When Destiny Brings the Demon

The three-story giant iron bus carrying two hundred people drove along the deserted forest road. Through the window, Liao Tingyan saw the towering fir trees on either side of the road, their dark green hue standing out against the gloomy sky.

The air was damp—it had just rained. Steam rose from the wet ground, and white mist shrouded the distant mountain peaks. Even inside the crowded bus, Liao Tingyan felt a bone-chilling cold, as if the icy air had a life of its own, seeping through her thick coat and gripping her limbs, especially her feet, which were nearly numb.

She glanced at the other passengers, their faces filled with despair, when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a small deer leaping out from the woods. She quickly turned her head to look. Sure enough, it was a deer—wild animals often crossed these forest roads. She wanted to watch it longer, but the iron bus was moving too fast, and soon the lively little deer disappeared into the dark road.

"You don’t look like someone who’s going to be a blood donor. How can you still smile at a time like this?" A man sitting in front of her turned around, his tone laced with mockery. "Once you’ve donated blood once, you’ll understand what you’re really in for."

Liao Tingyan instinctively flashed a polite, practiced smile. "Mm, okay, got it."

As soon as she spoke, she realized she’d been a corporate drone for too long—her automatic responses were "okay" and "got it." She’d almost reflexively added a "thank you" out of habit.

Wake up, she told herself. You’re not that overworked office worker pulling 996 shifts or even seven-day workweeks anymore. Now you’re just a poor adult who’s transmigrated into a strange world and finally managed to get a decent night’s sleep.

She had crossed over yesterday, becoming this person named "Liao Tingyan," living in a cramped, messy five-square-meter room that felt like a tin can. Her phone displayed an enormous overdue debt, landing her on a blacklist that required her to enter a blood bank to repay it—so much information, yet Liao Tingyan had no memories of the original owner. The room held no diary or instruction manual, just a suicide note saying the world was too dark and they wanted to embrace death, hoping to be reborn as a rich person in the next life.

Liao Tingyan: "…" Emmmmm, who doesn’t want to be rich in their next life? But sis, you left me with all this debt—how am I supposed to deal with this?!

Since she couldn’t go back, what else could she do but tough it out for now?

Then, this morning, she was taken away. The two staff members—a man and a woman—seemed to be this world’s version of "civil servants," responsible for delivering people with unpayable debts to the blood bank as compensation.

They were probably also seeing someone being sent to the blood bank for the first time who wasn’t panicking, despairing, or struggling in pain—instead, she asked them a bunch of basic questions like she was consulting customer service.

In any case, thanks to these two relatively polite staff members, Liao Tingyan finally got a rough idea of how this world worked.This is District 98, also known as the Vampire District, ruled by the Vampire Duke. Compared to the chaotic evil of the neighboring District 97 (Werewolf District) and the xenophobia of District 96 (Merfolk District), the Vampire District is relatively free and open—with one exception: its unique characteristics are tied to vampire dietary habits. Ordinary residents living here are required to donate blood annually, while many impoverished individuals choose to sell their blood when desperate. Additionally, commoners who default on loans or commit serious crimes are required to repay their debts with blood.

Liao Tingyan: Now that's what I call paying a debt in blood.

As for Liao Tingyan, her debt was so severe that she essentially became the private property of the vampires. She was to be sent to the blood bank, where she would spend the rest of her life in a cage-like enclosure, having her blood drawn daily to supply the vast vampire population, until she withered away into a dried-up husk. Typically, people like her lasted no more than three years in the blood bank—no wonder the original owner of this body had chosen to embrace death. Who would want to be a blood bag?

If Liao Tingyan weren't afraid of pain and incapable of suicide, she would have opted for a quick death too.

But before dying, she wanted to see what these legendary vampires actually looked like. Coming from a scientific world, she had never encountered the mythical creatures of a fantasy realm!

Before seeing any vampires, however, she first caught sight of the blood bank where she would spend her remaining days. To put it bluntly—it was a massive complex of warehouses surrounded by dense woods, filled with crowds of people dressed in identical blue uniforms. It reminded her of a livestock farm. She and a cartload of equally despondent "siblings" were assigned to one of the warehouses, where they were made to shower, change into uniforms, and then eat.

