DING—
Finally, it was the most relaxing ti of day: quitting ti.
In Fengting District, the elevator doors slowly opened. Jiangg Ning appeared at the door of apartnt 1301, carrying fresh vegetables and at. She’d had a busy day, and after getting off work, she still had to go grocery shopping. Thankfully, she kept a pair of sneakers in her car.
Otherwise, making her go grocery shopping in high heels would have been an unbearable form of torture.
Jiangg Ning had a rather strange habit. Whenever she stood before shelves packed with goods, she’d find herself unable to move on. This looked necessary, and so did that.
In the end, it was only after checking out and carrying everything to her car that she’d realize she had bought too much—a haul big enough to last at least a week.
Standing at her front door.
Jiangg Ning’s arms were sore, and two deep red marks had been pressed into her palms from the grocery bags.
She set the vegetables on the floor as she pressed her finger to the lock.
It was at tis like these that a girl might feel she really needed a boyfriend in her life, if only to have soone to help carry so of the weight.
As Jiangg Ning squatted down to pick up the bags again, she thought, ’I should ask Chen Yuan to go grocery shopping with next ti. It’d be a perfect chance to show off my cooking skills.’
’He’s eighteen, a crucial age for growth. I should feed him more good food.’
But the mont she stepped inside, Jiangg Ning’s expression turned cold. The sight that t her eyes was chaos: the blanket on the sofa was crumpled, half of it dangling onto the floor; several stuffed animals lay face-up on the ground; and a pile of electronic devices was stacked on the coffee table.
The living room had been neat and tidy when she left this morning. It had only been one day, and it was already in this state.
’Anyone who didn’t know better would think we’d been robbed!’
Expressionless, Jiangg Ning walked over, put the groceries in the fridge, and bent down to start cleaning up. The resentnt that had been brewing inside her all day was now on the verge of erupting.
She had already planned to settle accounts with Jiangg Yao today, and now she was using every ounce of self-control she possessed to hold back.
From the mont she got ho, she hadn’t planned on giving Jiangg Yao a pleasant look.
Jiangg Ning felt that she had spoiled her sister far too much over the years, which was why she’d done sothing so absurd and outrageous. ’It seems a serious, stern talking-to is truly in order.’
’Otherwise, if she makes an even bigger mistake in the future, it will be too late for regrets.’
As the saying goes: a son’s misdeeds are the father’s fault; a student’s poor learning is the teacher’s laziness.
Now, Jiangg Ning felt, ’A younger sister’s misdeeds are purely the older sister’s fault.’ She had doted on and spoiled her for so long; she couldn’t escape the bla.
Usually when she ca ho, the two incredibly close sisters would imdiately cuddle up together. But today, Jiangg Ning just trudged into the kitchen and started washing the ingredients to cook, shrouded in a cold, gloomy aura, as if a dark cloud was hanging right over her head.
...
In the second bedroom.
Jiangg Yao had no idea her sister was back. She was wearing a pair of pink cat-ear headphones, completely imrsed in her livestream.
She sat in her gaming chair, and on her secondary monitor to the left, the bullet comnts were flying by like crazy, flooding the entire screen.
Jiangg Yao had been streaming especially hard lately. In just seven days, she’d gained over 100,000 followers, and her streams consistently had nearly 20,000 regular viewers. On this not-so-large ACG streaming site, even if she wasn’t top-tier, she could be considered an almost-A-list virtual strear.
"Miss Uesugi released a new song a while ago, have you guys heard it? It’s amazing! She even added traditional Chinese-style elents. When I first heard it, I thought I’d clicked on the wrong page!"
Jiangg Yao pitched her voice slightly higher, sounding like a cute girl-next-door from an ani series.
On screen, her virtual avatar blinked and smiled along with her movents. Its wine-red, slightly curled hair brushed against its fair cheeks and fell to its shoulders, looking just as charming and cute.
"Your favorite strear has been practicing hard for a while, and I’ve chosen today’s stream finale to give you all a big surprise! Are you excited or what!"
