“Oh~ There’s a restaurant this close to home? Nice.”

“And it’s a lot cheaper around here. You’d pay twice as much for the same food downtown. Even a plate of hot-and-sour cabbage costs seven or eight yuan.”

“Things sure are expensive in big cities,” Ruo Tianxin couldn’t help remarking.

You could probably tell just by looking: the houses in Ruo Xiaoxi’s neighborhood were all a little shorter than those on the other side. This was an old residential area. The newer high-rises were all office buildings or commercial housing.

It was incredibly difficult for people from this neighborhood to buy homes over there. For one thing, they didn’t have that kind of savings. And for another, the properties sold out almost immediately—the rich had snapped them all up long ago.

Ruo Xiaoxi and Xia Zhibai had only met by chance, really. One came from an ordinary old neighborhood, while the other was a young lady from one of those wealthy families. The only way Ruo Xiaoxi could get to know people like that was by earning excellent grades and getting into their school.

That was why Xia Zhibai had wondered at first whether Ruo Xiaoxi was only getting close to her because she was rich. In a way, it was hard to blame her for thinking that.

“What do you want to eat? It’s on me.” Ruo Xiaoxi pointed at the menu posted on the wall.

“Then… I’ll get a bowl of mixed noodles.”

“The same old thing, huh? You get mixed noodles everywhere you go. Don’t you ever get tired of them?”

The two sisters found an empty corner table and sat facing each other, chatting about their parents. Ruo Tianxin had come this time to see how her older brother was getting along.

She’d also brought Ruo Xiaoxi some messages from their parents. They were worried she might get homesick, so they’d packed some local treats they’d made at home for Tianxin to bring along. They’d also told her to call more often.

“Mom and Dad are really worried about you. They keep saying you’re all by yourself out here, with no relatives around to look after you, and asking if you might run into bad people. They also said it’s a good thing you’re a boy. If it were me, they’d never let me live on my own.”

“Is that so…” But now that Ruo Xiaoxi had turned into a girl, she really couldn’t let her parents find out. They’d be frantic. She could take care of herself just fine.

“You got into such a good high school. If you study hard, getting into a top university like a 985 or 211 is practically a sure thing. The workload must be intense, so they’re afraid to call too often in case you’re busy.”

Ruo Tianxin gave Ruo Xiaoxi a sidelong look. “But you seem to be having a pretty good time. You even get to chat and play games with pretty older girls. I guess that should put Mom and Dad at ease.”

That was a parent’s heart for you. Their parents had such wonderful hopes for their children, and worried about them so much. Hearing her little sister say that, Ruo Xiaoxi couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.

She’d ask her sister to let their parents know she was safe when she went back. Just tell them she’d settled into life in the big city quickly and was living quite comfortably. They didn’t need to worry.

“All right, I’ve passed along everything Mom and Dad said, and I’ve left the food in your room. Let’s change the subject. So, big bro—cough, I mean, big sis—you’re living alone as a girl now. You should find a friend so you can look out for each other.”

She seemed to realize they were in public, so Ruo Tianxin awkwardly corrected herself. If anyone saw her calling a girl “big brother,” they’d definitely stare at her like she was crazy.

Ruo Xiaoxi nodded vigorously. She completely agreed with Ruo Tianxin.

That’s right, that’s right. She needed to make more friends. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have enough blood to drink. She gave the big sisters her love and brought them joy; surely a little food in return was fair.

She had to be the kindest Vampiress in the world. Though, for all she knew, she might be the only one around.

“So, so, get a girlfriend!” Seeing her older brother nod, Ruo Tianxin realized she was open to the idea and hurried to say it with a grin. Having someone by your side would feel completely different.

“No, no! If I get a girlfriend, then… then I can only date one person.”

“…” Ruo Tianxin froze for a moment, then lowered her head and asked cautiously, “So how many girls do you want to date, exactly, you flirtatious Little Radish?”

“Anyway… I’d never cheat!”

“That’s not the point! So this is why you date girls without making things official? You’re so frivolous. Keep acting like that and some big sister’s going to do something to you.”

Ruo Xiaoxi spoke with such righteous conviction that Ruo Tianxin didn’t even know what to say. What she didn’t know was that Ruo Xiaoxi had already become the little sister of plenty of big sisters.

