Genius Club

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

Glug, glug, glug.

Seated on a chair at the edge of the dance floor, CC sipped her red wine with a casual rhythm. The glass in her hand emptied rapidly, though she’d long lost count of how many glasses she had consumed.

Not that the wine tasted particularly spectacular.

It was simply that, after spending such a hefty sum on the ticket, it felt wasteful not to get her money’s worth. She had already devoured plenty of the snacks and fruit provided, but after some quick calculations, she realized they barely made a dent compared to the price of entry. Even if she ate to the point of bursting, it wouldn’t balance out.

The high-end red wine, however, looked promising. If she could down an entire bottle, she might just break even.

Yet as she took another sip, CC found herself musing—why did people rave about this stuff?

Her cheeks were warm, her thoughts spinning.

It didn’t beat cola, that much she was sure of.

“Too funny,” CC giggled, the corners of her lips curling into dimples. Her sharp little vampire fangs peeked out as her rosy cheeks glowed under the pulsating, multi-colored lights of the venue. She looked radiant.

Just then, a handsome man dressed as a werewolf approached her. With an elegant bow, he addressed her courteously, “Beautiful vampire, may I have the honor of this dance?”

The dance floor vibrated with pounding music, thick with electrifying energy.

However…

CC pursed her lips and shook her head decisively. “Sorry, I don’t want to dance.”

Her response was straightforward—CC had never been to a ball before and didn’t know the polite ways to decline. She just spoke her mind.

“Oh, alright,” the werewolf replied without offense. A true gentleman, he stepped back gracefully, returning to his companion—a portly mummy swathed in bandages.

The mummy looked surprised. “You got rejected? No way! That’s got to be a first for you, right?”

The werewolf nodded. Here, at one of Manhattan’s most exclusive Halloween balls, his rejection was indeed unexpected. With his model-like looks and undeniable charm, he rarely encountered refusals.

“She said she didn’t want to dance,” he explained, still puzzled.

“Hahaha! Impossible!” The mummy clapped the werewolf’s shoulder, laughing heartily. “This is a Halloween dance party! Who shows up here without wanting to dance? Anyone who’d rather stay home watching TV and eating cake wouldn’t bother with such elaborate makeup and costumes to just sit around.”

“Then why?” The werewolf tilted his head, genuinely curious. “Why did she say no?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The mummy smirked mischievously. “Let’s not disturb her anymore. It’s clear she’s waiting for someone. That vampire isn’t here to dance with just anyone—she’s waiting for the one.”

…

In the far corner of the venue, Einstein was dragged off by a flamboyantly dressed individual into the chaos of the dance floor. Lin Xian glanced down at the little note in his hand.

It contained an address, pinpointing Einstein’s private farm in the Brooklyn suburbs, west of the orphanage where CC had grown up. The address carried a weighty promise of secrets yet untold.

“November 5th,” he murmured, folding the paper carefully and tucking it into his coat pocket.

Einstein had mentioned he’d be there all day on November 5th, waiting for Lin Xian. Tonight, being October 31st, meant there were five days left until their next meeting—a conversation bound to delve deeper into the mysteries that intrigued him.

Could this farm be the birthplace of the Genius Club? Lin Xian couldn’t help but feel a flicker of anticipation.

Straightening his coat, he dusted off traces of chalk and adjusted the gorilla mask on his head. His gaze shifted back to the vibrant dance floor, where creatures of the night writhed to the beat.

He had danced many formal routines before, but nothing had prepared him for the wild and chaotic movements of this monstrous crowd. Tonight was a first—a Halloween ball—and it had opened doors to a strange, electrifying world.

“Time to find CC. She’s probably done eating by now.”

Pushing through the throng, Lin Xian made his way to the self-serve buffet area. From a distance, he spotted CC sitting alone, casually downing yet another glass of red wine.

A question mark seemed to hover above his head.

Was she… treating wine like soda?

“CC!” he exclaimed as he reached her, promptly removing the glass from her hands and setting it firmly on the table. “You can’t keep drinking like that. It’s wine, not cola!”

