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

When Su Qing came out of the fitting room, she was carrying five paper bags. Four of the bags contained her dresses, and the remaining bag contained Jiang Ran's two shirts.

She stood in the middle of the mall corridor, looking down at the pile of bags in her hands, then at the black gothic dress she had just changed into. Layers of ruffles stretched from the neckline to the hem, a dark red ribbon was tied at the waist, and the lace on the cuffs was excessively delicate.

She looked up, her voice blank, as if she had just escaped a major battle, and said to the system in her mind, "I used to think buying clothes was a small thing, and that was my mistake."

The system calmly responded: [Host, your style today spanned four categories: casual everyday, French country, sophisticated workwear, and gothic dark. You tried on a total of twelve dresses, seven of which Jiang Ran deemed "must-buys." Your adaptation speed is gratifying.]

"...Could you use a different word?"

[This shocked the leader.]

Su Qing decided to shut up.

She glanced at Jiang Ran, who was walking beside her, holding her wrist and walking with such light steps that she was almost humming a song. Then she looked down at the dress she was wearing, which made her unconsciously shrink her steps as she walked, and sighed deeply.

She came here to accompany Xiao Ran to buy clothes, but in the end, she was carrying only her own dresses, while the culprit next to her was smiling with a satisfied look on her face.

The system softly announced in her mind: [Jiang Ran's current mood index is extremely high, with her happiness level increasing by about thirty percentage points compared to usual. The main reasons are "seeing her sister wearing a skirt" and "her sister being willing to wear a skirt for her."]

"I could tell even if you didn't say it," Su Qing thought to herself.

She glanced at Jiang Ran's profile, which was unusually flushed, and suddenly felt a little calmer.

Actually, she felt that as long as Xiao Ran was happy, that was all that mattered.

  

During the week, they either go to work or attend classes. She spends the whole day standing in the dessert shop, while Xiao Ran spends the whole day at school. On weekends, they either curl up on the sofa together watching TV and eating snacks, or they sleep in late. There are very few opportunities for the two of them to actually go out and stroll together like this.

She stopped worrying about the bags; she'd already bought them and was already wearing them, so as long as Xiaoran was happy, that was all that mattered.

Thinking of this, she asked herself how much longer the system task countdown was.

The system's response remained accurate: [As of system time, there are 31 days, 9 hours, 43 minutes, and 15 seconds remaining until the task ends.]

One month...

Su Qing's steps slowed down almost imperceptibly by half a beat.

Thirty-one days, and there's only this much left.

She unconsciously tightened her grip on Jiang Ran's hand, then loosened it again.

She thought, time is running out, let Xiao Ran do whatever she wants.

Then Su Qing asked another question: Would Xiao Ran's parents find her before or after the time was up?

The system's response was concise—[Before the end.]

Su Qing thought to herself, before it all ended, she would be able to see him soon.

That's fine, at least she can see for herself what kind of person he is and whether he is truly good to Xiao Ran.

While Su Qing was talking to the system, Jiang Ran was holding her sister's hand and walking on the pedestrian street on the first floor of the mall when she suddenly felt Su Qing's fingers move slightly in her palm.

She turned her head and noticed that her sister's gaze was fixed on some unknown direction ahead, her steps mechanically following hers, her expression calm, but there was a hint of emptiness in her eyes that was not easily noticed.

She gently squeezed Su Qing's fingers, which brought Su Qing back to her senses. She turned her head to look at her, the dazed look in her eyes not completely gone, but the corners of her mouth had already reflexively turned up: "What's wrong, Xiao Ran?"

"Are you tired, sister?" Jiang Ran's voice was soft and earnest as she looked intently into her eyes.

Su Qing paused for a moment, then shook her head, smiled, and said no, she was just thinking about something.

She asked Xiaoran where else she wanted to go, and told her to say whatever she wanted.

Jiang Ran shook her head upon hearing this, smiled and said no need, she had already bought everything she needed, let's go home and watch a movie together.

She looked at Su Qing's eyes, which were slightly tired from trying on too many clothes, but didn't point out the weariness in her sister's eyes. She just silently noted that her sister had worn a dress for her today, and that her sister was tired but didn't say anything. She also noted that her sister seemed to have been thinking about something since earlier.

But if her sister didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't ask.

She can wait until the day her sister is willing to tell her.

Su Qing held Jiang Ran's hand and walked forward, but a shadow in her heart lingered and she couldn't shake it off.

Thirty-one days.

Su Qing chewed over and over those words in her mind, until they became somewhat bitter.

She had considered whether Xiao Ran would be sad after she left. She had thought about distancing herself a little to give Xiao Ran some time to process things, so that it wouldn't be too sudden when she left.

She tried... Last winter she tried deliberately picking her up from school a few minutes late, hoping to get Xiao Ran used to not treating her as a necessity.

As a result, when she stood at the school gate that day and saw Xiao Ran rushing out with her schoolbag on her back, her heart softened first.

When that small figure scanned the crowd and couldn't find her, his shoulders slumped, his lips pursed into a thin line, and he looked like a light bulb that had been unplugged.

She rushed over immediately, throwing all thoughts of gradually distancing herself or giving her time to adjust to the situation to the back of her mind. As she grabbed Xiao Ran's hand and pulled her out of the crowd, she had only one thought in her mind: Screw the time to adjust.

She can't.

When I first adopted her, I only saw her as a means to survive. I don't know why I started to care about her more and more later.

Su Qing suddenly stopped.

Jiang Ran also stopped and followed her gaze. Across the street was the photo studio, the storefront still the same as it had been seven years ago, with a handwritten wooden sign hanging at the door and several sample family photos displayed in the window.

Su Qing looked at the glass door and remembered that seven years ago, she led Xiao Ran, who had just been discharged from the hospital, through that door. The little girl stood timidly beside her and they took their first photo together.

Back then, Xiao Ran only reached her waist, but now she's as tall as her.

"Since we're already out here," Su Qing said, pulling Jiang Ran's hand as they walked across the street, a smile curving her lips. "Let's take a picture to remember this moment."

Jiang Ran blinked, and the worry on her face was instantly replaced by a more vibrant expression.

Her eyes lit up, but the corner of her mouth curled into a mischievous smile: "Really? But my sister never lets me take pictures at home."

Su Qing was momentarily speechless at her words. She reached out and gently pinched Jiang Ran's cheek, her fingertips touching her soft face, which still retained a hint of baby fat. "You still say that? If you hadn't insisted that I wear a dress, I wouldn't have come."

Jiang Ran laughed even harder as her face was pinched.

Then she grabbed Su Qing's wrist with her other hand, and darted forward, her steps as fast as a gust of wind: "Let's go!"

Su Qing stumbled as she was pulled, the five paper bags in her hands rattling together.

She steadied herself, looked at the figure in front of her wearing a cream-colored knit sweater, walking so fast it was almost like she was jumping, and smiled helplessly: "Slow down, don't run so fast!"