The Byoukidere Is Her Sweetie

October, the golden autumn season, the Silver Pine in the neighborhood left the ground littered with dry branches. The autumn atmosphere was desolate, only the scattered Red Leaf Photinia added a bit of vibrant red.

Two old ladies walked one after the other, carrying shopping bags, heading towards the buildings in the neighborhood.

Laughing and chatting along the way, when they turned into the path through the greenery, the old lady with the small curly hair in the front suddenly remembered something, "Let's go from the back."

Her companion was puzzled, "Why?"

The curly-haired old lady pulled her back to retrace their steps, talking about the neighborhood gossip, "I heard there's a weirdo living in Building Seventeen."

"What kind of weirdo?"

The old lady spoke loudly, "A young girl, always wrapping herself up tightly, only showing her eyes. Last time Old Wang said he saw her eyes were red and glowing. It scared him to death."

"No way, who would dare live in that building then?"

The old lady glanced back, feeling a chill on her back, she hurriedly pulled her coat tighter, "Indeed, no one lives there. Besides that young girl, there's no one else."

"Such an odd thing? Did the girl rent the whole building herself? Surely not bought it?"

"Who knows."

The voices faded away, the sunset was about to fall. Shadows stretched long on the pebbled path. At the end of the path, Building Seventeen stood tall, seventeen floors high touching the clouds, bathed in the glow of the evening light spreading gold.

The delivery guy carried a bag, walking briskly; he looked up a few times to confirm the numbers on the building before taking out his phone to make a call, "Hello."

"Hello."

A young girl's voice, clear and gentle, with a hint of laziness and carelessness, slightly cold in tone.

What a nice voice, thought the delivery guy.

"Delivery." The guy spoke politely, "I'm at the bottom of Building Seventeen, which floor do you live on?"

"Please wait, I'll come down to get it."

There were muffled sounds on the other end of the phone, then the sound of a door closing.

The delivery guy was about to say he could deliver it upstairs when the door at the stairway of Building Seventeen suddenly opened. The guy looked up and saw a hand.

Long and slender fingers, pale like porcelain, with neat and clean nails.

Above that, was a face, excessively pale skin like it hadn't seen sunlight for years, giving a hint of sickness, a high yet delicate nose, and thin lips pressed together, looking cold and aloof when not smiling.

The first look, just seemed excessively beautiful.

The second look, one would be drawn into those phoenix eyes, long and slender, slightly upward-tilted at the corners, pupils colored with the darkest ink, three parts depth, three parts coldness, and the remaining, an ancient coldness, like stars in the summer desert, dazzling and hard to look away from, yet making one afraid to look longer.

So young, how could there be such desolation, how could her eyes be filled with the weariness and emptiness that comes after years of hardship.

The guy was stunned, staring at that face.

Click.

The door opened wider, the girl stepped out with one leg, slender and long, revealing a pale ankle under the nine-part black pencil pants. She wore a black-and-white over-the-knee long shirt, with a gray hoodie inside. The hoodie was casually draped over her head, revealing her collarbone, with strands of short hair sticking out from the hood, slightly messy. She wore no warm colors, except for a pair of pink bunny plush slippers.

"Yunji Noodle Restaurant?" she asked, her voice still as clear and slightly cool as on the phone.

The delivery guy came back to his senses, hurriedly handing over the bag, "Your delivery."

"Thank you."

She took it, then retracted her leg, and turned to close the door.

Her hand was so cold.

The guy realized later, the place her finger pads brushed still carried a bit of residual chill. He scratched his head, walked away, then couldn't help but look back after a few steps. The sky was dark now, and the once dim window was lit up, the light from the sensor lamps broke through the window. From the first to the seventh floor, the lights almost simultaneously lit up.

A gust of wind blew, giving the delivery guy goosebumps, he quickly turned and left.

Bang!

The door slammed shut, the two pink bunny slippers were kicked off at the entrance. She pulled off her hoodie, carrying the food container inside.