Everyone seemed to have lost their appetite—except Liao Tingyan, who dug right in. To her surprise, the meal included steak, which was unexpectedly well-grilled, along with roasted pork liver sprinkled with sesame seeds, crispy and fragrant. The drink served was milk. As she ate, she noticed the people around her staring at her and shot them a puzzled look.

She hadn't eaten in a whole day—what was wrong with having a meal? The stern-faced man distributing the food glanced at her empty plate and gave her another serving of roasted pork liver, refilling her milk as well.

After eating her fill, she grew drowsy. Each person was assigned a small cubicle. Liao Tingyan fluffed up the white sheets and blankets inside, confirmed there were no strange odors, and promptly lay down to sleep.

She had no idea how much time had passed when someone shook her awake. Opening her eyes, she saw three people: one holding a blood collection device, another carrying dozens of blood vials, and a middle-aged man who looked like a butler, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, standing outside as if supervising.

Liao Tingyan noticed his faintly red eyes and slightly pointed ears.

Ah… so this was a vampire? He didn’t seem all that special.

The blood collector wore the same expressionless, lifeless face as the others. Without a word, he pulled up her sleeve, drew a small vial of blood, and left immediately. Liao Tingyan tugged her sleeve back down, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

If she died, maybe she’d return to her original world—back to overtime work. So while she had this chance, she might as well catch up on sleep here and relax. The endless revisions to design proposals back then had nearly killed her with exhaustion.

"Mr. Conan, the new batch of blood has been collected.""Hmm, I can smell a few with decent blood quality. Don’t drain them to death too quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

The middle-aged man, dressed like a steward, boarded the aircraft emblazoned with a red rose crest, accompanied by this new batch of blood donors. They would embark on a twenty-minute flight over the towering mountain range to reach the Rose Manor on the other side. The Rose Manor was the estate of the ruling Vampire Duke of District 98, surrounded by an endless sea of dark green forests. The ancient architecture, preserved for thousands of years, remained untouched by the clamor of the outside world—quiet and still, much like its master.

Separated from the Rose Manor by just one mountain stood the largest blood bank in District 98. It housed carefully screened blood sources of medium or higher quality, often referred to as the Rose Manor’s private garden.

In the strictly hierarchical District 98, the sole Vampire Duke held exclusive rights to feed on all within his domain. The finest blood in the bank belonged to him alone, so whenever new donors arrived, they were always presented to the Duke for his selection. However, the Duke suffered from hemophobia and had not consumed blood for many years, rendering this tradition a mere formality.

The steward of the Rose Manor’s inner court received the new batch of blood. Taking a light sniff, he noted that this batch was slightly better than the last. Just as humans were obsessed with fine wine, vampires spent their lives in pursuit of the most exquisite blood. Following routine, he walked through the dark corridor, descended the spiral underground staircase, and passed the towering thorn-covered door.

Deep underground, the Vampire Duke lay within a pitch-black wooden coffin.

"Your Grace, the new batch of blood has arrived," the steward announced respectfully, presenting the alluring blood samples while silently counting in his head. He usually reached ten seconds before the Duke showed no reaction, allowing him to withdraw and let the other high-ranking vampires make their selections.

But at the count of five, he heard a faint rustle. Unable to suppress his shock, he glanced over—only to see the Duke stirring.

A pale hand rested on the edge of the black coffin as a tall, slender figure sat up. Hair as dark and fluid as living water cascaded down like a winding river with his movement.

The steward trembled in awe, feeling the overwhelming pressure of the Duke’s bloodline. His back bent lower, not daring to meet the Duke’s gaze.

The figure, shrouded in black, moved like a shadow, soundlessly gliding forward. The steward watched, wide-eyed, as that translucent pale hand picked up a vial of crimson blood.

The steward: "!" The Duke—the Duke was actually willing to try blood?

For so many years, the hemophobic Duke had refused not only ordinary human blood but even that of the high-ranking vampires beneath him. Countless female vampires had been heartbroken over his disinterest.

Overcome with excitement, the steward instinctively looked up—and saw a face of striking beauty and pallor. The Duke tilted his head slightly, revealing the pale column of his throat beneath the black shirt. He took a sip of the blood, his Adam’s apple bobbing, his crimson lips growing even more vivid.

