AITAMITB Chapter 18

Zhao Xiaokui might be a bit different from what she had in mind.

Though the information collected by Nightwalkers mentioned that Zhao Xiaokui’s behavior might change after losing her memory, she never expected it to be this different.

After the three of them sat down, Su Mingyue took the initiative to speak, “I’ve watched the video of you saving someone that day. It was very brave.”

“Really?”

Zhao Xiaokui chuckled shyly, her eyebrows curved, revealing two cute little tiger teeth, full of childlike innocence.

“Really.” Su Mingyue nodded affirmatively, then took out a notebook and uncapped her pen. “Next, I’ll ask you some questions, please answer truthfully, okay?”

“Go ahead.” Zhao Xiaokui nodded, “But my memory of that day is a bit fuzzy; I may not be of much help.”

“Okay… What’s your name?”

“Zhao Xiaokui.”

“Gender?”

“Female.”

…

Questions about the drowning incident quickly came to an end.

Zhao Xiaokui didn’t know much about the incident. She only performed one action from beginning to end—diving to save someone. So, Su Mingyue couldn’t expect much from questioning her.

Seeing Su Mingyue close her notebook, Zhao Xiaokui asked, “How is the girl now?”

For ordinary people, water ghosts weren’t a big deal, but they still posed significant dangers.

Although the girl who fell into the water that day wasn’t killed by the water ghost, the water ghost’s resentment might still have some impact on her, varying in severity.

“Generally, we shouldn’t disclose the victim’s situation, but since you saved her, the girl is very grateful to you. It’s not a problem to tell you a bit about it.” Su Mingyue said, “Her body is not a big issue. The main problem is the psychological trauma. She had nightmares continuously for several days. When she came to report, she looked haggard, but she’s much better now.”

Observing Su Mingyue’s expression, Zhao Xiaokui found that she didn’t seem to be aware of the existence of water ghosts.

Relieved to hear that the girl was okay, Zhao Xiaokui sighed. Although she wasn’t a saint, she didn’t want to see someone she had saved end up dead.

Closing the notebook, Su Mingyue said, “The girl is fine; you really helped her a lot. According to her, she felt she couldn’t hold on any longer before you grabbed her. Weren’t you afraid when you jumped into the water? You’re a public figure; any harm to you might affect your career.”

“But I can’t just stand by and watch someone die, right?” Zhao Xiaokui said matter-of-factly, “I used to play by that river often, and I’m comfortable in the water. I didn’t think too much when saving her; I just jumped in when I saw she was in danger, and no one else was in the water.”

Su Mingyue nodded slightly.

She had seen the video and couldn’t help but cheer for Zhao Xiaokui’s daring jump.

“Oh, by the way, I saw your live broadcast. You mentioned that you fainted on the way after saving someone. Is your body okay now?”

Su Mingyue asked seemingly concerned, “How is your body now?”

Zhao Xiaokui suddenly realized that they were getting to the main point.

“Uh… it’s okay, eating well. Besides not remembering some things, everything else is pretty good.”

Got it.

Su Mingyue’s casual gaze swept over the mountain of snacks.

Zhao Xiaokui remained calm and even grabbed a bag of potato chips, tearing it open and throwing a piece into her mouth.

Indeed, it tasted delicious.

Next, Su Mingyue asked some questions that seemed to be about her health and living conditions. Zhao Xiaokui keenly noticed that these questions were trending toward information about Shen Zhifei.

What does this mean? Are they investigating Shen Zhifei?

She couldn’t quite figure it out until Su Mingyue said to her, “If anything unfavorable happens, you can contact us promptly, and we’ll provide assistance for you as soon as possible.”

Zhao Xiaokui automatically interpreted this statement as “If you get kidnapped, just blink.”

The cola she had just swallowed almost choked her.

No… what were these people thinking? Did they actually believe she was being held hostage by Shen Zhifei?

Zhao Xiaokui smiled to convey that she didn’t need any help right now.

Life was good now. How desperate would she have to be to leave Shen Zhifei’s side?!

Free food and drinks, a luxurious villa to stay in – she even hoped that Shen Zhifei would encounter another extraordinary event soon so that she could play the hero and save the day. Otherwise, she felt guilty for enjoying such a comfortable life.

