Carrying My Senior's Coffin (GL) - Chapter 8

Besides, Fang Yiyi did not believe that her relationship with Li Ting was close enough for Li Ting to stand up for her.

Fang Yiyi felt that in all her years of living, the only rare and valuable quality she possessed was self-awareness.

She and Li Ting were probably nothing more than prey and predator.

Once Li Ting had completely drained her dry, that would be the moment Fang Yiyi made her glorious exit and reunited with her parents.

She only hoped her body could hold out for another two years.

Just then, someone sat down beside her and whispered, “Fang Yiyi, you really are here. I’ve been looking for you forever. I even waited around the cafeteria at noon, but you never showed up.”

It was their class monitor, Feng Xue.

She was a fresh-faced girl who liked dyeing her hair chestnut brown and braiding it into two plaits. She lived next door in Dormitory 405.

Fang Yiyi was slightly surprised.

Apart from Nancy, Youlan, and their group, hardly anyone ever came looking for her.

“What is it?” she asked in confusion.

Feng Xue scratched her head.

“Well… have you seen Youlan? I can’t get in touch with her.”

Fang Yiyi immediately found that amusing.

“How could I possibly have seen her?”

“Right…”

Considering Fang Yiyi’s relationship with Youlan’s group, Feng Xue also realized it had been inappropriate to ask her.

But aside from Fang Yiyi, she truly could not think of anyone else to approach.

“I’ll look somewhere else, then.”

Fang Yiyi nodded and buried her head in her book again.

Another half hour passed.

Fang Yiyi’s chin struck the table once more.

Giving up entirely, she set down her book and tried to recall that day’s lesson.

Her mind was nothing but mush.

After being tormented both physically and mentally, Fang Yiyi’s convictions now suffered an even greater blow.

She might fail her classes.

Failing a class meant a makeup exam.

A makeup exam meant possibly failing again.

And failing again meant not receiving her diploma.

What was she supposed to do?!

Fang Yiyi raked her hands irritably through her hair.

After thinking for a long time, she decided to move her next plan forward.

She would go running first.

Her health was the foundation of everything. No matter what, she had to survive that ghost before worrying about anything else.

Although her current supply might be unable to keep up with demand, every little bit she replenished would help.

She also hoped that ghost understood the meaning of restraint and would not literally wear her to death in bed before she graduated.

Nancy’s accident had caused the others who usually troubled Fang Yiyi to disappear as well.

Without those irritating people around, the afternoon passed rather peacefully. A large stretch of time suddenly opened up.

She did not particularly want to return to the dormitory, so she walked and jogged around the sports field.

When it was time to eat, she went to the cafeteria and consumed enough food for two people.

After eating and drinking her fill, Fang Yiyi felt as though her energy bar had been completely restored.

She was lively again and prepared to attend evening self-study.

“Where else do you think you’re going?”

Li Ting’s voice exploded inside her mind.

Fang Yiyi stopped walking.

Then she heard Li Ting continue, “Go back. You’ve eaten your fill, but I haven’t.”

Fine.

Fang Yiyi could only return to the dormitory dejectedly and fulfill her obligation.

Her dormitory building was situated farther back on campus and belonged to the old section.

Years ago, when there had been more students, many bicycle sheds had been built around the building.

Now that a new campus had been constructed, some of those sheds stood empty and were used to store miscellaneous junk.

The interiors were pitch-black, without even a lamp. Even people who passed them every day rarely wanted to look inside.

One such shed stood along the route Fang Yiyi had to take back to her dormitory.

“Fang Yiyi.”

“!”

Someone called her name.

Fang Yiyi jumped and discovered it was Manman, whom she had not seen since the previous night.

She instinctively stepped backward.

“Fang Yiyi, come over here! We have something to say to you.”

Fang Yiyi noticed that Manman had said we, not I.

Her sense of danger instantly rose.

That made it even more impossible for her to go over.

She retreated another two steps, making sure she was standing directly beneath a security camera before asking, “What is it?”

Manman insisted, “Come over first.”

Fang Yiyi noticed that Manman’s eyes were bloodshot, her face pale, and her hair disheveled.

She looked extremely haggard.

Fang Yiyi was just beginning to wonder what had happened when someone suddenly appeared behind her.

Before she could react, the person grabbed a fistful of her hair and dragged her toward the shed.

As she pulled, she cursed viciously.

“When we tell you to come over, you come over! What the hell are you talking so much for? Do you really think you’re somebody important? Who gave you the right to bargain with us?”

Pain tore through Fang Yiyi’s scalp.

She only managed to let out a startled cry before being dragged several stumbling steps.

The person yanked her forward, and Fang Yiyi was hurled to the ground.

Her back struck a loosely stacked pile of wooden boards.

