Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 1

Summer arrived early this year. It was only the beginning of May, but the midday temperature was already nearing 30 degrees Celsius. The sun beat down relentlessly, so most people wouldn’t dare to go outside. Coupled with the summer siesta, the campus of Zhengling Girls’ School was empty and quiet, with very few people to be seen outdoors.

Fang Yiyi was one of those rare exceptions.

She had just been kicked out by her roommates, her hair a messy bird’s nest on her head like a clump of weeds. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she wandered aimlessly around the vast school grounds under the scorching sun.

The teaching building was locked at noon, and she knew there were people who knew her in the library who would definitely mock her. The school rules were strict, only allowing students to leave for two days on the weekend, and today was Wednesday. In other words, she had nowhere to go.

Sweat trickled down her forehead to her chin. Fang Yiyi looked up with a pained expression. Whether it was the blinding sunlight or the intense heat, she felt a slight dizziness when she looked back down.

She licked her chapped lips and fanned herself with the wide hem of her school jacket, but the breeze was hot. She felt like she was going to get heatstroke if she kept this up.

She wiped the sweat from her face and noticed the convenience store not far ahead was open. The white, square air conditioning unit outside was blowing cool air under the glass wall.

Fang Yiyi stared at it longingly and instinctively reached for her pocket. After fumbling around for a while, she found nothing but a banged-up, old-fashioned black phone. Her pocket was cleaner than her face.

She froze for a moment, then let out a sigh.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated.

Fang Yiyi was startled. A large yellow envelope icon appeared on her screen. Sender: Xuanxuan.

This was her uncle’s only daughter, surnamed Bai, with the single name Xuan. She was two years younger than Fang Yiyi. After Fang Yiyi’s parents died in a car crash four years ago, she had been living with her uncle’s family. On days when she wasn’t at school, she and her cousin lived under the same roof.

Fang Yiyi was a top student. Two years after she was accepted into Zhengling Girls’ University, one of the top three in the country, Bai Xuan was admitted after her father paid a hefty sum. Now they were schoolmates.

Xuanxuan: Are you crazy?! Why are you standing there on such a hot day?

Fang Yiyi wiped away some sweat, looked up, and squinted at the pink dorm building directly to her right. It was only then that she realized she had subconsciously walked all the way there.

She lowered her head again, about to text back, when Bai Xuan called her directly.

Fang Yiyi bit her lower lip, hesitated, then pressed the call button.

Sure enough, as soon as she answered, a barrage of words came at her like bullets.

“Are you sick? It’s 33 degrees, big sister! Hurry up and get back! I don’t care if you get heatstroke, but you’re embarrassing me. Look around you, is there any other idiot like you? My roommate told me, or I wouldn’t have known. Do you think you’re a potato? Do you need to be sun-dried to be special?”

Fang Yiyi looked around and slowly moved to stand in the shade of a tree by the roadside. “Okay.”

A strange silence fell on the other end of the line.

“Fang Yiyi!” A roar, identical to her aunt’s, erupted in her ear. She thought to herself, distracted, ‘They really are mother and daughter.’ “Do you think I’m an idiot? Now! Immediately! Go back to the dorm!!”

Fang Yiyi hid behind the tree, out of Bai Xuan’s line of sight, and rubbed her ringing ear. “I’m going to the library,” she said weakly.

“Then get going! Don’t let me see you standing there like an idiot, it’s embarrassing!”

The call ended with a busy signal. Fang Yiyi pressed the hang-up button and sighed. Her cousin had only called her “sister” a couple of times when they were little.

Whether she called her “sister” or not didn’t really matter. Fang Yiyi didn’t care much, since they weren’t related by blood.

Fang Yiyi’s father had been married twice. His first wife was her birth mother, and his second was Bai Xuan’s aunt, her stepmother. Fang Yiyi had never met her birth mother. She used to dream of having a mother to attend parent-teacher meetings for her. When she was seven or eight, this “mother” finally arrived. Unlike other children, she didn’t show any resistance and got along with her stepmother very well. The two of them were closer than real mother and daughter. Later, Fang Yiyi’s father’s business went bankrupt and all their assets were seized to pay off debts. Then, both her parents died in a car accident. Her unrelated uncle took her in out of a sense of duty to his deceased sister.

Since she wasn’t their own flesh and blood, they couldn’t possibly be as attentive as her parents used to be.

Fang Yiyi went from being a pampered young lady to a miserable dependent. Not only had she lost her parents, but her life was a far cry from what it used to be. She couldn’t adapt and threw several tantrums. Her aunt finally lost her patience, grabbed her, beat her severely with a mop handle, and starved her for two days. This made Fang Yiyi finally understand her place. From then on, she was well-behaved and dutiful, becoming what her aunt called a “freeloader.”