...Liao Tingyan had her second meal at the blood bank, identical to the previous one. As she ate, she wondered—would she be eating this every day from now on? No matter how delicious, eating the same thing daily would get old fast. But then again, livestock farms usually fed animals the same diet too. Well, it seemed hoping for three varied meals a day was impossible here.

She decided that if she was still served this in a couple of days, she’d ask the chef in charge of meals if they could switch up the feed—no, the flavor of the food.

Compared to her despairing peers, Liao Tingyan found her own mindset surprisingly stable. Maybe it was because she was used to it. Back in her world, she often felt like an ox—toiling diligently, working herself to the bone. Here, she was more like a pig—lounging around, waiting for death. Honestly, it was hard to say which was worse.

Unfortunately, she didn’t even get to finish three full days of this routine. That same day, a plane arrived in a hurry, carrying dozens of armed personnel and a dozen or so maids. Led by three red-eyed stewards, they stormed into her tiny cubicle and hauled her onto the plane.

Liao Tingyan: “???”

Squeezed among a crowd of indistinguishable humans-or-vampires, she felt like fragile cargo—they carried her with extreme care, the steward sternly reminding them to handle her gently, to avoid causing any wounds or bruises.

Peering down through the wide-open cabin door, she saw the mist-shrouded, damp fir forests below, the sky dark and gloomy, the cold wind howling.

Definitely vampires. No human would leave the cabin door wide open in this freezing wind!

Shivering uncontrollably, she was carried off the plane in the same delicate manner one might transport an antique vase, then deposited into a bleak, lifeless manor. Another group of maids took over, scrubbing her down with water, marinating her in cleaning products… Liao Tingyan could practically hear the A Bite of China soundtrack playing in the background—the kind that starts when they begin preparing ingredients.

Are you guys prepping me for dinner? She tried talking to the maids, but they ignored her.

Liao Tingyan: “I think I can wash my own butt, thanks.”

Still no response.

As they scrubbed her vigorously, she suddenly recalled the time she and her roommate had bathed her dog. The big pup had struggled just like this, probably screaming internally too, but she hadn’t paid it any mind and scrubbed even harder. Karma’s a bitch. The washer becomes the washed.

Polished to a shine by the maids, she was dressed in a thin silk nightgown and carried—still via cold-shoulder maid express—into a room with thick carpeting.

They retreated silently, leaving Liao Tingyan standing barefoot in the vast, empty space.

The room held only a large bed, its four corners draped with dark red curtains. It was oppressively dark, likely due to the heavy, drawn curtains—crimson with black patterns, giving the place an eerie, unsettling vibe.

But Liao Tingyan felt nothing of the sort. All she knew was that she was freezing . These people clearly didn’t feel the cold—and didn’t seem to consider that others might. Seeing no one around, she beelined straight for the bed, yanked the covers open, and burrowed inside.There was no other choice—only the large bed in the room had a quilt to keep her warm.

After finally recovering, she let out a long exhale. Once her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, she realized there was actually another person in the room.

That person sat in a high-backed armchair in the corner, their features indistinct, with only a pair of red eyes watching her from the darkness.

Liao Tingyan: "Hiss—" What kind of horrifying ghost story is this?!

She pulled the quilt over her head, just like when she was a kid too scared to sleep after watching a horror movie.

The room was dead silent. Nestled under the covers, Liao Tingyan wondered, Was I just seeing things? Why isn’t that vampire reacting at all? Thinking this, she cautiously peeked out—only to see those red eyes right in front of her.

Now that they were so close, Liao Tingyan finally got a clear look at the vampire’s face—he looked like Snow White.

Skin as pale as snow, hair and eyes as dark as ebony, lips as red as blood.

The longer she stared, the more she inexplicably felt her heart racing.

His fingers were cold, his lips were cold, and though he didn’t breathe, his exhale carried a frosty chill. He gripped her throat, this vampire whose name and identity she didn’t know, pressing close as his nose and lips lingered along her neck. Unable to move, she felt her head tilted back—then he buried his face against her neck and suddenly bit down.