They collapsed with a loud clatter and fell all over her.

The person shouted, “Fang Yiyi! Was this your doing?”

What…?

Fang Yiyi froze, still not understanding what she meant.

Then someone grabbed her hair again.

The person’s grip was so strong it felt as though she intended to tear off Fang Yiyi’s scalp.

Fang Yiyi was forced to lift her head.

A hand swung toward her face.

The slap landed with a loud crack.

A burning, dull pain spread across her cheek. The impact made her ears ring and her vision darken.

At the same time, more voices poured into her ears.

Every one of them was filled with accusations and abuse.

“Were you responsible for what happened to Nancy?”

“How can you be so selfish?!”

“You bastard! What did you do?”

“Is your heart made of stone? Even if we become ghosts, we won’t let you off!”

Once Fang Yiyi heard them clearly, she finally understood.

These were the people who had played the Pen Spirit game with Nancy.

The reason Fang Yiyi had been sent to Dormitory 404 was entirely because of them.

They had used her as a substitute sacrifice.

Fang Yiyi lowered her eyelids and secretly swept her gaze around.

Exactly five people.

No more, no less.

Had Fang Yiyi spared more attention, she would have noticed that none of them looked well.

Nearly all of them had dark shadows beneath their eyes and messy hair. Several had smeared makeup, making them look like madwomen rather than the refined girls they usually presented themselves as.

What happened to Nancy had clearly dealt them a severe blow.

Fang Yiyi thought they had lost their minds.

“Well? Say something! Nothing to say now?”

Someone shouted beside her ear.

Fang Yiyi recognized Youlan’s voice.

She turned toward the source, only to receive a kick to the stomach.

“You filthy bitch! You still have the nerve to look at me?”

“Speak! Have you gone mute?”

The kick forced a muffled groan from Fang Yiyi.

A metallic sweetness rose into her mouth.

She raised a hand and touched the corner of her lips.

Sure enough, there was blood.

“Have you all gone insane?” she asked.

Youlan’s eyes were completely bloodshot.

She screamed in a breakdown, “Yes! Nancy has already gone insane! We’re all going to lose our minds too! Not one of us will escape!”

“It’s all because of you! You caused this!”

“What exactly did you do? Will you only be satisfied if you drag all of us down with you?”

Overcome by emotion, Youlan looked deranged.

She seized Fang Yiyi’s shoulders, digging her fingernails deeply into the flesh.

“Originally, only you had to die! Only you!”

“One life compared with six lives!”

“What right do you have? Is your life worth more than all six of ours?”

“Huh?! Fang Yiyi, what gives you the right?!”

Those words seemed to flip a switch in the others.

“That’s right! What right do you have?”

“Will I be next? I don’t want to die! I’m only eighteen! Help me… sob…”

“Fang Yiyi, you’re so selfish! You deserve a horrible death!”

Their crying, shouting, and curses never stopped.

Fang Yiyi only found it absurd.

She could not help asking, “Why should I have to pay for your mistake?”

“Why shouldn’t you? You’re a useless piece of trash!”

“What value does your life have?”

Carefully avoiding her injuries, Fang Yiyi adjusted her breathing and straightened her back.

She looked at them without the slightest fear in her eyes.

“You’re assaulting a fellow student. You’ll receive disciplinary punishment for this.”

The atmosphere froze for one or two seconds.

“Ha.”

Youlan looked as though she had heard the funniest thing imaginable.

Grabbing Fang Yiyi by the head, she turned it from side to side.

“Disciplinary punishment? Do you think we’re afraid of that?”

“We’re all going to die, Fang Yiyi.”

“Even if we kill you right here and make you accompany us in death, what could you possibly do about it?”

Her gaze toward Fang Yiyi carried a strange fanaticism.

She leaned closer and whispered each word distinctly.

“Why don’t you die here today?”

“You can go ahead first and scout the road for us. How does that sound?”

Fang Yiyi suddenly realized that Youlan was serious.

Fear finally surged through her.

Strength abruptly returned to her arms.

She shoved Youlan away and ran toward the exit.

Caught off guard, Youlan fell to the ground.

She roared in disbelief and fury.

“You worthless coward dared to push me?! Stop her!”

She did not need to say it.

The others had already grabbed Fang Yiyi.

They had come prepared and were staking everything on this.

How could they possibly allow her to escape?

Someone shouted, “Break her legs! Beat her to death! This is all her fault!”

The others swarmed her.

The fear and panic they had suppressed for days finally found an outlet.

Fang Yiyi curled into a ball, hopelessly enduring the storm of kicks and blows.

“Tsk. What is this mess?”

A familiar voice sounded beside her ear, filled with obvious impatience.

“Do you need my help?”