Fang Yiyi looked up at the sky. The sunlight was so bright it was hard to keep her eyes open. She figured if she didn’t want to get heatstroke and faint on the scorching pavement, she had to find somewhere to cool down.

She had already said she was going to the library, so she might as well. She sighed and trudged listlessly toward it.

The library was huge, but the borrowing area and the bookshelves were separate. As soon as you entered, you could see who was inside. Fang Yiyi glanced around with little hope and, sure enough, spotted a few girls from her class in the northwest corner, preparing for their graduate school entrance exams.

Fortunately, there was an upside to being a bookworm: once they got into the zone, they were oblivious to their surroundings. So, for now, they hadn’t noticed Fang Yiyi’s arrival.

Fang Yiyi tiptoed quickly, and her small figure soon disappeared between the rows of bookshelves.

She stopped in front of a shelf and let out a deep breath, her tense muscles relaxing. She finally felt the cold air of the library. Her pores, which had been scorched by the heat, instantly cooled down. It felt wonderful.

But before she could fully relax, a sharp voice laced with sarcasm suddenly rang out behind her. “Well, well, Fang Yiyi.”

Fang Yiyi’s pupils constricted. She turned around to see a girl with an apple-shaped face and a ponytail standing behind her.

“What a rare sight,” the girl said, raising an eyebrow. She gave a casual order. “You’ve come at the right time. Go, buy a few ice creams for us.”

Fang Yiyi had just escaped the near-heatstroke weather, and her limbs were sluggish. Plus, she had no money, so she didn’t move.

Sensing her resistance, the girl’s face immediately fell. Her tone turned nasty. “What? You’re not going?”

Fang Yiyi lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes like little fans. She spoke in a small voice, “I don’t have any money…”

“You want me to give you money to buy things for us?!” The girl shrieked as if she had heard the most absurd thing in the world. Her voice was shrill and jarring in the quiet library.

Blocked by the bookshelves, others could only tell the general direction of the sound but couldn’t see anything specific. Most of the bookworms considered their time valuable, and only a few curious ones peeked around the corner. When they saw Fang Yiyi was involved, they understood and went back to what they were doing.

Fang Yiyi being bullied was well-known at school. In the beginning, some people would stand up for her, but they soon realized it was no use. Over time, everyone got used to it and stopped bothering.

Fang Yiyi instinctively hunched her shoulders. She hated being the center of attention, even if it was just a few pairs of eyes.

To escape this situation, she would normally have fled and done as they said. But today, she truly had no money.

However, turning around and leaving wasn’t a good idea either, because if she did, her life would likely become even more difficult for a long time. After weighing her options, Fang Yiyi braced herself and stayed.

The girl’s face was contorted in anger, all the plumpness in her cheeks taut. “Hey! I’m talking to you, Fang Yiyi! What’s your problem?!” As she spoke, she gave Fang Yiyi a hard shove on the shoulder.

Fang Yiyi, who suffered from long-term malnutrition, was small and weak. She immediately lost her balance and hit her back against the bookshelf. The tall, ancient wooden shelf wobbled, and the spine of a hardback book dug into her thin back, making her wince in pain.

“Manman, just getting a book, and you’re so slow… Oh, hello, Class Beauty.” A girl with loose hair walked over after hearing the commotion. Seeing Fang Yiyi, she raised her finely sculpted eyebrows in surprise.

The term “Class Beauty” referred to Fang Yiyi.

Fang Yiyi had a beautiful face. Even without makeup, she was an eye-catcher among the other girls and certainly lived up to the title. However, her timid and quiet nature made her a target for bullies, and the name “Class Beauty” had lost its original meaning, becoming a sarcastic insult.

Fang Yiyi bowed her head, and in a way no one could see, she subtly frowned.

“Youlan,” Manman said to her friend. “You have to be the judge here. Our Class Beauty is getting a bit full of herself. She’s not being a good classmate. She wants money from me to buy something.”

“Ha,” Youlan laughed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She leaned against a shelf next to Fang Yiyi with her arms crossed. She and Manman now had Fang Yiyi surrounded. “Classmate, our homeroom teacher just talked about being united in class this morning. Isn’t this… not very good?”

Fang Yiyi pursed her lips, not wanting to speak.

Getting no response, Youlan poked her forehead, causing her head to bob. “Cat got your tongue?”

With no other choice, Fang Yiyi finally spoke. “…No.”

“What? Speak up, I can’t hear you! Are you a mosquito?”

Fang Yiyi pressed her back firmly against the bookshelf. “I didn’t ask you to buy anything, and I didn’t ask anyone for money!”

“…”

The two girls exchanged glances, a smirk on both their faces.