After a conversation that lasted a little over an hour, Su Mingyue and Lin Bai politely bid farewell to Zhao Xiaokui.

At the door, Zhao Xiaokui bid farewell to the two and thanked them for taking away her garbage.

The trash Lin Bai took away was all the snack wrappers Zhao Xiaokui had consumed during the conversation – five bags of potato chips, seven or eight pieces of chocolate, as well as various snacks like melon seeds and QQ candies.

After eating so much, Su Mingyue was somewhat numb to the calories she had consumed and even started to believe the rumors online about Zhao Xiaokui wanting to retire.

Why else would a female celebrity eat so many high-calorie things if not to retire?!

As they walked towards the parking area, Su Mingyue and Lin Bai, discussing, said, “She’s quite cute, just a young girl.”

She no longer harbored any suspicions about Zhao Xiaokui’s amnesia. Every move, expression, and glance from Zhao Xiaokui proved that she was just an eighteen-year-old girl.

“Shen Zhifei is also good to her, not like treating a rival, more like raising a little daughter. I heard her talk; it feels like she admires Shen Zhifei quite a bit.”

“Quite normal,” Lin Bai said, “Zhao Xiaokui doesn’t have parents. She depended on her grandmother from an early age. Shen Zhifei, as a mature woman, to some extent, fulfills her imagination of a mother.”

Su Mingyue started the car, watching the house recede in the rearview mirror, and asked, “How’s the result of your investigation?”

“We didn’t locate the memory eraser chip, but there are traces of extraordinary power, and it’s quite strong. If Shen Zhifei isn’t an extraordinary person, then there must have been an extraordinary person in this house.”

…

On the other side, with a ding sound, Zhang Hongyi and his team walked out of the elevator in Shen’s Entertainment Building.

To show goodwill, they had easily obtained the opportunity to meet Shen Zhifei using their official identities and a reservation at Shen’s Entertainment.

“Shen Zhifei is not an extraordinary person, and she doesn’t know about the memory eraser…” Zhang Hongyi’s expression became somewhat serious. “She indeed knows what happened that night, but for someone like her, wanting to know some hidden information from the authorities is too simple.”

This meant that many of their previous conclusions had to be overturned.

Hong Ying softly said, “She is cautious but not malicious towards us, just the vigilance of an ordinary entrepreneur towards the police…”

Her words undoubtedly proved Shen Zhifei’s innocence.

Leaving Shen’s Entertainment Building, Gou Rixin, who had transformed from a stern figure to a husky, touched his smooth bald head and said, “But there are indeed traces of extraordinary power on her. Hey, do you think the problem might not be her, but Zhao Xiaokui?”

Zhang Hongyi also thought of this issue, and his already serious face became even more unpleasant. He took out his phone and quickly dialed Lin Bai’s number.

Fortunately, the call was answered promptly.

“Hello, Captain, how’s the situation?”

Zhang Hongyi said, “Shen Zhifei is not an extraordinary person. What about your side?”

Lin Bai understood his words and replied, “Zhao Xiaokui’s amnesia is genuine. We detected extraordinary power in the house, but Zhao Xiaokui is not an extraordinary person.”

The situation became more complicated.

This means that a third person is hiding in the shadows, and it’s unclear whether their intentions are benevolent or malevolent.

If they are malevolent, they erased Zhao Xiaokui’s memory, and if benevolent, they saved Shen Zhifei in the parking lot.

“Zhao Xiaokui is very dependent on Shen Zhifei. She is currently living in Shen Zhifei’s house without any sense of rejection,” Lin Bai said. “I suspect she has been brainwashed by Shen Zhifei, and Shen Zhifei is likely acquainted with the extraordinary person in the shadows.”

This is the most likely scenario.

“It’s complicated…” Zhang Hongyi frowned, pondering for a moment, and said, “Increase surveillance on Shen Zhifei by the Night Watchers. Investigate the people around her. Extraordinary individuals also need to eat, and as long as they are active in society, there’s a possibility of exposing them. As for Zhao Xiaokui… send a Night Watcher nearby to protect her. Let’s not alert the enemy for now. Understand the stance and intentions of that extraordinary person first.”

