Chapter Nine: This Is Fate

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How could you possibly hold onto it? If you have something to say, just say it. Your Little Black can hear you,” Li Tong said.

“Thank you, Master Zhang. I’m very grateful.”

“Master, I miss you so much. I’ve been by your side every moment, never leaving you for even a second.”

[A dog... can actually talk now? Am I hallucinating?]

[Come on, what’s the big deal? You’ve seen a spirit before; hearing a dog speak isn’t too much to ask.]

“Oh my, is this really happening? Mom, I’ve made it—I’m actually seeing a soul.”

*Sob, sob... I’m about to cry; Little Black is so loyal. Even in death, as a spirit, he stays to protect the young lady.*

“Isn’t there a saying? Dogs are humanity’s most loyal companions.”

“This is just superstition being promoted in real life. Spirits or no spirits, we should believe in science and not be fooled by this nonsense.”

“To the person above, go to hell! Don’t you know that the end of science is metaphysics? You’re such a fool.”

“Little Black, I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

“Master, don’t cry. Actually, this isn’t so bad. From now on, we can be together forever—no more worries about separation.”

At this moment, Li Tong’s face was as pale as paper. Today, she had truly risked her life. If she weren’t a rookie streamer trying to build her audience for the future, she wouldn’t have done this—it drained her vital energy too much.

But to live better days ahead, she had no choice. As the saying goes, when life is hard, don’t blame the government; when unlucky, don’t blame society.

She was truly at her wit’s end. She still owed three million in debts. Forget about whether she could pay it off—the immediate problem was even having enough to eat.

So how could she not fight desperately? She wanted to go from lying flat to winning while lying down, but her strength didn’t allow it! What choice did she have?

She hated it! She hated her master, the old man who left without warning. He left so carefree and unburdened, leaving her alone and helpless. What could she do?

Truly, relying on others is futile; people will always let you down. It’s better to rely on yourself. To not fight is to live in vain. Li Tong wanted to shout out loud, “My family, my dears! Who understands this feeling?”

“Master! You’ve really done me dirty. Master, even if you’ve tricked me a thousand times, I still treat you like my first love. Master, you truly are my good master!” Of course, these words were from her heart alone...

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Li Tong composed herself and said to Zhou Xia, “If you have anything to say, say it quickly. You only have three minutes. Your dog’s soul is unstable because it’s been with you for too long.”

Zhou Xia’s expression darkened as she looked at Little Black’s spirit, which indeed appeared somewhat translucent.

“Master, what’s wrong with Little Black? How did this happen?”

Li Tong sighed. “What else could it be? Don’t you feel anything?”

“Feel? What feeling? Master, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Li Tong gave her a sympathetic look. “A while ago, on your way home after work, didn’t you encounter a thug? When that thug was attacking you, you struggled desperately but to no avail. Just as that thug was about to succeed, he suddenly screamed about a ghost and ran away like crazy.”

Li Tong’s reminder seemed to trigger something in Zhou Xia’s memory. A few days ago, she’d gone to her best friend’s house for dinner. Her friend had won the lottery and invited her out.

When Zhou Xia heard that her friend had won and was treating, how could she refuse?

At her friend’s place, there was a big meal prepared. Several friends from work came along. By the time they finished eating and drinking, it was already past eleven at night.

Her friend even suggested she stay overnight, saying, “Why not just sleep here? We have rooms.”

But Zhou Xia felt uneasy about staying. Her friend was a single mother with two children at home.

The other friends were picked up by their husbands or boyfriends. Zhou Xia didn’t like bothering others.

When someone offered to walk her home, she shook her head. She didn’t want to trouble anyone. So, she left alone, hailed a taxi, and headed back to her own home.

Her place wasn’t far from her friend’s—about twenty minutes by car. The neighborhood she lived in was quite old. At that time, the main gate was under construction, so she had to enter through the back gate.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley. After getting off, Zhou Xia walked deeper into the alley, as that was the only way into her neighborhood.

The alley had no streetlights. She turned on her phone’s flashlight, but the dim light barely illuminated the path ahead.

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Halfway through, suddenly a man burst out from a dilapidated house.

He was tall and strong. Zhou Xia was a little drunk, but the sudden appearance of the man startled her.

Before she could scream for help, a powerful hand covered her mouth.

The man growled fiercely, “If you make a sound, I swear I’ll stab you.”

Zhou Xia was just a young woman. She had never experienced anything like this. Her heart pounded wildly.

All she could think was that her night was ruined. She never imagined she’d face such a situation.

The man stroked her cheek. “That’s right. If you behave, I’ll hold you and nothing will happen to you. But if you dare make a sound, I guarantee you won’t see the morning sun.”

He threatened her while touching her face.

At that moment, she wanted to die. She regretted going to her friend’s house. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have gone for anything.

Had she not gone, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

“Please, I beg you, please let me go. I have an eighty-year-old mother and a hungry child. My whole family depends on me. Please don’t kill me. If you want money, I can give you money. Just please don’t kill me.”

Zhou Xia’s words became frantic and jumbled. She didn’t want to give in, but she had no strength to resist.

“Shut the hell up, you damn bitch. I’ve been watching you for a long time. I’ve wanted to mess with you for a while. This is a golden opportunity, fate brought us together.”

Zhou Xia wanted to roll her eyes and say, “Who do you think you are? I don’t want anything to do with your so-called fate.”

Of course, she never dared say this aloud—unless she was ready to die.