My sister, whom I raised, has turned evil after faking her death for three years.

Sun Yaqin nodded, then took a deep breath, as if she were doing something very difficult: "That night, Xiaoyu told me that you didn't let him have a seizure."

"I initially thought it was a coincidence, but then I tried it again. I asked him to go to the supermarket to buy milk, and I deliberately didn't tell him that the cashier had been replaced by a new female employee..."

"When he got to the front of the line, he was pale and almost knocked over the shelf, so it wasn't a coincidence."

Her fingers were spread out and placed flat on the table.

"Su Qing, I've checked your information..."

When she said this, guilt and apology flashed in her eyes, but more than that, there was a calm certainty: "I know everything about you, your age, your identity, and the records you left at the police station."

"I know you and Xiao Ran are not related by blood. You are just a kid who has just come of age. You took on everything by yourself, rescued Xiao Ran from that place, and raised her so well. I really admire you and feel sorry for you."

"That's why I feel you're the only one who can help me."

"You're not only the only girl he doesn't reject, you're also someone who... can understand what it feels like to protect someone."

Su Qing looked at her; the latte in her coffee cup had cooled down a bit, but she didn't pick it up to drink.

She wanted to say something, but felt that nothing she said would be quite right.

She wanted to say "Don't be sad," but the self-blame and guilt of more than ten years could not be erased with just "Don't be sad."

  

She wanted to say "this is not appropriate," but the woman opposite her, a woman who pretended to be an "older sister" in the park just to help her son make more friends, was already saying the last bit of dignity within the limits of what she could say.

Sun Yaqin spoke again, a little faster than before, as if afraid she would back down before she could finish: "I know this is absurd and impolite. I don't ask you to have any special opinion about Xiaoyan, nor do I need you to make any promises..."

"I just consulted a doctor, who said that if he could have more natural contact with a woman who doesn't trigger his symptoms, like a normal person exchanging a few words or spending some time in the same space, it might help his recovery, even if it's just a little bit..."

She paused, then softly finished her last sentence: "I watched him lock himself in his room year after year, and I don't know what he'll do in the future..."

"I don't want to be eighty years old and still worrying that he might faint at home alone and no one will know..."

"Su Qing... could you sometimes..."

"Just occasionally, just a few words with him? Anything is fine..."

The coffee shop fell silent. Sun Yaqin held Su Qing's hand nervously. She understood that it was normal for the other party not to agree. She shouldn't put more pressure on a child whose life had already been so difficult...

Sun Yaqin's eyes dimmed. She was too selfish, only thinking about her own family and ignoring Su Qing's feelings. She had clearly said that she only wanted to help Su Qing out of kindness...

But now... Su Qing probably feels like she's taking advantage of a favor...

Sun Yaqin withdrew her hand, her voice trembling slightly, filled with deep apology, "I...I'm sorry..."

Su Qing looked down at the milk foam in her coffee cup, which had already solidified into a thin film, and remained silent for a moment.

Then she looked up and said in a very calm tone, "Okay, I'll try."

Sun Yaqin stared blankly at Su Qing, as if she hadn't heard what Su Qing had just said.

Her fingers were still suspended in mid-air, maintaining the posture she had just pulled back, her fingertips slightly curled, not daring to extend them further, nor daring to pull them back completely.

"You...you agreed?"

Her voice carried a clear uncertainty, so soft it was as if she were confirming a fact she could hardly believe, "Su Qing, you don't need to force yourself. What I just said..."

"No pressure."

Su Qing interrupted her.

She picked up the latte on the table, which was already mostly cold, and took a sip. Her tone was calm, as if she were talking about something perfectly normal.

"As you said yourself, Sister Yaqin, it's just about getting to know each other and having a chat, so I have no reason to refuse."

She placed the coffee cup back on the saucer, the bottom of the cup making a soft, crisp sound as it collided with the porcelain plate.

Then she raised her head, looked into Sun Yaqin's eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly. It wasn't a polite, perfunctory smile, but a warm smile that made people feel a sense of comfort.

"Besides, Xiaoran and Xiaoyu are already friends. The two kids will inevitably have their playful moments in the future, and we might have to go find them together someday. There will be plenty of opportunities to run into them, and we can't pretend we don't know them every time, can we?"

Sun Yaqin did not speak.

Her eyes reddened, as if something welled up from the depths of her heart, stuck in her throat, and moistened her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Su Qing didn't say anything like "Don't cry".

She simply put her tone more casually, as if she were chatting about everyday things.

"By the way, Sister Yaqin, you really don't need to worry about your age."

"To me, you've always looked twenty."

Sun Yaqin paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth were already turned up.

She lowered her head, quickly wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, and when she raised her head again, her face showed a somewhat disheveled expression of both crying and laughing, completely different from the composed and elegant "Ms. Sun" she usually was.

"Really," she said, her voice slightly nasal, shaking her head with a laugh.

"I'm so embarrassed. I'm the one who came to ask you for help, but it's turned into you comforting me."

She pulled a tissue from her bag and dabbed at the corner of her eye, took a deep breath, and finally regained her usual cheerful demeanor, though a faint redness remained around her eyes.

Su Qing picked up her coffee and took another sip, the smile still lingering on her lips.

The system issued a notification in her mind: [Host, Sun Yaqin's current emotional state analysis: Gratitude value exceeds the upper limit of the measurement range.]

[Guilt level decreased by 47%.]

[Sun Yaqin's trust rating for you has reached the highest level since the system was established for a non-family member.]

[In addition, her guilt and self-blame towards her eldest son are also decreasing, currently by 32%.]

[All your responses in this conversation exceeded my predictive model and all pointed to a positive outcome.]

Su Qing silently replied in her mind, "That's fine then."

The system paused for a second, then continued: [Based on comprehensive behavioral data analysis, the host's current behavioral patterns differ significantly from those before the modification.]

[Specifically manifested as improved emotional stability, enhanced empathy, reduced impulsive decision-making, and significantly improved social adaptability.]

[Simply put, the host has transformed from a delinquent youth into an outstanding member of society.]

Su Qing paused, holding the coffee cup.

"What do you mean?"

"Was I not a good person before?"

She asked herself, her tone carrying a dangerous calm.

The system remained silent for a moment.

"...Good people don't climb over other people's walls in the middle of the night."

Su Qing opened her mouth, wanting to say something to refute, but she found that her vocabulary was completely useless in the face of this irrefutable fact.

She did indeed do it, and she flipped over quite skillfully, landing with near-perfect form...

But that doesn't matter!

The important thing is that she still can't deny it!!!

"...That was a special case." Su Qing could only manage to squeeze out this last sentence.

"Understood, this is a special case, and it has been recorded."

Su Qing decided to stop arguing with a string of code.