It didn’t hurt, just tingled faintly. For a moment, Liao Tingyan felt dazed, as if she’d plunged headfirst into a snowy pine forest. The crisp scent of snow and the cold fragrance of pine filled her nose—light and icy, like the stillness of a winter night, where the biting cold carried a hint of tranquil serenity.

She remained lost in the sensation for a long time before snapping back to reality and realizing she was clutching the vampire’s head, her fingers tangled tightly in his hair. He had already stopped drinking, still resting against her neck, lightly inhaling the warm scent of blood beneath her skin.

Liao Tingyan: "..." Well, his hair was really silky.

This Snow White with impeccable hair was a Grand Duke of the Vampires, master of the Rose Manor, ruler of the 98th District, and the pinnacle of vampire bloodlines.

He always wore a black shirt and trousers, draped in an outer robe, moving about without a sound.

Somehow, she ended up sleeping in that bed for an entire day. When she woke up, her treatment had changed again. The attendants and maids looked at her with complicated expressions—admiration, envy, and reverence—but Liao Tingyan couldn’t decipher it.

She wasn’t sent back to the blood bank. Rumor had it the Grand Duke had taken a liking to her, making her his exclusive blood donor. The hemophobic Grand Duke had finally found his sustenance, so Liao Tingyan, as his precious food supply, received the highest standard of care.

However, vampires truly didn’t know how to take care of humans. Their understanding of humans was far too lacking—like their monotonous diet. Liao Tingyan strongly suspected she’d end up constipated if this kept up, so she requested better meals.

"We are the Grand Duke’s retainers! The highest-ranking lineage among vampires! Our ancestors have lived here for generations, serving as his most loyal attendants. We exist only to serve him!" The attendants and maids declared proudly, rejecting her request.

Liao Tingyan: Alright then. At night, the Snow Duke came to see her. Liao Tingyan tried to whisper a request in his ear, "I'd like to eat some other kinds of food, just some snacks. Would that be okay?"

As the saying goes, a well-fed man is the most agreeable. The Snow Duke held her in his arms and lazily hummed in response, his voice slightly intoxicated, as if he were drunk.

Liao Tingyan let him lick her neck for a long while. Watching him savor it so carefully—barely making a small wound and licking it intermittently—she couldn’t help but think how pitiful this guy must be, having starved for so many years that he didn’t dare to take more, afraid he’d finish it all at once.

Since she was the food in question, she refrained from encouraging him to eat more.

The Duke said one sentence, and the next day, Liao Tingyan saw a procession of chefs arriving at the manor, all dedicated to cooking for her. Three meals a day, plus afternoon tea and midnight snacks—everything was provided. She could even order à la carte from an incredibly thick menu that had to be spread out on the table to flip through. It featured detailed descriptions of cuisines from various regions, complete with illustrations. Unbelievably, they even had roujiamo and spicy hot pot prepared.

The place was far too damp and cold, perpetually gloomy without sunlight. Unable to bear the chill, Liao Tingyan approached the young attendants to discuss, "Is it possible to get electricity here? Install an air conditioner or underfloor heating? It’s just too cold—I’m wearing so many layers and still freezing."

They stared at her strangely, nearly shrieking, "Where do you think this is?! This is the ancient and mysterious Rose Manor! It’s been like this for a thousand years!"

Liao Tingyan: "Then should I talk to Snow... I mean, the Duke?"

She watched as their faces clearly displayed, "This shameless little seductress only knows how to whine to the Duke—how despicable!" Reluctantly, they set up a fireplace for her to warm herself.

Liao Tingyan: But I still really want electricity...

These people loved the gloomy weather and dim lighting, but she felt that staying here for too long would ruin her eyesight—the lighting conditions were just awful.

So she secretly brought it up with the Snow Duke again.

"Hmm, electric lights?" His voice was lazy and magnetic, making her ears tingle.

"Yeah, exactly. Have you seen electric lights before? They’re super bright. And air conditioning—I think underfloor heating would be great too. Then I could walk around barefoot. If we had that, I wouldn’t need to wear so many layers indoors."

Hearing her mention not wearing thick clothes, the Duke, lounging beside her like a black cat, nodded. "Hmm, good idea." Wrapped up so tightly, he could barely smell her scent.

Soon, a construction crew arrived to install electricity. The vampires glared at Liao Tingyan as if she had murdered their parents and defiled their innocence—yet they had no choice but to endure the humiliation.

