Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Clutching the Return-to-Life Decree handwritten by King Yan himself, I stood there grinning like an idiot for a long, long time.

For a ghost who had died an unnatural death, getting the chance to return to the living world was no easy thing.

All these years, King Yan had been afraid I might take revenge on society. He wouldn’t even let me appear in someone’s dreams, let alone go wander around the mortal realm.

After crossing Naihe Bridge, I returned to the world I had left behind for so many years.

I transformed back into my original appearance and walked the road home, imagining the look on Zhou Yanzhi’s face when he saw me.

When I reached the entrance of the residential complex, Zhou Yanzhi’s smiling profile crashed into my view without warning.

He wore a trench coat in that lazy way of his, his figure as tall and straight as it had been the year I left.

As if sensing someone was looking at him, Zhou Yanzhi turned his head coldly in my direction.

I could only duck behind a pillar in a panic.

At that moment, a girl’s gentle voice drifted into my ears. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Yanzhi’s voice was steady. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

I squatted where I was and took a moment to process this by myself.

First, Zhou Yanzhi was in love.

Second, his girlfriend was pretty good-looking.

After thinking it over, I decided not to ask Zhou Yanzhi for money.

When I was alive, I had quite a bit in savings. All that money had now ended up in Zhou Yanzhi’s hands.

Rather than let him use my hard-earned money to woo his new wife, I might as well spend it myself.

I had intended to sneak into the home we used to share.

But the door lock code had been changed. It was no longer my birthday.

I tried several dates that had special meaning. None of them worked.

Sure enough, once a person was gone, so was the warmth they left behind.

My gaze swept over the shoe rack on the floor.

My heart stirred.

My shoes. Zhou Yanzhi hadn’t thrown away a single pair.

Every pair had been scrubbed clean, as if their original owner were still cherishing and wearing them.

After a moment’s thought, I entered the date of my death.

The door opened.

Following my memory, I found the box where we had kept our important assets.

It was completely empty.

All the household savings had been used by Zhou Yanzhi to buy ghost money and burn it for me.

Fortunately, the diamond ring he had used to propose to me back then was still there.

If I sold it, I could get a decent amount of money.

At the jewelry store, Zhou Yanzhi and his new girlfriend were picking out diamond rings.

I hadn’t expected to run into them here. I pulled my hat brim lower and hid in an inconspicuous corner.

Zhou Yanzhi’s mild, indifferent voice reached my ears from time to time.

“No matter how expensive it is, as long as you like it.”

I looked at the diamond ring in my palm and curled my lip.

He had said the exact same thing to me back then.

Zhou Yanzhi patiently accompanied his girlfriend for a long time before a phone call summoned him away.

Before leaving, he gave her his card, pinched her cheek, and said in a doting tone, “If you see anything you like, buy it.”

Once he was gone, I let out a breath of relief and walked up to the counter. “Could you please help me see how much this is worth?”

Zhou Yanzhi’s girlfriend leaned closer to take a look, her eyes lighting up. “Miss, this ring of yours is so beautiful.”

Curious, I asked, “What should I call you?”

She smiled shyly. “My name is Cheng Yi. I came with my boyfriend.”

I gave a soft oh.

Looking at her up close, I kept feeling as if she looked somewhat familiar.

After asking for my permission, Cheng Yi carefully held the ring in her palm and examined it. “Are you planning to sell it?”

“My family has run into some trouble. I urgently need the money.”

She sounded regretful. “This ring is a limited edition from a major brand. Even if you have the money now, you might not be able to buy one.”

Was it really that expensive?

I turned it over and over in my hand. Aside from the diamond being large, I couldn’t see anything special about it.

The appraiser confirmed Cheng Yi’s words. “This is a diamond from the glacier collection. It takes millions of years to form a single stone like this. You rarely see them on the market.”

I asked carefully, “How much do you think it could be worth?”

The appraiser said regretfully that because the owner had not taken very good care of it and the diamond was damaged, it was no longer worth as much as it had been back then.

Even so, the price was still considerable. It would be enough to pay off half my loan.

Cheng Yi’s eyes brightened, and she looked at me. “If you really want to sell it, why not sell it to me?”

I paused, then smiled faintly. “I only accept cash.”