chapter 2

“I granted you the chance of Rebirth, not for you to kill!”

A white-bearded old man was glaring at me.

I frowned. “Who are you?”

The old man said sternly, “Naturally, I am the supreme King of Hell!”

Oh, so this is a dream.

The old man continued to glare at me. “There is a price to pay for killing! Song Xingdi, you must cherish your chance of Rebirth, let go of your hatred, let go of your violent urges. Never again break the taboo of killing, or you will fall into endless damnation!”

So noisy.

I casually swung up an Axe and aimed it straight at the old man’s head.

But I hit nothing but air.

The dream ended.

I opened my eyes to see a face in front of me, riddled with bloody holes.

How unlucky.

After a good sleep, it was time to deal with the body.

I rummaged around the Apartment and found a black-handled steel Axe in the storage room, along with various knives and clubs.

Not surprising at all.

After all, this is a Pervert killer’s home.

But this Axe looks exactly like the one in my dream.

Could it be it wasn’t just a dream?

Forget it, focus on dismemberment.

Lifting the heavy Axe, I tried chopping at the corpse’s ankle. Not only did I fail to cut through the bone, but it also made a huge noise.

It was already night, and the Apartment has terrible soundproofing. If a neighbor reports me for disturbing the peace, I’ll definitely be exposed.

I had no choice but to put down the Axe and turn my attention to the large Freezer in the kitchen.

I opened it; it was empty.

It was easily big enough to fit a male corpse over 185 cm tall.

“Your home really is well-equipped,” I said to the corpse on the floor.

Shi Yu lay quietly on the floor, still tightly clutching the empty candy jar I had given him.

“If I had known, I should have asked you for advice on how to deal with a corpse before I killed you,” I sighed.

It was only when I actually tried to move Shi Yu into the Freezer that I realized my strength was still too little.

Without anyone to help, it’s very difficult for me to move an adult male corpse alone.

I dragged and pulled with all my might, leaving a long trail of blood on the floor. I finally got Shi Yu into the kitchen. I propped him up beside the Freezer, planning to rest for a while before continuing.

The lights were off in the room. Through the kitchen window, I gazed at the night sky and softly said, “When I was a child, my greatest dream was to become a beautiful Bride.”

“A grand wedding, a loving Groom, the blessings of friends and family, every bit like a dream.”

“After waiting so long, I was finally about to have my own warm and happy home.”

“But then, you appeared.”

“Thanks to you, I lost all my dignity, was utterly disgraced, forced to stand on stage and be scrutinized from head to toe by friends and family, their eyes full of doubt and ridicule. In the end, you made me fall to my death in front of all of them, smashed to a pulp.”

“You turned me from a person into a ghost.”

I curled my lips into a bitter smile.

“Even though I have killed you with my own hands, I still hate you so much.”

“Shi Yu, I really hate you.”

Suddenly, I felt a weight on my shoulder.

The corpse, which had been leaning quietly against the Freezer, suddenly slumped over, its head resting on my shoulder.

As if in response to me.

Outside the window, the stars and moon shone together in the night sky.

If someone happened to pass by right now, they might think we were a sweet couple cuddling together and gazing at the moon.

My back went stiff. I shoved him off, scrambled to my feet, and stomped hard on that head again and again.

I only stopped once the face was completely flattened, the features merged into a single mass.

After venting my anger, I continued searching Shi Yu’s home for tools to dismember the body, and accidentally turned up a thick stack of photos.

Every photo was of me.

Me showering, me sleeping, me on the toilet.

And, me lying beneath Fang Jian.

All kinds of Surveillance angles, covering every corner of my home.

No wonder.

No wonder Shi Yu knew so much about my privacy.

He had been spying on me with cameras all along.

When I showered, slept, used the toilet, I never imagined that my house was full of countless hidden cameras, and their owner was the Pervert killer next door.

Judging from the scenes in the photos, he had started watching and monitoring me from the moment I moved into this Apartment.

Disgusting.

So disgusting.

I stared at the bloody corpse on the floor with disgust. “Really, the more I know about you, the more I hate you.”

I couldn’t stop myself from retching and wanted to rush home and smash every single camera right away.

It was already late at night, so I shouldn’t run into any other neighbors.

However, just as I stepped out of Shi Yu’s home, I saw Fang Jian standing at my door.

He hadn’t had the patience to wait until tomorrow, and had come straight to the Apartment to find me. As soon as he turned his head, he saw me coming out of my male neighbor’s home in the middle of the night.
Under the cover of night, Fang Jian didn’t notice the bloodstains on me.

