My Girlfriend is the Nether King

Chen Hao locked the door tightly and lay sideways on the bed that smelled of his sweat. In his left hand was a cold, sharp fruit knife, which, even in the dim room, gleamed with a faint, chilling light.

After struggling inwardly, Chen Hao eventually placed the blade of the fruit knife to his right wrist.

"Goodbye, world!" he murmured, bidding farewell to the world that made him feel so weary.

The moment the cold edge of the fruit knife touched his wrist, he shuddered. He thought of his grandfather, whose usually cold expression seemed so warm in retrospect; he thought of Lin Xiaofan, his childhood sweetheart and first love, who, had it not been for the past two years, would have been the best thing that had ever happened to him; and he thought of Ye Yuqiao, the enigmatic beauty, feeling incredibly lucky to have had such a bizarre connection in the last moments of his life.

Thinking of all these good things, Chen Hao smiled genuinely from the heart. He had not expected that he, who had always lived in a world of tragedy, could feel such reluctance to leave, like any ordinary person.

But as soon as he thought of the world's cruelty and the pressures he must face tomorrow, the smile on his face stiffened, and his expression darkened. When it was time to say goodbye, there was no need for much attachment. Afraid of pain but still determined, he slashed his right wrist hard with the fruit knife.

"Drip... drip... tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock!"

Listening to the sound of his blood dropping faster onto the floor, Chen Hao's consciousness began to blur. In the moment when everything plunged into darkness, he saw three vague figures: the shortest one in the middle was himself as a child, with his parents holding his hands on both sides. It was the happiest time of his life, and it was also the time he least liked to recall, because the happiness of the past was a mockery and sarcasm to his current plight.

An hour later, Chen Hao opened his eyes. Smelling the familiar swampy odor, he was shocked to find himself still lying in his familiar bed.

He brought his right wrist, which had just been cut open, up to his eyes, and to his astonishment, the wound was gone, leaving no trace at all. He looked at the fruit knife beside him, its blade still gleaming coldly, clean and clear. Then he jumped out of bed, turned on the light, and found not a single drop of blood on the floor.

"Could everything that just happened have been just a dream?" Chen Hao asked himself in shock. He couldn't believe it; if it really was a dream, why did it feel so real? Moreover, if he wasn't truly leaving, why would he remember those happy moments he rather not mention?

With a heavy and puzzled heart, Chen Hao sat on the bed. A quarter of an hour later, he got up again, squeezing his right arm harshly with his left hand to ensure he wasn't dreaming. He then walked to the living room, found a rope, and prepared to hang himself.

After securing the rope to the old fan on the living room ceiling, he brought a stool over. Standing on the stool and tiptoeing, he put his head through the noose, and then, without a second thought, kicked the stool away.

Hanging was much more uncomfortable than cutting wrists, the feeling of suffocating yet not dying was excruciatingly painful. Chen Hao regretted his rash decision; death was sacred, and choosing to hang himself in this way seemed too hasty and irresponsible. If he could do it over, he would calm down, think carefully, and find a kinder way to die.

Finally, amidst the torture of agony, Chen Hao lost consciousness, his face filled with bulging veins and flushed from the struggle, turned deathly white and peaceful.

However, half an hour later, when Chen Hao opened his eyes again, he found he hadn't died. The painful torment of suffocation rushed back, and he writhed in the air, trying to free himself from the noose. Yet, until he exhausted all his strength, he remained trapped. That near-death sensation swallowed his consciousness once more.

Another half-hour passed, and Chen Hao opened his eyes yet again. Hearing his own panting, tears streamed down his face, and he complained to himself, "What's going on? Why am I still alive?"

Helplessly, he had to endure the torture of being choked again, until death's sensation overwhelmed his consciousness.

For the next two hours, he was tormented between waking and unconsciousness.

Around half-past three in the morning, with a loud "bang," his body hit the floor, and along with the ceiling fan, he was finally freed from the torment.

He walked to the balcony, gasping for air. Looking down at the world below, dimly lit by the gloomy, oppressive streetlights, a wave of loneliness and helplessness surged over him. As the saying goes, better a short pain than a long one, he was now prepared both physically and mentally. Climbing over the balcony railing, he leapt, hoping to shatter into pieces.

With a "thud," like a meteor falling from the sky, he made a deep rumble as he landed. Chen Hao, who had jumped from the seventh floor, crashed onto the roof of a car. Then came the crisp sound of shattering glass, followed by the shrill scream of the car alarm. The quiet night was shattered, and Chen Hao lay there asleep amid the wake of the startled residents.

