Midnight Bookstore

Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

As an ER surgeon, Zhou Ze could easily notice the abnormalities of a dead body. If he could notice them, the forensic examiner would notice them, too.

Zhou Ze believed their attempt to disguise the murders with the car accident was a complete failure. It was absolutely specious, and would be overturned easily.

Zhou Ze did not know if these people had other ways to perfectly disguise it as an accident, or perhaps they were just a bunch of rookies?

However, it was not the time to find the answers to his question, as the group was not planning to just let them go.

“Catch them and take their car.” The driver of the coach looked at the time. Every second was utterly precious to them.

His men immediately lunged forward. To them, a skinny man and two young women were nowhere near a threat to them.

Bai Yingying turned to the side and looked at Zhou Ze, waiting for his order.

Doctor Lin remained still. She seemed extremely nervous, but she did not scream for help, which was quite surprising.

Most people, even those that were bold, would most likely drop to their knees and yell out “I didn’t see anything!” in fear.

“Don’t kill anyone,” Zhou Ze reminded her.

“HAHA!” the driver burst out laughing. Unfortunately, Zhou Ze was not talking to him.

“Got it,” Bai Yingying said, and ran forward.

Zhou Ze took a step back and grabbed Doctor Lin’s hand, “It’s fine, I’m here.”

Bai Yingying almost tripped herself.

-You still have the mood to flirt back there when I’m charging into the front line?

-A mistress, ah no, a servant, also has her dignity!-

Doctor Lin smacked her lips and said remorsefully, “I’m sorry.”

She was apologizing because it was she that decided to stop the car and lend a hand, placing everyone in danger.

“Don’t worry about it, blame it on your work,” Zhou Ze smiled wryly. He did the same thing, running into the cinema that was on fire to save the people. Some habits derived from work were pretty difficult to change.

The gyonshi subconsciously exerted more force after she was forced to see Zhou Ze displaying his affection toward the woman publicly.

“Girl, here, let me treat you nicely!” A man opened his arms to hug the ‘high school girl’.

Their leader did not give them permission to kill. He had ordered his men to take them away instead, since they could not afford to waste too much time here.

However, the man somehow missed.

The gyonshi had grabbed his left arm.

Crack…

Crack…

Crack…

Doctor Lin shuddered after hearing the sound. It seemed rather piercing to Zhou Ze, too.

He believed Bugles could have used the sound as a sample for its advertisements; it would surely sound better than what they used now!

{TL Note: Bugles is a corn snack produced by General Mills and Tom’s Snacks.} 

The man opened his mouth, but he did not have any time to scream as the woman stepped forward and kicked his shin.

Crack…crack…crack…

Another three cracks echoed out.

-Perhaps Copico can get samples for their sound effects too…- Zhou Ze thought.

{TL Note: Copico is the brand of potato chips.}

“F**k…me…”

The man curled up on the ground. His arm was crippled, and his leg was broken too. He was lying and moaning in pain on the ground like a toad.

Zhou Ze was showing no mercy. He did not want the gyonshi to kill, since it was a matter of the living world. It was better to let the cops handle it. He believed the judicial authorities of the country would serve justice.

However, these people were cold-blooded murderers trying to harm them. Zhou Ze was not that much of a saint to go easy on them. Who knew what they were planning to do to them?

If he was just a doctor like he was in his previous life, if the woman was just an ordinary high school student, would these men show pity to them instead?

BANG!

BOOM!

POW!

The other two men were knocked to the ground, their bones broken, too. They were most likely crippled, but their injuries would not cost their lives.

Based on Zhou Ze’s professional insight, the three men would most likely have difficulty taking care of themselves for the rest of their lives, even if they were treated in a hospital in time.

The driver dropped his phone, and swallowed hard. Everything happening in front of him felt so unreal.

He did not have a gun, since he initially thought he would be brought in by the traffic police and cops. As such, he did not bring anything illegal along.

He thought he could easily handle the situation even if some ‘kind-hearted people’ like Zhou Ze showed up. Even if something unexpected happened, the situation would still be under control.

However, he was now facing a serious problem, as the woman had arrived before him.

“I…” The driver was putting up an excellent act just before, but he could not say a single word now.

BANG! The woman knocked the driver to the ground with a slap to the face and stepped on his neck.

“Stop!” Zhou Ze yelled.

The woman stopped. She did not ask why.

Zhou Ze went up and crouched down. He patted the bearded driver on the face. He suddenly realized how unnecessary it was. He rubbed his hand on the gyonshi’s pants.

The man’s face was so oily…

“…”

“Is there anyone else?” Zhou Ze’s only worry was taking care of any potential threat. He was not worried about himself, but people would soon find out what happened. What if the person behind it got away after they took care of the underlings, and they ended up targeting Doctor Lin to get their revenge?

It was impossible to be prepared against a thief every day…

The little girl did mention that someone like him in Chengdu had crossed the line and became a judge of the people in the living world. Zhou Ze had no intention to follow in his steps.

On the sentimental side, Zhou Ze found the person quite impressive. He thought the person was ambitious and cool.

However, what happened now was already affecting his daily life, so he had to put an end to it.

The woman slammed her foot on the driver’s left arm. Crack!…

“AHHH! No, there’s no one else… it’s only us… we met one another at work… it’s just us, we were hired to do it.”

Zhou Ze nodded and looked at the woman, “Is there any way to make them forget what happened?”

Zhou Ze did not want trouble. He did not want this to make the news.

The woman swiped her hand past her throat.

Zhou Ze shook his head. Killing them was not an option, or at least he could not do it himself.

“Or, boss, you can try piercing them with your finger. It will mess up their mind like they were drunk, and they might just forget what happened.”

