Midnight Bookstore

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

Zhou Ze believed he must have imagined it. He had just heard the story of a ghost dog from the drunk man, and the streetlights were dark, so it was understandable if he had seen it wrong.

-Yeah, that must be it.-

Zhou Ze was not Celestial Master Zhang from Longhu Mountain. He knew he was a little too kind-hearted. He could not force himself to change. Otherwise, he would have strangled the little girl to death that morning.

As for whether he would strangle the little girl to death, or he would have ended up being strangled to death by the little girl, he would never know the answer.

Since he could not change himself, it was better for him to stay out of trouble as best as he could, and just ignore everything he saw if he could.

The dog had already troubled the man for seven years, which meant it should be the seven-year itch now.

If the dog really wanted to hurt the man, she would have done so long ago. As for what she was really up to, Zhou Ze could not care less.

The woman had paid for the drink and compensated him for the loss of his book. She was straightforward when paying the money. It was nothing but a casual encounter.

However, it was Zhou Ze’s first time realizing that there were actually lots of ridiculous things happening in his world. Perhaps it was because he was a ghost now, instead of a human. He was seeing the world differently.

“What is it?” Doctor Lin walked to the door too.

Zhou Ze smiled, “I’m relieved that I’m not Spiderman, and I don’t have an uncle that suddenly said to me, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’”

Doctor Lin had no idea what he was referring to. She said, “It’s time for me to go home.”

It was getting late. It was indeed time for her to go home.

“Not going to stay any longer?”

“I might have to work tomorrow still,” Doctor Lin put on her scarf.

“You can ask for a leave,” Zhou Ze said.

“It’s not convenient.”

“You’re not willing to?”

Doctor Lin frowned. It was her first time feeling pressured by Zhou Ze. She did not know what to do.

“You are my wife,” Zhou Ze looked Doctor Lin in the eyes and said in a serious voice.

Doctor Lin took half a step back, “Yesterday, you said…”

He had said their relationship was coming to an end just the day before!

“Yesterday was yesterday,” Zhou Ze took half a step forward, “I’m still your husband before I put my signature on the papers, so I want you to stay with me!”

Zhou Ze’s voice was getting louder.

Doctor Lin did not speak, frozen in place.

A strong annoyance rose in Zhou Ze’s heart. He reached out his hand, pinched Doctor Lin’s chin, and lifted it flirtatiously.

Doctor Lin stared back at him with a calm face. Her red lips, in particular, were dazzling. She was gorgeous, really gorgeous. Her attractive face and her outstanding temperament blended perfectly, giving her a soothing charm.

Zhou Ze lowered his head and kissed her on the lips

He was quite rough like a beast revealing its true nature, and the woman before him was his prey.

Doctor Lin raised her hand as if she was going to give the man a slap to his face. However, she slowly lowered her hand.

Tears were rolling in the corner of her eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

Their lips parted.

Zhou Ze lifted his gaze and looked at Lin Wanqiu, “Do you think I will feel guilty if you cry? Do you think seeing you cry is going to make me stop? I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter if you’re crying today. You are my wife, and I am your husband! Look at your parents, how did they treat me? Look at your sister, what did she think of me? Look at you, noble, beautiful, aloof; you are a goddess, you have no concern for trivial matters! You even sleep in a different bed in the bedroom! You are married, you are already someone’s wife, yet you are still protecting your virginity; do you think you’re worthy still?

“I know I’m an idiot. In the eyes of your family, I’m nothing but a useless idiot!”

Zhou Ze grabbed Doctor Lin’s throat with one hand and pushed her to the side of the counter. He took off Doctor Lin’s jacket.

“I’m going to teach you how a wife should behave!”

“Xu Le…” Doctor Lin did not resist. She looked at Zhou Ze coldly, “You…you asshole…”

“Hehe,” Zhou Ze grinned. He did not seem bothered. He took off his jacket and pressed Doctor Lin down on the counter.

He was rough and unreasonable.

The dried woods had been stacked up. The slightest sparkle would have set the stack on fire.

Zhou Ze was the stack of wood!

