Chapter 340 – Your Blood Is So Sweet – A Difficult Meal (06)
Bai Tang nestled in Trey’s arms and slept soundly until the sky outside had turned completely dark.
When he opened his eyes, the heavens beyond the window were cloudless, scattered with glittering stars that shimmered beautifully.
“Ah~” The little squirrel stretched lazily, his red lips and white teeth giving him an innocent yet alluring look.
Trey silently pulled the boy’s slipping shirt back up over his shoulders. “The night wind is strong. Keep your clothes on.”
What Bai Tang wore now was no longer the rough linen he’d had on in the forest, but a silk outfit Qiu’er had taken from her little pocket space—soft and comfortable beyond compare.
“When you’re holding me, I’m not cold at all~” Bai Tang burrowed back into Trey’s embrace.
Though vampires usually had a lower body temperature than humans, Trey’s was unusually warm for Bai Tang—like a giant furnace that didn’t even need hugging back.
After a while, Bai Tang began to feel overheated and pushed him away.
“Stay away from me. I’m sweating—it’s too hot~” The boy pouted, and right then, his stomach growled loudly.
Grrr~
Bai Tang clutched his belly, his damp eyes looking pitifully up at Trey.
Trey couldn’t help but chuckle. He leaned closer and offered his neck. “Go ahead, drink from me.”
Bai Tang shook his head. “No. I already drank so much yesterday. You’ll die from blood loss.”
He refused firmly—if drinking meant Trey might die, he’d rather starve. A little hunger wouldn’t kill him, but losing his lover would.
Bai Tang got properly dressed and asked the butler to prepare some human food.
Butler Norman objected. “Your Highness, your stomach is still quite delicate. Human food isn’t suitable for you right now.”
It wasn’t that vampires couldn’t eat human food—it was just that the taste was dreadful. And when one had delicious blood to drink, why torment oneself with such inferior fare?
Bai Tang took the butler’s hand and swayed it gently. “Please, Butler Norman, let me try. How would I know it’s bad if I’ve never tasted it? I like nuts—prepare some extra for me, please~”
The little squirrel’s ultimate weapon—a pleading, adorable sway—struck true. The vampire butler, whose heart hadn’t beaten in centuries, suddenly felt it thump violently in his chest.
“Very well. Please wait a moment.” Butler Norman stumbled dazedly toward the kitchen, each step feeling like walking on clouds. Everything seemed unreal—his only thought now was: His Highness is just too cute…
Though Norman was merely Bai Tang’s caretaker, seeing Bai Tang act coquettishly toward another man made Trey’s jealousy surge.
He turned Bai Tang’s face toward him so their eyes met. “Tang Tang, my cooking isn’t bad. Butler Norman is still a vampire—he doesn’t understand human food. How about I make something delicious for you?” Come on, hold my hand and act cute for me instead.
Bai Tang’s eyes sparkled brightly, but he still shook his head. “You should rest. Butler Norman has lived for so many years—his cooking must be good.”
Bai Tang pressed Trey down into a chair.
Someone who had lost too much blood shouldn’t be moving around — it would only make him dizzy and unwell.
The little squirrel was only thinking of Trey’s health, but Trey felt rather frustrated. In his eyes, this was a sign that Tangtang didn’t trust him.
No, that won’t do, he thought. I’ll have to find a chance to show him what I can do.
Meanwhile, Butler Norman — who had come back to ask Bai Tang what kind of food he should prepare for Trey — happened to overhear the entire conversation from behind the door.
His thoughts were exactly the same as Trey’s: Bai Tang trusted him more than that commoner.
Norman was deeply moved. The resentment he’d felt last night — when Bai Tang had only let Trey carry him back to the castle instead of accepting his help — finally eased.
He knew it! There was no way a mere commoner he’d only met less than a day ago could be more important than him. His Highness must have simply found the human novel and interesting — that’s why he’d brought Trey back.
