What It's Like Being a Vampire

Both Xiang Kun and Chang Bin were taken aback when they picked up Zi Cheng from the airport. The guy had lost a significant amount of weight in just over three months.

“Wow! Zi Cheng, you’ve really done a great job losing weight! Were you motivated by Xiang Kun’s figure the last time you saw him?” Chang Bin teased as soon as they met.

However, Xiang Kun could tell from the cognitive model he had built for Zi Cheng that there was some strain on Zi Cheng’s body. His liver, kidney, stomach and other organs seemed to be under stress. His weight loss was likely not due to dieting.

As expected, Zi Cheng laughed and complained, “I’m bloody exhausted! I haven’t thought about losing weight at all!”

On the way back, Xiang Kun and Chang Bin learned that Zi Cheng had spent the past three months wrapping up a no-man supermarket project that his father arranged for him.

“It’s a bloody trap! A deep one!” Zi Cheng lamented, shaking his head. “My father eagerly took on a project that the e-commerce tycoons couldn’t handle and a bunch of capital were pulling out of.”

“Is there no future for it at all? When you mentioned it before, it seemed like a future trend.” Chang Bin asked while driving.

“When I just came back last time, I didn’t know much about it. These few months, as I was preparing the details and understanding the specifics, I realized how troublesome it was. It might be a future trend, but not a current one. It’s hard to get it up and running anytime soon.” Zi Cheng sighed again.

“How much did you lose on this?” Xiang Kun asked with concern.

“I didn’t lose much. My father thought this project related to my studies and wanted me to take responsibility for it. The details were only finalized after I came back, so the initial cost wasn’t large. Decisively cutting it off now, the loss is still tolerable.” Zi Cheng explained.

“What’s next then?” Xiang Kun asked again.

“What’s next? I need to take a break, recover, and recharge. I almost worked myself to death in these months. While others think about making money, I think about losing less. I never thought I would have to clean up one mess in America and another mess when I come back.”

Xiang Kun immediately suggested, “You should go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. Look after your health, you don’t look too good.”

“There’s nothing serious, I’m just too tired. After resting for half a month and eating good food, I will bounce back soon!” Zi Cheng flexed his arm to show off the biceps under his fat, only to cry out when Xiang Kun flicked it.

“It is said that stress-induced bodily harm can have permanent effects on certain… functions…” Xiang Kun said ominously.

Zi Cheng was taken aback and looked back to Xiang Kun in the back seat, “Really? Are you trying to bluff me?”

Xiang Kun shrugged, “I just saw it reported online, have you recently felt abdominal cramps, discomfort? Do you feel weak in the knees? Do you have trouble urinating and is it yellow? Are you losing hair? Do you feel out of breath and your heart beats faster with minimal movement? Do you have…?”

Before Zi Cheng could say anything, Chang Bin who was driving already burst out laughing, “Damn! Xiang Kun, why do you sound like a snake oil salesman?”

“Hey, I’m just relaying what I’ve read from popular science articles. They were very detailed, with cause and effect. I’m saying Zi Cheng, since you’re going to rest anyway, why not take half a day to get an examination, decide whether you want to go to the hospital after you return or find a top tier hospital here. If there’s nothing wrong, I’m just blabbering, If there’s a problem, it’s better to find out and deal with it sooner rather than later.” Xiang Kun suggested casually.

“I’ll think about it when I get back, when I get back…” Zi Cheng wavered.

Although he didn’t get a clear response, Xiang Kun was certain from his cognitive model of Zi Cheng that he will definitely go for a full-body check-up when he gets back.

He knew that Zi Cheng probably had the symptoms of “abdominal cramps and discomfort” which he had mentioned, but these symptoms didn’t actually relate to “that” ability, but were stomach issues. However, if he just mentioned stomach issues, Zi Cheng would definitely not take it seriously. He had to stress that it would affect “that” ability to ensure Zi Cheng would take it seriously.

Xiang Kun could ascertain some of Zi Cheng’s health issues. Though not severe at the moment, if ignored, these minor issues could potentially lead to major problems, and it would be too late by then.

They first took Zi Cheng to a hotel to drop off his luggage, then picked up Chang Bin’s childhood friend and high school classmate to have lunch together. They chatted at the restaurant after lunch until three in the afternoon, then headed to the old, reputable suit tailoring shop.

The boss of the tailoring shop and Chang Bin were familiar with each other; Chang Bin often introduced or personally brought customers to customize suits, so the tailors within the shop recognized him and knew he was coming to measure up for his wedding suits for himself and his groomsmen.

