Chapter 3: The Watcher at the Window

“Sis… outside the window… there seems to be a black shadow. It’s been watching me the whole time…”

Qinghe did not respond to Qiuli’s invitation right away. Instead, she probed cautiously with those words.

Qiuli’s smile seemed to freeze for a brief instant.

“A black shadow?” She gently stroked Qinghe’s cheek, her fingertips slightly cold.

“Silly Xiao He, you must have seen it wrong again. The wind gets strong at night in the village. The trees sway a lot, and they often look like human silhouettes.”

As she spoke, Qiuli walked over to the windowsill and looked outside.

“There’s nothing there, Xiao He. Have you not been resting well lately? There’s usually no danger in the village.”

Qiuli turned back. Her voice was soft, and the smile at the corner of her lips was flawless, without the slightest fault.

Nothing at all? Qinghe swallowed.

‘How is that possible? Or did whatever was out there guess that Qiuli would come over, so it left in advance?’

After hesitating again and again, Qinghe forced herself to overcome her fear and went to the window as well.

Outside the window was the deepest darkness, like an abyss, like ink with a strange magic filling the entire world. It was greedily expanding, swallowing everything, and a terrifying pull came from deep within Qinghe’s soul.

“!”

Coming back to her senses, Qinghe shook her head and carefully observed outside the window.

Truly, there was nothing there. Everything was quiet.

But her intuition told Qinghe it was not that simple. Was Qiuli hiding something?

“You’re already this scared. Do you want to come sleep with me? Sis will protect you.” Qiuli pulled Qinghe into her arms and rubbed her affectionately, as if holding a beloved little pet. Her red lips parted slightly, carrying a bewitching allure… like the safest, gentlest haven.

Qinghe grew hazy without realizing it. She looked up at Qiuli like a small animal, only to be dazed once more.

‘Should I agree? Should I not?’ Qinghe recalled that dangerous feeling of being watched just now.

‘No… even though I don’t know what’s outside, it looks like… Qiuli definitely knows something. Even if something happens, as long as I shout, Qiuli should rush over…’

‘After all, in the game’s storyline, Qiuli will protect Qinghe and never let her die.’

‘But if I go to Qiuli’s house, that’s dangerous… the prerequisite for the corruption route is sleeping at her house…’

‘How do I refuse her?’ Qinghe was unsure.

There was something fatally attractive about Qiuli, making Qinghe want to draw close unconsciously. This had to be the original body’s memory acting up… a conditioned reflex.

Refusing directly would be too abrupt and wouldn’t fit the original character’s behavior…

“I, I want to be braver! Or maybe… never mind? How about… Sis, you stay at my place with me a bit longer?” Qinghe said after thinking it over.

Qiuli chuckled softly.

“Sure. Looks like my little Xiao He has become braver. Then I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep, how about that?”

Qinghe hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay~” Qiuli curved her brows slightly.

Qinghe climbed onto her bed and burrowed under the covers, with five bags of preserved fruit squeezed all the way inside.

Qiuli watched her with a bright smile. Qinghe nervously shrank into the covers, praying she had not revealed any flaws.

Wait… the diary. She had not stuck it behind the door yet!

Go now? No… Qiuli was right there… it would draw too much attention.

Qinghe felt uneasy and could only take things one step at a time.

The five bags of preserved fruit were pressed tightly against her back. Even a slight turn or a kick could cause the plastic bags to make a sound.

Qinghe’s entire body was tense. These absolutely could not be discovered by Qiuli…

But in the next moment,

Qiuli stepped forward and sat down at the edge of the bed.

“Silly girl, you don’t even know how to cover yourself properly…” She reached out, trying to adjust Qinghe’s blanket.

“No!” At the critical moment, Qinghe grabbed Qiuli’s wrist.

“Hm?” Qiuli looked at her in confusion. Her crimson eyes appeared especially alluring, a dangerous aura seeping out.

“What’s wrong, Xiao He?” she asked, puzzled.

“Sis… I, I still prefer wrapping myself tighter like this. It feels safer…” Her heart was pounding wildly, her tongue stumbling over the words. It took a long while before Qinghe managed to say all that.

Qiuli gazed deeply at Qinghe. Qinghe noticed the corners of her lips dip slightly, and a dangerous light bloomed in her red eyes.

“Then… all right.”

Qinghe was breathing rapidly. Just a bit more, just a bit more and she would have been discovered. But now it seemed she had already aroused suspicion.

“Sis, good night?”

“Good night.”

After saying that, Qinghe tightened the blanket, carefully drew the preserved fruit closer to herself without making a sound, and then… buried her head under the covers. She did not want Qiuli to see her face. She was afraid something would be noticed.

