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墨書 Inktalez
After Old Zhang sat down, he told us a story.
Old Zhang's daughter is named Zhang Zhen. His wife ran away with someone else just over a year after Zhang Zhen was born because Old Zhang was too poor, and his wife was beautiful and greedy for wealth. Old Zhang was an honest man who loved his wife deeply, even though she had left him and never returned.
He never remarried, despite being introduced to potential partners; he refused them all because he still held feelings for Zhang Zhen's mother. He also feared that a stepmother would not treat Zhang Zhen well. More than a year after his wife left, Old Zhang learned that she might be in Guangzhou, so he took his two-year-old daughter there to search for her. This search kept them in Guangzhou for eighteen years.
Of course, Old Zhang's life improved significantly over the years. As Zhang Zhen grew older, he gradually gave up on finding his wife. He realized that rather than wasting energy on someone who might not even exist anymore, it was better to focus on raising his daughter and providing her with a good environment to grow up in.
Old Zhang was very honest and had little education, so he made a living doing physical labor on construction sites. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, their living conditions improved, and he could afford all of Zhang Zhen's educational expenses in Guangzhou. Not only that, but the father and daughter also managed to buy a second-hand house in a suburban area. Although the house was small and worn down, it was their home.
Zhang Zhen studied diligently and lived frugally; her father meant everything to her. She often told Old Zhang that even though she had an irresponsible mother, she had the best father in the world, which made her very happy.
Hearing this naturally moved Old Zhang deeply, motivating him even more to earn money to provide a better life for his daughter.
After Zhang Zhen entered university, Old Zhang worked even harder. Being poor himself, he didn't want his daughter to experience poverty as well. He aimed to earn enough money to secure her future so she could live without worries. However, excessive labor proved to be a double-edged sword; before he could pave the way for his daughter's future, he collapsed from exhaustion. Years of physical labor had caused Old Zhang to develop an illness that rendered him unable to work. Not only could he no longer labor, but he also needed medication to maintain his health; otherwise, his condition would worsen. At that time, Zhang Zhen was still a sophomore.
This illness was fatal for Old Zhang; not being able to work meant there would be no income for the family. The mortgage on their house was still unpaid, and Zhang Zhen had yet to graduate—he couldn't afford to lose his job.
Zhang Zhen understood the situation well. Upon learning about her father's illness, she decided she could no longer live under his protection. She felt that after all these years of care from him, it was time for her to show filial piety. Since Old Zhang insisted she finish university and wouldn't allow her to drop out, Zhang Zhen took on part-time jobs during her spare time to help support the household. However, part-time work only provided limited income and couldn't cover their expenses.
In desperation, Zhang Zhen considered selling their house, but Old Zhang vehemently opposed it. This home was something he had worked tirelessly for; it couldn't just be sold off like that. To save costs, Old Zhang voluntarily stopped taking his medication. He thought simply that if he passed away, leaving a house for his daughter would be some comfort and a way of providing for her future. Moreover, during those years, housing prices in Guangzhou were skyrocketing; Old Zhang couldn't bear to sell the house. He figured that if he truly became unable to manage anymore and if his daughter still couldn't afford the mortgage by then, they could sell the house then for a better price.
However, since Old Zhang refused to sell the house and stopped taking his medication to save money, Zhang Zhen couldn't just watch her father wait for death. Thus, she reluctantly sought quick-paying part-time jobs. Besides being beautiful, she lacked education and experience but needed fast cash—it's easy to guess what kind of work she ended up doing.
Yes, she took on the identity of a student and became a prostitute at an unregulated nightclub. This was a path of no return, especially for someone like Zhang Zhen, who had no social experience. At first, she only accompanied customers for drinks and singing. As Old Zhang's health deteriorated, she began to spend the night with clients to earn more money, gradually stepping deeper into an abyss from which she could never return.
