The setting sun cast a rather dim light, the pale orange tinged with gray, and the sky was neither bright nor clear.
The pigeon perched on the osmanthus tree outside the window, its red-circled eyes fixed on the sudden sound coming from the room. Before the wind blew, it flapped its wings and flew away.
The girl's voice was spoiled and willful, and her sudden running over was also quite reckless.
Lu Shizhen's knee injury hadn't healed yet, and she was caught off guard by the sudden force, causing her to stumble.
Whether by coincidence or not, at that very moment an arm rested precisely on her waist, stabilizing her from behind.
Cool fingers touched the thin sweatshirt, and a faint fragrance drifted onto Lu Shizhen's shoulder.
It was Xu Shiyue.
She stood beside Lu Shizhen, her slender figure enveloping most of Lu Shizhen's body.
Even though she is blind, her presence gives people a sense of reliability.
Lu Shizhen hesitated whether to thank Xu Shiyue, but Aunt Sun came over first and pulled away the girl who was tightly hugging her, "Miss Shien, Miss still has an injury on her leg."
Upon hearing Aunt Sun's words, the girl immediately exclaimed "Ah!" Her spoiled attitude turned into panic, and she hurriedly said, "Sister, I'm sorry, I forgot. Did I hurt you just now? I didn't mean to."
In just one minute, Lu Shizhen heard the fifth "sister".
She was somewhat at a loss, just watching the girl who was concerned about her knee injury.
With a small face the size of a palm and a pair of almond-shaped eyes, the glittery eye corners seem to be imitating the most popular girl group makeup look right now.
A pink bow was pinned to her high, half-up ponytail, exaggerated and childish, perfectly matching her flamboyant demeanor at that moment.
If there's nothing wrong with my eyes, this child should still be a minor, right?
What exactly did the original owner do before? Where did all these kind older and younger sisters come from? And why did they suddenly come knocking on my door?
Just as Lu Shizhen's doubts and frustration were piling up like a mountain, like a character introduction triggered when encountering a new character in a game, Qiuqiu introduced in her ear: "Host, this is the original owner's younger sister, Lu Shi'en. She is fourteen years old this year and just started junior high school. She is the child of Cheng Meiyan's deceased best friend. The original owner had a very good relationship with her."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shizhen was startled and suddenly remembered some fragments of the plot.
Lu Shi'en should indeed call the original owner "older sister," but she and the original owner are not actually related by blood.
Sung Mi-yeon had a very close friend who was tricked into getting pregnant by a scumbag. During her last prenatal checkup, the scumbag secretly discovered the baby was a girl and ran away. Sung Mi-yeon's friend wasn't in good health either, and this blow caused her to go into premature labor that very night.
Although Cheng Meiyan later caught the man and pierced his head with two holes by taking off her high heels, Lu Shien's mother never came back. Lu Shien thus became the third child of the Lu family, Cheng Meiyan's beloved second daughter.
Lu Shi'en doesn't appear much in the original text, and can be simply described as arrogant and eccentric.
But this very person was completely obedient to the original owner, acting coquettishly and begging, which seemed to exceed the definition of the blood relation term "sister".
They really are sisters.
Thank goodness.
Lu Shizhen's tense nerves relaxed a bit. Her requirements for the original owner of the body had now been lowered to just that she didn't do anything illegal.
"It's nothing." Lu Shizhen shook her head and asked in the original owner's tone, "Why did you suddenly come?"
"I just got back from the programming competition and heard about you falling down the stairs, sister," Lu Shi'en replied, her voice tinged with displeasure. "Brother actually kept it from me! He only told me after I got back!"
Lu Shizhen was born into a large family, but due to health reasons, she had no experience interacting with younger generations.
Lu Shizhen was at a loss for what to do with this suddenly appearing and very clingy younger sister.
Is she complaining about me?
Should I agree with her and say a few bad things about Lu Shize?
If it were the original owner of this body, what would she have done?
