After My Death, the Richest Heiress Committed Suicide to Be With Me - Chapter 16

As she reached the Welcome Avenue, which was lined on both sides with tall pines and cypresses, Wu Yi spotted a graceful silhouette standing outside the iron gates of the school. Mo Qinghan stood with her back turned, wearing a backpack and holding a black cat carrier.

Wu Yi’s heart tightened; she felt instinctively that this meeting would be different.

“Senior Mo,” Wu Yi called out as she stepped through the school gates.

Mo Qinghan spun around and swept her gaze over Wu Yi with cold indifference. “You are Wu Yi, right?”

Wu Yi nodded and was about to respond when Mo Qinghan barked, “Take this!”

A dark object streaked through the air. It was the cat carrier. Shocked, Wu Yi’s mind went blank as she wondered if the kitten would get hurt. Without thinking, she lunged forward to catch the flying bag.

With a heavy thud, she collapsed onto the ground while clutching the carrier. Her knees scraped against the bluestone pavement through her thin skirt, and the pain was searing. Ignoring the sting, Wu Yi scrambled to open the carrier to check on the kitten.

However, the bag was empty except for a few pouches of cat food. There was no cat inside.

Wu Yi realized it was a trick and wondered if Mo Qinghan had done this on purpose. It was noon, and students were flooding out of the school. As the daughter of the Wu family and a prominent figure on campus, Wu Yi was already a magnet for attention. Seeing a girl throw something at her and knock her to the ground caused an immediate stir. Students stopped to whisper and point, and four security guards rushed over from their post.

“Student, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Wu Yi endured the pain and stood up, waving off the guards. “I am fine. No help is needed.”

The guards looked suspiciously at the stony-faced Mo Qinghan. “Who is this? Did you two have a conflict?”

“No,” Wu Yi said quickly. “This senior had found my lost cat, and she came to return it to me.”

Mo Qinghan curled her lip, ready to expose the lie, but Wu Yi added, “She is a top student from Huainan University who came specifically to return the cat.”

Mo Qinghan closed her mouth because she did not want to embarrass Huainan University in public. She stared at Wu Yi, feeling as though the girl was using words to hem her in, which only deepened her resentment.

The guards eventually dispersed the crowd. However, Wu Yi’s group of followers refused to leave. Wang Xianya stepped forward aggressively and asked, “Hey! Who do you think you are, coming here to—”

“Shut up,” Wu Yi interrupted before she could finish.

Wang Xianya was stunned. “Young Mistress, why are you—”

“Get lost,” Wu Yi said softly, her eyes cold.

Wang Xianya flinched, as did the other wealthy teenagers. “Understood! We are leaving right now!” The group of socialites scrambled away.

Mo Qinghan watched them go and remarked sarcastically, “Junior Wu certainly has quite the presence, just like the rumors say.” She glanced at the school’s prestigious sign and added, “A true aristocratic school; every student is rich or powerful, just like you.”

Her tone was full of disdain. Wu Yi wondered privately if Mo Qinghan simply hated the wealthy or if she had specifically returned to target her. She studied Mo Qinghan’s face for a sign, but she found only coldness and contempt.

“Senior Mo, flattery aside,” Wu Yi said calmly, “where is the cat?”

Mo Qinghan arched an eyebrow. “Did you really think I would throw a cat on the ground?”

She set her backpack down and unzipped it. A small kitten poked its head out with a soft meow. Wu Yi hurried forward to take the kitten and placed it safely inside the carrier.

“Senior Mo, thank you for making the long trip.”

Mo Qinghan did not reply. She scrutinized Wu Yi’s calm face as if trying to see through her. After a long silence, she said slowly, “You do not need to thank me. I am only returning the cat on behalf of my girlfriend. I would not have come if it were not for her sake.”

Girlfriend.

Wu Yi’s eyes shrunk, and her entire body went rigid. Thunder seemed to crash in her mind, and the world went blurry. Only that word, girlfriend, roared in her ears.

