After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 30.1

Li Ningzhi had long instructed that all decorations in the Ink Residence be arranged according to Miss Song’s preferences, as she was the new mistress here.

At first, everyone indeed followed this directive. Qingluan hauled in several truckloads of ornaments, no surprise, given she was a northerner, her approach akin to Lu Zhishen embroidering flowers: rough yet meticulous. The cargo holds of those trucks carried expensive furniture, each piece worth the price of a car.

But Song Shizhou wasn’t in the mood to decorate her new home.

Since moving into the Ink Residence, people had been delivering all sorts of delicacies and clothes to Song Shizhou daily. She lived comfortably too, the Ink Residence was vast, with front halls, main halls, living quarters, and an overwhelming array of elegant furnishings. Even though Song Shizhou had once enjoyed a privileged life in the Song family, she was still stunned by such understated luxury.

Her bed was large and soft, and she no longer had to squeeze into a tiny shower stall, worrying about the hot water running out mid-bath. Yet, inexplicably, she found herself missing the days she had shared with Lan Chi.

Her old apartment hadn’t had hot water issues, but the bathtub had been too small. Song Shizhou didn’t mind, she wasn’t the type who needed to stretch out while bathing. But someone else had minded. Bai Ruowei had minded so much she wanted to buy another one, only to find the bathroom too cramped to fit it.

Later, Bai Ruowei had been so furious she threatened to turn the bedroom into a bathroom.

All that was in the past now. Song Shizhou smiled faintly. Her current personal steward was surnamed Zhao, and apart from Steward Zhao, she had four maids around her age. Song Shizhou didn’t quite see the point, did she really need attendants to help her eat or bathe? Even someone like Su Ziqing, a young lady from a wealthy family, probably hadn’t lived like this.

They felt less like servants and more like guards keeping watch over her.

With that thought, Song Shizhou dismissed the entire crowd in the Ink Residence,

leaving only Qingluan behind.

Perhaps to make up for that misguided “gift” from before, Bai Ruowei sent her a puppy, a tiny thing in a cage. From a distance, she could already hear the little creature yapping restlessly inside, barking loudly, werwerwer.

Song Shizhou opened the cage.

Inside was a small beagle, looking mischievous and ill-tempered, gnawing at her pant leg with its tiny teeth.

She grabbed it by the scruff and lifted it up.

The more she looked at it, the more it reminded her of Bai Ruowei both loved to make noise, both loved clinging to her, both loved turning her life upside down.

With a resigned sigh, Song Shizhou put the puppy back in the cage.

Qingluan approached at just the right moment.

“Miss Song, won’t you give the puppy a name?”

Song Shizhou replied flatly,

“Call it Xiao Bai.”

Qingluan fell silent.

She tossed the puppy back into the cage and added some dog food. The little thing stopped barking while eating, looking almost well-behaved.

Would Bai Ruowei also calm down and stop throwing tantrums at her if she “fed” her something she liked?

Song Shizhou patted the puppy’s head, lost in thought.

“When can I leave?”

Qingluan didn’t answer.

Patiently, Song Shizhou pressed,

“Miss Bai said I could leave once I recovered. When can I go?”

Still, Qingluan said nothing.

If no one answered, she’d take it as tacit approval. After all, her legs were her own, if she could run, she would.

Song Shizhou wore a patient gown and shuffled along in slippers. No one stopped her as she walked out of the bedroom. She turned back in disbelief, then moved through the main hall and the front hall still, no one barred her way.

Could she really be free?

She continued walking in stunned silence. Even after exiting Ink Residence, no one intervened. Qingluan followed at a distance but made no move to interfere, which only deepened Song Shizhou’s bewilderment.

But Snow Pavilion was too vast, and soon she was lost.

Qingluan approached at just the right moment.

“Miss Song, are you tired? There’s a pavilion over there where you can rest for a while.”

Song Shizhou remembered her name.

“Qingluan, hello.”

“I want to leave Snow Pavilion now.”

Qingluan smiled without answering.

Song Shizhou had expected this reaction.

“Fine, then at least return my phone. That should be allowed, right?”

Qingluan glanced back, signaling someone.

Soon, a servant approached with a tray holding a phone.

Song Shizhou couldn’t help but laugh at their bizarre behavior, it was so absurd she felt like she’d stumbled onto a period drama set. But her amusement faded quickly.

The phone was hers, but all her contacts and call logs had been wiped clean.