Norman’s steps grew light as he hummed a rustic tune he’d once learned long ago while mingling among humans. He walked toward the kitchen in high spirits.
No need to ask about the menu — he’d just make something that replenished blood. As long as that commoner didn’t die, that would be enough.
Inside the little white monitoring room, Xiao A — who could see into Norman’s mind — silently lit a candle for the male lead. No matter the world, the host’s “group favorite” status would never waver. Anyone else was either a side character or the heroine — and now, another stumbling block had appeared on his road to love.
As for Qiu’er, the system most fiercely protective of Tangtang, she was glued to the monitor, keeping a close eye on the heroine’s movements.
In this world, the heroine was Tang Tang’s greatest threat. Qiu’er had to stay alert, never giving her a chance to harm him.
When Qiu’er saw the heroine being captured, she was actually quite delighted. The plotline where the vampires were supposed to capture her had changed — the characters were different now, so no one could possibly hold a grudge against Tang Tang. If anyone was going to be cannon fodder, it certainly wouldn’t be him.
While Bai Tang and Trey sat out on the balcony, watching the stars and chatting about everything under the sky — even dreaming about the future — Butler Norman finished preparing dinner and came up to invite Bai Tang downstairs to eat.
Trey bent down and carefully helped Bai Tang put on his shoes before taking his hand and leading him downstairs.
Butler Norman’s eyes locked onto their joined hands — staring, unblinking.
As they passed by him, Trey, overcome with jealousy, did something childish — he shot the butler a provocative look.
It was the kind of gesture usually made by a heroine toward a love rival, or by a supporting girl toward the heroine or second male lead.
Xiao A silently complained in his mind: Male lead, did you throw away your script or what? Where’s your usual cool, confident, domineering aura? Acting like this, you’re making me feel like Butler Norman is actually the male lead instead of you.
Butler Norman kept his expression neutral, his eyes lowered in composure. Hmph, he’ll understand the meaning of the word “death” soon enough—once he tastes what I’ve cooked.
All of Norman’s effort had gone into preparing Bai Tang’s dinner. As for Trey’s… he’d simply thrown something together. As long as it didn’t kill the man, that was good enough. Taste? That didn’t even need to be mentioned—it didn’t exist.
Though Butler Norman clearly showed favoritism, and the two meals were worlds apart in flavor, from the outside, both looked beautifully presented—so appetizing that one couldn’t help but pick up the knife and fork.
Trey, ever the gentleman, laid a napkin across Bai Tang’s lap and carefully cut his steak into small, bite-sized pieces.
“Trey, you’re so nice~” Bai Tang said happily, spearing a piece of steak with his fork.
But the moment he put it in his mouth, his expression turned strange. He tried to swallow, but couldn’t. Finally, unable to endure the awful taste, he spat it back out.
Trey and Butler Norman both leaned forward in concern.
“What’s wrong? Is it not good? Or are you feeling unwell?” Trey asked.
Bai Tang quickly drank several sips of water to wash the taste from his mouth before he felt even slightly better.
“It’s… awful.” He hesitated, but finally forced the words out.
Butler Norman spoke gently, his tone full of pity. “Vampires and humans are different species, Your Highness. It’s normal for you not to be accustomed to human food.”
“I see~” Bai Tang looked regretfully at the beautifully plated dishes before him. “Then… doesn’t that mean all of this will go to waste?”
“It’s fine. I can help Tang Tang eat it so nothing goes to waste,” Trey said softly, squeezing Bai Tang’s palm under the table.
“Okay~” Bai Tang agreed. If Trey ate the food, at least it wouldn’t be wasted — and for a little squirrel who hated wasting anything, that was the best possible outcome.
Now it was Butler Norman’s turn to feel unhappy. The meal he had painstakingly prepared for His Highness was ending up in that human’s stomach instead.
Still, no matter how displeased he was, Bai Tang’s hunger problem had to be solved.
