After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 15

On the way back, Mia was a little puzzled.

Miss Bai had never been one to meddle in others’ affairs, so why had she made an exception today, allowing Zhao Yiqing’s little antics and even kindly teaching her how to ski?

Li Ningzhi sat in the passenger seat.

She hadn’t joined Mia and Miss Bai for skiing but had dinner with them afterward. Li Ningzhi didn’t dare speak up, so she gestured with sign language, saying, “Teacher Mia, you just don’t get it.”

“What else could it be? Of course, it’s because she likes her. Miss Zhao is such a cute Omega, it’s only natural Miss Bai would take a liking to her.”

This private exchange didn’t last long. Bai Ruowei, seated in the back of the car, slowly opened her eyes from her feigned nap.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of Snow Pavilion, Miss Bai’s private residence. The place was secluded, tucked away in a quiet, remote location. Beyond its understated entrance lay an interior as winding and opulent as a palace.

Those pale green eyes still carried a trace of drowsy confusion. Li Ningzhi immediately stopped her fidgeting.

“No particular reason,” the person in the back seat said nonchalantly.

“I just think Zhao Yiqing is quite cute.”

But cuteness was secondary. Bai Ruowei smiled faintly. If she met new people and tried new things, perhaps that presumptuous stranger who kept haunting her thoughts would have the sense to disappear.

Song Shizhou didn’t stay in the Thirteenth District for long.

The district still felt too vast for her. The guesthouse she’d booked wasn’t in the city center, and at night, the blaring car horns and karaoke noise were impossible to ignore.

Song Lanyi seemed to have people tailing her though she couldn’t tell if it was paranoia or reality. Shaking her head, Song Shizhou pushed the thought away, bundling her negative emotions together with a certain Bai Ruowei, then blocking and deleting them.

Once everything was packed, she set off lightly with just a small suitcase.

She arrived at the bus station to buy a ticket, staring at a long list of unfamiliar destinations before finally choosing the one with the prettiest name—

Flying Bird Town.

The town was far from the Thirteenth District. After a stretch of smooth asphalt, the bus veered onto a bumpy dirt road. The girl beside her turned pale from the jostling, so Song Shizhou handed her a motion sickness pill.

Someone on the bus vomited, filling the air with the pungent stench of pickled vegetables. She quickly pulled on a mask.

This kind of journey would be unimaginable to Sister Yu. Though resilient, she’d been pampered since childhood and had probably never even ridden a bus before. Even if she were determined to track her down, the harsh conditions alone would be enough to drive her back.

Let alone that person.

Since changing her communication chip, none of the Song family’s calls had gotten through. But the new chip was inconvenient, so after some thought, she switched back to the old one.

The moment she switched back to her communication chip, a flood of missed calls bombarded her. Lady Song Lanyi had called from countless different numbers back when she was still with the Song family, Lady Song Lanyi wouldn’t have called her this many times in an entire month. Song Shizhou shook her head, too lazy to block them one by one, but nervously checked her contacts, afraid she might see a number she shouldn’t.

Fortunately… as she had expected, Bai Ruowei hadn’t called her.

Miss Bai must have completely forgotten about her by now.

A few days ago, Su Ziqing had mentioned that Miss Bai had met with Zhao Yiqing.

Those two were a perfect match socially compatible, even down to their secondary genders: one an Alpha, the other an Omega. Miss Bai would no longer have to throw tantrums about turning into an Omega because of her. She recalled the photo she had seen that day Bai Ruowei’s expression uncharacteristically gentle as she adjusted Zhao Yiqing’s snowboard.

In her past life, she had held them back for so long. Now, at least, she the nuisance had finally disappeared. Song Shizhou let out a low chuckle. Come to think of it, she really owed Zhao Yiqing an apology.

Compared to the Thirteenth District, Flying Bird Town was much smaller. The town had few asphalt roads, mostly dirt paths that could easily dirty the shoes of those unfamiliar with them. But Shizhou wasn’t afraid, she had experience walking such roads from her childhood days carrying baskets of vegetables to sell for Old Lu. The little tricks she had been mocked for in the Inner City now came in handy, and she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of satisfaction.

She left her luggage at a small inn near the bus station and wandered around. Though Flying Bird Town was small, it brimmed with life. The more she walked, the more its layout reminded her of the town she had lived in as a child.

It wasn’t nostalgia for her childhood, nor for Old Lu and his wife, just the familiar scenery stirring a pang of loneliness. She found herself missing that person from her past.

The older sister who had lived next door.