As soon as she said that, the bullet comnts exploded!
After all, Yaoyao had made her na singing otaku songs, especially her covers of Miss Uesugi’s music. Two years ago, her cover of "Uwagoto no Fuyu desu (Winter Mumbling)" had reached nearly five million views on the site.
Anyone who heard it was left stunned, believing without a doubt that Yaoyao was a real-life ani character.
Her voice and emotion gave the song a different texture from the original.
Of course, besides her natural talent, Jiangg Yao had undoubtedly put in more than enough hard work. Singing otaku songs was probably the only thing in her life she had ever been determined to persevere at and master.
"And now, for all of you, here is ’Hi ga Kurete Douro no Mannaka ni Narimasu’."
Her words faded.
Elegant, soothing piano notes leaped out, light and airy, floating into the microphone. The tranquil prelude, like the gentle flow of a small river, made one instinctively start to nod along.
Keeping ti.
Jiangg Yao closed her eyes, searching for the feeling of a carefree stroll down the street.
In her mind’s eye, a bubbly girl-next-door skipped along, humming a tune as the background constantly shifted: an old man carrying a shoulder pole, a group of children huddled together, a few old grandpas playing chess, and then the quiet streets and alleys.
Everything was bathed in the golden afterglow of dusk, and the single tuft of hair on her head bounced nonstop.
Then, a voice full of girlish charm rang out, its montary lodious grace pulling the listener in, creating a light and pleasant mood.
...
Jiangg Ning could faintly hear the sweet voice coming from the second bedroom.
The beautiful singing was undeniably captivating. She had to admit, listening to her sister sing was a subli pleasure.
In the past, at tis like this, she would have sliced a sweet apple, placed it on a small plate, knocked gently on the door, and gone in to set it on the desk as a reward for the hardworking Jiangg Yao.
She would leave quickly so as not to disturb her work, but every ti, Jiangg Ning would lean against the doorfra, unwilling to close the door, just quietly listening to the song and watching her sister with a gentle gaze.
When she sang, Jiangg Yao was full of charm, as if she were glowing, which filled Jiangg Ning’s heart with a special sense of gratification.
But this ti, Jiangg Ning didn’t.
Her gaze fell on the apple she had washed out of habit, and she raised the kitchen knife!
THWACK—
The round apple was split in two, its juice spattering.
Jiangg Ning picked up a piece of the apple, brought it to her lips, and took a vicious bite.
’Feed her? My ass!’
’I have to wait on her like a princess all day. What kind of torture is this? From now on, whoever wants to serve her can do it. I’ve had enough.’
「anwhile.」
Having finished her song, Jiangg Yao’s face was full of joy. Watching the massive flood of bullet comnts, she felt a great sense of accomplishnt. Jiangg Yao was overwheld by her fans’ frantic adoration.
She hadn’t expected her recent hard work to pay off so well. Her viewership had doubled in just one week, and every stream was incredibly lively.
After bidding a gentle farewell to everyone, Jiangg Yao closed the streaming software.
Only then did she lean back comfortably in her chair, pick up her phone, and let out a long sigh.
"It’s already six p.m.? My sister isn’t back yet..."
Because the music from her stream had been so loud, she hadn’t heard any noise from outside her room. It was only after seeing the ti on her phone that she belatedly realized it was when her sister usually got off work.
In the past, even if she had sothing to do or was working overti, her sister would always send a ssage on Green Bubble if she wasn’t coming ho.
But not this ti. Jiangg Yao started to worry and thought about giving her a call to check.
’If Sis happens to be busy,’ Jiangg Yao thought, ’I could go next door and wait for Chen Yuan to co ho. I haven’t seen him all day, and I’m starting to miss him...’
She licked her lips, looking a little shy as her cheeks flushed red.
’I kinda wanna French kiss the young master~’
With this thought, Jiangg Yao opened her door and walked into the living room, hesitating about whether to make the call right away. But after just a few steps, she suddenly noticed that the kitchen light was on.
A beautiful figure was busy inside.
