Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

Sleep with me tonight

Ji Mian's life underwent a dramatic change, but she still diligently followed her established pace, and her life remained largely the same as before.

However, now, every night after finishing her homework and practice problems, she would specifically find a notebook to write down the detailed solutions and steps for each problem, noting the formulas and theorems used. This was a way of providing detailed explanations for Coco, and also to strengthen her own understanding and familiarity with the formulas.

After finishing her homework, Ji Mian took her notebook to the dining room and placed it on the table. Then she went to the kitchen to put the cooked porridge in a thermos and placed it on the table.

She went to bed at 10:30, and Coco usually didn't return until midnight, often after drinking alcohol. She always left her some warm porridge to soothe her stomach, so she could drink it while working on her problems.

After finishing her chores, while tidying up in the kitchen, Ji Mian received a call from Zhang Coco.

"Mianmian, are you busy right now?"

Ji Mian, holding the phone, replied while washing dishes, "Not busy, what's up?"

"Cai Tian left some sheet music for me at Building 4. Lu Chen and the others are going to a music festival in the next city; they probably won't be back until next week. Could you go over and get it for me now?"

Ji Mian remembered that her soul and spirit had been extracted, making her more susceptible to ghosts due to her weakened state. She glanced at the wall clock; it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

"Okay, when do they leave?"

"In half an hour."

"I'll be right there."

Ji Mian hung up the phone, put on a coat, and headed towards Building 4.

At the gate, Ji Mian hesitated for a moment, just in time to see Xu Ting standing inside the low fence, smoking with his back to her.

"Xu Ting," Ji Mian called softly.

"Huh?" Xu Ting turned around, saw Ji Mian through the fence, took his cigarette, and smiled. "Looking for Brother Wang?"

Ji Mian felt uncomfortable at the mere mention of Jiang Wang's name. She'd bitten him last time and had been avoiding him ever since. Luckily, Jiang Wang skipped class regularly, so she hadn't run into him at school.

"Is Jiang Wang here?"

"He went out, he'll probably be back in a bit. Come in and wait for him."

Ji Mian instantly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook her head. "I'm not looking for him. I'm just here to get Coco's sheet music. I'll leave as soon as I get it."

Ji Mian wasn't good at hiding her emotions; her relieved expression was too obvious for Xu Ting to read. He didn't know what to say for a moment.

It seemed Brother Wang's drunkenness last time had really frightened her.

"I won't go in. Can you get it for me?"

"Sure, wait a minute." Xu Ting stubbed out his cigarette and went inside. Ji Mian waited outside the courtyard for a while. A ray of light flashed across the tree-lined path in the residential area, and she looked in the direction of it, seeing a slightly worn minivan pull up.

The car stopped outside the courtyard, and as soon as the door opened, several tall boys filed out—it was Zhang Keke and her band.

Lu Chen was the first to get out. Noticing Ji Mian, he greeted her, "Here to get the sheet music for Keke?"

Ji Mian smiled and nodded. "Yes, Xu Ting went in and got it for me."

Lu Chen didn't say anything more, went around to the back of the car, and opened the trunk. The boys started carrying instruments and costumes from inside, making a clattering noise.

"Damn it, can't you guys be a little quieter?" A curse suddenly came from inside the car, somewhat hoarse and lazy, with a hint of sleepless frustration.

Ji Mian, hearing this from outside, stiffened. A moment later, the car door opened again, and a boy dressed in black emerged, hunched over.

Jiang Wang stood by the car for a long time, motionless, as if he had just woken up and was still dazed. He ruffled his already messy short hair, yawned with narrowed eyes, and his sleepy appearance made him seem irritable, radiating an aura of "Don't f*****g mess with me."

Ji Mian took two steps back, pressing herself against the wall, trying to minimize her presence.

Jiang Wang, his face sullen, leaned against the car, calmed himself for a moment, and took out a cigarette to light it.

"Mianmian, sheet music!" Xu Ting came out of the yard, not immediately noticing Ji Mian. After searching, he found her hiding against the wall, a good distance away from Jiang Wang.

Just as Jiang Wang was about to light a cigarette, he heard the sound and looked over. The moment their eyes met, the girl's face hardened unfriendly, and she turned her head away, her gaze almost intimidating.

Jiang Wang: ...

He was so angry he wanted to laugh. He strode closer, his eyes fixed on her. "What's up, shorty? You got a problem with me? I vaguely remember you insulting me last time. You have a problem with that?"

