Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

Xu Yue closed his eyes, sensing everything around him: the smell of disinfectant in the hospital, the regular beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor, with long intervals, each beep slower than the last.

She heard the nurse's soft footsteps as she came in to change the dressing, and then the door was gently pushed open.

"Sister."

It's Xu Ning; only my younger sister would come at this time.

His heavy body turned toward the door, a difficult movement. Xu Yue didn't open his eyes, only letting out a soft "hmm" through his nose.

Footsteps approached, and the edge of the bed sank in. A hand groped for and grasped Xu Yue's hand, which was sticking out from under the covers. The younger sister's palms were always warm, unlike Xu Yue's, which were always cold.

"Mom and Dad... still haven't come," Xu Ning whispered. "My little brother has a bit of a fever today, so they're staying home with him. Sister, don't be angry, I'll stay with you."

Xu Yue wasn't angry.

Why be angry? They provided top-notch maintenance services and paid the expensive maintenance fees on time, which was all they could do within the bounds of contractual obligations. As for emotional care? That's a luxury, requiring a healthy foundation to afford, which she just happened to lack.

"They did nothing wrong." Xu Yue's voice was short and weak, each word requiring effort to utter. "They each have their own lives."

"Sister!" Xu Ning's voice trembled with tears, and she tightened her grip on his hand. "Don't say that."

Xu Yue didn't speak again. Conserving energy was the body's instinct. She tightened her grip on her sister's hand as a silent response.

The ward fell silent, save for the ticking of the medical equipment and the faint hum of the city outside the window; Xu Ning sat there silently, keeping him company.

Time flowed by, and Xu Yue's thoughts drifted, passing by like a rewind without any focus.

When she was eight years old, the tutor exclaimed excitedly, "Your daughter is a genius; she learns everything very quickly."

What was the father looking at? Oh, the stock market index. The fluctuating red and green numbers captivated his gaze more than his daughter's vibrant life.

"Unfortunately, he was destined not to live long."

The mother flipped through the magazine: "Just get her a dedicated medical team. We really don't have the energy to spend every day at the hospital."

It's settled then.

From that day on, Xu Yue never asked any questions outside of the textbook, nor did he touch anything beyond the range of his wheelchair.

A brilliant mind and photographic memory are worthless compared to good health.

She watched the account numbers grow month by month, watched her parents' faces become increasingly blurry in her memory, and watched her little sister grow from an infant into a young woman, running to see her again and again with red and swollen eyes.

Family affection? Xu Yue felt that she roughly understood this word, it was the warmth of Xu Ning's palm, her swollen eyes from crying, and the tight hug she gave her every time she left the ward.

As for the parents, that's the account where payments are made on time.

She could hear the nurses' shift change and other conversations coming from the hallway outside; Xu Yue's breathing became increasingly labored... She knew it was almost time.

"Not today, but tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow." The doctor phrased it euphemistically, meaning "at any time."

She is not afraid.

For her, death was more like an inevitable pause; after eighteen years, she was getting impatient.

"Sister," Xu Ning suddenly spoke up, "Can I come see you again tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow? The teacher said there's a pop quiz tomorrow."

"Okay," Xu Yue replied, "You have to do well on the exam."

"Okay." Xu Ning gripped her hand tightly. "Sister, wait for me. I'll be right there."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Xu Ning seemed to want to say something, but she only pressed her cheek against Xu Yue's cold hand, slowly walked to the door, looked back once more, and then opened the door and went out.

The ward fell silent again.

Xu Yue opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. Some of the latex paint on the wall was peeling off. She stared at the peeling area for a long time.

I don't know how much time passed, but then I felt a weight on my chest, and my connection to this world was cleanly severed.

She heard the instrument's sound suddenly become sharp—beep beep beep beep—beep—the red light flashing.

Several doctors rushed in, accompanied by chaotic footsteps and urgent shouts.

"Ventricular fibrillation! Prepare for defibrillation!"

"Adrenaline!"

"Family members! Are your family members there?"

Someone grabbed her wrist and was performing chest compressions; the pressure traveled through her ribs, blurring the pain and leaving only a deep, bone-chilling weariness.

With a little strength, Xu Yue raised his hand, groped around, and tore off the oxygen mask from his face.

"No!" Xu Ning rushed in and grabbed her hand again, pleading, "Please, please don't give up, sister!"

Xu Yue opened her eyes and looked at her younger sister's tear-streaked face; Xu Ning was only ten years old, and in her world, her older sister was everything.

"Little sister," Xu Yue's voice was broken, "Take good care of yourself. How can you expect anyone else to?"

