Xu Nian walked along the road.
His mind always started to wander at times like this, imagining all the malice that everyone around him might hold against him. Even a small nail on the roadside—could it be a deadly weapon threatening his life?
He couldn’t help it. He had lived through a nightmare of a past life.
There were always people who, after thinking they’d touched something beyond ordinary life, believed they could trample the whole world underfoot, dominate eternity, and crush every enemy in existence.
But that wasn’t the reality.
It wasn’t like some feel-good system where he could slap anyone’s face right from the start.
On the contrary, he could do nothing. He could only watch his life shatter into pieces, watching the hatred of the entire world tilt toward him.
It was terribly unfair. He hadn’t done anything, yet for no reason, he was forced to experience all of this.
Simply because he had been chosen as that white-haired man’s mission target.
So the first words that white-haired man said to him were—“I’m sorry.”
But equally sorry, back then Xu Nian didn’t need anyone’s apologies. It was just that once a mission target was selected, it couldn’t be changed.
Yet he was still furious, so he always needed an outlet.
Whenever he felt utterly hopeless, he would summon the white-haired man to his side and beat him up.
That white-haired man would hand him a cigarette while being pummeled. He had never smoked such a terrible cigarette. Or maybe it was just because the first time he took that cigarette, he was only seven years old.
At that time, his house was burning fiercely behind him, and his face was covered in tears.
All the hatred in this world.
It was like an occupational disease—or maybe post-traumatic stress disorder. Xu Nian always… After that first cigarette, he realized that the news the white-haired man had brought him when he was five wasn’t false. It was real. He had been burdened with a mission called “hatred.”
When he was alone, carrying all the thoughts from his past life, he would use the greatest malice to speculate about everyone in this life.
With that mindset, Xu Nian naturally couldn’t be as neurotic as other young people his age. He carried a calm that was terrifyingly composed.
Of course, there was also some neurosis—a kind of paranoid delusion that made him suspect everyone would harm him. It carried a hysteria that made him push everyone away.
Then he was caught and sent to a mental hospital. After a bit of electroshock, he quieted down.
Later, they found that all the money on Xu Nian wasn’t even enough to cover the electricity bill, so they simply threw this lunatic back out like trash.
It was as if everyone should hate him.
So he kept everyone at a distance.
Only when he was beside Yang Shuli did he clearly feel—
Yang Shuli was the variable. She had actively walked into Xu Nian’s world, asked him for his first cigarette, and lit it.
She said it tasted awful and was harsh. Then she threw the whole cigarette on the ground.
Just like the first cigarette he had taken from that white-haired man—pure white, with a bit of gold on the filter. It was a bit like that cigarette, the same one from when he was seven, like the golden headband locked on Sun Wukong’s forehead.
Then that cigarette was thrown to the ground by Yang Shuli, and she stomped it into pieces.
Just like his lingering shadow from his past life.
The salty bitterness of tears.
After that, Xu Nian loved to stay by Shuli’s side. He felt no trace of the overwhelming hatred from his past life when he was with her.
Yang Shuli’s emotions were pure, untainted by anything else.
If you were good to her, she would be good to you.
If you were bad to her, she would just ignore you.
This girl seemed like someone completely immune to hatred.
Why didn’t he meet this girl in his past life?
Oh, because he met that white-haired man first. His life was shattered by hatred, he dropped out of school early, and he could never have encountered Yang Shuli.
His expression remained unchanged, but he subtly moved toward a less crowded area.
As he passed by a small shop, he glanced inside.
It seemed the season for cherries was starting. Tomorrow, during the dinner gathering, he could bring some for Yang Shuli.
How many?
A basket should be enough.
Better to bring a little less—she needed to be able to carry it. Besides, outside, she might want to buy some snacks too.
The crowd’s noise still buzzed in his ears.
So when Xu Nian decided how to succeed after his rebirth, he chose to enter the gray zone.
That place was simply too comfortable for him. Everyone openly hated everyone else. Everyone was constantly thinking about offing the person next to them just for their own benefit.
He loved that kind of place.
Of course, he had spent a considerable amount of time in a similar environment in his past life too.
He suddenly stopped walking, right at the entrance of the dormitory building.
Because his phone was ringing.
He answered.
It seemed to be a habit he’d kept—after answering a call, he usually didn’t speak first, waiting for the other party to say something.
“Hey, Brother Xu?”
A surprisingly familiar voice. Xu Nian almost couldn’t believe it was this person.
Had he forgotten to block this person’s number? He must have been too busy playing with Yang Shuli and forgot.
Block them now.
“Brother Xu, that little playmate of yours…”
Xu Nian’s hand, which was about to end the call, paused.
“Are you tired of living?” Xu Nian’s voice was low. “Have I been too kind to you?”
“Brother Xu, you should understand—she’s useless to you. She’s nothing but trouble, just like now.” The voice on the other end, Xiao Yue, continued. “But I’m different. If you need, I can wander the streets with you all day like she does, eating whatever we want.”
“We’re in the city. I don’t even need to lift a finger to make sure you die right here,” Xu Nian said with a long sigh. “Forget it. I shouldn’t have to explain how serious this is to a pig.”
“Brother Xu, I only want you.” The voice paused. “I’m at…”
Xu Nian cut her off directly. “I know where you are. And I’ll know where she is soon. You’d better stay right there and wait for me to come find you.”
“Okay. I’ll wait for you to find me.”
Xu Nian hung up the phone.
Then he scrolled through his contacts and dialed another number.
“Hey, it’s me, Xu Nian. Do something for me.”