Chapter 41 You're a jinx, a nemesis!

Jiang Yingxu didn't have to go to school on Sunday, so he worked a full day at the convenience store, which was also his last day of work.

The convenience store owner even made a special trip over.

The woman in her thirties, whom Jiang Yingxu called Sister Fang, leaned against the cashier counter with a slender cigarette between her fingers.

He took a small red envelope out of his pocket and slapped it on the table.

"You're a senior in high school now, it's time to focus on your studies."

Looking at Jiang Yingxu's cold yet handsome face, Sister Fang sighed, "Without you, this handsome young man, to attract business, the store's turnover will decline."

Zeng Yu came over to hand over his shift to Jiang Yingxu and happened to hear this. He said with dissatisfaction, "Sis, am I not handsome enough?"

Fang Jie glanced at him lazily, tapped Jiang Yingxu with her bright red fingernails, and laughed, "That depends on who you're comparing yourself to."

Zeng Yu turned his head and said, "...That doesn't count, he's a pure stat monster!"

Fang Jie was amused by the tragic look on Zeng Yu's face. She lightly flicked her cigarette with her fingertips and said to Jiang Yingxu, "Just accept the red envelope. After all, your face has attracted a lot of customers for me. Consider it my way of wishing you good luck in your college entrance exam in advance."

"When you get good grades next year, let me know so I can put up a banner in front of the store to celebrate."

Zeng Yu jokingly said, "Then why don't you just order a banner with the name of the top scorer in the college entrance examination, and hire a lion dance team? From now on, we can rename our store 'Top Scorer Store'."

Jiang Yingxu smiled, a rare occurrence for him. "I'll try my best."

Fang Jie's eyes lit up, but she quickly remembered that this living advertisement was about to leave, and she felt a little dejected. She waved her hand, muttered that if she smiled more, the turnover would increase significantly, and left.

Zeng Yu also brought a gift for Jiang Yingxu.

He brought over a cardboard box. "I picked out some freeze-dried food that Snowball likes to eat, as well as some toys that she likes. They're all brand new and I'm giving them to your cat."

"Although I'm from No. 2 High School, I just finished the college entrance exam two years ago, so I can barely be considered your senior."

"I wish you the best of luck with your studies!"

Jiang Yingxu lowered his eyes and thanked him earnestly.

Zeng Yu chuckled.

Actually, he used to think that Jiang Yingxu was cold and aloof, and he didn't dare to talk to him much.

But after getting a cat, Jiang Yingxu probably didn't realize it himself, but his aloofness faded a lot, especially when he was with the cat, his eyes and brows became particularly gentle.

Zeng Yu only felt close to Jiang Yingxu after that, and found that although Jiang Yingxu seemed cold, he was not difficult to get along with.

What bad people can be who like cats?

The cat's number one hero!

Jiang Yingxu left with the red envelope and the cardboard box in his arms.

It was rare for him to get off work so early. Walking on the still bustling streets at eight or nine o'clock, the evening breeze, having dispelled the daytime heat, caressed him.

The kitten lay contentedly on its back in a cardboard box filled with freeze-dried toys, swishing its tail and meowing at Jiang Yingxu.

"The boss is a very generous lady, she gave me five hundred yuan!"

"Golden cans, blue cans... the cat crowns him the number one snack officer!"

They're all very nice people!

Jiang Yingxu responded calmly, but he knew perfectly well that this was a change brought about by the arrival of the kitten.

The cat god only needs to stand there to begin protecting him.

I walked back to my neighborhood.

As Jiang Yingxu stepped onto the stairs, the gentleness in his eyes turned icy as he ascended and heard the familiar sounds of arguing.

The key is inserted into the lock and clicks as it turns.

As soon as I opened the door, something came rushing in with a whooshing sound.

Jiang Yingxu reacted quickly, turning his head to dodge the object that was thrown at him, which slammed against the wall with a thud and made a crisp cracking sound.

Glass shards flew everywhere, grazing Jiang Yingxu's cheek and leaving two shallow marks.

Slowly, a little bright red blood oozed from the wound.

"..."

The unexpected incident plunged the living room into a sudden silence.

Jiang Yingxu indifferently raised his eyes and looked at the couple who were arguing.

It's exactly what the old folks downstairs said.

The couple, along with the chubby Jiang Tianhao who was standing in front of the room and looked exhausted from lack of sleep, all appeared haggard.

He had absolutely no energy.

Dark circles were prominently displayed under his eyes.

His eyes were lifeless, and he seemed to have a sense of fear and paranoia.

