I knew dark creatures were weak against holy attributes. Honestly, any modern person who’s played games or watched anime, novels, or movies would know that too.

So my bloodline must be pretty noble. In gaming terms? Neutral armor—no attribute-based damage deals extra damage to me.

But here’s the catch: neutral armor’s awesome for any warrior… *if* your base stats are high.

Look at my tiny frame now. My health bar’s probably paper-thin. Does having a vulnerability even matter?

“So what difference does it make?!”

After the bloodline verification finished, An Li tucked her laptop under her arm and headed into my bedroom. My place was tiny—no extra rooms like a study.

Alone on the sofa, I rolled around, thought it all over, and let out a wail.

Does it matter? Nope!

“Stop yelling,” An Li’s voice drifted from the bedroom. “If you keep that up, I’ll think you’re under attack. Next time, I’ll just shoot through the door.”

“Even if I *am* attacked, please don’t shoot through the door—you’ll hit *me*!”

Bored in the living room, I tiptoed quietly to the bedroom door. An Li was typing on her laptop. She glanced at me, then looked away, too lazy to respond.

Good. At least she didn’t tell me to scram.

“An Li, what are you doing?” I asked in a soft, childish voice, creeping closer and half-leaning against the bed. “I’m so bored. I can’t go to school anymore… what am I supposed to do?”

“If you’re bored, don’t come to me. I don’t entertain people.”

“Don’t be so cold~” I boldly brushed her arm. “We’re gonna live together from now on…”

“You’re *following* me. To stay alive.”

“Same thing! We’re life companions now. Shouldn’t we get to know each other?”

An Li tapped a few final keys, closed her laptop, and turned. “No need. I’ve already checked you: second-year high school, clean record, average grades, single-parent home, dad works out of town…” She swept a glance around the shabby room. “No need to check further. It’s obvious.”

I was slightly startled. She’d dug up *that* much?

“But I don’t know *you*,” I tugged her sleeve. “At least give me the gist?”

“Let go. Nothing to tell.”

She hesitated a moment, then spoke flatly: “Nothing to share. My godmother adopted me. I grew up at a Holy See headquarters overseas. Then I started doing this work.”

“But why a Chinese name?”

I suspected she was brushing me off—after all, she’d said names were just aliases for hiding identity.

She stayed silent, handed me her phone. The lock screen showed:

[Anne]

“Anne?” I blinked. “Why not just use this name? Why pick Chinese characters that sound almost the same but aren’t?”

*Anne’s so cute…*

She shot me an icy glare. “Because I’m not as childish as you.”

Me—Luo Xiao, though now Luo Xiaoxiao—I who once had a mighty name… on my very first day as a little loli, the pretty girl called me “small” *and* “childish.”

“Whatever! I still think it’s cute!” I muttered.

Drowsiness suddenly washed over me. Eyes closed.

Zzz…

“Mmm… whoa!”

I jolted awake. How long had I slept? Remembering what happened before passing out, I blinked open my eyes.

The surface under my back was soft—way softer than the wooden floor. An Li hadn’t tossed me back on the sofa. She’d let me sleep *in her bed*.

A blanket was tucked over me. She was gone.

“The pretty girl’s actually kinda gentle,” I whispered to the ceiling.

Come to think of it, that sudden sleep *did* scare me. So high-concentration holy water still affects me—but swapped from lethal poison to sleepy-time drink.

*Click.*

The door latch turned. An Li walked in and tossed a stack of bright red bags onto my lap.

“Got these from the hospital. Eat up.”

I stared, stunned. “These are… blood bags?”

“Call it your lifeline,” An Li said dryly. “Your sustenance. This is what keeps you alive now.”

An Li—the Holy See’s most feared executor, once rumored to be a vampire hunter who’d spilled countless dark creatures’ blood—was *running errands* for vampire snacks. A total first for her.

“Well… food is food,” I gave a sheepish smile. “No choice, right?”

Truthfully, I wasn’t that resistant. As a vampire, this was survival.

Plus, anime and games always said blood tasted like sweet vanilla pudding ice cream to vampires.

Heart pounding with hope, I brought a bag to my lips, bit the straw, and took a gentle sip—

“BLECH! Disgusting!”

Metallic rust flooded my mouth. After forcing down a tiny swallow, my stomach erupted in searing pain—as if *this* were the real holy water.