“How deep should I go?” Zhou Ze asked.

“Just a little, or they might actually die. Besides, boss, I know you don’t want any trouble. You can just burn the remaining joss paper you have, and it will stop the trouble from finding you, but I’m afraid no one will drop their money in front of the bookstore again.”

Zhou Ze looked at Doctor Lin, who was standing a certain distance away. He walked to the crooks that were lying on the ground and stabbed them with his nail. They shuddered and started vomiting foam before losing consciousness. However, their lives were not in danger.

Zhou Ze looked around him. It was unlikely that there were surveillance cameras around. Otherwise, they would not have chosen this place to fake the car crash. Zhou Ze picked up one of their phones and called the cops. He threw the phone away after he was done.

Zhou Ze waved at Doctor Lin after they were done. They went back to the car.

Doctor Lin got into the driver’s seat.

“Just drive away, don’t stop here,” Zhou Ze reminded her.

“Alright,” Doctor Lin took a deep breath and started the engine.

“Don’t tell anyone what happened,” Zhou Ze reminded her when the car started moving.

“Why?” Doctor Lin was slightly confused.

Zhou Ze pointed to the backseat. “She is the successor of Taichi Baiguazhang. She accidentally crippled someone in a duel, so she was seeking shelter at my place. She was the one that saved me just then too, so we can’t expose ourselves. Otherwise, the cops will send her to prison.”

The woman in the backseat rolled her eyes. Who did he think he was trying to trick?

Doctor Lin fell silent. It was difficult to tell if she actually believed it. She quietly drove the car away.

——

They were still heading for the hospital. Even if Zhou Ze did not ask her to go to the hospital, she would subconsciously drive there now. After all, the hospital was her workplace. She felt a sense of security there.

The car entered the carpark. The three got out of the car.

Doctor Lin did not ask where Zhou Ze wanted to go. She did not expect that Zhou Ze was actually planning to visit the ER room. She was quietly walking forward.

The woman stuck close to Zhou Ze’s ear and asked, “Are you still going to propose tonight?”

She was smart enough to know what was going on between the two after learning that Lin Wanqiu had brought Zhou Ze’s house.

“It’s not a drama written by Chiung Yao; why do I need to put myself in such a miserable situation?” Zhou Ze shrugged.

{TL Note: Chiung Yao is the pen name of Chen Che, a Taiwanese writer and producer who is often regarded as the most popular romance novelist in the Chinese-speaking world. One of the popular TV shows based on her novels is ‘My Fair Princess’.}

Doctor Lin was slightly preoccupied because of the little accident on their way to the hospital. However, Zhou Ze had no intention to change his mind.

A woman who was deeply in love with him was his current body’s legal wife.

Wouldn’t he be an idiot if he did not tell her the truth, just so she could sleep peacefully with him at night?

Hiding the truth, going through bends and twists in joy and tears and becoming hysterical was the typical pattern in Chiung Yao’s novels. He was definitely not a fan of it.

Doctor Lin sat down on the bench at the exit of the carpark. Zhou Ze sat down beside her.

The gyonshi tactfully stayed behind.

The two sat closely together.

Lin Wanqiu took a deep breath. Her face was even prettier under the moonlight.

Zhou Ze was enjoying her beauty. Knowing that such a beautiful married woman had been thinking about him for more than half a year after he passed away was oddly satisfying.

“Is it really fine to just forget about what happened?” Doctor Lin’s thoughts were obviously still occupied with the incident.

“We didn’t do anything wrong, right?” Zhou Ze comforted her.

Doctor Lin nodded.

“We’re just like the brave undercover cops. They would also conceal their identities, and so would their family members. It is necessary to guarantee their safety. It’s a huge sacrifice they have to make.”

“Are you worried that they are going to come back to get their revenge?”

“Yeah.”

“Ok, I understand,” Doctor Lin nodded.

Zhou Ze raised his hands. He was about to hug her as the phrase “it is time to witness a miracle” crossed his mind. To his surprise, Doctor Lin spoke first, “What is your relationship with her? Xu Le, please be honest with me. I will believe you no matter what you say. I will forgive you, too.”

“There’s really nothing between us,” Zhou Ze said with a wry smile. Somehow, the same coincidence had happened twice.

Doctor Lin fell silent again. When Zhou Ze was about to speak, he was interrupted once again when Doctor Lin grabbed his hand.

“Xu Le, I’m sorry, I was in love with another man. You should have noticed it. Otherwise, there’s no reason for you to show up in that house. Even though nothing happened between us, I have to admit that I have cheated mentally. I’m sorry, even though you are my husband by law.”

“Don’t worry about…”

Zhou Ze was about to speak when Doctor Lin interrupted again, “I’ve been thinking about our relationship. I will give you two options; one, we will divorce and split ways. I will give you a million bucks to compensate for the loss. The bookstore is yours, too.”

“A divorce? No way,” Zhou Ze said.

“Second, I’ll try my best to forget that man and live with you… like a real wife. I will make up for what I did wrong to you. Xu Le, I’m willing to try my best to give my everything to you and fulfill my role and responsibilities as your wife.”

Doctor Lin’s eyes reddened as she was speaking. She had finally accepted her fate.

“Sure… wait, hang on…”

Zhou Ze was having difficulty comprehending the situation. He was getting confused with the two identities. It took him some time to get the details right. He rose furiously to his feet. He pointed at Doctor Lin and blurted out, “No, you have to keep cheating!”

“…” Doctor Lin.

The gyonshi, who was actually eavesdropping on their conversation while pretending to be admiring the night sky, could not withhold the urge to laugh.

She hugged her stomach and crouched down. “HAHAHA, my stomach is hurting too much!”