But once again, Chen Hao was disappointed. He was still not dead, and miraculously suffered hardly any harm, just a minor fracture in the arm. When he opened his eyes again, he found he was confined to a cell.

In astonishment, he walked to the cell door and shouted with confusion, "Is anyone there? Where am this place?"

Soon after, a policeman dressed in a uniform opened the door, yelling at him, "This is the temporary prison of the Y City First District Police Station, no shouting allowed!"

"The police station?" Chen Hao was surprised. After pausing, he excitedly grabbed the jailer's hand and asked, "Does this mean I'm not dead?"

The policeman gave him a look, then nodded and said, "You're one lucky guy, falling from a six-story building and getting away with hardly a scratch. You've been arrested for endangering public security and intentionally damaging someone else's private property."

"What! How am I not dead yet!" Chen Hao burst into tears, thinking how incredibly unlucky he was. Not only had he failed to die, but now he had to pay fines and compensation. It felt like misfortune piled upon an already snowy day!

..

By noon.

The cell door suddenly opened, and a police officer walked in, coldly saying to Chen Hao, "Chen Hao, you can be released from jail now!"

"What?" Chen Hao, puzzled and despairing, was quite surprised, "I'm getting released just like that?"

"Someone has bailed you out and paid the fines and compensation!"

"Who?" Chen Hao was very surprised, wondering who this kind-hearted person could be.

Following the officer to the police station lobby, Chen Hao immediately spotted Ye Yuqiao amidst the crowded throng. The more people there were, the more Ye Yuqiao's beauty and silhouette stood out. She sat on a chair with an expressionless face, her every frown and smile radiating a cold haughtiness that kept people at a distance.

Chen Hao walked up to Ye Yuqiao with his head hung in shame. Ye Yuqiao's timely help moved him deeply, yet he was too ashamed to face her.

"Let's go home," said Ye Yuqiao as she stood up and spoke coldly.

After the two left the police station, Ye Yuqiao finally spoke with some anger, "Chen Hao, you're really something, even thinking of committing suicide as a way to solve all your problems!"

Only then did Chen Hao dare to glance sideways at Ye Yuqiao, his face flush with shame as he said, "I was out of options, okay? I can't enter the Yin Yang Master Association anymore, and you were ignoring me. Grandpa's hospitalization needed money, and taking care of the little demons at home needed money, so..."

"I was just angry at you, not that I was actually going to ignore you forever!" Ye Yuqiao said, still with an expressionless face. Had she not come to his bail personally, given her chilly demeanor, Chen Hao would have found it hard to believe that she cared about him.

Chen Hao smiled and, in a coquettish tone, shook Ye Yuqiao's hand and said, "Okay, okay, I was wrong. Now I finally know, out of everyone in this world, you treat me the best."

Ye Yuqiao glanced at Chen Hao disdainfully, then her tone abruptly shifted, speaking coldly, "You should know by now, you possess immortality."

"Is it all because of the mystical power in my left eye?"

Ye Yuqiao's eyes flowed, she nodded slightly, then explained, "Your left eye has been cursed with a seal, and if I'm not mistaken, it should be the 'Eye of Death', also known as the Nether Eye. The reason you have immortality is all due to the Nether Eye Power."

"I never imagined the Nether Eye Power would be so powerful!" Chen Hao exclaimed, at the same time astounded at possessing immortality.

Ye Yuqiao uttered a "hmm," then turned her head to look at Chen Hao and, with wide eyes, stared at him asking, "So, do you want to properly learn how to utilize this Nether Eye Power from me? I can promise you, if after half a year your practice makes no progress, I can help you get rid of those pretentious things, but only if you follow my instructions."

"Sure!" Chen Hao agreed excitedly, then quietly asked Ye Yuqiao next to her ear, "So, am I still your assistant and boyfriend in the future?"

"Hmm! Yes!" Ye Yuqiao responded coldly.

Back at Ye Yuqiao's home, the two sat on the sofa, and Ye Yuqiao said, "Let's begin training your Nether Eye Power now. First, we have to remove the rampant Yang Energy within your body, after which your Nether Eye Power can be activated."

"Okay!" Chen Hao nodded, then asked, "So, how do we remove this Yang Energy?"

"Give me your hand."

Chen Hao extended his left hand to Ye Yuqiao, looking bewildered.

Following that, Ye Yuqiao also reached out her right hand, placing it against Chen Hao's left palm. Chen Hao's eyes widened, already feeling a warm current flowing from his left hand into Ye Yuqiao's body.

And this warm current was his Yang Energy.