Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 28

Fang Yiyi froze.

Seeing that she did not answer for a long time, Chen Sike said understandingly, “It was an unreasonable request to begin with. If it puts you in a difficult position, Yiyi, it’s perfectly fine to refuse. I just miss her so much. If I go alone, I’m afraid she won’t see me…”

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, her voice gentle.

Combined with her naturally powerful presence, it created the peculiar impression of a high-ranking executive going down to the countryside to work the fields alongside farmers—a warm, approachable air of equality that made it difficult not to like her.

Fang Yiyi was no exception.

She nodded and agreed apologetically, “It really would put me in a difficult position. I can’t help you.”

Chen Sike: “…”

She sighed softly once more and continued, “Li Ting’s family misses her deeply too. They’ve been hoping they might get to see her.”

That immediately caught Fang Yiyi’s interest.

She straightened her back.

“Senior’s family?”

“Li Ting hasn’t mentioned them to you?”

Chen Sike raised a hand and rubbed between her brows, sounding somewhat helpless.

“So many years have passed, yet she still hasn’t moved on.”

After saying that, she raised her eyes and looked at Fang Yiyi, waiting for her to ask what had happened.

At a moment like this, most people would have been desperate to hear the rest.

Fang Yiyi, however, was different.

She had never been particularly curious by nature.

And when it came to Li Ting, she had always held firmly to the belief that if Senior wanted her to know something, she would tell her herself.

That conviction was so deeply rooted that merely sitting here and listening to someone else recount Li Ting’s past gave her the strange impression that she was betraying Li Ting.

However, Chen Sike had been Li Ting’s friend.

They had apparently been very close, and even after Li Ting had been dead for ten years, Chen Sike still could not forget her.

Fang Yiyi felt that refusing to listen or simply leaving would be impolite.

The only reason she had asked about Li Ting’s cause of death earlier was because she cared too much and had become anxious.

Once Chen Sike refused to answer, Fang Yiyi abruptly came back to her senses.

Now her heart was perfectly calm.

If Chen Sike continued speaking, she would listen.

It was not as though she had asked.

When she returned, she would confess everything to Senior.

And if Chen Sike stopped there and said nothing more, that was fine too.

Chen Sike found herself looking into Fang Yiyi’s utterly incurious eyes.

“…”

This was the first time in her life she had encountered such an uncooperative audience.

Chen Sike chuckled softly.

“Yiyi really is different from other girls. You’re very special.”

The completely contextless statement left Fang Yiyi baffled.

After considering it briefly, she realized that she truly was different.

She disliked speaking with people, hated crowded places, and did not enjoy attracting attention.

No wonder she had no friends.

So that was it!

Fang Yiyi suddenly understood.

The way she looked at Chen Sike immediately changed.

Was this woman a psychologist?

“So that’s the reason I can’t make friends? Thank you for pointing it out, Miss Chen. You truly are a warmhearted and wonderful person!”

Chen Sike’s smile finally froze on her face.

What exactly did Fang Yiyi feel toward Li Ting?

Why was she so completely unconcerned and uninterested?!

Realizing that this conversation was going nowhere today, Chen Sike decisively chose to continue it another time.

Success was rarely achieved in a single attempt.

To reach one’s goal, one first had to learn patience, proceed gradually, and understand the art of slowly boiling a frog.

She stood and said gently, “You’re too polite, Yiyi. I’m very happy to have met you, but I need to leave now. May I add you on WeChat? We can continue talking another time.”

Fang Yiyi stood as well.

“I’m happy to have met you too, Miss Chen. But I’m truly sorry. I don’t have WeChat.”

She looked deeply ashamed.

“…That’s all right. A phone number will do.”

Chen Sike’s smile had become extremely stiff, nearly impossible to maintain.

Fang Yiyi sincerely wanted to give it to her.

She truly believed Miss Chen was a good person.

However, considering that Li Ting might not want her interacting with her former friends, Fang Yiyi felt it would be wrong to decide without asking.

It would be better to return and find out what Li Ting thought first.

