Chapter 9.2: Destiny (2)

Shen Zhifei stood up and went to wash her hands after watching hungry Zhao Xiaokui for a while. She then went to the fridge and returned with two chilled mineral water bottles.

She sat next to Zhao Xiaokui and placed the cold water bottle against the corner of her lips, just above her swollen bruises.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Zhao Xiaokui. She grabbed Shen Zhifei’s hand.

She paused for a moment, staring at Shen Zhifei, before calmly explaining, "You don't need to apply it. My self-healing ability is excellent. It'll be gone by tomorrow."

Shen Zhifei returned her gaze to the bruise but remained silent as Zhao Xiaokui loosened her grip.

After all, she wasn't lying when she said her self-healing abilities were unrivaled.

Though it was a rankless vampire, she had to put in a lot of effort to defeat it. Furthermore, she was unfamiliar with her own body. It was understandable that the injuries she had sustained were not minor.

She had mended three broken ribs and repaired five broken internal organs on the way back.

She had directed her self-healing ability to treat more serious internal injuries first, which was why she still had bruises on her face.

These bruises appeared to be serious, but they were insignificant compared to her internal injuries.

She could, however, see Shen Zhifei's good intentions. Despite her discomfort, she did not refuse Shen Zhifei's kindness.

She soon swept away the table-full of takeaways. On the television, it was time for advertisement. Zhao Xiaokui burped a little and glanced at the dirty and greasy tabletop that did not match Shen Zhifei’s restraint and cold decorating style, revealing a guilty conscience.

‘Compared to the amount of effort I have spent to save her, she wouldn’t mind this much mess. I can count it as my reward.’ She regained confidence and continued eating after giving herself self-justification words.

She was ready to wash her hand after finishing everything edible. The not-so-cold mineral water bottle slipped from her cheeks as she stood up, bounced off the sofa, and landed on the ground. It didn't stop there; it kept rolling away from the couch.

Shen Zhifei's hand, which had been holding the bottle, had also fallen.

Zhao Xiaokui turned her head to find that Shen Zhifei had already fallen asleep in a really awkward position.

Her eyes were closed, and she was leaning against the sofa. But it wasn't a comfortable position.

“Wake up. Hey, wake up.” Zhao Xiaokui tried several times to wake her up, but her soft voice was ineffective.

Finally, she pushed the coffee table aside, stood up, and walked away as quietly as she could.

It was nearly four o'clock in the morning. Zhao Xiaokui turned off the TV and picked up Shen Zhifei after washing her hands.

Shen Zhifei's bedroom was on the second floor, so it was easy to find. When Zhao Xiaokui arrived during the day, she had a rough idea of the positions of the rooms.

Shen Zhifei adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner after putting her on the bed. She then removed Shen Zhifei's coat, draped a quilt over her, and tiptoed away.

…

"Ah—"

With a scream, Shen Zhifei awoke. She sat on the bed for a few moments, taking her time and understanding that it had all been a dream.

Her hair was stuck to her face, and her breathing was unsteady. Her back was wet with sweat. There were wet stains on the sheets.

4:54.

In the total darkness, the numbers on the fluorescent alarm clock were clearly noticeable. It had only been an hour since Zhao Xiaokui had put her to bed. Shen Zhifei, on the other hand, was completely unaware of that fact.

Shen Zhifei fumbled to switch on the bedside lamp. The gentle dim light quickly dissipated the surrounding darkness.

Her eyes were wide open as she hugged her knees and leaned back on the bed frame. It was the first time she had experienced such apprehension in the dark.

*Boom boom boom*

The knock sounded extra loud in her ears. Beads of sweats appeared on her forehead. Shen Zhifei wiped her forehead as she stared at the door. Her posture resembled that of a scared little rabbit.

*Click*

Shen Zhifei failed to back up any further. While staring at the slowly opening door, she subconsciously tightened her grip on the quilt.

Zhao Xiaokui reached for the switch and pressed it. Bright light flooded the room. The sudden influx of light forced Shen Zhifei to close her eyes.

"Zhao Zijin?"

"It's Zhao Xiaokui, not Zhao Zijin." Zhao Xiaokui waved her hand at Shen Zhifei, “I heard your scream.”

Zhao Xiaokui entered the room with a glass in her hand. “A glass of warm milk is good to relax the tense nerve. Do you want to drink?"

She walked over to Shen Zhifei and handed her the glass without waiting for a response.

“Drink. You will feel better.”

After receiving the glass, Shen Zhifei noticed the milk was still warm.

Obviously, it wasn’t something that was prepared after hearing her scream. She had no intention of exposing the milk thief; instead, she simply held the cup and drank the milk.

The way she was sipping the warm milk, like a kitten, was contradictory to her elegant and mature demeanor.

‘Cute.’ Zhao Xiaokui was unable to take her gaze away from her.

After emptying the warm glass of milk, a warm sensation spread through her body. It was only then she felt her soul had returned to her body.

“Thank you.”

Zhao Xiaokui took the glass and didn't ask much. She knew well that some fears would have to be overcome without the help of others.

Like when she first entered the mermaid realm——

She could not sleep all night and used to meander in the dark, cold sea. She'd wander around like a lost soul rather than a living being.

The stress in her mind caused her mental breakdown. Despite this, she persisted, knowing that it was only then that she would be able to return to the human world.

“It’s still early. You should go to bed. I'm going to leave right now.” Zhao Xiaokui stood up.

Someone had caught the hem of her dress from behind as she was about to leave. When she looked down, she noticed Shen Zhifei was pulling on the hem of her shirt.

“... I’m afraid,” she said. Shen Zhifei was hesitant and quickly pressed her lips together tightly, fearing that she would utter more embarrassing words.

She looked up to gaze into Zhao Xiaokui's eyes. Her eyes were hesitant, but there was a hint of expectation in them.

Zhao Xiaokui sighed in her heart, asking, "Do you want me to stay?"

Shen Zhifei remained silent and simply moved to make room for Zhao Xiaokui.

Zhao Xiaokui opened the quilt and lay in. "If at all possible, please try not to touch me," she reminded her.

Even if it wasn’t strong enough, the pain because of evolution was still there.

Zhao Xiaokui, on the other hand, turned out to be the one who had forgotten to listen to herself.

Shen Zhifei's biological clock was very accurate, but it couldn't help her recover from exhaustion after a night of trials. In the end, she slept like a log till the day was bright.

Sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating two entangled bodies.

Feeling heavy, Shen Zhifei opened her eyes. She looked down to find Zhao Xiaokui's head was resting on her chest.

This was the same person who had repeatedly warned Shen Zhifei not to touch her. She was, however, soundly sleeping on her chest at the time.

Shen Zhifei was oblivious to the fact that the edge of her lips had curled up as she was staring at Zhao Xiaokui's sleeping face.

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