After My Death, I Became a Heartless Madman - Chapter 63.1

The Inner City had no summer or autumn, only endless spring and brief winter.

It was July now. If this were the Third District, it would be the height of scorching summer. Yet the Inner City remained bathed in gentle spring scenery. Song Shizhou wore a simple black shirt paired with light-washed jeans, pushing her suitcase as she arrived at the hotel booked in the northern district.

The long-awaited Flower Kingdom Exhibition finally commenced amid everyone’s anticipation. The opening ceremony was scheduled for the 13th tomorrow. Xiao Zhao had recently been officially promoted to manager of the studio and was now busy overseeing shop affairs, so Assistant Zheng accompanied Song Shizhou to the exhibition instead.

Assistant Zheng had swapped her standard Council three-piece suit for light spring attire, looking every bit like a college student.

In truth, she wasn’t much older than Song Shizhou, but years of working in the Council had honed her speech and demeanor into something far more seasoned.

The two were staying separately. After settling her luggage, Song Shizhou sent a message to Miss Bai:

“I’ve arrived at the hotel. Tomorrow is the Flower Kingdom Exhibition’s opening ceremony, so I might not be able to check my phone often.”

“If you message me, I might not reply right away.”

A reply came swiftly: Okay.

Faced with this brief separation, Song Shizhou had expected Bai Ruowei to cling to her a little longer much longer. Yet all she got was a curt Okay before silence.

Setting her phone aside, Song Shizhou went to take a shower.

Their hotel was a four-star establishment in the northern district, its hardware and service fully deserving of the rating. The water temperature was just right, and two sea-salt bath bombs were provided.

The journey from the main city to the northern district took about three hours assuming no traffic. After half a day in the car, Song Shizhou’s back ached from sitting.

She soaked in the tub for a long while before emerging.

Dinner was a buffet, but Song Shizhou had little appetite, settling for a yogurt.

Tomorrow was the exhibition’s opening ceremony. As one of the year’s ten ceramic newcomers, she was to showcase her work. After some deliberation, she decided on her Four Seasons-themed porcelain set.

Elegant and exquisitely crafted, this collection embodied profound depth. The base colors pale pink, verdant green, watery blue, and ink-white paired with varying heights and shapes of the vases, created a flowing tableau of the seasons when displayed on the hotel’s burgundy table.

Song Shizhou was quite pleased with the set. Little Sun patted her shoulder from behind.

“Shi Zhou, this set of yours is truly remarkable.”

The Sun family was a renowned porcelain dynasty in the Inner City. Little Sun, though personally indifferent to ceramics, had no choice but to attend the exhibition under her family patriarch’s insistence.

They had run into each other at the buffet. Sun Mengchen showed her photos of the other selected works, assuring her that barring surprises, Song Shizhou’s set would likely secure a top-three spot.

But rankings were secondary. What worried her was…

Song Shizhou smiled faintly.

“I heard Master Zhao will also attend tomorrow’s opening ceremony.”

Sun Mengchen nodded,

“Indeed, Master Zhao usually only attends the main venue in the Third District. Maybe it’s because he hasn’t returned to the Inner City for several years, so he decided to attend the sub-venue this time.”

The thought of meeting Master Zhao made Song Shizhou a little nervous.

Master Zhao was the creator of that porcelain piece. As a porcelain artisan herself, Song Shizhou knew full well that every piece held unique significance to its maker. She hadn’t taken good care of it and had ruined Master Zhao’s years of hard work, of course, she needed to apologize to him.

Song Shizhou paused, silently rehearsing her words in her mind.

Unaware of her concerns, Sun Mengchen patted her shoulder and asked what she was thinking about so intently.

Song Shizhou smiled.

“I was just wondering, I have a few porcelain-related questions I’d like to ask Master Zhao. I’m not sure if I’ll actually get to meet him tomorrow.”

Sun Mengchen scoffed.

“Master Zhao isn’t someone you can just meet whenever you want. He’s incredibly busy, with people swarming around him all day.”

“My grandfather is an old acquaintance of his, and even I have to make an appointment in advance to see him. You? You’ll probably be waiting in line till next year.”

Sun Mengchen chuckled. “But even if Master Zhao did want to see me, I wouldn’t care.”

Song Shizhou’s expression suddenly turned serious. “Sun-jie, stop talking. Master Zhao is right behind you.”

Sun Mengchen jumped in fright and spun around.