He was both shocked and furious. “The urgent matter you mentioned-was it fooling around with the male neighbor?”

A colossal misunderstanding.

I hurriedly grabbed him. “Let me explain.”

Fang Jian shoved me away and strode into Shi Yu’s apartment. “I want to see what this adulterer looks like!”

A few seconds later, the angry footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

I followed, only to see Fang Jian collapsed beside the mangled corpse, trembling all over.

“You probably can’t make out his face very well,” I said helplessly.

“You killed him?” Fang Jian turned to look at me, terror in his eyes.

I walked toward him, trying to explain what had happened. “He was the one who-”

“Don’t come any closer! Murderer!” Fang Jian fumbled for his phone, shivering as he called the police.

I froze where I stood, and suddenly, the scene from my wedding in my Previous Life flashed through my mind.

After Shi Yu pulled out the knife, Fang Jian reflexively grabbed my hand and ran. But I tripped on my wedding dress, accidentally let go of his hand, lost my support, and fell, ending up taken hostage by Shi Yu.

Was it really just an accident?

Back then, in the chaos, I’d automatically ignored many details.

Now, thinking carefully, it seemed that Fang Jian had let go of me on purpose.

When I was caught by my dress and couldn’t move forward, the first thing he did was shake off my hand and run for safety on his own.

He was the one who let go first.

He was the one who pushed me toward Shi Yu.

When I was humiliated, the one who spoke up for me wasn’t Fang Jian; when I was taken hostage, the one who confronted the criminal wasn’t Fang Jian; when I was shattered, the one who rushed to embrace me wasn’t Fang Jian either.

My Groom, from beginning to end, seemed to have done nothing at all.

So that’s how it was.

It turns out, what Shi Yu destroyed wasn’t just my wedding, but also my love.

The Bride who thought she was happy, in her moment of crisis, was decisively abandoned by her Groom.

In this life, after discovering the corpse, Fang Jian didn’t hesitate to call the police-once again, he abandoned me.

A perfect lover, no matter rich or poor, no matter murder or dismemberment, should always stand by my side unconditionally.

Clearly, Fang Jian was not that person.

I picked up the Axe from the floor, and without a hint of hesitation, swung it hard at his head.

Unfortunately, he dodged.

“Were you just trying to kill me?” Fang Jian looked at me in disbelief.

“My hand slipped, that’s all.” I smiled innocently, raising the Axe again.

“You’re insane! You’ve really gone insane!” He scrambled to his feet and staggered toward the door.

I quickly followed, swinging the Axe down hard at his calf.

The Axe embedded itself in his flesh, and it took some effort to pull it out.

His screams were deafening-this was definitely a public disturbance now.

Fang Jian’s face was deathly pale. Ignoring the agony in his wound, he limped desperately toward the exit.

The elevator was on the first floor; he didn’t have time to wait. Dragging his injured leg, he dashed for the stairwell.

I hefted the Axe and followed close behind, speaking softly, “Don’t be afraid, darling. I won’t do anything to you.”

At most, I’ll just chop you into mincemeat.

Fang Jian and I had been together for three years, but when I decided to kill him, it only took three seconds to make up my mind.

Although Shi Yu was already dead, the blood of a Pervert seemed to seep through my skin, infecting every cell in my body.

Shi Yu said the only reason he chose me was because I was unlucky.

But why me?

There are so many people in the world-why did it have to be me?

It’s really unfair.

Since that’s the case, I’ll just drag everyone down into misfortune with me.

The old man in my dream who called himself the King of Hell ordered me not to kill, but the thing I hate most in life is obediently following orders.

The man who had just proposed to me with flowers that afternoon was now scrambling and tumbling down the stairwell, tripping over the steps but not daring to pause for even a second-utterly ridiculous.

“Back then, you confessed to me and said you’d love me forever.”

The sharp steel Axe screeched against the wall.

“No matter what happens, you said you’d love me unconditionally and protect me.”

On the hand gripping the Axe handle, I was still wearing the Diamond Ring that symbolized our love.

“And now, I’ve only killed someone, and you’re this terrified?”

See, not a single word of lovers’ vows can be trusted.

I followed the trail of blood dripping down the stairs, step by step.

After tumbling down the steps again, Fang Jian couldn’t get up this time. The wound on his calf was gaping, bone exposed.

He trembled all over, starting to cry and beg for mercy.

No matter how proper a person usually is, once they start groveling, all their charm is lost.