As Lu Shizhen hesitated, she saw Lu Shien's hand climb up her arm again.
She wiggled her arm like a little girl, her almond-shaped eyes looking at me expectantly: "Sister, you promised me before, you can't accept the blind date my brother arranged for you! You're mine!"
That same coquettish and willful tone, exactly the same as before, started pestering Lu Shizhen again.
Immediately afterward, Lu Shizhen heard a system notification: "-50".
An unprecedented number slammed down on Lu Shizhen's head.
That wasn't the sound of the system broadcasting; it was the sound of her heart breaking.
While Lu Shi'en was entangled, Lu Shizhen turned to look at Xu Shiyue who was standing to the side.
The man remained calmly standing to one side, holding onto the handrail attached to Yuanzi.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down, and the light filtering through it revealed no trace of disgust.
In an instant, Lu Shizhen seemed to see Xu Shiyue's expression when she had her limbs broken in the future.
Calm and indifferent, he simply believed in his heart that he was a damned, perverted lunatic.
Lu Shizhen knew, of course, that there was nothing between her and Lu Shien, including the original owner of the body.
However, as someone who knew nothing about her family's affairs, Xu Shiyue couldn't help but think of certain things that would be censored when she heard Lu Shien talking about marriage and brides.
Moreover, in Xu Shiyue's eyes, the original owner of this body was not a good person at all.
This kind of thing sounds like something a crazy, perverted person in a novel would do.
No, we can't let this misunderstanding take root in Xu Shiyue's heart!
Lu Shizhen's survival instinct kicked in immediately, and she lectured while subtly trying to clear her name: "How can you, a little kid, keep talking about wanting to get married? What did you learn about politics? I'm your older sister! What did you do on your mid-term mock exam this month?"
Lu Shi'en pursed his lips upon hearing this, and like any child asked about their grades, he gave a less-than-happy answer: "Chinese 110, Math 117, English 115, Politics 90, History 94, Chemistry 95, Biology 90, Physics... Physics is a little lower, 85..."
Lu Shizhen originally wanted to take this opportunity to teach Lu Shien a lesson and tell her not to keep saying such things.
But unexpectedly, he got lectured instead.
Her younger sister is better than her in physics.
This is the real yandere/madwoman trainee!
Did the Supreme God assign the wrong script?!
Lu Shizhen stood there bewildered in the wind, while Lu Shien opened his schoolbag and continued, "Sister, don't worry about me. This is a trophy I won in a programming competition. I'm giving it to you."
As he spoke, Lu Shi'en presented a beautifully designed trophy to Lu Shizhen.
Light poured down from above her head, and her bright eyes shone with anticipation.
Aunt Sun, watching from the side, put her arm around her shoulder and added, "Miss Shi En just returned from City A and had her driver come here. The first thing she wanted to do was give the trophy to her."
Lu Shi'en was very satisfied with Aunt Sun's supplementary information, and turned to smile at her.
But the smile on her face vanished the next second, and Xu Shiyue's figure was reflected in her dark pupils.
Her expression changed quickly, and she asked in an unfriendly tone, "You just went out with my sister?"
"Yes," Xu Shiyue admitted, her voice colder than usual.
Lu Shi'en was already very unhappy with Lu Shizhen bringing Xu Shiyue to live at her home, and her words were full of barbs: "She can't see at all, so why does she still have to go out? Can't you be a little more considerate and not cause trouble for others? My sister isn't your guide cane, why should she be dragged out with you? I..."
“Shi En!” Lu Shizhen hurriedly called out.
Thinking of Lu Shi'en's background, Lu Shizhen could roughly guess that the original owner must have spoiled Lu Shi'en and let her run wild.
But a tragic and pitiful past is not a shield for reckless behavior; it is absolutely intolerable to her.
Thinking this, Lu Shizhen was about to start lecturing Lu Shien.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shiyue spoke first, replying to Lu Shien with a question: "Yeah, why should we?"
