AITAMITB Chapter 33

A murderer’s guilt is easier to hide than feelings of love. Midday is like nighttime for love—that’s how brightly passion shines.

This quote is from Shakespeare, and it was Shen Zhifei’s response to the question she asked Zhao Xiaokui—how she could be sure when love arrives.

In her heart, Zhao Xiaokui kept admonishing herself not to overthink it. Shen Zhifei might not mean what she understood, but she couldn’t stop herself from overthinking!

She buried her head in the pillow still carrying Shen Zhifei’s scent, feeling helpless.

Now she somewhat understood why Merfolk hated the estrus period so much.

Because whether it was a physiological or psychological response, it was beyond the control of reason.

Her sharp fangs emerged uncontrollably, her eyes turned into beast-like vertical pupils, and her legs tightly joined together, vigorously flapping on the bed like a fishtail.

“Shen Zhifei…”

Just softly uttering this name in her mind, she couldn’t restrain her emotions.

For a long time, there was no response from the other end of the phone.

Shen Zhifei took the phone away from her ear and realized the call had been hung up at some point.

She handed the phone back to her secretary, instructed that she would leave early, and drove home.

Sitting in the car, she couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

She wasn’t a reckless person, but in this matter with Zhao Xiaokui, she acted more recklessly than anything else.

She didn’t want to rush things or lose control, but honestly, it was challenging to achieve.

Even she couldn’t clearly explain what she was thinking when she said those almost confessional words. It seemed like, subconsciously, those words just came out upon hearing Zhao Xiaokui’s voice.

After saying it, she only belatedly felt nervous.

She had developed different feelings for Zhao Xiaokui. What about Zhao Xiaokui?

What kind of thoughts does that mermaid from the deep sea world have?

She couldn’t articulate it.

She could sense Zhao Xiaokui’s dependence on her, the trust she placed in her, but to say it was love… just like Zhao Xiaokui, she wasn’t that confident.

She eagerly wanted to go home, meet Zhao Xiaokui, and get a clear answer, but also feared that when they met, the answer Zhao Xiaokui gave might not be the one she desired.

She didn’t regret her recklessness, only worried that it was too abrupt and might scare the person away…

Perhaps she should have been more cautious.

Thinking like this, manipulating the steering wheel to merge into traffic, the city seemed to sense her mood. Today’s traffic conditions were unexpectedly good, and she drove without encountering any congestion.

At the last traffic light intersection, just as Shen Zhifei approached the crossroads, the red light switched to green.

She glanced at the pedestrian crosswalk, where no pedestrians lingered, and confidently followed the car in front to make the turn.

While turning, she was still contemplating whether to go to Zhao Xiaokui’s favorite dessert shop and bring back a small cake for her.

In this way, even if Zhao Xiaokui was startled by her sudden confession, she should be able to appease her and prevent her from running away immediately.

Thinking of such a plan, a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

“Ah—”

A piercing scream made Shen Zhifei instinctively turn her head. Outside the driver’s seat window, a rapidly approaching dark figure kept enlarging in her eyes.

“Bang—”

Shen Zhifei tightened the steering wheel.

The car’s rear swung out after a massive impact.

She jerked forward under the pull of the seatbelt, her forehead slamming directly into the steering wheel.

Blood flowed down.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the windshield into her eyes, intertwining with the blood to create a crimson interplay of light and shadow.

“Help, someone help—”

“The car door is deformed, we need someone to lend a hand!”

“Captain Wang, let that little rabbit escape!”

“Damn it, he ran really fast. Have the traffic control bureau monitor the surveillance closely and set up obstacles to block him. Be careful to involve the Nightwalkers; this kid’s abilities are quite formidable.”

“How is the person in the car? Has an ambulance been contacted? Can we identify her?”

“Contacted, on the way. Identified, the woman in the car is named Shen Zhifei, twenty-six years old, the executive CEO of Shen Entertainment…”

Wang Junwu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said to his subordinates, “Report to the night guards and let them handle the compensation matter.”

The elevator doors opened, and Wang Junwu, accompanied by several team members, swaggered down.

The low pressure around him almost formed a layer of clouds, perceptible within a radius of ten meters.

Gou Rixin, who was fearless and always ready for action, teased, “Hey, I heard your car wasn’t fast enough, and the guy got away?”

Wang Junwu grinned, revealing a mouthful of rugged white teeth, and said menacingly, “Next time we compete, don’t let me catch you, kid.”

Gou Rixin patted his chest and exclaimed, “Oh, I’m so scared.”

The members of Wang Junwu’s squad had black lines on their heads, secretly delighted that Gou Rixin’s antics had shifted the captain’s anger away from them. If they hadn’t caught the suspect, Wang Junwu’s temperament would be exploding right now. These squad members, usually lively and active, were now as quiet as quails, afraid of catching fire. With Gou Rixin’s jester role, the likelihood of them getting burnt by Wang Junwu’s temper decreased significantly.

“Oh, right!” Gou Rixin slapped his forehead, finally remembering why he rushed over – to gossip. “I heard that when you were chasing the car, you hit someone, and it turns out to be the CEO of a big company. Who is it?”

Wang Junwu walked past him with a dark expression, ignoring him. Someone whispered Shen Zhifei’s identity to Gou Rixin.