As the neatly groomed elderly tailor went to measure up Zi Cheng, Xiang Kun calculated using the cognitive model he had established for Zi Cheng, he suddenly said, “Add another twenty millimeters to the waist and hip measurements.”

The tailor was taken aback for a moment and looked puzzledly at Zi Cheng and Chang Bin.

Xiang Kun immediately explained, “Zi Cheng has been working too hard recently and has lost a lot of weight. Once he fully rests and by the time of your wedding, he will certainly gain some of it back. Therefore, it’s best to leave some room to ensure the suit will be comfortable to wear when the time comes.”

Zi Cheng rushed to protest, “Hey Ah Tu, can’t I stay healthy and continue to lose weight?”

“You should prioritize getting healthy before thinking about losing more weight. Trust me, let’s do it this way.” Xiang Kun answered decisively.

Zi Cheng was taken aback. It was rare for him to see Xiang Kun making decisions so assertively.

Chang Bin couldn’t help but laugh, “Xiang Kun, there’s a familiar tone to what you just said.” Turning to Zi Cheng with a stern face, he quoted, “‘I don’t care what you think, what I think is what matters!’”

Zi Cheng didn’t argue any further and the tailor proceeded with taking measurements according to Xiang Kun’s suggestion.

When it was Xiang Kun’s turn to get measured, the tailor couldn’t help but compliment, “What a good figure this sir has. Do you work out often?”

Xiang Kun replied with a smile, “Yes, I do a hundred push-ups, hundred sit-ups, hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day.”

The tailor nodded, “Good habit. With a strong body, you can work better. It also helps in attracting ladies.”

Of course, Xiang Kun didn’t expect the tailor to understand the One Punch Man reference. If the tailor did, he would truly be surprised.

Xiang Kun casually chatted with the tailor about the topic of customizing suits. In fact, he had been considering that the process of making handmade clothing seemed a good target for “Emotional Infusion” as it’s time consuming enough for him to brew emotions. Plus, the clothes could be in constant contact with the target person, which allows for real-time tracking of the person’s emotional state.

Moreover, he could establish a “Super Sensory Contact” with individual elements such as buttons or pockets, then sew them onto the clothing, allowing him to have control over the location of the sensory contact and the person’s emotions.

However, he discarded this idea just as soon as it crossed his mind because custom-made clothes had too many limitations. First, they could only be given to those he was intimately familiar with, and second, clothes could not be worn continuously, they needed to be changed and washed. So it wasn’t the best “Emotional Infusion” medium.

Master Xu, stirred by Xiang Kun’s words, began to demonstrate his professional skills. Eyeing a young man who had just entered, he said to Xiang Kun, “Even without taking measurements, just by looking, I can determine most of the main sizes. For example, this young man who just entered, his height should be 176cm, shoulder width 44cm, and chest circumference 97cm.”

“The height is correct, the shoulder width should be 43cm, almost 43.5cm, and the chest circumference is just over 95cm.” Xiang Kun gave a quick glance and made his own guess.

However, immediately after he spoke, he realized that he had seen the young man who had just walked in before. Even the young woman beside the young man was familiar, and he had met each of them separately before.

Could they be a couple?

What a coincidence!

Then, seeing the two women who later pushed the door and came in, Xiang Kun could only exclaim about the astonishing and personality-fitting coincidence—it was simply unbelievable!

Unaware that Xiang Kun knew the new customers, Master Xu, after hearing Xiang Kun’s numbers, said, “Then let’s make a bet, old Xu will see which of us got the measures more accurately. If you win, I won’t charge you anything for the labor in this set of clothes.”

“I was just making a random guess, please don’t take it seriously,” Xiang Kun said with a laugh, turning his body away from the entrance as he spoke.

Chang Bin, however, said, “Yes, let’s do it. Old Xu loves to brag. If you don’t let him brag, he feels out of sorts. If you win over him this time, Xiang Kun, he probably won’t dare to brag next time I bring a client along.”

It was clear that Xiang Kun had a good relationship with Master Xu.

So, after Master Xu finished measuring Xiang Kun, he did not measure Chang Bin and his friends. Instead, he went on to the young man who had just entered the store.

But at that moment, one of the two short-haired girls who came in afterwards looked over and called out, “Xiang Kun?”

Hearing this rising voice, Xiang Kun sighed inwardly. Even though he had turned his back, he was recognized. Was it because his bald head was so distinctive? There were plenty of bald people in the city!

