AITAMITB Chapter 30

Zhao Xiaokui told Shen Zhifei about Su Mingyue’s invitation to join the Night Walkers team.

Shen Zhifei didn’t immediately give a response; instead, she asked, “What do you think about it?”

Observing her expression, Zhao Xiaokui said, “I’m considering it a little bit.”

To emphasize her point, she even made a small gap gesture between her thumb and pinky, saying, “Just this tiny bit of consideration.”

Shen Zhifei inquired, “Did they mention a deadline for your response?”

Shaking her head, Zhao Xiaokui replied, “No, I think I can reply whenever. According to Su Mingyue, it’s not mandatory. At most, it’s an invitation.”

Shen Zhifei said, “No need to rush. Send me the business card of the public account she asked you to follow, and I’ll take a look first before giving you a reply. Is that okay?”

“Sure, sure!”

With someone to handle the troublesome task, Zhao Xiaokui was more than happy. She immediately sent the public account to Shen Zhifei.

As Shen Zhifei was driving and couldn’t check it, she continued to inquire about Zhao Xiaokui’s experiences today.

During this conversation, Zhao Xiaokui remembered Bai Jingru’s situation.

She said to Shen Zhifei, “By the way, Bai Jingru has been rescued. You don’t know, she looked miserable when she was rescued, like a fool, all skin and bones.”

“Didn’t encounter any danger, did you?”

“No, I didn’t even intervene. Lin Bai and the others took care of it. The suspect was just an ordinary person who found the Night Walker’s memory eraser.”

Shen Zhifei tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and said, “I got it.”

—

In the early light of dawn, lying in the hospital bed, Bai Jingru opened her eyes.

Initially, her gaze was still somewhat cloudy, as if immersed in a nightmare and not yet fully awake.

After a while, she gradually regained clarity and examined the place where she was.

Undoubtedly, it was a private hospital room.

The wounds on her body had been properly treated, and there was an intravenous needle inserted into her arm beside the bed. The liquid in the IV bag at the end of the thin tube had already depleted by half.

Weakness.

Pain.

Exhaustion.

She felt her body was like a puddle of mud.

So dirty, yet so broken.

Her heart was empty, devoid of the enthusiasm for life that once existed, leaving only a cold wind howling in the void.

She didn’t know why she was still alive.

She would rather be dead.

The memories of the past half month were not clear, but the man’s sinister smile, filthy words, and various lewd actions lingered relentlessly in her mind.

Whenever she closed her eyes, she would recall the scene of herself kneeling like a dog in front of that man.

It disgusted her.

She was so angry, angry to the point where she wished she had a knife in her hand to stab viciously into the man’s body.

At the same time, she felt so powerless.

Lying on the hospital bed, she kept gazing at the sky, watching the dawn gradually tinted with gold. Sunlight penetrated the glass window, casting onto her face.

Suddenly, she remembered the young girl she saw when she woke up. It seemed as if the girl stood in front of her, revealing a sweeter smile than honey.

Her fingers moved slightly, attempting to grab the girl’s hand. The nurse changing the fluid was startled by her movement and only then noticed her awakening.

“You’re awake. How do you feel?”

Although what happened to Bai Jingru was well concealed, nurses and doctors in the hospital could still guess what she had been through based on her wounds.

Bai Jingru discerned the nurse’s pity in her voice, but she didn’t care. Instead, she turned her head and asked, “Where are my parents?”

“Madam Bai fainted yesterday and is still lying in bed. Mr. Bai is accompanying her.”

As they spoke, hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the ward.

The door swung open with a bang, and Bai Jingru cast a faint glance, witnessing her seemingly decades-older mother being supported by her husband.

Mrs. Bai, supported by her husband, burst into tears the moment she saw her daughter. She rushed over, grabbing Bai Jingru’s hand, “Ruru, Ruru…”

Mr. Bai stood on the side, watching his daughter with a cold expression. His heart also ached, his eyes turning red. He placed his hand on his wife’s shoulder. The nurse, done with changing the medication, tactfully left and closed the door behind her.

“What do you want to do?” Mr. Bai asked.

“I want to kill him with my own hands.” Bai Jingru lifted her head, looking at Mr. Bai with a cruel tone. “Is that okay?”

Mr. Bai nodded, “Yes.”

—

Zhao Xiaokui learned about Liu Qiang’s death from chatting with Su Mingyue.

It was said that he died in the detention center, stabbed to death with a cold knife during a fight among prisoners.

Zhao Xiaokui’s first reaction wasn’t about Liu Qiang’s death but the fact that there were knives in the detention center.

“People in the detention center can still hide knives?”

The message from Su Mingyue seemed somewhat meaningful, “Ordinary prisoners in the detention center certainly can’t, but some people can.”

Perplexed, Zhao Xiaokui showed the message to Shen Zhifei. After a quick glance, Shen Zhifei understood, “The Bai family has taken action.”

“So ruthless?”

Shen Zhifei noticed that Zhao Xiaokui’s body shook inexplicably and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just a bit uncomfortable,” even though she was accustomed to life and death in the mermaid world, and even killed a vampire herself, hearing about someone’s life ending so abruptly still sent shivers down her spine, “although I think Liu Qiang deserved to die, but…”

But in her view, even if Liu Qiang died, it should be through the legal process.