On the day she left the Lu household, the neighbor’s sister hadn’t come to see her off but had secretly made her a promise:

“If life in the Inner City ever becomes too hard, and you want to find me, go to a place called Little Bird Town. I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Twelve-year-old Song Shizhou had been naive enough to believe it.

But later, no matter how many maps she searched, she couldn’t find a place called Little Bird Town anywhere in the vast Wei Nation.

It had just been the sister’s way of comforting her.

Shizhou shook off the melancholy thoughts. She strolled through the town and, with practiced ease, found an art gallery.

It surprised her that a small place like Flying Bird Town even had an art gallery.

Song Shizhou pushed open the glass door, and a warm, familiar fragrance greeted her a faint, woody scent, the kind unique to books and paintings. The small gallery wasn’t spacious, its walls covered in white floral wallpaper and adorned with casually hung artworks. The wooden door creaked as she entered, and a girl descended from the second floor.

“Looking to buy a painting? Feel free to browse. Big sale today, fifty per piece, two for 20% off.”

The combination of art and big sale was a little embarrassing. Shizhou smiled.

“I’ll just look around.”

“Is this… Water Lilies?”

An oil painting, a replica of the renowned work by the famous domestic artist Mr. Sun Zhimou, depicted floating duckweeds undulating on an agate-like dark green water surface. The budding water lilies appeared somewhat withered, having endured the ravages of a light rain.

The master’s original wasn’t this melancholic. The copyist’s technique was superb, but the tone was far too sorrowful.

“I think it’s called something like ‘Water Lilies.’ Boss, hey boss, don’t sleep could you explain this to the customer?”

The girl complained, and only then did Shizhou notice someone sitting on the first floor.

A woman in a dark green sweater lounged behind the counter, her slender neck tilted back in a carefree manner. A round fan covered her face, and under the bright museum lights, one of her wrists was exposed dazzlingly pale.

Shizhou’s heart inexplicably trembled.

Beside the woman’s hand crouched an orange tabby, as drowsy and plump as its owner. The girl shooed it away with a few impatient gestures.

“If you don’t get up now, we won’t have money to buy Big Chubby’s cat food this month.”

That cat really was quite fat.

Shizhou silently agreed.

“It’s fine, I’m just browsing.”

No matter how much the girl urged, the woman showed no intention of rising. Instead, she turned slightly and seemed to sink deeper into sleep.

The two maintained a tacit silence, neither paying the other any mind. After a while, Song Shizhou decided it was time to head back and collect her luggage.

Seeing that the boss couldn’t be roused, the girl sighed in frustration and escorted Shizhou to the door. Unfortunately, a light drizzle had begun outside.

The girl called after her,

“Hey, maybe you should wait until the rain stops before leaving.”

“It’s alright. This isn’t heavy. Getting a little wet won’t hurt.”

The rain she’d encountered a few days ago had been far worse, colder, heavier. And hadn’t she still walked home through it?

With that thought, Song Shizhou stepped outside.

Perhaps because Flying Bird Town was situated at a higher elevation, even this light rain felt much colder than in the Thirteenth District. Shizhou stuck close to the eaves, but her clothes were soon damp. The chill was unpleasant, so she hurried to the roadside to hail a cab. As she turned, she collided with someone,

Right into their arms.

Shizhou froze. An umbrella appeared over her head, held by a slender hand with faintly flushed knuckles, as if tinged with a tipsy pink.

In her fluster, Shizhou instinctively grasped that person’s hand.

Then her gaze met a pair of eyes.

Light green, dazzling upon closer inspection such striking irises were rare in the world. Shizhou had only ever seen them on one person.

Bai Ruowei?

A face bearing an eighty percent resemblance to Miss Bai. Shizhou stood rooted, as if hooked in place. The woman naturally passed the umbrella into her hand, and before Shizhou could react, a coat was draped over her shoulders.

The scent of grass and wood enveloped her, instantly dispelling the cold.

Shizhou held her breath, realizing the woman was studying her just as intently.

“Flying Bird Town is remote. Even a light rain can make you sick without an umbrella.”

“You’re… Sister Lan Chi?”

The sound of her name seemed to rouse the woman like waking from a dream. Memories long buried stirred faintly. Shizhou was eager to say more, but the other woman deftly cut her off, offering no reply.

A motorcycle sped past Song Shizhou, and she barely had time to dodge. Just as it seemed she was about to be hit, in that moment of danger, someone’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist, lifting her up just like in childhood.

The odd position pressed Song Shizhou’s ear against the side of the other person’s neck, where she could hear the rhythm of their pulse.

“You’re still the same as when you were little never watching where you’re going.”

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