chapter 3

I instinctively reached into my bag, wanting to pull out the Folding Knife hidden inside.

If I was fast enough, one slash to his carotid artery should be enough to kill him on the spot.

But after all, I wasn’t a professional killer, and besides, this was a public place-acting rashly would do more harm than good.

It seemed that no matter where I tried to hide, I couldn’t escape this Pervert stalker.

A Pervert is called a Pervert precisely because once he sets his sights on a target, he never lets go easily.

Running, hiding, escaping-none of it worked.

So, if I couldn’t kill him, and couldn’t avoid him, then I could only face him head-on.

I looked at him and smiled, “Hello, Mr. Neighbor.”

Shi Yu was slightly taken aback. “You know me?”

My smile deepened. “Of course, you live right next door to me. How could I not know you?”

Even through his messy hair, I could sense Shi Yu’s emotional fluctuation. He was clearly surprised that someone like him would be remembered.

“I was just about to head back to the Apartment. What about you?” I asked.

At this moment, Song Wu was waiting for me at a nearby café.

Although I longed to see him, the man beside me would definitely follow.

This terrifying presence, like a cancer cell, was not something I could bring near Song Wu. It would only drag him into this mess.

I couldn’t stay at my Best Friend’s place anymore either. I could only return to the Apartment for now.

Shi Yu’s voice was barely audible. “I’m going back to the Apartment too.”

Of course you are, Pervert stalker.

“Then let’s go home together.” I pretended to be close, tugging on Shi Yu’s arm.

“Mm.” Shi Yu’s body stiffened a little, and he walked silently by my side.

I lowered my head and sent a message to Song Wu: Darling, I’m sorry, something suddenly came up that I need to handle. I’ll ask you out again once I’m done.

He replied quickly: Watch your wording.

Heh, what’s with the act?

It was obvious that Song Wu liked me.

The kind of liking between a man and a woman.

Otherwise, in the First Life, he wouldn’t have held my corpse and kissed my lips.

But when exactly did this Uncle start to have feelings for me?

I carefully recalled my more than twenty years of life, trying to find a reason why Song Wu would fall for me.

Just as I was lost in thought, Shi Yu beside me carefully wiped the Diamond Ring in his hand with his sleeve and handed it back to me.

As if he was afraid I’d dislike it.

How ironic. In the First Life, it was precisely because I showed my disdain for him that he ended up pushing me off the Rooftop.

This man was so contradictory and twisted-fully aware of his own inferiority, yet refusing to let others despise it.

I didn’t take the ring. Smiling, I said, “Could you throw it away for me? I just broke up with my Ex-boyfriend and want to say goodbye to the past.”

Perhaps my overly familiar attitude made Shi Yu wary, because he didn’t react for a long time.

Just as I was about to take the ring and throw it away myself, I heard him answer in a low, muffled voice, “Alright, let’s find a suitable place on the way home and throw it away completely.”

“…”

What a ceremonial Pervert.

So, we spent the whole way looking for a place to throw away the ring.

Passing by a trash can, Shi Yu shook his head.

Passing by a sewer, Shi Yu still shook his head.

This guy was really picky.

It wasn’t until nightfall that we finally stood by a river.

A long river, with only a single lonely streetlamp by its side.

There wasn’t a soul around. If Shi Yu made a move on me now, I wouldn’t even have a chance to call for help.

So I might as well strike first.

I immediately reached into my bag, gripping the Folding Knife once more.

“How about throwing it here?”

Shi Yu’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Sounds good.” I put the knife back.

Two lunatics, I thought.

Shi Yu raised his slender arm and, with a clean motion, tossed the Diamond Ring into the river.

“What a coincidence,” I said, watching the ripples as the ring sank beneath the surface.

“What?” He turned to look at me.

“My parents jumped into this river and killed themselves years ago,” I said.

Shi Yu fell into a long silence, as if racking his brains for a way to comfort me.

In the end, he said softly, “I’m sorry.”

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling a faint urge to vomit.

If I hadn’t been killed by Shi Yu, I would have thought the man before me was just a kind, socially awkward male neighbor.

