Chapter 7: Sister

Hua Qian stared fixedly at her own fingers, now tightly entwined, unconsciously rubbing against each other as if displaying their owner’s unease.

The air was thick with silence.

Hua Qian began to reminisce.

She thought that if she were strangled to death in the underwater world of her dream, it might not be such a bad thing after all.

“Speak.”

A cold voice rang out.

Hua Qian couldn’t help but tremble again.

Before she could organize her words, the person before her had clearly run out of all patience.

A slender hand seized Hua Qian’s chin, forcing her to raise her head and meet her gaze.

The newcomer had delicate features, sharp at the corners, and in her eyes, Hua Qian’s reflection burned like a raging fire.

Just meeting those eyes felt like being incinerated.

But Hua Qian didn’t avert her gaze.

Her instincts told her that if she did, she would truly be in deep trouble.

“…I’ve recently developed an interest in adventure.”

She could clearly feel the suspicion in the other person’s eyes, but Hua Qian didn’t back down.

She had no intention of revealing her part-time job.

Lin Yanqiu.

That was this woman’s name.

As mentioned before, she owed her some… debts.

Based on Hua Qian’s long-standing experience, if Lin Yanqiu found out she was working a part-time job for money, it would only cause trouble.

“I heard that place was interesting, so I went exploring.”

Logically, someone who lent money should be eager for repayment.

But Lin Yanqiu didn’t seem to think that way.

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

With a cold laugh, Lin Yanqiu’s gaze radiated danger as she gently patted Hua Qian’s cheek.

“While I’m still willing to talk to you,”

Hua Qian sighed, putting on a troubled expression.

“Sis… then what else do you think I could do there?”

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

“Go on a date in an abandoned mansion?”

She knew it would anger her, but still said it.

The glare above her instantly turned icy, as if ready to tear her apart.

But Hua Qian was determined to stick to her story.

A broken mansion with barely even birds, hours away from the city center by car, and no trace of anyone else at the scene…

The “exploring out of boredom” excuse was a bit far-fetched, but still plausible.

Otherwise, as a model, healthy university girl, what other reason could she have for going there?

Now, all she needed was to come up with a random example to make the person in front of her believe that she truly had no other reason to visit that abandoned mansion besides “adventure”…

“If it were a date spot, I’d rather choose a hotel.”

She said it deliberately.

The hand in front of her visibly trembled, but finally just clenched into a fist, as if suppressing something.

“…Well played.”

Hua Qian instinctively shrank her neck, feeling phantom pain in several places on her body.

“Heh, still not telling the truth?”

Strange.

Why was she so convinced she was lying today?

“I’ve already said everything.”

“Asking again will get you the same answer.”

Hua Qian pursed her lips and turned her face away.

Lin Yanqiu stared at her for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

An angry laugh.

“Do you want to look in the mirror and see what you look like now?”

At those words, Hua Qian’s heart skipped a beat.

“……”

She pretended to be calm, picked up her phone, and flipped the camera.

Her pale face appeared on the screen.

But Hua Qian’s gaze was fixed on a corner of the image…

Her neck.

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

She hadn’t noticed them before.

Only after seeing them did a faint, lingering pain start to spread.

With this, Hua Qian’s nonchalant lie instantly shattered.

Staring at those two handprints, she couldn’t help but recall the bizarre dream she had after fainting…

The cold touch and suffocating pressure resurfaced in her mind.

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 Yanqiu let out a cold laugh but said nothing more.

She folded her arms across her chest, staring at Hua Qian as if waiting to see her struggle for a reasonable excuse.

“This is…”

Hua Qian lowered her head, her eyes flickering.

“It happened at school…”

“…Because I didn’t want to make you worry, sis.”

As she spoke, Hua Qian closed her eyes.

If she wasn’t truly out of options, she wouldn’t do this…

In this situation, even if she told the truth, would she be believed?

Say she had a dream and woke up with those marks on her neck?

If anyone was going to strangle her, it would be Lin Yanqiu, not some random shadow.

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

She pressed her lips together and met Lin Yanqiu’s gaze once more.

Seeing her tears, Lin Yanqiu’s breathing unconsciously grew heavier.

“Are you doubting my feelings for you, sis?”

She reached up, wiping the tears from her face.

Noticing Lin Yanqiu’s wavering expression, Hua Qian knew she had gotten away with it.

She was well aware she wasn’t a likeable person by nature, so she learned to put on a mask.

Now, before Lin Yanqiu, she had always played the role of “little sister.”

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

“Do you think I’m not capable of helping you?”

Though Lin Yanqiu’s tone remained cold, her words clearly indicated she was starting to believe Hua Qian’s earlier story.

Hua Qian laughed inwardly, keeping a sorrowful expression on the surface.

She shook her head.

“It’s not a big deal. I can handle it myself.”

“You already work so hard, sis. I don’t want you worrying about things like this…”

Of course she couldn’t say the real reason, since she made it up.

Lin Yanqiu narrowed her eyes at Hua Qian for a while.

“Heh…”

“Until you pay off your debt to me, I believe I have the right to ensure your personal safety.”

“If this happens again, I’ll intervene in my own way.”

Seeing Lin Yanqiu relent, Hua Qian finally breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“Your schedule should also be reported to me.”

“If the person who found you unconscious hadn’t been me, but someone with ill intentions—”

Lin Yanqiu let out a long breath, staring at Hua Qian for a while.

Someone with ill intentions… wasn’t that her?

Hua Qian’s gaze flickered, but she clearly couldn’t voice her true thoughts.

“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

She lowered her head, choosing to yield at the right moment.

Indeed, Lin Yanqiu’s words held some truth.

Passing out in that mansion had been unexpected.

This time, she was lucky—it was probably just a normal faint.

But the demand to report her schedule was almost laughable.

Even without reports, wasn’t Lin Yanqiu capable of tracking her down anyway…

“Sigh…”

Watching Hua Qian, Lin Yanqiu’s icy expression finally softened a little.

She sighed.

“Once you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll lecture you again.”

“You must be hungry after being unconscious for so long, right?”

Only then did Hua Qian notice the bag she had brought.

Earlier, it had been left by the door, and with all her attention on Lin Yanqiu, Hua Qian hadn’t noticed it at all.

Lin Yanqiu took out an insulated container from the bag, opened it, and handed it to Hua Qian.

“You probably fainted due to low blood sugar.”

“Did you skip breakfast yesterday?”

The aroma of food, along with a burst of warmth, filled the air—it was clearly freshly made.

From the very beginning, Lin Yanqiu had never intended to simply “demand an explanation” from her.

In the end, she was an important “little sister” whose schedule needed to be closely monitored.

Realizing this, Hua Qian couldn’t help but let a genuine smile curve her lips.

“That’s why I love you most, sis.”