Her toes and small hands were all gripping the blanket with force. If Qiuli suddenly wanted to adjust the covers again, at least she would have some room to react.

She absolutely could not be discovered. If she were, her vigilance toward Qiuli would definitely be exposed.

And if that were exposed, things could spiral out of control.

Time passed second by second.

Qinghe imitated the breathing of someone asleep, curled up on the warm bed. She listened to the sounds around her until she felt the bed tremble slightly.

Qiuli, who had been sitting at the bedside, had stood up.

“Xiao He? Xiao He?” she called softly.

Qinghe did not respond. Soon, she heard Qiuli’s laughter.

Then came footsteps, gradually moving away toward the door. Finally, Qiuli stopped at the doorway. Soft rustling sounds followed, as if she were looking for something. The diary?

The diary was on the desk. Qinghe did not know whether Qiuli would notice it.

Qinghe unconsciously held her breath. Hidden under the covers, she was already drenched in sweat. And because she had been gripping the blanket so tightly, her limbs were starting to feel strained.

Her body ached, breathing was difficult, and it felt as if the oxygen under the covers was about to run out.

A soft, questioning sound rang out. Then came light footsteps, slowly approaching Qinghe’s bed.

‘She… why did she suddenly come back?!’

Qiuli stood by the bed, frowning. Her eyes were filled with gravity and doubt.

Today’s Qinghe was very different from the Qinghe in her memories.

Why?

The diary was not placed behind the door?

A trace of chill lifted at the corner of Qiuli’s mouth.

Thinking of how Qinghe had grabbed her hand earlier and refused to let her adjust the blanket, Qiuli sneered.

“Not being good, little Xiao He…”

‘Is she being wary of me? Did she notice something?’ In the past, whenever Qiuli invited Qinghe to sleep at her place, Qinghe would always agree. But today she had…

Those blood-red eyes were like red lanterns, and the terrifying aura was so strong that even Qinghe hiding under the covers could feel it.

‘It’s over, it’s over…’ Qinghe did not dare to breathe loudly.

‘Does Qiuli think I hid the diary under the covers?’

In the storyline, if you were discovered secretly hiding food, you would face Qiuli’s punishment.

‘What do I do… what do I do, what do I do?!’

‘Damn it… I forgot to stick the diary behind the door beforehand… damn it… what do I do, what do I do? Isn’t this completely over?’

‘No, I can still struggle a bit. The diary isn’t under the covers. If Qiuli discovers it on the desk, her suspicion will collapse on its own. But… how do I make that happen?’

‘Right…’

“Wah, no…” Qinghe cried out and stuck her head out from under the covers, gulping in air.

“Wah!”

“Sis… Sis…” She looked at Qiuli standing by the bed.

“Sis… I had a nightmare…”

Qiuli’s movement, as she was about to check the covers, stopped.

“Sis… how about… I sleep with you after all, at your place?” The girl crawled out from under the covers pitifully and walked over to the desk in front of Qiuli.

With an action that carried an air of ‘deliberate concealment,’ she put her hands behind her back and picked up the diary.

This action was seen clearly by Qiuli.

The diary was on the desk?

Qiuli froze for a moment, then laughed.

Had she been overthinking it?

“And who was it that said they wanted to be braver?”

Her smile was very warm, but Qinghe understood all too clearly what kind of person Qiuli really was…

After all… in her previous life, she had seen plenty of eighteen R CGs from “Despair Abyss”…

For a moment, Qinghe felt a sense of despair. It was only the first day after transmigrating, and she had already played her hand terribly.

In the game’s storyline, sleeping together with Qiuli had a high chance of triggering a mysterious CG, and by the next morning, the corruption value would increase.

The game’s only true ending was the corruption ending. The protagonist would be brainwashed, lose all sense of self, and believe she was just a little cat, Qiuli’s pet.

She would crawl like a real kitten, eat, and curl up to sleep in a cat bed.

In the end, she would even forget how to speak, meowing like a cat.

Sleeping together with Qiuli was exactly how you entered the corruption route…

Qinghe’s calves trembled uncontrollably. She had no choice. What would happen tonight?

The diary’s first page showed that her sanity was only fifteen. If that was true, wouldn’t she be finished? If she slept, when she woke up tomorrow, her corruption value would probably skyrocket. Tonight, it would be best if Qinghe did not sleep at all.

But if she did not sleep, her sanity would also plummet!

‘…There’s one more way!’

Following behind Qiuli as they walked out through the wooden door, Qinghe lifted her head and looked at the back of the silver-haired mature woman with a hint of fear.

Pain could temporarily stop sanity from decreasing. But… ordinary pain would not be enough.