Old Zhang held on for only six months before succumbing to his illness. It wasn't that Zhang Zhen hadn't tried to pay for his treatment; he simply believed that even if he recovered, it would be of no use. Thus, he refused any medical assistance. This led to frequent arguments between father and daughter, and sometimes Old Zhang would faint mid-argument. During those moments, Zhang Zhen would seize the opportunity to take him to the hospital for treatment. However, when Old Zhang regained consciousness, he would cause a scene, tearing off all the IVs and shouting at Zhang Zhen for being foolish, insisting that he wanted to leave the hospital.
Old Zhang's stubbornness transformed his daughter’s personality drastically. Her self-destructive behavior ruined her life. By the time Old Zhang passed away, Zhang Zhen had shed most of her tears. She simply looked at her dying father and said, "You raised me with your paternal love but destroyed me with your stubbornness. I hate you."
It was only at the moment of his death that Old Zhang realized his mistakes; some love is mutual. Not all good intentions lead to good outcomes. He had meant to save money for his daughter but unknowingly pushed her down a path of no return. He regretted imposing such harsh paternal love on a daughter who had no life experience and hated himself for transforming her love into hatred without realizing it. He could not accept the words she spoke before he died; they became his greatest obsession.
As a wandering soul, Old Zhang was unwilling to leave this world. His original intention had never changed; he wanted his daughter to live well. Therefore, he found ways to escape Yin Chai's pursuit and remained in the human realm as a restless spirit.
He lacked Liu Bi's strong foundation and did not possess Liu Bi's Oiled Paper Umbrella that could nourish souls. All he had was guilt towards his daughter, which made him weak.
He followed Zhang Zhen every day, but by the time he took his last breath, she had already become someone without any goals or aspirations. Despite her hatred, she could not sever the bond formed over twenty years of father-daughter relationship. After Old Zhang's death, Zhang Zhen hollowed herself out, becoming an empty shell devoid of emotions. Long before this, in her quest to earn money by spending nights with others, she had been coerced into trying drugs by some thugs. After Old Zhang's death, she became even more reckless; if there was any goal left for her at that time, it was to consume as much drugs as possible.
This was a tragic situation; after Old Zhang's death, he remained behind, watching helplessly as his daughter fell deeper into despair. His heart ached like a knife wound. He even attempted to reveal himself to guide her away from this path, but Zhang Zhen dismissed him as an illusion brought on by drugs—a beautiful fantasy—leading her to hate Old Zhang even more. She raged against what she thought was merely a figment of her imagination but was actually her father's spirit.
After becoming a ghost, Old Zhang continued to watch over Zhang Zhen carefully. He scared away many scoundrels who sought to exploit her vulnerability. This directly resulted in her inability to earn money for drugs; ultimately, she sold her house to fund her addiction.
Drugs are an endless pit; no matter how much money one has, those addicted lack planning—when they have money, they buy the expensive stuff. Within less than a year, Zhang Zhen found herself unable to afford drugs again and began frequenting various nightclubs in search of ways to earn drug money through her body. She discovered that if she didn't go alone with clients but instead conducted discreet transactions in crowded places, they wouldn't be scared off.
This made sense; in busy nightclubs where Yang Qi was abundant, an ordinary wandering soul like Old Zhang couldn't enter such crowded venues.
It was there that Zhang Zhen encountered Wang, who was searching everywhere for Master Chen's whereabouts. Eventually, Wang led her step by step into Master Chen's full suite of services. With Master Chen's guidance and some protective charms against spirits on him, even when Wang took Zhang Zhen out for private encounters, Old Zhang could do nothing about it.
Zhang Zhen looked at Wang, who did not run away like the others. She suddenly felt that Wang was different, as if he were someone sent by heaven to save her. She became increasingly obedient to him. In the end, Zhang Zhen was gradually led by Wang into Master Chen's complete set...
At six o'clock, the episode aired on time, and there would be an additional update in the evening. Thanks to "Fearless Traveler V" for the 101 flowers, "Support Soul Sending" for the crown, "Years of Peace and Tranquility" for the five diamonds, "Little Egg 521" for three diamonds, and "Yking" for one diamond.
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