“I only need to strip away every single talisman on your body, send you out to reunite with your bodyguard squad, and then it will be Zheng Ze’s turn to perform.” Su Youqi conveniently brainstormed different ways for Huang Linzhi to die. “We are on the twelfth floor right now. Zheng Ze can push you out through the staircase window. Biu dang, the exact same death as Zheng Ze. Does that sound decent?”
“Or we could go with a classic scenario where you step out of a lift into empty space, though both involve falling to your death, so it lacks a bit of novelty.”
“Getting possessed to walk straight into a wall, or getting hit by a car while crossing the street are also pretty good options. Or perhaps you have a preferred method of execution yourself? Feel free to pick whichever one you like best. After all, we take human rights very seriously.”
“Anyway, all of these will happen right after I leave. Your bodyguards cannot see Zheng Ze anyway, so even if you claim there is a ghost, they will not believe a word. They will just assume you have lost your mind, and they can even serve as my alibi. An alibi you paid for yourself. Look how perfect that is!”
Finally, Su Youqi offered a soft sigh of admiration. “Ah, I really am quite the clever little sprite.”
Watching the immensely pleased Su Youqi, Nan Ke, who had observed the entire spectacle from the sidelines, couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle.
He really was raised on a diet of pure cuteness.
Startled by the unexpected sound, Su Youqi remembered that a major heavyweight was still present.
He had gotten a bit carried away in the heat of the moment.
How horribly embarrassing.
Casting a subtle, apologetic glance back at Nan Ke, Su Youqi quickly wiped away the playful grin to salvage his dignified expert persona, adopting an expression of chilling aloofness. “Make your choice, Huang Linzhi.”
Serious, solemn, and tight-lipped: the true, correct operational mode of Master Su.
By this point, Huang Linzhi had been scared completely out of his wits by Su Youqi. His mind echoed with a single resounding thought: Su Youqi is an absolute freak!
Indeed, Su Youqi’s sudden shift in demeanor appeared to Huang Linzhi no different from the erratic, sinister psychos frequently depicted on television.
What Nan Ke perceived as adorable, Huang Linzhi found utterly terrifying.
With a freak in front and a ghost in the back, Huang Linzhi had no choice but to negotiate with the living freak. At least they shared no fatal blood feud and Su Youqi was breathing, making him infinitely easier to reason with than Zheng Ze.
“Su Youqi, no, Master Su! We originally had no grievances between us. It was all because that brat Huang Jie ran his mouth and talked trash about me that I came to cause trouble for you. Don’t worry, I’ll discipline the little bastard the moment I get back and make him come apologize to you in person. Just let me off this once, alright?”
Huang Linzhi figured that his clash with Su Youqi stemmed entirely from Huang Jie; if he resolved the root cause, Su Youqi ought to be satisfied.
“Do you take me for a fool?” Su Youqi instantly shot down Huang Linzhi’s plea. “Saying that now, but in your heart, you’re probably planning to run back, gather that expert of yours along with your parents, and come back to crush us, right?”
Huang Linzhi shook his head frantically. “No, no, I wouldn’t dare, I promise!” Yet his darting, evasive gaze completely betrayed him.
Accustomed to being pampered and prone to violent outbursts, he had never bothered maintaining proper facial expressions under normal circumstances, let alone during a moment of sheer panic.
Su Youqi let out a light sneer. “Someone like you, used to bullying others with your family background, isn’t going to experience a sudden epiphany in just a few minutes. If you’re going to put on an act, at least make it convincing. At least wait until I finish pouring you two bowls of inspirational chicken soup before playing the repentant card; the credibility might be slightly higher.”
“You just want to stall me. Once you return to the Huang family and secure backup, both Zheng Ze and I will suffer a fate worse than death. Am I right?”
Floating nearby, Zheng Ze nodded vigorously. As expected of my junior, he’s brilliant!
Zheng Ze had already experienced this exact scenario firsthand once before.
Back then, with the counselor’s assistance, Zheng Ze had taken the matter public online. Under intense public pressure, Huang Linzhi had offered an apology and promised never to bully him again.
Zheng Ze had foolishly softened his heart and forgiven him, only for Huang Linzhi to intensify the bullying once the commotion died down. This time, the Huang family had prepared in advance, rendering all of Zheng Ze’s desperate struggles utterly useless, right up until he paid the ultimate price with his life.
