Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 4

Right. The whole reason she had ended up here was because the dormitory was haunted.

Come to think of it, Youlan, Manman, and the others had been excitedly discussing playing the Pen Spirit game in their dorm last week. They had spent four or five days enthusiastically preparing for it, yet this week, they had not mentioned it again.

Fang Yiyi had assumed they had given up.

But judging from the situation now, could it be that they had already gone through with it?

The outcome clearly had not been good. Otherwise, why would they have dragged her over here to serve as their scapegoat?

Once, when Fang Yiyi returned from fetching water and reached the dormitory door, she overheard them talking about it. Their voices were filled with fear as they muttered among themselves, and her name came up every so often.

Fang Yiyi instinctively realized that it was not a good time to enter. So she stood beside the door hugging her small water bottle and listened for a while.

She only caught the general idea. It was nothing more than the old saying: inviting a spirit was easy, but sending it away was difficult. They had caused some kind of trouble.

However, the door muffled their voices, so she could not hear clearly.

After eavesdropping for a while, Fang Yiyi deliberately wandered around the sports field before returning.

Over the past few days, they had been acting furtively, and the frequency with which they tormented her had also decreased. Through a mixture of guessing and inference, Fang Yiyi had begun to understand what they intended.

Even so, she continued to let them do as they pleased and cooperated by pretending she knew nothing.

She had thought indifferently that perhaps dying would not be so bad.

Maybe she would even get to see the family members from whom she had long been separated.

When someone had been alone for too long, living each day mechanically while hiding in a shadowy corner away from the light, she would gradually forget what sunlight looked like.

She would also become increasingly convinced that this was simply how she was meant to live—unnoticed by anyone, unworthy of being cherished.

Her existence did not matter.

If that were true, then what difference would it make if she truly disappeared?

Perhaps somewhere deep inside, there was even a tiny trace of relief.

If she truly could not keep living, then when she met her parents in the afterlife, she could defend herself by saying, I tried. Circumstances simply wouldn’t allow it. You can’t blame me.

Besides, years of obediently enduring everything had already been carved into her bones.

Even so, the instinctive will to survive that came with life itself could not be controlled.

So when danger descended, no matter how prepared Fang Yiyi thought she was, her mind instantly became clear.

As the chill drew nearer, Fang Yiyi could distinctly sense something beside her staring fixedly at her from extremely close range.

Every pore in her body screamed at her to flee. Her brain sounded a sharp alarm, and the urge to escape swept through every nerve.

But she could do nothing.

Her hands and feet would not obey her, as though they had detached themselves from her body. She could not even perform the simple act of opening her eyes.

Yet her nerve endings were more sensitive than ever before.

She could clearly feel that the “thing” was right beside her. She was like fish laid out on a chopping block, completely at its mercy. It could take her life at any moment.

Fang Yiyi felt as though she were breathing rapidly.

In reality, the rise and fall of her chest was so faint that it was nearly imperceptible.

Her nerves were pulled taut like the string of a fully drawn bow, while beads of cold sweat as large as soybeans rolled down her body and disappeared into the bedding beneath her.

Somehow, the quilt that had originally covered her had been pressed beneath her instead, flattened as smooth as a sheet of cardboard.

Fang Yiyi lay quietly with her hands folded over her chest, like a living sacrifice about to be placed inside a coffin and offered to an evil spirit.

Something cold and hard touched her forehead and slowly slid downward along the bridge of her nose.

Wherever it passed, the chill pierced her bones.

This cold was even more bitter than the coldest winter she had ever endured. It felt as though her blood had frozen solid and could no longer flow.

It was as though a huge stone had been placed on her chest, so heavy that she could barely breathe.

Gradually, she took in less and less oxygen. Her conscious mind also became increasingly muddled.

She could no longer tell what she was doing or where she was.

Only one thought remained.

I’m going to die.

Piercing shrieks and wails erupted beside her ears. They were harsh and unpleasant, yet carried an irresistible, magical pull that called her to hurry toward them.

Fang Yiyi instinctively drew closer to the sound.

The howls grew louder and louder, like the anguished screams of countless people suffering unbearable torment. Every cry was filled with resentment and unwillingness, one after another, weaving together into an inescapable net.

She continued moving closer.

By now, she could make out a few fragmented words among the cries, though they remained indistinct.

Fang Yiyi could not help leaning in a little more.

She was almost able to understand them.

Suddenly, it felt as though her foot had stepped into empty air.

All the sounds around her vanished.

Everything became completely silent.

Not even the faintest noise remained.

The darkness before her eyes was unchanged.

Fang Yiyi stared blankly.

Then another sound began.

