“Sis! Sister!” At that moment, Liang Jin heard the eerie voice too. She groped blindly through the darkness, scrambling and crawling toward Liang Sheng.
“Run! Quick, run!” Liang Sheng was terrified. That voice sounded just like a ghost’s wail.
But why was it so familiar? It felt like she’d heard it somewhere before.
The two girls crawled on all fours and finally reached the front hall.
Liang Sheng gazed at the brightly lit room and the crowd crammed inside. She let out a sigh of relief. She wiped the sweat from her forehead—she’d been scared half to death just now.
Huh? Wait a second. Why had that eerie singing suddenly gotten so much louder?
Slowly, Liang Sheng turned her head toward the television.
Holy crap, case solved!
Someone had left Liaozhai playing.
“You talk about Liaozhai~ Hey~ I talk about Liaozhai too~”
Liang Sheng listened to the tune she’d heard hundreds of times as a kid. Black lines crept across her forehead.
She’d really just scared herself.
“Phew, it’s just the TV. Don’t be scared.” Liang Sheng warmly patted her little sister Liang Jin’s head.
Liang Jin was still shivering. Seeing how frightened she looked, Liang Sheng took her hand. “What are you afraid of? Come on, sis will take you to the kang.”
Liang Jin’s legs were still trembling, her voice choked with sobs. “Sis, Sister Liang Sheng, I…”
“What’s wrong? Don’t be scared.” Liang Sheng gazed at her with maternal affection, gently stroking her adorable little sister’s head.
Right now, Liang Sheng was the picture of a loving mother.
Of course, that lasted only until Liang Jin spoke next.
“Sis, Sister Liang Sheng, don’t you feel like we’re missing something?” Liang Jin’s mind was a total fog. She vaguely remembered that her hands felt empty.
What was it? Exactly what?
Missing something? Liang Sheng looked her up and down.
“You…” Liang Sheng realized what it was. Her face darkened instantly. “Did you forget your water cup?”
With that nudge from her clever sister, Liang Jin’s eyes widened in realization.
“Right! I didn’t grab my water cup!” Liang Jin slapped her forehead.
Back in the kitchen, the moment she’d heard that eerie song, she’d flung the cup right out of her hand.
Liang Sheng: “…Fuck off, scram! I’m not going with you again!”
“Sister, my good sister~” Liang Jin unleashed her ultimate weapon: crocodile tears.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go with you!” Liang Sheng grumbled irritably. She was starting to get genuinely pissed.
A truly angry Liang Sheng feared nothing. This time, she took the lead.
“Alright, get in there.” Expressionless, Liang Sheng shoved her dumb cousin—who was cowering behind her—straight into the little kitchen.
Gulp~ Liang Jin swallowed hard and began groping around for her water cup. She had no clue where it’d landed after she threw it.
It had probably hit the floor. She still remembered the sound of it smashing down.
So Liang Jin dropped to the ground and started searching.
Liang Sheng frowned irritably and read her comics by the door.
“Aaah!!” Another scream erupted from her silly little sister in the kitchen.
Oh, really? This day was endless! Liang Sheng stormed into the kitchen with long, furious strides. “What now? What is it this time!?”
Liang Jin was sitting on the floor, unable to stand.
“You didn’t pee your pants from fright, did you?” Liang Sheng eyed her posture. It was hard not to suspect.
Liang Jin had no time to argue with her sister. Her arm trembled as she pointed under the water dispenser.
“S-Sister Liang Sheng, there’s an eyeball down there!”
An angry Liang Sheng was invincible. Ghosts and ghouls be damned—bring it on!
Expressionless, Liang Sheng got down on the floor. She grabbed the flashlight Liang Jin had dropped and peered under the dispenser.
Sure enough, there was something round and red and shiny inside.
Fearlessly, Liang Sheng reached in and fished out what her sister called an “eyeball.”
“Heh.” Liang Sheng saw the hard little thing in her hand and laughed in pure exasperation. “This is a marble! A marble! Do eyeballs in your family glow under a flashlight?!”
After she said that, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Liang Sheng swung the flashlight around wildly. “See? Your water cup’s right there. What kind of eyes do you even have, dummy!”
This time, Liang Jin didn’t argue with her sister. Instead, she obediently picked up her cup and filled it.
Sister Liang Sheng was pretty scary right now. Liang Jin sneaked a peek at the fuming Liang Sheng. Hmm, but even angry, her sister was still so cute and pretty.
After the “water-fetching fiasco” blew over, it was time for the two to share a bed and sleep.
“Sister Liang Sheng, you were kinda cool today.” Liang Jin lay facing her sister, both under the same quilt.
Liang Sheng faced her too. She secretly smiled in the darkness at the compliment. “I’m your big sis, after all. Big sisters are supposed to protect little sisters.”
“Ding~” Favorability rose sharply.
“Liang Jin’s Favorability toward Liang Sheng: 150”
“I don’t want you protecting me.” Liang Jin’s nose suddenly tingled. She scooted closer, wrapping her arms around her sister’s waist and resting her head against a certain soft pillow it shouldn’t. “I’ll protect you from now on.”
Liang Sheng chuckled to herself. This kid and her childish talk—protection this, protection that. Well, she was only a teenager, after all.
Liang Sheng hugged her head. “No need. I’m way braver than you.”
Lying in her embrace, Liang Jin mumbled, “For Sister Liang Sheng, I can work hard and become brave.”
Hahaha. Liang Sheng laughed and laughed until her eyes suddenly reddened. Deep down, she hoped her little sister felt nothing but pure familial love for her. Wouldn’t that be perfect?
“Go to sleep. Let’s sleep.” Liang Sheng patted her back. “Don’t worry about what happened today.”
“With Sister Liang Sheng here, how could I be scared?” Liang Jin smiled and hugged her even tighter. “Besides, to protect you, I can’t afford to be afraid!”
“You’re such a sweet talker.” Liang Sheng dotingly scraped her nose and urged her to sleep over and over.
Watching the sleeping Liang Jin, Liang Sheng made a wish just before drifting off: Please let Liang Jin’s feelings for me become the purest sisterly love.
—— —— ——
Since Liang Sheng had come back, something weird was going on at school. A bunch of people were calling in sick—headaches, fevers, or whatever excuses they could muster.
Miss Lu’s seat was empty. Song An’an didn’t come looking for her after class. Gu Yuqi had texted ahead that she couldn’t make it on Monday. Liang Sheng was at a real loss, wondering who to grab lunch with.
Ah… A lightbulb flashed in Liang Sheng’s mind. How about… Heh heh heh~ That sleazy smile crept across her face once more.