Huang Linzhi hadn’t expected Su Youqi to be this shrewd at such a young age. Driven to desperation and abandoning all pretense, his true nature flared up as he resorted to intimidation. “Su Youqi, do you really think using Zheng Ze to kill me is foolproof? Don’t forget my family knows experts too! If I die under suspicious circumstances, my parents will definitely hire a master to summon my soul. When that happens, neither you nor Zheng Ze will escape!”
“Oh, really? Thanks for the reminder, I’d better take preventive measures.” Completely unfazed, Su Youqi offered a cold smile and pulled three talismans straight off Huang Linzhi’s jacket. “You’re not unfamiliar with these, right? Whoever gave them to you must have told you that just three of these are enough to scatter a ghost’s soul into dust. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to use them on you the exact moment you die, professional technique, I won’t let you linger for even an extra second.”
Huang Linzhi was paralyzed with terror by Su Youqi’s casual cruelty.
How is this guy more of a school bully than actual school bullies?!
Deep down, Huang Linzhi began to wonder what on earth his darling nephew had done to cross paths with such an ungodly monster.
Having exhausted every tactic of intimidation and bribery, Huang Linzhi had no earthly idea left on how to escape with his life.
“What on earth do you want in order to let me go?”
Huang Linzhi muttered the question instinctively, holding out no real hope, yet Su Youqi unexpectedly replied, “It’s not entirely out of the question.”
“Name it! Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it!” A spark of desperate hope relit in Huang Linzhi’s eyes.
“No, not to me, to Zheng Ze.” Su Youqi shook his head, gesturing toward the floating specter. “You’ve been begging me for ages, but you never once thought to beg the very Zheng Ze you drove to his death. Have you ever considered that if Zheng Ze chose not to harm you, everything I just said wouldn’t matter?”
Stunned by that sudden possibility, Huang Linzhi paused before vehemently denying it himself. “Impossible! Zheng Ze jumped because of me, and he even tried to hurt Xiao Jie, there’s no way he’ll ever let me off!”
Logically speaking, Huang Linzhi forced himself to put himself in Zheng Ze’s shoes for a split second: if he were Zheng Ze, he certainly wouldn’t forgive himself.
Consequently, Huang Linzhi hadn’t even entertained the thought of begging Zheng Ze.
“That’s your own problem then. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance; whether you can seize it is entirely up to you.” Saying no more, Su Youqi stripped away the remaining talismans from Huang Linzhi and stepped back to observe from the sidelines.
Left entirely defenseless, Huang Linzhi trembled violently in front of Zheng Ze.
This was the first time Zheng Ze had ever seen Huang Linzhi in such a state.
When he was alive, Huang Linzhi had driven him to suicide; after death, Huang Linzhi had hired experts to torture him until his soul nearly disintegrated.
So even someone this vicious is capable of feeling fear?
Influenced by his emotions, a long-dormant black mist began seeping out of Zheng Ze, weaving thread by thread around Huang Linzhi until he looked wrapped inside a silkworm cocoon.
Believing the ghost was finally about to strike, Huang Linzhi shrieked in absolute terror, crying out for mercy, “Zheng Ze, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have bullied you back then, I truly know my mistakes now, please spare me!”
Zheng Ze ignored his pleas. The black mist constricted tighter around Huang Linzhi, starting from his hands and creeping up his torso until Huang Linzhi felt as though invisible hands were grabbing him with crushing force.
Finally, the black mist stopped at Huang Linzhi’s neck, slowly tightening its grip.
“Huang Linzhi, does the feeling of approaching death taste good?” Zheng Ze’s gaze drifted as if recalling the past. “You know, the moment I jumped, right before I hit the ground, I regretted it. I remember thinking to myself: why should I throw away my life because of someone else’s wrongdoing? If I had the courage to die, I should have dragged a scumbag like you down with me instead!”
Restricted by the tightening mist around his throat, Huang Linzhi struggled desperately for air, managing only fractured gasps. “Yes, you’re right, I’m a scumbag, I was wrong Zheng Ze, I really know I was wrong, I swear I’ll never bully anyone ever again…”
Yet the more he begged, the tighter the black mist wound around his throat.