Fang Yiyi raised her head toward Li Ting, who floated above them.

She had suffered a heavy blow to the head and could no longer see clearly.

Through her blurred vision, she could only make out that woman dressed in red as bright as flames, with a face like the radiant moon.

Those pitch-black eyes seemed fixed on Fang Yiyi without blinking.

As though compelled by a ghostly force, Fang Yiyi reached toward her.

She looked like someone trapped in utter despair reaching for the deity who had come to save her.

“I do,” she said. “Please help me.”

The female ghost in red suddenly revealed herself.

“You—ahhh! A ghost!”

Li Ting appeared too suddenly.

Several of the girls were so terrified that their legs immediately gave out, and they collapsed to the ground.

The bolder ones, such as Youlan, turned and ran.

But she only managed two steps before slamming into an invisible wall.

Her forehead split open and began bleeding.

She fell to the ground and stopped moving.

Li Ting stroked her chin thoughtfully and asked Fang Yiyi, “Am I really that frightening?”

Fang Yiyi could not get up for the moment.

She lay on the ground panting.

At the question, she gently shook her head and answered with complete sincerity.

“You’re beautiful.”

Li Ting narrowed her eyes.

“I like hearing that.”

“Now then, what are you planning to do with these people?”

She casually swept her gaze around.

The same fear appeared on every one of their different faces.

Indifferently, she said, “You’re the one who has a grudge against them. I won’t interfere.”

Fang Yiyi thought for a moment and asked, “Will they end up like Nancy?”

“Nancy?”

Li Ting repeated the name, seemingly only then remembering.

“That little girl? Probably.”

“They summoned that thing themselves, so naturally, they must repay the debt themselves.”

In other words, what happened to Nancy had nothing to do with Li Ting.

“Oh.”

Fang Yiyi thought for a moment.

“Then let’s hand them over to the teachers.”

Li Ting frowned, seemingly dissatisfied.

“They beat you. Aren’t you going to beat them back?”

Beat them back?

Fang Yiyi stared blankly.

She had become so accustomed to enduring everything that resisting had never even occurred to her.

Naturally, neither had the idea of retaliating.

She instinctively said, “They’re going to lose their minds like Nancy anyway…”

“Is your revenge the same as someone else’s revenge?”

Seeing Fang Yiyi’s confused expression, Li Ting suddenly realized that reasoning with her might be impossible.

“…Forget it. I won’t interfere in your affairs. Can you stand?”

They were all girls, after all. Even when they used all their strength, they did not possess much force.

Fang Yiyi grabbed one of the wooden boards and struggled twice before using it as support to slowly climb to her feet.

She avoided the trembling people around her and limped toward the exit.

As she passed one of them, someone grabbed the leg of her trousers.

Fang Yiyi lowered her head.

It was Manman.

“Fang Yiyi, this was their idea. It had nothing to do with me…”

“Please save me. You must have a way, right?”

Manman’s eyes were swollen red from crying.

She feared Li Ting, yet also believed she had caught hold of her final lifeline.

Her expression wavered strangely between terror and hope.

Li Ting had originally intended to return to the Buddhist bead.

After hearing that, she changed her mind and remained outside.

She watched Fang Yiyi with amusement, looking thoughtful.

Fang Yiyi bent down and extended one hand.

Using her thumb and index finger, she pinched Manman’s hand and removed it from her trouser leg with a light yet unquestionable motion.

“You really are interesting.”

After saying that, she turned away and limped off without looking back.

Before Fang Yiyi left the shed, Li Ting transformed into a wisp of smoke and entered the Buddhist bead around her wrist.

Fang Yiyi’s battered appearance caused quite a stir at this internationally prestigious university.

She went to the campus clinic first.

Countless people stared at her along the way, and one kindhearted girl even ran over to support her.

While her injuries were being treated, the class adviser hurried over after hearing the news.

After Fang Yiyi explained what happened, she returned to the dormitory.

She refused both the doctor’s and the adviser’s suggestions that she go to the hospital.

The adviser approved a week of leave for her and repeatedly instructed her to call if anything happened.

Fang Yiyi sat on the bed holding a small mirror and examined the injuries on her face.

Li Ting moved closer, pinched Fang Yiyi’s chin, and leaned in.

She inspected her from the left and then the right, frowning in distaste.

“Tsk, tsk. Such a lovely face, and now it looks like a winter melon…”

“What are you usually like? How did you allow yourself to be bullied this badly?”

Fang Yiyi’s eyelashes lowered halfway.

She remained perfectly still, timid as a quail.

Li Ting’s fingertips touched the swollen, bruised skin.

Fang Yiyi winced in pain.

“I stood up for you. Are you happy?”

Fang Yiyi paused, then nodded.

“But next time, I hope you fight back yourself.”