As he spoke, he put the cigarette he'd been toying with into his mouth. He was already quite noticeable, and now that he was close, every move he made emphasized his presence.

Ji Mian tried to ignore him, instead taking the sheet music Xu Ting handed her. "Thank you, I'll be going now."

After she finished speaking, she didn't even glance at Jiang Wang, turning and walking away. Her movements were swift, her ponytail swung back, hitting Jiang Wang's chest.

Too high enough, it would have been better if it had hit his face.

Ji Mian silently grumbled to herself, then strode away, clutching the sheet music.

Jiang Wang watched her small figure recede into the distance, somewhat bewildered, touching his chest. He looked at Xu Ting, "Wait, why did she yell at me? I didn't do anything to her."

Xu Ting, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice, laughed uncontrollably, "Dude, you didn't do anything to her, you just acted like a scoundrel."

Xu Ting then briefly recounted the incident of him getting drunk and clinging to Ji Mian that day.

Jiang Wang sat on the swing in the yard, one foot on the stool and the other on the ground, his posture completely unrefined. He scoffed, "Don't f*****g fool me, I'm not that kind of person."

"Brother, it's not a matter of whether it's similar or not, that's what you really said." Xu Ting said, plopping down next to him, grabbing Jiang Wang's neck, and mimicking a drunken tone, "So soft, sleep with me tonight."

Jiang Wang was disgusted, slapping his face and pushing him aside, "Stop disgusting me, okay?"

"It's not that I'm disgusting you, you really f*****g said that, if you don't believe me, ask Sun Laosan, he helped you back, he heard it too. You really are like that..." Xu Ting got carried away, mimicking Jiang Wang's drunkenness again, "Cute, want to f**k. Knows how to be cute, still want to fuck..."

Jiang Wang: ...Damn!

Jiang Wang kicked him off the swing.

*

Ji Mian was walking back with the sheet music when she heard rustling footsteps behind her.

Is that Jiang Wang? A bad premonition welled up inside her, her scalp tingled, and she dared not look back, only quickening her pace.

The footsteps behind her quickened, closing in. This neighborhood had exceptionally good landscaping, including a large lake—the very pond Jiang Wang had used to scare her. The area was predominantly green and very secluded.

Countless thoughts flooded her mind, and Ji Mian started running. The person behind her noticed her movement and quickly caught up, blocking her path.

“Mianmian, so you really do live here.” Shi Jiancheng pushed up his glasses, giving her a sinister smile.

Ji Mian’s scalp tingled instantly. She screamed and turned to run, but Shi Jiancheng grabbed her arm.

“Let go!”

Ji Mian struggled desperately, but her strength was no match for Shi Jiancheng, and he pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly, leading her towards his car parked in a secluded grove of trees. Shi Jiancheng leaned close to her ear as they walked, "Your mom's family is pretty rich, huh? Buying her a house in a good school district? Ha, how can you be so insensible? Do you think those people will be nice to you for nothing? They'll demand something in return eventually, just you wait… Instead of letting them get away with it, you should repay your uncle for raising you for five years…"

"Let go! It's disgusting… Help…" Ji Mian burst into tears, "Let go… I'll tell Auntie…"

"Tell your auntie? Does she believe you? She's the one who kicked you out…"

As Shi Jiancheng spoke, his foul mouth pressed against Ji Mian's fair neck, and his hands began to tear at her coat.

That indescribable disgust, like a slippery, cold snake, instantly crawled all over Ji Mian's back. She raised the thick sheet music in her hand and smashed it against Shi Jiancheng's face.

Shi Jiancheng winced in pain, instinctively releasing Ji Mian and covering his face. Ji Mian seized the opportunity and ran with all her might towards the brightly lit road. However, this time Shi Jiancheng quickly grabbed her arm again and dragged her towards the car.

Ji Mian cried and struggled, but she was no match for Shi Jiancheng's strength; she was almost in despair.

Suddenly, her arm tightened, a force pulled her up, and then, her vision blurred, followed by a muffled thud.

Shi Jiancheng had been punched in the face and fell to the ground. His hand was still holding Ji Mian; as she was about to be pulled down, an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back and pressing her into his arms.

Ji Mian's mind was a mess; instinctively, she cried out, "Jiang Wang..."

Then, as if stretched to its limit, she suddenly relaxed and burst into tears, regardless of everything else.