Chapter 9
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Chapter 9: Saying More Just Brings Tears
“Beep, beep, beep, beep~”
With the sharp chime of the alarm clock, Su Li slowly opened her eyes. She sat there in a daze for a moment before her mind finally caught up with reality.
She looked at her delicate, slender hand and let out a bitter laugh. So the idea that everything would go back to normal after just a night’s sleep… really was just a fantasy. Nothing had changed. She might as well get up, wash up, and prepare for work like a good girl.
Dragging herself out of bed, she headed to the bathroom. As she washed her face, Su Li caught sight of her adorably girlish reflection in the mirror.
Even with messy bed hair, that soft, sweet face somehow looked even cuter—there was a sort of disheveled beauty to it.
If this were before her rebirth, Su Li would’ve absolutely gone out of her way to conquer a girl like this.
But now…
Sigh.
Thinking about it just brought tears. There was no way she could bring herself to make a move on her own self. That kind of operation was just way too cursed.
Once she finished washing up—no makeup needed—she ran a comb through her hair and tied it into two quick, clean ponytails. As for clothes, the usual T-shirt and jeans combo seemed good enough.
Simple and easy.
Though… it did make her look a bit too young. Su Li frowned at her reflection. Maybe she should wear something more formal for her first day of work? Dressed like this, she looked more like a student than a teacher. If she showed up to class like this, her students might be taller than her!
Troubled, she pulled out the only set of professional clothes she owned and changed into it.
But the moment she saw herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help but cringe.
Even though the outfit fit her perfectly, she looked like a little girl playing dress-up in her mom’s wardrobe. It just didn’t sit right.
Forget it. Back to the jeans and T-shirt.
Once she changed back, Su Li finally stepped out of her apartment—and ran straight into Ling Luo, who just happened to be stepping out at the same time.
Ling Luo smiled warmly. “Wow, what a coincidence.”
“Yeah, seriously. What are the odds,” Su Li replied with a strained smile.
Looking at Ling Luo now, Su Li couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Back before her rebirth, when Ling Luo moved in next door, she hadn’t said a word after that first day. They barely even acknowledged each other for half a month.
Could it be that just because Su Li looked different now, Ling Luo was suddenly more approachable? No way. Su Li didn’t buy that for a second.
Still, it was just a casual greeting. No need to overthink it.
She quickly adjusted her expression and flashed a cute smile. “You heading to work too?”
“Huh? I thought you were a student,” Ling Luo said in surprise.
Su Li’s smile froze.
Maybe she should have worn that professional outfit after all—just to prove she wasn’t some high schooler. Did she really look that young? Like an underage middle school student!?
Ling Luo must’ve picked up on her embarrassment, because she chuckled awkwardly and added, “Sorry about that. You just have such a youthful look, I instinctively thought you were still a student. My bad.”
Oof. That one went straight to Su Li’s heart.
That familiar, lightly teasing cruelty… Yup. That was definitely the Ling Luo she remembered. Sweet on the surface, secretly savage. Classic natural black.
Forget it. No use arguing.
Still, Ling Luo’s behavior today really made it feel like they were meeting for the first time. But Su Li couldn’t draw any conclusions just yet—not when Ling Luo had inexplicably shown up a whole year earlier than expected. Just like another person at school, who had appeared six months ahead of schedule.
Almost as if remembering something, Ling Luo tilted her head curiously. “By the way, I still don’t know—what do you do for work?”
“I’m a teacher! A proper, full-fledged teacher!” Su Li puffed out her not-so-impressive chest, pride shining in her eyes.
Even if she was slowly straying toward the path of questionable teachers, she still cherished this job.
Being a teacher had always been her dream—though she wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was just the appeal of yelling “No running in the hallway!” with authority.
She’d achieved that dream before her death. But now… the “authority” part? Totally gone.
“I’m heading to work too,” Ling Luo said. “Why don’t we go together? Who knows—we might be heading in the same direction.”
Of course they were heading in the same direction. Ling Luo’s office was just past Su Li’s school. The distance wasn’t huge, but still—just walking a bit of the way together was enough.
Enough to relive that little feeling of going to work together.
Wasn’t that more than enough?
Ling Luo acted like she’d just moved into an unfamiliar area—eyes full of curiosity, stopping now and then to comment on this or that.
But Su Li didn’t bother explaining much. Her own cover story, after all, was that she’d just moved here too.
“Oh? You can buy groceries here? That’s so convenient!”
“That noodle shop over there looks pretty good. We should try it next time.”
“There’s a dry cleaner hidden all the way back there? If you weren’t looking carefully, you’d never find it!”
……
The two chatted all the way until they reached the school gates, where they finally parted ways. Watching Ling Luo’s back as she walked away, Su Li suddenly felt a little dazed.
How long had it been since she’d last heard Ling Luo ramble on like that?
Probably since they broke up.
She really missed it.
While she was lost in that nostalgic haze, someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder. Su Li turned around instinctively—and standing there was none other than Li Yitong.
Dressed in a light blue dress that complemented her graceful beauty, Li Yitong gave off a quiet charm. Just standing there with a gentle smile drew the attention of several students passing by.
Of course, Su Li herself was attracting her own fair share of stares. Plenty of students were whispering, trying to guess whether she was a new middle schooler or a fresh-faced high schooler.
“Good morning, Miss Su.”
“G-Good morning.”
“Didn’t expect you to arrive so early,” Li Yitong said with a smile. “By the way, we’re in the same office. I’ll take you there.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
Su Li already knew where the office was, of course. But since she was supposed to be a newbie who’d just started her job today, she had to act like one. Behaving a little clueless was part of the role.
Making a few rookie mistakes was totally excusable, right?
Plus, with Li Yitong leading the way, she’d be able to avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Following close behind, Su Li quickly arrived at the office. Stepping inside, she found that everything was still exactly as she remembered.
Of course, she recognized everyone here…
But they didn’t recognize her.
Probably.
……
Author’s Note: Rolling on the floor, begging for votes~
