NOVPUBAfter parting ways with Lan Hua, I quickened my pace.
It wasn’t just guilt weighing down on me; it was also a sense of unease. I felt genuinely sorry for Lan Hua.
Did my words hurt her? But what’s said is said. There was no taking it back. And besides, that was the best decision, wasn’t it?
If I couldn’t return her feelings, then I had to reject her clearly and decisively. Dragging things out would only let the situation snowball until it spiraled completely out of control. And by then, even if I regretted it, there would be nothing I could do to fix it.
And the most critical thing... was to worry about Lan Hua’s safety.
Even though I didn’t think Lillian was the type of girl to be overwhelmingly jealous, they say a woman’s heart is as deep as the ocean. Who could really know what she was truly thinking?
If she decided to do something to Lan Hua... a stalker... would be nothing compared to a killer. It would be like comparing a small fry to a shark.
Hmm, in the novels I’ve read, the stories always focus on the person being dumped — how hurt, heartbroken, and devastated they feel. But they rarely talk about how the one doing the dumping feels.
It’s not easy being the one to break someone’s heart either...
My conscience was already stinging from what I did to Snowy. And now, after what I said to Lan Hua, it felt like the wound in my heart had been torn open even wider.
What was the right thing to do? What was the correct choice? I couldn’t figure it out anymore...
“Tch... So annoying...”
I scratched my head in frustration, my thoughts tangled and my mood plummeting.
My fingers accidentally brushed against the lump on my forehead, sending a sharp pang of pain through me. And that pain reminded me of something I’d momentarily forgotten.
My sisters.
They were probably waiting for me at home right now.
Ugh, that was another colossal headache to deal with...
Their behavior had been getting more and more out of hand lately. Ever since what happened with Serena, they’d started closing the distance between us, launching a full-on assault. It was as if they no longer saw me as their brother.
Maybe breaking through the wall of our sibling relationship was their goal all along.
I suddenly remembered something Mom had said once — that Cora might become obsessively attached to me as her big brother. At the time, I thought there was no way it could get that extreme, but after what happened in the living room yesterday...
Maybe Mom had already seen through Cora’s true nature...
Cora and I weren’t related by blood. Technically, she could very well turn that “I want to be Big Brother’s bride” joke into a reality.
But there was no way I could let that happen. Even as a fleeting thought, I couldn’t imagine myself holding hands with Cora and walking down the aisle.
Because in my mind, the person holding their hands shouldn’t be me. I should be the one clapping from the sidelines, the one congratulating them and offering my blessings.
Just like the ending of that light novel that sparked the whole brocon craze — no matter how much they liked each other, they ultimately returned to being siblings. That was the so-called “lovers turned siblings” ending.
Uh, maybe that’s not the right way to put it, but that’s what I’m trying to say.
That would be the “correct” ending.
Just like those two titles: Cold-Type and Scheming-Type — even though they’ve caused me endless headaches, the last two words of both titles remain unchanged.
Sister.
I hate things that are unclear. I hate ambiguous relationships even more. Are they my sisters or potential lovers?
Of course, they’re my sisters.
And I will never confuse the two.
Whether it’s Serena or Cora, they’re both “sisters.” It has nothing to do with blood relation. It’s all about identity.
“Speaking of which, I still don’t understand what ‘True’ and ‘Fake’ mean...”
So far, the labels I’d seen in brackets were (Awakened), (Beginner), (Intermediate), (Advanced), (True), (Fake), and... was there anything else?
Ah, right. There was also (Foundation Stage), but cultivators and all that... still felt a bit too out there. About as unrealistic as magicians.
Anyway, from what I could tell, the text in brackets seemed to serve as a descriptor or qualifier for the title itself. Lan Hua was a perfect example.
I’d been wondering when exactly I started feeling that searing, piercing gaze on me, and now it was obvious. It must have started when Lan Hua’s title evolved from (Beginner) to (Intermediate).
Because once her stalker level went up, she started stalking me with reckless abandon.
Which made me wonder... if Lan Hua ever became (Advanced), what would she do then? (Intermediate) already allowed her to pop up out of nowhere, move like an assassin, and track me like a hunter. Somehow, she’d also obtained tons of personal information about me. Her actions were already terrifyingly over the top.
If she reached (Advanced)... I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she’d do.
But then again, I probably wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore. I’d just flat-out rejected her, so she likely wouldn’t bother me again.
Now, back to the “True” and “Fake” labels. Which part of the title were they referring to? The type? Or the “sister” part?
Hmm... My guess was that it referred to the type. “Fake” could mean that Serena only seemed like a cold-type sister on the outside, but was actually burning with passion underneath. That much was obvious from her constant nightly visits.
And “True” could mean that Cora was, in fact, a genuine scheming little devil... right?
But... something about that felt off.
Ugh, I couldn’t figure it out, and it was driving me crazy.