The woman had a nice scent. Her skin was tender, her body was soft. Everything about her was so pleasant and so alluring…

——

Zhou Ze suddenly stopped and staggered a few steps back.

Doctor Lin was lying on the counter in front of him. Her clothes were untidy. Meanwhile, Zhou Ze was panting heavily.

Hang on…

How did this happen?

Doctor Lin lay on the counter with her eyes wide open, but she did not resist.

She felt guilty about what her family had forced Xu Le into. She was an independent, strong woman, but she found the environment she was living in contradicted the teachings of her parents.

Her parents had forced her to marry Xu Le by threatening to kill themselves just so they could have grandchildren soon. However, she insisted on sticking to her principles. She already had a man she loved in her heart, even though the man had died in an accident half a year ago. Even though the man might have totally forgotten about her, even though the man was totally unaware that she had been stalking him for a few years after she had completed her internship.

If he was to describe Doctor Lin’s actions like a middle school textbook, it would be “Doctor Lin chose to submit to feudalism in her life, yet she was not willing to keep living like that. She had her own principles and beliefs.”

It was also the reason why she did not resist, despite her unwillingness, even when Zhou Ze was forcing himself on her, she believed she had no right to resist. Zhou Ze was her husband, and the things she had done after their marriage were totally unacceptable as a wife.

She did not agree with it, but she did not resist.

“Put on your clothes, put on your clothes now!” Zhou Ze yelled at her as she lay on the counter.

Lin Wanqiu was startled. She sat upright and stared at Zhou Ze in disbelief. She had already accepted her fate.

“I haven’t done anything to you, stop acting like you have just been forced. Put on your clothes now, and leave!”

Doctor Lin quietly put on her clothes and tidied herself up in front of the mirror. She poured a hot cup of water for Zhou Ze and left without looking at him.

Zhou Ze sat on the floor. He was utterly confused.

He could still feel her body heat on his lips and his palms. He did not know why he had stopped, why he did not continue…

He was clearly enjoying it, he was looking forward to it, he indulged in it…

Yet for some reason, he did not feel right, as if it was not something he actually wanted.

He was going to ‘sleep with her’, and she had agreed, but it was completely different than what he had imagined.

Zhou Ze struggled to his feet. He picked up the cup and took a sip, before spitting the water out. It was boiling hot. She did not even put some cold water in to cool it down.

He threw the cup onto the ground. He began to look at his surroundings, trying to recall everything he did and said.

He clenched his fists and loosened his grip, before clenching them again.

He went into the washroom and turned on the tap. He rinsed his head under the tap.

He needed to calm down, and not just the heat his body was feeling, but the fire inside his heart.

Not everyone could resist taking a cold shower in winter. Zhou Ze raised his head and felt a sudden dizziness.

He looked into the mirror and saw his reflection.

Zhou Ze grabbed the edges of the basin firmly and panted heavily. He slowly raised his head and murmured, “It’s you! It must be you, asshole! You prick! It’s you that’s influencing me, you’re trying to control me! You piece of trash, you scum!” Zhou Ze swore into the mirror.

Yeah, it was definitely not him, what he did was way out of character. The strange desire, the unreasonable words, the unusual urges…

It was not as simple as his needs.

The guy that he initially thought had gone to Hell, the guy that no longer existed in this world…

The guy was influencing him!

He did not leave; he was still hiding nearby, or even hiding inside his body!

He was useless and weak. He was looked down on for his whole life. He did not dare to resist, he did not dare to lift his head, and after he died, he simply hid in a corner, waiting to provoke someone to get his revenge on his wife!

He was relying on someone else to take his revenge on his wife!

“I once felt sorry for you, and guilty for what happened to you,” Zhou Ze murmured, “But I now realize that a pitiful man has detestable things about him, too. It actually serves you right!”

Zhou Ze raised his fist and slammed it into the mirror.

The mirror cracked.

Zhou Ze’s hand was bleeding. Fresh blood fell into the basin.

The broken mirror reflected Zhou Ze’s face.

-Hang on…-

It was Xu Le’s face….

Zhou Ze froze, as did the man in the mirror.

The eyes of the man in the mirror suddenly flickered viciously. “Yo, you’ve found me in the end.”