14 1.14

In a daze I found myself holding a bright red booklet. Jianyu climbed into the car beside me.

"Wife." He smiled smugly as he turned the key and started the car.

I glared up at him, feeling somewhat like I'd been duped.

The whole morning he'd had that same smug look on his face as he washed me, dressed me, and even fed me like I was some doll. 

Somehow he'd managed to actually get the paperwork together and we'd been seen the second the doors had opened, going directly to the office to complete the formalities. 

I had to pinch my thigh, trying to make sure this wasn't just one long dream.

In less than a day of actually agreeing, I was married to a man I barely knew, yet somehow, felt like I'd known him for a lifetime.

"Miss Su is waiting for you at the company, I have to go to work so she'll drive you home." He spoke casually as I placed the red booklet into my handbag.

"Okay," I nodded, my eyes avoiding his to watch the scenery pass by.

"I am on an important case at the moment, but once it's done we can go abroad, there's an island my uncle owns off the southeast coast, we can go there for a few weeks."

That actually sounded like a good idea. I needed time to think. 

"Okay."

"I was a bit hasty last night," his hand stretched across the car to rest on my thigh, "we'll talk about kids a bit later alright?"

"Okay."

He laughed somewhat shyly, the tips of his ears reddened. He looked like he was on top of the world. Whilst I felt like I was being submerged in the deepest depths of the ocean.

The car pulled to a stop in the familiar underground carpark of Galaxy Entertainment. In the distance, I could see a pacing Su Meng by the elevator.

"Luna, are you okay?"

Jianyu's sudden closeness made me freeze until I heard the sound of the seatbelt unbuckling. Then he pulled back to sit leisurely in his seat. 

"Just a bit…" I blinked, unable to find the word I wanted. 

Jianyu coughed nervously, his hand clenched then flexed on his lap.

Coming back to my senses I tried my best to give him a warm smile, "just was a bit sudden, I'll be alright."

He nodded in understanding. If I didn't know better there was a hidden layer of guilt hidden in those striking grey eyes.

"I am just excited to spend the rest of my life with you," his eyes remained focused on mine, unwilling to let go. 

Jianyu, oh Jianyu, but beside me that life may be bitterly short…

I was not even your Zhiyue. Though at System's insistent reminder, at least I knew she was watching, feeling what I was feeling, at least I could comfort myself in the knowledge that this was the man she loved and I was living this life for her. The life that had been robbed from her so quickly was likely because of me.

"I think you best get out soon before Miss Su wears a hole in the floor," Jianyu coughed, finally relenting his gaze.

I glanced out the window to see her still pacing in the same spot.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight," I hurriedly grabbed my bag and fled from the car before another word could be said. 

"Baby Yue, what is going on?" Su Meng exclaimed hurriedly coming up to me. 

"I'm sorry," I avoided her expectant look as I walked towards the elevator. Though I said I was sorry, I couldn't forget the way she had treated me like a product these months. Maybe once this professional relationship was over, she could see me as a person again. 

She hurriedly followed me into the elevator as I pressed the CEO's floor. Jianyu had told me that someone on his end had arranged everything, I just had to sign some paperwork and it would all be done and dusted.

"You're a good manager," I tried to placate her, "I'm just not capable right now and you're efforts would be better spent on someone who actually wants to climb high you know?" I bit my lip waiting for her response as the number on the screen got higher and higher.

She sighed, "you're different now," her eyes looked to the floor, unwilling to meet mine, "ever since, since…"

"I know," I replied dejectedly. This was all going so fast, my heart just couldn't keep up with it. It's all because of him. In the space of twenty-four hours, everything was turned upside down.

But at least with me no longer being a celebrity it would be easier to hide. Somehow I needed to talk with Jianyu about the hidden dangers. One step at a time. I'd sort this all out. We were only immortals, not God. That psycho only had a hidden advantage, but if I were to tell Jianyut the truth maybe…

The doors opened to see a rather cold-looking secretary waiting on the other side.

"Miss Su, Miss Wei," he nodded politely, his arms motioning us to step forward. 

I nodded politely back and walked the same path as the day before.

Su Meng followed but was stopped just as we were about to reach the door.

"Miss Su, CEO Jiang has instructed me to talk to you about your plans going forward." 

Guilt clenched at my heart, it wasn't just my life I was upturning by following that stinky captain's words.

"Sure," Su Meng dejectedly gave me another glance.

"Miss Wei go in, CEO Jiang is waiting for you," he ushered me to continue on without the both of them.

"I'll wait until you're done with Secretary Li okay?" I tried my best to give her a warm smile, hoping that one day she'd forgive me. She was still Zhiyue's childhood friend. 

