These Dangerous Girls Placed Me Into Jeopardy-Chapter 32Vol 1. : My Daily Life Was Ruined

My nerves relaxed all at once. A wave of pressure hit my bladder, and while I felt a sense of relief... I also felt strangely regretful—

What the hell am I regretting?!

I let out a deep sigh and rubbed my cheeks to wake myself up. It had been a long time since I’d dreamed at all, and my mind felt sluggish. Most troubling of all, I had dreamed about that woman...

Can’t deny it—she left a deep, powerful impression. So vivid that it was impossible to forget her.

Maybe that’s why so many people are drawn to her... Like a magnet pulling everyone in.

“Big Brother...?”

Serena rubbed her eyes and looked at me drowsily. Her pajama neckline had slipped off one shoulder, revealing a wide expanse of fair skin.

“It’s nothing. Just a dream. Go back to sleep.”

I smiled and patted her head, and Serena narrowed her eyes comfortably like a cat. After tucking her in, I grabbed my change of clothes and stepped out of the room.

Sunday. 5:45 a.m. I washed up, got dressed, and headed downstairs in a neatly pressed black suit—without a tie.

Mom was already waiting for me in the living room.

“Well, well. Up early today, Ethan? I was just about to come wake you.”

“Well... since I promised to help out on Sunday, I couldn’t afford to sleep in.”

That’s why I’d set the alarm, though I’d panicked for a second thinking that message was from that woman.

“Well then, let’s head out. Things are probably going to get hectic today, so brace yourself.”

“Yeah...”

I answered absentmindedly and followed Mom to our destination for the day.

When we arrived, I was truly startled—this massive hall of corpses was packed wall-to-wall with people... A scene like this really doesn’t bode well.

Most of them looked exhausted—relatives of the deceased who had stayed up all night in vigil, their spirits completely drained.

A sea of dark name tags, full of manifest negative emotions, flooded my vision and struck me hard.

I quickly put on the non-prescription glasses I’d bought yesterday. Only then did I feel slightly better.

At home, Mom always wore a natural, cheerful expression—but at work, it was like she became someone else entirely. Her face was solemn and composed.

Perfectly fitting for the title: [Mortician].

She waved goodbye to me and headed for her department. I followed Brother Zhang into the service hall.

Technically speaking, someone my age isn’t supposed to be working at a funeral home. But thanks to Mom, and the fact that they were desperately understaffed today, I was allowed to work as a temp.

Back in middle school, I used to hang around here sometimes—Mom would work late in the appearance room, and I’d wander the halls out of boredom. So I’d gotten to know most of the staff.

Kind of feels like child labor though...

In the past, my “help” usually meant sitting at the front desk—answering calls from families requesting body pickups or handling farewell inquiries.

But today, they were so short-handed that they needed me in the crematorium.

That place almost never allows young people in. It’s usually handled by men in their forties. Today was a rare exception.

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Locally, most funerals are completed by noon, so mornings are the busiest time.

It wasn’t until the early afternoon that we finally got a short break.

I took off my glasses, but my eyes still stung a little—those flames inside the furnace were just too intense.

Master Wu lit a cigarette and sat down with a weary sigh, flicking the old butt from his pocket into the trash. Cremators often smoke during shifts—the smell is overwhelming, and it helps them cope.

“Whew... Ethan, you must be wiped out. Go take a breather. If you hadn’t come today, my old bones would’ve crumbled.”

“No worries. I’ll go check on my mom then.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

All the cremators wore blank expressions. Their eyes were heavy, a seriousness etched deep in their faces. Their job didn’t allow them to smile.

Come to think of it, I’m also pretty stone-faced and not much of a talker.

Maybe I really am suited for this job...

Flexing my sore wrist, I stepped out of the crematorium.

Now that I think about it... I couldn’t see any name tags on the corpses. Is that because corpses no longer count as people?

Just as I reached the outdoors, I spotted a familiar figure staring toward the public cemetery behind the funeral home.

“......”

What is she doing here... I wanted to ignore her, but something told me if I did, I’d be in serious trouble. So I called out.

“Hey!”

No reaction. Did she not hear me? Or was it...?

I hesitated, then tried again—this time calling her name.

“Lillian!”

Only then did she turn and walk over, greeting me with a smile.

“Ara~ Isn’t this my beloved boyfriend? What a coincidence!”

“Coincidence, my ass... You really are like a lingering ghost.”

No wonder she said “see you tomorrow” when we parted yesterday—she planned this all along, didn’t she?

Just seeing Lillian Ji again brought back memories of yesterday’s “date,” especially that final scene. My expression turned a little stiff.

“Ethan, you look so handsome today~ All dressed up in a suit!”

“Ha...”