"How dare you! How could the Duke—how could he spoil you like this?!"

Liao Tingyan didn’t know either. But from the moment they first met, that man had been incredibly indulgent toward her, nodding to whatever she asked for. It almost made her feel guilty—even her parents hadn’t spoiled her this much.

As everyone knows, humans are greedy creatures. Once they get one thing, they immediately want more. So after electricity came to the Rose Manor, the internet followed. Liao Tingyan’s room now had heavy curtains she could pull open, bright lights she could switch on, and a thick beanbag chair where she could sprawl while binge-watching shows on her tablet.

"I really want bubble tea."

And just like that, bubble tea was delivered.Before bed, she drank a large cup of happy, health-boosting milk tea. The man held her and licked her neck, tasting a bit of blood before saying, "It's a little sweet."

Liao Tingyan replied, "Oh, then next time I won’t add so much sugar to my tea."

"You can choose what you like."

Liao Tingyan ran her fingers through his hair. "Then next time I’ll drink some cola so you can taste the flavor of happy soda."

The man laughed, then inhaled her scent deeply—greedy, infatuated. Sometimes, Liao Tingyan even felt that his affection for her was taken for granted.

Perhaps he couldn’t bear to drink too much blood, yet remained unsatisfied. Often, after licking her neck, he would move on to other places, like her lips. After the first time they tangled together in a kiss, such things seemed to become natural. Later, he even preferred kissing her lips directly, biting them lightly in their embrace before licking away the blood.

At first, he only came at night, holding her for a while.

Later, he began appearing during the day as well. When she lay sprawled on the couch watching dramas and laughing heartily, he would sit solemnly in a high-backed chair three meters away, watching her with those crimson eyes. The entire room would be brightly lit, except for the shadowed corner where he sat. He looked pitiful, like a little cat whose nest had been taken over, forced to observe secretly from the corner.

The estate had a large open area, and Liao Tingyan's room happened to face it.

"That area used to be filled with red roses. That's how the name 'Rose Manor' originally came about," said the butler, who had been at the estate the longest. "But I've never seen the roses bloom here before."

That night, the Duke suddenly asked her, "Would you like to see roses bloom?"

Liao Tingyan's eyes lit up. "Yes!" Aside from the tall fir trees, there were hardly any other plants around. It would be wonderful if the garden had flowers!

Because she said yes, all the open spaces in the estate were planted with red roses. When they bloomed, the crimson flowers stretched endlessly, their rich fragrance permeating the night air, making even dreams smell sweet.

Amid the heavy scent of roses, Liao Tingyan had a dream. She dreamed she had become a woman from many years ago, also living in this manor. She asked the man in her dream, "Can these red roses be used for cooking?" Then she walked with him along the wall of red roses and kissed his crimson eyes.

The dreams were continuous. Besides this one, there was another. In that dream, she became yet another woman, but the time seemed even earlier. Back then, she often complained about the lack of internet and the limited variety of food. The Duke asked her, "What is the internet?" and then inquired what she wanted to eat... The red roses bloomed twice in her dreams.

Liao Tingyan ate many rose-based dishes—rose cakes, rose tea, rose pastries—until her whole body carried the scent of roses. Even the man seemed a little overwhelmed. One night, when he leaned close to her neck, he sneezed, making Liao Tingyan laugh until midnight.

Gradually, all the vampires in the manor learned that the Duke had been bewitched by a human woman, indulging her every whim. Some displeased vampires tried to deal with Liao Tingyan, but the Duke tore them to pieces. That brutal scene made her life in the manor even more leisurely, as no one dared to provoke her.

...

Later, when she grew too weak and was on the verge of death, she saw the man sitting before her and the vast expanse of roses outside the window behind him.

"How did you recognize me?" she murmured.

"I would always recognize you," he replied before bending down to drink deeply from her veins.

Overnight, the roses outside withered. The Duke carried her bloodless body through the thorn-covered gates of the long corridor, descending once more into the dark depths. The lights along the way dimmed one by one, never to shine as brightly again.

Rose Manor returned to silence.

"I know you'll come back." Perhaps it would take a long time, but eventually, she would return.

(The End of the Vampire Short Story)