Sigh…

Seeing the sorrowful scene through the curtain of rain, Su Xuan sighed softly. He pushed open the car door and was about to step out, but he saw the girl shaking her head at him, signaling him not to come over.

The man cried for a while but still finished the cake. He then cleaned up the mess on the ground and left, leading away the dog that was no longer young.

The girl just stood in the rain, watching the man's receding figure.

Then, she walked over to Su Xuan's car but didn't get in. She simply smiled and said, "Thank you for what you did just now... for not helping me."

"I just..." Su Xuan pursed his lips. "I didn't want to see a good man so heartbroken."

He had truly wanted to go over and tell the man that the girl he loved was right there beside him. He could have even acted as a medium, letting them talk to each other. It was something he could have easily done.

"It won't happen again," the girl said, shaking her head. "This is the very last birthday I'll celebrate with him."

"The last time?" Su Xuan looked at her.

"Yes." The girl nodded. "I've actually been dead for five years. I've always stayed by his side, watching him and Ah Wang live their lives, pretending as if I never died... It was part of a promise, you see."

"A promise?" Su Xuan asked.

The girl smiled sweetly. "I died from a serious illness. Before I passed, I told him to forget me within a year and start a new life, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to rest in peace. He said a year was too short to forget me. I suggested three years then, telling him he'd get old otherwise. He said it had to be at least five years."

"So this is the fifth birthday since then?"

"Yes, five years. The last one."

Su Xuan opened his mouth, suddenly recalling something the girl had said in the car. She had mentioned that after this birthday, they were probably going to… Looking back now, he realized she meant they were probably going to end things, not get married. His earlier wish for their happy marriage had been completely misguided.

"Actually, five years has been cruel enough to him." A look of heartache appeared in the girl's eyes. "In these five years, he's missed out on so many wonderful women. I've been... eagerly hoping for these five years to end."

"That is quite cruel," Su Xuan nodded with a deep sense of understanding.

To spend five years unable to let go of someone who has passed away is equally cruel to both the living and the dead. Separated by the veil between life and death, their fated connection was severed.

"That's why I didn't want you to help." The girl gave Su Xuan a gentle smile. "If he knew I was right by his side, he might never be able to let go, and he'd never be able to accept another woman. Childhood sweethearts who spent most of their lives together... it's truly hard to give up on that, and even harder to forget."

"I understand," Su Xuan said.

"The five-year promise is fulfilled. He probably won't come back to this place next time—the place where he first confessed his love to me. And as for me... I've let go, too."

After saying this, the girl turned and walked away into the distance.

The rain was still pouring heavily, with droplets splashing against the water-slicked ground, creating a sea of tiny, bubbling pops. The girl no longer raised her hands to shield herself from the rain. Instead, she clasped her hands behind her back and skipped along, her entire demeanor light and cheerful.

Watching her figure grow fainter and fainter until it finally disappeared, Su Xuan felt a warm smile grace his lips.

This world... it still holds so much beauty. Heartbreaking, yet so intoxicating.

The instant the girl vanished, Su Xuan noticed a faint white mist rise from his skin, only to seep back into his pores. It was followed by a profound wave of comfort and peace washing over him.

He knew he had just earned some more incense energy. This substance gave him self-healing abilities, but whether it had any other effects remained unknown.

Su Xuan suddenly blinked. A system prompt sounded in his mind.

"DING! Congratulations, Host, for completing a super order!"

"DING! As a reward, the Host is awarded 52% of the shares of Lyle Education Corporation, becoming the largest shareholder and chairman!"

"DING! Second Stage mission progress: 8/10."

Instantly, a vast amount of information about Lyle Education flooded into Su Xuan's mind.

Lyle Education was established in the nineties. It was the Yi Family's comprehensive educational group and a major training institution. The company's business included foreign language training, online education, study abroad consulting, and preparatory exams for studying abroad, among other fields. It was the first private education institution from Huaxia to be listed on an international stock exchange. With branches all over the country, its scale was enormous and its profits astonishing, boasting a market value of 150 billion!

As a result, Su Xuan's total net worth now exceeded 650 billion!

I've almost reached a net worth of $100 billion!

700 billion! Once I reach 700 billion, I'll go find Alice!

Just as he was feeling exhilarated, Butler Liu suddenly called. "Master, you need to come home right away! That young woman, Long Xiwén, is at the house and refuses to leave..."

"Huh?"

Su Xuan was quite puzzled. What kind of stunt is Long Xiwén trying to pull?

He hurriedly drove home.

"Old Liu, where is that woman?" Su Xuan asked as he entered the courtyard. Butler Liu was already waiting for him there with an umbrella.

"Master, she's in your room!" Butler Liu whispered. "I refused to let her in at first, but then she pulled out a search warrant! She claimed you're a suspect in at least two major cases and that she had to investigate you!"

"I'll go have a look."

Su Xuan immediately walked into his bedroom, and his eyes widened at the sight.

Long Xiwén was sitting on the edge of his bed, holding two throwing knives and casually tossing them at his coat rack.

Her figure and looks were both top-notch. As she sat there with her long legs dangling, her curves were simply exquisite. Today, she was dressed in casual clothes and hadn't pinned up her hair. Her Green Silk cascaded over her shoulders, making her look beautiful, elegant, and captivating. The fact that she was playing with knives added a heroic flair to her beauty, setting her apart from ordinary women.

"Long Xiwén," Su Xuan said in a flat, mystified tone, "you really should change jobs. I own a film company. You could be an actress there."

"I can't act," she replied, glancing up at him.

"You'd be perfect for it," Su Xuan insisted. "You'd be the perfect Dongfang Bubai."

BANG!

With a flick of her delicate hand, Long Xiwén embedded a knife in the coat rack. She then stood up, glaring at Su Xuan. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What are *you* doing in my house?" Su Xuan retorted.

"No reason in particular," she said with a shrug of her small hands. "I just got bored with my job and came here to find something more interesting to do."

"What are you talking about?" Su Xuan frowned.

"Are you still asking me what I'm talking about?" Long Xiwén pouted, pointing to the Daoist robe Su Xuan had tossed on the floor the night before. "This thing alone is enough to get you ten years in prison, no problem."

"Did that guy Zhang Shan confess everything?"

"He didn't just confess everything," Long Xiwén said, "he also told me you can fight ghosts!"

Her gaze then fell upon Su Xuan's Ruyi staff…

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