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

After dinner, the three of them snuggled up on the sofa in the living room.

Su Qing sat in the middle, with a person clinging to her on each side, refusing to let go.

Jiang Ran held her sister's uninjured hand, gently stroking the back of her hand with her thumb, her whole demeanor relaxed and affectionate.

But whenever Su Qing turned her head to look at the TV screen, her gaze would pass over her sister's shoulder and land on Jiang Yi's face, which was filled with "I don't know anything".

The implication in his gaze was as clear as Morse code: It's getting late, you should go now, immediately.

Jiang Yi received the signal, but she chose to do the opposite.

Instead of letting go, she pulled Su Qing's arm closer to her chest, tilted her head, and gave Jiang Ran an innocent smile. Her expression clearly said, "What are you doing? I don't understand. Just tell Sister Su what you want to say."

Jiang Ran's slightly upturned smile visibly turned colder, and the temperature in the living room seemed to drop by half a degree.

Jiang Yi felt a chill run down her spine from that gaze, but her expression remained as calm as a mountain.

Despite her fear, Xiao Ran couldn't very well do anything to Sister Su in front of her.

"Is Xiaoyi staying here tonight?" Su Qing turned to look at the night outside the window, her tone carrying a hint of matter-of-fact concern. "It's so late, it's not safe for her to go home alone."

Jiang Yi was overjoyed and was about to nod when her gaze inadvertently swept over Su Qing's shoulder and met Jiang Ran's slightly narrowed eyes.

That smile was beautiful, but the warning in it was as strong as a cup of unsweetened black coffee; it clearly said, "If you dare agree, I'll kill you."

In a split second, Jiang Yi quickly assessed his own survival space and realized that if he continued to be so cheeky, he would probably run out of cheeks.

She released Su Qing's arm, stood up, stretched, and said that she had almost forgotten that she had things to do at home and would come to see Sister Su again tomorrow.

She walked to the door, changed her shoes, turned back and waved to Su Qing, then disappeared at the end of the corridor at the fastest speed she had ever seen.

Jiang Ran watched her figure disappear behind the door, and the smile on her lips finally switched from "cold threat" back to "gentle satisfaction".

She stood in the entryway waiting for her sister to close the door and come back. Then, she naturally took her sister's hand and led her back to the living room. She sat down on the sofa, gently resting her head on Su Qing's lap, finally able to quietly enjoy time that belonged only to the two of them.

Su Qing's fingers habitually ran through her hair, her fingertips gently gliding from the top of her head to the ends, then slowly combing back, over and over again.

They've done this countless times, from age seven to fifteen, from that small home to this luxurious penthouse suite.

But today, Su Qing's fingers were still moving to the familiar rhythm, yet her heart was filled with more things than usual.

  

Looking at Xiao Ran's profile as she rested her head on her lap, at her quiet and obedient appearance with her eyes closed, the question swirled in her throat... Did Xiao Ran really harbor such feelings for her?

But what if it's not? What if she's just being too sensitive and overthinking things? Would it make Xiao Ran feel embarrassed if she asked so rashly?

She didn't want Xiao Ran to think her sister was a strange person, and she didn't want to hurt Xiao Ran in any way.

"What's wrong, sister? Are you too tired?" Jiang Ran had opened her eyes at some point and was staring at her intently. The hand that wasn't being held gently pulled Su Qing's hand from her hair and placed it under her face, the warmth of her palm passing through her thin skin.

Su Qing looked down at her and said no, then gently pinched her soft cheek, her lips curving into a casual tone: "Speaking of which, our Xiao Ran is quite a young woman now. In the years since your older sister was away, has she gone astray? Has she secretly learned to smoke or drink?"

Jiang Ran still rested her head on her hand, tilting her head slightly, a hint of mischief in her smile, as she gently tossed the question back: "What about my sister? Doesn't she drink too?"

Su Qing was momentarily speechless at her precise retort, then said righteously, "That's different, sister is an adult."

"Oh? But sister..." Jiang Ran rubbed her face against Su Qing's palm again, her bright eyes curving into a smile, "Xiao Ran is an adult now."

Su Qing opened her mouth, then suddenly realized the seriousness of the problem. She tightened her grip on Su Qing's cheek, her voice tinged with genuine anxiety: "No, you haven't really started smoking and drinking, have you?"

Looking into her sister's worried eyes, Jiang Ran finally couldn't bear to tease her anymore. She rubbed her face against her sister's hand and honestly told her, "Nothing's wrong, don't worry, sister."

Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, pinched her cheek and rubbed it a couple more times, feeling a weight lifted from her heart. She thought to herself, "She's still just a child."

She paused, her fingers continuing to gently comb through Jiang Ran's hair, her voice more natural than before, as if she were chatting casually: "Has our Xiao Ran been in a relationship? Kids this age are most prone to early romances. I wonder if she's secretly dating anyone at school."

Jiang Ran looked at her sister's face, which seemed to say, "I was just asking casually," and at the smile on her lips that was trying hard to maintain a relaxed look but was clearly a little tense.

So this is what my sister really wanted to ask after going around in circles all night.

The older sister probably thought she was being very natural by hinting at things, but in her eyes, every word was like ink written on glass, clearer than clear.

She didn't answer directly, but instead took Su Qing's hand from her cheek and held it in her palm, her eyes still fixed on Su Qing: "If I really fall in love too early, will you blame me, sister?"

Su Qing was taken aback by the question.

Xiao Ran didn't deny it... Does that mean she really has someone she likes? All her previous guesses were just her own wild imagination.

