau?”
“I didn’t think that. As I said, it’s your choice.”
“You knew I would choose… to come alone?” An Xiaoyi still didn’t quite understand.
“You’re easy to judge.”
An Xiaoyi had a bit of a headache; he wished she could just be straightforward.
All the beating around the bush was taxing his brain cells.
“That day in the library, you weren’t surprised by An Xiaoxue’s vampire identity, but you’re human.”
An Xiaoyi understood what she meant.
He was silent for a few seconds before saying, “You think I’m not a good person either, because my sister is a vampire, and I chose to conceal and cover for her, so someone like me wouldn’t dare report to the Enforcement Bureau, right?”
“You’re not stupid.”
“There’s another possibility, for example, I’m… really stupid and think reporting you can eliminate you and silence you, after all, no one wants to be caught with leverage. Didn’t you consider this possibility?”
“That’s possible,” the woman said indifferently, “but it’s not important. No one at the school can find me.”
An Xiaoyi thought, how confident.
Even a high-ranking vampire couldn’t act recklessly in St. Antiona.
This was the headquarters of the Huaguo Enforcement Bureau, with geniuses from all over the world, the most elite executives, and the best professors, yet she claimed no one could find her.
The ghost-like feeling must be her ability.
“Even if I don’t tell the school, what if I don’t come? If I just ignore you, will you retaliate against me?” He didn’t know why he asked this question; it just came to mind.
“I’d just leave. Why would I bother with you?” The woman looked at him as if he were an idiot.
An Xiaoyi’s mind was blank for a few tenths of a second.
Why bother with you? Saying something like that was the problem.
Please, older sister, someone knows you exist now, and you’re not at all worried about becoming a hidden danger?
Before he could ask, the woman leaned back on the bench, looking up at the sky.
She said softly, “You seem to be a very important person to her. If something happened to you, she would probably be very sad. I don’t want to make her sad, no matter what kind of person you are.”
An Xiaoyi’s heart stirred slightly.
“A brother who is willing to cooperate with you and figure out how to help ‘conquer’ his sister wouldn’t be a good brother,” he thought, wanting to retort.
He didn’t like the feeling of being completely seen through.
“On the first night, I saw her help you with your luggage,” the woman said.
“Sisters who don’t have a good relationship would never help their brother pack his living space. Your relationship must be harmonious.”
An Xiaoyi was speechless.
There was truly nothing he could retort to now.
Her affection for An Xiaoxue was truly impeccable, the only slight flaw being…
The girl she spoke of didn’t remember her at all.
“You win,” An Xiaoyi conceded, lowering his head to brush off dust from his collar.
“You’re right, I came. So, tell me, what do I get for helping you? Let me be clear, I’m not interested in becoming a blood thrall.”
“That depends on what you want.”
“To be direct, I want the entire world, including the universe,” An Xiaoyi said, looking bored in his chair.
“Can’t be done,” the woman replied quite bluntly.
“Then forget it.”
“Why did you come to this school?” the woman asked.
“To work,” An Xiaoyi thought for a moment.
“You came to find someone,” the woman revealed calmly.
“The principal just showed me around to familiarize myself with the place.”
“That’s not what I mean.” The woman shook her head; she seemed to know everything.
“On the third night, you stayed in the information center for at least ten minutes, pressed the elevator button for the archives floor, and finally gave up because you didn’t have an access card and were hesitant; on the fourth day at noon, you deliberately struck up a conversation with senior students in the cafeteria; on the sixth day, which was yesterday morning, you woke up at five and went to the principal’s office, prying open a drawer lock, because she had mentioned the day before returning from a board meeting with approved documents for campus renovations.”
At this point, the woman paused, looking at the somewhat guilty An Xiaoyi.
“If I’m not mistaken, you’re looking for clues about your parents, and your parents were once members of the school board.”
“How… how do you know?” An Xiaoyi was nervous.
“My dorm is right next to yours. When you were doing these things, I just happened to be nearby.”
The woman spoke calmly; she was always so indifferent, only smiling in the library.
And being gentle on the first night with An Xiaoxue.
An Xiaoyi suddenly understood, “You’re also a professor.”
He sighed in relief, having thought this woman knew everything about the campus, which would have been a huge problem—for example, she definitely knew his secret but was cunningly playing a part.
“Yes, my identity is also a professor, and I’m also the director of the Information Management Center,” the woman frankly told him.
“You want to find someone; I can help you. That’s the deal.”
An Xiaoyi lowered his head, thinking for a very long time.
He looked up, gazing at the statue for a long time, silent.
“You’re wondering if I’m trustworthy, right?” the woman observed him.
“At least I can assure you, I won’t eat you.”
“No… I’m wondering who this person in the statue is,” An Xiaoyi told the truth.
“I feel like I’ve forgotten something. What was I going to say? You made me forget everything.”