Chapter 7: Sister

Hua Qi’an stared fixedly at her intertwined fingers, which rubbed against each other unconsciously, betraying her owner’s unease.

A deathly silence hung in the air.

Hua Qi’an found herself nostalgic.

She thought that dying strangled in that underwater dream of hers might not have been so bad after all.

“Speak.”

The icy command rang out, and Hua Qi’an couldn’t help but shiver again.

Before she could even gather her words, the woman clearly lost all patience.

A slender hand seized Hua Qi’an’s chin, forcing her to look up.

The newcomer had fine features, sharp at the corners of her eyes, and those eyes now reflected Hua Qi’an’s face, as if a blaze of fury burned within.

Just meeting that gaze felt like she might be incinerated on the spot.

But Hua Qi’an didn’t avert her eyes; her instincts warned her that shifting away would spell real disaster.

“…I’ve suddenly gotten interested in exploring lately.”

She could plainly sense the doubt in the other’s eyes, but Hua Qi’an didn’t back down.

She had no intention of mentioning the part-time job.

Lin Yan Qiu—that was the woman’s name.

As she’d said earlier, she owed her some… debts.

From Hua Qi’an’s long experience dealing with her, if Lin Yan Qiu learned she was taking side gigs to make money, it would only bring trouble.

“I heard that place was interesting, so I went to check it out.”

By all logic, someone who’d borrowed money should be desperate for the lender to pay it back.

But Lin Yan Qiu didn’t see it that way.

“Xiao An, have I been too lenient with you lately?”

A cold laugh escaped her, and Lin Yan Qiu’s eyes filled with warning as she lightly patted Hua Qi’an’s cheek.

“While I’m still talking to you nicely.”

Hua Qi’an sighed, putting on a troubled expression.

“Sister… then tell me, what else could I possibly be doing there?”

She tilted her head, gazing at the woman she called “sister.”

“Having a date in an abandoned, deserted house?”

She knew full well it would rile her up, but she said it anyway.

The gaze overhead turned frigid in an instant, as if ready to carve her into pieces.

But Hua Qi’an was prepared to stick to this story.

A rundown house with barely any birds around, hours from the city center, and no traces of anyone else on site…

The excuse of idle exploration was a stretch, sure, but it could pass as a reason.

Otherwise, what other motive could a model, wholesome, healthy college girl like her have for going to that dump?

Now, all she needed was to toss out a casual example to make the woman buy it fully—that beyond “exploring,” she had no other purpose there…

“If it’s a date spot, I’d much prefer a hotel, though?”

She said it deliberately.

The woman’s hand visibly trembled, but in the end, she just clenched her fist, as if swallowing something down.

“…Well played.”

Hua Qi’an instinctively shrank back, faintly sensing phantom pains in several spots on her body.

“Heh, still not telling the truth?”

Odd.

Why was she so convinced today that Hua Qi’an was absolutely lying?

“I’ve already said everything.”

“Ask me a hundred times; the answer’s the same.”

Hua Qi’an pressed her lips together and turned her face away.

Lin Yan Qiu watched her like this for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

The kind born of anger turned absurd.

“Why don’t you look in a mirror and see what you look like right now?”

At those words, Hua Qi’an’s heart skipped.

“…”

Feigning composure, she leaned over to grab her phone and flipped the camera to selfie mode.

Her pale face appeared on the screen.

But Hua Qi’an stared intently at one corner of it…

Her neck.

On her fair, slender neck stood out two glaring handprints.

She hadn’t noticed them before.

Only now, under her scrutiny, did a vague ache begin to radiate.

In an instant, Hua Qi’an’s earlier nonchalant lie shattered to pieces.

Staring at the marks, she inevitably recalled the eerie dream after she’d passed out…

The cold touch and suffocating pressure from then roiled through her mind once more.

But how could that be.

It was just a dream.

Yet the marks on her neck were undeniable reality.

How was she supposed to explain this?

Lin Yan Qiu let out a cold chuckle but said nothing more, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Hua Qi’an.

As if waiting to enjoy the sight of her scrambling for an excuse.

“This is…”

Hua Qi’an kept her head down, her eyes flickering dimly.

“From school…”

“…I didn’t want you to worry, Sister.”

With that, she closed her eyes briefly.

If she had any other choice, she really wouldn’t want to go this route…

In a situation like this, even the truth wouldn’t fly, right?

That she’d had a dream, and her neck ended up like this?

The one trying to strangle her then wouldn’t be some inexplicable shadow—it’d be Lin Yan Qiu.

When she opened her eyes again, crystalline tears slid down her cheeks.

She pressed her lips tight and met Lin Yan Qiu’s gaze once more.

Seeing her tears, Lin Yan Qiu’s breathing grew unintentionally heavier.

“Are you doubting how I feel about you, Sister?”

As she spoke, she raised a hand to wipe the tears from her face.

Catching the softening in Lin Yan Qiu’s expression, Hua Qi’an knew she’d muddled through.

She knew her true self wasn’t particularly likable, so she’d learned to don a mask.

In front of Lin Yan Qiu, she’d been playing the role of the “little sister” all along.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were bullied?”

“Do you think I’m not capable of handling it for you?”

Though Lin Yan Qiu’s tone remained frosty, those words clearly signaled she was leaning toward believing Hua Qi’an’s earlier tale.

Hua Qi’an smirked inwardly while keeping up her tearful facade on the surface.

She shook her head.

“It wasn’t that serious; I can handle it myself.”

“You work so hard as it is, Sister—I don’t want you worrying over something like this…”

Of course she couldn’t tell; it was all made up.

Lin Yan Qiu narrowed her eyes at her for a beat.

“Heh…”

“Until you pay off what you owe me, I think I have the right to ensure your safety.”

“If anything like this happens again, I’ll step in my way.”

Seeing Lin Yan Qiu yield, Hua Qi’an finally let out a secret breath of relief.

“Your schedule should be reported to me too.”

“If the one who found you passed out wasn’t me, but someone with ill intentions—”

Lin Yan Qiu exhaled long and hard, staring at Hua Qi’an for a good while.

Someone with ill intentions… wasn’t that her?

Hua Qi’an’s eyes dimmed and brightened, but she obviously couldn’t voice what was in her head.

“Sorry; it won’t happen again.”

She bowed her head, showing timely vulnerability.

Lin Yan Qiu did have a point, in a way.

Passing out cold in that house had been unexpected.

She’d been lucky this time—likely just a plain faint…

But the idea of reporting her itinerary to her was almost laughable.

Even without reporting, hadn’t she known exactly where she was anyway…

“Sigh…”

Watching Hua Qi’an like this, the ice on Lin Yan Qiu’s face gradually melted.

She sighed.

“Once you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll give you a proper scolding.”

“You’ve been out cold for so long; you must be hungry, right?”

Only then did Hua Qi’an notice she’d brought a bag.

It had been set down by the door earlier; with her attention fixed on the woman herself, she hadn’t spotted it.

Lin Yan Qiu pulled out a thermal container from the bag, opened it, and held it out to Hua Qi’an.

“You passed out from low blood sugar.”

“Did you skip breakfast yesterday?”

The aroma of the food wafted up with the steam—clearly fresh from the pot not long ago.

From the moment Lin Yan Qiu had come to find her, she’d had no intention of just “demanding answers.”

After all, she was her important “little sister,” one whose whereabouts she needed to keep tabs on at all times.

Hua Qi’an knew this well; a genuine curve tugged at her lips unbidden.

“As expected, you’re my favorite, Sister.”