Unfortunately, I had already witnessed his Pervert behavior. Every word and every action of his today was an act.

A disgusting act.

“It’s nothing,” I said with a smile. “I’m more upset about the ring. It was pretty valuable.”

“You’ll have better ones in the future.” Shi Yu’s voice was incredibly soft. “From this moment on, you’ve completely said goodbye to the past.”

Disgusting again.

I turned and walked toward the Apartment, deliberately quickening my pace.

But no matter how fast I walked, Shi Yu always caught up with me effortlessly.

Under the streetlamp, our shadows chased and tangled, finally merging together in the darkness.

Once again, I entered the Apartment elevator, feeling as if I had returned to hell.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Shi Yu beside me, and found that he was watching me as well.

It was that same nauseating, shadowy gaze.

I flashed him an exaggerated smile. “We’re home, Mr. Neighbor.”

He looked slightly taken aback, lowered his head and shifted his gaze away, then spoke: “By the way, my name is Shi Yu. ‘Shi’ as in time, ‘Yu’ as in victim.”

That familiar and unlucky self-introduction.

“No, it’s ‘Yu’ as in encounter,” I kept up my fake smile. “My name is Song Xingdi-‘Xing’ as in Xingxing, and ‘Di’ is the character for ‘jade’ with a ‘king’ radical and a ‘spoon.’ Nice to meet you, please take care of me from now on!”

It must have been eight lifetimes of bad luck to run into you.

“‘Di’ means pearly luster, it suits you well,” Shi Yu said in a low voice.

I was stunned for a moment.

He actually knew the meaning of that character.

“My Uncle gave me the name,” I said.

“He must care about you a lot,” Shi Yu said softly.

Of course.

Now that I think about it, Song Wu might have started secretly liking me the year he named me.

He hid it deep enough.

I couldn’t help but curve my lips in a silly smile, then suddenly remembered the Pervert beside me and quickly returned to a blank expression.

When the elevator doors opened, Shi Yu didn’t leave first as he had in the previous two lives, but instead waited for me to step out before silently following behind me.

Looks like getting close to him is actually working.

After I got home, the familiar thumping came from the ceiling-the family of three upstairs hadn’t been killed yet in this timeline.

Compared to being a Reborn One with memories, it seems easier to be an ordinary person, oblivious and unaware.

They laughed and played, completely unaware that their lives had once been cruelly snuffed out.

According to how things went in the First Life, if I lay low and wait until the family upstairs is murdered, then seize the chance to report the killer to the police, is there a chance I could escape Shi Yu?

Using someone else’s death to help myself survive-would that be too inhumane?

But humanity is something that only belongs to the fortunate.

And I am a ghost who’s died twice.

In the First Life, after three years of spying on me, Shi Yu concluded that I was a kind Neighbor Miss. Seems this Pervert’s judgment isn’t that great.

I tidied up for a while, getting ready to shower, when I suddenly remembered the Surveillance cameras. At this moment, Shi Yu was probably staring straight at the monitor, waiting for me to undress without blinking.

My stomach churned violently; I couldn’t help but retch and tremble. I grabbed my phone, wanting to call the police immediately.

As long as I told the police my neighbor installed Surveillance cameras in my home, they should be able to arrest Shi Yu, right?

But what then?

When he gets out after a few days, what would I do?

In the end, I put down my phone and stepped into the bathroom.

He’s watching me at all times.

I can’t let him notice anything unusual.

I can’t tremble, can’t show fear.

I took off my dress, my bra, my panties, and step by step walked into the shower, turned on the spray, letting my bare body be soaked inch by inch.

That gaze, hidden somewhere unknown, crawled over my skin like a reptile.

I let my wet hair hang loose, my palm slowly gliding over my body, then covering my nipple, gently caressing it.

Ambiguous moans slipped between my teeth, as if I were truly lost in pleasure.

When I was dating Fang Jian, I would sometimes play at being sexy in front of him, and he’d always laugh at how fake I was.

So, how would our Mr. Neighbor judge me?

