Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

It really makes one's heart itch.

Ji Mian glanced at Jiang Wang, who was looking at her from the side. His face was bruised, his lips slightly curved, his expression lazy and a little roguish. Fear belatedly welled up inside her.

She gripped the oden in her hand tightly and whispered, "I won't confess."

Jiang Wang looked at her amusedly. He'd seen her sitting in the convenience store earlier, head drooping, pretending not to see anyone, looking like she was afraid of being beaten up. But when she saw him, she was like a wolf seeing meat, her eyes lighting up, and she even dared to come out and block his way.

"Oh," Jiang Wang slowly walked towards her, "Then why did you block me?"

Sensing his approach, Ji Mian nervously stared at her toes and secretly took a step back.

A shadow fell over her. Ji Mian heard Jiang Wang's flippant voice above her, "Hey classmate, you should know I have a bad temper. Stopping me for no reason, want to get beaten up?"

His voice carried a faint, deliberate laugh; he'd seen her in the wasteland that evening.

Ji Mian was startled, unexpectedly meeting his mocking gaze. His pupils were dark, his eyes upturned at the corners, and when he looked up, thin eyelids revealed fine creases, sharp as knives. He looked wild and unruly.

"I'm here to thank you," Ji Mian said sincerely, a little afraid of him. "Thank you for that afternoon. And I'm sorry for getting you involved. I wanted to tell you beforehand, but something came up."

As she spoke, she involuntarily glanced at Jiang Wang's face, bruised and battered, a sight both pitiful and comical.

******，********，“*****？”

“*************，*******。”******，***，“****？”

******，“***……”*****，***，“*，**********。”

“*****，*****。”*********，******，*******。

“**，**。”****，************，**********。

******，*********。

******，*******，********、******，***************。 Who knew they'd go to such lengths, beating him so badly he was forced to hide all over the mountain, then kicking him out the door before leaving, and shamelessly sealing half his magical power. Now even his sense of pain was more acute than before.

He tentatively pressed his slightly swollen lips, wincing in pain. He wondered who this girl, taken back to the Heavenly Palace, was, that these old darlings were protecting her so fiercely.

He felt a bit agitated, the spring night breeze unable to soothe him. He simply lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth. Looking up, he saw Ji Mian standing across the street, waiting for the light to change after buying medicine.

The girl was petite, still wearing her high school uniform. The oversized clothes made her look even smaller. She stood obediently by the roadside, her expression gentle, clean, and warm. Seemingly sensing his gaze, she suddenly looked up and gave him a sweet smile across the street, as if trying to soothe his anxious heart.

Jiang Wang looked at the smiling girl, as if he could hear her soft voice whispering in his ear, "Don't rush, I'll be right there."

Jiang Wang, who had originally planned to leave, found himself hesitant to move. Fine, since she was so insistent, he'd wait.

Ji Mian returned with the medicine bag, hesitated for a moment, and then sincerely advised, "Jiang Wang, you're still a high school student, don't smoke."

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face: "?"

He glanced at the remaining cigarette; only two puffs left. He stepped aside, finished smoking, and stubbed it out before returning.

Seeing the iodine and cotton swabs in her hand, Jiang Wang smiled again, "Can you reach them?"

As he spoke, he cheekily gestured, showing that Ji Mian's small frame only reached his chin.

Ji Mian: ...

She pursed her lips, not refuting him, but took two steps to the side and climbed onto the roadside flowerbed. "This will do."

She spoke with confidence, tinged with a hint of defiance.

She's got quite a temper.

Jiang Wang didn't say anything, walked over, and slightly raised his chin to look at her, then suddenly laughed. He tilted his head back, his eyebrows curving, the streetlight light falling into his eyes, sparkling like dazzling black pearls.

"No, you really want to help me apply the medicine?" He laughed more shamelessly. "Actually, I can do it myself, but if you insist, I don't mind."

Ji Mian's face flushed red with anger. She hadn't originally intended to help him apply the medicine, but his provocation had instantly thrown her off balance.

"I didn't," she argued, her voice soft and weak, lacking any persuasiveness.

Her hands were suddenly free, and Jiang Wang had already taken the cotton swabs and iodine. "Sit down?"

Ji Mian nodded, climbed down from the flower bed, took out tissues from her bag, and meticulously wiped the edge of the flower bed while bending over.

Jiang Wang looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Okay, you can sit now," she said patiently, gesturing for him.

Jiang Wang didn't say much, plopped down, and started haphazardly applying iodine to his face with the cotton swabs.

Ji Mian sat to the side, peeling off a band-aid, when she suddenly remembered something. "We can sit in the convenience store."

"Here it is." Jiang Wang was too lazy to move, and continued scribbling on his face with the cotton swabs. "Why?"

Jiang Wang stopped moving, propped his elbows on his knees, and tilted his head to look at her. "If you tell me something private, and someone overhears, how embarrassing would that be?"

Ji Mian: "...I don't have anything private to say!"

"Oh," Jiang Wang looked at her and laughed, a particularly mischievous look on his face, "What if I did? I'm shy, I'd be embarrassed to let anyone hear. You're thick-skinned, don't drag me down with you."

Ji Mian was surprised by his shamelessness and stared at him for a while.

"What are you looking at? Looking at how handsome I am?"