Xu Ning shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face and soaking the sheets.

Xu Yue looked at her, and the last bit of consciousness he had left dissipated with those words.

The faint beating in my chest stopped.

Xu Yue felt her body lighten, all the weight, pain, and fatigue vanished. She stood up, looked down, and saw that the hand of her soul had pierced through the skin of Xu Ning, who was tightly holding her hand, without any sensation.

She died. Her soul floated above the ward, watching the doctors stop the resuscitation efforts, exchanging glances with each other. The attending physician pulled over a white sheet and slowly covered the body that had lived for eighteen years.

Xu Ning knelt down on the ground, leaned over the bed, and wailed loudly.

Xu Yue floated beside her sister, wanting to pat her back, but her hand passed through the air.

An invisible force drew her away from the ward, through the corridor, and down to the lobby.

Everything flashed by quickly, leaving no trace.

The parents arrived; the father was dressed in a suit and the mother had exquisite makeup. Supporting the father's arm, they talked to the doctor and signed documents quickly.

funeral.

The location was chosen to be a funeral home, with the portrait of the deceased hanging in the center. It was taken a while ago, and the girl's face in the photo was blurry.

The guests were numerous, both men and women, dressed smartly. They spoke in hushed tones, their expressions solemn, occasionally exchanging business cards and discussing a piece of land or an upcoming project.

The father, holding a wine glass, moved through the crowd, clinking glasses with a bald man, discussing the South District project and signing the contract next week... His face showed no sadness, only the satisfaction of businessmen reaching an agreement.

The mother sat on the sofa in the side room, saying to the personal assistant beside her, "This mourning dress is completely wrong in size; it's too tight around the waist. Find out which tailor made it and deduct their quarterly bonus."

Xu Yue floated in front of them, watching quietly.

These are her parents, her biological parents. They paid exorbitant fees to keep her alive for eighteen years, and now, after her death, their grief is also clearly priced, with its duration and cost precisely calculated.

She turned and drifted to a corner of the hall.

Little Xu Ning, dressed in old mourning clothes, squatted in front of a copper brazier. She tossed paper money into the brazier one bill at a time, repeatedly murmuring, "Buy a healthy body...over there...elder sister..."

Several distant relatives stood not far away, watching the little girl in the corner, discussing her in low voices.

"Finally gone! Old Xu's medical expenses of several million every month, now we can save on that, right?"

"Did Old Xu transfer that small share directly to the young master? From now on, it'll all belong to the young master."

"There's no other way; keeping it would just be a burden..."

Xu Yue listened without any expression on his face.

She floated to her sister's side, squatted down, and gently embraced the trembling body.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoning," she said in her heart. "I didn't learn how to love you properly in this life. In the next life... I hope to meet a healthy and long-lasting older sister."

Xu Ning seemed to sense something, looked up with teary eyes and looked around, then lowered her head and continued burning paper money.

Xu Yue stood up, glanced once more at the hypocritical hall, and then at his sister who was sobbing uncontrollably.

For eighteen years, family ties were the warmth in Xu Ning's palm, while love and friendship were nonexistent; her life was barren, with only the little intelligence in her mind and a heart destined to stop prematurely, which was a small joke played by fate.

In my next life, I don't want to be human; too hard, too cold.

Then... let it all turn into the wind and dissipate.

The hall, the wreaths, the crowd, the weeping—everything began to fade, peel away, and turn into scattered ashes. Consciousness sank into boundless darkness and silence.

There is no time, no sound, no self.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

A strange sound pierced the void, and a clear, ringing bell rang in my ears.

A female voice, speaking fluent Cantonese, proclaimed: "All deities, return to your positions! Evil spirits, begone!"

"Master! My daughter... how is my daughter?" a man's voice asked urgently.

"It's done," the woman replied, accompanied by the soft crackling of something falling onto the wooden planks. "Her soul has returned. I told you she would wake up at nine; it was her destiny."

"Thank you, Master! Thank you so much, Master!" The man's voice was excited. Another woman's voice chimed in, equally filled with gratitude and choked with emotion, as she handed over something, which was called a red envelope.

Xu Yue's brain was flooded with fragments of Lin Ying's memories: nine years of hazy perception, the daily calls of his family, the sorceress's gaze that was sometimes murky and sometimes sharp, and today... on her ninth birthday, the sorceress performed a ritual, saying that her soul was about to return to its place.

Nine years old, mentally impaired for nine years, now awake.

The physical exhaustion and the dizziness caused by the fusion of memories quickly overwhelmed consciousness;

Before she sank completely into darkness, a rough hand gently covered her forehead. "Sister, sleep. Father is here."