AITAMITB Chapter 75

When Zhao Xiaokui stubbornly refused to admit anything, Rong Zhen had no other options.

He could only grit his teeth and issue a stern warning, “Just you wait.”

Zhao Xiaokui, on the other end of the line, made a face at him and said, “Whatever, bring it on. Do you think I’m afraid of you?”

*Smack*—accompanied by the imaginary sound effect, Zhao Xiaokui decisively pressed the hang-up button. Imagining Rong Zhen’s dumbfounded expression on the other side of the line brought her a sense of satisfaction.

Seeing her childish expression, Shen Zhifei laughed and shook her head. “You…”

But in the end, she didn’t say much.

The Rong family wielded considerable influence, and Rong Zhen held a significant position in the entertainment industry. Offending Rong Zhen, a petty and self-centered man, could lead to various obstacles. However, what did it matter?

The conflict had been inevitable and irreconcilable since the day Shen Zhifei met Zhao Xiaokui. Rong Zhen could have affairs and keep mistresses outside, but he would never tolerate his woman giving him a green hat¹Green hat is an imaginary hat worn by males when they are cheated by their partners., even if it was only in appearance. He wished that any woman who had exchanged a few words with him or expressed a bit of affection would remain chaste for him. Regardless of whether Zhao Xiaokui has Tao Zijin or not, she, together with Shen Zhifei, had jointly adorned him with a double-layered green hat. Rong Zhen wouldn’t forgive the two even if they begged for mercy.

He had refrained from taking action earlier because Tao Zijin had tied his hands and feet, and the elders from both the Rong and Shen families were watching in the background. He was afraid that if they entered into a feud right after the engagement, it would become a joke, and no one’s face would look good.

Zhao Xiaokui understood all these reasons very well.

But she felt no fear.

In the worst-case scenario, it would only disrupt her acting career. However, since her songs had obtained buffs like “Soul Soothing” and “Evil Spirit Identifier,” they had become classified as top-secret weapons. The original versions were strictly prohibited from being released, and the versions made public for the benefit of the masses were carefully adjusted by experts. With the support of the country behind her, could Rong Zhen’s influence reach as far as the national level?

Those who were involved with Tao Zijin, such as Rong Zhen and a few others, were now under close surveillance by the state. Every word and action was meticulously recorded. It was essential to analyze why they attracted the attention of evil spirits and whether they might continue to be targeted by other evil spirits. Considering the thoroughness of the Night Walker’s surveillance, Zhao Xiaokui suspected that if they arranged a rendezvous, there would be detailed instructions on every intimate act in bed.

If Rong Zhen harbored any inappropriate intentions, the Night Walker would undoubtedly collect a complete chain of evidence. Zhao Xiaokui could easily report him to the authorities.

During the half-month of Zhao Xiaokui’s disappearance, her agent’s excuse to the public was that she was on a secluded retreat for creative purposes. Since it was a period of seclusion for artistic development, there had to be some finished products upon her return.

Fortunately, during the half-month in Bright Prison, Zhao Xiaokui had written two more songs, making a total of three. Releasing an album was not very realistic, so putting together an EP was just right.

Upon receiving the notification, Luo Ziwei promptly arranged for recording and EP production, ensuring that the finished product would be online in the shortest time possible.

Even if it was just for show, the heiress had to play with the most expensive toys. With Shen Zhifei’s support, the recording studio and musicians arranged by Luo Ziwei were among the most expensive available.

Xu Hezheng was initially somewhat reluctant when he was hired. He had heard Zhao Xiaokui’s previous songs, full of vitality but lacking in technique. Four years of music school had yielded no progress; it was like throwing pearls before swine.

Zhao Xiaokui was truly innocent in this matter. The dream school she had worked so hard to get into had been taken away by someone else, and they were using only the scripts she had written before she turned eighteen. Her self-taught guitar skills, learned from online videos, were hardly advanced; she simply translated melodies she hummed into musical notation.

But regardless of his reluctance, one had to earn a living. Even the most famous musician in the country couldn’t resist the temptation of money.

Xu Hezheng happened to be between jobs, and Shen Zhifei’s offer was quite generous, so he decided to take a look. He wanted to see what kind of person this so-called musical prodigy, who had supposedly been on a creative retreat for over half a month, really was.

To allow the musicians to compose their preferred melodies, Zhao Xiaokui had already recorded demos of all three songs. These recordings captured only her pure vocals, without any accompanying music.

When Xu Hezheng received the songs, he was still somewhat unwilling. However, when he heard the delicate and gentle female voice in his ears, it was as if a mermaid singing from the sea had drawn near, and he was instantly captivated.

The three songs Zhao Xiaokui prepared had three different styles and purposes.

She first let Xu Hezheng listen to the song she named “Deep Sea.” In the tranquil ocean, the melodious female voice echoed slowly. Even though there were no lyrics, the soul seemed to find solace in such a sound.