"Yes, I'll meet you back down in the carpark," Su Meng smiled back, though her eyes still seemed somewhat vacant. Fuck.

With a heavy heart, I knocked on the door and waited until I heard him call out to come in before entering. Su Meng and Secretary Li were talking animately whilst they walked towards another private office. 

CEO Jiang sat at his desk like before, his eyes seemed much colder than before. He was losing a money-making tree, it was understandable.

Nervously, I walked forward and sat down, placing my bag on the floor by my feet.

"It's been less than a day, what happened?" CEO Jiang asked, skipping greetings and formalities. His jaw was clenched, alongside his fist holding the same fountain pen.

"I," I hesitated, unable to say out loud I'm sorry but I'm just a dead ghost occupying your celebrity and have next to no talent at all.

"With my current situation I feel it's best to stay at home and recover since I'm financially able to," I spoke quickly, barely leaving room for breath, "I'm sorry."

Without saying another word, he slid the readily made paperwork along the marble desktop to face me, then laid down the pen. I picked it up, made sure it was as Jianyu said it should be, then signed my name going off the signature I'd seen on the original contract. Then I signed the second copy that I was to keep.

"For what it's worth CEO Jiang, I am really sorry," I spoke sincerely, handing the paperwork back to him. I picked up my bag and made room to put the paperwork in. 

"What is that?" CEO Jiang's voice was cold and bitter as I followed his eyesight to the red booklet. 

"Oh," a blush crept across my face as I closed the bag, "I er… got married this morning."

CEO Jiang stood abruptly, his chair tipping backward and clattering off the floor startling me.

"Married."

My chest tightened as I nervously stood up, wanting nothing more than to run out of this office and all the way home.

"Y-yes." I took a step backward, ready to flee. Killing intent erupted from the man before me, his handsome face twisted in unexplainable emotion. Did he and Zhiyue have some sort of history?

"Luna," he growled, catching me off guard to the point I stumbled and fell over the arm of the sofa behind me.

Before I could scramble back up he moved inhumanely fast and had me pressed under him. 

"Y-you," I couldn't even figure out what it was I wanted to say. Deep down I already had an answer to his behavior. It was him.

"Yes," he smiled without a hint of happiness on his face, "I found you. Looks like you've been disobedient in my absence."

Adrenaline surged through every vein as I felt myself entering into fight or flight mode. I pressed against him, uring System to lend me whatever strength it could. The result was pitiful.

"Looks like you'll be a widow soon dear," he laughed.

"No," my eyes widened, as fear clutched my heart and I found myself unable to breathe as those bottomless pits he had for eyes bore into me.

His face pressed closer to mine, I noticed him biting his own lip spilling blood before his mouth engulfed mine forcing that bitter metallic taste down my throat. 

Disgusted, my fists wildly beat at him, trying to push him away until I heard the words, "this is bad," from System.

A sharp pain erupted from my temple as I found myself watching Zhiyue's life from an outsider's perspective, much like a movie on fast forward. 

When he parted I breathlessly scrambled along the sofa until the other arm painfully hit my shoulder blades.

Disbelief filled me as I recalled the bitter memories of my host body.

I could not feel her emotions, I could only see them like a movie on a screen. But there was no escaping the fact that the man she loved was the very man I had killed. 

Everything I thought I knew was a lie, including the supposed love between her and Jianyu. They'd barely even spoken a few sentences to one another. He had never lived in her apartment. She did not even know he was her fiance. 

And the man I had thought was her murderer… 

He sat cross-legged on the other end of the sofa, leaning sideways to face me with contempt written on his face.

How had he done that? Was it through the blood?

"I'll explain later," System replied internally, "but yes."

"You'll be lucky to maintain her soul at this rate," he chuckled, "killed the man of her dreams, married a liar…"

"Shut up," I growled, unwilling to feel fear any longer. This man wouldn't kill me. He'd just torment me until I wished I was dead, just like her.

I held my head in my hands, trying to go through her bitter, short life. Though I only saw snippets, from the start of her going to the orphanage up until the day she died. 

They were in hiding, pretending to be biological siblings. However, from the age of fifteen, she'd fallen in love with him.

Then two years later, the day after she'd lost her virginity to him, he'd left her with just a letter explaining that he had to fake his own death and promised to live well until he could come back.

The years went by, she'd tried to live her life and hoped that by being in front of the screen he would see her, remember her, and return. 

Then one night in the hotel suite he did. At first, she threw herself at him, then when the passion subsided she confronted him. He explained that she had to quit her career or she would die and that they couldn't see each other again after that day. 

Everything fell apart for her at that moment and in anger, she stabbed herself. 

Yes, she had killed herself…

It was just one big misunderstanding on my part.