Chapter 105: Love—An Obsession
“Xiaoling, what’s wrong?”
Seeing something off in her expression, the woman’s boyfriend looked displeasedly at Su Keke. “What did you say to her?”
Su Keke couldn’t help feeling a bit short of breath. “I-I just…”
How was she supposed to put it? I was just curious what exactly your girlfriend is…
Behind Su Keke, Qin Mochen took a long-legged step forward. He looked at the man in front of him, releasing an oppressive pressure without a sound. “My girl wants to have a talk with your girlfriend. For your own good, it’s best that you step aside.”
The young man snapped. “You two are really ridiculous! My girlfriend and I were just sitting here, and you two came up out of nowhere. I don’t even know what that little girlfriend of yours said to mine to scare her like this! Leave now, or I’m calling the police!”
Qin Mochen frowned slightly.
The woman’s face was still pale, but she had already collected herself. She quickly grabbed her boyfriend. “Yuehui! Don’t make trouble.”
She steadied her emotions and smiled again. “I know this little girl. She was just joking with me. Oh right, Yuehui—didn’t I say I wanted popcorn? Go buy me a bucket. Caramel flavor.”
Chen Yuehui asked hesitantly, “Xiaoling, you really know these two? Did she threaten you just now, so you want to send me away? If something’s going on, tell me. Don’t hide it from me.”
Zhao Xiaoling smiled and punched his arm lightly. “Yuehui, have you been watching too many movies? There are people everywhere. What could they do to me? And this little girl—does she look like a bad person?”
Chen Yuehui looked at Su Keke’s small face—still a bit baby-fat—with bright, shining black eyes.
She really… didn’t.
“No. She can stay, but this man has to go with me.” Chen Yuehui stared at Qin Mochen, wary.
Su Keke looked at her uncle. “Then Uncle, go with him to buy popcorn. I suddenly want some too, hehe. I want butter flavor.”
Qin Mochen: …
“Did you forget you’re here to digest? And you still dare to eat?” Qin Mochen patted her little belly lightly.
Su Keke sucked in her stomach at once. “Flat, right? It seems like it’s already digested.”
Qin Mochen glanced at her, too lazy to expose her. “Buy a small one.”
Su Keke’s face instantly lit up. “Okay, okay!”
Qin Mochen added, “I’m hungry too. You get twenty pieces— I’ll eat the rest.”
Su Keke’s smile froze. “Uncle, why are you like this?”
Qin Mochen hooked the corner of his mouth and looked at the man. “Let’s go.”
After seeing how Qin Mochen and Su Keke interacted, Chen Yuehui’s earlier suspicion was gone. Someone who could show that kind of gentle, indulgent expression—how could he be a bad person?
After they walked a bit, Chen Yuehui glanced back and said to Qin Mochen, “I can tell you and your little girlfriend have a great relationship.”
Qin Mochen’s brows tightened, then relaxed. “She’s only eighteen. And I’m a full ten years older than her.”
So why did you all assume it was that kind of relationship?
Chen Yuehui said, “That’s why I called her ‘little girlfriend.’ What—am I wrong?”
Qin Mochen felt there was no need to explain further on this point.
He changed the subject and asked, “Have you felt that your girlfriend’s behavior has been abnormal these past few days?”
Chen Yuehui stopped abruptly and frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
Qin Mochen said evenly, “I think you understand what I mean. Your expression has already given you away.”
Chen Yuehui fell silent at once.
Abnormal behavior…
Xiaoling really had been acting a bit abnormal these past two days.
She hadn’t worn much makeup before, but lately she liked heavy makeup, and she sprayed a very strong perfume.
She didn’t like going out in the daytime anymore, saying she was afraid of tanning. If she had to go out, she insisted on carrying an umbrella, and she also wore a lot more clothing.
And her walking had slowed down a lot; sometimes it even gave him the sense that her limbs were stiff.
But aside from these oddities, everything else seemed the same. She was still the Xiaoling he loved…
The little popcorn stall was about a ten-minute walk from the plaza—twenty minutes round trip, enough time for two women to talk.
Su Keke sat down beside Zhao Xiaoling. “Don’t be nervous. I can tell you don’t have resentment or baleful aura on you, and your boyfriend shows no signs of having his essence drained. So the question I asked you just now—I was only curious.”
“Is that so? I thought you were here to take me away. Didn’t expect you’re an expert at such a young age.” Zhao Xiaoling tugged at the corner of her mouth. The smile looked a bit stiff.
She knew her smile looked ugly now. After all, this body was already dead—she couldn’t produce many expressions anymore.
When Yuehui was around, she tried hard to smile the way she used to, though it was exhausting. Now that he wasn’t here, she didn’t want to pretend.
Lowering her head, the woman looked somewhat lonely. “Yes. I’ve been dead for two days. I was dazed and fell down the stairs—when I died, no one even noticed.
Yuehui and I finally made it through the hard times. The day before my accident, he had just proposed to me. I don’t want to leave him. I can’t bear to…”
Su Keke listened quietly, not interrupting.
“After I died, I met a master. He saw that my obsession hadn’t been resolved, so he used a secret method to send me back into my body. I promised that master I would stay with Yuehui for the last three days, and after three days I would let go of my obsession.
And today is the last day.”
Zhao Xiaoling touched her face. “Every day when I go home, I turn the air conditioner down to the lowest setting. But even so, livor mortis has started appearing on me, and the corpse smell is getting stronger. So I can only use thick foundation and heavy perfume to cover the abnormalities.
I know Yuehui has actually noticed something is off about me, but he hasn’t asked anything.”
Su Keke didn’t understand romance, but from Zhao Xiaoling’s perspective—if she replaced “lover” with “Master”—if she and Master had to part by life and death, she surely wouldn’t be willing either. Only—
“The dead can’t return to life. Why force it?”
Zhao Xiaoling’s lips moved slightly. “Little sister, you’re overthinking it. I just died too suddenly and didn’t get to properly say goodbye. I know this is something that can’t be forced.”
Looking at a few children playing in the distance, her voice was as light as a murmur. “Don’t worry. Once today passes, I’ll leave—even if I can’t bear it.”
This was the agreement she had with that master: he helped her fulfill the wish of staying with her boyfriend for three days, and afterward she would help him with something.
Su Keke thought for a moment and comforted her, “Even if you and he are fated to have no chance in this life, the bond between you has already formed. In the next life, perhaps you can still be lovers.”
“Really?” She smiled. The smile was still stiff, but there was longing in her eyes, as if life had returned to them.