Her name was Zhou Xufang, living alone.

In Building Seventeen, only she lived there, not rented, the entire building belonged to her. Because she was different from others, she could only live alone.

She lived on the seventh floor, two units connected into one, over two hundred square meters of space, looking very cold and deserted at a glance. To the left of the entrance was the cloakroom, with many types of clothes, but mostly black at a glance. To the right of the entrance was the bathroom, also separated by glass, one-way visible, only a corner of the ultra-large bathtub visible through the door crack.

Walking further in, three steps up the stairs, to the right was the bed, all black bed sheets, lacking any lively color, the floor at the end of the bed scattered with a few pieces of clothing. To the left were four computers, one side a black lacquered wooden dressing table, a lazy sofa in the middle, a glass coffee table, with a projector in one corner of the table. Next to it, a delicate glass box filled with colorful cotton candy.

The white walls and black floor, the entire two hundred square meter area, except for the pink bunny slippers at the entrance, there were no warm colors, devoid of any human presence and smoke.

She put the delivery down, stood barefoot on the black plush carpet, picked a pink cotton candy from the glass box and put it in her mouth, just bit open the disposable chopsticks packaging, the computers on the table activated.

On the screen, a bright yellow SpongeBob popped up, filling the entire screen.

Code name Shuangjiang, real name unknown, age unknown, identity background and address all unknown. She was Zhou Xufang's partner. Zhou Xufang never heard her voice nor saw her appearance, only knew she was a young girl.

"Are you awake?"

Three words popped up at the bottom of the screen, in bold red SimSun font.

Zhou Xufang unwrapped the delivery bag, "Yes."

"Got a new job."

"I'm on vacation."

Zhou Xufang didn't look up, her hair just past her ears, bangs slightly covering her eyes; she ate her noodles quietly, with excellent manners, eating slowly and deliberately.

"This one is easy." After a moment, words scrolled on the screen again, "It's a female client, wants us to nab someone. She said it's her sweetheart, wants to play the beauty saving the hero." Shuangjiang added, "The commission fee is five hundred thousand."

Zhou Xufang's chopsticks paused, her long eyelashes drooped, making her profile look much softer with her head bowed.

After a while, SpongeBob on the screen jumped twice, Shuangjiang asked, "Take it?"

She ate a mouthful of noodles, "Take it."

As long as it didn't harm the heavens or set fires, anything that made money, they would take.

The next day happened to be the fifteenth, the moon was very round, surrounded by stars, casting a soft glow over the whole city. As the night lamps lit up, the city was bustling and lively.

In a finely decorated club, ancient paintings adorned the walls, carvings of hollow flowers, and along the way, Corinthian Roman columns displayed various flowers, a faint floral scent lingered in the corridor.

The flowers were meant to match the occasion, but alas, they came at the wrong time.

The club lounge manager hurriedly ran, instructing the waiters, "Quick, put away all the roses."

The head waiter came over, puzzled, "Manager, why suddenly take away all the flowers?"

The manager was anxious, tugging at his tie, using a handkerchief to wipe the sweat on his neck, "An important guest is coming, who can't stand the smell of roses."

An important guest?

In a high-end club, all the visitors were VIPs. The head waiter was unsure who it was, asking the manager, "Who?"

The manager squatted down, picking up a fallen rose petal, "The Jiang Family's important guest."

Now, the head waiter understood.

In the Imperial City's Jiang Family, there was only one who could be called an important guest, the youngest son of the Jiang family, famous far and wide. Speaking of that beauty...

The manager urged, "Hurry up, the person is almost here, be quick and don't leave a single rose behind."

About ten minutes later, the manager received a call, quickly bringing a few deputy managers to greet at the elevator entrance.

Ding—

The elevator door opened, the person was not visible, but the coughing was heard first, one bout after another, slightly suppressed.