“Did I look like I was begging you the exact same way back then? And what did you say in response?” Zheng Ze drifted directly in front of Huang Linzhi, using the black mist to lift his chin, forcing Huang Linzhi to stare straight into his shattered, mutilated visage as he enunciated each word: “You said: trash deserves to be bullied!”
Terrified out of his wits by the sudden reveal of Zheng Ze’s true horrifying appearance, Huang Linzhi gasped for breath. Protected fiercely by his family all his life, he had actually never witnessed the gruesome aftermath of Zheng Ze’s death firsthand, this was a first.
Noticing Huang Linzhi’s reaction, Zheng Ze sneered derisively, curling his lips into a wide grin. Dark, sluggish blood spilled continuously from the corners of his upturned mouth as he leaned into Huang Linzhi’s ear, whispering, “So, scumbags must die too, right?”
Following Zheng Ze’s falling words, the black mist choked tight around Huang Linzhi’s neck once more, simulating the exact sensation of strangulation.
Huang Linzhi thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but his hands passed right through the intangible mist.
It seemed Zheng Ze had no intention of granting him a quick release, cycling between choking and releasing him like a psychological roller coaster.
“Well? How does the threshold of death feel?” Zheng Ze’s soft voice brushed against Huang Linzhi’s ear again. “Want to live?”
Cyan-faced and suffocating, unable to utter a single syllable, Huang Linzhi nodded frantically.
Zheng Ze withdrew the black mist slightly, granting him a momentary gasp of air. “Then apologize to me. Record a video confessing everything you did back then, and upload it online.”
Without the slightest hesitation, thoroughly broken by the proximity of death, Huang Linzhi agreed immediately.
Forget recording a confession video; having walked the razor’s edge of mortality, if Zheng Ze told him to eat dirt right now, he wouldn’t even blink.
Huang Linzhi’s recorded confession triggered a massive earthquake across the internet.
The original incident at XU University had already stirred massive public outrage back then, and the internet possesses a long memory. Within minutes, web sleuths had dug up all the sordid details of the past.
Karmic Retribution
“I only need to strip away every single talisman on your body, send you out to reunite with your bodyguard squad, and then it will be Zheng Ze’s turn to perform.” Su Youqi conveniently brainstormed different ways for Huang Linzhi to die. “We are on the twelfth floor right now. Zheng Ze can push you out through the staircase window. Biu dang, the exact same death as Zheng Ze. Does that sound decent?”
“Or we could go with a classic scenario where you step out of a lift into empty space, though both involve falling to your death, so it lacks a bit of novelty.”
“Getting possessed to walk straight into a wall, or getting hit by a car while crossing the street are also pretty good options. Or perhaps you have a preferred method of execution yourself? Feel free to pick whichever one you like best. After all, we take human rights very seriously.”
“Anyway, all of these will happen right after I leave. Your bodyguards cannot see Zheng Ze anyway, so even if you claim there is a ghost, they will not believe a word. They will just assume you have lost your mind, and they can even serve as my alibi. An alibi you paid for yourself. Look how perfect that is!”
Finally, Su Youqi offered a soft sigh of admiration. “Ah, I really am quite the clever little sprite.”
Watching the immensely pleased Su Youqi, Nan Ke, who had observed the entire spectacle from the sidelines, couldn’t help letting out a soft chuckle.
He really was raised on a diet of pure cuteness.
Startled by the unexpected sound, Su Youqi remembered that a major heavyweight was still present.
He had gotten a bit carried away in the heat of the moment.
How horribly embarrassing.
Casting a subtle, apologetic glance back at Nan Ke, Su Youqi quickly wiped away the playful grin to salvage his dignified expert persona, adopting an expression of chilling aloofness. “Make your choice, Huang Linzhi.”
Serious, solemn, and tight-lipped: the true, correct operational mode of Master Su.
By this point, Huang Linzhi had been scared completely out of his wits by Su Youqi. His mind echoed with a single resounding thought: Su Youqi is an absolute freak!
Indeed, Su Youqi’s sudden shift in demeanor appeared to Huang Linzhi no different from the erratic, sinister psychos frequently depicted on television.
What Nan Ke perceived as adorable, Huang Linzhi found utterly terrifying.
