Late Night Bookstore - Chapter 36
“Looks like I don’t need to wear it for you to see.”
Dr. Lin was indeed a very traditional woman, but not the kind who, like women in ancient times, would refrain from voicing objections when their husbands took concubines, out of fear of being labeled as jealous.
She had her compromises, but she also had her principles.
She could force herself to accept Zhou Ze’s previous transgressions against her and could also compel herself to gradually adapt to the increasingly assertive and independent “Xu Le” (Zhou Ze). However, she could not accept Zhou Ze having an extramarital affair—this was her bottom line.
She was furious, extremely furious, to the point of wanting to walk away immediately.
At that moment, the reason Dr. Lin hadn’t left was that she was waiting for Zhou Ze’s response. Regardless of the circumstances, Zhou Ze needed to express his stance, and after that, she could find closure to their situation.
Even if she had to face her mother’s reprimands or her father’s anger for disgracing their family, she was prepared to accept it.
However, Zhou Ze didn’t respond. He didn’t offer any explanation, which seemed tantamount to an admission of guilt.
The sparkle in Dr. Lin’s eyes dimmed instantly.
Did he not even care enough to explain?
In fact, Dr. Lin had misunderstood Zhou Ze. At this moment, Zhou Ze was so overwhelmed that he hadn’t even registered Dr. Lin’s emotions.
From Zhou Ze’s perspective, the situation felt spine-chilling.
This female corpse… is alive!
And it wasn’t just about her getting up during the day to drink water; she was now confidently walking up to him, speaking to him, and interacting with him!
Recalling the “wandering fingertips” he had carried out on her body earlier in the day in an attempt to “awaken” her, Zhou Ze felt an overwhelming urge to flee the bookstore as fast and far as possible.
This also explained why Xu Qinglang was sitting there dumbfounded, holding an upside-down book—he was simply too scared to move!
The scene fell into an awkward silence.
“Hello,” the female corpse said with a faint smile, greeting Zhou Ze in a manner akin to that of a Korean or Japanese housewife welcoming her husband home at the doorway, saying, “Welcome back.” She then deliberately glanced at Lin Wanqiu with a playful look.
“Hello,” Dr. Lin responded coldly.
Zhou Ze took a deep breath at this moment. He reached out and lifted Xu Qinglang, forcing him to stand.
“Wanqiu, let me introduce you. This is my good friend and next-door neighbor, Xu Qinglang, the owner of a noodle shop who happens to own over twenty apartments from demolished properties!”
“Hello,” Xu Qinglang said to Lin Wanqiu, but his gaze remained fixed on the female corpse beside him. He was utterly petrified, like a frightened little quail.
“Hello,” Lin Wanqiu responded.
“And this…” Zhou Ze pointed to the female corpse, “Is Xu Qinglang’s wife.”
“Yes… What?” Xu Qinglang froze. The next moment, Zhou Ze pushed him slightly, causing Xu Qinglang to stumble and lean against the female corpse.
“Yes, yes, this is my wife. Her last name is Bai, and her full name is Bai Su—uh, Bai Susu.” Xu Qinglang glanced at Lin Wanqiu, while pretending to affectionately place a hand on the corpse’s shoulder.
In that instant, the same cold sensation from the previous night pierced straight through his soul.
“Ah… Oh oh oh… Hoo hoo… Ugh…!”
Xu Qinglang shivered uncontrollably, then quickly withdrew his hand. “Haha, dear, your skin is so soft. I just love touching it! Hahaha!”
“You all continue. Wanqiu, step outside for a moment. I need to talk to you about something.”
With that, Zhou Ze grabbed Lin Wanqiu’s hand and, regardless of her willingness, pulled her out of the bookstore.
“Ah, Xu Le, I suddenly remembered something important I need to tell you, like how I have too many houses and want to give you one.”
As Xu Qinglang waved his hand, he made a move to follow Zhou Ze out.
The female corpse, however, remained standing quietly at the side, dignified and serene.
But Xu Qinglang could feel a horrifying chill circling around his neck, as though taking just one more step forward would result in his instant dismemberment.
He wisely decided to stop and laughed awkwardly, “Dear, don’t get mad. How could I possibly give away a house? Once the government allows twenty children per family, all the houses will be inherited by our kids. By then, you could even receive a Heroic Mother medal!”
Xu Qinglang’s face looked pained as he returned to his plastic stool.
Zhou Ze held Dr. Lin’s hand as they exited the bookstore, walking to the roadside where Dr. Lin’s car was parked.
“What do you want to say?” Dr. Lin asked.
“You seem to have gained a little weight recently. Stop eating late-night snacks.”
After saying this, Zhou Ze pushed Dr. Lin toward her car.
“Quickly drive home. If you have nothing to do tonight, go for a jog or skip rope.”
“What is going on?” Dr. Lin grabbed Zhou Ze, who was about to turn back to the bookstore.
“Don’t ask. Just leave.” Zhou Ze urged.
Dr. Lin said no more, got into her car, started it, and took a long, meaningful look at Zhou Ze before driving off.
Zhou Ze let out a deep breath, squatted down by the roadside, and lit a cigarette.
To be honest, he didn’t want to go back to the bookstore. Rationally, he knew leaving with Dr. Lin was the wisest choice. But he couldn’t do it—the female corpse was something he had dug up from that site.
Zhou Ze wasn’t the kind to act selflessly. He hated trouble. But no matter what, even ignoring his temporary identity as a Gui Chai, he couldn’t bear the thought of allowing the female corpse to wreak havoc in Tongcheng, his hometown.
