My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Just as Su Qing placed the last dish on the table, she heard the soft sound of the door lock opening from the entryway.

Jiang Ran pushed open the door and the first thing she saw was her older sister, who was still wearing an apron.

The warm yellow light fell on Su Qing, enveloping her in a gentle halo. The apron straps were tied into a small bow at the back of her waist, making her waist look even more slender.

Jiang Ran's gaze swept over her sister habitually, landing on the bandage on her wrist, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

She saw the whole thing on the monitor, but it wasn't until she saw with her own eyes that the wound had been properly bandaged that she finally felt relieved after a whole afternoon of worry.

She stepped forward, reached out and gently wrapped her arms around Su Qing's waist, buried her face in the crook of Su Qing's neck and took a deep breath.

The familiar, fresh scent emanating from her sister, mingled with the faint aroma of food from the kitchen, finally eased the tension in her heart, which had been weighed down by documents, data, and the sight of Jiang Yi crying in her sister's arms on the other end of the monitor all afternoon.

"You're back?" Su Qing smiled and patted her on the back. "Go wash your hands, the food is ready."

Jiang Ran lifted her head from her sister's shoulder and responded obediently.

His gaze drifted past Su Qing's shoulder and landed lightly on Jiang Yi, who was standing in the center of the living room, trying to shrink herself into a background figure.

That glance was very faint and light, revealing no emotion whatsoever, and there was even a faint, almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her mouth.

But Jiang Yi felt a chill run down her spine for no apparent reason. The way Xiao Ran looked at her was different from her usual indifferent and distant "Why haven't you left yet?" look. It was more like she saw through something and was holding one of Jiang Yi's little braids in her hand.

However, she thought again that she was always kicked out every time she came, so how could Xiao Ran have any leverage over her? She wouldn't have a chance to expose herself anyway.

Yes, she must be overthinking it.

The dining table was piled high with food.

Su Qing hadn't cooked for her family like this in a long time. Although Jiang Yi wasn't strictly a member of her family, seeing her sitting across from her holding a bowl made her feel as if she had returned to that home three years ago, where the three little ones were crowding around the dining table, chattering and fighting over the food.

Jiang Ran was naturally unhurried, but she always managed to pick up the best piece and put it into her own bowl just a second before Jiang Yi's chopsticks were about to touch the target.

Su Qing couldn't stand it, so she gave Jiang Yi a piece of braised pork rib and added a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes to Jiang Ran's bowl, piling both bowls full.

Jiang Yi was engrossed in eating when she suddenly felt a gaze fall upon her from across the table.

She looked up, half a piece of green vegetable still dangling from her mouth, and met Jiang Ran's calm, unwavering eyes.

Jiang Ran asked if she was already full.

Jiang Yi looked down at the rice in her bowl that she had only touched twice, and the mountain of vegetables piled up next to her. She quickly slurped the vegetables into her mouth and mumbled a protest that she had only just started eating.

Jiang Ran didn't say anything more, but simply picked up the serving chopsticks and put a piece of food on Jiang Yi's plate in the small dish next to her bowl.

Jiang Yi was flattered and wondered why Xiao Ran was being so nice to her today, even taking the initiative to serve her food. Then she looked down and saw the crab leg, chopped into eight pieces, waving its claws at her in the dish.

  

A cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

No way, this crab's claws pinched her hand just today, and now Xiao Ran has precisely picked this crab from a whole table of dishes.

Is it a coincidence?

Xiao Ran couldn't possibly know what she did today, could she?

This must be a coincidence, she tried to reassure herself, then forced a smile and ate the food Xiao Ran had put on her plate, even chewing the crab shells very carefully.

Seeing their "friendly interaction," Su Qing nodded with satisfaction, then got up and said she was going to the restroom.

Only Jiang Yi and Jiang Ran remained in the restaurant.

Jiang Yi lowered her head to eat, her peripheral vision fixed on the figure beside her who was gently twirling the rim of a cup with long, slender fingers.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat subtle, and she felt inexplicably uneasy.