Just like me, kneeling on the Rooftop in my Previous Life, my head bloodied from kowtowing.

Back then, Shi Yu didn’t let me go. Now, I won’t let Fang Jian go either.
I stopped in front of Fang Jian and pressed my foot onto his wound. “Dear, which part do you want me to chop off first?”

Fang Jian’s face twisted in pain. He finally gave up begging and screamed in despair, “Song Xingdi, the thing I regret most in my life is chasing after you back then! Unconditionally love you? What kind of daydream is that? I’d rather die alone than love a venomous woman like you! Pervert! Crazy bitch! Even your parents would rather kill themselves than have you, and you expect me to truly love you!?”

What a tasteless man.

How could he so mercilessly tear open someone’s wounds?

I raised the Axe, deciding to smash his mouth to pieces.

Suddenly, my phone rang in my pocket.

I took out my phone and glanced at the caller ID-Uncle.

It was Song Wu.

I pressed the answer button, and his magnetic voice came through immediately: “Xingxing, are you asleep?”

Xingxing.

Only Song Wu in the whole world calls me that.

In an instant, all my murderous intent vanished.

My heart was left with nothing but infinite tenderness.

That’s right, I still have Song Wu.

The Song Wu who kissed me without hesitation.

“Song Wu,” I called him softly.

Since childhood, I had always called him Uncle. This was the first time I called him by his name.

Song Wu didn’t react at first, pausing for a few seconds before speaking: “I heard Fang Jian proposed to you today. Congratulations.”

He said congratulations, but I bet his heart was churning with jealousy.

So cute.

I pressed my toe harder into Fang Jian’s calf wound, making him scream miserably again.

“What’s that sound?” Song Wu asked.

“Just a Dog barking,” I laughed. “I suddenly don’t like Fang Jian anymore, so I’m not planning to marry him.”

“Fang Jian is your boyfriend,” Song Wu’s voice was low. “If you don’t like him, who do you plan to like?”

“You,” I whispered.

The other end of the line suddenly fell silent.

My secretly adoring Uncle-what kind of response would he give after hearing this answer?

But I would never know.

At some point, Fang Jian had gotten up and, using all his strength, shoved me away. I staggered back a few steps, my foot slipped, and I tumbled down the stairs, flinging everything in my hands.

First to hit the ground was my spine. Every bone felt like it exploded into fireworks.

Next was my phone, which crashed heavily beside me, its screen shattered, ending my call with Song Wu.

Last was the Axe, which spun a perfect three hundred and sixty degrees in the air before landing squarely on my forehead.

Blood gushed out quickly, splattering into my wide-open eyes and blurring my vision.

Fang Jian froze for a few seconds, then threw himself onto me, sobbing and wailing, “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t mean to…”

So noisy.

While I still had a breath left, I grabbed his collar: “If you’re so reluctant, why not die with me?”

Fang Jian’s crying stopped instantly. He quickly dropped me and ran away.

Bastard.

Counting on my fingers, it’s been less than twenty-four hours since my Rebirth.

What a disgrace to the world of Rebirth.

Before death claimed me, I had only one thought.

If I’d known, I should have gone to see Song Wu right away.

Run to him, hold him, kiss him.

Use every moment of my regained life to be with him.

To hell with Shi Yu, to hell with Fang Jian.

I only want Song Wu.

Unfortunately, my head had already been split in two by the Axe.

It really hurts.

*

The blood blurring my vision gradually faded.

Before my eyes was the familiar KTV private room.

Amid the jeers of the crowd, Fang Jian held a Diamond Ring and knelt on one knee before me. “Dear, marry me!”

I raised my hand and touched my forehead, still feeling the lingering pain from the Axe.

So, I had been Reborn again.

“Xiao Di, will you marry me?” Fang Jian’s voice pulled me back to reality.

I took the Diamond Ring, raised my hand, and tossed it into the trash can. “Get lost.”

Everyone present was stunned.

Fang Jian exclaimed, “Why are you suddenly acting crazy?”

I sneered, “You’re the crazy one, aren’t you? Dating for fun is one thing, but who wants to marry you? Fang Jian, I’ve never had the nerve to say this, but in all the years we’ve been together, you’ve never made me climax. Not even once. Sleeping with you is honestly, incredibly boring.”

“Song Xingdi!”

Being mocked by his girlfriend in front of everyone, Fang Jian’s face instantly darkened. He clenched his teeth and raised his fist at me, only to be held back tightly by his buddies.

