Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 17

Nancy scrambled to her feet and shrank against the wall.

Her hair had clumped together into a tangled mass that covered her face, revealing only a pair of eyes through the gaps. Those venomous eyes remained fixed on Fang Yiyi, but with Li Ting present, she did not dare move closer. She could only let out furious, resentful hisses.

Fang Yiyi had no attention to spare for Nancy.

Li Ting was still gripping the back of her collar, causing the front to tighten around her throat. Her entire body was suspended in the air, with only the tips of her toes barely brushing the floor.

If Li Ting lifted her even slightly higher, Fang Yiyi would practically hang herself on the spot.

“Cough… S-Senior… cough, cough…”

She was being strangled so badly that she could barely speak. Her eyes had turned red, so she could only wave both hands aimlessly in an attempt to attract Li Ting’s attention.

“Tsk.”

Li Ting glanced at her and released her hand.

Fang Yiyi’s legs were still weak and had not recovered. She collapsed onto the floor, clutching her throat as she coughed and gasped for air.

Seeing that Fang Yiyi was no longer being held by Li Ting, Nancy stretched her neck to an impossible length and hissed hoarsely at her.

Her pitch-black tongue slid out, and her eyes were filled with greed.

“Medicine… medicine…”

Fang Yiyi had no idea what Nancy wanted.

Whatever it was, she had no intention of giving it to her.

Besides, Nancy looked as though she might drop onto all fours in the next second and charge over to bite her.

Fang Yiyi shrank her neck.

Still sitting on the floor, she shuffled backward using her bottom and heels until she had hidden herself behind Li Ting.

“Medicine?”

A mocking expression appeared on Li Ting’s face.

She raised a hand and swept it outward.

Red silk ribbons carrying ghostly blue flames flew from her sleeve and surrounded Nancy.

Sizzle—

The sound of wet flesh being thrown into boiling oil rang out once more.

Nancy released a piercing scream.

Her hand remained stretched toward Fang Yiyi, while her resentful and unwilling eyes stared fixedly at her.

Under the burning ghostfire, Nancy gradually dissolved into a pile of black ash.

Li Ting looked at the ashes and gave a disdainful scoff.

“You think you’re worthy?”

She turned toward Fang Yiyi, descended to the floor, and walked over.

Her expression was unfriendly as she carefully inspected Fang Yiyi from head to toe.

Having escaped death, Fang Yiyi finally felt the tension in her heart release.

The aftereffects of all that intense movement struck her at once.

She relaxed her shoulders and sat on the floor, feeling sore and weak all over, almost as if she had just finished rolling around in bed.

She did not want to move even a single finger.

Looking at Li Ting, she said sincerely, “Senior, good thing you were here.”

Li Ting ignored her.

She raised a hand, pinched Fang Yiyi’s nose, and rubbed it vigorously.

Fang Yiyi: “?”

It hurt terribly, and now she could not breathe!

“Senior, mm… what are you doing?”

Fang Yiyi widened her eyes and stared at Li Ting, who was only inches away.

Li Ting frowned and continued pinching and wiping Fang Yiyi’s nose with her fingers.

After quite a while, she muttered, “Disgustingly dirty.”

Fang Yiyi’s nose had been rubbed bright red.

“?”

Then she suddenly remembered that her nose had touched the broken half of Nancy’s nasal bone.

Uh…

That really did seem rather dirty.

Before Li Ting rubbed her skin raw, Fang Yiyi grabbed her hand.

“I’ll clean it myself. Senior, I can do it myself. My nose is going to break…”

In truth, only a little blood had gotten on it.

Because she hated the smell, she had already wiped it away while Nancy was burning.

Li Ting released her and stared coldly at her nose.

“It would be better if it broke. Then it wouldn’t be such an eyesore.”

“?!!”

Fang Yiyi covered her nose, her face full of horror.

She hurriedly promised, “I’ll wash it as soon as we get back! I guarantee I’ll clean it completely! Nothing will be left behind, really!”

Her brown eyes were wet and frightened, making her resemble a little white rabbit that had been scared senseless.

Li Ting narrowed her eyes slightly.

She grabbed Fang Yiyi’s wrists and pressed them down on either side.

Under Fang Yiyi’s increasingly helpless gaze, Li Ting slowly leaned closer and kissed the tip of her nose.

The touch was cool and soft.

Fang Yiyi froze in place.

