Xie Chouzhuang never imagined he would be betrayed by Min Shuang. They had grown up together, and Min Shuang had always treated him well. If they hadn’t come to this godforsaken village, their friendship might have continued indefinitely.
Unfortunately, there are no “ifs” in life. Friendship, in the end, had to make way for survival.
Min Shuang clearly knew that the chosen person was meant to enter into a “Ghost Marriage Contract,” yet he hadn’t uttered a single word of warning. He had watched with his own eyes as Xie Chouzhuang drank the chicken soup laced with sleeping sedatives.
Despite there being a signal in the mountains, Min Shuang didn’t call the police. Instead, he conspired with the villagers to force Xie Chouzhuang into a marriage contract with the deceased Li Sen, simply because Min Shuang himself did not want to die.
So, does that mean I deserve to die?
Xie Chouzhuang was nearly driven mad with rage. Although he had escaped the coffin, he was now being watched by Ji Sixian and he still couldn’t tell if that being was a man or a ghost.
Xie Chouzhuang looked at the jade ring around his neck and reached up to touch it. Ultimately, he chose not to take it off.
The villagers who passed away were likely buried here; the area was littered with earthen mounds of various sizes. Fortunately, such a place was safe in its own way—at least he wouldn’t run into any living villagers.
Gasping from the sharp pain, Xie Chouzhuang tore a piece of fabric from his red bridal robe and wrapped it around his bloody fingertips. The mere effort caused him to break into a cold sweat.
It would take an entire morning to walk out of the village, and with his current physical strength, he wouldn’t last until he reached the town. At this moment, finding a phone to call the police was his best option.
The Return
A crimson sun hung in the sky, scorching the earth as heatwaves rolled over the ground. Since it was noon, most of the villagers remained indoors. Attempting to get a phone now would be nearly impossible.
Xie Chouzhuang waited until the afternoon. When the majority of the villagers had headed out to labor in their fields, he stealthily crept back toward the home of Min Shuang’s distant cousin via a small path.
He chose this house because he was familiar with the layout and because it was located in a secluded area.
Xie Chouzhuang pulled a small piece of wire from the corner of the wall and fiddled with the locked door for a few moments.
Click.
The door opened. Upon entering the room, he saw his mobile phone sitting brazenly on the table next to the main hall. He snatched the phone, returned to the graveyard by the same route, and immediately called the police.
The Arrival of the Xie Family
Far away in Hua Ting, the Xie family was furious when they received the call from the police. They immediately applied for a flight route and arrived by helicopter overnight.
They never expected that Xie Chouzhuang’s summer vacation would lead to such a disaster, nearly costing him his life.
When Xie Chouzhuang’s mother, Xi Yuyan, arrived at the hospital and saw her precious son’s bloody hands, she covered her mouth and burst into tears.
“My baby, you’ve suffered so much! Who on earth did this to you?!”
“Ma’am, please calm down. We need to understand the situation first,” a police officer said, waiting until the nurse had finished bandaging Xie Chouzhuang’s wounds before beginning the questioning.
Xie Chouzhuang gave his mother a reassuring pat. “Min Shuang did it. It’s a custom in their village if a single person dies, they choose someone to enter a Ghost Marriage Contract. Min Shuang was the one chosen, so he conspired with the Village Head to drug me. When I woke up, I found myself nailed into a coffin with that man, Li Sen.”
“I pushed against the coffin lid with everything I had. Fortunately, they hadn’t sealed it tightly yet, or I never would have made it out. I injured my hands doing that.”
The veins on the Xie family members’ necks bulged with rage.
“That scoundrel Min Shuang!” Xie Chaoding trembled with fury, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. He slammed his fist onto the table with a thunderous bang, causing the teacups to jump and tea to splash everywhere.
“His life is a life, but my child’s life is meant for a ghost marriage? I say the Min family is definitely involved in this. Once I get back to Hua Ting, I’m going to ruin them!”
“Dad, leave it to me,” the eldest brother, Xie Yuanxian, added, his brow furrowed deeply and his eyes full of cold anger.