When the elevator door fully opened, the tall figure was backlit by the glass lamps in the corridor. The person leaned against the left wall of the elevator, wearing a black long coat that reached past the knees. Underfoot was a pair of custom leather shoes, inside a white shirt and casual pants, the collar unbuttoned, revealing a long neck. Because of the cough, even the Adam's apple was flushed pink, gently moving.

He lowered his head, still coughing, his long hand pressed at his collarbone. Because of the severe coughing, even his fingertips were slightly red.

The manager stepped aside to greet him respectfully, "Mr. Jiang."

In the Jiang family, only this one person was addressed as Mr. Jiang, the rest naturally had to have their names appended to it, showing the difference in status.

The man in the elevator finally raised his head. His hair was cut casually, highlighting his smooth contours, his bone structure extremely beautiful. His skin was pale, and just after coughing, his lips, pressed lightly together, carried a touch of red, with a thin layer of redness on his cheeks — three parts sickly, three parts delicate, three parts charming, and a touch of lazy carelessness.

Moreover, he had a pair of standard peach blossom eyes, slightly pink around the edges, shaped like peach blossoms, with moisture, the corners slightly upturned, the black and white of his pupils not clearly defined, giving a seemingly drunken haze. Such a look, every frown and smile was exquisitely beautiful, making one's heart beat faster.

This was the Jiang family's youngest son, Jiang Zhi, the most beautiful person in the Imperial City, breathless after three steps, coughing after five steps, truly a delicate and precious sick beauty. This charming person, stunning yet without any hint of femininity, with his peach blossom eyes, every glance, every move, a lazy indifference infused with inherent nobility and distance, noble and aloof bred within an aristocratic family.

The manager, a man in his forties, was stunned despite having seen this beauty before, took a while to find his voice, "I-I'll lead you there."

The manager stammered nervously, treating this lord with both respect and fear, knowing well enough that this ancestor had a bad temper, upsetting him would surely lead to trouble.

Jiang Zhi responded softly with a "mm," his eyelids lifting slightly. His languid demeanor seemed as if he hadn't fully woken up. His legs were long and slender, but he walked very slowly.

"Cough, cough, cough."

He slightly bent his back, covering his mouth and nose as he coughed lightly. His brows furrowed gently, and the hair on his forehead was a bit disheveled, adding a touch of illness to his appearance.

Ahead, the manager leading the way slowed his pace repeatedly. For such a short distance, he ended up breaking out in a cold sweat for no apparent reason.

Opening the door to the private room, the first thing that caught his eye was a sharp-looking face with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. The manager respectfully greeted, "Mr. Xue."

Xue Baoyi, the second son of the Xue Family.

His mother gave him a tough-guy face but ironically named him Baoyi, a name for ladies because of a dream she had during pregnancy, hoping for a daughter. Instead, she had a son. Currently, Xue Baoyi was sitting at the gambling table. In the dimly lit room, his blue-purple hair was the most eye-catching feature. He had a rugged face and was smoking a cigarette as he called out, "Brother Zhi is here."

Jiang Zhi's grandmother was a lady from a prestigious family, and their household retained some old-fashioned customs. Boys were called "ge'er" and girls "jie'er." The young gentlemen friends liked to tease him by calling him "Brother Zhi."

Xue Baoyi and Jiang Zhi were childhood friends, as their families had business ties and had known each other since they were toddlers.

This gathering was organized by Xue Baoyi. Although the elite circle in Imperial City wasn't large, it still had clear hierarchies. Jiang Zhi was at the top of this elite group. If it were not for Xue Baoyi and tonight's birthday boy being close friends, they wouldn't have been able to invite this little ancestor.

The group of spoiled rich kids in the room greeted him eagerly, with tones indicating a wish to ingratiate themselves with him.

Jiang Zhi lazily lifted his eyelids, "Put out those cigarettes, this place is all smoky."

Xue Baoyi chuckled, "Alright, alright, as you say." Nudging the others, they all put out their cigarettes. He then threw a card onto the table, "How about a few rounds?"