“Since everyone’s here, please witness: from today on, Fang Jian and I are officially over. No more ties.” I smiled politely at the room full of acquaintances and turned to leave without looking back.

Fang Jian and I had been classmates for four years, lovers for three, growing from youth to maturity, and our relationship had always been good.
However, some relationships that seem stable are simply untested by adversity.

The shattering of love doesn’t always require a dramatic third party; sometimes, just a glance, a moment of letting go, and the once-fiery affection vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Letting go of a burden in a crisis to prioritize one’s own safety isn’t necessarily wrong.

It’s the unlucky Bride who expects her Boyfriend to become a hero and protect her-that’s truly naïve and laughable.

In this life, apart from yourself, you can rely on no one.

Of course, understanding his actions doesn’t mean I’ll forgive him.

But I don’t want to waste any more time on people who don’t matter.

Song Wu.

I just want to see Song Wu.

Only now do I realize why Song Wu refused to let me move into his home back then.

Because he sensed his feelings for me and had no choice but to push me away.

If he’d let me move into his place, sooner or later we would have crossed that line and fallen into the abyss together.

The day I moved into the Apartment alone, I curled up on the bed and cried all night, thinking he had abandoned me.

I never considered what kind of torment and struggle Song Wu was experiencing deep inside at that time.

Turns out he had loved me for so long, so long.

After experiencing death, Rebirth, hatred, and dying once more, I finally calmed down and saw my own heart clearly.

Leaving the KTV, I immediately dialed Song Wu’s number: “Song Wu, where are you? I want to see you.”

When we meet, I’ll definitely throw myself into his arms and give him a lingering, passionate hug.

Maybe I should even give him a kiss.

Just thinking about it makes my cheeks flush.

Song Wu was stunned for a moment, then said, “I’m out of town attending an academic conference. I’ll be back in a while.”

“…”

All my enthusiasm was instantly extinguished.

I almost forgot-Song Wu is a surgeon, always busy with work, and sometimes has to travel for business.

Seeing I was silent for a long time, Song Wu softened his tone: “Is something wrong?”

I said aggrievedly, “Nothing, I just suddenly missed you.”

Song Wu was silent.

According to this timeline, the last time I saw Song Wu was at the New Year’s Eve dinner table. I remember I perfunctorily toasted him, barely saying another word.

And now, here I am acting spoiled, saying I miss him.

Anyone would think I’m just a scheming relative trying to get close to him for money.

I hurried to prove my sincerity: “Really, it’s nothing. I just genuinely miss you.”

After a long silence, Song Wu said in a deep voice, “If there’s nothing else, hang up. Also, don’t call me by my name next time. I’m your Uncle.”

Huh?

What kind of attitude is that?

Why suddenly act all senior?

Oh, I get it.

On the surface, he’s pretending to be stern and emphasizing his identity as Uncle, but inside, he’s already bursting with fireworks.

He’s always been this reserved since childhood.

I continued to act spoiled: “Then Uncle, you must remember to contact me when you get back!”

“Mm.”

Song Wu responded blandly, then quickly hung up.

He’s really overdoing the act.

Forget it, he is my elder after all. If he immediately responded with affection, that would be abnormal.

Take it slow.

One day, I’ll win over Song Wu and announce our love sweetly in front of Grandparents.

Their most beloved son and their least favored granddaughter, passionately in love.

I wonder if they’d faint from anger?

Anyway, the whole family would be thrown into chaos.

The messier, the better.

Just imagining that scene excites me.

Since childhood, I’ve tried my best to behave, just to earn a little affection from the adults.

Yet, when my life was at stake, my grandfather blurted out: Don’t bother with her life or death.

Song Xingdi, your life is truly pitiful.

For someone so pitiful, is it really so wrong to rebel once and fall in love with Uncle?

In this world, being obedient is the most useless thing.

If they make me unhappy, I’ll make them even more unhappy.

I haven’t used a knife or an Axe-I’m already being filial enough.

After collecting myself, I prepared to return to the Apartment. After a few steps, I suddenly stopped.

Almost forgot, there’s still a Pervert waiting for me at home.

My last Rebirth taught me deeply: people can’t be too impulsive.

Because I impulsively killed Shi Yu, Fang Jian discovered the body, which made me so furious that I grabbed the Axe to chase him, only to be pushed down the stairs by accident, then struck in the head with the Axe and died.

The root of it all was that I killed Shi Yu.

Although stabbing that Pervert to death was satisfying, after the thrill comes endless trouble.