No, she still had to find her a girlfriend and make her settle down.

“How about… if you really don’t want a girlfriend, you could just settle for me? You’re so cute now. I’d totally be okay with it!” Ruo Tianxin suddenly had an idea.

“You’re so lewd, Tianxin. You actually want to get in on some sister-on-sister action with me? Hmph. You? Come back after eight hundred years of practice.”

“You’re that cocky!? I can’t take this anymore. Just wait till we get home—I’ll take you down in no time. With those skinny arms and legs, you’re just a weak, adorable little girl. I could pin you down and spank you, and you wouldn’t be able to fight back.” Ruo Tianxin tapped her chopsticks against the table.

How could you turn into a delicate little girl and still talk like that!? Have you never had a taste of the real world? You clearly have no idea where you stand.

“A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass by its own burrow!” Ruo Xiaoxi said.

“You don’t let good things go to outsiders!” Ruo Tianxin shot back at once.

Could you even answer that saying like that!? Ruo Xiaoxi had actually lost to her little sister, who was still in her final year of compulsory education. What a disgrace. The battle of words was over. Time for a physical showdown.

But just as she was about to kick her sister, her foot stopped halfway, dangling in midair.

Ruo Xiaoxi froze, then tried again, refusing to believe it.

One little white sneaker pawed around like a kitten testing the waters. The short legs under the table kicked this way and that, hitting nothing but air. Before Tianxin noticed, Ruo Xiaoxi quietly and awkwardly pulled her foot back…

All right, the physical showdown was over. Tianxin had been beaten so badly she couldn’t even fight back.

Ruo Xiaoxi declared herself the winner. A crushing victory.

At the table beside the two girls, a middle-aged man was eating. He suddenly noticed how pretty the sisters were. What a nice view to enjoy with his meal. He kept his head down and shoveled food into his mouth, casually listening to their conversation as he ate.

They’d been chatting for ages when Ruo Tianxin realized she’d already started eating her mixed noodles, while the table in front of Ruo Xiaoxi was still bare. She hadn’t ordered anything at all. She was just watching her little sister eat.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“I’ll eat after you’re done.”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone’s a delicious little snack and doesn’t even know it. I won’t say who,” Ruo Xiaoxi said in a deliberately eerie voice. Once Ruo Tianxin was full, it’d be her turn to get eaten.

The chopsticks in the man’s hand began to slow as he watched them. He chewed his food slowly.

Ruo Tianxin wasn’t sure what her blood tasted like. She wasn’t against it, exactly, but she hesitated before asking, “Will it hurt when you draw blood? I… I’ve never done anything like this before.”

A Vampiress would have to bite through her neck with her fangs, right? What would that feel like…?

Actually, it sounded kind of scary.

What in the…? The man eating nearby had been paying attention to their conversation, but now he’d heard something strange. He wondered if his filthy adult mind was making him misunderstand something.

But then Ruo Xiaoxi went on to say:

“It won’t hurt, it won’t hurt. I get full really easily. And it should feel pretty nice, too. I have to give you something in return, after all.”

“Oh… Then, then let’s try it when we get home. If it hurts too much, I’ll tell you to stop. You have to stop.”

A truly astonishing conversation. The man gripped his chopsticks and forgot about the food in his bowl, choking on it. After taking a moment to reflect on the great questions of life, he let out a long sigh and shook his head.

“Girls these days, huh? They’re so open about everything. They’ll talk about anything in public.”

“…” Ruo Xiaoxi and Ruo Tianxin both heard him. They looked at each other and realized at the same time just how awful their conversation had sounded.

In an instant, both sisters’ cheeks turned bright red.

Ruo Tianxin quickly finished her mixed noodles, grabbed Ruo Xiaoxi by the hand, and hurriedly fled the restaurant with her. They ran all the way to the crosswalk at the intersection before stopping, hands on their knees and panting for breath.

“This is all your fault. What were you saying? You made him misunderstand…” Ruo Tianxin muttered, her face red.

“Your fault,” Ruo Xiaoxi murmured, turning her face away.

“Your fault!”

“Your fault!”

“Your fault, your fault!”