“What the hell!”

Gou Rixin exclaimed, attracting the attention of Wang Junwu, who hadn’t wanted to bother with him.

Rubbing his wrist, Wang Junwu asked with a smirk, “What’s going on again?”

“Shen Zhifei has a superhuman with her! Zhao Xiaokui! Do you remember the combat-type Zhao Xiaokui who registered at the base before?”

Gou Rixin was filled with disbelief. They had been thinking of recruiting Zhao Xiaokui into the Nightwalkers, and now they’ve gone and hit her friend. What the hell was going on?

“Have you informed Zhao Xiaokui?”

Wang Junwu and the others looked at each other. “The Nightwalkers should notify her… right?”

Should notify her my ass.

In the contact list of Shen Zhifei, there was no option for Zhao Xiaokui.

After being admitted to the hospital, Shen Zhifei’s family and Rong Zhen had been informed, but Zhao Xiaokui had been overlooked.

On Shen Zhifei’s bed, Zhao Xiaokui, who was leaning over, suddenly felt a severe twisting pain in her heart.

This kind of pain felt like an invisible hand squeezing her heart fiercely.

Joy and excitement quickly faded, replaced by an unnamed anger that seemed to come from nowhere.

Items in the room trembled incessantly, and cracks appeared on the surfaces of glass products, making a crisp sound as they shattered all over the floor.

Ignoring the glass shards scattered all over the floor, Zhao Xiaokui, who was in pain and her vision going black, covered her heart and climbed out of bed. Barefoot, she ran outside, all the way to the door, and only then did the suffocating pain begin to fade.

She gasped for air heavily, her hair dampened by sweat, clinging wetly to her body, making her look particularly disheveled.

Shen Zhifei…

She looked in the direction of where Shen Zhifei was, drawing a conclusion in her mind.

Shen Zhifei was in trouble.

…

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

What sound was that?

Shen Zhifei opened her eyes only to find utter darkness before her.

Where was this?

“Gurgle, gurgle—”

A faint light suddenly drifted from a distance, gradually enlarging. Shen Zhifei’s eyes widened in astonishment as she stared at the strange creature before her.

It was a luminous fish.

A fish emitting a white glow all over, with a plump and cute appearance.

After an unknown amount of time, the glowing fish finally approached Shen Zhifei. As it drew near, she realized that the fish’s size exceeded her imagination.

It was huge…

From a distance, it seemed petite and adorable, but when it was right in front of you, you would be horrified to discover that it was a colossal creature.

The gurgling sound was also amplified with its arrival. Shen Zhifei then realized that she was in a vast expanse of sea.

She attempted to lower her head to inspect her own body, only to discover that her limbs were transparent, with only a faint outline.

Strangely, Shen Zhifei found herself not feeling frightened in this situation.

As the glowing fish passed by her, she reached out, grabbing onto the fin on its body.

This fish seemed to be unaware that it had an uninvited sightseer on its body. It gently swayed its tail, carrying Shen Zhifei towards an unknown sea area.

When mentioning the deep sea, most people would think of words like darkness, confinement, and fear…

Even though Shen Zhifei had heard Zhao Xiaokui mention the beauty of the deep sea more than once, she still found it difficult to shake off the inherent prejudices that had formed over a long period.

Until a group of buildings shrouded in faint light appeared before her eyes.

Although Shen Zhifei was not an avid traveler, during her school years, she had traveled to many places and seen many magnificent buildings.

However, whether it was the pyramids in Egypt or the giant stone statues on Easter Island, none compared to the scene unfolding before her, shaking her soul.

Exquisite palaces constructed from white stone emitted a faint glow from top to bottom. Countless pearls and gemstones adorned their surfaces, intricate and beautiful without being commonplace.

Numerous palaces were arranged in an orderly yet intricate manner, like stars surrounding a moon, guarding a massive mermaid statue in the center.

It was a mermaid entirely in crystal blue, translucent from head to tail.

The upper body was bare, and the fishtail arched high. Each fish scale on it emitted a sharp and icy light.

Holding a trident aloft, crowned, and with a majestic expression, the mermaid seemed unapproachable. Even a brief direct gaze made Shen Zhifei feel a stinging sensation in her eyes, uncontrollably causing tears to flow.

She remembered Zhao Xiaokui mentioning that some extraordinary beings or objects, due to their excessively high rank, could unintentionally emit energy. Even just looking at them with the naked eye could potentially cause harm. Shen Zhifei hurriedly lowered her head, afraid to look again.

Her gaze returned to the group of palaces.

At this moment, she noticed that, facing the mermaid statue, in the highest palace, an old merman with snow-white hair was quietly hovering outside the grand hall. His aged yet profound gaze silently observed the entire mermaid kingdom. Sensing Shen Zhifei’s gaze, he raised his head, looking in her direction. Shen Zhifei’s heart almost stopped as his sharp gaze swept over her, but he seemed not to notice her existence. He only paid attention to an ordinary riding fish and quickly withdrew his gaze, returning to his previous state.

The High Priest.

Suddenly, this name flashed in Shen Zhifei’s mind.

Her gaze scanned the group of palaces one by one—

Was this the mermaid kingdom that Zhao Xiaokui had mentioned to her?

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