Chapter Ten: The Ex-Boyfriend Is a Murderer

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“Listen, big man—no, wait, brother, please let me go. I have AIDS. I don’t want to infect you.”

The man let out several lecherous chuckles. “You think I’m going to believe that nonsense? Bitch, if you dare say another word, I’ll cut you down right now.”

Zhou Xia’s face went deathly pale, not a trace of color remaining.

Overcome by despair, she knew she would never escape what was coming tonight. At that moment, she had only one thought: Someone, please save me.

The man reached out again and began tearing off Zhou Xia’s clothes. Tears streamed down her face.

“Don’t do this. Please, I’m begging you, don’t do this, all right? I can give you money. Take the money and find whoever you want. I can give you a great deal of money. Big brother, please show some mercy. Can you let me go?”

“Smack! Smack! Smack!”

Three slaps landed across her face.

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up? Who gave you permission to speak? Woman, do you really not want to live anymore? Just say you’ve had enough of life, and I’ll run my blade through you this instant. Believe it or not, once you’ve satisfied me, I’ll let you go.”

After saying this, the man stopped wasting time. He lunged at her with both hands, intent on ripping off Zhou Xia’s clothes. She fought back with all her strength.

The man lost his temper. “Damn you! I’ll stab you to death!”

He raised his knife and drove it down. Just as the dagger was an inch from Zhou Xia’s throat, the man suddenly let out a strange scream. It felt as though something had bitten him in the back.

“Damn it, who—”

Before he could finish, another piercing pain shot through his waist.

The man looked around frantically, but saw neither person nor animal.

Fear seized him. Cold sweat began trickling down his forehead.

“You filthy brute! How dare you bully my master? I’m going to bite you to death today!”

The man cried out, “A ghost! There’s a ghost! Ahhhhh! Don’t come near me! Don’t come near me!”

He completely forgot about Zhou Xia, scrambled to his feet, and fled for his life.

Lying on the ground, Zhou Xia felt utterly bewildered. She could not understand how the man, who had been perfectly normal only moments earlier, had suddenly gone mad, shouting about ghosts for no apparent reason.

When Zhou Xia finally staggered to her feet, she discovered that the man had vanished, as though he had never been there at all.

He had come in a hurry and left just as quickly.

She looked around. There was no one in sight. Then, stumbling and reeling, she made her way home. The incident had left an indelible wound in her heart, yet she herself could not explain what had happened.

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If she had not happened to see Zhang Xiaorui telling fortunes today and impulsively asked for a reading, she would never have realized that Little Black had actually been accompanying her all along.

[Is this... really true? How could this happen? This is unbelievable.]

[Am I the only one wondering who that man was?]

[Do you really have to ask? He was obviously some worthless scumbag living off others. Who else could he be?]

[Why don’t people like that just die? Staying alive only wastes air, and dying would only waste land.]

Zhou Xia looked at Zhang Xiaorui. “Streamer, is what you said true? Do Little Black and I have only a few minutes left together? I... I can’t bear to let him go. Streamer, can’t you think of some way to keep Little Black from leaving me so soon? I can’t bear to lose him. He’s been with me for so many years. Ever since he died, every time I return home, the place feels so empty. Now that I’ve finally seen Little Black again, I can’t bear to part with him!”

Zhou Xia’s expression was anguished, and her tears fell like a kite with its string cut.

Zhang Xiaorui glanced at her. “His soul is already extremely weak. If he stays here any longer, he’ll vanish completely within a week. If you send him into reincarnation now, perhaps one day you’ll meet again. Your bond has not been severed. Sooner or later, you will see each other again.”

Zhang Xiaorui said no more. The choice was Zhou Xia’s to make. She was indeed a master of the occult, but she did not want to interfere too much with the course of life. Excessive interference would violate the will of Heaven.

The moment Zhang Xiaorui told her that Little Black could reincarnate now and might one day return to her side, Zhou Xia had already made up her mind: she would let Little Black enter reincarnation first.

She could never stand by and watch him vanish into nothingness. If that happened, her heart would break.

“All right, streamer. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Little Black had heard Zhang Xiaorui as well. His tiny figure wagged its tail vigorously at her.

“Thank you, big sister. To return to my master’s side in the future, I’m willing to enter reincarnation now.”

Zhang Xiaorui nodded. “Don’t make it so mournful. Cheer up. Isn’t this a wonderful ending?”

With that, she waved her hand toward the phone’s screen. A ball of golden light pierced through the screen and shot out from Zhou Xia’s phone, hovering in midair for a moment.

In the next instant, a massive door slowly opened. It was the gateway to the Underworld. Beyond it stretched an endless darkness.

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It was a darkness so deep and profound that it inspired terror. A freezing chill surged through the doorway, and Zhou Xia suddenly felt the room grow unbearably cold.

“Little Black, go on in,” Zhang Xiaorui’s voice came from the phone’s screen.

Little Black raised a forepaw to bid Zhou Xia farewell, then waved the other at Zhang Xiaorui.

“Master, take good care of yourself and wait for me. Goodbye, big sister.”

Zhang Xiaorui smiled and nodded. Zhou Xia wanted to say something, but although the words reached her throat, not a single one came out. She was so overcome with emotion that her throat was too choked to speak.

Little Black set off on his short little legs, his tail swaying from side to side as he strutted toward the doorway with an utterly fearless swagger.

The moment he stepped inside, the two massive doors slowly swung shut. The livestream erupted.

[Ahhhhh! I’ve really seen everything now! Tonight I saw not only a soul, but also the gates of Hell! My God, is this something I get to see for free?]

[Exactly! But what I really want to know is who that disgusting man was.]

[I’m crying so hard. A dog shouldn’t have to suffer such a fate.]

[Who could disagree? It’s heartbreaking.]

After Little Black left, Zhou Xia seemed to lose all her vitality. She collapsed limply onto the ground, clawing at her hair with both hands, her face twisted in anguish.

Zhang Xiaorui comforted her. “You don’t have to be this heartbroken. I already told you that the two of you will meet again one day. On the fifteenth day of the third month from now, leave your home and walk east. When you reach a trash bin, you’ll see your Little Black again.”

At those words, Zhou Xia instantly came back to life. “Streamer, is that really true?”

Zhang Xiaorui nodded.

“Streamer—no, master, I want to ask... Who was the man who tried to rob me?”

Zhang Xiaorui gave her a meaningful look.

“Your ex-boyfriend.”