The Zombie I Flirted With After Losing My Memory, Who Was Pretending to be an Alpha, Is Actually My Ex - Chapter 39

As soon as Teng Xi entered her room, she detected the presence of a stranger. Shi Yun was sitting quietly by the window, facing the moonlight. Teng Xi closed the door, sealing out the noise from the hallway.

“What brings Doctor Shi here so late?” Teng Xi pushed her wheelchair closer. The person by the window snapped out of her trance and turned around, seemingly startled by Teng Xi’s sudden appearance.

The look in Shi Yun’s eyes, which she hadn’t managed to hide in time, was complex. She looked at Teng Xi, a turbulent undercurrent hidden beneath her calm expression. In her usual toneless voice, she asked, “You went to see Doctor Xie?”

Teng Xi didn’t answer. Instead, she studied the woman silently. She could tell that Shi Yun despised her.

Shi Yun looked down and chuckled; it was the first time Teng Xi had seen her smile. To be honest, Shi Yun was beautiful when she smiled—serene and gentle. Wearing her white lab coat, she gave off a reliable impression, but the smile felt inexplicable and gave Teng Xi a sense of foreboding.

“There is no wind tonight. Let me take Captain Teng out for a walk.” Without waiting for a refusal, Shi Yun grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, but she couldn’t budge it.

Teng Xi’s smile didn’t reach her eyes, and her words were laced with sarcasm: “I’ve certainly been at everyone’s beck and call tonight. It seems I have no right to refuse anything.”

“Captain Teng, as of now, you are still under my jurisdiction. I won’t hurt you,” Shi Yun said flatly.

“Is that what you thought when you backstabbed Sister Xie at the psychiatric hospital?” Teng Xi sneered, though she eventually let go of the wheels.

Shi Yun’s hands stiffened on the wheelchair for a moment. She said nothing, pressing her lips together and pushing Teng Xi out of the room in silence.

As expected, Shi Yun brought Teng Xi back to that same stretch of beach. The sun had completely set, and the faint moonlight was insufficient to pierce the thick night. The streetlights flickered dutifully, but their reach didn’t extend to the sand. Both women were enveloped in darkness.

Teng Xi felt the cool seawater creeping toward her feet. She found a spot and sat directly on the ground.

“I say, Shi Yun, can we stop making every meeting feel like a secret agent rendezvous?” Teng Xi thrust her hand into the sand, feeling a chill climb from her fingertips to her limbs. She sat at a slight angle to Shi Yun so she could observe her movements at all times, her hand buried in the sand tightly gripping a scalpel blade.

Shi Yun sat down as well. “Doctor Qi should have told you about the trial in three days.”

“Mhm.” A single syllable escaped Teng Xi’s throat, devoid of joy, sorrow, or fear.

“I can help you.”

“…”

Teng Xi turned her head toward Shi Yun, trying to catch a glimpse of her expression, but the woman’s face was hidden in the shadows, leaving only an outline. Teng Xi frowned. “Why help me?”

Shi Yun lowered her head, appearing to sink into deep thought for a long time before finally fishing out a reason: “Because Doctor Xie wants you to stay.”

Teng Xi laughed—a loud, unrestrained laugh that echoed across the sea. She laughed until she was doubled over, clutching her stomach. Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she curled her lips, her voice dripping with rage: “Since you care about her so much, why did you let her get infected with the zombie virus?!”

“Whether you believe it or not, I didn’t infect her,” Shi Yun frowned. “I did knock her out, but I only wanted to bring her away safely. I have no idea how she got infected.”

“You should at least make your lies sound more plausible. ‘Bring her away safely’? You call that safe? If you had explained the situation to Sister Xie, she would have made her own decision.” Teng Xi found it ridiculous. Any rational person would know how to seek benefit and avoid harm.

Stung by Teng Xi’s repeated sarcasm, Shi Yun grew annoyed. She had finally begun to accept Teng Xi to some degree, but that acceptance was now being drowned out by irritation. Shi Yun stood up, looking down at her, and said bluntly, “I want to save her, but only you can save her.”

Teng Xi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Why do you think you’re still allowed to stay on this island instead of being kicked out?”

Teng Xi’s mouth tightened as her mind raced. A bad premonition surfaced. Without waiting for her to answer, Shi Yun continued, “She made a deal with Doctor Qi. You know what the world outside is like. She still has the zombie virus in her system. If I’m not mistaken, she is going to help Doctor Qi develop a serum, but this will put her life at risk. I don’t want her to die.”

