Chen Xiangling has recently become fascinated with fishing. She first stumbled upon a television broadcast of a fishing tournament, and the calm demeanor of the competitors, the subtle hum of taut fishing lines, and the sparkling splash of water as fish leaped from the water inexplicably captivated her.
She stared at the screen, her fingers unconsciously stroking the armrest of the sofa, as if she could feel the vibration coming from the fishing rod.
"Xiao Ran, let's go fishing!" She suddenly turned around and said to her brother who was reading a book.
Chen Xinran raised his head, his blood-red eyes appearing remarkably calm under the light. He closed his copy of "Introduction to Astrophysics" and tilted his head slightly. "Sister, you can't even touch an earthworm, how can you fish?"
"Who, who said that!" Chen Xiangling's face immediately flushed, and she twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers. "I can use a fake bait! Or... wear gloves!"
Chen Xinran looked at her flustered expression, and the corners of his lips rose slightly.
He put down the book, stood up, tiptoed, and patted her shoulder gently: "Okay, I'll go with you."
—————
Three days later, they were standing in a tackle shop.
When the shop door opened, the hanging wind chimes chimed. The shop owner, a gray-bearded man, greeted them with a smile, "Miss, what would you like to buy?"
Chen Xiangling was quickly drawn to the dazzling array of fishing tackle on the shelves. Her fingertips gently touched a row of colorful floats. One of them, a fluorescent green one, glowed faintly in the water tank, like a tiny night pearl.
"This is so beautiful..." she murmured.
Shen Xinran stood behind her, his eyes sweeping across the shelves, finally landing on a set of entry-level fishing rods.
He reached out and took it down, skillfully checking the toughness of the rod body and the smoothness of the guide ring. His movements were so skillful that he didn't seem like someone who was fishing for the first time.
"Xiao Ran, do you understand this?"
Chen Xiangling looked at him in surprise.
"I read it in a book."
He replied calmly, picking up another coil of fishing line and twisting it gently between his fingertips to test its tension.
The shop owner watched them with great interest. When they finally paid, he gave them an extra box of glow-in-the-dark floats: "Girl, use these when fishing at night. It will make it easier for fish to bite."
Chen Xiangling happily took it, her eyes sparkling: "Thank you!"
Their first night fishing trip was at Mirror Lake on the outskirts of the city.
The lakeside at night was so quiet that one could hear the other's breathing. Chen Xiangling wrapped herself tightly in her beige knitted jacket and watched her brother expertly set up the camping lantern. A warm yellow glow spread across the water, like a handful of scattered gold, swaying gently in the breeze.
"Are you cold?" Chen Xinran handed over a cup of hot cocoa, with white steam still rising from the cup.
Chen Xiangling took the cup, and in the steam, she saw her brother's profile outlined by the light.
He was clearly an adult soul, trapped in a child's body. Even the hand that handed him the cup was tiny, with distinct knuckles and skin so white it was almost transparent. She suddenly felt distressed and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Focus on the buoy." Chen Xinran dodged helplessly, but there was a hint of smile in his voice.
Chen Xiangling curled her lips and lowered her head to adjust her fishing rod. She followed her brother's example, fixing the float at the appropriate depth and gently casting the rod.
The fishing line cut through the air, making a slight "whoosh" sound, and finally fell into the water, stirring up a circle of small ripples.
"Is this right?" she asked in a low voice.
Chen Xinran nodded, but her eyes were fixed on her buoy. Her gray-blue eyes looked particularly focused in the night.
The chirping of insects drifted near and far, and occasionally there was the "splash" of a fish leaping out of the water. Chen Xiangling stared at her fluorescent buoy, which floated on the water like a small green star, swaying gently with the waves.
Suddenly, the buoy sank suddenly.
"Here it comes!" She stood up excitedly, the fishing rod instantly bent into an exaggerated arc, and the reel made a "squeaking" sound.
Chen Xinran immediately put down his fishing rod and walked quickly behind her: "Hold steady, don't rush to reel in the line."
"It's because it's so heavy..." Chen Xiangling gritted her teeth, her hands trembling slightly from the effort. The fishing line cut through the water, making a tense humming sound, and something was struggling violently underwater.
Her heartbeat quickened, and a big, fat fish appeared in her mind—perhaps a carp, or even a catfish!
However, when the brown suitcase surfaced, her smile froze.
"What the hell is this!"
It was a standard business suitcase. Its brown leather surface was swollen from being soaked in lake water, and its metal edging was a strange greenish-blue color.
There was a hideous crack on the side of the box, as if it had been violently cut by some sharp weapon, and black water was dripping down from it.
"This...this..." Chen Xiangling's fishing rod clattered onto the pier, the nylon line still tangled in the trunk's handle. She instinctively took two steps back, the heels of her sneakers colliding with the folding chair, making a sharp, grinding sound.
Shen Xinran's reaction was ten times faster than hers.
The boy's small body suddenly burst out with amazing strength, and he stepped in front of her. The light from the camping lantern was cut into sharp shadows by his thin figure, completely enveloping his sister in a safe range.
Chen Xiangling saw a sharp line on the back of her brother's neck - this was the fighting posture he would use when carrying out high-risk missions in another world.
"Sister, something's wrong."
Shen Xinran's voice was extremely low, each word as if tempered by ice. His right hand rested on his waist, where he usually carried his sword, even though now there was only the hem of a cartoon-printed sweatshirt.
The suitcase fell sideways onto the damp wood with a dull thud. For a moment, Chen Xiangling thought it would bounce back, but the suitcase simply shook strangely twice, and more sticky liquid seeped out from the cracks.
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