Volume One, Chapter Six: My Body Has Appeared

“She's probably still sulking; she’ll come back on her own in a few days.”
Jiang Ze frowned. “It’s been a week already, and you haven’t contacted her?”
Bo Congnan leaned his elbow on the railing. “Since when have you seen me comfort a woman?”
“What if she’s alone and encounters danger outside? You…”
Bo Congnan impatiently cut him off, “She’s an adult—what could possibly happen to her?”
Jiang Ze sighed helplessly. “Don’t blame me for overreacting, but in the past month, the Nanjiang precinct has received multiple reports from various locations about single women being stalked by perverts. Three have already been murdered.”
“Congnan, if Zhi Yi really got into trouble, you wouldn’t even have time to regret it.”
Regret?
I stared at Bo Congnan’s angry face.
Bo Congnan, if only you knew—
While you cheered because your sister won the competition, I had already lost my head and become a headless female corpse.
Would you regret it?
Bo Congnan clearly did not want to discuss this topic.
“You’re probably just too sensitive because of work. Zhi Yi won’t get into trouble.”
His birthday was just a few days away; Shen Zhi Yi would surely come back to celebrate with him.
Seeing that persuasion was futile, Jiang Ze gave up.
Before hanging up, he couldn’t help but remind, “If you can’t reach Zhi Yi or find her, remember to report it to the police.”
Following his instincts as a policeman, Jiang Ze had a strong feeling something was wrong.
But there was nothing he could do with this young master.

The bathroom was shrouded in mist.
Meng Xiangyi wrapped her arms around Bo Congnan’s waist from behind, her voice soft. “Tonight, can you stay and keep me company?”
Bo Congnan had originally intended just to greet Meng Xiangyi and leave.
Unexpectedly, she was showering.
Without any hesitation, she pressed her naked body against him.
Bo Congnan clung to his last shred of reason and refused, “It’s too late; someone might find out.”
Meng Xiangyi lightly brushed her toes against his ankle, her tone no longer cold but tinged with a coquettish softness. “How about we go to Zhi Yi’s room? She’s not home; no one will notice.”
Bo Congnan casually grabbed a bathrobe, wrapped it around Meng Xiangyi, and turned to enter my room.
Soon, muffled voices came from the small balcony of my room.
I chuckled softly and turned away.
Such a thrill-seeker.
And to choose a place like this.
Having witnessed so many betrayals firsthand,
my heart seemed numb, even pain had become a habit.
I didn’t follow inside but stood in the hall, gazing absentmindedly at the swirling snow outside the window.

I don’t know how long I’ll keep following Bo Congnan, nor how to process the emotions within me.
Where exactly should I go from here?

…

The Jiang family held an unassailable position in City A.
To celebrate the Jiang Group’s seventieth anniversary, the family patriarch specially hosted a banquet.
Though called a family banquet, it was in truth a networking dinner.
City A’s high society and influential figures gathered in droves.
Luxury cars, beautiful women, and champagne were everywhere, as if stepping into a gilded box, shining with gold at every turn.
Given the Shen family’s status, I originally should not have attended this dinner.
But since I married Bo Congnan, and the Shen family was now connected to the Bo family, attendance was naturally permitted.
Meng Xiangyi had just won the MB 12-hour endurance race championship and immediately became the center of attention.
“That must be the real Miss Shen. Truly extraordinary.”
“Indeed. She’s a national racing champion, incredibly formidable. No wonder that delicate fake couldn’t compare.”
“No wonder Bo rarely bothered to attend his own wedding and instead turned to support this one. After all, she’s the rightful one—maybe the fake even stole his fiancé.”
After being abandoned at my wedding, I became the imposter.
If I hadn’t been swapped into the Shen family from the start, I never would have met Bo Congnan.
The one who married him might have been Meng Xiangyi.
Perhaps I wouldn’t have died so miserably.
But all these were just my imagined “what-ifs.”

Shen Yikang opened his mouth to say something but was shot a hateful glance by Fang Lanru. “So eager to defend yourself—are you still thinking about the seductress outside?”
Shen Yikang hated hearing that subject and instantly fell silent.
Bo Congnan’s eyes were filled with Meng Xiangyi, deaf to such words.
Though anger simmered in my heart, I could only listen silently.
At times like this, there wasn’t even a single person to speak up for me.
How pitiful.

Until someone approached, and the surrounding chatter quieted.
Among a crowd of men in suits, Jiang Ze was dressed casually.
He wore a black fleece jacket above and matching dark pants below.
Known for his integrity, he loathed gossip most of all.
Therefore, his arrival noticeably quieted the room.
Meng Xiangyi smiled as she saw him approach. “Hello, Jiang Ze, I’m Zhi Yi’s sister.”
Meng Xiangyi was very outgoing. Since returning to the Shen family, she deliberately got close to Bo Congnan and won his favor. Even many of Bo’s close friends had nothing but praise for her.
Some even secretly admired her.
Her charm was evident.

Jiang Ze glanced at her outstretched hand, nodded slightly in response.
Meng Xiangyi seemed surprised by his indifferent attitude.
She withdrew her hand calmly, fingers curling slightly in her palm.
Jiang Ze scanned around Bo Congnan, seemingly searching for someone.
After looking around, his gaze finally settled on Bo Congnan. “Still haven’t reached Zhi Yi?”
Bo Congnan didn’t notice Meng Xiangyi’s odd expression. “Stop worrying about her all the time. Why don’t you care about me for a change?”
Mentioning Shen Zhi Yi always vexed Bo Congnan.
His temper flared—after all these days, she hadn’t even called once.
Though she was cold by nature, she always treated him differently.
Even if she disliked small talk, she used to call him three times a day to ask if he’d eaten well.
But now she’d been gone for so long without a single call!
The more she acted this way, the more Bo Congnan refused to back down, his anger only growing.
Jiang Ze replied coolly, “You’re eating and drinking fine; you don’t need my concern.”
“…”
Bo Congnan was about to say something when the patriarch’s speech interrupted them.
The old man, leaning on his cane, walked to the center of the courtyard.
The Jiang family, especially the patriarch, were devout Buddhists, so a large Buddha statue stood at the courtyard’s center.
The Buddha’s gentle and kind face had downcast eyes, sitting serenely and solemnly in the middle.
Turning his back to the statue, the patriarch stroked his white beard and spoke in a measured tone, “Welcome everyone to the Jiang family’s seventieth anniversary…”
I didn’t pay attention to what he said.
Standing beside Bo Congnan, my gaze was involuntarily drawn to the Buddha statue.
I looked up, meeting the Buddha’s half-lowered gaze.
For some reason, my heart trembled—a profound shock from deep within my soul.
I stepped forward slowly, as if drawn by some unseen force.
Until a terrified female voice rang in my ears.
“Look! Isn’t someone kneeling over there?”
I suddenly realized, lowering my eyes.
The next second, I gasped in shock and covered my mouth, stepping back.
It was—
My own corpse!