Late Night Bookstore - Chapter 22

Zhou Ze thought he must have been seeing things. He’d just heard a drunken ghost story about a dog, and the dim streetlights made it easy to mistake what he saw. Yes, that had to be it.

He wasn’t like Zhang Tianshi¹, the Daoist master of Longhu Mountain. He knew he still had a bit of a “soft-hearted” streak that he couldn’t change. Otherwise, he would have long used his claws to deal with that little girl earlier today.

As for whether the final result is being strangled to death by the little girl or still being strangled to death by the little girl, that remained unknown.

Since he couldn’t change himself, he decided he should try to minimize the trouble he got himself into. Avoid things when possible, and turn a blind eye when necessary.

After all, that dog had been tormenting that man for seven years. Considering the time frame, it was probably reaching its “seven-year itch.” If the dog really wanted to harm the man, it would have done so long ago. What it did next was no concern of Zhou Ze’s.

The woman had entered his store, paid for the water and book damage, and handed over the money without hesitation—this was a positive encounter, and that was enough.

For the first time, Zhou Ze realized that there were indeed many inexplicable things in this world. Perhaps it was because he used to be human and was now a ghost, viewing the world from a different perspective.

“What’s wrong?” Dr. Lin approached the store entrance at that moment.

Zhou Ze smiled faintly. “I’m glad I’m not like Spiderman, where some random relative suddenly shows up and tells me, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’”

Dr. Lin didn’t quite understand what he meant but still replied, “I should be heading home now.”

It was getting late; it was indeed time to leave.

“Don’t want to stay a little longer?”

“I have a shift tomorrow,” Dr. Lin said as she wrapped her scarf around her neck.

“You can switch shifts,” Zhou Ze suggested.

“It’s not convenient.”

“Or you just don’t want to?”

Dr. Lin slightly furrowed her brows. This was the first time she sensed an aggressive vibe from Zhou Ze, and she felt somewhat at a loss.

“You are my wife.” Zhou Ze looked into her eyes with a serious expression.

Dr. Lin took a half-step back. “Yesterday, you said…”

Yesterday, Zhou Ze had said he wanted to end things, to set them both free.

“Yesterday was yesterday.” Zhou Ze took half a step forward. “Until I sign the divorce papers, I’m still your husband, and you’re still my wife. So, I want you to stay here and keep me company!”

Zhou Ze’s voice grew louder and louder.

Dr. Lin remained silent, standing still.

Suddenly, a surge of rage flared up in Zhou Ze’s heart. He reached out and pinched Dr. Lin’s chin, lifting it in a provocative manner.

Dr. Lin looked back at him with clear and calm eyes. Her bright red lips were mesmerizing. She was truly beautiful—refined features paired perfectly with her demeanor, giving off a comforting vibe.

Zhou Ze lowered his head abruptly and kissed her lips.

It was a fierce, almost violent kiss—like a wild beast fully exposing its primal ferocity! The woman before him was his prey.

Dr. Lin raised her hand as if to slap him, but halfway through, she slowly put it down.

Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.

“Why are you crying?”

Their lips parted, and Zhou Ze looked up at Lin Wanqiu.

“Do you think that by crying, I’ll feel guilty? Do you think that by crying, I’ll stop? Let me tell you, crying won’t work today. You’re my wife, and I’m your husband! Look at your parents—what kind of people are they? Look at your sister—how does she usually treat me? And look at yourself.

You’re noble,

You’re aloof and beautiful,

You’re a goddess,

You’re above worldly concerns!

In the bedroom, you even insist on sleeping in a separate bed from me!

We’re married. You’re already a wife, but you still hypocritically cling to your chastity. Do you even deserve it? I know, I’m just a fool. In your family’s eyes, I’m just a cowardly idiot!”

Zhou Ze grabbed Dr. Lin by the neck and pushed her against the counter, then began tearing off her coat.

“Today, I’ll teach you what it means to be a wife!”

“Xu Le…” Dr. Lin didn’t resist. She merely looked at Zhou Ze coldly, “You… bastard…”

“Heh.” Zhou Ze chuckled dismissively, took off his own coat, and pressed her down onto the counter.

He was rough, he was domineering, and at that moment, the kindling had already been set—it only needed a spark to ignite into a blazing fire!

Zhou Ze was that kindling!

She smelled so good, her skin was so soft, her body so curvaceous—everything was so wonderful, so intoxicating.

But just then, Zhou Ze suddenly stopped and staggered back a few steps.

In front of him, Dr. Lin lay on the counter, her blouse disheveled, while Zhou Ze himself was panting heavily.

No, how did things turn out like this?

Dr. Lin was still lying on the counter, her eyes wide open. She still hadn’t resisted.

She felt guilty toward Xu Le. She was a very independent and strong woman, but the social environment she existed in and the family education she received from a young age made her constantly conflicted.