With a freak in front and a ghost in the back, Huang Linzhi had no choice but to negotiate with the living freak. At least they shared no fatal blood feud and Su Youqi was breathing, making him infinitely easier to reason with than Zheng Ze.
“Su Youqi, no, Master Su! We originally had no grievances between us. It was all because that brat Huang Jie ran his mouth and talked trash about me that I came to cause trouble for you. Don’t worry, I’ll discipline the little bastard the moment I get back and make him come apologize to you in person. Just let me off this once, alright?”
Huang Linzhi figured that his clash with Su Youqi stemmed entirely from Huang Jie; if he resolved the root cause, Su Youqi ought to be satisfied.
“Do you take me for a fool?” Su Youqi instantly shot down Huang Linzhi’s plea. “Saying that now, but in your heart, you’re probably planning to run back, gather that expert of yours along with your parents, and come back to crush us, right?”
Huang Linzhi shook his head frantically. “No, no, I wouldn’t dare, I promise!” Yet his darting, evasive gaze completely betrayed him.
Accustomed to being pampered and prone to violent outbursts, he had never bothered maintaining proper facial expressions under normal circumstances, let alone during a moment of sheer panic.
Su Youqi let out a light sneer. “Someone like you, used to bullying others with your family background, isn’t going to experience a sudden epiphany in just a few minutes. If you’re going to put on an act, at least make it convincing. At least wait until I finish pouring you two bowls of inspirational chicken soup before playing the repentant card; the credibility might be slightly higher.”
“You just want to stall me. Once you return to the Huang family and secure backup, both Zheng Ze and I will suffer a fate worse than death. Am I right?”
Floating nearby, Zheng Ze nodded vigorously. As expected of my junior, he’s brilliant!
Zheng Ze had already experienced this exact scenario firsthand once before.
Back then, with the counselor’s assistance, Zheng Ze had taken the matter public online. Under intense public pressure, Huang Linzhi had offered an apology and promised never to bully him again.
Zheng Ze had foolishly softened his heart and forgiven him, only for Huang Linzhi to intensify the bullying once the commotion died down. This time, the Huang family had prepared in advance, rendering all of Zheng Ze’s desperate struggles utterly useless, right up until he paid the ultimate price with his life.
Huang Linzhi hadn’t expected Su Youqi to be this shrewd at such a young age. Driven to desperation and abandoning all pretense, his true nature flared up as he resorted to intimidation. “Su Youqi, do you really think using Zheng Ze to kill me is foolproof? Don’t forget my family knows experts too! If I die under suspicious circumstances, my parents will definitely hire a master to summon my soul. When that happens, neither you nor Zheng Ze will escape!”
“Oh, really? Thanks for the reminder, I’d better take preventive measures.” Completely unfazed, Su Youqi offered a cold smile and pulled three talismans straight off Huang Linzhi’s jacket. “You’re not unfamiliar with these, right? Whoever gave them to you must have told you that just three of these are enough to scatter a ghost’s soul into dust. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to use them on you the exact moment you die, professional technique, I won’t let you linger for even an extra second.”
Huang Linzhi was paralyzed with terror by Su Youqi’s casual cruelty.
How is this guy more of a school bully than actual school bullies?!
Deep down, Huang Linzhi began to wonder what on earth his darling nephew had done to cross paths with such an ungodly monster.
Having exhausted every tactic of intimidation and bribery, Huang Linzhi had no earthly idea left on how to escape with his life.
“What on earth do you want in order to let me go?”
Huang Linzhi muttered the question instinctively, holding out no real hope, yet Su Youqi unexpectedly replied, “It’s not entirely out of the question.”
“Name it! Whatever you want, I’ll agree to it!” A spark of desperate hope relit in Huang Linzhi’s eyes.
“No, not to me, to Zheng Ze.” Su Youqi shook his head, gesturing toward the floating specter. “You’ve been begging me for ages, but you never once thought to beg the very Zheng Ze you drove to his death. Have you ever considered that if Zheng Ze chose not to harm you, everything I just said wouldn’t matter?”
Stunned by that sudden possibility, Huang Linzhi paused before vehemently denying it himself. “Impossible! Zheng Ze jumped because of me, and he even tried to hurt Xiao Jie, there’s no way he’ll ever let me off!”