“Miss Chen, could you give me your number instead? I’ll go back and ask Senior. Um… Senior usually has my phone most of the time, so…”

“…”

“Miss Chen?”

Chen Sike’s complexion did not look very good, making Fang Yiyi concerned.

“Are you ill, Miss Chen? Why does your face look so pale?”

Chen Sike wiped a hand over her face and smiled gently.

“I’m fine. I’ll leave first. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

“Huh? Aren’t you leaving your contact information?”

Fang Yiyi was confused.

Chen Sike took a deep breath.

“…No. I happen to have some matters to discuss with Tongtong lately, and they won’t be settled anytime soon. I’ll come find you the next time I visit.”

“But…”

“Oh, right, Yiyi.”

Chen Sike interrupted her.

“Don’t tell Li Ting about our meeting for the time being.”

“Some unpleasant things happened in the past that hurt her deeply. From the way things look, she still hasn’t moved past them.”

“All of us are connected to that past. I suspect that’s also why she refuses to see Tongtong.”

“Tongtong was spoiled growing up. She’s simple-minded and doesn’t think that deeply.”

“I’d like to wait until the time is right before telling her.”

“Ah… Miss Chen, you’re so thoughtful.”

Fang Yiyi vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but she could not identify what it was.

She could only say, “I won’t bring it up myself.”

Unless Senior asked.

“You really are different from everyone else, Yiyi.”

As Chen Sike spoke, she vigorously rubbed Fang Yiyi’s head.

Carrying the clothes hangers, Fang Yiyi headed back.

When she passed the cafeteria, it happened to be mealtime, so she decided on the spot to buy food before returning.

She lined up at each serving window and bought three fried dough sticks, one steamed flower roll, a small serving of rice, a large serving of braised eggplant, a large serving of stir-fried broccoli with meat, a large serving of spicy chicken, and one bowl of millet porridge.

She carried the heavy load toward the exit.

At the door, she encountered Bai Xuan.

Fang Yiyi: “…”

Enemies always met on a narrow road.

Bai Xuan had been simmering with anger.

Word of what happened had already spread to her class.

For the past two days, she constantly felt people pointing and whispering about her.

She could not focus in class and spent every day thinking of ways to make Fang Yiyi suffer.

But Fang Yiyi was either attending lessons or hiding inside her dormitory.

Bai Xuan did not dare approach Dormitory 404, so she had been unable to find an opportunity.

Now she had finally caught her.

Bai Xuan’s expression twisted hideously.

She enunciated each word.

“Fang. Yi. Yi!”

Without Li Ting nearby, Fang Yiyi was especially cowardly.

She did not want to get entangled with Bai Xuan, so she immediately raised her legs and ran.

The wind generated by her speed lifted the bangs on Bai Xuan’s forehead.

She moved so quickly that Bai Xuan stood stunned for two full seconds before reacting.

Her fury intensified.

She abandoned her meal and chased after Fang Yiyi while shouting, “Fang Yiyi! Stop right there!”

Fang Yiyi ignored her completely.

Before long, she rushed into the dormitory building.

Bai Xuan, who could not catch up at all: “…”

Damn it!

Fang Yiyi did not stop until she had run all the way back to the dormitory.

She hurriedly pushed open the door.

Li Ting sat on the desk playing her match-three game.

Her legs hung in the air beneath her crimson skirt, crossed and swaying lazily.

When Fang Yiyi returned, Li Ting did not even spare her a glance.

“I’m back, Senior.”

Fang Yiyi placed the food on the desk beside Li Ting and went into the bathroom to wash her face.

While reaching for her towel, she noticed the skincare set Director Tong had given her last time, casually left nearby.

“Senior!”

Fang Yiyi carried it out and showed Li Ting the box.

“This is the gift Director Tong gave you.”

“That brand is fairly good,” Li Ting said. “Use it if you want.”

“Okay!”

Fang Yiyi felt that Li Ting did not seem at all like the person Chen Sike had described—someone who became sorrowful upon seeing objects, people, or anything connected to the past.

