Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 18

Fang Yiyi opened a shopping app and spent a long time comparing rows of nearly identical punching bags.

After adding several moderately priced ones with the highest ratings to her cart, she went to ask Li Ting for advice.

Li Ting rejected every single one.

Then, from the flagship store of a famous sports brand, she selected a freestanding punching bag as tall as a person.

Its price was every bit as beautiful as its appearance.

Fang Yiyi could not afford it.

Li Ting: “…”

“Tsk.”

What a nuisance.

They had no choice but to put the purchase aside for now.

Fang Yiyi had guessed that Director Tong would return.

She had assumed it would at least be the following day.

Unexpectedly, however, the woman came back that very evening.

She gave no advance notice and simply knocked on the door.

Fang Yiyi suspected that, had she not developed the antisocial habit of locking the door behind her, Director Tong would not even have bothered knocking and would already have walked straight inside.

The loud banging on the door revealed the visitor’s impatience.

Fang Yiyi disliked sudden, high-volume noises, and the pounding made her head ache.

“Hello, Teacher.”

Fang Yiyi opened the door only a crack and poked her head out to greet her, looking like an elementary school student refusing to open the door for a stranger.

Director Tong: “…”

Her smile was noticeably strained.

“Yiyi, open the door and let your teacher inside.”

Fang Yiyi blinked slowly, then made an expression of sudden understanding.

“Please wait a moment, Teacher.”

Director Tong assumed she was about to step aside.

Her smile gradually became more genuine.

Then she watched Fang Yiyi slam the door shut with a bang, leaving her staring directly at the plain wooden door.

Director Tong’s expression froze on the spot.

“…”

She had never suffered such humiliation in her life.

Anger surged through her, and she raised her foot, intending to kick the door.

Then she remembered something and forcibly stopped herself.

Image, image, image.

A lady, a lady, a lady…

She repeated the words silently in her mind.

A voice from the past surfaced in her memory.

“Our Tongtong comes from a distinguished family. You’re a proper young lady. You look best when you behave gently and gracefully in front of others.”

She still remembered that person’s expression while saying it.

She had been smiling warmly, and it had seemed as though countless stars were hidden within her black eyes.

Then, without warning, the door opened again.

Director Tong had not yet managed to completely hide her furious expression.

“…Teacher, lunch was delicious. Thank you.”

“I washed the lunchbox for you.”

Fang Yiyi still opened the door only wide enough for her body to fit through.

Holding the lunchbox in both hands, she respectfully returned it.

Director Tong composed herself, accepted the lunchbox, and looked it over.

“Let me come inside?”

Fang Yiyi smiled awkwardly.

“That wouldn’t be very appropriate…”

“What’s inappropriate about it?”

Director Tong’s carefully shaped eyebrows rose.

Fang Yiyi tugged at the bath towel wrapped around her body.

“Teacher, I’m bathing.”

Only then did Director Tong notice that Fang Yiyi was soaking wet.

There were still white shampoo bubbles in her hair.

She looked as though she had heard the knocking and hurriedly wrapped herself in a towel before rushing to answer the door.

Still unwilling to give up, Director Tong said, “We’re both women. It doesn’t matter.”

She had canceled a lecture arranged a month ago just to come to Dormitory 404.

She had returned empty-handed that morning and endured the entire afternoon.

She could not leave empty-handed again tonight, or she would be unable to sleep.

Fang Yiyi sighed and said sincerely, “It matters a lot, Teacher.”

She casually grabbed a dripping strand of hair and raised it in front of her eyes.

Her expression changed dramatically.

“My shampoo is drying!”

“Teacher, I need to finish bathing. Goodbye!”

After saying that, she swiftly slammed the door shut with another bang.

Director Tong took a deep breath.

“…”

She was so angry!

Although she desperately wanted to enter, she also understood that Fang Yiyi’s attitude was most likely because that person did not want to see her.

Director Tong took two steps back and leaned against the corridor wall.

She sighed with a lonely expression.

After standing there for a while, she turned and left.

Her retreating figure looked isolated and sorrowful.

Over the following two days, Fang Yiyi frequently spotted Director Tong.

Sometimes Fang Yiyi would be in her dormitory and glance down from the balcony, only to immediately see Director Tong wandering around below.

Other times, she would be eating slowly at a small table in the corner of the cafeteria.

When she lifted her eyes, Director Tong would be dining nearby with two other teachers, facing Fang Yiyi’s direction.

She chatted and laughed with the person seated across from her, but whenever Fang Yiyi happened to glance over, their eyes would occasionally meet.

“Senior, I suspect Director Tong is following me,” Fang Yiyi said.

Li Ting replied, “Have more confidence. Remove the word ‘suspect.’”

Fang Yiyi held her fountain pen between her index and middle fingers and rested her cheeks in both hands.

She pondered seriously.

“Why?”

Li Ting smiled ambiguously.

“You already know the answer. Why ask?”

The remark contained several layers of meaning.

It effectively confirmed that Li Ting and Director Tong had once been friends.

