The scorching sun blazed overhead as a colossal Ferris wheel rotated sluggishly in the distance. The spiral launcher intermittently catapulted visitors into the sky, their piercing screams grating against Xu Youyuan’s eardrums.
Below, the amusement park buzzed with cheerful music, the lively atmosphere radiating relaxation. Though Xu Youyuan had seen her fair share of movies, the selections made by this vampire were either too old or too new—the two films now before her were completely unfamiliar.
Hanging upside down, the vampire unhesitatingly undid her safety buckle, gripping the curved safety bar with both hands as she dangled mid-air. She even peered downward occasionally, urging Xu Youyuan to hurry up.
Xu Youyuan wasn’t afraid of heights—what worried her was the sheer difficulty of the maneuver. Even knowing this was a virtual world, she had no desire to experience the sensation of plummeting to her death and splattering into a bloody mess.
With a powerful pull-up, the vampire engaged her arms and core, effortlessly hoisting herself closer to the track. In one fluid motion, she released one hand to grasp the edge of the rail, planted her feet against the roller coaster car, and pushed off, landing gracefully on the track. She crooked a finger, signaling for Xu Youyuan to follow.
Xu Youyuan wasn’t sure if the vampire’s ease came from some strength-boosting character design—this level of agility was near-impossible for an average person. And this was just a dating app! Not some high-stakes battle arena!
Her biggest fear was that if she unbuckled herself and failed to grip the bar in time, she’d plummet to her death, ending the challenge in failure.
Over the years, she’d poured all her energy into her career, and thanks to a slew of back and leg issues, her doctor had strictly forbidden strenuous exercise. Obedient as ever, Xu Youyuan hadn’t worked out in ages.
Just a simple pull-up might be beyond her.
The vampire showed no intention of helping. Instead, she stood there, scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
Xu Youyuan had never been one to hold others back—she refused to fail here.
Besides, the vampire had paid generously—50,000 upfront, with another 50,000 pending.
But it wasn’t just about the money. If she could satisfy this client, more lucrative opportunities would follow—far better than slaving away at commissions.
And she had unfinished business.
The accusations smeared over her name, the injustices and humiliations etched into her life—they still needed to be overturned.
She needed the money. She needed this person.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Youyuan undid her seatbelt and clutched the safety bar. The moment she lifted it, her body lurched downward. The visceral tug of gravity strained her arms—but she held on. She hadn’t fallen.
She knew better than to look down now. The dizziness alone could drag her under.
Mimicking the vampire’s earlier movements, she attempted the same ascent.
Her muscles trembled uncontrollably. From her arms to her waist to her legs, strength was nonexistent. Through sheer willpower, she barely managed to grip the edge of the track, her back drenched in sweat, her breath ragged.
One last step—just push up and she’d make it.
With every ounce of effort, shaky and unsteady, she finally succeeded.
Gasping for air as she sprawled across the track, she eventually caught her breath—only to hear the rhythmic flutter of wings.
Xu Youyuan looked up.
The vampire now hovered mid-air, two massive black wings spread wide behind her. She beat them lazily, arms crossed, clearly enjoying Xu Youyuan’s struggle.
This bitch could fly?!
Before she could even stand, Xu Youyuan blurted, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”
The vampire smirked. “I’m being completely serious.”
“You could’ve said you could fly!” Xu Youyuan jabbed an accusing finger. “And you’re a vampire! Since when do vampires have wings?! What idiot designed this?!”
“Oh, I don’t just have wings.” The vampire gave a sultry hip sway, and from behind her emerged a slender, tapered tail with a blunt triangular tip. It flicked playfully, sending a cascade of heart shapes floating into the air.
Xu Youyuan gaped. “That’s a demon trait! What the hell are you—a demon or a vampire?!”
The response came without hesitation: “A demon vampire.”
Xu Youyuan: “…”
The sheer middle-school edginess of it all made her want to laugh. She hadn’t had conversations this cringeworthy since high school.
“Why so mad?” The vampire fluttered closer, grinning. “Ohhh, you’re upset I didn’t carry you while flying.”
Xu Youyuan barely had time to roll her eyes before the vampire suddenly scooped her up and plunged toward the ground, wings spread wide.
Instinctively, Xu Youyuan clung to her for dear life.
At the last possible second, the vampire veered upward, rocketing through a crowd of clowns, mascots, musicians, and park-goers. Screams erupted, and handfuls of balloons slipped free, spiraling into the sky.
As they soared back into the air, Xu Youyuan’s face was pale. The vampire studied her expression, her tail twitching smugly.
“You did that on purpose,” Xu Youyuan muttered.
Without warning, the vampire loosened her grip. Xu Youyuan yelped and tightened her hold, practically fusing herself to the other woman.
“Scared?” The vampire’s smirk revealed a pair of sharp little fangs.
Xu Youyuan didn’t know whether to be furious or amused.
“Hungry?” The vampire pulled her close again, suddenly asking an unrelated question.
Xu Youyuan frowned. “What?”
“Grown woman, still with a sweet tooth.”