She opened the packaging, carefully squeezed out a little product according to the instructions, added some water, and rubbed it until both hands were covered in foam.

Then she scrubbed it chaotically across her face as though washing with a bar of soap.

“Hiss—”

Some foam accidentally got into her eye.

She felt around for the faucet, turned it on, and repeatedly splashed water over her face.

It took a long time to rinse everything away.

She could not help lamenting that expensive things truly were beyond her ability to use.

She should stick to washing with plain water.

She did not have the enlarged pores or blackheads mentioned in advertisements anyway.

At most, she had some seasonally dry skin, which could basically be ignored.

Fang Yiyi had saved several disposable plastic bowls from previous takeout orders because they still looked useful.

She had washed and stored them, planning to use them for carrying dishes from the cafeteria in the future.

She placed the food and porridge, still inside their plastic bags, into the bowls.

Then she politely asked, “Senior, do you want any?”

Li Ting refused as usual.

“You eat more.”

Recently, Fang Yiyi had been eating increasingly large portions.

She could consume enough for two people by herself, and no matter how much she bought, she finished every bite without wasting anything.

She was practically a walking rice barrel.

After eating and drinking her fill, Fang Yiyi planned to read for a while and let the food settle.

Once she had mostly digested it, she would continue practicing grappling.

“You were out rather long today.”

After watching her finish, Li Ting spoke casually.

“Oh.”

Fang Yiyi blinked and remembered the hangers she had set aside as soon as she entered.

“I went to buy clothes hangers, remember? On the way back, I ran into Director Tong.”

As she spoke, she set down her book, walked over to the wardrobe, and began hanging up the clothes that lacked hangers.

At the same time, she secretly observed Li Ting’s expression.

“You met Tongtong?”

Li Ting appeared perfectly normal, without the slightest trace of discomfort.

Fang Yiyi relaxed a little more.

“I hit her.”

“Oh?”

Li Ting smiled and looked up at her.

“You can hit people now?”

“She tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I’ve been practicing grappling for the past two days, so my mind was completely full of it. I accidentally…”

“Mm. Well done.”

Li Ting swung her legs again, her mood visibly improving.

“Huh?”

Fang Yiyi was surprised and repeated herself.

“I hit Director Tong.”

I hit your childhood friend.

“She has thick skin and strong bones. She can take it.”

“Senior, don’t you think hitting people is wrong?”

“It is,” Li Ting replied. “But that has nothing to do with you.”

“You’re far too spineless. You don’t hit back when beaten or curse back when insulted. You still need more practice.”

“?”

Fang Yiyi did not understand.

She continued, “Director Tong said I assaulted a teacher and wanted to give me a disciplinary record.”

“Mm. That sounds like her. Then what happened?”

“She took me to meet someone named Chen Sike and said she was your friend. After I met her, Director Tong didn’t punish me.”

Li Ting’s finger paused on the screen for a moment, then resumed moving as though nothing had happened.

“Stay away from Chen Sike from now on too. Don’t meet her again.”

“What did she say to you?”

“Ah… All right.”

“She said the three of you were good friends, and she showed me a photograph of you together.”

Fang Yiyi thought, Miss Chen, I’m not telling her on my own. Senior asked me.

Her conscience was perfectly clear.

Without hesitation or the slightest guilt about betraying anyone, she poured out everything Chen Sike had told her, like beans spilling from a sack.

After listening, Li Ting gave a mocking laugh and set down the phone.

Her night-dark eyes turned toward Fang Yiyi.

“Aren’t you curious how I died?”

Fang Yiyi answered honestly, “I do want to know.”

“But I think that if Senior wants me to know, you’ll naturally tell me yourself. So I don’t need to ask.”

“So obedient.”

Li Ting beckoned to her.

Fang Yiyi obediently walked over.

“Do you know why she wouldn’t tell you?”

From where she sat on the desk, Li Ting wrapped both arms around Fang Yiyi’s neck and drew her into an embrace.

“She probably couldn’t bring herself to say it.”

“After all…”

“I died by her hand.”