My Ex-Boyfriend Became the Back of My Car - Chapter 3

The car was suddenly plunged into darkness. Tang Zhou quickly turned on his phone’s flashlight, muttering, “Did the power go out?” At that moment, in the dim light, his peripheral vision caught something unusual on the car window. He froze instantly, a chill crawling up his spine to his brain. Normally, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts—after all, ghosts didn’t exist. Except for Feng Cang.

But now, he didn’t dare move a muscle, cold sweat beading on his forehead. For the first time, he desperately wished Feng Cang would speak to him in his mind. Apart from his shallow breathing, the surroundings were eerily silent. Anyone would be terrified if a hand suddenly appeared on their car window right in front of them.

Feng Cang noticed his unease and whispered, “Zhou, what’s wrong?” Tang Zhou didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the hand slowly moving across the window. When it reached the center— The hand moved. The window was slapped loudly, accompanied by a man’s voice. “Anyone in there?”

The next second, the parking lot lights flickered back on. Through the window, Tang Zhou saw it was just a security guard and let out a sigh of relief. Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he quickly unlocked the car and stepped out. The guard eyed the young man who emerged—clean-cut and looking too young to even have a driver’s license.

Leaning to peer inside the car, the man asked suspiciously, “Just you? Is this your car?” Tang Zhou wasn’t sure why he was being questioned but answered honestly. “Yeah, just me. It’s mine.” He pulled out the ID he’d taken out earlier and handed it over. The guard studied Tang Zhou’s clear-eyed expression, glanced inside the car again—nothing amiss—and finally examined the ID.

After a moment, he chuckled awkwardly. “Didn’t expect that, kid. You look younger than my high school son. Couldn’t help but be suspicious—my bad.”

“I’ve got a baby face. People say that a lot,” Tang Zhou replied with a smile, tucking the ID back into his pocket. “Something happen, sir?” The guard grimaced. “Ugh. Last night around this time, we caught two groups of car thieves. Not only were they stealing cars, but they also got… friendly inside someone else’s ride.”

“People these days, I swear. Just the other day, there were reports of corpse thieves—digging up bodies! So, when I saw movement in your car, I had to check.”

Tang Zhou sighed. He hadn’t expected to stumble onto such gossip. “Wow. Yeah, some real weirdos out there.” The guard nodded. “It’s late. Head home and get some rest. Keep your keys on you—I’ve got more rounds to make.”

“Take care, sir.” Tang Zhou waved him off, brushing off the encounter. After everything today, exhaustion was finally catching up, his eyelids growing heavy.

Locking the car, he forced himself to stay awake long enough to say to Feng Cang, “Mr. Feng, it’s late. We’ll discuss the rest tomorrow. I’m heading back—you can stay here. With so many companions around, I’m sure you won’t be lonely.” Watching Tang Zhou walk away, Feng Cang smiled. “Goodnight, Zhou Zhou. Sweet dreams. There’s a surprise waiting tomorrow.”

Early the next morning…

Tang Zhou was jolted awake by a series of notification sounds. Picking up his phone, he saw no ride-hailing orders—where was this noise coming from? He tapped open the app with the most notifications, puzzled. Why so many messages? Then his eyes widened, and he bolted upright.

A help post was staring back at him:

Help: My ex-boyfriend got into a car accident and possessed my car! Now he wants to marry me! Online waiting! Urgent!

Memories from last night flooded back. After returning home, washing up, and lying in bed, he had opened WeChat out of habit. He played Feng Cang’s voice message as usual, but as it played, his gaze landed on the breakup message on the screen. In his drowsy haze, he vaguely recalled Feng Cang saying something about marrying him—and before he knew it, he had posted that absurd plea.

Now, he was relieved Feng Cang couldn’t speak directly into his mind anymore. Otherwise, this would be the ultimate social disaster. How had the thread blown up overnight? 8F: Another one’s lost it.