Even without Fang Jian causing trouble, I’d still have to hide the body alone, clean up the scene, prevent the neighbors from noticing anything strange, and stuffing the corpse into the Freezer isn’t a long-term solution. Sooner or later, I’d have to secretly dismember and dispose of it. In this age of ubiquitous Surveillance, where could I possibly dump the pieces?
Most likely, I would have just finished disposing of the body parts one second, and the next I’d be hauled off to the police station. That would mean another wasted chance at Rebirth, with only self-destruction left for me.

I simply don’t have the ability to cover up a murder after committing it.

What if Shi Yu is a murderer when I report him to the police?

But right now, the family of three upstairs hasn’t been killed yet, and apart from that, I have no idea if Shi Yu has murdered anyone else. Without concrete evidence, if I rashly call the police, I might not affect Shi Yu at all-instead, I could draw trouble to myself and prompt him to target me early.

Who can guarantee I’ll get a third chance at Rebirth?

So, this time, I absolutely cannot act impulsively.

No killing, and definitely no getting killed.

Living well is my top priority.

Though I’m reluctant, sometimes I still have to listen to the King of Hell.

So, I decisively turned around and went to stay at my Best Friend Jiang Yun’s place.

If I went back to the Apartment, I’d inevitably run into Shi Yu in the elevator, which would drag out further grudges.

So I simply made sure that chance encounter never happened, stayed elsewhere for a while, and then moved out directly to avoid trouble.

Thus, I spent some peaceful time at my Best Friend’s home. During that period, aside from my Grandparents occasionally calling to question me about breaking up with Fang Jian, nothing else happened.

I even memorized the winning numbers for several lottery jackpots-if I ever get another Rebirth, I can get rich by buying lottery tickets.

Everything was moving in a good direction.

A new day, and my family sent me their usual messages of concern.

Grandpa: Don’t even think about breaking up with Fang Jian! How could you bear to dump such a good man? Do you think you’re a fairy? With your circumstances, marrying Fang Jian honestly is your best option!

Grandma: Fang Family has a good background, a good job, and Fang Jian often helps us out. We’ve long since accepted him as our grandson-in-law. You’ve always been sensible and never disobeyed your elders, so how could you lose your head this time? Hurry up and get back together with Fang Jian, and stop making us worry.

It’s hard on the two elders to type so much.

My poor Grandparents have no idea that at this moment, I’m sitting in front of the mirror, carefully doing my makeup, getting ready to go out and seduce their precious son.

Today is the day Song Wu returns from his business trip, and I want to be the first to see him.

“I heard you turned down Fang Jian’s proposal. What happened?” Song Wu asked over the phone.

“I’ve fallen for someone else,” I replied coyly, laughing.

“What?” Song Wu was briefly surprised, but quickly regained his cold composure. “Don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking. If I don’t like him anymore, I’ll break up decisively. Dragging it out would only hurt both of us.”

“So who have you fallen for?” Song Wu’s voice was low.

“Meet me and I’ll tell you. It’s a Confessions.”

I want to make my Confessions face-to-face and savor his shocked expression.

What would the always calm and cold Song Wu look like when he’s startled?

Definitely super cute.

We agreed to meet at a café near my Best Friend’s place. I left in high spirits, only to find a package with my name on it at the door. When I opened it, it was the Diamond Ring Fang Jian had used for his proposal.

Inside the box was a note-Xiao Di, as long as you admit you were wrong, this Diamond Ring is still yours.

What an unlucky thing.

As I walked toward the café, I pulled out my phone and typed a message: Fang Jian, if you keep pestering me, I’ll chop your whole family up and flush them down the toilet.

Before I could hit send, the Diamond Ring slipped from my palm, rolled several times on the ground, and finally stopped next to a pair of black boots.

I frowned, not intending to pick it up-I was going to throw it away anyway.

But the owner of the black boots bent down, picked up the ring, and handed it to me.

I had no choice but to look up, shifting my gaze from my phone screen to this helpful stranger.

Messy hair, sloppy clothes.

And that familiar, rotten smell.

The face I had once stabbed and stomped into a pulp was now right in front of me.

Warm, breathing, alive.

The eyes hidden beneath the messy hair stared straight at me.

I felt the blood in my body chill, from head to toe.

The bustling crowd on the street seemed to vanish in an instant.

On the whole street, in the whole world, only the two of us remained, locked in each other’s gaze.

A cold voice echoed in my mind: Things will never get better, not for your life.

As long as this person exists, I will never, ever, get better.