Her voice was soft, yet it conveyed a sense of effortless power.
With just one rhetorical question, Lu Shien was stumped.
Given Xu Shiyue's personality, she was unwilling to argue with such an indifferent person.
But for some reason, this time she was determined to argue.
That unpleasant feeling washed over the young girl the moment she stepped into the villa where she and Lu Shizhen had spent every day together.
It was even more ferocious than the last time, stirring up towering waves on her originally calm sea surface.
Xu Shiyue disliked this feeling, and her mood inexplicably soured as a result.
Not content with just a succinct question, she went on to bluntly say, "Miss Lu has spent more time with your sister than I have, so she should know her better than I do. Given your sister's temperament, no one can force her unless she is willing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Shi'en sprang up like a snake whose vital spot had been struck: "You!"
The unbelievable truth was suddenly revealed to the public. Lu Shi'en couldn't tolerate anyone being more important to her sister than herself, and angrily pointed at Xu Shiyue: "You're talking nonsense! You troublemaker, you jinx!"
Perhaps sensing the rise in the other person's tone, Yuanzi took two steps forward to protect Xu Shiyue.
Lu Shizhen, of course, knew what Lu Shien meant by "jinx," and immediately shouted at Lu Shien sternly, "Shien, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Her tone was somewhat fierce, and Lu Shi'en's face instantly filled with grievance: "Am I talking nonsense? If it weren't for her, how could you have been so unlucky as to fall down the stairs, sister!"
Lu Shizhen immediately retorted, "If Xu Shiyue hadn't pulled me up, I would have fallen much more badly than this."
Lu Shi'en looked on in disbelief and unwillingness to believe it: "How is this possible?"
Lu Shizhen left no room for disbelief: "How could it be impossible?"
Then she spoke more seriously to Lu Shien, saying, "Xu Shiyue can be said to be my sister's savior. Do you think what you just said is correct?"
Lu Shi'en bit her lip tightly, her eyes fixed on Xu Shiyue standing with her sister. She was awkward and hesitant, and did not answer for a long time.
The villa suddenly fell silent, which Lu Shizhen could see clearly from the side.
She knew that Lu Shi'en realized he had said the wrong thing, but he was used to being pampered and refused to back down.
In this respect, he is much better than the likes of Sun Chenchen.
Whether it was the lingering will of the original owner in her body or because she felt it was a pity that such a good child had been raised wrong, Lu Shizhen wanted to straighten this little girl out.
She looked at Lu Shi'en and said in a softer voice, "You should apologize to Xu Shiyue."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shi'en looked at her older sister, who had been extremely indulgent towards her in the past, in disbelief, and struggled to say, "Sister, I just gave you the trophy, how could you do this..."
Lu Shizhen disagreed: "One thing at a time. Merit is merit and demerit is demerit. Merit cannot outweigh demerit, have you ever heard of that?"
When Lu Shi'en heard Lu Shizhen's tone, he knew that she was really taking this matter seriously, and he couldn't avoid having to apologize.
The room fell silent again. Lu Shi'en watched as Lu Shizhen "favored" Xu Shiyue, and his dissatisfaction grew stronger.
But when she lowered her head, feeling indescribably aggrieved, she saw the injury on Lu Shizhen's leg and the bruises on Xu Shiyue's knee.
She still found the person who was so close to her sister a bit annoying.
But there's no denying that she seems to have genuinely protected her sister for her.
Thinking about what Lu Shizhen had just said to him, Lu Shien lowered his head to Xu Shiyue, even though he was reluctant to admit it: "I'm sorry."
Then, she added softly, "Thank you for saving my sister. I will never say those things to you again."
It was like a farce that was about to escalate but came to an abrupt end before it could escalate further.
Xu Shiyue, as the other center of the storm, was calmer than anyone else, but she was not as calm as she appeared.
She once thought that Lu Shizhen made Sun Chenchen apologize to her because she herself wanted to vent her anger.
