CHAPTER 7: The Autopsy

The next day, my lawyer called asking me to come in and sign the consent form for an autopsy. To establish Zhou Heng’s exact cause of death, the hospital needed to perform a post-mortem examination. Simply put, they were going to inspect him from head to toe. Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys… even his brain wouldn’t be spared.

Hearing this, Zhou Heng’s already paper-thin ghost face drained of what little color it had left. Up until that moment, he’d still been clinging to some delusion—hoping against hope that he might just wake up one day like the male lead in a web novel.

Not anymore. With his body about to be completely disassembled and inspected by coroners, there wouldn’t be enough usable parts left for a miracle resurrection.

Zhou Heng fell silent for a long, agonizing time. In the end, he just let out a hollow, bitter laugh.

“Vivi.”
“If doing this saves Dongfang Technology…”
“Then I agree.”

He looked at me, his eyes overflowing with regret. “I just… I really wish I could hold you one last time.”

I completely ignored him.

—

A week later, the official autopsy report landed on my desk. The findings took everyone by surprise.

The primary cause of Zhou Heng’s death wasn’t the fall at the wedding at all—it was an aortic rupture brought on by chronic, severe alcoholism. The medical examiner made it crystal clear: the condition was extremely lethal. Even with immediate emergency intervention, the survival rate was abysmal.

And the blunt-force trauma to the back of his head? It had triggered massive internal bleeding and sent him straight into shock.

In other words… his chronic illness struck the first blow, and Ning Luo’s shove delivered the fatal second. A flawless tag-team effort.

One brought the poison; the other sealed the coffin.

Staring down at the forensic report, Zhou Heng sank to his knees and buried his face in his hands. “So… I did this to myself all along. Drinking myself to death every single day because of Ning Luo. Destroying my own body for her.”

“And in the end… the person who physically shoved me into the grave… was still Ning Luo.”

This time, I didn’t even know whether to pity him or laugh.

With the medical examiner’s report in hand, everything became exponentially simpler. Ning Luo was the beneficiary of a gifted asset who had simultaneously inflicted severe bodily harm resulting in the donor’s death. Acting as Zhou Heng’s legal representative, I officially petitioned the court to void the stock gift agreement.

A month later, Ning Luo was taken into custody pending trial for manslaughter.

At the same time, a massive public scandal erupted online, sending shockwaves across social media. Headlines dominated the trending topics:

*Runaway Bride Causes Groom’s Death at the Altar*

*CEO Gifts Entire Company Stake to Married Mistress*

*Sheng Corporation Accused of Using Illicit Affair for Hostile Takeover*

Netizens couldn’t consume the drama fast enough. A lovesick CEO, a married white moonlight, a abandoned bride… it was better than prime-time television.

Shortly after, the Sheng Corporation’s official homepage issued a statement. Sheng Tianling had resigned from his position as CEO, replaced by his older brother. While the scandal didn’t bring the corporate giant down, it dragged their reputation through the mud for a long time to come.

—

In the days that followed, my life gradually settled back into a normal rhythm.

Zhou Heng, on the other hand… trailed behind me like a lost puppy everywhere I went.

“Vivi, I’m so sorry.”
“Vivi, I was wrong. I really see that now.”
“Vivi, please… just give me one more chance?”

At first, it was begging. Then came self-flagellation. Eventually, he pivoted to reminiscing about our youthful romance.

From the twenty-yuan shoes…
To the one-yuan hot dogs.
From the college track field…
To the golden sunsets of our early twenties.

He repeated the stories so many times I knew them by heart. If you didn’t know better, you’d think he was recording a self-reflection podcast.

Then one day, the System’s voice chimed out of nowhere.

[*Host. I have good news and bad news.*]

I raised an eyebrow. “Bad news first.”

[*Zhou Heng’s soul is fading away.*]

I remained silent for a moment. “And the good news?”

The System responded cheerfully: [*Starting tomorrow, you won’t have to listen to him ramble ever again.*]

Behind me, Zhou Heng was mid-sentence: “Vivi, back when we were twenty, I actually—”

The System initiated the countdown immediately:
[*10…*]
[*9…*]
[*8…*]

Zhou Heng froze. For the very first time, he realized he was truly about to cross over.

—

I walked back to the college track field alone—the exact spot where Zhou Heng and I had held hands for the first time all those years ago.

The sun was sinking slowly toward the horizon. Crimson clouds spilled across the sky like a tipped bucket of paint—breathtakingly vibrant, yet strikingly lonely.

Zhou Heng’s soul had grown faint, almost translucent. He looked like a delicate soap bubble, ready to pop at the slightest breeze. He drifted silently beside me, reaching out once more to grasp my hand. Predictably, his fingers passed straight through mine.

I let out a soft sigh. “Zhou Heng. It’s time to go.”

This time, he wasn’t surprised that I could see him. “Vivi… you really can see me after all.”

He let out a bitter, heartbroken smile. “Turns out everything the System said was true. You spent twenty-five years by my side just to complete a conquest mission. And if the mission failed, I was the one who was going to die.”

His voice choked up, raspy with emotion. “So all those years… no matter how many times I let you down, no matter how terribly I treated you… you kept forgiving me. Not because you were naive, but because you were trying to save my life.”

In my head, the System piped up immediately: [*System: I object! Forgiving him was entirely your choice, Host. Don’t go giving me credit for your bleeding heart.*]

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “System, you really are a piece of work. The guy is literally fading away and you’re still arguing over credit.”

[*System: I am merely respecting the facts.*]

Zhou Heng looked at me, and for the first time in years, the shadow of Ning Luo was completely gone from his eyes. There was no lingering obsession, no stubborn attachment left. Only pure, unadulterated regret.

“Vivi…” His throat hitched. “If there’s a next life…”

Before he could finish his sentence—*shhhk!*—a faint sound rippled through the air.

Zhou Heng’s fragile spirit dissolved into countless tiny motes of light, scattering into the twilight as if he had never existed at all.

I stood in silence, staring at the empty air in front of me.

This time, it was truly over.

Right on cue, the System’s professional voice broke the silence: [*System: Target male lead successfully dispatched.*]

[*System: Dear Host, would you like to initiate the next mission?*]

I paused for a moment before asking, “What about me? What about my mother? And Dongfang Technology?”

[*System: Rest assured. Your body in this world will be taken over by an avatar duplicate.*]
[*System: Think of it simply as another version of you existing in a parallel universe.*]

I looked up at the sky, now turning a deep, velvety purple. “I see…”

That was good. My mother wouldn’t have to go through another painful goodbye. Dongfang Technology would keep thriving. The people I cared about would keep living good lives.

A gentle smile touched my lips. “Alright. Let’s start the next mission.”

[*System: Command received.*]

A blinding flash of white light enveloped me.

And when I opened my eyes again… a brand new story had begun.

**[THE END]**