“What?!”

“We can cooperate.”

Teng Xi rubbed the blade in her hand, the pressure slicing her skin and drawing a bit of blood. She stood up, looking at the woman who was half a head shorter than her. The words might not hold up under scrutiny, but for Sister Xie’s sake, she was willing to take the risk. “What do you need me to do?”

“I will come for you after the day of the trial,” Shi Yun said before turning to leave.

“Wait.”

Shi Yun stopped and turned back.

A voice came from the darkness: “About Yao Zhi and the others… I will not forgive you for that. Also, I want your word that you will never tell Sister Xie about this.”

Shi Yun nodded, then realizing Teng Xi couldn’t see her, she voiced her agreement. Her figure gradually walked into the light of the streetlamps, leaving Teng Xi standing alone in the dark.

The waves crashed recklessly against the sand and stones at Teng Xi’s feet. She looked back at the small island. It was brightly lit and peaceful, but how many secrets were hidden beneath that calm exterior? Teng Xi didn’t know. A sense of powerlessness spread through her body. She didn’t know what roles Shi Yun and Qi Yin were playing in all of this. She tried to recall everything she had experienced, but she couldn’t find a single thread to pull.

The next morning, as soon as Teng Xi opened her eyes, she couldn’t wait to see Xie Jinbing. She didn’t even have time for breakfast before rushing out the door.

However, she wondered if it was just her imagination—people who had been indifferent to her only a day ago were now casting their gazes her way, whispering among themselves after she passed. She frowned, her eyes scanning the people around her. These people—doctors, nurses, and fishermen—all backed away as she passed, as if avoiding a plague.

With a heart full of doubt, she went downstairs. The moment she stepped out of the main entrance, she saw Xie Jinbing.

“Sister Xie!” The gloom and unease in her heart vanished instantly. At the sight of that figure, only joy remained.

Xie Jinbing was being pushed in her wheelchair, but she stood up when she saw Teng Xi rushing toward her, allowing herself to be gently gathered into the other’s arms.

“What’s making you so happy this early in the morning?” Xie Jinbing rested her chin on Teng Xi’s shoulder, smelling the pleasant scent of her shampoo. A smile slowly spread across her lips.

Teng Xi’s arms tightened around Xie Jinbing. Hearing that soft, melodic voice and feeling the warmth of the person in her arms, her restless heart finally found peace.

“Now that I have seen my lady, how can I not be happy?”

The spring sun felt warm on their bodies, and the salty air was pleasant. Her voice was very soft, like a feather brushing against Xie Jinbing’s heart.

While still in the embrace, Xie Jinbing gave her a light pat on the head and laughed, “What are you saying? Do you even know what that phrase means?”

They pulled apart. Teng Xi covered the back of her head as if in pain, pouting as if she had truly been hurt. “Sister is looking down on my lack of education.”

Xie Jinbing laughed out loud and reached out to tenderly rub the back of her head. “Longing for you is like a sickness; may we never part.”

Every word hit Teng Xi’s heart with weight. She let Xie Jinbing lead her slowly forward, ignoring the surrounding gazes as if only the two of them existed in the world. She watched Xie Jinbing’s back, her thin lips pressed tight. The heart in her chest beat wildly—not for its owner, but for the person in front of her. How could she not know the meaning of that poem? It was precisely because she knew that the joy in her heart was even greater.

The two strolled slowly through the alleys and bought some breakfast from a roadside stall. But the vendors’ behavior was even stranger; their gazes toward Teng Xi were inexplicably hostile. Only because it was Xie Jinbing buying the breakfast did they grudgingly hand it over.

Taking a bite of a fish cake, Teng Xi finally couldn’t help but speak up: “Why are they looking at me like I killed their fathers?”

Xie Jinbing pulled out a tissue and carefully wiped the oil from Teng Xi’s fingers, speaking nonchalantly: “The native residents of the island will observe the trial in three days. They all found out you were an Alpha this morning.”

“They dislike Alphas that much?” Teng Xi curved her finger to tickle Xie Jinbing’s palm, but was caught.

“There have never been Alphas on this island. However, I won’t let you leave.” Following those words, Xie Jinbing finished wiping her fingers and looked up at her with a reassuring smile. “May we never part.”