At this moment, the hidden camera was no longer a tool for the enemy to humiliate me, but a weapon for me to seduce the enemy.

Now, the one trembling had become him.

It’s fine, let him spy to his heart’s content, let him fantasize all he wants, and then slowly, let his guard down around me.

From that day on, I started getting close to Shi Yu more and more often.

“Mr. Neighbor, this coffee shop is amazing, you should try it too!”

“Mr. Neighbor, I ordered takeout for you as well, don’t forget to eat!”

“Mr. Neighbor, my package is too heavy, could you help me carry it upstairs?”

Shi Yu never refused me, tirelessly helping me carry package after package.

Soon it was Mid-Autumn Festival. Once again, I stood at Shi Yu’s door, planning to offer him mooncakes.

Before I could knock, a slap landed on the back of my head.

“You don’t answer calls, you don’t reply to texts-what’s wrong with you!?” An old woman’s voice.

“You’re out of control!” A rough male voice.

No need to turn around-I knew Song Liang and Li Shuxian had arrived.

My Grandparents.

“I’ve just been busy lately.” My scalp throbbed faintly.

“Busy with what? What could be more important than your boyfriend!? Do you know how many times your grandpa and I have gone to the Fang Family these days? We begged Fang Jian not to break up with you, apologized, brought gifts-lost all our dignity! You can’t even keep a man, and you’re old enough to make us worry like this!” Li Shuxian’s words were laced with tears.

“Today, Xiao Fang asked us to come talk to you! He said as long as you’re willing to kneel and apologize, he’ll let go of what you did to humiliate him in public! Now go apologize to Xiao Fang, set the wedding date! Marrying into the Fang Family is a blessing you earned over several lifetimes, and it’s your only value! Whether you want to marry or not, you have to!” Song Liang gripped me tightly, looking ready to drag me to the Fang Family by force.
My wrist hurt from being gripped so tightly.

Ever since I was little, they never cared whether I lived or died, but now they’re so invested in my marriage to Fang Jian.

At the end of the day, it’s just because the Fang Family is rich.

“Fang Jian wants me to kneel and apologize?” My face was expressionless.

“So what? Your knees aren’t worth anything. Even if young Fang asked you to kneel for three days and nights, you’d better do it!” Song Liang said through gritted teeth.

My knees really aren’t worth much.

The last time I knelt, the other person mocked me for being lowly.

That feeling-I never want to experience it again.

“How about you kneel first and show your granddaughter?” I smiled at Song Liang.

“What kind of attitude is that!?” Song Liang, furious, raised his hand to strike me. He’s always been so impulsive.

After my Parents committed suicide, Song Liang and Li Shuxian decided I was a bringer of misfortune, venting all their anger on me. When Song Wu was home, they’d restrain themselves a bit, but when he wasn’t, all that awaited me was endless beatings and scolding.

When I failed to get ideal grades, they’d punish me by making me kneel in the living room every night until I scored high marks next time.

When I ran into a flasher on my way home from school, they blamed me for being indecent, saying I’d deliberately provoked him.

When I showed interest in painting, they’d dig out the brushes I’d hidden in my drawer and break every single one.

When I secretly picked up cigarette butts from the ground to hurt myself, they discovered it and casually suggested I use a knife next time.

So, just a slap-by now, that’s routine for me.

But before the slap landed on my face, a hand reached out and grabbed Song Liang’s arm.

I was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at the owner of that hand-my eyes met Shi Yu’s.

I hadn’t noticed when he’d come out of the house, but silently, he blocked that slap for me.

No matter how hot-tempered Song Liang was, he was just an old man nearing the grave. Realizing Shi Yu’s strength far surpassed his own, he didn’t dare make another move, glaring and asking, “Who’s this guy?”

Li Shuxian started yelling at me too: “What’s your relationship with him? Don’t tell me you broke up with Fang Jian because of him!? Useless girl, abandoning a promising boyfriend to get involved with some beggar!?”

Uh, this beggar is pretty petty-if you offend him, he might wipe out your whole family.