Combined with what Director Tong had revealed about two people falling in love and the third becoming a third wheel, Fang Yiyi instantly imagined an entire melodrama about shallow female friendship abandoned for romance.

Her eyes brightened.

Seeing that Li Ting did not appear angry, Fang Yiyi could not resist dragging her chair closer and adopting the expression of an experienced gossip enthusiast.

“Let me guess.”

“The three of you were best friends back then. You all applied to Zhengling Women’s University together and were successfully admitted.”

“Then you and the other senior got boyfriends, while Director Tong remained single.”

“She became lonely, and eventually the three of you fell out because of it.”

“Am I right?”

Li Ting did not know whether to laugh or cry.

“Why would you think that?”

“Director Tong said two people started dating and the remaining person became a third wheel.”

Li Ting seemed surprised.

She raised an eyebrow.

“Did she?”

“Mm-hm!”

Fang Yiyi nodded, wearing an expression that clearly said, I guessed correctly, didn’t I?

Li Ting lifted a hand and poked Fang Yiyi’s forehead, forcing her to lean backward.

“No. None of us were dating.”

“Huh?”

Fang Yiyi covered her forehead.

The chill left behind by Li Ting’s fingertip even made her own fingers feel cold.

“That’s not what happened?”

“Read fewer novels and study more,” Li Ting said.

Fang Yiyi muttered, “I don’t read novels.”

Unable to restrain herself, she asked again, “Then what happened between the three of you?”

“And why did you die, Senior? Can you tell me?”

“There’s no reason. I got tired of living, so I died.”

“Huh?”

Fang Yiyi stared blankly for a second before realizing this was an extremely careless attempt to brush her off.

How could Li Ting possibly have killed herself?

Her mental health was clearly better than Fang Yiyi’s.

She seemed more alive than Fang Yiyi did!

“Then isn’t Senior going to meet Director Tong?”

“She really seems to want to see you.”

Li Ting’s expression was indifferent.

“There’s nothing worth meeting for. It’s better not to.”

“Oh…”

Fang Yiyi blinked and stopped asking.

It was not that she did not want to continue.

She simply had a feeling that Senior would lose her temper if she pressed any further.

When it came to Li Ting, the question was always whether Li Ting wanted to speak, not whether Fang Yiyi wanted to know.

Another day passed.

Fang Yiyi had nearly recovered, and her remaining sick leave was almost gone.

It was time to return to class.

Coincidentally, she had no lessons that day.

She had originally planned to distribute flyers to earn some living expenses.

However, as she passed a clothing store after leaving the university, Li Ting suddenly urged her to go inside and buy clothes.

With no choice but to obey, Fang Yiyi clutched her small wallet and entered with a pained expression.

Under the sales assistant’s enthusiastic recommendations, she selected a pale green French-style woodland dress.

To match it, she also bought a pair of white canvas shoes.

The purchases nearly emptied her wallet.

After paying, Li Ting urged her into the fitting room.

Inside, Fang Yiyi stood before the mirror and examined herself from every angle.

How could a young woman in the prime of her life not like beautiful clothes?

Fang Yiyi was no exception.

All her previous clothes had been things Bai Xuan no longer wanted.

Sometimes, when Bai Xuan was in a bad mood, she would deliberately cut several holes in them before handing them over.

Fang Yiyi disliked wearing them.

She preferred wearing her university uniform throughout the year.

The money she earned from part-time jobs had to pay tuition, refill her campus card, and cover other essential living expenses.

She had to carefully calculate every single yuan.

How could she possibly bear to spend money on clothes?

Although she had not purchased it willingly, this was truly the first dress she had owned in many years.

The solid-colored brocade fabric lay smoothly against her body and had a rich texture.

Its three-quarter sleeves exposed her slender wrists.

The hem fell slightly below her knees, while the fitted waist hugged her narrow figure.

It was an unforgiving design that generally made the wearer look heavier.

However, Fang Yiyi was naturally slim.

The two balanced each other, unexpectedly emphasizing her delicate curves.

Li Ting floated out from the Buddhist bead and circled Fang Yiyi, carefully examining her.

After thinking for a moment, she raised a hand and pulled out Fang Yiyi’s hair tie.

Her soft, smooth hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

It fell loosely around her, creating a kind of careless beauty.

Her already small face looked even more delicate.

Fang Yiyi stared at the person in the mirror.

She almost seemed like someone else.

For a moment, she felt dazed.

“Not bad,” Li Ting said.

“R-Really?”

Fang Yiyi became inexplicably nervous.

She neatly folded her uniform, placed it inside the plastic bag provided by the shop, and pushed open the fitting-room door.

The sales assistant froze the instant she saw her.

Even after working in the clothing store for many years, she had never seen anyone whose appearance and presence changed so drastically simply from changing clothes.

If Fang Yiyi in her university uniform had been somewhat pretty, then she was now ten times more radiant and eye-catching.

People would believe it if they were told she was a celebrity.

She was breathtakingly beautiful!

It was not merely her face.

Her entire presence had changed.

She no longer looked like an absentminded, adorable student who faded into the background.

She had transformed into a lovely young woman as fresh as a lotus rising from clear water.