Bai Tang tried another bite of his favorite nuts, but again, he couldn’t swallow it. He spat it out almost immediately.
At that moment, Qiu’er spoke up: “You can have the male lead shed a little blood and mix it into the food. That way, it won’t cause blood loss, and it’ll make the food taste better.”
“I see~” Bai Tang thought aloud, absentmindedly speaking his thoughts without realizing it.
“What do you mean, Tang Tang? What do you want to do?” Trey asked, smiling indulgently. Whatever Tang Tang wanted, he would always make it happen for him.
Bai Tang held his hand, extending a finger to gesture. “Just a little bit of pain—just a tiny bit, okay? I’m really hungry…”
Trey stroked the boy’s hair and smiled softly. “It’s alright. I’m not afraid of pain.”
Then, once again, he tilted his head and exposed his neck to Bai Tang.
Bai Tang swallowed hard as he looked at Trey’s pale, snow-white neck. Then he turned his head and told Butler Norman to bring a bowl over.
When the bowl was filled to about one-fifth with blood, Bai Tang carefully held Trey’s wrist, heart aching, and handed it to Norman to use for cooking. At the same time, he lowered his head and gently took Trey’s wrist into his mouth, slowly licking the wound.
A vampire’s saliva had healing properties.
Under Bai Tang’s careful licking, the small cut Trey had made with the knife healed almost instantly—completely disappearing without a trace. It was just as effective as a healing-type ability.
It had been Xiao A who told Bai Tang this, so he wouldn’t have to hurt himself in order to heal Trey in the future.
“You eat first. I’ll wait for Butler Norman to finish dinner,” Bai Tang urged, telling Trey not to wait for him. “The food won’t taste good once it gets cold.”
Trey obediently began eating Bai Tang’s portion, finding that the flavor wasn’t bad at all.
By the time Butler Norman returned carrying the newly prepared dinner, Trey had already finished what was originally Bai Tang’s meal. The other, horribly unappetizing portion was still untouched.
“Your Highness, your dinner,” Butler Norman said smoothly as he set the dishes down. Then he glanced at Trey and added, “There’s another portion over there. If you don’t mind, please help yourself.”
True to his “no waste” principle, the little squirrel looked eagerly at Trey. “Are you full? If not, you can have more. This one has blood in it—it’s not suitable for you.”
Not wanting to disappoint Bai Tang, Trey pressed a hand to his conscience and lied, “Actually, I’m still a bit hungry. I’ll eat with you.”
He took a bite of pig liver, and his expression instantly turned strange.
He looked toward Butler Norman, who maintained his elegant, aloof demeanor, not sparing him so much as a glance.
“I really hope I can keep eating meals with Trey in the future,” Bai Tang said cheerfully. “Butler Norman, you don’t need to serve me during meals anymore. You can go eat too—Trey’s here with me.”
“Serving Your Highness is my duty,” Norman replied with calm politeness. “I’m in no rush. Once Your Highness finishes eating, I’ll clean up and then take my meal.”
No matter what Bai Tang said, the butler simply refused to leave, so Bai Tang couldn’t insist.
And so, Trey had no choice but to accompany Bai Tang through what was possibly the most dreadful meal in history—all while maintaining a polite smile and eating every last bite.
“Tonight’s dinner was very… generous. Thank you, Butler Norman, for your hard work. From now on, I’ll handle the cooking instead,” Trey said with a forced smile, certain that the butler had done it on purpose.
“You’re welcome. It’s my honor to satisfy our guest,” Butler Norman replied smoothly, his tone calm but his words sharp.
After dinner, Trey took Bai Tang to the garden for a walk to help with digestion. Norman watched their backs as they disappeared into the courtyard, sneering inwardly.
Young man, you’ve got a long way to go.
Author’s Note:
As I was writing this, I suddenly realized—Butler Norman is actually kind of handsome. Ahh, I want to scream!