The fifth time.

Fang Xiu had fully understood that escaping and fearing were useless. He couldn't lie in bed with his eyes closed for the rest of his life. If he wanted to live, he had to face his wife directly and ignore her. Otherwise, he would never be able to leave the house.

"Wake up, honey. It's time for breakfast," his wife said.

Fang Xiu ignored her and got up from bed with a lifeless look. He walked straight towards the bedroom door, as if he hadn't seen his wife, and headed for the door.

But his wife was blocking the doorway.

Fang Xiu didn't react to her presence and walked straight towards her as if she didn't exist. He walked right through her, as if passing through a patch of air, without any obstacles.

He had guessed that he couldn't physically touch his wife until she confirmed that she could see him. The incident earlier when his wife seeped into the bed confirmed this.

Soon, he managed to walk out of the bedroom. But his wife seemed determined not to let him go. She fluttered in front of Fang Xiu like a playful butterfly, constantly appearing in his way.

And then Fang Xiu died.

He died from not being a good enough actor, and from not being able to overcome his instinctive reactions.

It's hard for anyone to not blink when someone punches them, even if the punch is just one centimeter from their nose. Their natural reaction is to blink.

His wife was the same way. The more Fang Xiu ignored her, the closer she got to him. She could even float up to him like a ghost and come close enough for a kiss with a puckered mouth.

Even professional actors might be scared in such a situation.

The sixth time.

Fang Xiu managed to leave the bedroom without a change of expression, not wanting to arouse suspicion by acting out of character. He decided to go to the bathroom first.

His wife seemed "shy" and didn't follow him to the bathroom.

Just as Fang Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and started to relieve himself, a beautiful head slowly emerged from the toilet.

And then Fang Xiu died.

The seventh time, the eighth time, the ninth time, and the tenth time.

Fang Xiu was already dead inside, numb and broken.

He simply couldn't do it, couldn't overcome his instinctual reactions. His wife would suddenly appear in various ways, causing his gaze to involuntarily wander.

Once, she even crawled out from under his chest.

Running away wasn't an option either, as any abnormal behavior would trigger his wife's transformation.

Numerous deaths had caused Fang Xiu's nerves to snap completely.

He resisted, he ran, he gave up on himself, but nothing worked. It was as if he was destined to die at the hands of his wife.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth time...

"Husband, it's time for breakfast."

"Hehe, my wife is so kind."

Fang Xiu had gone mad.

His mental state had completely deteriorated from being rational and clear-headed to being insane and chaotic.

But his wife wasn't a judge, she wouldn't spare him just because he had gone insane.

The cycle of death continued.

What would happen if someone kept stimulating a person who had already gone insane due to their stimulus?

Nobody knew.

Eighteenth time...

Fang Xiu lay calmly in bed. If it weren't for his imperceptible breathing and the instinctual beating of his heart, he would have looked like a corpse.

If someone could see his eyes at this moment, they would be horrified to discover that they were not the eyes of a living person.

Dead and lifeless, like a stagnant pool of water, devoid of any human emotions.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but Fang Xiu's windows had been sealed with concrete.

But if someone could see through the thick concrete, through those lifeless eyes, they would discover that beneath the calm exterior lay an unimaginable, suppressed madness. And a hatred potent enough to ignite every drop of blood in his veins.

The flames of that insane hatred burned fiercely, fueled by his animosity toward his wife and the eighteen times he had been killed. Some people may be alive, but they are already dead. Others may be insane, but they are incredibly lucid. This was the state that Fang Xiu was in.

The numerous deaths had driven him to madness, but in the end, the overwhelming hatred had brought his sanity back, reshaping it around his animosity toward his wife.

Suddenly, Fang Xiu sat up calmly from the bed and murmured unconsciously, "Die, die, die. You deserve to die. As long as I'm alive, you will die."

His voice was deep and steady, showing no signs of emotional fluctuation. He spoke the most bone-chilling words in the calmest tone.

"Honey, it's time for breakfast," his wife's gentle voice timely interrupted.

Fang Xiu acted as if he hadn't heard her, got up, put on his shoes, walked through his wife's body, and started using the restroom, washing up, and changing clothes.

During this time, his wife continued to interfere as usual, but Fang Xiu's eyes never changed even slightly, as if he really couldn't see her.

After getting dressed, Fang Xiu even calmly sat at the table and ate a breakfast he made himself. He fried an egg, added a sausage, sandwiched it between two slices of whole wheat bread, and paired it with a glass of pure milk. Simple and nutritious.

Obviously, the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive people. His wife was just like that, saying they should have breakfast, but actually, she didn't make any.

After breakfast, Fang Xiu went straight to the door. He was going to leave and investigate any clues about his wife, to seek out any anomalies in this world. Only then would he have a chance to take revenge.

Just as he placed his hand on the door handle, his wife's beautiful face was pressed against the door, wearing a gentle smile.

"Honey, can you please not go out? Can you stay at home and keep me company?"

Click!

The doorknob twisted, and Fang Xiuping calmly walked out of the door.

Bang!

The door was heavily shut.

His wife did not follow him out.

After surviving eighteen deaths, Fang Xiuping finally succeeded in walking out of the door, but there was no joy of escaping death in his heart.

All he could think about now was one thing: revenge!

Nothing else but revenge!

"No one can kill me eighteen times and still get away with it! No one!"

Click, click, click...

The sound of Fang Xiuping's not-too-light footsteps echoed in the hallway.

He lived on the fifth floor, in an old and shabby neighborhood without an elevator, so he had to walk down the stairs.

Soon, he walked through the dim and dilapidated hallway, and the entrance to the unit appeared before him.

He slowly pushed open the unit door, and bright and warm sunlight shone through the gap in the door. As the door opened, the sunlight continued to fill the dim hallway.

It seemed like there was a warm and sunny world outside the door, and the sunlight fell on Fang Xiuping, warm and comfortable.

After surviving eighteen deaths, he finally saw the sun outside while alive.

He took a step out and plunged into the outside world of sunlight.

Then Fang Xiuping froze in place, his blood almost coagulating.

At that moment, he was enveloped in sunlight, but he could no longer feel any warmth.

He looked at the outside world in a daze, murmuring involuntarily, "Is this hell?"