The smell of tobacco hadn't completely dissipated from the room. Jiang Zhi coughed a couple of times, found a clean spot, and nestled there listlessly, "Didn't you lose enough last time?"

Xue Baoyi drew a card and laughed nonchalantly, "I'm hoping to win back my losses this time."

Jiang Zhi ignored him, lounging lazily with his eyes half-closed, looking listless and sickly. His peach blossom eyes appeared to be in a state between waking and sleeping, giving an impression that he was always on the brink of dozing off. Xue Baoyi knew his temperament and didn't bother him, instead, he asked a waiter to bring him a glass of milk.

However, there were always those who didn't understand.

For instance, the young master from the Deng Family brought a woman along. Not only that, but she wasn't behaving demurely either. As soon as she entered, her eyes were glued to Jiang Zhi, the provocative movements of her chest drawing attention.

Jiang Zhi held a high-stemmed glass, sipping milk slowly.

The woman took a bottle of red wine over and sat on the sofa opposite him, smiling coquettishly, "Shall I pour you a glass, Mr. Jiang?"

He didn't even lift his eyelids, replying sleepily, "Weak constitution, can't drink alcohol."

It was well-known that the youngest of the Jiang Family in Imperial City had a frail body; outsiders only knew him as someone constantly battling illness, unaware of his devastating beauty.

Such a sickly beauty, even though the woman's advances were rejected, she didn't get angry. She put down the wine and picked up some darts, "Mr. Jiang, would you like to try? I heard from Mr. Deng that you're the best at darts around here."

Jiang Zhi lazily lowered his eyelids, "Weak constitution, can't lift my hand."

After saying that, he covered his mouth and coughed twice. His lips were red and teeth white, with a slight blush on his cheeks.

A beauty like a painting, lying there, with a slight frown really tugged at people's heartstrings. This delicate person... The woman quickly approached, wanting to help him catch his breath, but her tender hand was blocked by the high-stemmed glass filled with milk.

The person nestled on the sofa suddenly raised his eyes, the lazy look vanished, replaced by a gaze like cold stars, "I'm allergic to roses."

The woman's hand froze in mid-air.

She had applied rose-scented perfume that day.

His disgust was evident, even throwing away the wine glass, "Stay away from me."

The woman, embarrassed, retracted her hand and backed off.

Xue Baoyi left the card table, giving young Master Deng a look. Only then did the young master recall and hurriedly led the woman out, ashamed of himself for forgetting that Mr. Xue had instructed not to bring women.

Xue Baoyi knew Jiang Zhi had some cleanliness compulsions. He switched glasses and poured him another glass of milk, fawning as he approached him, since this little ancestor didn't generally drink alcohol but loved milk.

Jiang Zhi looked at him coldly with his peach blossom eyes, "Get away, you smell like a woman."

"....."

He had been with a woman that afternoon but had taken a bath before showing up.

This little ancestor's eyes were stunningly beautiful, but even a slight narrowing made them coldly menacing, like a shower of peach blossom ice rain falling from above.

Xue Baoyi knew he was angry and dared not bother him any further. They couldn't help it; Jiang Zhi was too beautiful and always looked sickly like a devastatingly attractive trouble in ancient times. All his childhood friends, being passionately normal men, found it hard to resist such a beautiful face. Knowing well that Jiang Zhi wasn't a weak and delicate person, they still couldn't help but want to coddle and pamper him.

All their childhood friends knew there were two things this little ancestor hated most: roses and women. Because of this, when organizing the gathering, Xue Baoyi specifically reminded everyone not to bring women.

Xue Baoyi fawned and apologized.

Jiang Zhi got up from the sofa, "I'm leaving."

"So soon?" Xue Baoyi tried to hold onto his sleeve to stop him, "The birthday boy hasn't arrived yet."

He shook off his sleeve, making his beautiful face cold, "Weak constitution, can't stay up late."

Xue Baoyi: "...."

Damn it, was eight o'clock already considered late?

