Chapter 4

The pain lasted only a moment, then my body felt light.

I floated up.

All sensations disappeared.

I looked down and saw my own body.

It hung on the post, twisted.

The wound on my neck was still bleeding, forming a puddle at my feet.

That was my blood.

I was dead.

A sense of relief washed over me.

Finally, I wouldn't have to please them anymore.

"Damn it, this is bad luck."

Scar cursed, wiping his knife on my clothes.

He pulled out another phone, finding an angle to photograph my body.

"Boss, what are you doing?"

Twig asked, his face pale.

"I lost money on this deal, but I won't let them off easy either."

"I'll send them a 'big present'."

"I don't believe those bastards will still be smiling when they see their own daughter's corpse."

He opened the camera and turned on the flash.

"Click."

A flash of white light, capturing my final appearance: eyes wide open, face covered in blood.

"Send."

Scar pressed the button, then snapped the SIM card and tossed it into the manure pit.

"Let's go! The snow's coming down heavy, perfect for covering our tracks."

They left in a hurry.

In the factory, only dead silence remained.

I floated for a while, and then a force pulled me, drifting towards my home.

A few seconds later, I passed through the security door, through the curtains, and back into that living room.

The house was warm, making even me, a freshly dead ghost, feel a bit hot.

The table was covered with King crab, roast lamb, and whiskey.

Things I never got a taste of when I was alive, not even a sip of soup.

Whenever there was good food, Mom always said:

"Why do girls need to eat so much? You'll eat at your in-laws' when you get married."

Now, they were gathered around the table, eating heartily, oil dripping from their mouths.

Brenda held a crab leg in one hand and her phone in the other, sending a voice message to the family group chat.

Her voice choked with fake tears.

"Oh, sister-in-law, this New Year's is just impossible."

"As you saw, those creditors were so vicious."

"Mia, that poor child, was taken as collateral, we can't even afford food anymore..."

After sending the message, she tossed her phone aside and smiled at Kevin.

"Here, son, eat more crab meat, it's good for your brain."

Kevin gnawed on a crab leg, asking indistinctly.

"Mom, where's Mia? Was she really sold? Is she coming back?"

Brenda's smile froze for a moment, then she shoved a piece of meat into Kevin's mouth.

"Why bring up that unlucky girl? It's New Year's."

"It's good she's gone, saves us a dowry payment when she gets married."

"Now that we have this compensation money, you just wait and enjoy your life."

Robert, his face flushed from drinking, clinked his glass with Kevin's.

"Son, this money is all for you."

"Your sister, she just repaid her karma. She had a tough fate, there's nothing we could do."

I floated in mid-air, watching this scene.

These were my family.

This was the home I desperately tried to protect, only to be thrown away by them.

Robert's phone vibrated.

The notification sound was jarring amidst the New Year's music from the TV.

It was from an unknown number.

Robert picked up the phone, looked at it with blurry, drunken eyes, and smiled.

"Oh, these actors are pretty dedicated, huh."

He turned the phone screen towards Brenda.

"Look, they're still sending videos on New Year's."

"They're probably hoping for a bonus, doing a follow-up survey."

Brenda curled her lip.

"Bonus for what? They should be lucky we're not asking them for compensation."

"Open it. Let's see what other tricks they've got up their sleeves."

I floated above their heads, watching Robert's finger hover over the play button.

It was my death video.

"Heh heh, let's see how far our daughter can take this act."

Robert chuckled, and tapped it.

The video buffered for a second, then began to play.