If Shi Yu really decided to do something to Song Liang and Li Shuxian, what should I do?

Should I eat sunflower seeds first, or popcorn?

Such a tough choice.

Unfortunately, the hunt scene I imagined didn’t happen. No matter how much the two elders shouted, Shi Yu just stood silently in front of me, blocking their way.

Song Liang couldn’t hit, couldn’t scold, and finally threw out, “From now on, we’ll act like we don’t have a granddaughter!” Then he dragged Li Shuxian away in a huff.

Just Shi Yu alone made them this angry-if I end up with Song Wu in the future, wouldn’t it be the end of the world?

Finally, things quieted down.

Shi Yu lowered his head, his messy hair falling over his eyes as he looked at me and asked softly, “Are you okay?”

As if he really cared about me.

I smiled indifferently, “What could possibly be wrong?”

I don’t care about them anyway.

Turning back home, I sat on my bed, my gaze gradually growing vacant.

In the haze, scenes from my First Life seemed to float before me.

Wearing a wedding dress, I fell straight down from the Rooftop, ending up as a pile of broken flesh.

Back then, did Song Liang and Li Shuxian shed even a single tear for me?

I think, definitely not.

Rather than tears, they were probably more upset about losing the chance to climb into a good family, complaining that their dead granddaughter could no longer bring them any benefit.

If my Parents were still alive, would they care for me, even a little?

I already know the answer.

It doesn’t matter.

After all, I don’t care anymore.

The next day, I carried Glutinous Rice Balls and beer, knocked on Shi Yu’s door, and beamed, “Mr. Neighbor, thank you for helping me out yesterday. Please have some Glutinous Rice Balls!”

Shi Yu was already used to it, naturally letting me in.

I didn’t treat myself as an outsider at all, plopped down on the sofa, and leisurely opened a bottle of beer.

Shi Yu sat down beside me. I picked up a Glutinous Rice Ball and held it to his mouth. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, mixed with delight, and he dazedly opened his mouth to eat it.

“Is it good?” I asked.

“Mm.” Shi Yu glanced up at me, and after our eyes met, quickly looked down again. “So it’s savory.”

“Of course Glutinous Rice Balls are savory,” I laughed. “There’s pork, scallions, and minced ginger inside.”

“This is my first time eating them,” Shi Yu said softly.

In the First Life, before he killed me, he specifically mentioned Glutinous Rice Balls, so he must have been interested. Why didn’t he just buy some to try?

Maybe, it’s because he only wanted me to feed him?

A chill ran down my spine. Suddenly, I noticed his hair wasn’t as messy as before, as if he’d deliberately tidied it.

His clothes were new too-still the same somber black, but much cleaner.

He was quietly changing himself, bit by bit.

I laughed, “Looking closely, Mr. Neighbor is actually quite handsome.”
Shi Yu lowered his head, as if he didn’t quite dare look at me directly, and said softly, “Thank you.”

The fragrance of Glutinous Rice Balls wafted through the living room.

My hand trembled, and I accidentally dropped a Glutinous Rice Ball onto the floor.

Shi Yu immediately bent down to pick it up, the back of his head completely exposed and defenseless before me.

I grabbed the wine bottle on the coffee table and smashed it down hard on his head.

The glass bottle crashed heavily against the back of his skull, producing a dull thud.

Without any pause in between, I struck him quickly and decisively a dozen times or more, until the bottle shattered completely, several glass shards stabbing into the back of his head. Blood seeped out in large patches before I finally stopped.

It seemed to take Shi Yu a long while to react. He turned his head in a daze to look at me, a layer of gray slowly settling over his eyes.

Fresh blood from his scalp dripped slowly onto his face. He said nothing, but staggered to his feet, stumbled forward a few steps, then tilted to one side and collapsed to the ground again.

Shi Yu tried to get up, but he couldn’t muster a trace of strength. The look he gave me was full of helplessness and confusion.

“What is there to be confused about?” I leaned in to his ear and smiled. “Did you really think I could be fond of someone like you?”