This time, however, she didn't think Lu Shizhen had any reason to vent her anger. The little girl she had asked to apologize to was her doting younger sister.
Lu Shizhen remained steadfast in upholding justice, and despite Lu Shien's persistent entanglement with her, there seemed to be no incestuous relationship between them as described in the previous conversation.
Although Xu Shiyue still felt a bit displeased for reasons she didn't know why, the waves that were surging towards her had lost their previous momentum, only bobbing up and down on the calm sea surface, losing their aggressiveness.
Seeing that the scene had calmed down, Aunt Sun took the initiative to come out and said to the three of them, "Well, let's not stand here anymore. Dinner has already been prepared. Didn't Miss get hungry as soon as she came in? Miss Shi En, go wash your hands first. Miss and Miss Xu, go change your clothes. Let's start eating right away."
None of the three objected; they nodded and ended the unexpected farce.
Aunt Sun followed Lu Shizhen back to her room. While helping Lu Shizhen tidy up her clothes, she cautiously suggested, "Miss, Miss Shi'en just won an award today and is very happy. She seems a little unhappy because of what you've done. Would you like to comfort her later?"
Lu Shizhen paused for a moment as she walked out.
coax?
If she'll have to coax her later, then why did she lecture her just now?
"Does protecting her happiness mean we can let her be willful and say whatever she wants on this day?" Lu Shizhen retorted. "How come you don't know if Xu Shiyue was happy to go out with me today? Don't you think Lu Shien will ruin Xu Shiyue's mood?"
Aunt Sun was speechless.
She knew that in the past, her young lady had always granted Lu Shien's every wish and spoiled him excessively.
Unexpectedly, Xu Shiyue surpassed Lu Shien in Lu Shizhen's heart.
For some reason, Lu Shizhen suddenly thought of a saying: "The squeaky wheel gets the grease," and immediately thought of the quiet Xu Shiyue.
She disliked this kind of thing that seemed to take everyone's feelings into account; she only hoped that even if Xu Shiyue didn't cry, she could still receive the fairness she deserved.
Lu Shizhen pushed open the door and asked Aunt Sun in the original owner's tone, "So, if that's the case, then Shiyue is also unhappy because of this commotion. Who will compensate for this emotional distress?"
The girl's voice wasn't serious; it sounded rather casual.
She posed a question, but didn't need anyone to answer it.
Servants always try to guess what their masters mean, and Aunt Sun, as the housekeeper, was no exception. She nodded in agreement and said, "Miss is right. I was inconsiderate."
As they spoke, light from the room streamed into the hallway through the open door.
But as the door slammed shut, the light in the hallway did not disappear.
The door across the street slowly opened a crack, and the girl's figure was vaguely projected onto the ground.
Xu Shiyue gripped the silver handle, watching the blurry figure gradually disappear into the distance.
Xu Shiyue had just opened the door to go downstairs when she overheard Lu Shizhen's conversation with Aunt Sun.
She didn't like eavesdropping, but when she heard the name "Lu Shi'en" mentioned in their conversation, she stopped opening the door.
So she heard everything.
This also includes that blatant phrase, "We'll pick up the moon," which caught her heart skip a beat.
The dim light reflected in the girl's silent eyes, casting a shadowy shadow over them.
She doesn't like being called that by people she's not close to.
For some reason, however, she did not reject Lu Shizhen's words.
Perhaps because of what had just happened, Lu Shien behaved very well during dinner.
The little girl had just participated in a programming competition in another province, and spent the entire dinner time sharing with Lu Shizhen what had happened to her in the past few days, her legs swinging back and forth on the chair.
Although Lu Shizhen had gained a lot of freedom after coming to this world, she still rarely had the opportunity to communicate with someone for such a long time. She listened to Lu Shien's story with great interest, and even his somewhat spoiled voice didn't sound so jarring.
