Chapter 1

On the day my mom died, my wife livestreamed the whole vigil.

While chatting and laughing with viewers, she kept asking for tips.

I couldn’t take it anymore and asked her for a divorce. Her only demand was that she get custody of our daughter.

Some time later, I saw her on a livestream platform crying her eyes out at a funeral.

And the photo on the altar was my daughter’s.

......

When I learned that my mom had been killed in a car accident, my mind went completely blank.

In the hospital morgue, the doctor couldn’t bear to let me see the body.

“From the injuries, your mother was run over by a truck, so...”

I understood. Her death must have been horrific. Even as her own son, I didn’t have the courage to lift that white sheet.

“Mom!”

After the doctors left, I finally broke down and cried.

I gently lifted the sheet, and just one look was enough for me to cover it back up.

It was too horrific to describe, just a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

I forced myself to hold back my grief and had her moved to the funeral home.

I wanted the funeral to be as dignified as possible, and I also wanted to restore my mom’s appearance as much as I could. I wanted her to leave this world in one piece.

After everything was arranged, I called Mia again.

“Honey, please come over as soon as you can.”

My mom’s funeral would have some relatives and friends attending, and as the daughter-in-law, she should have been there even more.

That night I stayed at the funeral home to keep vigil. By the time it was fully dark, Mia arrived.

She had on delicate makeup, and even though she tried hard to look sorrowful, her bright red lips still looked especially out of place.

“Honey, go rest for a while. I’ll keep watch here.”

I hadn’t rested all day, I was in the worst mood, and I was on the verge of breaking down. My eyes were so swollen from crying that they were nearly shut.

“Okay.”

I didn’t refuse. There would be a lot of people at the funeral tomorrow, and I needed to recover some strength.

Just as I leaned against the wall and started dozing off, I saw her pull out her phone, set it up somewhere, and start a livestream.

“Hey, everyone. My mother-in-law passed away, and today I’m keeping vigil here, so I can only livestream from the funeral home. I hope you understand.”

Hearing that, I almost lost my temper.

This was a funeral parlor. My mom was already gone, and she still had the mood to livestream.

“Mia, turn it off right now. What time do you think it is? Do you really think this is appropriate?”

She quickly made a shushing gesture at me and whispered, “A lot of viewers have never seen a funeral home before. I’m pulling in followers!”

“She’s dead anyway, and this is just for outsiders to see. This is a great chance to gain followers. Don’t drag me down!”

The incense was almost burned out, and I didn’t have time to argue with her. I hurried over to relight it.

Only when I turned around did I notice that her camera was pointed right at me.

“Guys, while you’re keeping vigil, this incense can’t go out, or that would be disrespectful to the deceased.”

“Look, this is the funeral home. Tomorrow we’ll have the body farewell here, and then cremation...”

Before she could finish, I snatched her phone away and ended the livestream.