Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

A confession from a thermos bottle

The two rode their electric scooter, laughing and joking, through the city's streets and alleys, finally stopping at a market.

This was Jiangcheng's old town, surrounded by many old residential buildings. The department store itself was a cramped, low-ceilinged structure, dilapidated and bearing the marks of time.

Zhang Keke parked the scooter at the entrance, pulled a plastic bag from her shopping basket, and waved it at Ji Mian. "I'll take these to my mom, then I'll take you home later."

Ji Mian obediently nodded and stood by the scooter waiting for her.

She watched Zhang Keke slowly walk inside, waving the plastic bag, but after only a short distance, she suddenly took off running, her small figure disappearing into a shop in moments.

The shop wasn't far from the entrance. Ji Mian could see the shop's signboard lying to one side outside; the cover was smashed, but she could still make out the words "Stir-fried Dishes," "Stir-fried Noodles," and "Fast Food."

Besides the overturned lightbox, there were tables, chairs, benches, and scattered vegetables in iron basins outside the shop.

She hesitated for a moment, then entered the market.

It was a fast-food restaurant, low and cramped, but the walls were clean and tidy, unlike the greasy mess of typical hole-in-the-wall eateries.

However, the floor was a complete mess. Tables, chairs, benches, cabinets, utensils, ingredients, and bowls were scattered everywhere, making it impossible to walk.

Zhang Keke and a thin woman were squatting on the floor picking things up, both silent, a silence that was almost oppressive. The setting sun shone in from outside, making the scene appear even more bleak.

As if sensing someone entering, Zhang Keke, who was squatting on the floor, turned her head, still clutching a soy sauce bottle in her hand.

Her expression was grave and numb, completely devoid of the playful and angry demeanor she had displayed just moments before. Seeing Ji Mian, she paused, a moment of embarrassment crossing her face, but quickly raised an eyebrow, feigning indifference. "Why don't you take the bus home yourself?"

Ji Mian noticed her eyes were red, yet she acted nonchalant.

She smiled at her, "Keke, that lightbox is a bit heavy, let's carry it together."

Zhang Keke suddenly got angry, "I told you to leave!"

"Keke!" The woman squatting on the ground stood up. "How can you talk to your classmate like that?"

The woman was clearly embarrassed by her disheveled appearance. She quickly tidied her messy hair and gave Ji Mian an awkward smile. "You're Keke's classmate, right?"

Ji Mian greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie, I'm Ji Mian, Keke's classmate."

Keke's mother's eyes widened instantly. With a hint of surprise, Zhang Keke asked, "Keke, is this the girl who always gets first place in your class?"

Keke had been keeping her head down since Ji Mian appeared, and now she mumbled a reply, "Yes."

Parents always have a special fondness for high-achieving students, so she quickly busied herself, "Child, have you eaten? Auntie will make you some fried noodles?"

"Auntie, I've already eaten, don't bother," Ji Mian said, already starting to steady herself on a stool. "Should this go here?"

"Put it against the wall," Zhang Keke suddenly stood up and interjected, looking at her expressionlessly.

Ji Mian smiled, "Oh, I know."

Zhang Keke rolled her eyes at her, then smiled too.

The three of them tidied up, while Keke's mother nagged along, mostly about schoolwork. She naturally liked Ji Mian, a good student who was always praised at parent-teacher meetings, and couldn't help but talk about her whenever she saw her.

“Coco was doing so well in her studies before,” Coco’s mother sighed, “It’s all because of…”

“Mom!” Zhang Coco interrupted her, “Alright, I’m leaving after I’m done packing.”

As she spoke, Zhang Coco pulled Ji Mian towards the door, clearly not wanting her mother to continue.

Zhang’s mother chased after her, wiping her hands on her apron as she instructed Coco, “You need to study hard. Your teacher, Ms. Zhao, said last time that if you don’t do well on the final exams, you’ll have to leave the Sunshine Class in your senior year. Coco, you…”

“I know, don’t say anymore.”

Zhang Coco interrupted her impatiently, and Ji Mian heard Zhang’s mother sigh heavily behind her.

After leaving the market, Zhang Coco didn’t rush to get her car. She turned a corner and went into a side alley.

Ji Mian didn’t say anything, obediently following behind. Zhang Keke didn't speak, leaning back against the wall with one leg propped up, skillfully pulling out a cigarette and biting it. She pressed the lighter but didn't light it, turning to look at Ji Mian, "Mind it?"

Ji Mian shook her head, but couldn't help advising her, "Keke, smoking is bad for your health."

Zhang Keke lit it, biting the cigarette and laughing, "Living like this, how can I expect to live a long life?"

Ji Mian stopped speaking, quietly watching her. Zhang Keke lowered her head, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, as if exhaling a breath of stale air, her expression becoming relaxed.