Even walking down the street, you might get reported by a concerned passerby and have to go to the police station for a drug test.

At this moment, all three of them looked at him with a hint of fear.

The living room light fixture is quite old and has been neglected, covered in a thick layer of dust, making the light it casts appear somewhat dim.

Jiang Yingxu stood alone outside the light source, his eyebrows and eyes shrouded in shadow.

He was dressed entirely in black, except for his pale, cold skin and his cheeks, which were flushed with a rich, vibrant color.

His gaze was eerie, like that of a ghost.

"ah!"

Chen Xiumei's teeth chattered as she suddenly recalled a few years ago.

She and her husband Jiang Pinghai complained that Jiang Yingxu was too noisy when he came home from work at night, so they would lock the door from the inside from time to time and wouldn't open it no matter how much Jiang Yingxu knocked.

Even though Jiang Yingxu called the police, the couple promised to be more careful next time, but they continued to do as they pleased, and the police couldn't do anything about this kind of family matter.

He Caorongyan, who lived upstairs, couldn't stand it anymore and gave Jiang Yingxu a key so that he wouldn't be locked out and homeless.

Jiang Yingxu was always silent.

The couple felt they had Jiang Yingxu under their control.

That time was the same; the door was locked as usual.

As a result, for some unknown reason, Jiang Yingxu suddenly went crazy. After knocking on the door and receiving no answer, he went downstairs and found a stone.

They kept banging on the door latch.

Chen Xiumei thought he was just venting his anger and would stop smashing things after a while, but who knew that Jiang Yingxu smashed things extremely hard, making the house rattle.

Fearing the door would be damaged and require repairs, she rushed over to open it.

As soon as the door opened.

The curses he was holding back hadn't even had a chance to escape his lips.

The stairwell lights, due to poor contact, flickered intermittently, casting unclear light and shadow.

The boy had half his face covered in blood and blood, his clothes were also stained with messy blood, and his dark, eerie eyes looked at her coldly.

A sharp-edged stone was still clutched between his blood-red fingers.

He looked like a gloomy, vengeful ghost from a horror movie.

Chen Xiumei was so frightened that she fell to the ground and scrambled back into the room.

Jiang Pinghai rushed out upon hearing her shrill screams. He was so frightened by Jiang Yingxu striding in that he froze and turned to run back. He almost pinched Chen Xiumei's finger as he closed the door.

The couple huddled like quails by the doorway, hearing Jiang Yingxu slowly walk in.

He tapped his fingers on the door.

His voice was so low it sounded like a ghost's whisper.

"I've figured something out."

"It's my parents' fault for raising me too well; it's only today that I've realized it."

"If you insist on forcing me like this, then let's see. The barefoot have nothing to fear from those wearing shoes. Let's see if you have more to worry about, or if I can get the knife faster."

"Besides the five hundred yuan, I don't want any more money from you. Just stop causing trouble, don't bother me, and let's keep to ourselves. Understand?"

Once the noise outside subsided, Chen Xiumei cautiously opened the door and saw several bloody handprints on it, which terrified her and brought tears to her eyes.

After that incident, the couple never dared to lock the door again.

Chen Xiumei's lips trembled as she looked at Jiang Yingxu, who stood at the door with blood on his cheeks, as if she had returned to that night.

It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

After a week of being plagued by nightmares, my body and mind completely collapsed.

"Jiang Yingxu, what exactly did you do?!"

"Your parents' car accident has nothing to do with us, and we're the ones who paid the compensation! Anyway, your parents are dead, and we can save money by canceling our rent and moving in, so what!"

“Tianhao is growing, and his wake-up and bedtime don’t match yours. You’re the older brother, so shouldn’t you move out?”

"We've already made a nice bed for you, what more do you want?"

"We've given you the money you wanted!"

Chen Xiumei's words were incoherent; the excuses she made up to take advantage of others were so repeatedly twisted and distorted that she even began to believe them herself.

How could they be wrong?

They clearly meant well.

The experiences of being hunted, tortured, abused, and killed in the dream seemed so real, and reason hung on the precarious edge.

Jiang Tianhao was startled by Jiang Yingxu standing at the door and called out "Mom" in a tearful voice.

The string of reason snapped abruptly.

Chen Xiumei suddenly lunged forward at Jiang Yingxu, her eyes flashing with hatred.

"You're a jinx, a nemesis! Your parents got into a car accident while picking you up, you brought them death, and now you're bringing misfortune upon us!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have saved you back then. I should have just let you fall to your death—"