She decided not to dwell on it. Escaping Snow Pavilion was the priority. She opened the map app, only to find the screen blank where detailed routes should have been.

“Snow Pavilion is a private estate. Mapping services aren’t permitted to record its layout.”

Qingluan smiled, flashing a perfect, eight-teeth grin.

Song Shizhou: “…”

Bai Ruoruo had memorized every path in Snow Pavilion, but Li Ningzhi insisted on accompanying her.

“I told you I know the way. I’m just going to tidy up my sister’s room at the Snow Couch. Why do you have to follow me?”

Li Ningzhi offered an appeasing smile.

“The side garden recently had new saplings planted. I didn’t want the workers to disturb you, so I thought I’d come along.”

Bai Ruoruo pursed her lips, unconvinced.

“Last time was my fault. I apologized to Jiejie, but she’s been distant ever since.”

“A-Ning, do you think she’s still angry with me? Does she resent me?”

Li Ningzhi chuckled.

“If you’d stop collecting Fated Maidens, your sister wouldn’t be upset.”

Asking Bai Ruoruo to stop pursuing romance was like asking her to stop breathing. She fell silent and strode ahead.

Snow Pavilion was usually quiet. Bai Ruowei rarely stayed here, she was often too busy, sometimes even sleeping at the procuratorate. The servants weren’t ordinary staff but Bai Ruowei’s most trusted aides.

As Bai Ruoruo walked, she suddenly heard footsteps.

In the distance, she saw a figure walking ahead, trailed by a group of people.

Li Ningzhi tugged at her.

“Ruoruo, don’t go that way. Have you forgotten? The Snow Couch is in the opposite direction. ”

Bai Ruoruo ignored her.

“I know where the Snow Couch is. But… who is that? I’ve never seen her before.”

Without waiting for a response, Bai Ruoruo dashed forward. Li Ningzhi hurried after her.

The entourage behind Qingluan halted upon seeing Bai Ruoruo, while Qingluan subtly shifted to shield Song Shizhou from view.

“Miss Ruoruo, what brings you here?”

“Are you here to prepare the Snow Couch? Miss Bai’s quarters are to the west. You’ve taken the wrong path.”

Bai Ruoruo planted her hands on her hips.

“Don’t hide anyone from me. I saw her.”

Everyone in the Snow Pavilion was familiar to Bai Ruoruo, except for this unfamiliar woman.

She recalled how Bai Ruowei had been shuttling between the Thirteenth District and the Inner City all last month, then thought of Li Ningzhi’s strange attitude toward her and immediately understood.

“So you’re the one my sister brought back from the Thirteenth District.”

She pushed Qingluan aside.

“Let me see what’s so special about you.”

She was still angry about the Zhao Yiqing incident. Just when… just when she and the Second Miss Zhao were on the verge of something, her sister suddenly became infatuated with some young lady from the Song family, what was her name again? She’d even forgotten. And to make matters worse, she insisted they were married.

It scared Zhao Yiqing so much that she never dared to pester her again.

Today, she was determined to see just what kind of sorcery this Miss Song possessed to make her sister so obsessed.

Seeing her getting serious, Li Ningzhi panicked.

“Bai Ruoruo, don’t do anything reckless. Do you really want to anger your sister?”

Song Shizhou remembered her.

In her past life, she had met Bai Ruoruo a few times by chance. Her impression of the girl wasn’t bad just a bit spoiled and difficult to deal with. Even Bai Ruowei had to back down in front of her.

But Bai Ruoruo wasn’t inherently malicious.

If she wanted to leave, Bai Ruoruo might just be the key.

In the end, Song Shizhou didn’t get a chance to speak with Bai Ruoruo. With Li Ningzhi and Qingluan watching, when would she ever have the opportunity?

She pretended nothing had happened and returned to the Ink Residence, no longer mentioning her desire to leave. After all, Bai Ruowei had no intention of letting her go.

At dinner, the kitchen sent over an array of exquisite dishes, spicy stir-fried prawns, assorted delicacies, and a plate of stir-fried eel, all of Song Shizhou’s favorites.

For dessert, there was a French-style baked apple with cinnamon, perfectly cooked, its buttery sweetness wafting through the air as it had just come out of the oven. Song Shizhou took a bite.

The preparation must have been quite complex.

In the past, Feng Yu remembered her preferences, and Lan Chi also knew what she liked to eat. But now that Feng Yu and Lan Chi were gone, who else would recall her tastes so precisely?

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