Loud, rumbling noises banged against her eardrum. She could hear the violent gushing of blood through her vein.
The structure of her eyeballs was changing inside her eye-socket. It’s like someone had poured molten glass into her eyes... All these changes happened without giving her any chance to breathe. As if something was going to kill her if she dared to delay for even a second.
The pain made Zhao Xiaokui go crazy. It also forced her to stay conscious; it made her clear-headed.
She could hear everything loud and clear; Shen Zhifei was walking through the living room, wearing a pair of slippers. After entering the kitchen, she opened the tap to wash the rice. Then turned the chicken breast into shredded chicken on the cutting board.
It was clear from her action that this was not her first time. Her hand was steady as she cut the vegetables; the clear-cutting sound continued with no error.
Her breathing was calm, with no sense of urgency. Like Shen Zhifei, her calm breathing gave people a sense of stability.
Zhao Xiaokui was listening to her breathing. It gave her a strange feeling of calming down; it relieved her pain a lot.
Of course, it was just an illusion—just focusing on something for a long time will divert the attention, hence alleviating the sense of pain.
Even if Zhao Xiaokui’s acting couldn’t get full-marks, it was still more than enough to get the passing marks.
Shen Zhifei, who was not very familiar with her, wasn’t suspicious of the sudden change in Zhao Xiaokui’s character.
However, Zhao Xiaokui forgot about one thing… Pain
At first, she could still control her heartbeat and act like a normal patient in front of her doctor.
Yet when the pain began to ravage her body, she felt that even the tip of her hair was throbbing in pain. There's no way she could make all this pain disappear, so she could only suppress the howl in her throat and stop herself from going on a rampage like a headless beast. However...
"Ahhh..."
The infusion needle shot out of her skin. Obviously, it was perfectly attached to her vein. However, as the blood flow rate increased rapidly, the elevated pressure forced the needle out of her wound.
During the mutation, her high cell-division rate increased her ability to self-heal. The big needle-wound healed in a blink of an eye.
But the scene was still messy because of the blood. As if someone had stabbed her. Her blood had turned everything red from the bed to the floor.
*Click*
The door opened. Shen Zhifei came to check the level of the fluid in the infusion bottle after putting the rice, chicken shreds, and other ingredients in the rice cooker.
The sleeping beauty. The image she was expecting didn’t appear. Rather, what greeted her was a figure curled up on the bed.
She held her arms close to her chest, retracted her legs close to her abdomen. It was just like a baby, curled inside her mother’s womb. However, unlike a still-born, she was shivering violently, and the pain was making her groan.
‘There is no way it could be because of the low blood sugar level.’ Shen Zhifei walked over quickly, trying to check Zhao Xiaokui's condition.
"Why are you—"
Before she could complete her words or reach out to touch Zhao Xiaokui's body, a slender hand took hold of her.
The slender arm looked pale and weak, but Shen Zhifei underestimated the strength of that white arm. She wasn't even able to move a single finger. She felt that the grip squeezed her wrist so hard that it cut off the blood flow.
Zhao Xiaokui was panting, and Shen Zhifei could hear the whistling of her breath. Her eyes turned blood red, and as she opened her eyes, the red fluid trickled down the corners of her eyes, staining both the white pillow and the red sheet.
Gazing at these mesmerizing red eyes, Shen Zhifei's vision diluted as if someone had stuck the back of his head.
"Sorry."
She heard a trembling voice.
‘Sorry? For what?’ It just confused Shen Zhifei more.
Whether it was exhaustion or guilt, it forced Zhao Xiaokui to close her eyes.
She didn’t want to involve innocent people in her world. But she believed that there was no secret in this world that would never be revealed.
In fact, she could see anything at that moment. However, she didn’t need her eye to perceive Shen Zhifei's position, and she followed her instinct.
*Rip*
[Lazybug: It's the sound effect of tearing clothes. Please let me know if there is a better word for it.]
Her tender hand tore off Shen Zhifei’s white silk shirt.
She pulled Shen Zhifei’s index finger into her mouth and bit down with her sharp fang.
In an instant, a bone-deep blood hole appeared on her finger.
Zhao Xiaokui’s sudden action pulled Shen Zhifei towards her. As she was about to fall on Zhao Xiaokui, she recovered and supported herself with the other hand.
She felt she had received a concussion to her soul. It took her a few moments to recover, but a sharp headache followed her diluted consciousness.
However, she was quick to check her body.
And she found it. A fading red symbol slowly disappeared on the skin, right above her beating heart.
She carefully touched the place. Her snowy white skin was still smooth. There was no flaw in her pale, soft skin.
However, somewhere inside her, she felt as if something had changed.
Glancing at the girl who had curled up on the bed again, a knot formed between her brows. With her enviously calm voice, she asked, "What is this?"
Even in pain, Zhao Xiaokui heard her words.
"A contract..." She wiggled on the bed again. Pain and agony overwhelmed her voice. It wasn’t something Shen Zhifei had heard before. "A confidential contract, once… willingly or unwillingly… Speak... Reveal my secrets, you will die… Die... With a heart failure."
“I'm sorry,” she muttered. Even if her apology sounded like a mere gesture, Zhao Xiaokui still sincerely apologized, "I can't… can't… let anyone reveal my situation in public."
"Gaaahhh—"
The inhumane growl, coming out of her throat, sounded like someone was tearing away her blood and flesh.
Yet Zhao Xiaokui bit her pillow tightly and struggled to push the painful voice back into her throat.
‘The contract…’
The world-view of Shen Zhifei had changed dramatically in less than a minute. This woman forced her to sign an unknown contract; a contract she couldn’t even review.
Zhao Xiaokui claimed that the purpose of this contract was only to keep her situation a secret. However, she knew nothing about the mysterious side. How the hell was she going to confirm that it was true or not?
Zhao Xiaokui, on the other hand, had to spend all her remaining energy on establishing a confidentiality contract for Shen Zhifei. She didn't have the energy to lift a finger, much less to worry about Shen Zhifei's thoughts.
She knew she was acting like a villain who would have to pay for her action in the future, yet she had no other way.
She can't go to the hospital...
She had no control of Shen Zhifei's emotions either. Whether it was dread, fear, or even anger, there was nothing she could do about it.
However, unexpectedly, Shen Zhifei put his hand on Zhao Xiaokui’s forehead, as if she were testing her body temperature--
"I think you will need my help. What can I do for you?" Her voice was calm. As if there was nothing between them.
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