Jiang Zhi left directly, without even a glance at the group of anxiously watching spoiled rich kids. Walking and coughing, he kept his head down, suppressing his cough, his cheeks showing a faint sickly blush.

Xue Baoyi felt a pang in his heart, letting him go, thinking that a frail beauty needed to be pampered exceptionally. He couldn't help marveling, "This little ancestor, who knows which boy will have him in the future."

Oh, by the way, Jiang Zhi came out as gay at his eighteenth birthday celebration, declaring in front of a group of beautiful debutantes that he only liked men.

Since then, the hottest topic in Imperial City's elite circle was whether Jiang Zhi was a "top" or a "bottom." With such a beautiful face, many thought he looked like a "bottom," but his overbearing temperament suggested otherwise. Strangely enough, men in Imperial City wanted him, and so did women.

He was indeed a troublemaker!

Xue Baoyi had booked the top floor of the club for the night. The corridor outside the private room was completely empty. The soundproofing was excellent, making it so quiet that only footsteps and occasional coughing could be heard.

The lights flickered suddenly.

Jiang Zhi stopped in his tracks, his shadow stretching long on the ground. He slowly turned around, just in time to see a dark shadow hurtling towards him. It was so fast that he couldn't make out what it was, just that a black figure was engulfing him completely.

He stepped back but had only moved his foot when a sharp pain hit the back of his neck, and he was knocked unconscious.

The black figure leaped and clung to the wall.

Clang.

A surveillance camera fell to the ground with a crash. The black figure descended, and somebody emerged from the high-speed wind it created. The person was tall and slender, dressed all in black. They wore a hoodie over a baseball cap, with short hair reaching the collarbone, and a black mask covering most of their face, revealing only a pair of eyes. Almond-shaped eyes with long eye-tails and deep-set pupils, resembling the stars in winter or the deep sea - cold and mysterious.

Their legs were long and slim, indicating it was likely a girl.

She walked over and with a gloved hand, lifted the person on the ground, carrying them on her shoulder. With a stride, she vanished down the corridor almost instantly.

The moon hung alone high in the sky, the entire city shrouded in neon lights and moonlight, glittering and hazy.

The sea breeze blew in, bringing a faint salty tinge, mingled with the desolate chill of an autumn night.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks nearby filled the ears, and the splashes wetted the hem of the person lying by the rock. His long eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of peach blossom eyes. The moonlight was reflected in them along with a blurry silhouette.

It was a slender and tall figure.

Jiang Zhi suddenly raised his hand, grabbing a piece of fabric. His fingers brushed against cool skin.

"Who are you?"

His voice was hoarse, shattered by the sea breeze.

The blurry figure turned, "Professional errand runner."

It was a young girl's voice, distorted somewhat by the wind, yet clear and pure, but cold and indifferent.

The moonlight was dim, the damp sea air veiled his vision with a layer of mist. Try as he might, he couldn't make out her features. The black mask merged with the night. She pulled her hand free, leapt, and dove into the sea.

Jiang Zhi stood there, stunned.

This woman has a death wish...

The next dawn, as the sun peeked over the horizon, the sky was tinged with a corner of red light.

The fisherman had just hauled in his nets and, with a basket on his back, was picking up the fish and shrimp washed ashore by the sea. Crouched down, he was collecting them along the shore when he suddenly froze, spotting a wet hand gripping a rock in the distance. Then, a head emerged from the water.

It was a person!

The fisherman hurried over, intending to lend a hand.

But the person suddenly stood up and lifted their head. Short black hair, white face, red eyes...

The fisherman's legs went weak, and he fell to the ground, crying out, "Ghost, it's a ghost!"

The figure approached.

The fisherman fainted from fright.

The first ray of morning sunlight fell on the person's face. Their almond-shaped eyes were both beautiful and desolate, glowing red. With cold pale lips, they softly murmured, "I'm not a ghost."

She looked down, seeing the wound on her palm cut by the rocks, healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

She wasn't a ghost. She was a monster.