“But I’m waiting for you!” she chirped, her cheeks flushed as she grinned, dimples deepening.

Under the influence of wine, with the spinning lights and festive atmosphere, CC—a vampire with pale skin and blood-smeared makeup—seemed almost enchanting.

“You’re definitely drunk,” Lin Xian said, concerned. “Are you still up for dancing?”

“Of course!” CC sprang up from her seat, spinning in place three times before stopping with perfect balance. “See? No problem at all!”

Lin Xian nodded, his worries easing slightly.

“Relax, I won’t get drunk,” CC reassured, grabbing Lin Xian’s arm and pulling him toward the dance floor.

“We came here to dance, after all! I know what’s important. If drinking gets in the way of dancing, that’d be a total loss!”

“You’d make a great accountant,” Lin Xian said, laughing helplessly. “With you handling finances, we’d never be in the red.”

For CC, the world was simple: there were only two types of events—profitable ones and those that weren’t.

…

As the current song faded, a new eerie and thrilling melody began to play.

“CC, what kind of dance do you know?” Lin Xian asked, curious.

“The zombie dance!” CC announced confidently.

“The what now?” Lin Xian, who prided himself as a dance aficionado, froze mid-thought. “A zombie dance? What even is that?”

“Zombie dance is zombie dance!” CC blinked innocently. “It’s Halloween—of course we’re doing the zombie dance! Let me show you!”

The creepy music shifted to a playful rhythm.

CC took a step back, her body stiffening as if she were transforming into a mechanical doll. Then, syncing with the music’s beat, she began imitating the jerky, lurching movements of a zombie. Her head tilted slowly, her limbs moved awkwardly yet purposefully, embodying a mix of eerie menace and delightful whimsy.

Lin Xian couldn’t help but laugh at her exaggerated performance.

Glancing around the room, he noticed others had joined in the same dance. The entire dance floor seemed alive with a humorous chaos, each dancer adding their twist to the zombie moves. The scene reminded Lin Xian of a surreal Lovecraftian nightmare, except it was filled with a bizarre, festive energy.

This must be the Halloween spirit, Lin Xian thought. As an outsider, he didn’t fully understand it, but he chose to respect it.

“You can’t dance?” CC asked, her face alight with genuine joy as she danced closer to him. Her carefree expression radiated happiness, infectious in its simplicity.

“In America, even kids know how to zombie dance!”

“Well, sorry to disappoint,” Lin Xian shrugged. “I genuinely don’t know how to do it.”

“Then I’ll teach you!” CC declared, grabbing his hands. “Zombie dance is super easy—you just follow my moves!”

“Let’s not.” Lin Xian shook his head firmly, rejecting the idea without hesitation.

“Come on, just try!” CC tugged at his hands, giggling as she pulled him into the dance floor. “It’s really simple! You’re so smart; you’ll pick it up in no time!”

Lin Xian studied her flushed cheeks and the unrestrained excitement in her eyes, suspecting the wine was still affecting her. “You seem… overly excited.”

“Not at all! I just love dancing! Every time I dance, it makes me so happy. Come on, come on!” CC pleaded with a mischievous grin.

“Today, I’ll teach you the zombie dance. Later, when we get the chance, you can teach me one of your dances!”

Through the small holes in his gorilla mask, Lin Xian looked down at the radiant, smiling vampire before him.

In that moment, Lin Xian felt a moment of disorientation.

It struck him that, 600 years later, on August 28, 2624, at the end of the world, he had personally taught CC the tap dance of Face Village. And now, centuries earlier, on Halloween night of October 31, 1952—the very beginning of it all—CC was leading him by the hand to teach him the zombie dance.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

She was still the eternal CC of the Millennial Stake.

He remained Lin Xian, the time traveler.

The only differences seemed to be the era and the dance itself.

“Alright,” Lin Xian finally relented. His soft-hearted nature, coupled with CC’s tipsy enthusiasm, left him no choice.