The phrase delicate beauty from a modest family seemed tailor-made for her.

Had the sales assistant not been waiting there for professional reasons, she might not even have recognized them as the same person.

“You look absolutely beautiful!”

The sales assistant praised her with complete sincerity.

Fang Yiyi was unaccustomed to compliments and felt extremely embarrassed.

She answered honestly, “I-It’s all right, I suppose.”

At that moment, the shop manager approached.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Fang Yiyi.

She asked enthusiastically, “Are you a student at Zhengling University?”

“Yes.”

Fang Yiyi nodded, uncertain what she wanted.

“That’s impressive. You’re so beautiful and academically talented.”

“You must have many people pursuing you, right?”

Fang Yiyi’s social anxiety immediately resurfaced.

She became too nervous to know what to say and could only answer, “Not really.”

“Hehehe…”

The shop manager was experienced with people and naturally noticed Fang Yiyi’s discomfort.

She rubbed her hands together and came directly to the point with a cheerful smile.

“Here’s the situation. Don’t be nervous.”

“I think your appearance and presence are especially outstanding, so I’d like to ask you to model some of our clothes and take a few photographs.”

“A clothing model?”

Fang Yiyi froze.

“But I still have classes. I don’t have much time.”

“No, no.”

The manager hurriedly explained, “It won’t take long. We’ll only take a few photographs.”

“It’ll be very quick.”

“I’ve just received a new shipment of clothes. They arrived today and are currently in the storeroom.”

“If you agree, we can take the pictures right now.”

“I’ll pay you 200 yuan per photograph. We’ll start with ten pictures. How does that sound?”

Fang Yiyi suspected she had misheard.

“How much per photograph?”

The manager thought Fang Yiyi considered the offer too low.

She explained, “Since this is our first shoot together, we don’t know how customers will respond, so this is all I can offer initially.”

“If the response is good, we can work together long-term and raise the price later.”

“The main reason is that your overall image perfectly suits our store’s clothing theme.”

Fang Yiyi took a deep breath.

“Deal!”

She could spend an entire day handing out flyers, standing from morning until night until blisters formed on her feet, and still earn only 100 yuan.

Now she could earn 200 yuan from a single photograph!

How was this any different from money falling from the sky?

Under the photographer’s direction, Fang Yiyi awkwardly and stiffly tried several poses.

An hour later, she tucked twenty crisp red banknotes into her pocket and happily left the shop.

Her photographs would be displayed on the owner’s online store, in social-media sales posts, and in customer group chats.

She added the owner on WeChat.

They agreed that the shop would contact her again.

If the clothes sold well, they would sign a long-term contract.

“Senior.”

Fang Yiyi could not hide her excitement.

“I never knew there was such easy money to earn.”

“Meeting Senior was truly wonderful! Thank you, Senior.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

Although it was phrased like a question, Li Ting somehow made it sound like a statement.

Fang Yiyi had gradually grown accustomed to the sensation of Li Ting’s voice suddenly exploding directly inside her mind.

“I’m thanking Senior for helping me find such a good job.”

“Ever since I met you, my life has suddenly started improving.”

“Senior is like my North Star.”

No answer came.

Fang Yiyi continued, “Senior is wonderful!”

Li Ting replied coldly and mercilessly, “You’re disgusting.”

Fang Yiyi was completely unaffected.

She happily went to a roadside vendor and spent ten yuan on a red-panda-shaped cotton candy, finally fulfilling a cotton-candy dream she had cherished for an entire year.

She had earned so much today.

She needed to celebrate.

“It’s still not enough to buy the punching bag, but at least I have hope now.”

“This is much faster than handing out flyers!”

Fang Yiyi walked while eating and passed a black Land Rover parked by the roadside.

Li Ting’s voice exploded inside her mind.

“Go knock on the rear passenger window of that Land Rover.”

“Huh?”

Fang Yiyi froze and stopped walking.

“Go knock,” Li Ting repeated.

Fang Yiyi scratched her head and asked blankly, “Which one is the Land Rover?”

Li Ting choked.

“…The black SUV on your left that you just passed.”

“Look at the emblem. It says ‘Land Rover.’”

“Oh…”

With her excellent eyesight, Fang Yiyi spotted the small letters on the vehicle.

She obediently walked over, bent down, and tapped the glass with the backs of her index and middle fingers.

The window slowly lowered.

A stern-looking man in his fifties, dressed in a suit and tie, met her gaze from inside the vehicle.

“Miss, is something the matter?” the man asked.

Fang Yiyi stared back blankly.

Li Ting said, “The little wooden horse is beneath Yuyu’s flowers. It’s going to rain soon. Go home and put it away.”

“Tell him that, then leave.”

Fang Yiyi: “?”

However, Senior must have her reasons.

Still looking completely confused, Fang Yiyi repeated the message.

Without waiting for the man’s reaction, she turned and walked away.

The man stared after her in utter shock.

After several seconds, he opened the door and hurried after Fang Yiyi.

“Miss! Miss, please wait!”

Seeing this, his driver also rushed out of the vehicle.