As Zoe felt Neil’s hand touch his, he looked up at him. Neil’s eyes were filled with genuine, steadfast, confident, and gentle emotions that made anyone trust those harmless and beautiful eyes. The moment Zoe intended to withdraw his hand, Neil gently held it and squeezed, causing their palms to warm up once more. This gentle and innocent touch startled Zoe; he gazed intently into Neil’s eyes, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness making his heart race. 
This tender and pure touch seemed to convey Neil’s intention to comfort Zoe regarding his unfortunate past and to tell him that from this moment on, he would always be there to protect him. Zoe felt flustered, his face warming up with embarrassment as he quickly withdrew his hand, causing an unusual silence in the car. Zoe turned to look out the window, watching the scenery recede quickly, while Neil focused on driving. Only Jill, the spirit, was feeling extremely uncomfortable watching their awkward hand-holding.
 Jill wished it could instantly devour the spirit of the young man driving to satisfy its anger, especially resenting the arrogant smile and the confidence in his eyes, as if he were mocking and provoking Jill’s patience. Jill had never felt such irritation before; it was eager to consume this young man’s soul for daring to touch Zoe. Zoe was only for Jill, no one else was allowed into his life. In Jill’s world, it was just Zoe and Jill, with no room for a third party to intrude.
The cold aura from Jill’s spirit intensified, causing Neil to shiver suddenly. He glanced at the car’s temperature control, noticing it was getting colder. He adjusted the temperature slightly to make Zoe comfortable, then looked over at him. Zoe had fallen asleep with his head resting against the window. Since receiving the news from the juvenile detention center that he would be released, Zoe had been so excited that he hadn’t slept for several nights, fearing it was just a dream and that he might still be imprisoned. Thus, he had stayed awake, telling himself that once he left the detention center, he would enjoy a good sleep.
Neil gently covered Zoe with his coat, his hand inadvertently brushing against the sleeping boy’s cheek before quickly withdrawing. Neil sighed, smiling helplessly, and continued focusing on driving. This small gesture only made Jill’s cold aura even stronger. Jill was furious, unable to control itself, and leaped from the back seat to strangle Neil. However, before Jill could reach Neil’s body, it was forcefully thrown out of the car. Jill fell onto the road, with cars passing through its translucent form. 
Struggling to get up, Jill’s spirit became much fainter. It looked at its own fading form in fear, wondering what kind of entity that person was, to exert such powerful force that could toss part of its soul away. What was it about him that could emit such invisible and strong energy?
After some thought, Jill remembered Zoe was still in the car. It recalled that when the young man touched Zoe’s cheek, he had murmured something very softly. What was it? Jill couldn’t recall. It was… sorry. Yes, he said sorry. But why was he apologizing to Zoe? Did he know Zoe before, and was he planning something with him?
No… Jill struggled to rise and chase after the car, but it had disappeared into the vast highway.
Meanwhile, in the car, the atmosphere was very quiet, feeling dull. Neil pressed a button, and a soft melody began to play from the car’s stereo, which made Zoe stir in his sleep.
“I wanted to play some music to help you sleep better, but I didn’t realize it would wake you up,” Neil said apologetically, reaching to turn off the music, but Zoe stopped him.
“It’s fine; the music is nice. Sorry, I fell asleep,” Zoe replied.
“No need to apologize. Just let the music play,” Neil said with a smile. Zoe smiled back and looked at the rearview mirror, but Jill was nowhere to be seen. He was puzzled, wondering if Jill was scared of Neil and left, but Jill wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. Could something have happened between them while he was asleep? Zoe shook his head, thinking it couldn’t be true. 
Jill wouldn’t harm anyone unless it possessed Zoe. He looked at Neil, who was just a normal person, so how could he be harmed by a ghost unless Neil was a wizard? But if Jill wasn’t around, it might be for the best; at least he wouldn’t be haunted by Jill anymore.
Feeling Neil’s gaze on him, Zoe looked over, and Neil smiled at him.
“We’ll be in the city in about thirty minutes. Where do you live so I can drop you off?”
The sudden change in atmosphere made Zoe feel a bit sad. After a moment, he spoke hesitantly.
“I… don’t have a home. I plan to rent a room in the city and look for a job.”
“Why don’t you stay at my place? It’s hard to find a place to stay just after arriving in the city. You can stay at my place until you find something, and moving out later will be fine.”
Neil’s sincere offer made Zoe think more. Despite having just met a few hours ago, Neil generously invited him to stay at his home. Knowing Zoe had just come out of juvenile detention, could Neil really be that kind-hearted? Or did he have other motives? Zoe hesitated and remained silent. Just as he was about to speak, his stomach growled loudly, making him feel embarrassed and cover his stomach with his hands. Neil chuckled at Zoe’s adorable, embarrassed expression and pulled out a box of honey cakes from the car’s glove compartment.
“Here, have some of this.”
Zoe took the box but didn’t open it. The box looked familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before. He stared at it for a moment and swallowed. Neil laughed, “I haven’t put anything in the cake, so don’t worry. Just eat it.”
Seeing Zoe still hesitating and not opening the box, Neil sighed.
“Actually, I came to the detention center today to pick up my younger brother, but he had already left before I arrived.” He sighed again, “My brother, who’s about your age, was sent to the detention center for manslaughter and had to serve a three-year sentence. It’s all my fault. He must hate me a lot for not wanting to see me even when he was released.”
Zoe looked at Neil’s sorrowful face, realizing the situation. Neil had wanted to pick up his brother but ended up offering Zoe a ride instead. Although Zoe didn’t know what had happened between them, it made sense that Neil wanted to help, seeing Zoe as a replacement for his brother. Zoe felt guilty. Who would share such personal family issues with a stranger? Why had he doubted Neil’s kindness and feared there was something wrong with the cake? It was quite childish. 
Zoe gently tore open the wrapping, revealing the honey cakes with a delightful aroma of honey and vanilla, topped with black sesame seeds. The cake was deliciously sweet and crispy. It was the best cake Zoe had ever eaten, perhaps because he had never received anything from anyone before, even when mysterious people sent gifts to the detention center, they were always taken by others. Zoe had never fully enjoyed a gift from a stranger.
He finished the last piece of cake and looked at Neil, feeling embarrassed.
“I… I couldn’t resist and ate all the cakes… I’m sorry.”
Neil laughed, “The cake was meant to be eaten. Besides, I bought it for my brother, so you can eat it on his behalf.”
“Does your brother like this type of cake?” Zoe asked.
Neil shook his head, “I don’t know. I just bought it at random. Did you like it?”
Zoe nodded, “It was very good.”
“Then that’s great.”
Meanwhile, Jill continued to wander in search of Zoe, unwilling to give up. The ambition to become a powerful and immortal Grim Reaper, capable of devouring others’ souls, still burned within Jill. It would not let go of Zoe until its last remnants of spirit vanished into nothingness.