I could not wait for the day when the family of three upstairs would be killed.

It wasn’t because I was suddenly overflowing with compassion-it was simply that I couldn’t control myself anymore.

Every night when I closed my eyes, the image of myself, smashed to pieces, would appear in my mind.

Pain and resentment tangled together, keeping me awake night after night.

The moment I remembered that the culprit lived right next door, separated from me by only a wall, I couldn’t wait another second.

Since I couldn’t escape, and couldn’t kill him outright, I might as well imprison him.

No need to worry about dismembering a body, and I could torment him alive. It was much more convenient than simply killing him.

So these days, I gradually, bit by bit, lowered his guard, and finally seized the right moment to take him down.

I had originally planned to drug him, but he almost never ate the food I brought him. He would always silently accept it, thank me politely, and then close the door-maybe tossing it in the trash right after. Even today’s Glutinous Rice Balls, he only ate because I fed them to his lips myself, and even then, only barely.

That’s why, just now, I couldn’t wait any longer and grabbed the wine bottle, afraid I would miss my chance.

But I lost control, caught up in the violence, and only stopped after smashing him a dozen times.

If I accidentally killed him, I’d have to drag him to the Freezer again.

Next time, I must restrain myself.

Once I was sure Shi Yu was paralyzed on the ground and couldn’t move, I brought over the Chains I had prepared in advance and bound them one by one around his wrists, ankles, and neck.

I had bought all these tools online, and it was Shi Yu himself who had carried the packages up for me, trip after trip.

He could never have imagined that all those boxes were filled with instruments of torture meant for him.

Shi Yu stared at me the whole time, eyes wide open, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.

I thoughtfully wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. “This is exactly what you deserve.”

Shi Yu’s face was as white as paper. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Why?”

Why?

He still had the nerve to ask why?

I put away my smile, stood up, and looked down at him. “Shi Yu, drop the act. I know you’ve been watching me.”

Shi Yu’s gaze froze, and he fell silent.

“I also know that in the future, you will kill me,” I said.

“That’s not right.” A look of confusion appeared on Shi Yu’s face.

“What’s not right?” I sneered.

“With such a pitiable Miss Song,” he curled his lips, “how could I bear to kill you?”

His demeanor was completely different from his previous submissiveness. At this moment, Shi Yu’s eyes were filled with both provocation and mockery, as if the one chained up was not him, but me.

This man had finally torn off his mask.

This was the real Shi Yu.

In the First Life, when he wore that White Tuxedo, he had this very same expression as he threw me off the Rooftop.

“Tell me, what makes me pitiable?” I toyed with the Chains in my hand.

“Since childhood, you were never valued by your family. Even your name was given because they wanted a boy. Even when you later changed a character, you could never escape the suffering carved into your bones. Despised as a burden by everyone, you could only cling to your kind Uncle, but as soon as you grew up, even he became distant. You wanted to get a good diploma to prove yourself, but your talent was mediocre; no matter how hard you tried, you could not surpass others. You failed in your studies and your career, your only fate was to be trampled like an ant. In the end, you pinned all your hopes on a Boyfriend from a decent family, and not long ago, even he broke up with you.”

“Miss Song, your life no longer holds any hope at all.”

Shi Yu looked up at me, his eyes full of pity.

This filthy and twisted man was actually sincerely pitying me.

He had been spying on me for three years, monitoring me for three years-he knew everything about my life.

I clenched my fists, then slowly relaxed them.

It didn’t matter.

Now, I was the one in control.

“Is that so?” I stretched out a finger and lifted his chin. “If it wasn’t to kill me, why did you install so much Surveillance in my home? Why did you investigate my background so thoroughly? Or could it be, deep down, that among thousands of ants, I am the most special one to you?”
Shi Yu was slightly startled, his gaze fixed and silent.

Oh, I hit the mark.

“Mr. Neighbor,” my fingertip slowly slid along his neck, “could it be that you want me?”

The man’s previously steady breathing grew erratic.

The skin beneath my fingertip became burning hot.

“But you’re not worthy, you know.” I let him go, regretfully.