She did not dare move at all, and even her breathing nearly stopped.

In contrast, her heart pounded wildly inside her chest, beating against her eardrums.

Thump—

Thump—

Thump—

The sound was deafening.

Li Ting first pressed her lips against Fang Yiyi’s nose, then lightly sucked it.

After that, she suddenly bit down.

Fang Yiyi immediately screamed, “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—!”

She covered her nose with tears in her eyes and looked accusingly at Li Ting.

Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she did not dare.

Her cowardice was perfectly convincing.

Li Ting released her, licked the corner of her mouth, and nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s clean now.”

Fang Yiyi felt like crying.

“Wuu…”

“Let’s go back,” Li Ting said.

“Wait.”

Fang Yiyi remembered the lunchbox she had left on the second floor.

“I left the food downstairs.”

She covered her nose with one hand and lightly tugged the edge of Li Ting’s sleeve with the other, gently shaking it.

With tearful eyes, she pleaded, “Senior, will you come with me to get it?”

The words acting spoiled appeared in Li Ting’s mind.

What was wrong with her?

Had she learned how to act spoiled now?

Li Ting looked deeply disdainful, yet unexpectedly, she did not want to refuse.

If Fang Yiyi were rejected while looking like this, she would probably feel very hurt.

The very thought made Li Ting feel a strange reluctance she could not explain.

What a nuisance, she thought.

“Let’s go. We’ll make it quick. Do you need me to carry you?”

Fang Yiyi’s face instantly reddened.

In a small voice, she said, “N-No. I can walk by myself.”

“Mm.”

Li Ting floated upward and landed on the third floor.

She looked down at Fang Yiyi and urged, “Hurry up!”

Holding the stair railing, Fang Yiyi slowly made her way to the third floor one step at a time.

Although she was slow, Li Ting strangely did not urge her again.

She merely waited ahead at each turn in the staircase.

Whenever they encountered students returning to their dormitories, Fang Yiyi lowered her head and concentrated on walking.

The other girls passed beside her, unable to see Li Ting.

In the end, the lunchbox was too heavy and made Fang Yiyi’s waist ache, so Li Ting carried it back for her.

Fang Yiyi was deeply moved and became even more convinced that Senior was a good ghost—cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

It would be even better if she treated Fang Yiyi more gently in bed.

Once they returned to the dormitory, Li Ting placed the lunchbox on the desk.

Fang Yiyi eagerly opened the lid of the first compartment.

Inside was a whole beggar’s chicken wrapped in lotus leaves.

The rich aroma of the meat blended perfectly with the fresh fragrance of the lotus leaves and spread through the room.

The scent was irresistible.

Fang Yiyi unconsciously swallowed.

Li Ting raised an eyebrow.

“The cafeteria makes this?”

“Oh.”

Fang Yiyi stared at the chicken with shining eyes and swallowed again.

“The director gave it to me. I tricked her into leaving and didn’t let her come upstairs.”

Li Ting said, “Don’t eat food she gives you either.”

“Huh?”

Fang Yiyi’s face immediately fell.

She stared reluctantly at the glossy, mouthwatering chicken on the plate.

“Then what should we do with it? It would be such a waste to throw it away…”

“You want to eat it?”

Fang Yiyi’s face scrunched up.

She forced herself to turn away and stop looking at it, silently repeating that what the eyes did not see, the heart would not crave.

With great pain, she said, “I’ll listen to Senior.”

Li Ting was pleased by that answer.

She folded her arms and lifted her chin with noble aloofness.

“You may eat it this time. Only this once.”

Fang Yiyi immediately beamed.

“Thank you, Senior!”

Li Ting scolded, “That’s all the ambition you have?”

“Hehe.”

Fang Yiyi did not care at all.

Filled with anticipation, she opened the second compartment.

Inside were two homestyle dishes: a plate of snow-white yam stir-fried with vinegar and a plate of bright green sautéed string beans.

Fang Yiyi could not help thinking that Director Tong was truly considerate.

There was both meat and vegetables, making the meal nutritionally balanced.

After taking the dishes out, she opened the third compartment.

Inside was thick, soft white congee.

It was obvious that it had been cooked for a long time. Every grain of rice had softened completely, becoming rich and sticky inside the lunchbox.

The sight alone made her appetite surge.

Fang Yiyi sniffed.