This time, it was the steady, rhythmic sound of dripping water.

Drip—

Drip—

Drip—

It was not loud at all.

The silence surrounding it was so deep that it made her skin crawl, yet the sound also felt strangely familiar.

Fang Yiyi’s eyes flew open.

At some point, the curtains had been pulled apart.

By the cold white moonlight, Fang Yiyi found herself staring directly into a pair of eyes with no whites.

They were the eerie, bloody black of dried blood, filling the entire eye sockets. A deathly aura poured from them at point-blank range.

Fang Yiyi was so frightened that her breathing stopped.

From a distance, a twisted human figure could be seen crouched above her. Long black hair fell onto the pillow on either side of Fang Yiyi’s cheeks.

Through the scattered gaps between the strands, patches of blue-gray skin appeared from time to time.

The sight was horrifying.

Suddenly, the owner of that face stretched its mouth into a smile.

The movement looked almost like that of a normal person, but it carried an unmistakable stiffness.

It was not the kind of terrifying expression that delivered a sudden, overwhelming visual shock.

Instead, it inspired a deeper and more profound horror—one that chilled a person from the very bottom of her heart.

Blood dripped down one drop at a time.

The drops landed on Fang Yiyi’s face, and the metallic stench of blood filled her nose.

Fang Yiyi had no idea how she should react.

All her earlier thoughts about willingly marching toward death, along with every bit of mental preparation she had made, were thrown completely aside.

Her survival instinct took control.

Fang Yiyi did not know where the strength came from, but she shoved the figure away, leaped out of bed, and rushed toward the door in only a few steps.

By the time she came to her senses, she was desperately twisting the doorknob.

But no matter what she did, it would not open.

An eerie laugh came from behind her.

Terrified, Fang Yiyi turned around.

The female ghost was sitting on the bed, with Fang Yiyi’s quilt beneath her, perfectly smooth without a single wrinkle.

The ghost was barefoot. She swung the two legs faintly visible beneath her tattered clothing and leisurely watched Fang Yiyi with those eyes that had no whites, smiling at her as though she had all the time in the world.

Fang Yiyi’s legs went weak with fear. She only managed to remain upright by leaning against the door.

Trembling, she babbled incoherently, “I wasn’t the one who hurt you. Y-you… don’t come any closer. I didn’t summon you. Don’t hurt me… Don’t come over…”

The female ghost tilted her head, seemingly trying to make sense of her words.

Then she began giggling.

The laughter was sharp, neither entirely human nor entirely inhuman.

Still pressed against the door, Fang Yiyi raised a trembling hand and wiped the blood from her face.

Then the ghost stood up.

Under Fang Yiyi’s increasingly terrified gaze, she approached one step at a time.

Fang Yiyi’s legs completely gave out.

Leaning against the door, she sobbed loudly while pounding on it, like a drowning person clutching at her final straw.

She prayed that someone would happen to pass through the corridor, hear her cries, and open the door.

Even merely twisting the handle from the other side would be enough.

She did not even dare turn around.

Something seized her ankle.

An icy chill stabbed into her bones.

Fang Yiyi watched helplessly as the dormitory door grew farther and farther away.

She was dragged back onto the bed.

The ghost hovered over her. One hand clamped around Fang Yiyi’s wildly struggling arm like an iron vise, pinning it above her head.

Under the lamb-like, despairing gaze of her prey, the ghost lowered herself and pressed against Fang Yiyi’s lips, which had gone white with terror.

The stench of blood filled Fang Yiyi’s nose.

When her clothes were torn apart, everything within Fang Yiyi’s sight became dyed a bloodlike red.

…

Fang Yiyi jolted awake to the noisy ringing of her alarm.

As she stared at the dormitory ceiling, both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, she felt as though an entire lifetime had passed.

The memories of the previous night flooded back into her mind like a tide.

That ghostly face.

The stiff, icy gray-white skin.

Her own helpless cries.

One strange and unspeakable image after another flashed rapidly through her thoughts.

Fang Yiyi found it unbelievable.

She was a living person who had spent an entire night in a haunted room. Not only had she survived, but she had also been forced into something indescribable with a ghost.

She looked around.

The room was still exactly as it had been when she arrived the night before. Dust covered the floor, and her suitcase had been casually abandoned to one side.

There were no marks on the ground from her being dragged across it.

She wondered whether everything last night had merely been a nightmare.

But the pain radiating through her body clearly told her not to indulge in wishful thinking.

Enduring the pain, Fang Yiyi struggled to sit up and lifted the blanket.

Her clothes were still intact on her body.

This left her somewhat dazed.

Had they not been torn apart last night?