However, she couldn’t say that what the Bai family did was wrong.

If someone close to her suffered the same harm as Bai Jingru, she might be even more furious than the Bai family.

Shen Zhifei rubbed her head without saying anything.

There are no absolute blacks and whites in the world. Only children always believe in the existence of fairness and justice.

But she didn’t want Zhao Xiaokui to see too much darkness. She changed the topic, “V House sent an invitation, hoping you can be their spokesperson for the Asian region this year. Do you want to go?”

“Ah?” Zhao Xiaokui, who couldn’t understand how the topic shifted to this, was confused, “What V House? The luxury brand? The one where a bag costs over ten thousand? They want me to be their spokesperson? Are they crazy?”

She looked unbelieving, and Shen Zhifei knew she probably hadn’t checked her email. She said, “The collaboration between V House and the Bai family has always been good. This should be the Bai family’s way of thanking you by offering these resources.”

“No, I’ve already left the entertainment industry. They want me to be their spokesperson. Isn’t that a losing proposition…”

Zhao Xiaokui wasn’t concerned about how the Bai family found out. Her face had been all over the internet in the past few days, so it would be strange if the Bai family couldn’t find her.

Shen Zhifei, looking at her conflicted expression, smiled and remained silent.

Shen Zhifei said, “V House is an established brand. Whether they have a spokesperson or not doesn’t really matter to them. This new spokesperson position for the Asian region is obviously prepared for you.”

“But I’ve already left the industry…”

Shen Zhifei turned the computer screen toward her, showing the contents of her email. He said, “Look at the endorsement fee they are offering…”

The string of numbers blinded Zhao Xiaokui’s eyes.

This was also why Shen Zhifei was sure that this resource was a gift from the Bai family.

Even for a V House endorsement in the Asian region, the price was significantly higher than the industry average.

These were figures that Zhao Xiaokui couldn’t possibly refuse.

“But the Night Walkers…”

She still wanted to resist a bit, and Shen Zhifei said, “Working in the entertainment industry doesn’t affect your identity in the Night Walkers. The Night Walkers have a position for external personnel, specifically for extraordinary individuals who cannot join full-time. The treatment is the same as formal members, except that you must participate in three mandatory missions every month. Other than that, you can decide whether or not to take on other assignments at your discretion. Of course, the bonus depends on the number of missions attended. The basic points within the team will be slightly fewer than formal members, but I believe this won’t have a significant impact on you.”

“But the entertainment industry is so troublesome…”

Thinking about the people and things she had to deal with in the industry made Zhao Xiaokui feel a headache.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I can establish a studio specifically for you to handle everything.”

Zhao Xiaokui opened her mouth, “Isn’t it too troublesome…”

Shen Zhifei reached out and pinched her nose, smiling as she asked, “Do you think you can earn that much money on your own?”

“Not really…”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll have my secretary contact a professional agent for you and set up your studio. You’ll be working for yourself.”

Zhao Xiaokui, who hadn’t been able to say much throughout: “…”

I haven’t said anything, how did everything get decided?

She felt like she had been tricked by Shen Zhifei.

But she couldn’t find any traces of trickery, so she could only dumbly agree and promise that she would work hard to write songs, earn money, and not let down Shen Zhifei.

Shen Zhifei calmly messaged her secretary from start to finish, instructing her to prepare for negotiations with V House.

“Sigh…” Zhao Xiaokui suddenly sighed deeply.

Shen Zhifei looked at her, “What’s wrong?”

Supporting her chin, Zhao Xiaokui said, “I feel like you are too good to me.”

Shen Zhifei raised an eyebrow, “So…”

“Shen Zhifei, why are you so good to me?”

Sometimes, Zhao Xiaokui felt that Shen Zhifei was being too kind to her.

It made her worried, unsure of how she could repay her.

Shen Zhifei’s hands on the keyboard paused.

Why was she so good to Zhao Xiaokui?

She asked Zhao Xiaokui, “I’m good to you, don’t you like it?”

“I like it, but…”

“Then don’t think too much. Besides, you saved my life from the hands of vampires. Isn’t saving a life enough reason for me to be good to you?”

“But…”

Suddenly, Shen Zhifei called out, “Zhao Xiaokui.”

Zhao Xiaokui looked confused, “Huh?”

Shen Zhifei walked over, cupping her face with her hands, getting close, “Zhao Xiaokui, I’m good to you because you deserve to be treated this way, you know?”

“Don’t worry, and don’t fear being abandoned by me. You are more than good enough, and you deserve to be treated well by me.”

“Besides,” she chuckled, “when it comes to saving a life, it’s only fair to reciprocate. I am even yours; is it wrong to treat you a little better?”

Zhao Xiaokui blushed suddenly, looking at Shen Zhifei’s eyes filled with a teasing smile, not knowing what to say.

She quickly stood up from the sofa with a swish, “I, I just remembered that I haven’t prepared the bathwater for today. I’ll go to the bathroom first. Goodbye!”

Watching her hurried departure, Shen Zhifei’s smile slowly faded.

She might never know how warm her hand was on that night when death loomed closer.

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