Time passed slowly and steadily for one week.
Since that blunt, somewhat stinging conversation that day, Bai Ning had a good grasp of Bai Li’s bottom line.
To avoid pushing Bai Li into becoming too resistant, she had no choice but to restrain her nature for the time being.
Forced to abandon her previous strategy of testing and teasing, she truly hadn’t expected that the normally gentle Bai Li would be so unyielding when he chose to be firm.
“But it didn’t matter.”
Bai Ning had her own plans.
Time could always smooth out the rough edges, and Pops’ heart would eventually soften.
As for the matter of the Contract Ring on Bai Li’s hand, there was no harm in putting it aside for now.
Once she had completely captured her father’s heart, the subsequent matters could naturally proceed step-by-step.
There was no need to rush.
For now, the two had reached a delicate balance.
They respected each other’s boundaries and lived through their established daily routines.
It could be considered a peaceful and comfortable time.
Seeing that Bai Ning no longer insisted on forcing him, and had reverted to being the considerate, well-behaved daughter she once was, Bai Li felt greatly relieved.
Although he still encountered occasional, harmless, and ambiguous little gestures, she had finally relented.
She agreed to Bai Ning’s pleading to continue sharing a room and a bed every night.
However, Bai Ning insisted on hugging him tightly every night while they slept…
At first, Bai Li was truly unaccustomed to it.
But considering his daughter was willing to restrain her wicked sense of humor and respect his boundaries, he could only turn a blind eye and put up with it for the time being.
At this moment, the father and daughter were sitting side by side behind a large sandalwood desk.
As usual, they were buried in work, reviewing a thick stack of policy documents waiting to be processed.
‘Was this an innate talent?’
Bai Ning’s heart was full of surprise.
The suggestions Bai Li occasionally tossed out always accurately pinpointed the omissions in the drafts.
His foresight and meticulousness far exceeded Bai Ning’s initial expectations.
She rested her chin on one hand, her gaze unconsciously falling on Bai Li’s focused side profile, and she couldn’t help but mutter in her heart.
‘Daughter is too amazing… Is this really because she was originally Pops?’
Those ideas that seemed to be mentioned casually by Bai Li—such as the Bloodline Fief Decree designed to split the territories of the high nobility and avoid fragmentation, or the Night Guard.
Baojia System centered on collective responsibility to stabilize the security of the territory—actually provided solid and feasible solutions to the two major problems of internal strife and territorial control that had plagued the Vampire race for nearly 100 years before the Vampire Restoration.
Even more remarkably, these policies completely aligned with the deep-rooted Bloodline Rules of the Vampires.
Their implementation didn’t seem abrupt at all, as if things were always meant to be this way.
Bai Ning stared at the draft of the Bloodline Fief Decree, her brow furrowed slightly as she spoke with some concern.
“Daughter, it says here that ‘pure-blood lateral branches can obtain marginal territories.’ Won’t that make those old-school nobles think we’re secretly undermining their power?”
Bai Li looked up, his tone relaxed and indifferent, yet every word held deep meaning.
“Bai Ning, think about it carefully. Those old nobles have more and more offspring, and their bloodline purity becomes more diluted with each generation. If we don’t take the initiative to give the lateral branches a way to survive and instead let them crowd into the core territories, it will eventually lead to internal strife. Now that the Vampire Restoration has just begun, things look calm on the surface, but these hidden problems will eventually explode.”
“By proactively allocating marginal fiefs to the lateral branches, we aren’t touching their core interests, and we’re giving the lateral branches a foundation to build their lives. Those old nobles will be too busy being grateful to truly oppose us.”
Bai Ning followed his logic.
“Oh! And those marginal territories were previously ruled by independent wild castle lords, all messy and without order. Now, by letting pure-blood lateral branches garrison and manage them, we can also bring the marginal areas under the unified control of the Royal Capital. It really is killing two birds with one stone!”
“That’s exactly it ~”
Bai Li showed a knowing smile.
“The Vampires have always thought about stabilizing the situation through bloodline pressure. But pressure is like a string pulled too tight; it will eventually snap. Forced suppression will only drive those below to rise up in rebellion. What truly stabilizes a race is ensuring everyone has a way to live.”
“The pure-blood nobles keep the core territories, the lateral branches get marginal fiefs, lower-level Vampires can be promoted to titles through assessments, and even blood servants won’t have their Blood Drink arbitrarily deducted. When everyone can live a stable life, who will be bored enough to think about causing trouble?”