Puzzled, she tugged lightly at them.

The clothes immediately fell away in several ragged pieces, revealing skin mottled with red marks.

Fang Yiyi grabbed the blanket and quickly lay flat again, pretending she had seen nothing.

But she could not continue like this.

Fang Yiyi stared at the ceiling and contemplated her life.

She planned to rest a little longer, then speak to her adviser and see whether she could change dormitories.

Though the possibility was not high.

Since those classmates had managed to send her here, they must have made preparations to prevent her from returning easily.

They had been classmates for over a year, after all, so Fang Yiyi understood them to some extent.

They were not good-hearted, but they were efficient when they did something. They generally did not leave behind loose ends.

If there was truly no other choice, she could rent a room outside.

She worked part-time every day and saved wherever she could on food, clothing, and daily expenses. She still had enough money to rent a cheap single room.

No matter what, she absolutely could not continue living in this dormitory.

The ghost had done all sorts of things to her last night. Who knew whether it planned to take her life tonight?

After what had happened, Fang Yiyi finally understood the importance of staying alive.

She no longer dared entertain thoughts of suicide.

The mortal world was so wonderful, and living even once was not easy. Why should she rush to return to the afterlife ahead of time?

Close to noon, Fang Yiyi finally gathered the courage to get out of bed.

Dragging her aching, battered body, she hurried impatiently to her adviser’s office.

Her adviser was a beautiful young woman with glasses and long hair tied in a ponytail. She was not much older than the students.

She had a relatively approachable personality and was usually kind to Fang Yiyi.

Fang Yiyi sincerely respected her.

She knocked on the door and only entered after hearing a voice inside say, “Come in.”

The adviser wore a white dress and stood beside the water dispenser, holding a transparent glass filled with water.

When she saw Fang Yiyi enter, however, she did not look as gentle as usual.

Her brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

Fang Yiyi was accustomed to constantly reading other people’s expressions. How could she possibly miss such a tiny change?

She immediately froze, and a bad feeling welled up inside her.

Still, she was the adviser. She quickly adjusted her expression and smiled as warmly as she normally did.

“Yiyi, what brings you to see me?”

“Teacher, I want to change dormitories.”

Fang Yiyi stepped into the office and closed the door behind her. Because her body was uncomfortable, her walking posture looked somewhat awkward.

“Hm? You aren’t used to the new dormitory? But your old room is already full.”

“I know. There’s a new transfer student.” Fang Yiyi carefully chose her words. “Teacher, do you think it would be possible for me to move off campus—”

“Fang Yiyi!”

The adviser’s expression suddenly changed as she interrupted her.

Her voice turned stern.

“Your roommates have reported to me more than once that you’ve been behaving indecently in your personal life. I didn’t believe them before, but look at yourself now! What kind of state are you in? And you want to live outside the school? Where exactly do you intend to move? How old are you?”

“I’m always teaching all of you not to chase after immediate pleasures. You must think about your future! Zhengling Women’s University is one of the finest schools in the country. We’re different from those disreputable institutions!”

“As your teacher, I have to take responsibility for every one of you. Look at you. You’ve always been such a well-behaved girl. If the evidence weren’t right in front of me, I would never have believed that you could do something like this.”

“Student Fang Yiyi, you truly… truly disappoint me!”

Fang Yiyi stood there blankly for a long moment.

“Teacher, have you misunderstood something? What are you talking about…?”

Her adviser looked at her with the exasperation of someone disappointed by a student who refused to improve.

“I’m older than you. What wouldn’t I understand? Look at the way you were walking just now. And look at this.”

The adviser reached out and tugged down the scarf Fang Yiyi had used to cover her neck, exposing the strawberry-like red marks underneath.

“Look at that! Hm? I know you’re not a child anymore, and I’m not against you having a boyfriend. But there still has to be a limit, doesn’t there?”

Fang Yiyi’s eyes reddened with anxiety as she hurriedly explained, “Teacher, you’ve misunderstood. This isn’t… It isn’t what you think. Teacher, please believe me!”

“You still refuse to admit it? Then explain this to me!”

As she spoke, the adviser pulled out a photograph and slapped it onto the desk.

She dragged over a chair and sat down, breathing heavily through her nose.

Fang Yiyi glanced at the photograph.

The moment she saw it clearly, all the color drained from her face.

In the picture, Fang Yiyi stood outside a bar wearing an extremely short skirt. She held a glass of blue cocktail in one hand and tilted her face upward, gazing with doe-like eyes at the tall, middle-aged man beside her.

The man had one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Two other men stood nearby. Both were already approaching late middle age, and they were staring at Fang Yiyi with lustful, appraising gazes.