Wearing a suit today was a total misstep. I thought I’d be doing reception work, not cremation duty. Now this nice suit was ruined by the stench.

“Cut it out, Lillian. Go home. This place isn’t for you.”

“So cold. I came all this way just to see you...”

“Didn’t we just see each other yesterday?”

“Hehehe~ Aren’t couples supposed to stick together every day?”

“That’s for idiot couples. I’m not trying to be an idiot.”

I wrinkled my nose, thinking up excuses to get rid of her when suddenly a voice called out in the distance.

“Ethan?”

“I’m over here.”

Mom walked over, giving me and Lillian a curious look—utterly bewildered.

“Uh... she’s...”

“Well now, I was just wondering which honest young man caught the eye of such a beauty... and it turns out it’s my dumb son?”

Huh? Mom knows Lillian?

“Wait—Mom, you know her?”

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

“Ah, yeah. I saw her wandering the service hall alone, so I asked if she needed help. She said she was looking for her boyfriend... didn’t realize you were the one she meant.”

“Ah...”

So she really did come here for me? Must be another one of Miss Sherry’s «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» intel reports...

“So this lovely lady is Ethan’s mother? Do you work here, Ma’am? Allow me to introduce myself again—my name is Lillian Ji. I’m Ethan’s girlfriend.”

Lillian completely abandoned her usual venomous tone and put on the sweetest smile, her voice sugary as she greeted my mom.

“I’m An Yue, Ethan’s mother. And yes, I work here—as a mortician.”

“Mortician...”

Lillian blinked.

“Mother-in-law!”

Then she suddenly grabbed Mom’s hands with both of hers, eyes sparkling with pure admiration.

“Wha—?!”

Mom was flustered, her brow twitching, clearly unsure how to react. She shot me a bewildered look.

What’s gotten into this girl? She was looking at Mom with starstruck eyes—like a fangirl meeting her idol in the flesh.

“Your profession is so amazing! I’ve always wanted a mother like you!”

Ah. I get it now.

Lillian is a necrophiliac. Mom’s job is making corpses beautiful. So to her, that means Mom is... basically a goddess.

“Well~ I already have two lovely daughters... but if you’d like to be my daughter too, you could always marry into our family~”

“Hehehe~ It’s already a done deal between me and Ethan.”

“Oh my~ Is that so?”

“Yes. Ethan’s already seen every inch of me, inside and out... shy~”

SHY, MY ASS!

“Then it sounds like my son needs to take responsibility.”

No! This is bad! Mom likes her!

What the hell?! Marry Lillian Ji?! Huh?! HUH?!

What’s next, a murder-mystery wedding where the bride stabs the groom on stage?!

“Wait a minute—!”

“How much longer will Ethan be working today?”

“Oh, things are lighter in the afternoon. He’s not really needed anymore. I won’t intrude on you young folks—Ethan, you keep Lillian company.”

“But what about Master Wu...”

“Don’t worry, I’ll speak to him myself. You don’t need to stress. Here—take today’s pay and go have fun with Lillian~”

The wad of cash in my hand was hefty—but I couldn’t feel less happy about it.

MOMMMMMMM!

You’re throwing your own son into a death trap!

Leaving me alone with this calamity? This is suicide!

Not to mention—it’s the third day of the bet! She might actually kill me today!

I nervously followed behind Lillian, who, to my surprise, suggested we take a stroll through the cemetery.

“This place... is really nice, Ethan.”

“Ugh... I think you’re the only one who’d say that.”

“Hehehe~ maybe I really am.”

She smiled.

And that smile chilled me to the bone.

It didn’t feel real—more like the seductive grin of a demon from the pits of hell. It made my skin crawl.

A terrifying thought emerged in my mind... and once it appeared, I couldn’t unthink it—

What if she killed all these people?

She’s a [Necrophiliac Killer]. She could’ve created all these corpses just to satisfy her twisted desires.

The surge in recent deaths, most from violent crimes... her eerie smile...

The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. After all, she’s a killer.

I forced myself to ask.

“Did you... kill these people?”

“...Is that what you think, Ethan?”

She was still smiling.

A smile that made my chest ache.

“Just answer me!”

“So what if I did? So what if I didn’t?”

Damn it!

I clenched my teeth and stepped toward her, reaching out to grab her shoulder.

And in that moment—something changed.

One after another, pitch-black name tags exploded into my vision, flooding the entire earth!

My heart pounded, my eyelids twitched, cold sweat poured from my scalp, and my back went numb. A surge of danger like I’d never known before—

RUN. Run now. If I don’t run, I’ll die.

I’ll seriously die!

Then, the name tags that had clung to the ground began to float...

The cursed title appeared:

[Zombie]

[███]

A hand emerged from the soil.

And with that—

The daily life I had once known shattered beyond repair.