Her parents had threatened suicide, hoping for grandchildren to come early, forcing her to agree to marry Xu Le. However, she insisted on maintaining her own boundaries, keeping thoughts of another man in her heart, even though that man had died in a car accident six months ago. Even though that man might have long forgotten about her, or perhaps never even knew that there was such a woman who, for years after finishing her internship, had been secretly keeping an eye on him.

To borrow a common critical tone from middle school textbooks: Dr. Lin, in her life, chose to submit to feudal societal norms, yet she was unwilling to live this way forever, as she still had her own principles and resistance in her heart.

This was also why, even though she was inwardly unwilling, Lin Wanqiu did not resist, and allowed Zhou Ze to act as he pleased just now.

She felt she had no reason to resist. Zhou Ze was her husband. She knew that her actions since the marriage were unfair to her husband and to the marriage itself.

She did not accept it, she did not agree, but she did not resist.

“Put on your clothes! Put them on properly!” Zhou Ze shouted at Lin Wanqiu, who was still lying on the counter.

Lin Wanqiu was taken aback for a moment. She stood up straight, looking at Zhou Ze with disbelief. She had already resigned herself to her fate.

“I haven’t even done anything to you yet, so don’t look like you’ve just been raped. Put your clothes on, right now, immediately, and get out!”

Dr. Lin silently put on her clothes and straightened her sleeves in front of the mirror. Her expression was blank. Once she had tidied up, she poured Zhou Ze another cup of hot water, placed it on the counter, and without a word or a glance at him, walked out of the bookstore.

Zhou Ze collapsed onto the ground, dazed and confused.

The warmth of her lips and body still lingered on his lips and palms, but he didn’t know why he had stopped, and he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t continued.

It felt so comfortable, it was everything he had longed for, it was truly intoxicating, yet, for some reason, he sensed that something was wrong. As if this wasn’t the feeling he had truly been seeking.

He had been about to sleep with her, and she had agreed. But the scene that had just unfolded was completely different from what he had imagined.

Zhou Ze stumbled to his feet. He picked up the cup of tea, took a sip, and then spat it out. The water was boiling hot, with no hint of cool water mixed in.

He dropped the cup, letting the water spill onto the floor. Zhou Ze looked around, recalling his actions just moments ago and the words he had spoken.

His fists tightened and then relaxed, only to clench again almost immediately.

He walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and stuck his head directly under the running water. He needed to calm down, to cool himself off, not only to quench the fire raging in his body, but also the turmoil in his heart.

The winter’s cold water poured over him, something no ordinary person could endure. Zhou Ze raised his head, feeling dizzy.

He looked at the mirror in front of him, and in the reflection, he saw himself.

Zhou Ze’s hands gripped the edge of the sink tightly, his chest heaving with heavy breaths. Then, he slowly lifted his head and, as if speaking to himself, said:

“It’s you!

You damn bastard! You pathetic coward!

You’re influencing me, trying to control me!

You scum, trash, bastard!”

Zhou Ze cursed at the reflection in the mirror.

Yes, this wasn’t him. His behavior just now was too abnormal. That inexplicable rage, that sudden recklessness—

It was definitely not just youthful vigor.

Just now, at that moment, someone he thought had long been sent to hell, someone he thought had long ceased to exist—

He had influenced him.

He hadn’t left,

He was still hiding near him,

No,

He was hiding inside him!

He was weak, cowardly, and had suffered countless humiliations in life. He had never dared to fight back, never dared to raise his head. But after death, he cowered in a corner, now trying to use someone else’s hand to take revenge on his wife in the crudest, most brutal way possible!

Using another’s strength to take revenge on his wife.

“I used to pity you, even felt a bit sorry for you,” Zhou Ze murmured, “But now I understand. People who are pitiful must have something detestable about them. You ended up living that kind of life because you deserved it!”

Bang!

Zhou Ze raised his fist and smashed it directly into the mirror.

The mirror shattered, blood gushed from Zhou Ze’s hand, dripping into the sink.

On the cracked mirror fragments, Zhou Ze’s face was still reflected.

No, it was Xu Le’s face.

Zhou Ze stood there without moving.

The reflection in the mirror didn’t move either.

But then, the reflection’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a sinister light, and it opened its mouth:

“Oh, you found me.”

TL Notes:

1. Zhang Tianshi (张天师) refers to the Celestial Master Zhang, a title historically associated with the founder of the Zhengyi Daoist sect (正一道), also known as the Orthodox Unity sect of Daoism. The term specifically refers to Zhang Daoling (34–156 AD), who is considered the first Celestial Master.

In the context of literature or popular culture, Zhang Tianshi is often depicted as a powerful, righteous figure who can exorcise demons and subdue evil spirits, representing wisdom, spiritual strength, and the ability to combat malevolent forces.