Regardless, I had to come up with a plan to deal with those two sisters. They’d definitely use my night out as a weapon to demand all sorts of unreasonable things from me.
What time was it now?
Maybe I should wait until Cora falls asleep before sneaking back home...?
Right. My phone — it should be charged by now. I reached into my pocket and pulled it out, pressing the power button. The time on the screen read 8:30 PM.
The battery level was at 69%, more than enough to last me through the night. I opened the call log to check for missed calls.
The number of missed calls had doubled — all from Cora.
But the most recent missed call wasn’t from Cora. It was from a number that seemed strangely familiar.
Oh, right. That was Snowy’s number.
Hmm... Should I call her back?
I suddenly remembered the unsettling look on Snowy’s face when I left the alley. My thumb hovered over the call button, but at the last second, I reflexively pulled it away and accidentally hit Cora’s number instead.
Damn!
I quickly canceled the call before it could connect.
Phew...
Why am I so nervous? The moment I start getting anxious, everything goes wrong. It seems like everything that’s happened in the past couple of days has really thrown me off balance.
In the end, I didn’t call anyone. Instead, I sent Snowy a text message:
[I’m home now. Don’t worry. I’ll visit you next time.]
Just as I was about to slip the phone back into my pocket, it buzzed with a reply.
[Mm.]
That was it. Just one single character.
Haha, that was so typical of Snowy. Maybe next time, I should teach her how to use emoticons. That would definitely be cute.
I saved Snowy’s number in my contacts. Now, my contact list, which once only had family members and a couple of teachers, now had a few friends in it.
Somehow, that made me feel a little better.
I mean, yeah, the past few days have been a complete mess, but it hasn’t all been bad, right?
At the very least, I made some friends. Isn’t that something?
It was almost 9 PM by the time I finally reached my house.
I stopped in front of the door, hesitant to go inside.
Phew... Better mentally prepare myself.
When did my sisters become such terrifying existences that I have to brace myself before walking through the front door?
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as I pulled out my key and unlocked the door.
“I’m home.”
I called ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) out, but no one responded.
That’s strange.
I stepped inside, took off my shoes, and walked into the living room. It was empty.
“Serena? Cora?”
No response.
I called out for my dad and mom, but there was still no reply. The entire house was silent.
What the hell? Is no one home?
I went back to the entryway and checked the shoes.
My parents’ shoes weren’t there, so they must have gone out. But Serena and Cora’s shoes were still there.
Their slippers were also missing, meaning they should still be home.
But even though I was back, they didn’t come to greet me...
I was expecting a storm of questions, maybe even a two-on-one confrontation where they’d gang up on me and demand answers.
But there was nothing.
Could they be asleep? No way. It’s only 9 PM. Cora wouldn’t go to bed this early.
Where the hell are they? Are they in the bathroom or something...?
Well, whatever. This actually saves me the trouble of dealing with them.
Time heals all wounds, after all.
Back when Serena and I fought, we didn’t really make up. We just stopped talking for a while until things gradually returned to normal.
Serena’s way of showing she was mad was to completely ignore me. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t respond. Even though we lived under the same roof, we could go for a whole week without exchanging a single word.
The only exception was that one time in the bathroom, when she suddenly made some strange requests. And ever since then, she’d developed some pretty weird interests... Ugh... Bad memories.
I could still remember how soft and wet her skin felt under my fingers.
I shook my head violently, trying to think of something else, but instead, I thought of what I did to Snowy last night.
Pfft... Poison to counter poison? Looks like I’m already beyond saving...
Then, Lan Hua’s tear-streaked face floated up in my mind.
She must have gone home by now... right?
She was crying so much. Would she do something impulsive? Tch... Now I was really starting to worry.
What was I thinking, leaving her alone like that? That was way too harsh.
“Haaah...”
I quickly went upstairs and rummaged through the drawer for the class contact book that Ms. Jane had handed out at the beginning of the school year.
Found it. Cherry Gao’s number.
Cherry was Lan Hua’s best friend. If I asked her to go check on Lan Hua, that would be the best solution.
The phone connected almost immediately.
Cherry answered herself. I explained everything to her, from how I’d left Lan Hua on the street to how I was worried about her. After I finished, Cherry was silent for a moment before saying:
“I see. Leave Xiaolan to me... Thanks, I guess. Now I get why she likes you so much. At least you’re slightly better than those scumbags. Not that I can bring myself to like you, though.”
Then she hung up without another word.
Slightly better than a scumbag... What a backhanded compliment.
Having settled that, I trudged back upstairs, feeling drained. I pushed open the door to my room.
The moment I stepped inside, my gaze immediately fell upon the glowing label hovering in the darkness.
[Scheming-Type Brocon Sister (True)]
Except now, it wasn’t entirely pink.
The “Brocon Sister (True)” part was still bright pink, but the “Scheming-Type” part... had turned gray.
I remembered what Lily Yang had said. Gray meant...
Jealousy.