A while back, someone claimed to be reborn with a system to take revenge on their bullies. No updates since—probably six feet under by now. 11F: Stress does weird things to people. Let them have their fantasies. 15F: Oh, that reborn guy? He updated! Said revenge was successful and he’s moving on to the next step—about to be filthy rich. 21F: Just checked. Could be a clout chaser, but hey, entertaining either way. 25F: OP writing a novel? Ex possessing your car? What’s next, interspecies romance? 26F: Don’t be narrow-minded. Love transcends species—cats, dogs, even cold machinery. 30F: Exactly! I’m dating my pet pig. OP, your ex clearly can’t let go. Dying just to propose from beyond? That’s true love. 34F: Just say yes, OP! Regret comes too late. 40F: Now my brain’s conjuring… scenes. OP, keep us updated! 45F: +1 for updates! 46F: +2!

…

Tang Zhou scoffed. He considered deleting the post, but that’d just draw more attention. “Thank goodness no one believes it. If this got traced back to me, I’d be having a long chat with men in white coats.” His phone rang—Shaoyan calling. He answered, “Yanyan, what’s up so early?”

Shaoyan’s furious voice crackled through. “Tangtang! My idol’s fiancée is the worst! She called off their engagement while he’s missing, then went live playing victim—accusing him of cheating! How heartless! I’m livid!” Keyboard clattering underscored her rage. Understandable—it was her idol, after all. Then, a WeChat notification popped up: Feng Cang.

After hastily reassuring Shaoyan, Tang Zhou raced downstairs faster than ever. The moment he slid into the car, a robotic voice echoed in his mind:

Ding! Mission issued: Kiss Feng Cang for 30 seconds. Success: +100 energy. Failure: Dance with the car. Countdown: 6 hours.

Tang Zhou had a big question mark pop up in his mind. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Mr. Feng, can you explain what’s going on here? I never agreed to have intimate contact with you.” Feng Cang remained silent for a moment before replying, “Zhou Zhou, the system sent it. It’s not my doing. I didn’t expect this either.”

He would have liked to send it, but that would have been under the condition that Tang Zhou agreed to marry him, and even then, only simple tasks could be issued. This was originally a dating system. After Feng Cang realized it was trying to consume his soul, he fought back with his indomitable will. Due to his deep obsession with the car accident, the system underwent changes after he destroyed it. Although he had control, major tasks were automatically triggered. He had been tricked by the system, but the outcome didn’t seem too bad.

While driving, Tang Zhou studied the system in his mind and discovered something that hadn’t been there the night before. He said in disbelief, “How can there be automatically triggered mandatory tasks? It’s not even optional.” He couldn’t imagine the embarrassment he’d face if he didn’t complete them.

“Dancing with the car”—even with his toes, he could picture how suffocating that scene would be. But he had only agreed to help prevent the accident. What was this nonsense? Though it was true they had been boyfriends in the past, they had already broken up. If people found out, how would he explain it? He had boarded a pirate ship.

Feng Cang comforted him, “Zhou Zhou, just think of it as kissing a piece of meat. It’s just a body, after all.”

Tang Zhou snapped, “Easy for you to say. It’s not you doing the task, and it’s not you who’ll be humiliated. Why did I have to get stuck with someone like you?” He tapped the steering wheel, then took a deep breath. “Fine. Just pay me more in the future. Consider it double the workload.”

Tang Zhou opened the link Shaoyan had just sent him. The comments below were full of people badmouthing Feng Cang. It was as if Feng Cang had committed some unforgivable crime—curses, schadenfreude, people saying he deserved the car accident. A flood of venomous words poured out.

Occasionally, someone would speak up for Feng Cang, only to be immediately ganged up on, as if it had all been premeditated to ensure Feng Cang would never rise again. His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and an idea formed in his mind. Feng Cang silently watched his movements without a word, as if he already knew what Tang Zhou was planning. After a moment of secret delight, he thought:

These people were in such a hurry. What role did his fiancée play in all this? One day, he would dig it all up. None of those involved would escape.

The Feng Residence.

Feng Zheng’s face was dark as he listened to the strangers before him, their words making it seem as though Feng Cang owed them everything. His grip on his cane shifted slightly. He hadn’t expected so much to happen in just a few days—just like back then.

Feng Cang had been perfectly fine just two days ago, but now he lay on the brink of death, declared never to wake again. This was anything but simple. He couldn’t collapse. He believed Feng Cang would wake up. He had to hold on.

