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

These past few days have been more peaceful than Su Qing had expected.

Cui Jiayi is still on the run. The police and the Jiang family searched the entire Beicheng area but couldn't find any trace of her.

Life is like a stream weighed down by a heavy object; the surface is calm, but something is silently pushing it forward beneath.

Cui Ying comes every afternoon, sometimes with Jiang Yi, sometimes alone.

She never came empty-handed; she always brought something with her. Sometimes it was a few boxes of exquisitely packaged pastries, sometimes it was fresh seasonal fruit, and sometimes it was a neatly folded cashmere scarf in the light gray color that Su Qing often wore.

She placed the things on the low cabinet in the entryway, without saying much, just smiling and asking, "Sorry to bother you today," before quietly sitting down on the living room sofa.

She didn't urge Jiang Ran to talk to her, didn't bring up the Jiang family's affairs, and wouldn't ask again, "Can I go home with Mom?"

She simply sat there, like a plant that had finally found sunlight. Even just watching her daughter walk around the room, turn the pages of a book, and talk to her sister from afar was more satisfying than the past fifteen years combined.

Sometimes when Su Qing went to the kitchen to get water, she would come over to help. The two of them would stand in front of the counter, and she would whisper to Su Qing about Jiang Ran's childhood, or more precisely, about Jiang Ran's childhood as she imagined it.

She said she thinks about what her daughter ate that day, whether anyone braided her hair, and whether anyone picked her up from school on rainy days.

She spoke in a very calm tone, as if she were talking about someone else's child, but there was always a thin glint in her eyes, which were very similar to Jiang Ran's.

  

The system had quietly reported data to Su Qing several times, saying that Cui Ying's cortisol levels would decrease every time she saw Jiang Ran, but her dopamine secretion would increase significantly.

This is a typical physiological reaction of a mother when she sees her child, even if the child has never called her "Mom".

It also told Su Qing that Jiang Ran's existence itself was the best stabilizer for Cui Ying's mental state. Since learning that her daughter was still alive, her dosage of sleeping pills had been reduced by half, and the frequency of her cardiogenic tremors had dropped to its lowest point in more than a decade.

Su Qing would always find an excuse to leave whenever Cui Ying visited, so that Cui Ying could spend more time with Xiao Ran.

Sometimes I go to the convenience store downstairs to buy a bottle of soy sauce, sometimes I go to the property management office to pay the water and electricity bills, and sometimes I don't buy anything at all. I just walk around the community garden a couple of times and go back when I estimate that it's almost time.

She always deliberately inserts the key into the lock slowly and opens the door louder than usual, giving the people in the living room enough time to compose themselves.

She knew what she was doing... She was about to leave, and Xiao Ran needed someone who loved and protected her in return. Cui Ying had spent fifteen years learning how to love a lost child, and now she needed an opportunity.

Jiang Ran remained polite and courteous to Cui Ying, without a single fault in her manner.

She would accept the snacks that Cui Ying brought, and when Cui Ying said it was getting colder today, she would nod and say thank you for reminding her. She wouldn't kick Cui Ying out when she sat on the sofa.

But that's about it.

That kind of politeness is like a transparent glass dome, keeping all care and goodwill outside; you can see it, but you can't touch it, and it can never seep in.

Time seems to be passing faster and faster.

She opened her eyes and it was almost the day before Jiang Ran's birthday.

The system notification sounded at that moment.

[Only one day remains until the mission is completed. After midnight tonight, the host will have fulfilled all the terms of the contract.]

[Considering the host's strong reluctance to leave Jiang Ran, the system will arrange for the host to leave the target timeline in three days, at which time a reasonable death incident will be provided.]

[Of course, the host can also choose their method of death within these three days; the system will shield the pain of death.]

After hearing this, Su Qing tapped her fingers lightly twice on the edge of the counter, her expression calm.

Three days.

If everything goes smoothly for these three days, she can stay with Xiao Ran for another three days.

She didn't know whether she should thank the system for its thoughtfulness or question why it wouldn't even let her stay a few more days.

In the end, she didn't say anything, but simply took off her apron, hung it on a hook, and took a sip of water.

The lemonade was made in the morning; the sour liquid slid down her throat, much like the feeling in her heart at that moment.

That evening, Cui Ying mustered up her courage and suggested throwing Jiang Ran a fifteenth birthday party. She spoke very softly, as if she had rehearsed it countless times in her mind, carefully weighing every word.

She said she wanted to make up for all the birthdays she had missed with Xiao Ran over the years, and wanted her to be a little princess that everyone cherished.

Jiang Ran's first reaction was to frown, instinctively wanting to refuse. The words were already on the tip of her tongue when she saw her sister standing behind Cui Ying, nodding slightly at her.

In the end, she simply turned her face away and said indifferently, "Celebrating a birthday is fine, but it's limited to a meal. No banquets, and definitely no inviting people I don't know or need to know."

Cui Ying's eyes reddened, but she desperately held back her tears, nodding vigorously and saying, "Okay, I'll do whatever Xiao Ran says."

Su Qing stood at the kitchen doorway, looking at the invisible ice wall between the mother and daughter in the living room. She felt gratified but also bittersweet... She was gratified that Cui Ying finally had the opportunity to get closer to her daughter, but bittersweet because she was able to make this happen, yet she couldn't see it bear fruit.

After saying that, Jiang Ran went back to her room. When she passed by Su Qing, she paused, turned her head slightly, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Sister wants my consent, and I agree, but sister has to grant me one request: wear a pretty dress on your birthday."

Her tone was flat, as if she were talking about some insignificant exchange condition, but Su Qing clearly saw her ears turn slightly red.

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, remembering her returned dresses. Before she could explain, Jiang Yi, who had been eavesdropping, patted her chest and jumped over, saying that she would take care of it. She said that someone like Su Qing, who would look good even in a burlap sack, would find a suitable dress in no time.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran gave Jiang Yi a cold look: "If you dare to pick out any weird dresses for your sister, I'll make you go home wearing a sack."

Jiang Yi immediately withdrew her hand, sat up straight, and made a swearing gesture with three fingers, saying that she guaranteed it was a normal dress, the kind that is both pretty and normal.