“Shen Zhifei has left,” Lin Bai suddenly said. “It seems like she sensed something and is leaving the company.”

“Is she going to meet that extraordinary person?”

Zhang Hongyi and his team remained still in their cars, silently observing Shen Zhifei’s vehicle in the parking lot.

Sure enough, after a moment, Shen Zhifei walked out of the elevator and got into her car.

“No danger,” Hong Ying whispered.

Zhang Hongyi started the car and followed.

Though Shen Zhifei was vigilant, she was ultimately an ordinary person.

She quickly drove back home. Zhao Xiaokui, who was watching variety shows in the living room, wearing slippers, ran to open the door for her.

Seeing her instead of the housekeeper, a delighted smile appeared on Zhao Xiaokui’s face. “Why are you back? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t come back at noon?”

Shen Zhifei handed her the bag and assisted at the shoe cabinet, asking, “Did anyone come to the house today?”

“Yes, two police officers,” Zhao Xiaokui said. “How did you know?”

“I also had a few police officers on my side, investigating the incident in the Xinde Building parking lot. You…”

Suddenly, Zhao Xiaokui made a hushing gesture.

Looking where Zhao Xiaokui pointed, she used lip movements to signal: ‘Listening device.’

Lin Bai thought he was being cautious, but in reality, she had noticed when he took out the listening device from his pocket.

Shen Zhifei changed into slippers, supporting Zhao Xiaokui’s back, and said, “Let’s talk upstairs.”

“Detected?” Su Mingyue asked.

Lin Bai frowned, but confidently said, “It’s unlikely. I hid it very discreetly.”

After finding out that Shen Zhifei was heading home, Zhang Hongyi and his team did not continue to follow but parked their cars at the entrance of the community, waiting for Lin Bai and Su Mingyue to come out.

When Lin Bai came out, Gou Rixin was sent to drive. Lin Bai and Su Mingyue came over and began recounting their encounter with Zhao Xiaokui.

⌈Hello, Officer Su, hello, Officer Lin. I heard you are investigating the water incident. Is there something wrong?⌋

⌈The girl who fell into the water reported it to the police, planning to accuse her boyfriend of attempted murder. We are looking for eyewitness testimony and also came to console you for bravely saving someone. Don’t be nervous; can we go inside and talk?⌋

⌈Oh, sorry, sorry.⌋

⌈Sorry, it’s a bit messy, haven’t cleaned up yet.⌋

⌈Do you guys want drinks? We have cola, milk tea, green tea, iced tea, and coffee.⌋

⌈Cola?⌋

…

If Zhao Xiaokui were present, she would undoubtedly be surprised to find that Su Mingyue and Lin Bai had reproduced their conversation with her word for word, even mimicking the tone almost exactly.

After listening to their conversation, Zhang Hongyi began to inquire about their impressions of Zhao Xiaokui.

The first to speak was Su Mingyue. Although not a superhuman, as a scientist, she had a sensitivity beyond the ordinary. “Psychological age is low, simple personality, naive, easily trusting, empathetic…”

Standing from a different perspective, Lin Bai’s assessment was entirely different. “Her body and facial features reach perfect symmetry and the golden ratio. The degree of symmetry is almost unmatched. I believe she has research value. Her genes, at least for body type and appearance, likely realize the theory of perfect human genetics.”

Zhang Hongyi pondered.

Hong Ying asked, “What about her signature?”

“Here.” Su Mingyue took out the autograph Zhao Xiaokui left when they departed.

Hong Ying traced the dried ink of the signature and whispered, “Indeed, it’s her handwriting from high school. We found scanned copies of her college entrance exam papers, and the way she wrote her name matches this one exactly.”

On the other side, unaware that even her signature was being analyzed, Zhao Xiaokui followed Shen Zhifei into the study.

Shen Zhifei closed the study door, and Zhao Xiaokui suddenly burst into laughter. “Do you know what the police who came today said?”

Shen Zhifei was puzzled. “What did they say?”

“They actually thought you kidnapped me, hahaha…”

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