“You two go ahead. Mom and I will stay here to look after Chouzhuang,” the second brother, Xi Zhuozhou, said as he held a cup with a straw to Xie Chouzhuang’s lips.
Retribution
Because the case was so severe involving a living person being buried alive—the police acted swiftly. Armed police were dispatched to exhume Li Sen’s grave. The spirit medium, the Village Head, and everyone else involved were handcuffed and taken to the station.
Forensic tests confirmed that the blood found in Li Sen’s tomb matched Xie Chouzhuang’s DNA.
When the Hua Ting police went to the Mantian Garden estate to arrest Min Shuang, he remained stubbornly defiant. However, upon hearing that Xie Chouzhuang had escaped, he began to scream profanities. He kept yelling, asking why Xie Chouzhuang wouldn’t just die in his place—weren’t they supposed to be best friends?
Mantian Garden was a luxury villa district in Hua Ting where many celebrities lived, and paparazzi were constantly stationed nearby. News of Min Shuang being led away in handcuffs under the watchful eyes of the public spread across the internet instantly. His shout of “Die for me!” sparked endless speculation among netizens.
Overnight, the Min Group’s stock hit the floor. With Xie Chaoding and Xie Yuanxian operating behind the scenes, the Min Group’s suppliers were lured away en masse. Within days, the Min Group declared bankruptcy.
Subsequently, the police released an official report on Min Shuang’s case, sending the entire internet into a frenzy.
Trending Topics:
#FamousEntrepreneurForcesGhostMarriage#
#MinShuang:DieForMe#
#TheRiseOfAFamousEntrepreneur#
“My God, this is insane. Burying a living person? If he hadn’t been lucky enough to escape, Min Shuang would be a murderer.”
“Min Shuang was never a good person. Everyone in their circle says he’s incredibly hypocritical.”
“Inside scoop: the victim was Min Shuang’s best friend.”
“Wait, is it Xie Chouzhuang? They were very close, supposedly childhood friends. Photos of them leaving the middle school entrance exam were famous online back in the day.”
“Oh my God, is it really him? I was a fan of them as a duo. This is disgusting; you really can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Xie Chouzhuang is so pitiful. He almost lost his life during summer break.”
“Does anyone know who Xie Chouzhuang is? Can someone explain?”
“Xie Chouzhuang is the top student from Hua Ting No. 1 High School. He has a great personality and is incredibly handsome. He was this year’s top scorer in the National College Entrance Exam.”
“This is like a novel coming to life. Not only is he brilliant, but he’s also that handsome? I’m crying.”
“But the Min family has money. Who knows if Xie Chouzhuang was only friends with him for the money?”
“Xie Chouzhuang’s clothes weren’t big brands, but his family background couldn’t be that bad, right?”
“They were childhood friends. It’s obvious the Xie family has money too.”
“Guys, I have a wild thought. Xie Chouzhuang’s last name is Xie… could he be from the Xie family?”
“No way. The Min family is decent, but they don’t compare to the Xie family.”
“The Xie family is very low-profile. I heard they have two sons; the eldest works at Xie Corp, and the youngest supposedly went abroad years ago…”
“The Min family deserves this. I used to work for them. The management only gave empty promises and never followed through.”
“I was an employee too. I quit a month ago because my supervisor stole my credit and told me to just deal with it. I ended up smashing a bottle over his head.”
“I heard Mrs. Min is from Shenshui Village. Who knows what horrific things the Min family did to get rich?”
“People in the circle say the Min family keeps ‘Little Ghosts’ for luck. Look at their history they managed to catch every single market trend perfectly. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”
“The Xie family is so heartless. The Min family is already bankrupt. Min Shuang was the one at fault, not the others. Besides, the guy didn’t even die, right? Was it necessary to take it this far?”
“To the person above: Idiot alert.”
“The person above is probably Min Shuang himself, lol.”
A wave of insults followed, eventually forcing the user defending the Min family to delete their account.
Meanwhile, only a few hours after Min Shuang entered the police station, blood suddenly began to spray uncontrollably from his nose and mouth. By the time the ambulance arrived, Min Shuang had already passed away. Within just a few minutes, his corpse had completely decomposed.