As for Xu Qinglang, who was still in the bookstore…
Oh, Xu Qinglang was still in the bookstore. Almost forgot about that.
Still so cheap.
Even in death, he’s still cheap.
Zhou Ze exhaled a smoke ring, tossed the cigarette butt to the ground, stomped on it forcefully, and then headed back to the bookstore.
When he pushed open the bookstore door, Zhou Ze’s pupils began to gleam with dark light, and his nails grew longer.
“You’re back again?”
The female corpse continued to stand there, her posture elegant, but the playful glint in her eyes was even more pronounced than when Dr. Lin had been present earlier.
“Go back to the second floor and lie down obediently.”
Zhou Ze pointed at the female corpse and scolded her. Whether he could beat her or not didn’t matter—acting tough never hurt.
“Do you guys prefer Durex or Jissbon? I have both. I’ll go grab some for you.” Xu Qinglang spoke as he tried to stand up and walk out.
He regretted it deeply.
He should have moved out during the day. Why had he stayed here?
But the female corpse reached out directly and grabbed Xu Qinglang.
Xu Qinglang let out a delicate cry, “Heaven and Earth Unbounded, Profound Heart Righteous Law!”
A bronze mirror appeared in Xu Qinglang’s hand, aimed at the female corpse.
However, at that very moment, the bronze mirror shattered, and Xu Qinglang was sent flying, slamming into the bookstore wall.
The power of the female corpse is terrifying!
Zhou Ze charged forward. This was his first real fight, and he wasn’t confident about it.
But the female corpse’s gaze fixed on Zhou Ze’s hands for a moment before she began retreating, unwilling to take a single step forward.
“Cough, cough…”
Xu Qinglang crawled up from the ground, one hand supporting his waist. He had initially thought Zhou Ze would be swept aside just like him. Instead, he saw Zhou Ze forcing the female corpse back step by step, which made him feel unbalanced.
“Damn, no holding back, huh?!”
Finally, the female corpse was driven to the wall. But at that moment, she became enraged and lunged at Zhou Ze.
Zhou Ze instinctively reached out and grabbed forward.
Crash!
With a crisp sound, the female corpse was slammed heavily against the wall, causing it to cave slightly.
Her white dress was torn at the chest as she tumbled to the ground. If she hadn’t been wearing undergarments, she would have been completely exposed.
“Whoa, that’s intense!” Xu Qinglang stood to the side, dumbfounded.
At the same time, he recalled how he had once thought about coercing Zhou Ze to reveal the secret of his ability to possess corpses, Xu Qinglang felt a shiver run through him.
His neighbor truly hadn’t resorted to violence. Xu Qinglang knew that Zhou Ze’s previous fear and wariness of the female corpse weren’t feigned.
The reason was simple, even Zhou Ze didn’t know he could fight like this!
Indeed, Zhou Ze wasn’t skilled in combat.
Growing up in an orphanage, he lived in a clean, harmonious environment where children supported and encouraged one another. Later, he became a doctor—a profession focused on saving lives. He never had any interest in boxing or mixed martial arts.
As a result, when Zhou Ze found himself actually fighting, even he felt his movements were clumsy.
Since the female corpse feared his nails, Zhou Ze’s fighting style resembled a petty brawl, scratching at her like a shrew in a catfight—utterly lacking the gravitas one might expect of a Gui Chai.
It was worlds apart from the poise of the little girl who solemnly declared, “The Underworld has order, the Yellow Springs can be traversed.”
Still, none of that mattered now. As long as it worked, that was enough.
For Zhou Ze, who had returned to face the possibility of being torn apart by the female corpse, the current situation was downright delightful.
“Ah!”
The female corpse was once again flung away. Every time she approached Zhou Ze’s claws, the black energy emanating from his nails would pierce into her body, causing severe damage.
“Heaven and Earth Unbounded, Profound Heart Righteous Law!”
Xu Qinglang pulled out two talisman papers and slapped them onto the ground. Instantly, the cold aura within the bookstore seemed to subside. Each time the female corpse landed, the talismans would tremble, and the ground beneath her seemed to scorch as though a fire were burning.
The female corpse’s gaze turned fierce. She no longer dared face Zhou Ze head-on and chose to try breaking through from the side. Moving with incredible speed, she aimed to smash through the bookstore’s glass door and escape.
Yet now, Zhou Ze was increasingly getting into the rhythm.
As the saying goes, “.”
From the Hong Kong films of his childhood to later martial arts and cultivation dramas, everyone had seen their fair share of such tropes.
Zhou Ze spread his hands wide, his dark pupils fixated on the doorway.
As the female corpse tried to break through the glass door, streaks of black light suddenly appeared on its surface, resembling scratches left by claws.
The female corpse let out a piercing shriek as she rebounded heavily onto the ground.
Zhou Ze approached her slowly, calming his breath as he moved.
However, the female corpse, “seized” back into submission, suddenly knelt on the ground, one hand pointing at Zhou Ze and the other covering her face.
“Waaaah… Waaaah…”
“ will beat you to death, you crybaby!”
Xu Qinglang pulled out another talisman.
The female corpse began pointing at Zhou Ze again, this time weeping bitterly and accusing, “You touched me and even hit me—you’re not human!”
Zhou Ze’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
The imposing and intimidating demeanor of the female corpse just moments ago completely collapsed in an instant, evoking a profound sense of —similar to how Xu Qinglang had previously lost his composure.
Still, Zhou Ze responded seriously and in a low voice, “I am a ghost.”
Storyteller Bamboo Ninja's Words
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