The sunlight was glaring down on the wide asphalt road, its blinding rays striking the ground. The road was covered in patches of mottled stains that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be dried, blackened blood. A few bare trees stood along the roadside, making the surroundings look even more desolate. As far as the eye could see, there was not a trace of life.
This was the third year of the apocalypse. The once prosperous and thriving world had gradually been overrun by zombies, leaving devastation everywhere. There were no longer any towering skyscrapers or lush greenery to be seen. All that remained were ruined, gloomy streets, and the branches of the trees no longer sprouted fresh green leaves.
It was also Zhou Wu’s third year wandering aimlessly through the world. Hmm… Why was she wandering? Because when the apocalypse first began, her own biological parents had pushed her into a horde of zombies, claiming that she was making a “contribution” to their escape. After she died, she became a wandering spirit.
Zhou Wu felt as though she were one of those cannon fodder characters in novels who died right after delivering some valuable equipment, serving as nothing more than a stepping stone to ensure the female protagonist’s smooth journey ahead. At first, she hated them. She hated her parents and Zhou Lian, wishing they would all die.
But later, after witnessing her parents suffer the same fate she had, being pushed into the mouths of zombies by the very daughter they had loved most, and watching Zhou Lian use the spatial jade pendant that had originally belonged to her to pretend to be a spatial ability user, thriving as a result, she eventually stopped caring so much. Zhou Lian even ended up living happily with one of the most powerful people in the capital.
By then, Zhou Wu felt little emotion about any of it. If anything, she was simply tired of it all.
Perhaps it was because she had been dead for so long that she could no longer experience intense joy or sorrow. Or perhaps she had finally come to terms with things and realized how childish her former self had been. Pouring her heart and soul into these unrealistic emotions had never been enough to win anyone’s affection.
Afterward, she left Zhou Lian and wandered elsewhere, but no matter where she went, everything felt unfamiliar. She could no longer feel the happiness or sorrow of the people around her. She was nothing more than an outsider in this world…
For three years, she had drifted through life in a daze, watching humanity gradually grow stronger and flourish. People began maintaining and expanding their homes, becoming more resolute in their struggle to survive. Yet confusion still lingered in Zhou Wu’s eyes.
The older generation always said that after death, a person should drink Meng Po’s Soup, cross the Naihe Bridge, and then be reincarnated as a new life in this world.
Yet Zhou Wu had retained all her original memories and continued to exist in this world. She could not understand why this had happened. As time passed, even a spirit like her could not help feeling a little lonely. She could not eat or drink, could no longer experience happiness, anger, sorrow, or joy, and could not even fight zombies. When would this miserable existence finally come to an end?
Another day passed with nothing to do. Zhou Wu lay idly on the road, basking in the sunlight all morning. Then she got up, intending to drift somewhere else and look around. However, the moment she stood up, the world began spinning around her. Her vision went black, and she fainted.
Just before losing consciousness, she wondered, Can ghosts get low blood sugar too?
When Zhou Wu regained consciousness, she could not understand why she was feeling hungry. She had not experienced this sensation in ages, so why did she suddenly want to eat something now?
Although she could not make sense of it, she slowly opened her heavy eyelids. After being surrounded by darkness for so long, her eyes were unaccustomed to the bright light. She blinked repeatedly before finally opening them fully, only to find a pale yellow ceiling above her.
Zhou Wu thought to herself, I vaguely remember fainting out in the wilderness. Did I somehow teleport indoors?
She slowly sat up. The surroundings looked unfamiliar, yet there was something vaguely familiar about them. Gentle sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating a clean, bright room furnished with a luxurious, soft sofa and a pristine white coffee table. A delicate fruit platter sat on top.
Fruit…
Seeing it, Zhou Wu swallowed involuntarily.
She was still sitting on the bed, wondering whether she should get up and eat some fruit, when the bedroom door suddenly swung open. A well-dressed woman stormed toward the hospital bed and raised her hand.
Smack!
The crisp sound rang out through the room. The slap sent Zhou Wu’s face to one side, leaving the left side of her face numb and aching.
“You really are my ‘wonderful’ daughter, aren’t you? I never knew you were so ill-mannered! You lived with your grandmother for three years, yet you still have such a petty, small-minded attitude. Your younger sister merely wanted a jade pendant, and you couldn’t even bear to give it to her. If she hadn’t dodged in time, she would be the one lying in this hospital bed right now!”
Zhou Wu had just been slapped, and now she had to listen to the woman rattle on like a machine gun. She was completely bewildered.
Then, at some point, another girl wearing a white dress sat down beside her bed. She took Zhou Wu’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears, and spoke gently.
“Are you all right, Sister? I was so worried about you. It’s all my fault. Everything is my fault.”
Zhou Wu frowned slightly. The familiar yet unfamiliar situation, together with the genuine pain on her face, finally made her realize what had happened.
She had been reborn.
“I should have just given in to you, Sister, but you looked so fierce at the time that I got scared and dodged out of the way. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have hit your head and ended up hospitalized.”
“Zhou Wu, just look at your attitude! You only hit your head. It’s not as if you’ve become mute. Your younger sister came to visit you, and she’s already blaming herself so much, yet you won’t even say a single word? Fine, I’ll make the decision myself. Give the jade pendant to Lianlian and take it out right now!”
Only after hearing those words did Zhou Wu turn her head to examine the woman before her.
The woman was beautiful. Time had been exceptionally kind to her, leaving no trace of age on her face and allowing her to remain as youthful and attractive as ever. However, the expression of disgust she wore made her look considerably more twisted and unpleasant in Zhou Wu’s eyes.
“And give Lianlian the things your grandmother left you as well. You don’t understand anything, and you’re incapable of doing anything. Transfer them to Lianlian, and we can manage them on her behalf. This will give the Zhou family more influence over the company. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
Perhaps because she had been lying in the hospital bed for several days without even a drop of water, Zhou Wu’s voice was hoarse. Li Yuqing frowned slightly, a trace of disdain crossing her face. However, when she heard that Zhou Wu understood, her expression brightened with delight. She thought that her eldest daughter was still as easy to fool as ever.
She took a share transfer agreement and a fountain pen that she had prepared in advance from her handbag and placed them on the bed. Her tone softened somewhat as she said, “Then hurry up and sign it. Once you’re done, hand over the pendant too.”
“I won’t.”
Li Yuqing froze for a moment, as though she had not heard correctly. She asked again, “What did you say?”
“I said I won’t sign the share transfer agreement, and I won’t give the pendant to Zhou Lian either.”
“Didn’t you say you understood? Are you refusing to listen to your own mother now?” Her expression darkened, and she could hardly believe what she was hearing. Although she had rarely visited Zhou Wu in the past, whenever they met, Zhou Wu had always obeyed her. No matter how much Li Yuqing criticized or looked down on her, Zhou Wu had remained docile. Yet now, she has actually learned to talk back.
“I do understand. But I never said I would follow your arrangements. What does it matter to me what happens to the Zhou family?”
Zhou Wu spread her hands and shrugged before continuing, “Apart from that brief encounter when I returned from the Pan family, we’ve barely had any contact over the past three years. Now that Grandmother has passed away, I stayed at your house for just one day before ending up in the hospital, where I’ve been lying for nearly half a month. I’m guessing this is your first time visiting me, isn’t it? And the first thing you do when you arrive is slap me, then demand that I hand over my belongings?”