It was around two in the morning when Ling Ling pushed open the front door.
She gently removed her boots and leaned her Sword Cane against the corner of the entryway.
At the entrance, she took off her performance costume, and her golden hair reverted to silver-white as the Mimicry was dispelled.
The living room light was off.
Good. That meant her little sister was already asleep.
Ling Ling let out a sigh of relief and tiptoed toward her room like a cat that had just gotten away with stealing some fish.
She had already planned her next moves: change into her pajamas as fast as possible, get into bed, close her eyes, and end this long day.
She had also prepared an explanation for her sister’s questions in the morning.
Then she pushed open the bedroom door.
She found the desk lamp on, and her little sister was sitting on her bed, wearing a white nightgown, her black hair spread over her shoulders, as if waiting for something.
Her smile was as warm as the spring afternoon sun, but Ling Ling’s intuition told her this was the calm before the storm.
“Welcome back, big sister.”
Lin Jiu’s voice was light, syrupy sweet—softer than usual.
“Did your ‘overtime’ finish tonight? That must have been tiring.”
Ling Ling’s body froze at the doorway. Her little sister rarely spoke to her in such a sarcastic tone.
‘This is bad. I really made her angry…’
To find a way to survive her sister’s wrath, countless strategies flashed through her mind.
But in the end, she chose the safest option—to honestly admit her mistake.
“…Xiao Jiu, aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I was waiting for you, big sister.”
Lin Jiu stood up from the bed and walked over to Ling Ling in her slippers.
She tilted her head, her azure eyes emitting a dangerous glint in the dim light.
She reached out and gently stroked Ling Ling’s cheek, her fingertips sliding from the base of her ear to her chin, her movements soft, as if confirming a precious treasure.
Then her gaze slowly moved downward, landing on Ling Ling’s delicate collarbone. She leaned in, her nose almost touching the fine contours, and took a deep breath.
Warm breath sprayed onto the sensitive collarbone, carrying a faint, cloying sweetness, as if greedily capturing every subtle scent from the other, her eyes revealing a hint of morbid satisfaction and possessiveness.
“…It’s the smell of sea wind and blood… and the scent of another woman.”
Ling Ling’s pupils constricted slightly.
That pink-haired woman did indeed have a faint perfume scent.
She leaned close to Ling Ling’s ear and whispered in a trembling voice tinged with danger, “It’s that pink-haired Knights of the Round Table lady, isn’t it? Big sister… were you with Hua Jianxi tonight? In that abandoned seaside warehouse… doing what? Did you have fun? So much fun that… you forgot all about coming home to have dinner with your little sister? Hmm?”
At this moment, Ling Ling had already started sweating bullets. If things continued like this, she might really be “devoured” by Xiao Jiu, but her sister would never actually do that.
She knew her little sister well. Although Xiao Jiu sometimes acted excessively, she would never actively hurt her.
But right now, her little sister had entered “troublesome woman” mode.
“She just came to watch the fun.”
Ling Ling tried to explain.
“I didn’t invite her. She followed me…”
“Big sister.”
Lin Jiu gently pressed her finger against Ling Ling’s lips, cutting her off.
“You don’t need to explain, big sister.”
“I’ve never blamed you. I know you’re doing something important out there—to protect Sister Ye, and to protect the life we have now. I understand.”
Her voice was gentle, with no hint of reproach.
“But, big sister.”
Lin Jiu’s thumb gently traced Ling Ling’s lower lip.
“I also have the duty to protect you, big sister. I won’t allow you to shoulder everything alone again.”
After a brief silence, Lin Jiu stepped back and resumed her usual obedient and cute expression, as if nothing had just happened.
“Are you hungry, big sister? I saved dinner in the fridge—just heat it in the microwave. Do you want to eat now, or take a shower first?”
Ling Ling looked at her sister’s face that changed faster than flipping a book.
“…Shower first.”
“Okay, I’ll run the hot water. Just put your performance costume in the laundry basket, big sister.”
“Oh, and—”
Lin Jiu walked to the bedroom door and turned around, her azure eyes curving into crescents.
“Tonight, you’re sleeping with me. That’s your punishment for today. Not too much, is it?”
After showering and eating a late-night snack, Ling Ling lay in bed, staring at her bedroom ceiling, and silently sighed.
She turned her head and met those azure eyes.
She suddenly realized something—Xiao Jiu actually knew everything.
Maybe when she said she had to take care of something after school, Xiao Jiu had already guessed what she was going to do tonight.
She just chose not to call her out.
Not because she was dense, but because she unconditionally trusted Ling Ling.
For her, even if the whole world betrayed Ling Ling, she would resolutely stand by her sister forever.
“Xiao Jiu, you idiot.”
In the end, Ling Ling simply reached out and gently ruffled Lin Jiu’s hair, just like she used to in the facility.
Lin Jiu closed her eyes and let out a satisfied hum, like a contented kitten.
She burrowed her face into Ling Ling’s flat chest and nuzzled, mumbling, “Big sister’s scent is finally back to normal.” Then her breathing gradually became even and steady.
Ling Ling stared at the ceiling, her hand still resting on the back of her sister’s head.
Her fingers unconsciously twirled a few strands of black hair. The silky texture reminded her of a long time ago—in the facility, when Lin Jiu first learned to call her “big sister.” Her hair had been just as soft then.
She knew that her sister’s yandere trait wasn’t innate—it was forced out of her in that extremely cruel place.
Pumped with massive amounts of combat knowledge, treated as replaceable parts, pulled out of the culture vat and thrown directly into the simulated battlefield.
In that environment, “being with big sister” was almost Lin Jiu’s only anchor to living.
So Lin Jiu’s possessiveness was, in essence, just fear—fear of waking up one day to find that this was all a dream, that she was still in that cold facility, and that her big sister was gone.
Thinking of this, Ling Ling let out a soft sigh.
Right now, she couldn’t guarantee that no one in this world could threaten their daily life, nor could she guarantee that she wouldn’t make her sister worry again in the future.
But she could guarantee one thing.
“Xiao Jiu.”
She said softly. Her sister didn’t respond; her breathing was steady, probably already asleep.
But Ling Ling chose to finish what she wanted to say.
“I won’t leave. Even if you might actually hurt me, I won’t walk away from you, because I will always be your big sister.”
She closed her eyes and began to drift into sleep.