Ji Mian held back, but couldn't help herself, muttering softly, "You...you're always so shameless?"

Jiang Wang pointed a cotton swab at the tip of her delicate nose. "What, aren't you afraid I'll beat you up?"

A faint, cool smell of medicine wafted from her nostrils. Ji Mian subconsciously leaned back, trying to avoid it. "Scared," she answered honestly, then cautiously asked, "You hit girls?"

"Sure, I have no bottom line."

His voice was roguish, utterly shameless, and as he spoke, he suddenly raised his hand.

Ji Mian jumped in fright, instinctively shrinking back.

Jiang Wang couldn't help but laugh, "What a coward! You dared to stop me, what are you afraid of?"

This guy was completely unserious. Ji Mian didn't want to talk to him anymore, so she handed him an open band-aid, trying to sound cold: "Here."

No one took it for a while.

Turning her head, she saw Jiang Wang looking at her.

"You have to put this on for me."

Ji Mian lowered her eyes, remained silent for a moment, then took out her phone, opened the camera, and practically shoved it into his face. "This will do."

Jiang Wang chuckled, didn't say anything more, and pretended to put two band-aids on his face. "Wang-ge?!"

A voice boomed in the night, followed by a tall boy in pajamas. He ran up to the two of them, looking at Ji Mian with surprise, then at Jiang Wang.

"Am I f*****g awake?" He rubbed his eyes dramatically. "Damn, Wang-ge, weren't you out buying cigarettes? You've already found a girlfriend while buying a pack? Your ladies' mania is infuriating!"

Ji Mian looked up, explaining earnestly, "No."

Jiang Wang looked at her with a half-smile. "Nothing?"

Ji Mian's face flushed instantly, and she stammered, "No… I'm not dating anyone."

"Then what were you two doing, all lovey-dovey under the shade of a tree on this spring night? Talking about philosophy?"

Ji Mian was momentarily at a loss for words.

Jiang Wang saw her fair face turn bright red, her expression one of embarrassment, and stopped teasing her. She stood up and slapped the boy on the back of the head. "Xu Ting, can't you think of anything serious besides this filthy stuff?"

"What's filthy about it? CCTV broadcasts it openly," he said, clearing his throat and imitating a proper announcer's voice, "Spring is here, it's time for the animals to mate..."

"Damn!" Jiang Wang slapped him on the back of the head again. "Are you an i***t?"

Xu Ting realized that animals were indeed inappropriate. He rubbed the back of his head and gave Ji Mian an embarrassed smile.

Ji Mian wasn't used to this crude and direct way of communicating and stood there dumbfounded.

Jiang Wang glanced at her. "Don't pay attention to him, he's got something wrong with his head."

"Let's go buy cigarettes."

Jiang Wang patted Xu Ting's shoulder and started walking towards the convenience store. After a few steps, he turned back, stopped in front of Ji Mian, put his hands on his knees, and bent down to look at her. A shadow suddenly loomed overhead. The faint scent of tobacco emanating from Jiang Wang filled the spring night air. Ji Mian froze, looking up at him. "W-what's wrong?"

"It's getting dark. A young lady shouldn't be wandering around outside alone. Go home now, understand?"

Ji Mian obediently nodded. "Okay."

Jiang Wang prepared to straighten up, then frowned impatiently and recited a number. "Send a message when you get home to let them know you're safe."

Ji Mian obediently said "Okay."

Jiang Wang then threatened, "Don't forget. Try forgetting."

Xu Ting, standing to the side, was utterly astonished. Brother Wang was actually a gentle scoundrel! On the way to buy cigarettes, Xu Ting leaned over and gossiped cheekily, "Brother Wang, what's going on?"

Jiang Wang said meaningfully, "Springtime isn't just the season for animals to mate, it's also the season for courting death, right?"

"...Let's not be like that. Can't we be a little more amiable?"

"No."

Xu Ting was used to Jiang Wang's aloof attitude and continued gossiping, "Brother Wang, the girls chasing you are crying and begging for your numbers, and you've given them all away so easily. Are you a little interested in some young girl?"

Jiang Wang laughed in exasperation, "How could I be interested in everyone? Someone like Ji Mian, even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn't dare send me harassing messages. In the dark, if something really happened to a young girl, wouldn't our consciences be a little uneasy?"

As they talked, they reached the convenience store entrance. The lights were bright, and Xu Ting noticed the band-aid on Jiang Wang's face. "Damn, you even have a Band-Aid? Bro, your face's all bruised, can you really cover it up? Trying to be cute?"

Jiang Wang licked his cheek, reached for the Band-Aid, hesitated, then tore it off.

"You really have no interest in her? Ji Mian is quite cute."

Jiang Wang turned to look at him, "You don't even know her, how can she be cute?"

"Well, don't you think this girl looks so soft and easy to bully, it makes my heart itch?"

Jiang Wang scoffed, "You're just shameless, don't be so cheap."

He cursed, but subconsciously glanced back.

Ji Mian hadn't left yet, turning to clean up the mess she'd left behind. She sat on the flowerbed where forsythia was in full bloom, looking tiny.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, she raised her fair face to look at him, paused, then gave him a sweet smile.

Jiang Wang froze, then deliberately glared at her maliciously. Ji Mian: ...

He turned around, unable to resist a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, a gesture that was undeniably alluring.