"Sis, you’re ho?"
Jiangg Yao’s eyes widened in surprise, a flash of deep disappointnt appearing within them.
"I’m off work, so of course I’m ho. Where else would I be?"
Hearing her sister’s voice, Jiangg Ning replied coldly without even looking up.
"I didn’t hear the door, so I thought you weren’t back yet~" Jiangg Yao, seemingly oblivious to her sister’s tone, trotted over as usual and wrapped her arms around her sister’s slender waist from behind. "I haven’t seen you all day. I was just about to call and rush you to co ho."
Being hugged by Jiangg Yao, Jiangg Ning’s heart softened for a mont. This cloyingly sweet coquettishness... her clingy sister was like a little girl who never grew up.
"I’m so bored all alone at ho while you’re at work. There’s no one to talk to," Jiangg Yao mumbled.
Jiangg Ning froze for a second. Hearing those words, she lowered her head, and the brief ripple in her heart gave way to cold indifference once more.
’Such an act... My dear sister, your acting is pretty good.’
’So bored you decided to hit on your brother-in-law, is that it!?’
’So bored you went to find your brother-in-law and take pictures with your faces pressed together, right?’
Jiangg Ning’s grip on the knife handle tightened. If she hadn’t discovered what Jiangg Yao had done, she, still in the dark, would have felt terrible for Yaoyao, guilty for always leaving her ho alone.
But now!
’Guilty? My ass!’
’Jiangg Yao, go on, play the victim, act all cute. Your big sister isn’t falling for these tricks anymore!’
’Do you really think these little green tea bitch tactics work every single ti?’
"I’m cooking. Go out and rest, don’t get in my way," Jiangg Ning said flatly.
". . . Huh?"
Jiangg Yao froze, instantly sensing the distant tone in her voice. The arms wrapped around her sister stiffened abruptly.
"Okay."
Sensing Jiangg Ning was in a bad mood, Jiangg Yao awkwardly left the kitchen and sat on the sofa.
’Did sothing go wrong at work? Or did Mom call and stir up so trouble again?’
Jiangg Yao thought silently, stealing a few glances at her sister. ’I’d better be on my best behavior today,’ she resolved. ’Can’t step on any landmines.’
She really didn’t want to get scolded.
...
"Dinner’s ready!"
After a flurry of activity, Jiangg Ning carried several fragrant dishes out to the living room, her movents crisp and efficient.
Jiangg Yao was chatting with Chen Yuan on Green Bubble, teasing him and telling him to call her "Wifey." Hearing her sister’s voice, she hurriedly turned off her phone screen, wiping the syrupy-sweet smile off her face.
"Wow, what a feast! Sis, your cooking is getting better and better."
"Heh, it’s nothing special."
As Jiangg Ning ca out of the kitchen, she imdiately saw her sister holding her phone, grinning from ear to ear with flushed cheeks... A flash of coldness instantly crossed Jiangg Ning’s eyes.
Then, the image of her sister frantically shutting off her phone was also captured, perfectly, in her gaze.
’I desperately want to snatch the phone away and see exactly how she’s seducing Chen Yuan! If I weren’t always so rational, I probably would have lost control the mont I got ho.’
Jiangg Ning set down the dishes but didn’t sit. Instead, she walked toward the study.
She pulled open the drawer under her desk, opened the ring box inside, and took out the one-of-a-kind ring, carefully slipping it onto her finger.
She held out her hand to admire it. The ring glittered on her slender, fair finger.
’Really... Little sister, do you have any idea what it ans to be the main girl?’
She didn’t take the ring off. Instead, contrary to her usual behavior, she went into the living room, sat down with a relaxed air, and a gentle smile touched her lips.
"Yaoyao, if you’re hungry, eat up. Here are your chopsticks."
"Thanks, Sis—"
Before she could finish, Jiangg Yao suddenly stopped, her eyes glued to the glittering object on her sister’s finger.
Just like that, her smile vanished.
No... the smile hadn’t vanished. It had just moved to her sister’s face.
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