Behind her was a boy waiting in line for ice cream. The hotel’s ice cream was handmade, and the boy was debating whether to get three or four scoops. Startled by Sun Mengchen’s horrified expression, he whipped his head around, as if expecting a zombie apocalypse.

Sun Mengchen realized she’d been tricked.

“Wow, Song Shizhou, you actually dared to scare me!”

After exchanging a few more words with Sun Mengchen, Song Shizhou returned to her room. Little Zheng was very reliable in a short time, he had prepared a detailed itinerary for tomorrow’s schedule:

-8:00 AM: Attend the opening ceremony.

-8:30 AM: Showcase her work and accept press interviews.

-10:30 AM: Mid-session break.

-12:30 PM: Free exchange with other porcelain artisans at the exhibition.

-5:30 PM: Master Zhao arrives at the Huaguo Conference, followed by a discussion with him.

He had even marked the discussion with Master Zhao as “pending.”

Having worked in the Council’s secretariat for so long, Little Zheng had absorbed the relentless, workaholic energy of the place. Looking at this meticulously planned schedule, Song Shizhou felt the weight of pressure.

A single day’s agenda like this wouldn’t even count as an appetizer in the Council. Thank goodness she hadn’t agreed to Madam Chen’s offer to return to the Council, otherwise, she’d have been crushed by their workaholic culture.

Song Shizhou screenshotted the schedule and sent it to Miss Bai.

Bai Ruowei called her immediately, her tone matter-of-fact.

“Your assistant made this for you?”

Song Shizhou nodded.

“How did you know? Did Little Zheng use the Council’s professional PowerPoint template, so you recognized it at a glance?”

There was a brief, exasperated silence on the other end.

“Because people in the Council love putting on a show. They make a big fuss over the smallest things, acting like the sky’s falling.”

As a subordinate institution of the Council, Bai Ruowei had firsthand experience with this.

Song Shizhou teased, “Oh~ Miss Bai, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to badmouth the Council in front of me?”

There was a small pause on the other end.

“So what? You can’t catch me now anyway. What’s the harm in badmouthing the Council?”

She let out a light laugh, her tone lilting upward, the words carrying both provocation and a hint of ambiguity.

The Flower Nation Convention was being held in the Inner City. Bai Ruowei had originally received an invitation to the opening ceremony, but unexpectedly, the Surveillance Institute was thrown into chaos again. Mr. Bai’s condition had worsened, and she had to stay by his side around the clock.

As Mia put it, it was to prevent anyone from “stealing the base.”

Song Shizhou knew that in their past life, Mr. Bai’s death had been orchestrated by Bai Ruowei. So regarding this sudden and severe illness of his, the two of them maintained a tacit silence.

Song Shizhou changed the subject.

“Miss Bai, why have you been acting so strangely lately?”

Ever since their return from the ski resort, Bai Ruowei’s demeanor had inexplicably become awkward.

That kiss, tinged with the metallic tang of blood, still lingered on Song Shizhou’s lips. In the chilly snowfield, Song Shizhou had held Bai Ruowei’s chin, kissing away the traces of blood from her lips, one gentle press at a time.

A peculiar sensation had spread between them.

wild and scorching.

Bai Ruowei fell silent for a moment, hesitating as if guilty.

“I wanted to reach out to you, but I was afraid… that I scared you last time.”

She was referring to those words spoken with obsessive intensity.

Song Shizhou, however, found her answer almost laughable.

“But… haven’t you always been like this?”

At those words, Bai Ruowei actually felt a little embarrassed.

Miss Bai’s obsession came in phases. At first, it was the volatile version. Then, after repeated setbacks, she learned to brood alone. Later, because Song Shizhou kept interrupting her “casting,” she upgraded to a calm version coolly losing her mind, oscillating between composure and madness.

A brief silence followed on the other end.

The one who had been exposed let out a soft hum of acknowledgment.

“Alright, it’s been so long. I’m used to you by now.”

If one day Miss Bai were to become gentle, refined, and perfectly normal, Song Shizhou would probably find that unsettling instead.

On the other end, Bai Ruowei’s cheeks flushed slightly at the teasing remark.

In truth, Bai Ruowei had a thousand things she wanted to say, but all of them inevitably circled back to one unavoidable question:

“When are you coming back?”

“Next week.”

Bai Ruowei murmured an agreement.

She hung up the phone and rescheduled all of next week’s tasks to the coming days.

The Flower Nation Convention’s opening ceremony commenced under the spotlight of public attention. Held outdoors, the mid-spring sun blazed fiercely. Song Shizhou wore a simple, formal brown linen suit but still found it a bit too warm.

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