Sure enough, Jiang Ran spoke up. She put down her chopsticks, turned to Jiang Yi, her eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile that Jiang Yi knew all too well appeared on her lips. It wasn't the gentle and obedient smile she gave her sister, but the kind of smile that sent chills down one's spine, a smile with a hint of a cat playing with a mouse.

"Did you have fun here today?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi felt a weight lift from her heart, not just not, but rather her heart sank even further.

She tentatively replied, "I'm so happy! Seeing Sister Su again makes me happier than anything else." After she finished speaking, she mentally gave herself a perfect score for her acting skills: frank, sincere, and absolutely flawless.

"Really?" Jiang Ran tilted her head slightly, her tone still unhurried. "Didn't you keep saying my sister was fake, and even called to tell me not to be fooled? What, even someone as clear-headed as Xiao Yi got fooled?"

Jiang Yi nearly choked on her words, her face flushing slightly. "Well, it's because it's so unbelievable... and I even hurt Sister Su..." Her voice trailed off, but she quickly raised her head again, patting her chest confidently, "But now I know! Sister Su is the real Sister Su, and I will never do anything to hurt her again!"

Seeing her earnestly making her vow, Jiang Ran remained silent.

Of course she knew that Jiang Yi genuinely cared about her sister. In the past three years, Jiang Yi would get teary-eyed every time he saw the platinum bracelet on her wrist, and he would bring strawberry milk every time he came to visit her.

But it was precisely because of this knowledge that a vague and inexplicable sense of unease arose in a corner of my heart.

Even the slightest bit of concern shown to her sister by others made her feel an indescribable displeasure.

She didn't let her emotions show on her face, but instead changed the subject.

"Did anything else happen today?"

Jiang Yi's heart skipped a beat, but she remained obedient and composed on the surface: "I just bought the things and came back with Sister Su. Then Sister Su cooked, and I helped out. It's such a pity that you weren't here for lunch today, Xiao Ran. Sister Su's cooking is even better than before."

She deliberately omitted the parts about crying while hugging Sister Su and complaining about her, and instead praised Su Qing's cooking skills.

Seeing her expression that said "Sister Su and I are the best of friends in the world", Jiang Ran reached out and pinched Jiang Yi's cheek on one side, gently pulling it to the side.

Jiang Yi was taken aback by the sudden action, and then heard Jiang Ran speak. Her voice was still the same flat and emotionless tone, but every word made Jiang Yi's scalp tingle.

"Really? You didn't cry while hugging your sister, and you didn't secretly tell on me?"

Oh no, Xiao Ran, how did you know all this?

Jiang Yi's brain raced in that instant, but her first reaction was still to be stubborn.

She forced an innocent smile and tentatively said, "Xiao Ran, what are you talking about? I admit I was very moved to see Sister Su again and cried a little, but where would I complain? Xiao Ran is so good to me, what bad things could I complain about? Don't overthink it."

Seeing her stubborn insistence, Jiang Ran took out her phone and tapped the screen lightly with her fingertip.

A familiar cacophony of noise emanated from the loudspeaker. It was Jiang Yi herself, with her arms around Su Qing's waist, burying her head in the back of Su Qing's neck, saying in an extremely aggrieved tone, "Sister Su, you have no idea how much Xiao Ran has gone too far."

Jiang Yi froze, her expression changing several times in just a few seconds, from shock to disbelief, from resentment to resignation, finally settling on a complex expression of shame and grievance.

She reached out to grab the phone, trying to snatch it away, but Jiang Ran simply raised her arm slightly and firmly pressed down on Jiang Yi's shoulder with her other hand, pushing her back into her seat.

The phone was still playing, and it was playing the part where she vividly accused me of "sometimes saying that my breathing rate was not right with hers".

Seeing that her struggles were futile, Jiang Yi slumped into the chair, feeling like a little turtle that had been turned over and was left to dry its belly.

Looking at Jiang Ran's smile, which seemed anything but malicious, and her mocking expression that awaited her explanation, she racked her brains for a moment, only to find that she could neither come up with a reasonable explanation nor find a suitable excuse.

"I can explain..." she swallowed, struggling to utter the words she knew were utterly unconvincing.