CC’s face lit up with joy when she heard him agree. To the rhythm of the music, she eagerly guided him: how to mimic a zombie’s stiffness, how to keep his body rigid, how to let his head remain still while his torso moved…

To her surprise, Lin Xian turned out to be a natural. Within minutes, he had completely mastered the zombie dance.

“You’re incredible, Lin Xian!” CC exclaimed, her wide eyes filled with admiration. “You’re an absolute genius!”

“It’s alright,” Lin Xian said modestly, already moving with the zombie dance steps. His gorilla mask, with its ferocious expression and gaping mouth, made him blend seamlessly into the crowd of reveling monsters. He realized how wonderfully liberating a mask could be—without it, he would never dare perform such a socially mortifying dance.

“It’s not an idol complex,” he thought. “Just cultural differences.”

“My talent’s nothing compared to yours,” Lin Xian said, glancing at the radiant vampire before him. “Your dancing talent is truly unparalleled… and it’s not just your dancing skills.”

“Huh? What did you say?” CC leaned closer, shouting over the loud music. “The music’s too loud—I couldn’t hear you!”

“Nothing,” Lin Xian replied with a faint smile. “I said you’re a fantastic dancer.”

…

The Halloween ball wrapped up close to midnight. As the clock’s hands aligned at twelve, Lin Xian wasn’t worried. After all, midnight here in the U.S. was only noon in X Country, meaning there was no risk of CC fading away.

However…

While there was no risk of her disappearing, CC faced another kind of danger—she had drunk herself into a stupor. Slumped against Lin Xian’s shoulder, she drifted in and out of sleep, barely conscious.

“You,” Lin Xian muttered with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “you really don’t need to calculate the value of every meal like that anymore. Times have changed—we’re not struggling now. You don’t need to measure everything by whether it’s worth it or not. Happiness and enjoying good food matter so much more than just filling your stomach.”

“You remind me of VV,” he added, chuckling. “Always treating every meal like it’s your last.”

“VV?” CC mumbled, her bleary eyes barely opening.

“A dog,” Lin Xian replied.

“Oh,” CC murmured, losing interest immediately. She closed her eyes and fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Lin Xian supported her as they left the venue and hailed a cab to take them back to the Empire State Building hotel.

…

At the entrance, they ran into Einstein and the flamboyant “Rainbow Punk.” Einstein, now covered in chalk dust but wearing a cheerful smile, seemed in high spirits after their earlier conversation.

The punk swaggered over, clapping Lin Xian on the shoulder. Glancing at the drunken CC, he smirked. “Well, well, King Kong—you’ve had quite a lucky night, haven’t you?”

Lin Xian looked at the powder-free patch on the punk’s hair and grinned. “Rainbow Pony, any chance you could bless me with another rainbow?”

The punk burst into hearty laughter, turning to Einstein. “See? I told you I like this guy! What’s his name again?”

“Douglas,” Einstein answered with a smile.

“Perfect.” The punk shook Lin Xian’s hand. “Douglas, we’ll meet again. Einstein really admires you, so I’m sure our paths will cross. Now, we’ll leave you to enjoy your night.”

Einstein, now holding a wool felt hat handed to him by his driver, tipped it toward Lin Xian. “Douglas, November 5th—I’ll see you at the farm.”

With that, he climbed into the car, the driver shutting the door behind him. The vehicle disappeared into the stream of lights.

Lin Xian hailed a cab of his own, guiding the sleeping CC back to their hotel suite.

…

From the moment they stepped out of the cab, CC didn’t stir. She remained sound asleep, dead to the world like a true zombie. Fortunately, she was light, and Lin Xian had no trouble carrying her.

He gently placed her onto her bed, tucking her under the covers. After ensuring the windows were shut and the electric heater was on, he stepped out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.

“Goodnight, CC,” he whispered.

Thunk.

The wooden door clicked shut.

…

…

…

Inside the bedroom, CC’s eyes slowly fluttered open.

Frowning slightly, she exhaled a soft sigh through her nose.

“Hmph.”

She pouted briefly, then murmured, “Goodnight.”