Suddenly, Manman grabbed a lock of hair from Fang Yiyi’s forehead and pulled hard, forcing her to take a step forward. “Talking back? What gives you the courage? You just told me you were going to the store to buy ice cream. Were you lying to me?”

Her scalp screamed in pain, but Fang Yiyi kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t because she had nothing to say; it was because anything she said would be twisted by them, leading to more ridicule and giving them more reasons to attack her.

Campus bullying was nothing more than this. Once you chose to escape and obey at the beginning, you would always be the victim unless you had the ability to turn the tables on them later.

Fang Yiyi didn’t believe she had that ability. She was just an ant, so she had to survive by any means possible.

Seeing Fang Yiyi with her head down, silent and numb, Manman grew impatient. “Why aren’t you going to buy it?”

“Hey, wait.” Youlan stopped Manman and gave her a meaningful look.

Manman was startled and looked a little confused, but she stopped. She really wanted ice cream, but if her friend had another plan, she didn’t mind skipping it.

Youlan raised her hand and picked up a strand of hair from Fang Yiyi’s chest, twirling it idly between her fingers. “Fang Yiyi, you just got caught bullying another student last week. Why aren’t you learning your lesson? You’re already trying to extort money from classmates?”

After saying that, she looked thoughtfully at Fang Yiyi, seeing a flash of anger in her eyes as expected.

With a sneer, Youlan continued, “What do you think will happen if I tell the teacher you’re a repeat offender? If I remember correctly, if you get another demerit this semester, you’ll be expelled, won’t you?”

Fang Yiyi’s pale face flushed. Her fists at her sides were clenched tight.

“I didn’t…” she said softly, making a feeble protest.

She knew this impulsive sentence would lead to even worse consequences, but she couldn’t help herself. If she didn’t say something now, they would frame her again, and she might actually get expelled. She had worked so hard for so long, enduring so many years of scolding and beatings, all for that graduation certificate she desperately wanted.

She was so close to getting it, only two more years, and they were talking about demerits? Expulsion? It wasn’t possible…

Smack! A loud slap echoed through the library.

Fang Yiyi’s left cheek went numb, and her head was knocked to the side.

Youlan shook her stinging hand and stared at Fang Yiyi as if she were a joke. “Manman, what did she say just now? It was too loud; I didn’t hear it.”

Manman replied, “I didn’t hear it either.”

“Did you hear what you said?” Youlan asked Fang Yiyi.

Fang Yiyi’s eyes were dry, and her breathing was a little ragged, but she never looked up at them.

In the eyes of the bullies, this was a silent submission and a sign of surrender from a weak person trying to save her last shred of dignity.

“How about this?” With a satisfied look, Youlan curled her lips into a smile. “I’ll give you a chance to make amends. I want to move into your dorm, but it’s full. If you move out on your own, we won’t tell the teacher about this. But if you don’t…” she paused, threatening idly, “unpopular students can get isolated, you know.”

Hearing her, Manman seemed to remember something. She paused and looked at her friend with a surprised expression. She whispered, “Youlan, you’re not…”

Youlan gave her a look, signaling her to be quiet.

Having been friends for so long, Manman understood what she meant. Out of concern, she still said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if someone dies…?”

She was cut off by a glare. “Are you stupid? Have you wasted all your years in school? We live in a scientific society, understand? Fine, if she won’t go, how about you?”

“No, no, no…” Manman shrank her neck. Thinking of something, she shook her head like a rattle. “I… I’m not going…”

Youlan rolled her eyes. “Then there you have it.” She turned to Fang Yiyi. “It’s settled. Pack up your bed before evening self-study. We’ll talk to the teacher for you. Got it?”

After giving the order, she didn’t wait for Fang Yiyi’s answer and turned to leave. “–Manman, let’s go!”

Manman glanced at Fang Yiyi. Against the light, Fang Yiyi’s head was slightly bowed. Her long bangs cast a shadow over her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but the bruised half of her face was painfully obvious.

Thinking of where Fang Yiyi was about to go, Manman shivered suddenly. A strange chill rose from the pit of her stomach.

She didn’t dare to look at Fang Yiyi again. She quickly looked away and scurried to catch up with her friend.

When she caught up, Youlan said, “You don’t really believe it, do you? What is this, the dark ages? There’s no such thing. Don’t worry, it’s fine. Besides, someone like her probably wants to be in a place like that. It suits her perfectly!”

“Youlan,” Manman said. “If you really don’t believe it, why are you making Fang Yiyi move there for you?”

Her friend’s sudden stop was the only response.

Author’s Note:

Li Ting: Let me out! They’re bullying my wife! I’m going to smash their heads in!

I’m so nervous about this.

Is anyone even reading? (:з」∠)