“It’s really interesting, and the food there is also very good. I had the maid at home learn how to cook it, so I can bring it to my sister to eat later.” Lu Shi’en said, looking at Lu Shi Zhen.
Lu Shizhen, hearing her description, also felt a little hungry and nodded, saying, "Sure."
The usually quiet dining table was unusually filled with a lively atmosphere. The knife sliced through the steak and lightly touched the plate, making a soft "click" that was drowned out by the conversation of the two people.
Xu Shiyue frowned as she looked at the rather unclear mass of steak in front of her.
For some reason, she felt that the dishes Aunt Sun made today were a bit bland and difficult to cut.
It's possible that the original owner never let Lu Shi'en stay overnight at home, as Lu Shi'en prepared to leave after dinner.
The little girl was standing at the door, and before the car arrived, she turned around and glanced at Lu Shizhen.
Thinking back to how harmonious their interaction at the dinner table had been as usual, she hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Sister said one thing is one thing, so if I win the gold medal, will you reward me with something?"
Lu Shizhen remembered what Lu Shien had mentioned earlier and said, "Let's go to your house for dinner?"
"No." Lu Shi'en immediately shook his head and took the initiative to ask, "Last time my sister said she would take me to the horse farm when she had time. Last month, Sun Mengmeng's father opened a new horse farm in the eastern suburbs. I want to wait until my sister's leg is better before she accompanies me to go horse riding."
"Riding a horse?" Lu Shizhen paused for a moment.
She has been in a wheelchair since childhood, and riding a horse is simply a pipe dream for her.
Why did the original owner always choose things she was good at but not good at?
Couldn't she switch her equestrian skills with her painting skills?
Just as Lu Shizhen was thinking of an excuse to refuse, Lu Shien clung to her arm: "Sister rides such a good horse, you wouldn't refuse such a small request, would you..."
Lu Shi'en's tone suddenly softened, and with one sentence, he completely blocked Lu Shizhen's path.
She looked at the huge pit the original owner had left her, her voice strained: "...How could this be?"
"I knew my sister was the best to me!" Lu Shi'en immediately became happy.
She clung tightly to Lu Shizhen's arm, looking proudly at Xu Shiyue who was about to go back upstairs: "My sister has always been the best to me since we were little. No one can replace her!"
Seeing Lu Shien's gaze, Lu Shizhen knew exactly who she was talking to, and hurriedly turned to look at Xu Shiyue.
The moonlight streamed through the window into the stairwell, falling brightly on Xu Shiyue.
She held Yuanzi's hand as always, her steps never faltering as she climbed the stairs, seemingly unconcerned by Lu Shien's words.
That makes sense; why would Xu Shiyue care about such a comment?
Lu Shizhen thought to herself that she was being far too sensitive.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a broadcast suddenly came to her ears: "-10." The system's voice was calm and indifferent, like an unbearable weight crashing down on Lu Shizhen's head.
This is her second time getting points deducted today, and it's another double-digit deduction...
Lu Shizhen was happily analyzing with Qiuqiu a few days ago that Xu Shiyue was adding more and more points to her, and that she should be able to fix the bug soon. But unexpectedly, the number of points deducted also increased.
Lu Shizhen was immediately heartbroken.
But before she could recover, Xu Shiyue's voice rang out from the stairs: "Lu Shizhen."
The voice was clear and cold, exactly the same tone Xu Shiyue used to use when she spoke to him.
Lu Shizhen responded immediately, afraid that she would lose points if she was even a second slow in answering: "Sigh."
However, Xu Shiyue did not speak to her immediately after she finished speaking.
The wind blew into the room from the doorway, making the little girl's bow flutter.
Xu Shiyue stood on the stairs, watching the three figures in the entrance hall, and the blurry image of arms that looked like they were linked together.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like only a one-second pause.
Xu Shiyue raised her gaze slightly and, in front of Lu Shien, said to Lu Shizhen, "Come to my room in ten minutes."
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