Xiang Kun could only helplessly turn back around to see Zhang Qian staring at him with rounded eyes, feigning a surprised expression, “Huh? Director Zhang, what a surprise meeting you here!”

Yes, the last group that came in, one man and three women, were people who Xiang Kun and Zi Cheng had previously met in a bar: Zhang Qian, Yang Jie, Yang Jie’s younger brother, and his girlfriend.

Even the young brother’s girlfriend was someone Xiang Kun had seen before. She was a college student he had run into while testing the Minion Wood Carving on the subway.

This made Xiang Kun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: the world is so damn small!

“So it really is you! You’re still alive? I’ve called you hundreds of times, and you’ve ignored each and every one of them. You didn’t even return my calls?” Zhang Qian said as she walked towards them.

Upon hearing this, not only Chang Bin and Zi Cheng, but the other people in the store couldn’t help but look over, their eyes lit up with a flaming curiosity.

The content of the conversation seemed to suggest that some scoundrel was playing a disappearing act, trying to evade responsibility?

This bald guy looked trustworthy, but turned out to be this type of person?

Even Zi Cheng, who also recognized Yang Jie and Zhang Qian, was quite surprised. He wondered what Xiang Kun’s relationship with Zhang Qian was. Did Ah Tu secretly keep Zhang Qian’s contact information?

“Didn’t I go out of town? I’ve informed Director Lin and Xiao Ma, ” Xiang Kun haplessly said to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian, acutely aware of how her abrupt words could easily startle misunderstanding, said, “Even if you went out of town, your phone shouldn’t have been out of range all the time. What if there was an urgent problem with the project? Shouldn’t have you at least stayed contactable?”

Xiang Kun first introduced Chang Bin and his friends, “This is my client, Director Zhang.” Then he said to Zi Cheng, “Last month, through my previous boss’s contacts, I landed a job. Little did I know that the job was a project commissioned by Director Zhang’s company.” Part of the reason Director Lin wanted to find Xiang Kun to participate in the project was indeed due to his previous boss, so there was some truth to this. From Zi Cheng’s expression, he knew what Zi Cheng was thinking and naturally had to explain that he did not secretly keep Zhang Qian’s contact information!

Zhang Qian, after having a brief outburst, promptly returned to her competent and strong businesswoman demeanor and exchanged greetings with Chang Bin and Zi Cheng.

She and Yang Jie had decided on a whim to help Yang Jie’s younger brother, Yang Zhuo, get a suit tailored, and surprisingly ran into Xiang Kun and his group in this time-honored tailor shop.

After a while, when Master Xu finished measuring Yang Zhuo, he gave a thumbs up to Xiang Kun, “Young man, your eye for measurements is impressive!” He found out that the measurements predicted by Xiang Kun were more accurate than his own.

Having explained the situation to Zhang Qian, she looked at Xiang Kun saying, “You have this skill too? Don’t tell me it’s one of your fortune-telling talents?”

Xiang Kun laughed, “What talent, it was just a casual guess. I was lucky to get it right this time. If we try a few more times, I am sure I won’t be able to outdo Master Xu.”

After chatting for a while in the tailor shop while choosing materials and styles, it was soon approaching five o’clock. Zhang Qian suggested they have dinner together.

Xiang Kun’s initial reflex was to come up with an excuse to refuse. Not because he disliked Zhang Qian, but because he was very aware of their interest in him and didn’t want to be in arduous situations. But he noticed Zi Cheng’s excitement, especially Zi Cheng’s keen interest in Yang Jie, who wore glasses. Xiang Kun paused without speaking immediately, and sure enough, Zi Cheng accepted Zhang Qian’s dinner invitation and even enthusiastically asked Chang Bin to invite Wang Han and Tang Baona to join them for dinner—their bridesmaids had also gone for a fitting.

Half an hour later, they were seated in a private room of a newly opened famous Hunan cuisine restaurant.

Since Wang Han and her bridesmaids had already decided to eat at another popular restaurant that was a bit too far to reach without being stuck in traffic, they agreed to meet after dinner. So in the private room was Chang Bin’s groomsmen and Zhang Qian’s team, making eight people in total.

Xiang Kun was initially hesitant about dealing with Zhang Qian because he knew what she had been focusing on and didn’t want to make up stories to appease her. Still, he knew how to handle her.

He was not too unfamiliar with Yang Jie, either, and could form a basic cognitive model.

But what about Yang Jie’s younger brother and his girlfriend?

Why were the looks they had given him since they met in the tailor shop so fervent?