Logically speaking, Huang Linzhi forced himself to put himself in Zheng Ze’s shoes for a split second: if he were Zheng Ze, he certainly wouldn’t forgive himself.
Consequently, Huang Linzhi hadn’t even entertained the thought of begging Zheng Ze.
“That’s your own problem then. Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance; whether you can seize it is entirely up to you.” Saying no more, Su Youqi stripped away the remaining talismans from Huang Linzhi and stepped back to observe from the sidelines.
Left entirely defenseless, Huang Linzhi trembled violently in front of Zheng Ze.
This was the first time Zheng Ze had ever seen Huang Linzhi in such a state.
When he was alive, Huang Linzhi had driven him to suicide; after death, Huang Linzhi had hired experts to torture him until his soul nearly disintegrated.
So even someone this vicious is capable of feeling fear?
Influenced by his emotions, a long-dormant black mist began seeping out of Zheng Ze, weaving thread by thread around Huang Linzhi until he looked wrapped inside a silkworm cocoon.
Believing the ghost was finally about to strike, Huang Linzhi shrieked in absolute terror, crying out for mercy, “Zheng Ze, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have bullied you back then, I truly know my mistakes now, please spare me!”
Zheng Ze ignored his pleas. The black mist constricted tighter around Huang Linzhi, starting from his hands and creeping up his torso until Huang Linzhi felt as though invisible hands were grabbing him with crushing force.
Finally, the black mist stopped at Huang Linzhi’s neck, slowly tightening its grip.
“Huang Linzhi, does the feeling of approaching death taste good?” Zheng Ze’s gaze drifted as if recalling the past. “You know, the moment I jumped, right before I hit the ground, I regretted it. I remember thinking to myself: why should I throw away my life because of someone else’s wrongdoing? If I had the courage to die, I should have dragged a scumbag like you down with me instead!”
Restricted by the tightening mist around his throat, Huang Linzhi struggled desperately for air, managing only fractured gasps. “Yes, you’re right, I’m a scumbag, I was wrong Zheng Ze, I really know I was wrong, I swear I’ll never bully anyone ever again…”
Yet the more he begged, the tighter the black mist wound around his throat.
“Did I look like I was begging you the exact same way back then? And what did you say in response?” Zheng Ze drifted directly in front of Huang Linzhi, using the black mist to lift his chin, forcing Huang Linzhi to stare straight into his shattered, mutilated visage as he enunciated each word: “You said: trash deserves to be bullied!”
Terrified out of his wits by the sudden reveal of Zheng Ze’s true horrifying appearance, Huang Linzhi gasped for breath. Protected fiercely by his family all his life, he had actually never witnessed the gruesome aftermath of Zheng Ze’s death firsthand, this was a first.
Noticing Huang Linzhi’s reaction, Zheng Ze sneered derisively, curling his lips into a wide grin. Dark, sluggish blood spilled continuously from the corners of his upturned mouth as he leaned into Huang Linzhi’s ear, whispering, “So, scumbags must die too, right?”
Following Zheng Ze’s falling words, the black mist choked tight around Huang Linzhi’s neck once more, simulating the exact sensation of strangulation.
Huang Linzhi thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but his hands passed right through the intangible mist.
It seemed Zheng Ze had no intention of granting him a quick release, cycling between choking and releasing him like a psychological roller coaster.
“Well? How does the threshold of death feel?” Zheng Ze’s soft voice brushed against Huang Linzhi’s ear again. “Want to live?”
Cyan-faced and suffocating, unable to utter a single syllable, Huang Linzhi nodded frantically.
Zheng Ze withdrew the black mist slightly, granting him a momentary gasp of air. “Then apologize to me. Record a video confessing everything you did back then, and upload it online.”
Without the slightest hesitation, thoroughly broken by the proximity of death, Huang Linzhi agreed immediately.
Forget recording a confession video; having walked the razor’s edge of mortality, if Zheng Ze told him to eat dirt right now, he wouldn’t even blink.
Huang Linzhi’s recorded confession triggered a massive earthquake across the internet.
The original incident at XU University had already stirred massive public outrage back then, and the internet possesses a long memory. Within minutes, web sleuths had dug up all the sordid details of the past.