After my death, my wife mistook the bionic robot for me.

Three years after my death, my wife was still accompanied by the lifelike android I’d meticulously designed. It looked exactly like me, mimicking my every mannerism, every habit. But it never got angry with her.

So, my wife, oblivious, brought home a different man every night, trying to provoke a reaction, hoping to see me consumed by jealousy. Until one day, her childhood sweetheart pushed “me” off the balcony. That’s when she realized “I” didn’t bleed.

1.

A loud crash echoed through the villa. “I” lay sprawled on the lawn, a few parts detached.

The culprit, Cui Ye, leaned over the railing, feigning concern. “Yu Xia! Something terrible! Jingze jumped!”

Jiang Yu Xia, my wife, strolled over, her voice laced with disdain. "Jumped? Shen Jingze? Trying to get my attention, is he? How pathetic." She glanced down at “me,” unmoved by my apparent lifelessness.

"Alright, Jingze, the show's over. I’m here. You can stop now." She expected me to jump up, grateful for her attention.

But “I” didn't move. Her face hardened. "Don't push it, Shen Jingze. My patience is wearing thin."

Cui Ye feigned concern. "Yu Xia, maybe we should check on him. What if he’s really hurt?"

Yu Xia scoffed. "It's only the third floor, not the thirtieth. He’ll be fine. Besides, he jumped. He can deal with the consequences."

A three-story fall might not be fatal, but it could certainly cause serious injuries, especially if you landed on your head. Yu Xia seemed to have overlooked this, or perhaps she simply didn't care. She’d probably be happier if I were dead.

Unfortunately for her, I was already dead. And dead men can't die twice. Three years, and she still hadn't noticed. The “me” lying on the lawn wasn’t me. It was a sophisticated android, my final creation. As for the real me? Mission failed. System deactivated. Body destroyed. My soul, however, lingered, somehow inhabiting this android. I couldn't control it, but I didn't need to. It was a perfect replica, programmed with my memories, my personality.

2.

“My” joints were dislocated, locked in place. System failure. Yu Xia, of course, didn't notice. "Stop playing dead, Shen Jingze. Do I have to come down there and pick you up?"

Slowly, “I” got up, the system rebooting, the program resuming. My posture was awkward, my movements stiff.

"Yu Xia, his leg looks weird. Do you think it's broken?" Cui Ye asked.

"He’s not that fragile," Yu Xia said dismissively. "He jumped. Serves him right. Besides, what's a few broken bones? He’ll heal. Don't be so dramatic."

Cui Ye chuckled. "Remember when Mrs. Li’s dog fell from her second-floor window? It was fine a few minutes later. I doubt Jingze is less resilient than a dog." He called me "Jingze" with feigned familiarity, but his tone dripped with disrespect.

Yu Xia wasn't fooled, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed seeing me humiliated, especially by Cui Ye, her childhood sweetheart, the man she truly loved.

They came down to the lawn. Cui Ye approached me, his voice dripping wit...