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

Su Qing stood in front of the sink, rinsing the plate in her hand for the third time. The water was gushing over the porcelain surface, but she showed no intention of turning it off.

The kitchen light cast a thin shadow on her face, obscuring her usually sharp eyes from an angle that obscured her emotions.

The system spoke softly in her mind: [Host, your current emotional state is experiencing multi-dimensional fluctuations.]

[My sadness level has increased by 12%, my anxiety level by 8%, and there's another emotion I can't quite categorize yet—its waveform is close to 'reluctance,' but not quite. Would you like to talk about it?]

Su Qing didn't answer, but simply turned the tap off and dried her hands with a towel.

She leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Jiang Ran engrossed in eating cake in the living room through the kitchen doorway. She remained silent for a moment, then asked herself, "What will happen to the little one after I leave?"

The system's response was a beat slower than usual, as if it were retrieving some data requiring deep access permissions: [According to the core protocol of the Fate Completion System, the host will be removed from Jiang Ran's fate line after completing the companionship mission.]

[At that time, Jiang Ran will be found by her biological parents, and her destiny will be reconnected from the broken point, returning to its original trajectory.]

Su Qing tapped her fingers lightly twice on the edge of the countertop.

Biological parents?

After all these years, how could it still be found?

She frowned slightly and pressed the system to tell her if the other party would treat Jiang Ran well, her tone carrying a hint of distrust, as if she were conducting a background check on a case that she herself hadn't even figured out yet.

The system's response remained the same emotionless, standard line: [Sorry, host, this information is not within your access rights.]

[The Fate Completion System's duty is to repair broken fate lines, allowing life to continue as it should. The host will then be separated from Jiang Ran's fate line; therefore, related details cannot be disclosed.]

Su Qing lowered her eyes, her lips twitched slightly, it was unclear whether she was smiling or talking to herself.

But then she thought, since they haven't given up searching, they must be really interested.

Compared to her sister, whom she picked up halfway through life, with no blood relation, and whom she had to climb over the wall to bring back from someone else's balcony, a complete, real family... with a father, a mother, and maybe other relatives... is the best place for Jiang Ran to belong.

She draped the towel on the rack and looked at the small figure in the living room, her gaze becoming more somber than before.

Until then, let her do her best.

As she walked back to the dining table, Jiang Ran had just put the last bite of cake from the small tray into her mouth, with a small dollop of cream on the corner of her lips.

Su Qing took out a tissue to wipe it off for her. The little girl looked up and obediently let her wipe it, mumbling indistinctly, "The cake that my sister made is so delicious."

Su Qing smiled, reached out and ruffled her hair, but didn't reply.

After Jiang Ran finished eating, she jumped off the chair and helped her clear the paper plates and forks off the table. She carefully carried the cake tray, which was bigger than her face, into the kitchen and placed it on the counter. Then she looked up at her, as if waiting for a "good job" look.

Su Qing took the tray, patted her head gently, and said, "Go and rest."

  

After the little one curled up back on the sofa and picked up his sketchbook, Su Qing, while washing the dishes, mentally called out to the system again: "You just said 'detach,' what exactly does 'detach' mean?"

The system's tone remained businesslike, as if reading a sealed and archived administrative document: [When Jiang Ran turns fifteen, the host may choose two methods to break free from her destiny.]

[The first method involves the system assisting the host in creating a plausible "death" event. All external traces will be automatically processed, preventing any unnecessary investigations.]

[The second option is for the host to choose another method of death, as long as it is completed within one month of Jiang Ran turning fifteen.]

Su Qing paused for a moment while rinsing the dishes, and the foam slid down her fingers with the water.

Her lips twitched as she stared at the white tiled wall in front of her, wondering to herself if there was a slightly more respectable way to do it.

The system paused for a moment, seemingly searching earnestly for the semantic scope of the word "decency" in the context of death: [Unfortunately, host, there is none.]

[Only death can completely break free from Jiang Ran's fate; this is the fundamental rule of the fate completion system, and it cannot be bypassed.]

Su Qing sighed, put the last plate into the drainer, shook the water droplets off her hands, and thought to herself, "Never mind, I'll deal with it later."

The system's voice sounded again, its tone unusually gentle, like a reminder or a persuasion: [It is recommended that the host make plans as soon as possible. The strategy of "we'll deal with it later" is usually not the optimal solution when dealing with emotional matters.]

The cumulative effect of emotions intensifies over time, especially for someone with a personality like yours whose outward emotions are highly unstable.

Su Qing chuckled inwardly, but did not reply. She unfolded the rag, laid it out, and turned to leave the kitchen.

Jiang Ran was sitting cross-legged on the sofa. The gauze on her knees no longer affected her leg swinging. Her legs swung back and forth on the edge of the sofa, and her rabbit-ear slippers gently patted her heels with the rhythm of her swinging.

She kept her head down, holding the newly opened watercolor pens in her hand. On the coffee table in front of her lay a brand-new sketchbook, the pen tip scratching names on the paper.

Su Qing sat down next to her and glanced at the drawing paper.

Jiang Ran drew a scene from her birthday celebration. There was a cake on the table, and the candle flames were made of three layers of orange and yellow. A tiny version of her stood on a chair, tiptoeing to put strawberries on the cake. Next to her stood another version of herself with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a light gray apron, and a smile on her lips that she rarely saw in the mirror, but which Jiang Ran had clearly observed carefully.

The proportions aren't quite right yet; the cake is bigger than the person, and the person's hands are drawn as two simple lines. But the expression of the person is captured very well. The slightly curved eyes and the curve of the eyebrows of Su Qing in the painting are exactly the same as when she came out of the kitchen carrying the cake.

"The little guy is quite talented," Su Qing thought to herself.

The system immediately responded: [Based on Jiang Ran's observation skills, composition abilities, and emotional expression during the painting process, her artistic talent rating is approximately between B+ and A-, which is higher than the average level for children of the same age.]

[Would you like me to filter nearby art classes for you? Data shows there are three reputable children's art institutions in the area.]

Su Qing thought for a moment, then looked down at Jiang Ran's swaying legs and the lingering smile on her lips.

The little one is coloring her dress in the drawing with a pink pen, coloring very carefully, not daring to color outside the border with any stroke.

"Let's forget it. The pressure of school is already enough. It's not easy for her to find something she likes. If we sign her up for a class and have someone teach her everything, wouldn't that just turn it into a chore?"

Su Qing leaned back on the sofa, crossed her arms, and said casually, "Xiao Ran can draw if she likes it, and she can not draw if she doesn't. We don't have to follow the formula for cultivating geniuses in everything."

The system paused for two seconds, then calmly replied: [Understood, the suggestion has been withdrawn.]

[While this educational philosophy of the host has limited effectiveness in improving the development of talents, it plays a positive role in protecting children's intrinsic motivation.]

Su Qing didn't reply, but just watched Jiang Ran finish the last stroke. In the painting, she and Jiang Ran were holding hands, standing next to the cake, with a sunlit window behind them.

The little one put down his pen, looked up at her with bright eyes, and held the sketchbook in front of her: "Sister, I'm done! Here, take it!"

Su Qing took the sketchbook, examined it for a moment, and then reached out to rub her head: "This one is better than the last one. Last time you drew my eyebrows unevenly, but this one is symmetrical."

Jiang Ran smiled with her lips pursed, not exposing the fact that it was her sister who said last time that "the left eyebrow is indeed higher than the right eyebrow".