“How am I not worthy?” Shi Yu let out a low laugh. “We’re clearly the same kind.”

“What do you mean?” My expression cooled.

“If you looked in the mirror, you’d see your eyes right now are overflowing with madness, loss of control, and murderous intent.” Shi Yu stared intently at me. “You’re just like me-you’ve killed before, your hands stained with blood, right?”

I was stunned for a moment, then turned my head aside, trying to hide my emotions, but couldn’t help laughing, my shoulders trembling, nearly breathless.

Under Shi Yu’s slightly puzzled gaze, I forced myself to stop laughing and nodded. “Mr. Neighbor, you’re so clever. Not long ago, I really did kill someone. I stabbed him again and again, then stomped on his head until it was crushed and shattered. His blood splattered all over me-sticky, stinking, disgusting.”

And that person was you.

Shi Yu fancied himself so sharp, recognizing at a glance that I had killed, yet never imagined that the person I killed was him.

I laughed out loud again.

There was nothing in the world more amusing than this.

Shi Yu laughed along, “I’ve killed, you’ve killed. I spied on you, you imprisoned me. The two of us are truly a match made in heaven-so perfectly suited.”

The smile slowly froze on my face.

This man is really skilled at provoking me.

I leaned toward Shi Yu, my tone softening: “You want me that much? Which part of me attracts you? My body? My face? When you peeped at me, did you prefer watching me shower, or watching me with my boyfriend?”

Shi Yu’s smile was unrestrained: “Yes, I want you. Every minute and every second, I want you. Every part of you fascinates me. I’ve carefully admired every inch of your body. I even made my favorite surveillance footage into photos and videos, which I revisit again and again. The way you gently caress yourself, wet and soft, every frame is seared into my mind, appearing in my dreams night after night-sexy and lingering.”

Kill him.

A voice screamed madly in my mind.

I want to kill him so badly.

I tried to calm my breath, my fingertip brushing his lower abdomen. “Let’s play a game, shall we?”

“Sure.” Shi Yu’s gaze was as tender as a lover’s. “Whatever you want to play, I’ll play with you.”

“Next, if you can keep quiet without making a sound, you win.” I slowly pulled down his pants, then picked up a pair of scissors, smiling brightly. “If you make a sound, I win.”

Shi Yu seemed to guess what I intended to do. His expression instantly stiffened.

The cold scissors slowly trailed across his lower abdomen, inch by inch, moving downward.

I bent down and gently blew on that part, as if soothing a wounded young beast.

Soon, it hardened and rose at a speed visible to the naked eye, large and hideous.

“Oh my, you scared me.” I covered my mouth in mock alarm.

Shi Yu’s chest rose and fell violently. Though he said nothing, his face was nearly out of control.

“It’s alright. Soon, you won’t scare me anymore.”

I gripped the scissors tightly, the alarm on my face slowly shifting to delight.

Then came a clean, crisp sound-snip.

Dark red blood gushed out, staining my dress.

Shi Yu, who had been gritting his teeth, could no longer suppress it, letting out a muffled, low roar.

Poor man, his throat so hoarse that even his roar was weak and powerless.

At least it wouldn’t alarm the neighbors.

“You lost.” I sighed in disappointment.

I thought this man would really be able to endure it in silence.

Shi Yu couldn’t utter a word, his body convulsing violently, skin a strange shade of white, his delicate features twisted together, his teeth biting his lower lip until it bled, his previously styled hair now a mess again, blood and sweat covering him from head to toe-a picture of utter misery.

I raised my foot and stepped hard on that still-warm piece of flesh.

The male organ, which had just been erect, was now crushed and trampled under my foot.

My heart thudded fiercely in my chest.

A pure ecstasy spread through my body.

Like a young girl tasting first love for the very first time.

Only, what I tasted was an even more wonderful desire for destruction.

Yes, why kill him?

I should torment him, ruin him, destroy him.

A man on the brink of death, utterly defeated, excites me much more than a cold corpse ever could.

I gazed at him tenderly, beaming: “Now, do you still want me?”