ML will die for some time (theoretically just become a very weak existence) but he comes back later stronger than ever, don't worry it's a happy ending. Even MC's family ends up accepting their relationship.

before the 10 year time skip, where MC "killed" ML. Where, right before ML lets MC kill him (knowing he won't actually die), MC has a realization that he's "fallen in love"--but this is literally never revisited.

how the novel starts is how it ends. MC's situation doesn't get much better. But for his credit... ML is an evil ghost so he doesn't operate by human morals or standards... even if he was once human, those feelings and sentiments were gone upon dying and becoming a ghost. Within those constraints, I guess he treats MC well? Better than all the other non-ghost, human, r*pe-prone, tr*shy MLs. Because ML does love MC, he really does. But he's not bound by human code so he just does what he wants, and that involves having his way with MC as he desires (choking, sexually assaulting, etc.) ; and except one instance, he always (apparently) "pleasures" the MC, and is kind to him and caring to him enough.

ML is crazy af and kills lots of people because he is an evil ghost in the name of protecting and getting revenge for MC. A lot of deaths because there's a lot of sinister people in the town too.

except for Ning Yu, Xia Si, and Xiang sheng, who he spares for some reason

the reason for MCs smartness and similarity to ML

Honestly that part was kinda disgusting

Now, back to the couple. I personally really like novels with this kind of tension between the protagonists, but please remember that there's a blaring red r*pe tag. When the MC and ML get together

ML r*pes MC multiple times. There's alot alot of dub-con and non-con in this.

Oh and MC and ML are also kind of

Now as for the reason why there seems to be

of ML. Also spoilers on ML and his parents

So yeah this was actually more complicated than I expected.

For the people who are curious, Xu Luan's killer is Xu Wenxing

His "death" shone brighter than all the events in the story for me, MC made his choice to kill him, his life was at stake, but all the "betrayal" and "death" of ML made me lose interest in them as a couple in the main story.

I wish the "ghostly" elements were more subtle and that there was more to the horror than just killing people gruesomely. I don't know how big the village is, but it's definitely abnormal to have like ten people (who all know each other) die within the span of a year and like... it just wasn't realistic, if you know what I mean. If people started dropping like that (especially because in this case, there were no clues to these deaths due to them being caused by the ghost ML), I feel like the police/government would have become more heavily involved or something. Hell, if I lived in that village, I would have gotten the hell out of dodge, you know? And if I'm recalling this correctly, three/four of those people literally die at the MC's school (like literally at the school) and in horrific ways, and you're telling me the school didn't shut down?

it literally starts with all his friends dying from a freshly dead ML

7 people literally died in the school but they didn't close down. They only mention "The focus had shifted to maintaining a healthy mindset, ensuring physical well-being, and, more importantly, making sure no one died at school.

There is a 10-year timeskip towards the end of the novel, which I normally find quite trope-y and cliche, but it didn't seem to disrupt the flow of the story and it was believable.