She suppressed the vague sense of disappointment in her heart and tried to make her voice sound like a mature adult: "I can't say it's your fault, it's just that puppy love is something that, although Xiao Ran is very smart, matters of the heart are different from studying. You're still young, and you'll meet many more people in the future. There's no need to rush into anything like dating..."

"So, does that mean you don't want me to have a romantic relationship?" Jiang Ran tilted her head slightly as she looked at her, a smile on her lips that Su Qing felt was a little off but couldn't quite put her finger on.

When Su Qing was asked this question, she quickly explained that she didn't mean it that way. She just felt that matters of the heart were too complicated and was afraid that Su Qing would get hurt in the end.

As Jiang Ran listened to her sister's increasingly confusing explanation, and saw the obvious disappointment in her eyes that she couldn't hide but was trying hard to suppress, a part of her heart was gently touched.

The older sister probably had no idea how much her expression looked like she was jealous.

"And what about you, sister?" She gently pulled Su Qing's hand over, interlacing her fingers on her knees, and looked up into her eyes. "Speaking of which, you're only eighteen in body now, but your mental age is almost twenty-eight. Do you have any thoughts about falling in love?"

Su Qing was caught off guard by her sudden question.

She opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to say something, but then closed it again.

She hadn't really thought about that.

When I was a boy, all I thought about was how to make more money and live a better life. But after I became a girl, that thought never even crossed my mind.

Should we let her date a man?

She tried to imagine the scene in her mind: a strange man sitting opposite her, looking at her with affectionate eyes, and then reaching out to take her hand.

She suddenly felt a chill run from the top of her head to the soles of her feet, and she felt completely unwell.

I can't accept it, I absolutely can't accept it.

She banished the image from her mind with such a force that her shoulders trembled, and then concluded with absolute certainty: "No, not at all."

Jiang Ran took in the wonderful changes in her sister's expression, and the last bit of uncertainty in her heart was completely filled in.

Looking at Su Qing's slightly furrowed brows and undisguised resistance, she knew that her sister not only had no interest in men, but had probably never considered developing a relationship with anyone that went beyond the boundaries of friendship.

That's good, very good.

"Then you can stay with me forever now, right?" She held Su Qing's hand in her own palm, her thumb lightly brushing against the back of her hand, her voice soft and gentle. "You said you would stay with Xiao Ran forever, and you haven't broken your promise. You're back."

As Su Qing listened to her words and looked into her eyes, which were filled with her own reflection, the turmoil that had been weighing on her heart for most of the night suddenly became less important.

She sighed, reached out and ruffled Jiang Ran's hair, her tone a mix of helplessness and indulgence: "You tricked me into coming back right after I got back. How could I bear to leave Xiao Ran behind?"

Jiang Ran looked at her face, which was bathed in the warm light of the living room, and at the helpless yet doting smile on her lips. She couldn't hold back any longer and stretched out her arms to hug her tightly.

She buried her face in Su Qing's neck, her arms wrapped around her waist with such force that it felt like she wanted to knead her into her bones.

She tilted her head slightly, her lips brushing against Su Qing's earlobe, her voice incredibly soft, as soft as a feather falling on water, yet the infatuation and obsession beneath were even stronger than three years ago: "Then sister must remember what she said, and Xiao Ran will never abandon sister, but if... sister ever wants to leave Xiao Ran..."

She paused, then pulled Su Qing closer to her. "Although Xiao Ran thinks it's unlikely, if that really happens, Xiao Ran can only use her own methods to keep her sister here."

As Su Qing listened to the little guy's possessive words, that familiar, strange feeling that she had deliberately ignored resurfaced.

But she didn't hesitate like before. She simply reached out and gently pinched Jiang Ran's cheeks, pulling her pretty face into a somewhat amused curve: "Wow, Xiao Ran, are you being so domineering now? You even dare to threaten your older sister?"

Jiang Ran's lips pouted slightly as Jiang Ran's face was pinched, but the light in her eyes shone even brighter.

She didn't struggle, letting her sister squeeze her, tilting her head slightly to look at her: "Then, sister, are you willing? What if that day really comes... will sister blame Xiaoran?"

Su Qing looked down into those eyes, which held undisguised possessiveness, obsession, and a deep, hidden, cautious unease.

Without thinking much, she simply leaned down and placed a very light kiss on her forehead, her lips lingering on her smooth skin for a few seconds before moving away.

Then she sighed, her tone helpless yet gentle: "If I blame you, will you not have done it?"

Jiang Ran was taken aback by her question, then chuckled and buried her face in Su Qing's arms again.

Su Qing's fingers ran through her long hair, feeling the familiar, reassuring weight of the warm body pressed against her.

She knew that if she really disliked this relationship, if Xiao Ran's kindness made her uncomfortable, she should push her away, tell her seriously that this was wrong, and keep her distance.

But as the system said... she didn't.

She never pushed Xiao Ran away.

Every time Xiao Ran approached, every time Xiao Ran looked at her with that intense gaze that seemed to devour her, she didn't back down. Instead, she would reach out and hug Xiao Ran even tighter.

She knew she was being terrible. She knew it was wrong and shouldn't be happening, yet she still craved all the warmth and dependence Xiao Ran gave her.

But she didn't want to deny it, nor could she deny it... She liked this feeling.

I like it when someone is willing to stay for me, when someone takes my every word to heart, and when someone loves me with their whole life.

What's more, this person is her only family member in the world.