Did she mean Lou Lou? Is Lou Lou already her girlfriend? Am I too late?

Last night! Lou Lou went to help her last night. Is that when they made it official?

Mo Qinghan watched her closely. Seeing Wu Yi standing there expressionless, she wondered if the girl’s lack of reaction meant her own rebirth had not affected Wu Yi yet. She wondered if the world was changing simply because she had come back.

The two stood face to face, both lost in their own thoughts.

Wu Yi forced herself to snap out of it and said calmly, “Regardless, I must thank you, and please thank Senior Xiao for me. If there is nothing else, I will take the cat home.”

“There is one more thing,” Mo Qinghan said. “My girlfriend is not very social; she is focused on her studies. You have the national exams coming up soon, too. Do not go looking for her again. I am a very suspicious person; if there is a misunderstanding, do not blame me for turning hostile.”

She turned and walked away.

Wu Yi watched her figure disappear before turning toward the school parking lot. She walked slowly, one step at a time. It was only after she sat in the car, clutching the cat carrier, that her calm facade shattered. Her face contorted with immense pain, like a white sheet of paper slowly being soaked in black ink.

The driver and security guard sat in the front, watching her pale, tortured face through the mirror. Neither dared to speak, and the car was deathly silent.

After a long time, Wu Yi spoke. “I have informed Auntie Liu. Drive the cat home and tell the household to take care of it.”

“Miss Yi,” the guard asked hesitantly, “are you not going home for lunch?”

Wu Yi shook her head. “I have homework. I will eat at school. I am not going back.”

Once the car left, Wu Yi stood alone in the empty parking lot. After a long pause, she suddenly shivered and began walking out of the school gates. It was just past 1:00 PM, and the campus was quiet and deserted. Her lonely figure crossed the vast plaza, leaving a helpless shadow under the afternoon sun.

Since the National Day holiday began the next day, most classes at Huainan University were canceled or finished early. Xiao Lou’s elective class ended at 3:30 PM. She walked out of the teaching building with the crowd.

She was in no rush to go home. There were only a few buses to her hometown, and arriving late at night would worry her parents. She had booked a ticket for the following morning instead.

Her roommates were already leaving: Yu Pingping lived the furthest and had headed to the train station at noon, while Wang Huan and Chen Pengpeng were likely already on the road to their nearby cities. Mo Qinghan had told her earlier that she would be busy at the new company after delivering the cat.

Xiao Lou walked leisurely toward her dorm, mentally reviewing her lesson. She decided to walk along the moat outside the East Gate rather than biking. She did not notice a graceful figure following her about a hundred meters behind. When Xiao Lou walked, the figure walked; when Xiao Lou stopped, the figure stopped.

At one point, Xiao Lou paused to watch the sunlight dancing on the water. She imagined how to capture those golden ripples with a paintbrush. The figure behind her watched the water too, equally lost in thought. Later, Xiao Lou was captivated by the swaying golden flowers of a Koelreuteria tree against the autumn sky. She raised her arm, mimicking a brush stroke in the air as if painting on the sky itself. The person behind her ignored the flowers, staring only at Xiao Lou.

A few male students trailed further back, whispering about how beautiful the mysterious girl following Xiao Lou was, calling her a painting by the river. Neither Xiao Lou nor her shadow paid them any mind.

Xiao Lou reached her dorm around 4:00 PM. She washed her hands and checked her messages.

Mo Qinghan: [Lou, I delivered the cat. The company is busy, so I will go there first and see you tonight!]

Yu Pingping: [Monitor, I am on the bus home! I will let you know when I arrive. I will bring you specialties when I get back!]

Xiao Lou replied to them and saw two messages from Wu Yi:

[Senior Xiao, can I treat you to a return meal tomorrow night? (ò V ó)]

[Senior Xiao, I received the kitten. Thank you to Senior Mo for the trip. The kitten is wonderful. May I give it a name?]

