Volume 1, Chapter 1: I Became a Headless Female Corpse

On the day of my wedding, I became a headless corpse.

My husband, however, was busy accompanying my sister to the MB 12-Hour Endurance Race. As they won the race and shared an intimate kiss, my head had already been severed, my blood splattering to stain my pristine white wedding gown.

Before I died, I made one last desperate call to my husband for help.

He replied, "Shen Zhiyi, your life is worthless. It wouldn't be a pity even if you died."

I closed my eyes in despair, letting out the most harrowing scream of my life the moment my head hit the ground.

After my death, my husband began to suffer from nightmares every night, dreaming that I had become a vengeful spirit coming to claim his life. Terrified, he built a shrine for me and knelt before my spirit tablet night after night, kowtowing in confession.

"Congnan, I'm dying. Please, save me."

Listening to my plea for help on the other end of the line, Bo Congnan frowned. "Shen Zhiyi, today is Sister Xiangyi's race. Can you stop pestering me?"

I had always been reserved, but faced with his harsh reprimand, my voice softened involuntarily. "But... today is our wedding day..."

Bo Congnan lost all patience. "It's just a wedding. If you're going to die, do it quickly and stop getting in the way of me watching Sister Xiangyi's race!"

I choked on my words. "I really am..."

Dying.

Before I could finish, the man on the other end had already lost his patience. "Shen Zhiyi, your life is worthless. It wouldn't be a pity even if you died."

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Listening to the dial tone, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. I thought I had grown accustomed to pain and could accept my fate with composure, but it turned out that even I could shed tears of bitter resentment.

My face, still painted with bridal makeup, was a mess of tears, and my body trembled uncontrollably with fear. I lifted my skirt and ran for my life. The gorgeous wedding dress I had meticulously chosen was now smeared with black grime. My feet were bare, the stones piercing my skin with agonizing pain, leaving a trail of blood, but I dared not stop.

A psychopathic killer was stalking me; I could lose my life at any moment!

I ran with all my might, but my foot caught on the hem of my dress, and I fell heavily to the ground. My knees screamed in pain, but I ignored it, scrambling forward on my palms in terror. Behind me, the killer let out a chilling laugh.

"Be good. I'll be very gentle."

Feeling the icy touch on my ankle, I turned back in horror—

The man gripped my ankle tightly. The reflection of the wood-chopping axe he raised shone in my pupils. With a swift motion, my head was severed, and I didn't even have time to register the pain.

Blood sprayed from my neck, staining my white wedding dress. A second later, my head landed on the ground and rolled like a ball, coming to a stop with my eyes slightly open, facing the glowing screen of my phone.

The phone screen had somehow clicked onto a pop-up video news alert, and sweet, romantic music began to play. The melody sounded jarringly out of place in the silent, dark environment.

The news footage showed my sister kissing a strange man. Although his face was blurred, I recognized him instantly as Bo Congnan. Their kiss was reflected in my dark, fading pupils.

The killer picked up my head and hoisted my body over his shoulder, humming a tune as he walked away amidst the sweet music. My dark pupils gradually lost their luster. In the pitch-black night, the scene was horrific and eerie.

I was dead, a headless corpse. But I was not resigned; the resentment in my heart did not dissipate with death. The image of my husband and sister kissing was seared into my memory. The wedding I had so eagerly anticipated had become my own one-woman tragedy. Bo Congnan’s words had cut me to the bone.

I didn't understand why things had turned out this way. Why did they treat me like this? We were childhood sweethearts; he had promised to love only me. Why… why did he have to abandon me on our wedding day to be with my sister?

Perhaps due to my obsession, after death, I became a wandering soul, tethered to Bo Congnan's side.

At the site of the MB 12-Hour Endurance Race, the crowd was roaring, everyone cheering and ecstatic. No one paid any mind to the corner where a man and a woman were kissing passionately.

"Congnan, don't. This isn't right," Meng Xiangyi said, pushing him away. "Today is your wedding with Zhiyi. You shouldn't have left her for me."

Bo Congnan held the back of her head firmly. "It's just a wedding. How could it ever compare to you, Sister?"

"Sister, you are the most beautiful and talented racer."

Bo Congnan was actually only a few months younger than Meng Xiangyi, but he called her "Sister" with effortless familiarity. They went back to kissing self-indulgently.

No! You cannot do this! Bo Congnan, this is a betrayal!

The sight stung me to the core. I reached out, desperate to stop their absurd behavior, but my fingers passed right through them. That was when I realized with sudden, crushing despair: I was dead. I was a ghost, and I had no power to stop them.

After all these years of love, my heart had never felt such excruciating agony. I stood to the side, clutching my head and weeping. My desolate wailing created a jarring contrast to the grand, festive race. But it was all over; no one could hear me, and no one would ever know I was dead.

"What if something really happened to Zhiyi?" Meng Xiangyi glanced at the distress message I had sent Bo Congnan before I died, her expression indifferent.

Bo Congnan shrugged dismissively. "She's cold-natured and rarely speaks. She's probably just trying to scare me because I left her at the wedding."

"Don't worry. Shen Zhiyi doesn't have a temper at all; she's as bland as a glass of water."

Listening to his words, I looked back on the past and finally understood that I was so lowly in his eyes. It was no wonder he was so obsessed with Meng Xiangyi. After all, she was a famous racer, known for being sexy and alluring. I, this glass of water, could never compare.

I clenched my fists. Even without a physical body, I gritted my teeth in agony, as if my very soul were being torn apart. Everything I had done for him now seemed utterly ridiculous.

Meng Xiangyi smiled. "That's good. Zhiyi is my sister, after all; I wouldn't want her to be sad."

Wouldn't want me to be sad?

I slammed my hand against a seat in fury. They knew full well he was my husband, yet they kissed behind my back. Everything they said about not wanting me to be sad was a lie! Hypocrites!

Bo Congnan started the car. Sitting in the back, I watched the route and guessed he was taking Meng Xiangyi back to the Shen residence. To this day, there was still no sign of him trying to call me. For the first time, I felt pathetic—even in death, no one cared.

Halfway there, Bo Congnan’s phone rang. He answered while driving, "Hello?"

"Congnan, is Zhiyi with you? Did something happen to her?"

Bo Congnan chuckled lightly. "Don't joke around. What could possibly happen to her?"

As a mutual friend, Jiang Ze felt it necessary to speak up. "The precinct just received a distress call. I happened to be nearby, and the voice sounded exactly like Zhiyi's. Is she with you?"