Judge of Souls - Chapter 50

Kong Su collected her thoughts and asked, “Why can you see ghosts? I was floating around you before, and you never noticed.”

“I just can see them. I’ve seen them before, but after a few days I won’t be able to anymore.” Hu Xi suddenly realized something and said irritably, “What were you doing floating around me? Were you spying on me?”

“When a ghost does it, it’s not spying! It’s called guardianship!” Kong Su quickly changed the subject. “So what’s going on, Taoist Master?”

Jiang Feng speculated, “She probably has carbon monoxide poisoning. Her soul is a bit unstable, so she can see you now. She’ll stop seeing you in a few days.”

“Ah…” Kong Su sounded disappointed. “Then I need to make the most of this time and give you some perspective.”

Kong Su floated to Hu Xi’s side and patted her, saying, “Listen, little sister, let big sister tell you something. Money can solve most problems. I was a celebrity for many years and have savings. Come, I’ll write a will, and you can take it to a lawyer. I’ll give all my inheritance to you, which will really anger your father.”

Kong Su rolled up her sleeves and said, “I’m like you—all my relatives are ungrateful. But I’ve figured it out. If you die, the people who deserve to die will continue living comfortably and even laugh at you. At least while you’re alive, you can irritate them. Nothing is more important than being alive.”

Hu Xi replied listlessly, “It’s not about money at all.”

After eating New Year’s Eve dinner at Jiang Feng’s place, Hu Xi felt her dizziness subsiding. She seemed to be feeling better and insisted on returning to her own rental apartment.

She couldn’t possibly stay overnight at a strange man’s home.

Jiang Feng lent her a thousand yuan for emergencies. Hu Xi truly had no money left, so she couldn’t refuse. She put on her shoes, stuck her hands in her pockets, and walked out of the complex with her head held high, looking invincible.

Kong Su hung by the window and asked, “Is it a good idea to let a minor live alone? Especially after she just attempted suicide.”

“She’s almost an adult. And it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to stay with an underage girl of the opposite sex.” Jiang Feng looked up and said, “Didn’t she make it clear? After escaping death once, she should have things figured out.”

Kong Su turned around and said seriously, “Comrade Jiang Feng, you must be single.”

Jiang Feng frowned, “If you have something to say, just say it. Why do you need to mock me?”

“Women may talk tough, but they’re soft inside,” Kong Su sighed. “We outsiders can curse all we want and feel better, but that’s still her father. When she talks about him, she’s both angry and sad, which shows how disappointed she is in him. The more disappointment, the more expectation there was. Who can accept that the person who’s supposed to love you the most in the world has become like this?”

Jiang Feng silently shook his head.

But what could they do? Not everyone in this world can manage other people’s lives.

He was right—that was her father.

A high school senior’s holiday was depressingly short. Classes resumed immediately after the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

As Kong Su had predicted, Hu Xi had no desire to attend school.

She had been lying around for a few days and could no longer see Kong Su. The drama queen Ms. Kong immediately ran to Jiang Feng to complain, asking him to go supervise the girl.

Only out of cooperation with her creditor did Hu Xi reluctantly shoulder her backpack and report to school.

Kong Su silently followed behind Hu Xi, observing her expressions.

On the way, Hu Xi unconsciously sighed deeply three times. After boarding the bus, her body stiffened, her eyes grew unfocused, and her fingers gripped the handrail tightly. At each stop, she glanced at the station sign, her face full of reluctance.

She was expressing her aversion to school with her whole being.

Five stops later, Hu Xi got off the bus and walked through the school gate.

She was clearly well-known at school.

Most of the students who passed by her let their gazes linger, turning their heads as she walked by, stopping in their tracks. Though they didn’t speak, their eyes carried naked curiosity and scrutiny. Some didn’t even bother hiding their contempt.

Hu Xi carried her bag, walking toward the classroom as if unaware of it all.

Hu Xi sat in the farthest corner of the classroom, next to the storage cabinet.

Kong Su stood at the back of the classroom, surveying the entire space.

Whispers filled the classroom. Everyone’s gaze kept shifting between Hu Xi and a girl sitting in the front row.

Shortly after, that girl pushed her chair back, walked over, and stood next to Hu Xi, sneering, “You still have the nerve to come to school?”

Hu Xi’s tone revealed contempt. “Get lost.”

The girl crossed her arms and laughed, “You sent that text saying I’d regret it—I really thought you’d killed yourself. Too bad, people with thick skin never die, do they?”

She bent down and whispered in Hu Xi’s ear, “Did you enjoy spending New Year’s alone? I told you, you’re nothing to my dad, not even worth a fart.”

Hu Xi bit her lip, then curved her mouth into a sinister smile, “If you don’t leave now, you’ll immediately taste what regret feels like.”

“You’ve got guts now, huh?” The girl raised an eyebrow. “Try touching me, I dare you.”

Hu Xi raised her head, looking at the girl with murderous intent. Her pupils reflected a face slightly similar to her own, which she found utterly disgusting.

“Boring,” the girl scoffed, turning away to get water.

Hu Xi clenched her fists on the desk. Her breathing deepened, her nostrils flaring slightly.