Xiao Lou shook her head and replied: [Of course, it is your cat. You can name it whatever you like. And really, no need for the meal.]

She began packing her bags. A while later, her phone chimed again, but she ignored it to finish organizing her desk. She found two handwritten notebooks from her own national exam days and her previous tutoring plans.

Thinking of Wu Yi’s earnest face, Xiao Lou smiled and checked her phone.

Wu Yi: [Senior Xiao, the kitten is not just mine. It belongs to you, too. You saved both of us.]

Xiao Lou was touched by the sincerity. She typed back: [Then I will leave it in your care. I just found some of my old notes that might help with your studies. I can drop them off on my way to dinner so you can use them over the holiday.]

Seconds later, her phone rang with a voice call from Wu Yi.

“Junior Wu, what is it?” Xiao Lou asked, surprised.

“Senior Xiao,” Wu Yi’s voice sounded breathless. “I just finished physical education class, and I am training outside near your school. I can come pick them up now so you do not have to travel.”

“Wait, I can—”

“Wait for me! I am coming to find you!” Wu Yi hung up.

Xiao Lou laughed to herself. She realized the girl was very excited about study notes and thought she was a hardworking student. She sent her location and received a quick reply: [I will be there in ten minutes.]

Xiao Lou changed clothes, put the notes in a tote bag, and headed down to the dormitory entrance. Soon, she saw a girl in a white dress running along the moat. The dress fluttered in the wind like a swaying gardenia flower. Xiao Lou felt as if she were looking at a romantic classical oil painting.

Wu Yi skidded to a stop in front of her, her face flushed and a thin layer of sweat on her brow.

“Junior Wu, why did you run? There was no rush,” Xiao Lou said gently.

Wu Yi looked at her intently and said, “I did not want you to wait.”

The simple sentence touched Xiao Lou’s heart. She checked her pockets for a tissue but found none, so she simply handed over the bag. “Here are the notes. I hope they are useful.”

Wu Yi took the bag with both hands but kept her bright eyes fixed on Xiao Lou. “They definitely will be.”

“Good,” Xiao Lou smiled. “You should get back to your training.” She looked at Wu Yi’s white dress and princess-style leather shoes. “I thought you said you were in physical education?”

Wu Yi blushed deeper. “The teacher said to wear casual clothes, but I wanted to look nice, so I wore this.”

Xiao Lou gave a warm smile. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to look nice. You look very beautiful.”

Wu Yi’s eyes sparkled even more, but she remained silent. Xiao Lou waved. “Go back to class now. Do not run, and stay safe.”

“Okay.”

“I am going back inside now.” Xiao Lou turned toward the dorm.

Wu Yi stood still, watching her back.

Xiao Lou felt a strange sensation and glanced back after entering the lobby. Wu Yi was still there, standing motionless and staring at her. For some reason, Xiao Lou was reminded of her own childhood, standing still with so much to say but no voice to say it.

Her heart softened, and she walked back out.

Seeing her return, Wu Yi jumped and instinctively turned to run.

“Junior Wu!” Xiao Lou called out, catching up to her. “Why did you run away as soon as I looked back?”

Wu Yi’s face was beet red. She did not know how to explain that she had been wandering Huainan University since noon just to see her. She had followed her from the teaching building to the dorm, lacking the courage to speak until she received the message about the notes. She had run five hundred meters away and back just to make her arrival look real.

She finally had the chance to see her, and now it was over. She did not want to leave.

Seeing her silence, Xiao Lou felt a pang of sympathy. “Is there a problem you are stuck on but are too shy to ask about?” she asked softly. “It is alright. You can ask me anything.”

Wu Yi looked up, her throat tight with all the things she wanted to say. Finally, she whispered, “Senior Xiao, I want to name the kitten Marshmallow. Is that okay?”

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