When the music ended, Xu Hezheng still had a dazed feeling, as if he couldn’t come back to reality. After a while, he expressed his thoughts, “Completely different, a completely different kind of music. It’s so miraculous. How did you do it? It constructed a world of the sea in my mind. I felt like I turned into a fish, swimming along the ocean floor at a depth of one hundred thousand meters. My whole body involuntarily relaxed, and my ears felt as if they had been cleansed.”

Zhao Xiaokui pushed the second demo towards him and said, “Try this one.”

At this moment, Xu Hezheng didn’t feel like he was bowing for a measly five measures of rice. Instead, he was full of excitement. “Deep Sea” had made his brain feel as if it had had a deep sleep, and his thoughts were now unexpectedly lively and ethereal.

He eagerly put on the headphones, ready to immerse himself in the sound world created by Zhao Xiaokui.

The second song was named “Long Night.”

Unlike the soothing “Deep Sea,” “Long Night” depicted endless loneliness and solitude. The night seemed never-ending, submerging people. The chest felt as if it had been hollowed out, leaving only an empty shell that couldn’t breathe, had no heartbeat, and even the blood had stopped flowing.

Xu Hezheng opened his eyes and found his face somewhat moist. He wiped his face and discovered he had unknowingly shed tears.

He tried to force a smile, but he seemed as if he hadn’t quite emerged from that loneliness, appearing somewhat detached from the world. It took a while for him to come back to his senses. He shook his head in disbelief and said, “This song… this song…”

For a while, he couldn’t find the right words to describe it.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, “Terrifying.”

He looked at the girl across from him, who had a faint smile. Her eyes curved, revealing a somewhat childish demeanor.

Originally, he thought that this song couldn’t possibly be a work written by a young person just in their early twenties.

But as he gazed into those amber eyes, he found himself seeing a soul that was lonely to the extreme.

She clearly lived in this world but seemed completely out of sync with everything around her.

Though she had an appearance similar to everyone else, she was an anomaly living among the crowd.

Suddenly, Xu Hezheng couldn’t find words to say. In fact, he didn’t want to speak anymore.

Silently, he changed to the last demo and put on the headphones.

The third song was named “Dawn.”

Xu Hezheng initially thought this song would be similar to the previous two, either a calm emotional or melancholic piece. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a fast-paced song with an explosive style when accompanied by the electric guitar.

The solo vocal performance alone made his blood boil, and he could already imagine the thrilling effect that would come with adding harmonies later.

The loneliness brought by “Long Night” was dispelled, replaced by the struggle and reluctance in the darkness. It was a self-rescue from the abyss of despair, enduring through the darkness until the surprising arrival of dawn.

All pain would pass, all suffering would end; there was always an end to the darkness, and dawn would inevitably arrive with the light.

In the mud, the world’s most precious thing sprouted —

That was hope.

Three songs, three entirely different experiences.

Xu Hezheng took off the headphones, leaned back in his chair, and sat for a while. Only after a long exhale did he look at Zhao Xiaokui with eyes full of disbelief.

“You’re not a genius,” he said, “you’re a supernatural.”

To achieve any one of them is a genius, to achieve all three is nothing short of supernatural.

Now, he couldn’t underestimate the young person in front of him.

He kept sighing, “Getting old, getting old. It’s truly the era of the young now.”

Zhao Xiaokui didn’t respond.

Even the diluted versions had such an effect on Xu Hezheng. If he heard the original versions, he might go mad.

In the Nightwalker base, “Deep Sea,” “Long Night,” and “Dawn” each had different effects.

The original version of “Deep Sea” had an unparalleled calming effect on the soul. If Zhao Xiaokui sang it, even a third-tier level like Shi Ning would be influenced, falling into illusions in a short period.

The original version of “Long Night” was a weapon of judgment. Almost no one with a stubborn mouth could endure listening to the entire song without breaking down, crying out for mercy, and confessing. Even crimes not recorded in the files were eagerly exposed to reduce the mental torture.

“Dawn” was the least-edited song. The original version was highly motivating. In modern terms, listening to this song felt like chugging a liter of coffee into your stomach, causing your heart to race incessantly. Even after three days without sleep, you’d feel remarkably energetic.

Three songs, all extraordinary in their effects.

Zhao Xiaokui was now officially designated as a special talent.

While supernaturals were common, those who could fight and had special abilities were not. At first, Yu Youmin wanted to bring her into the ruins. But now, he avoided discussing the topic, fearing that someone might perish inside and cause losses to the country.

At the end of December, the three songs were released on major music platforms in the early hours of the night.

On Weibo —

@Zhao Xiaokui: New work, new path, new beginning. Looking forward to meeting you.

Six hours later, people began waking up from their sleep.

Twelve hours later, the internet exploded.

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  Green hat is an imaginary hat worn by males when they are cheated by their partners.