“Had enough?” Mr. Zhen finally exhaled in relief when Old Master Feng spoke. They hadn’t wanted to come, but his daughter was adamant about breaking off the engagement, and he couldn’t withstand Mrs. Zhen’s pleas. Besides, the Feng Corporation was likely to undergo drastic changes soon. He sighed and said, “Old Master, we don’t want this either, but given Feng Cang’s current condition, if something were to happen, would you really expect my daughter to marry into this and live as a widow?”

Mother Zhen nodded in agreement beside him. “Yes! Old Master, we’re heartbroken about what happened to Feng Cang too, but we can’t sacrifice my daughter’s lifelong happiness for this!”

“She’s our only daughter. Please try to understand how we feel! We can’t just stand by and watch her suffer alone, becoming the subject of gossip.”

Feng Zheng hadn’t expected them to show such faces. He said sharply, “Back then, it was you who begged to come knocking on our door. Now that something has happened to Cang, you’re immediately trying to cut ties. How can the world have such a good deal?”

Back then, he had agreed because Zhen Ruijia seemed obedient and sensible, visiting him every day. He worried that after he was gone, Feng Cang would be left alone with no one to care for him, so he had consented. Then, despite Feng Cang’s objections, he had forced him to agree to this engagement. Who would have thought it would all turn into a joke in the end?

Feng Zheng’s sharp gaze fell on Zhen Ruijia, who had kept her head lowered the entire time since entering. “Is this what you think too?” Zhen Ruijia looked up innocently. “Grandpa Feng, I also wanted to be with Brother Feng. But now that he’s like this, as a girl, I need someone to rely on. Besides, Brother Feng already has a boyfriend—why should he still be engaged to me?”

Feng Zheng was stunned. He hadn’t expected such an answer and said gravely, “You’re saying Cang has a boyfriend?”

Zhen Ruijia nodded. “How could I joke about something like this? If Brother Feng liked women, no matter what state he was in, I’d fight for him. But the thing is…” She lowered her head, covering it with her hands, her expression pained. “But the thing is, Brother Feng already has a boyfriend. I don’t want to come between them. I don’t want this either, but I have no choice.”

“Besides, Brother Feng never liked me in the first place. It was you who forced him to agree to this engagement. I’m not a child anymore—if Brother Feng never wakes up, am I supposed to spend my whole life waiting for him?”

“Now that the engagement is off, if Brother Feng wakes up, he’ll surely be happy. I don’t regret my decision.” Mother Zhen quickly comforted Zhen Ruijia and shot a meaningful glance at Father Zhen.

“My daughter! It’s all my fault for being useless, putting you in such a difficult position now. It’s all my fault.” She hugged Zhen Ruijia and burst into tears.

Father Zhen looked helplessly at his wife and daughter, then turned to Feng Zheng with shame. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Old Master, we’ve wronged you and that child. Just give us your word.” Feng Zheng watched this farce unfold in silence, from the moment Zhen Ruijia spoke those words until now. He understood now. He had still held onto a sliver of hope, but it seemed his old eyes had deceived him.

Before they arrived, when he learned Feng Cang might never wake up, he had thought he couldn’t ruin Zhen Ruijia’s life—such a good girl. After they came, he had assumed they were here to see Feng Cang upon hearing the news. Never had he imagined they were here to break off the engagement.

They even fabricated the lie that Feng Cang had a boyfriend. He had never heard Feng Cang mention such a thing. If it were true, how did they know? Why were they so certain? It hadn’t even been long—just a few days. Were they really in such a hurry?

Feng Zheng closed his eyes, slowly exhaled, then opened them again, pointing his cane toward the door. “Leave! Their engagement is hereby canceled. Don’t you dare set foot in the Feng household again. Steward, see them out.” Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan said bluntly, “Everyone, please.” He had long disliked them—flaunting the young master’s name to throw their weight around, only to cut ties the moment they saw him in this state. He despised such people the most.

The moment Feng Zheng announced the annulment, Zhen Ruijia felt as if a heavy weight had lifted from her heart. Overjoyed, she immediately pulled her parents along to leave. She paid no mind to the dark expressions on the Feng family’s faces. In her heart, Feng Cang was no different from a dead man. After Zhang Yuan escorted them out, he turned to go back inside when a young man stopped him.