The two stood in the alley, one well-behaved and quiet, the other unruly and flamboyant, a stark contrast, yet both were from the "Sunshine Class."

Ji Mian and Zhang Keke seemed to belong to two different worlds. As students, everyone seemed to be aware of this; good students were afraid of attracting the attention of bad students, and bad students felt that good students had a superior attitude and didn't want to get close.

Having been classmates for almost a year, Ji Mian and Zhang Keke rarely interacted.

However, in the prestigious Sunshine Class, filled with high-achieving students, Zhang Keke's existence was legendary, so Ji Mian had heard a bit about her. It was said that Keke had entered the Sunshine Class with a ninth-place ranking in the entrance exam for high school. But in the first semester's midterm exam, she dropped to the twenties, and her scores kept declining. In the second year, when students were divided into science and humanities tracks, she barely made it into the science-focused Sunshine Class, ranking last. After that, she consistently ranked at the bottom of her class, and her overall grade ranking kept dropping. She even started skipping classes, and her attire became increasingly extravagant. If things continued like this, she'd probably be kicked out of the Sunshine Class next semester.

If it were before, Ji Mian would have followed the established path of studying, getting into university, finding an ideal job, getting married, and having children; she would never have gotten too entangled with a student like Zhang Keke.

But now things seemed different. Even death exists; what trajectory can't be broken? Ji Mian looked at Zhang Keke, shrouded in smoke, and suddenly asked softly, "Why don't you study harder?"

Zhang Keke replied nonchalantly, "I want to, but at first I didn't want to study anymore. Now I want to, but I can't keep up."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, staring at her toes, lost in thought.

The sky had already darkened, and she heard Ji Mian's voice again in the night wind.

"I'll tutor you."

She was silent for a moment, then stubbed out her cigarette and walked out of the alley. "We'll talk about it later, don't keep you up. I'll take you home first. Where do you live?"

Ji Mian followed her out. "Ting'an Residential Area near the school."

"What a coincidence? I live there too." Zhang Keke said, then added, "With a friend."

Ji Mian didn't know why Zhang Keke didn't live at home, nor why she didn't stay at a hotel, but she didn't ask further. Seeing the mess from the afternoon, she knew that Zhang Keke's life wasn't going well, and she had many secrets she didn't want to tell. Less than half an hour later, the electric scooter stopped outside the residential area.

Ji Mian got off the scooter and turned to walk towards the convenience store. "Keke, what do you want to eat?"

Neither of them had eaten dinner.

"Canned coffee is fine, iced."

"That's bad for your stomach."

Zhang Keke laughed again, "You're even more controlling than my mom. Okay, and a piece of bread too."

Ji Mian bought the food and they ate as they walked. At a fork in the road, Zhang Keke stopped.

"I live in building number four. What about you?"

"Eleven."

"Okay, come visit me anytime. But you should focus on your studies. I can't be responsible if you get corrupted."

They chatted and laughed for a few more minutes, exchanged numbers, and then went their separate ways.

The small apartment Xiang Shu arranged for Ji Mian was just what she wanted—a cozy and charming two-bedroom apartment, nothing like the empty and luxurious Heavenly Palace. Ji Mian entered the house and put down the half-eaten bread. She went into the kitchen and put the eight-treasure rice she had soaked that morning into a clay pot to cook. She loved having porridge in the evening; it was soft, warm, and gave her a feeling of home.

While the porridge was cooking, she could take a shower and do her homework. By the time she finished her homework, it would be almost time to drink it.

After finishing the last physics problem, it was already nine o'clock at night. Ji Mian looked at the textbooks spread out on the table and suddenly remembered Coco's words, "I want to study now, but I can't keep up."

She took out her phone and sent Coco a message: 【Do you want some porridge? I'll bring you some.】

Not receiving a reply for a while, she first packed some porridge in a thermos and walked towards Building 4 while waiting for a reply.

When she got near Building 4, she realized she didn't know which apartment she lived in.

Ji Mian: 【Coco, I'm at Building 4. Which apartment do you live in?】 This time, Coco replied quickly: "[The apartment with the yard on the first floor, but I'm not there right now. Mian, you go back first, I'll come find you if it's not too late.]"

Ji Mian was about to walk back when the gate to the courtyard on the first floor of Building 4 opened.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jiang Wang casually walking out, a cigarette dangling from his lips and carrying a pile of takeout containers.

She was a little stunned, holding the insulated food containers, standing under the streetlight, staring blankly at him.

Jiang Wang noticed, turned his head, looking half-asleep, and looked at her with half-closed eyes, then chuckled softly, "What, confessing with a thermos this time? Didn't you say you wanted roses?"