"You pig, whose very breath poisons the air—filthy, hideous, and utterly revolting. Because of you, the entire universe is cursed with misfortune. Stay away from me. The air reeks of your stupidity, and I fear I might catch it."
Long Shenting's expression shifted through a spectrum of emotions. He had encountered people who disliked him before, but given his status, none had ever dared to point a finger at him and unleash such a torrent of abuse.
Lacking such experiences, Long Shenting found his own vocabulary for insults woefully inadequate.
His face darkened with rage, teeth clenched. "Xia Miao, you lunatic!"
"Appearance reflects the heart. If everyone looks like a lunatic to you, it’s because you are one!" Xia Miao sneered. "Don’t show your face around me again—you make me sick!"
With that, she turned and strode away without hesitation.
Long Shenting was furious, but his rationality held. He had recently received a warning; if he chased after Xia Miao and things turned physical, he’d end up locked away.
Watching her retreating figure, untouched by doubt, an odd flicker of emotion stirred within his anger.
He had encountered countless women who threw themselves at him—some feigning restraint, but all playing the same game of hard-to-get.
He had always assumed Xia Miao was no different. The more she pretended, the more he despised her. Yet just now, she had torn into him with unmistakable loathing.
Could it be… she genuinely detested him?
As Xia Miao walked away, her fury still simmered.
Suddenly, a figure darted into her path, startling her.
Instinctively, she steadied the woman who had collided with her. "Linda? What’s wrong?"
Linda was a mess—face smeared with blood, eyes wide with terror. She clutched Xia Miao’s arm like a lifeline, babbling incoherently.
"Those things… they eat people! They burrow inside you… and then crawl back out!"
"It’s horrible, horrible!"
"Run! They’ll infest us all!"
"We’re going to die!"
Linda kept repeating these fragments, too shaken to form a coherent explanation. Her eyes darted wildly, consumed by panic. Then, abruptly, she froze—as if all reason had fled, or as if some terrible realization had struck her.
"No… no, this isn’t right!"
She looked around, then shoved Xia Miao away, her face ghostly pale. "This is all fake! I need to go back—I need to go back!"
Before Xia Miao could react, men in white coats appeared.
Two of them seized Linda. A sedative plunged into her arm, and within moments, she slumped unconscious into their grasp.
Xia Miao stepped forward. "Wait—where are you taking her?"
The group paused.
A doctor smiled at Xia Miao and said, "Miss Xia, don’t worry. Linda is just suffering from long-distance train syndrome. People who travel for extended periods can sometimes lose self-control, experiencing hallucinations or extreme behavior. For us train staff, this isn’t uncommon. We need to take Linda to the medical cabin for treatment—she’ll need to stay in the ward for a few days."
Xia Miao asked, "Then I should be able to visit her at the hospital, right?"
The doctors exchanged glances, and one of them replied with a smile, "Of course. You’re welcome to visit anytime."
As Xia Miao watched them take Linda away, a strong sense of unease lingered in her heart.
"That was quite a terrifying scene just now. Did that train attendant lose her mind?"
The sudden voice made Xia Miao turn her head.
A young man she didn’t recognize stood nearby. She had no idea how long he’d been watching from behind before stepping forward to speak to her.
With an air of concern, he said, "I was really startled just now. Are you alright, miss?"
As Ming Zhenduan spoke, he deliberately angled the more attractive side of his face toward her. Not to boast, but he did have girls pursuing him at school—after all, he wasn’t bad-looking. It was just that his standards were high, and most girls didn’t meet them.
Xue Fufu’s situation had given him a brilliant idea. Why not leverage his looks to mingle with high society and climb the social ladder?
Ming Zhenduan never expected his luck to be this good—running into the young mistress of the Xia family right away. If he could latch onto this golden opportunity, he’d be set for life.
To his surprise, Xia Miao ignored his friendly overtures and walked away without a word.
Ming Zhenduan was taken aback but refused to let such a chance slip. Instinctively, he moved to follow her. But the moment he took two steps, an overwhelming force yanked him into a dimly lit corner.
His back slammed against the wall, and before he could even cry out in pain or voice his anger—just a single "crack"—his neck was snapped.
A young man with bright hair, blue eyes, and a black uniform stepped out leisurely, his smile as unchanging as a mask. Tossing aside a tissue he’d used to wipe his hands, he followed the girl’s retreating figure, closing in step by step.
By the time the area was deserted, the corpse in the corner slumped to the ground, its neck grotesquely twisted, eyes wide open, frozen in an expression of shock—an eerie sight.
Xia Miao sensed she was being followed. She’d always been sharp about such things, given her high-profile status. In the past, people had tailed her, hoping to exploit her for personal gain.
She deliberately quickened her pace before suddenly whirling around. "If you keep following me, I’ll call the—"
The words died in her throat as a tall figure loomed over her.
No. 13 bent slightly, his beaming face inches from hers—radiant, sunny, brimming with youthful energy.
"Good evening, young mistress!"
His smile was as cheerful as ever, as if negativity could never touch him. It was this harmless, friendly charm that made him so irresistibly captivating.
Xia Miao turned her face away, ignoring him, and continued walking forward.
No. 13 blinked, quickening his steps to catch up with her. "Miss, won’t you talk to me anymore?"
Xia Miao had said she wouldn’t speak to him, and she meant it.
"Miss, look at me."
"Say something to me."
"If you ignore me, I’ll die of sadness."
Still, she gave no response.
No. 13 leaned in closer, bending at the waist to hover beside her like a damp, ghostly presence. His voice turned eerie as he whispered, "If I die of sadness and become a ghost, I’ll haunt you forever."
Xia Miao stopped in her tracks and glared up at him. "So annoying!"
No. 13 flinched, his hunched posture making him appear small and pitiful. His blue eyes welled up with moisture, fragile as a porcelain doll’s.
"Young Mistress, you’re so cruel."