Xu Youyuan: “??”
Gliding smoothly, the vampire plucked a wisp of cotton candy from Xu Youyuan’s face—leftover from their chaotic dive through the crowd.
The colorful sugar fluff resembled a tiny, rainbow-tinted cloud.
Instead of tossing it aside, the vampire popped it into her mouth, savoring it thoughtfully.
“Pretty sweet.”
At the peak of the Ferris wheel, the vampire set her down and pointed toward an approaching violet storm on the horizon. “Next scene’s about to start. Ready?”
The colossal tempest bridged heaven and earth, swallowing buildings whole as it carved a path of destruction.
“That’s from the movie—”
“Earth Reborn,” Xu Youyuan finished. “2029 release. My era—I’ve seen it.”
“Look at you, answering before I even ask.”
Seated on the slowly rotating Ferris wheel, Xu Youyuan barely registered the intensifying wind whipping against her face.
Plasma-Ribbon Cream Cake—from her name to her antics, her words, everything about her was equal parts irritating and endearing. Xu Youyuan couldn’t pin down her age, gender, or background, but it didn’t matter.
“Yep, that’s her.” Shi Ye massaged her temples in resignation.
Though she hadn’t seen the avatar herself, the way Xu Youyuan described the mannerisms left no doubt—it was definitely her little sister.
Gan had come looking for them earlier, but Shi Ye shooed her away, telling her to go enjoy herself for now.
“You’ve been talking for an hour already, and you’re still not done?” Gan was baffled by how suddenly these two had struck up a conversation—and with such enthusiasm.
Shi Ye glanced at her watch; it was already dinnertime. “Are we going to Bo’ao Xuan tonight?”
Gan: “Yeah, the reservation’s already made.”
“You all go ahead. Xu Youyuan and I will catch up later.”
“Still talking?”
“Just some work stuff,” Xu Youyuan said. “We’ll wrap it up soon. Stop nagging.”
Gan was shooed away, leaving with Jiang Yun and the others in the car. Shi Ye insisted that Xu Youyuan continue right there—they weren’t leaving until everything was said.
“Can’t we talk while driving there?” Xu Youyuan’s legs were stiff from standing, her lower back aching faintly, but her persistent friend wouldn’t let it go.
“That junk car of yours is manual. Once we hit the highway, you’ll have to focus on the road the whole time—no chance to talk. The important part is coming up, and I need your full attention to paint the picture for me.”
“…”
“So? What happened after you entered the Earth Rebirth dungeon?”
Xu Youyuan cleared her throat subtly, but Shi Ye saw right through it.
“And you still claim you’re not an animal? While the biggest storm in Earth’s history was raging outside, you somehow found time to… with my sister?”
Shi Ye’s skepticism was justified. Looking back, even Xu Youyuan herself couldn’t quite explain how she and the vampire had ended up kissing amid the chaos.
What happened next was too embarrassing for Xu Youyuan to describe in detail to her friend.
As the storm tore through the amusement park, the two of them fled in a beat-up 2026-model car, jostled so violently they could barely keep their mouths in place—yet still managed to strip each other’s clothes off.
Xu Youyuan refused to dwell on how she’d been set ablaze, or how the person riding the other woman—wordless but insatiable in action—could possibly have been her.
Gan had mentioned going two years without intimacy with Chen Shu, and Xu Youyuan wasn’t much better off.
Even before divorcing Little An, they’d already become little more than strangers who knew each other too well. Add the dry spell after the split, and Xu Youyuan couldn’t even calculate how long it had been—conservatively, over nine months.
She’d assumed age had dulled such urges, that it was normal to lose interest. But one spark, and she’d nearly burned her eyebrows off.
Dry wood meets wildfire, and the flames leap sky-high?
Or was it the virtual yet hyper-real world of Dark Box that made indulgence so effortless?
Xu Youyuan felt like a college freshman stepping out on her own for the first time—unknown, unbound, free from the weight of her reputation as the “Mother of Games” or a legendary developer, unconcerned with others’ judgments.
Faced with a fresh temptation—this strange, sweet, absurd yet endearing creature—all she wanted in that moment was to taste the vampire’s exquisite neck.
When the vampire switched to using her tail, it stung a little, but in the best way. Watching her drive effortlessly, still with energy to spare, Xu Youyuan felt a hot, restless fire surge inside her—and she actually bit down on that neck. Not too hard; she still had some restraint. Just teasing, just enough to make the skin tingle.
But then the vampire locked an arm around her waist, pinning her in place, and flashed her fangs before sinking them deep in retaliation. A sharp pain shot through Xu Youyuan’s neck.
“You—” Before she could finish, an electric current surged from the punctures, shocking her into a near-moan.
Outside, the storm had battered the world into an alien wasteland. The vampire licked lingering blood from her lips, her pupils deepening to crimson.
“If this avatar only comes with wings and a tail, no other buffs, then 3999 is seriously overpriced.”
The words sounded distant to Xu Youyuan.
Her whole body burned. She was lucid, but losing control.
“It has plenty of special buffs. Want to test them out?”