Kong Su moved closer to Hu Xi with concern, her sensitive ears picking up discussions from the front row:

“Hey… was what we heard before true?”

“Must be, right? Otherwise, why would her parents ignore her?”

“How does she have the nerve to come to school?”

“I never would have guessed. She seemed like such a good student.”

“My temper…” Kong Su flipped her long hair. “Talk back to her! Stand up to her! What’s there to fear from this little demon? Girls like her—I could take on ten of them!”

With a creak, Hu Xi also pulled her chair back and stood up.

The classroom instantly fell silent as everyone turned their attention to the back.

Hu Xi walked over, grabbed the girl’s collar, and dragged her to her desk.

Kong Su’s expression changed, and she urgently said, “Don’t hit her! If you hit her, you lose! Use words, not violence!”

The girl showed no fear and even leaned in closer. “What are you trying to do, Hu Xi?”

Hu Xi tilted her head and carefully examined the girl’s face.

Wang Xian was her half-sister—they shared the same father but different mothers.

It was actually quite laughable when she thought about it.

Her father was her only relative in this world. He had held her hand as they said goodbye to her mother. Over a decade of emotions, of being together day and night.

Her mother had told her on her deathbed to listen to her father. She had.

He always acted exhausted to make her be more understanding, to the point where Hu Xi herself wondered if she was being too selfish.

Facing everything, she still harbored hope. She hoped things could improve. After all, she was just a child, and she didn’t want to be alone.

So she repeatedly endured and complied.

But this year, on the anniversary of her mother’s death, he had gone to celebrate with his new lover. And on New Year’s Eve, after receiving her suicide note, he hadn’t even called once.

Hu Xi had finally awakened.

She had once envied this girl, but thinking carefully, what was there to envy?

So-called fatherly love was so cheap and worthless, so despicable and foul. Whoever wanted it could take it—she was destined never to experience it in this lifetime.

Hu Xi lowered her head and whispered in the girl’s ear, “You’re just like your mother. A daughter born to a mistress—are all daughters of mistresses as cheap as you?”

The girl froze, then exploded in rage. “I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

“Who’s tearing whose mouth apart?” Hu Xi forcefully pushed her against the desk, preventing her from breaking free, and coldly laughed, “Last year during my college entrance exam, your mother deliberately gave me food poisoning. This final exam, you planted items in my bag to frame me for cheating. Me, cheating? Ha! Ha! Who in that entire exam room had better scores than me? I could score higher than them with my eyes closed. Do you think I’m like you? Your brain is just a decoration sitting on your neck, and even then it only serves its purpose after plastic surgery. Like mother, like daughter—all the same dirty tactics. Do you dare to try something fair and aboveboard?”

Wang Xian suddenly erupted, breaking free from her restraint and shoving her away with her body.

Hu Xi’s back hit the storage cabinet, and she drew in a painful breath.

Wang Xian pointed at her and cursed, “B*tch!”

Hu Xi cursed back, “You know what’s cheap? You and your mother together make the perfect pair of cheap trash!”

Afraid they might start fighting, the other students tried to intervene:

“Hey, both of you, stop arguing.”

“Everyone, show some dignity. There’s no need to act like mortal enemies.”

Wang Xian: “Hu Xi, have you gone crazy?”

Hu Xi exploded: “All the money your family is using now is MINE! Your dad is just a parasite—what skills does he have? Go home and ask him why my surname is Hu and his is Wang! Aren’t you ashamed to be squandering my mother’s inheritance? You were conceived during an affair while my mother was pregnant, and you dare to yell at me? What are you so proud of? In one month I’ll be eighteen, and when I’m an adult, I’m taking everything back! You can follow that man named Wang wherever he goes!”

Everyone was shocked by her words.

Because in their impression, Wang Xian was a rich, beautiful girl who wore designer shoes and watches and was always surrounded by wealthy friends. Hu Xi was the complete opposite. Her shoes were washed so many times they were almost white.

Wang Xian had told everyone that Hu Xi was her father’s ex-wife’s daughter, and people assumed Hu Xi was born out of wedlock with no blood relation. Hu Xi never actively clarified this, only smiling darkly, but no one expected this truth.

Wang Xian struck first. Hu Xi was held back by classmates and couldn’t dodge or fight back. Her eyes blazed with fury as she stared at Wang Xian.

Students screamed and ran out to find teachers.

The others pulled the two apart and stood between them to prevent further fighting.

Kong Su was furious. The person she was guarding had been hit.

As a ghost, why was she so useless when other ghosts could break into homes and rob people? Had she died for nothing?

Anger swirled within her, and she felt something change in her hands. She circled around Wang Xian and suddenly reached out to pull down her pants.

“Ah!”

Despite the cold winter, Wang Xian wasn’t wearing thermal underwear. As her pants came down, her pale thighs were exposed.

When Wang Xian bent down to pull up her pants, Kong Su pushed her head down and kicked the back of her knees.

With a “thud,” the girl knelt before Hu Xi, her pants still not properly adjusted, performing a standard kowtow.

Seeing this, Hu Xi burst into laughter.

When the teacher entered, this was the eye-searing scene they witnessed. For a moment, they couldn’t even speak.