Chapter 354: I Missed You So Much, I Came to Surrender
She pulled up the daytime surveillance footage. Other than White Sesame attempting to break out and beat up Chili—only to be scolded back by Black Sesame—there was nothing unusual, and certainly no strangers entering.
Su Tao calmly finished her dinner and waited until nightfall. She didn’t catch a thief—but she did catch Cen Tianjiao.
Cen Tianjiao seemed to have a thousand words to say, but when he opened his mouth, only one sentence came out:
“Our boss… wants to see you.”
At first, when he sobered up, he thought seeing Boss Shi that night was just a hallucination from thinking about him too much.
But when he saw Boss Shi again the next evening—despite being completely sober—he realized it was real.
In his shock, he learned everything.
Their boss was indeed dead, but also not dead. To be precise—he was a ghost.
Su Tao froze in disbelief.
“He’s back? Already? Didn’t Sister Pei say it would take at least a year?”
She couldn’t help but stand up while speaking, even heading to the door to change her shoes.
Cen Tianjiao quickly pulled her back.
“No, no—he wants to meet you here. Don’t be scared, no matter how he looks, our boss would never hurt you.”
Seeing Su Tao nod curiously, Cen Tianjiao turned to the wall and called out:
“Boss, come out now. I’ve prepared her mentally.”
The next second, Su Tao saw Shi Zijin stepping through the wall in casual clothes, looking no different than usual. He slowly approached her.
He didn’t dare get too close—stopping about three or four steps away. With a bright smile Su Tao had never seen before—one that outshone the stars—he said:
“Good evening.”
Su Tao felt a rush of emotions—joy and shock intertwining.
She took a big step toward him, reaching out. But the moment she touched him, he scattered like smoke—only to quickly reform.
Su Tao’s eyes widened. “You—”
Shi Zijin chuckled wryly. “As you can see, I’m a wandering ghost now.”
Cen Tianjiao loudly reassured her, “Boss Su, don’t be afraid!”
Shi Zijin playfully swung a slap at him.
Su Tao hesitated for a moment but adjusted quickly. Something clicked in her mind, and she suddenly laughed:
“I think I get it. Ages ago, you told me you inherited an ability called ‘Resentful Soul.’ Is this the reason?”
Shi Zijin was surprised, his eyes fixed on her intently.
Cen Tianjiao gave her a thumbs-up. “Boss Su, you’ve got a great memory.”
Su Tao shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s just… after your ability awakened, you changed so much—it left a deep impression. Besides, the past couple of nights, I kept feeling like someone was sneaking into my house. Was that you?” She turned her gaze to Shi Zijin.
He immediately surrendered. “I didn’t steal anything. Do I look like I need worldly possessions in this state?”
“So, you admit it?”
“Alright, fine—I admit it. I missed you too much.”
Cen Tianjiao shuddered. You didn’t steal anything—but you sure stole her heart.
And with that, he quietly slipped away.
Neither Su Tao nor Shi Zijin even noticed his departure.
Su Tao crossed her arms. “Stop saying things that mess with my heart. Why didn’t you tell me the truth earlier?”
Shi Zijin shamelessly scooted closer and sat beside her.
“You were so busy during the day, and I could only appear at night—I couldn’t bear to wake you. Today, Cen Tianjiao told me you were finally free, so I rushed over to surrender myself.”
“Since you’re surrendering, I’ll go easy on you. You can roam around the living room at night—but no sneaking into my bedroom.”
Shi Zijin immediately sprawled on the living room sofa and flashed an “OK” gesture at her.
“By the way—can you turn on the TV for me? I don’t need to eat or sleep anymore, and I’m really bored. If you get a chance, can you find some pre-apocalypse dramas for me? I like anime—but if that’s hard to find, K-dramas will do. I remember watching one with my mom when I was a kid. It’s about a woman who gets abandoned by her husband, gets plastic surgery, and comes back for revenge on him and the homewrecker…”
Su Tao stared at him, dumbfounded. “Major Shi—is this really you? Are you sure you’re not some otaku pretending to be you? You actually want to watch anime and soap operas?”
The Shi Zijin she remembered was all business—no fun. The only “games” he ever played were military simulations for combat training.
And now he wanted to binge anime and revenge dramas.
Shi Zijin half-closed his eyes like a lazy cat.
“To be honest—I’ve always wanted to be a homebody. Reality just never let me. What’s so great about the outside world? It’s full of ruin and chaos.”
Su Tao was fascinated. “So… this is the real you? I always thought you enjoyed the applause and admiration that came with being a hero.”
Shi Zijin tilted his head and smiled at her.
His features, once rugged from years of harsh living and sun exposure, now appeared refined—almost like a pampered aristocrat. In this ghostly form, he lacked the rough edges of his former self.
And that smile—it dazzled Su Tao.
“At first, I did. What kid doesn’t dream of being a hero? But after a while, it becomes a prison—a cage you willingly lock yourself in.”
His smile faded slightly, and he looked at her more seriously. “Can you accept this version of me?”
Su Tao teased, “Smile again, and I’ll tell you.”
“Hm?”
“Smile for me, and I’ll tell you my answer.”
Without hesitation, Shi Zijin gave her the brightest smile—one that even revealed his teeth. Gone was the dignified major—he looked nothing like a man of authority.
Su Tao was momentarily stunned by his charm.
“You know,” she murmured, “I’ve never seen you smile like this before. It’s… really nice.”
“The Shi Zijin I knew before—he was like a man from the heavens. So selfless that I could only look up to him.”
“You would never show this side of yourself to ordinary people like me. So yes—I like the real you much better.”
“Even if I can’t touch you right now… somehow, you feel closer.”
Shi Zijin gazed at her, his heart blooming with warmth.
He was utterly intoxicated—not by power, not by freedom—but by her kindness, her understanding, and the gentle world she offered him.