Her hunger intensified, and as though that were not enough, her stomach growled loudly, urging her to start eating immediately.

She sat on the chair with both legs dangling in the air and swinging back and forth.

She found a pair of disposable chopsticks that had been included as an extra with her previous food delivery and snapped them apart.

“Senior, do you want some?”

Holding one chopstick in each hand, Fang Yiyi looked up and asked.

Li Ting smiled meaningfully.

“You eat first. I’ll eat after you’re finished.”

After everything she had endured, Fang Yiyi understood immediately.

“…”

Fang Yiyi easily became nervous around other people, especially Director Tong.

She had spent almost their entire interaction tense and anxious, desperately searching for things to say.

Naturally, she had not had the attention to think about anything else at the time.

But that did not stop her from reflecting afterward.

From the very beginning, Fang Yiyi had vaguely sensed that Director Tong’s behavior was strange.

This time, when they encountered each other in the corridor, Director Tong claimed she was bringing Fang Yiyi food.

But in truth, she had only used the meal as an excuse to enter Fang Yiyi’s dormitory.

She had practically reached the point where she no longer bothered hiding it.

Otherwise, after explicitly saying that she had not eaten either, she would not have angrily shoved the entire lunchbox into Fang Yiyi’s hands.

Nor would she have used such a poor and unconvincing excuse as, “There are too many students in the cafeteria, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me.”

Combined with Li Ting’s reaction, Fang Yiyi could almost confirm that Director Tong did not actually care whether she had been beaten or whether she was hungry.

From beginning to end, her goal had always been obvious—

Li Ting.

Therefore, this meal was most likely also thanks to Li Ting.

These dishes might even have been Li Ting’s favorites and intended solely for her.

Perhaps Fang Yiyi had never been included at all.

Otherwise, how could someone who had carefully considered the balance between meat and vegetables forget to provide chopsticks?

It was because of these thoughts that Fang Yiyi had asked Li Ting whether she wanted any.

But since Li Ting did not want to explain, Fang Yiyi did not press the matter.

She had never been particularly curious anyway.

Whether she knew the truth or not made little difference.

Besides, if she annoyed Li Ting, Fang Yiyi would be the one to suffer.

For now, something else was far more important.

After finishing the meal, Fang Yiyi washed the lunchbox and put it away, planning to return it to Director Tong the next time they met.

Yes, she was certain Director Tong would come again.

“Senior.”

Fang Yiyi walked over to Li Ting, placed her hands behind her back, and stood obediently before her.

Li Ting looked up.

“Mm?”

“There’s something…”

Fang Yiyi hesitated, looking at her as though she wanted to speak but did not know how.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Li Ting replied decisively.

Fang Yiyi’s breath caught in her throat.

“…”

“Senior…”

Fang Yiyi took tiny steps over to Li Ting’s side and tugged at the edge of her sleeve.

In a soft, sweet voice, she said, “Just listen to me. Nancy is already dead. What about the other five girls who played the Pen Spirit game with her?”

“They’re the same girls who beat me in the warehouse last time. Will they die too?”

Li Ting mocked, “What? Do you want to save them?”

“Hm?”

Fang Yiyi froze, then replied softly, “No. Why would I save them?”

“I mean, after they die, will they become like Nancy and all come to kill me?”

“One Nancy almost made me die ahead of schedule. I only survived because of Senior.”

“If several more come, won’t I be completely finished…?”

The more she spoke, the more she felt that her days were numbered.

“That’s true.”

Li Ting thought for a moment.

“Then you’ll be finished. You’re so stupid that there isn’t much difference between being alive and dead anyway.”

“Senior, you…”

Fang Yiyi looked ready to cry.

“Mm?”

Li Ting remained unmoved.

Fang Yiyi thought for a moment and decided she might still be saved.

“We agreed on two years, didn’t we?”

“Besides, my life belongs to Senior.”

“I don’t want to die at someone else’s hands.”

“They bullied me while they were alive, and now they still want to kill me after dying. I feel so wronged.”

“Really, I don’t want that.”

Li Ting patted her head.

“Fine. Since you at least understand that you’re being wronged, wait until your body recovers a little, then go buy a punching bag.”

“I’ll teach you some self-defense techniques.”

Fang Yiyi looked bewildered.

Buy what?

A punching bag?

What techniques?

Defend herself against whom?

Was she supposed to practice punching ghosts by hitting a sandbag?