Chapter 2

The time, the place, the proposal—everything matched the diary entries.

Lin Lu stared at the ring, then slowly raised her gaze to meet Pei Yanzhi’s eyes.

It was real.

The diary… it was all true!

Her rebirth… it was real too!

In that moment, she felt dizzy and disoriented.

The world seemed to split in two.

One half showed Pei Yanzhi, tender and devoted, kneeling on one knee with roses in hand, his eyes filled with gentle affection.

The other half revealed a snarling demon, pushing her into a putrid horde of zombies, watching as they tore her apart.

Even after her rebirth, he was still plotting against her!

Lin Lu clenched her palms tightly, using the pain to maintain her composure.

Don’t let him see through you.

Pei Yanzhi was a grown man, and even with a stun gun, she’d have little chance of success if he was on guard.

She had to play the part.

“Oh my god…”

Lin Lu covered her mouth, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.

“Yanzhi… is this real?”

Hearing this, Pei Yanzhi felt a surge of confidence, almost wanting to laugh.

It was still the same love-struck Lin Lu he knew so well.

Still so foolish, so easily manipulated.

“Of course it’s real,” he said, his voice dripping with sincerity. “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

He extended the ring forward, his voice earnest:

“Marry me. Let me take care of you, protect you. Will you?”

He waited for her to say “I do.”

Just a nod and the ring on her finger, and he could rightfully stay the night.

But Lin Lu hesitated.

She seemed about to reach out, then stopped mid-air, covering her face instead.

“But… it’s so sudden.”

“Yanzhi, I haven’t even put on makeup, and my hair is a mess…”

The smile on Pei Yanzhi’s lips froze.

This idiot! What does she care about that now?

I’ve already proposed! Why isn’t she saying yes?

His knees were going numb from kneeling for so long.

But now wasn’t the time to lose his temper. He forced a tender tone.

“Silly girl, to me, you’re beautiful no matter what.”

“Say yes, okay?”

Lin Lu nearly burst out laughing.

This dog of a man! He’s really putting on a show just to get my villa.

So he likes kneeling?

Fine, then kneel a little longer.

Compared to the agony of being torn apart by zombies in her previous life, this was nothing.

“Let me think about it… Yanzhi.”

“Don’t move. Just let me look at you like this for a while.”

Lin Lu wiped away nonexistent tears, her voice choked with emotion.

“Everything is too perfect. I’m afraid it’s just a dream.”

Pei Yanzhi froze mid-motion, about to stand up.

Fuck! She’s making me keep kneeling?

A surge of anger flared in his chest.

But the thought of the impending torrential rain forced him to suppress it.

Fine, let her revel in this moment.

When the apocalypse arrives, I’ll show her who’s boss.

Then, I’ll make her kneel at my feet, begging for scraps like a dog.

“Alright, I’ll wait as long as it takes,” he said.

“Just promise you’ll say yes in the end.”

“Yanzhi!” Lin Lu exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion. “You’re so good to me!”

“Then, Lu Lu, will you promise me now?”

Pei Yanzhi’s arm, still holding the ring, was starting to ache.

“But I want to capture this moment!” Lin Lu insisted excitedly. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime proposal!”

“Don’t move! Absolutely don’t move!”

“I need to take a picture for my social media!”

As she spoke, she backed away, pulling out her phone.

Pei Yanzhi nearly spat blood.

This idiot! Even now, she’s thinking about social media?

He wanted to strangle her right then and there.

But the torrential rain was still a week away.

Making Lin Lu disappear prematurely would inevitably alert the police.

Patience, just a little more patience.

As he thought this, his gaze fell on Lin Lu’s neck, and a sudden realization struck him.

Wait, the Spatial Jade Pendant!

Before the apocalyptic rain, Lin Lu had accidentally obtained a Spatial Jade Pendant.

The pendant contained an enormous Storage Space, which they later filled with supplies, allowing them to survive the torrential rain apocalypse.

It had been so long, he’d completely forgotten about something so crucial!

A Storage Space!

A place to hoard endless supplies.

He could live comfortably in his villa, enjoying steak and red wine while watching the survivors outside fight tooth and nail for half a loaf of bread.

No, he couldn’t lock her in the basement so soon.

He had to wait until she obtained the Spatial Jade Pendant.

Then, he’d exploit her trust to trick her into handing it over.

With this thought, Pei Yanzhi’s gaze toward Lin Lu burned even hotter.

Meanwhile, Lin Lu had already opened the smart home app on her phone.

She found the master power switch option.

Click.

Confirm to shut down all power?

Yes.

Snap!

With a soft click, darkness instantly engulfed them.

The chandelier, wall lamps, and garden lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows all went out simultaneously.

“What’s going on? A power outage?” Pei Yanzhi exclaimed, startled by the sudden darkness.

He instinctively tried to stand, but his legs had gone numb from kneeling for so long. He stumbled, his knees slamming heavily against the floor.

Just then, Lin Lu suddenly screamed in terror:

“Ah!”

“Who’s there?! Who’s behind the curtains?!”

“Yanzhi! Save me!”

Crash!

A heavy object slammed violently to the ground.

Someone?

Pei Yanzhi’s scalp prickled with fear.

A home invasion? Thugs?

Or… were they after him?

With the apocalypse looming, could someone else have been reborn too?

Horrifying possibilities flooded his mind. His first instinct wasn’t to protect Lin Lu, but to protect himself.

He couldn’t die here!

Just then, Pei Yanzhi felt a gust of wind beside him.

It was Lin Lu.

She had already slipped off her slippers and was standing barefoot on the floor.

This was her home.

She could navigate every corner of it even with her eyes closed.

Silently, she circled around to Pei Yanzhi’s side.

Then, aiming her stun baton at his blurry figure in the darkness, she thrust it forward with brutal force!

“Aaaaaah!”

The man’s agonized scream echoed through the room.

High-voltage electricity surged through every nerve in Pei Yanzhi’s body.

The pain felt like his entire being was splitting apart, starting from his waist.

In a fair fight, he might have stood a chance.

But this was a sneak attack, leaving him no time to react before he was paralyzed.

“You…”

Thud!

Pei Yanzhi’s body crashed stiffly to the floor.

Rose petals scattered across the floor, swirling through the air.

The diamond ring tumbled from its box, clattering into the deep darkness and vanishing without a trace.

Even in his final moments of consciousness, his last thought was:

This thief… is fucking ruthless!

*****

Pei Yanzhi had fainted, his body still convulsing uncontrollably.

The rain outside intensified, pelting the windows with a relentless pat-pat-pat.

In the darkness, Lin Lu stood, her wrist tingling with numbness.

She gazed down at the twitching mass of flesh on the floor, watching as the wretched, convulsing figure gradually merged with the man from her dreams.

Even after being reborn, Pei Yanzhi still schemed against her.

Raising the stun baton, she thrust it viciously into the figure on the floor again.

Once.

Twice.

She only stopped when a foul, acrid smell rose from the floor.

Shaking her numb wrist, Lin Lu sneered:

“Still want to get married?”

“Marry my ass!”

“Scumbag, crawl back to hell!”