Bai Ning looked down and flipped through the details of the Night Guard Baojia System.
Suddenly, she stopped and said softly.
“Pops, you used to be a human, yet you understand how to protect the weak of our race better than we Vampires do… What the elders used to talk about was how bloodline determines everything.”
Bai Li’s hand stopped writing for a moment.
His tone became more serious and carried a hint of sentimentality.
“Bai Ning, the strength of a race is never determined by how powerful the few at the top are, but by whether the majority at the bottom can live in peace. If even the weak cannot survive, the entire race is like a castle built on shifting sands—it will eventually fall apart. I want you to understand that to support a country, it never depends on how pure your bloodline is or how supreme your power is. It depends on how many people you can protect and how many people you can make willingly sacrifice for this race.”
The office fell into a brief silence.
Only the soft sound of paper flipping flowed through the air.
After a moment, Bai Ning asked curiously.
“Pops… You were a Magic Conductor before. How do you know so much about governing a country? The human side really wasted your talent, letting someone like you be just a Scientist.”
Bai Li sighed softly, his tone carrying a bit of helplessness.
“Bai Ning, you don’t understand. The Human Race doesn’t have a bloodline theory like the Vampires. Power is scattered, and the royal court is full of infighting and deception. It’s incredibly complex. I was never good at those twists and turns, nor did I have the energy to get involved. It was better to be a Scientist and research the things I was interested in. It was much more peaceful.”
“Bai Li, you are a Vampire now ~”
Bai Ning immediately straightened her face and corrected him with feigned seriousness.
“You aren’t allowed to identify as a human anymore! You are my daughter now ~”
“Ah, yes, yes, yes. Like I said, I don’t accept that!”
Bai Li rolled his eyes, his tone carrying a bit of a prideful rebuttal.
“You are my daughter. And besides, it’s been one week already, and you’re still stalling on finding a way for me to return to normal. If you keep being so perfunctory, I’m really going to get angry!”
Facing this recurring question, Bai Ning truly had a bit of a headache.
She had told Bai Li several times already that once a person undergoes the First Embrace and is transformed into a Vampire, there is absolutely no way to change back.
But Bai Li was stubborn, insisting that there must be a way to regain his human body.
This appearance was like a stubborn father who refused to admit reality or break his own established perceptions, and could only be hard-headed to the end…
Bai Ning could only give a vague response.
“I’m looking, I’m looking… I’ve already had the maids check the ancient texts. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news.”
“Humph, perfunctory!”
Bai Li pouted dissatisfiedly, unconsciously swaying his small hands.
He turned his face away, looking just like a child.
Bai Ning tried her best to hold back her laughter, almost losing her composure.
She discovered that since her father had been transformed into a Vampire, although his personality largely remained the same, his behavior and mannerisms had suddenly become so cute.
Logically, the First Embrace shouldn’t have such a large impact on a person’s temperament…
But whatever.
She liked this prideful and cute version of Pops even more ~
“Alright, alright, no more joking ~”
Bai Ning stopped smiling, clapped her hands, and stood up.
“Bai Li, the serious work is done. Now we should go soak in the hot springs and relax ~”
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, signaling Bai Li to take it.
“…”
Bai Li was gradually becoming less fussy.
He naturally reached out and took Bai Ning’s hand, and the two walked toward the hot springs together.
From the initial extreme resistance to the current gradual habit, Bai Li knew in his heart that he was never actually resisting intimate interaction with his dear daughter.
He just couldn’t let go of that bit of dignity and identity as a father.
As long as Bai Ning was well-behaved, didn’t break this bottom line, and didn’t force him to accept those overstepping feelings, being a bit close to his daughter didn’t seem so bad.
Of course, when it came to matters of principle that required a refusal, he would still firmly say no.
On the other hand, Bai Ning clearly wasn’t going to stop there and give up easily.
She was secretly calculating in her heart…
She had to think of a foolproof plan to make Pops completely accept this love…
Although the current Bai Li, who still held onto a shred of dignity and was occasionally prideful, was quite good, what she truly wanted was the Bai Li who would wear a snow-white wedding dress, proactively lean in for a kiss, and sweetly call her “Empress Mother” from the bottom of his heart.
It seemed she would have to consult with Fei Yi properly…
She had to regain the leading power to discipline him without forcing him.