An Adoptive Older Sister Cannot Become a Wife - Chapter 11

“Because there’s a little dummy at home who’s always getting sick and has a weak constitution.”

When Qi Shu said this, her expression didn’t even flicker. It was as natural as mentioning that the weather was nice today.

For a moment, Qi Nianshu didn’t know whether to argue that “she wasn’t a dummy” or to be stunned by the fact that Qi Shu’s plans for the future actually revolved around her.

Her mouth hung open. She could think of several ways to respond to that sentence.

“Sister cares about me so much.” “Sister is the best sister in the world.”

**

But perhaps influenced by Chen Shuyue’s words from that morning, a sense of insecurity began to gnaw at her.

Qi Nianshu lowered her head and whispered, “Am I a burden to you, Sister?”

In the past, because of her, Qi Shu had to give up having their parents all to herself. Now, because of her health, Qi Shu was giving up other choices.

The other three at the table hadn’t expected her to say this and were momentarily stunned.

Xu Zhiyu was the first to react. She reached out and gently ruffled Qi Nianshu’s hair. “Silly Niannian, don’t say things like that. It makes Dad, Mom, and your sister sad to hear it.”

When they first decided to adopt Qi Nianshu, it was indeed partly because of Qi Shu, but more so because they truly loved this well-behaved, sensible child. Back then, they had exhausted themselves searching for Qi Shu; it was Nianshu’s companionship that helped them emerge, time and again, from the guilt of losing Qi Shu through their own negligence.

After Qi Shu returned, they had deliberated for a long time. Out of guilt toward Qi Shu and fear of her being hurt again, they considered sending Nianshu back to the orphanage for a while before making other arrangements.

They had never truly intended to give up on the child. Seeing Qi Shu willing to live with Nianshu was the outcome they wanted most.

They still remembered how withdrawn and lonely Qi Shu had been when she first came back. It was Nianshu’s presence that gradually nudged her to open her closed heart. They had always felt that Nianshu coming into their family was a miracle gifted to them.

But for Qi Nianshu, likely due to her experience of being abandoned, she had never felt fully secure. These thoughts had probably been hidden in her heart for a long time.

“Even though you’ve never agreed to let us transfer your household registration,” Xu Zhiyu said, looking at her, “in our hearts, you are a little angel sent by Heaven to us and your sister. You are our treasure.”

Xu Zhiyu’s palm was warm. Qi Nianshu couldn’t stop her eyes from reddening and gave a small, muffled “Mm” with her head down.

Xu Zhiyu shot Qi Shu a look, she had said all that needed to be said. Qi Shu had caused the tears; now she had to be the one to do the coaxing.

After the meal, Qi Nianshu remained distracted.

She knew her parents loved her; she had always known that. What she feared most was that her sister would leave her.

She knew Qi Shu loved her, too. But just as Lao Chen had said, Qi Shu couldn’t stay with her forever. One day, she would leave. New people would enter her life, and her love would be divided.

When that day came, what would a “younger sister” especially one who wasn’t even blood-related—an “angel,” or a “treasure” even matter? Especially an infusion-prone, clingy sister who got sick at the drop of a hat.

She wouldn’t be able to crawl under her sister’s covers for comfort when it thundered anymore. She wouldn’t be able to drink the ginger tea her sister brewed when she was suffering through her period. She wouldn’t be able to sit on the back of her sister’s bike, hugging her waist and secretly inhaling her scent.

There were so many things she wouldn’t be able to do.

The mere thought of it made Qi Nianshu feel miserable, as if her heart were soaking in vinegar.

Seeing Nianshu retreat into her room and close the door behind her with a despondent air, the three in the living room looked at one another.

Qi Yan didn’t quite understand how things had escalated so quickly, but Xu Zhiyu, being more perceptive, nudged Qi Shu. “Niannian is upset. She’s never been apart from you, and now you suddenly talk about going so far away. She’s probably hurting inside. Go on, go coax her.”

Qi Shu held the lisianthus Nianshu had given her, stood there for a moment, and then turned toward the bedroom.

Qi Nianshu was sprawled on her bed, her chin resting on a white teddy bear, aimlessly scrolling through her phone. It was supposed to be nap time, but she wasn’t sleepy at all.

As her finger slid across the school’s “Confession Wall” page, she suddenly remembered the post Zhang Ruomeng had shown her this morning. She clicked in and found it.

There hadn’t been much activity when she saw it before school, but now there were dozens of comments.

“Help! Is it too much of a luxury to eat this well so early in the morning?!”

“Damn it, why didn’t I catch this bus this morning!”

“Upstairs! Let me tell you something even sweeter! The Study God was protecting her ‘Baby Sister’ the whole way. When the road got bumpy, she even reached out to cradle her head. That look in her eyes… that kind of subconscious care can’t be faked!”

“Real sisters giving out ‘sugar’ like this is just too much! KSWL! Sisters, come join me in shipping this!”

“Even if I die! Even if I’m buried in a coffin! I will use my decaying vocal cords to scream from the grave: My CP is real!”

“Calm down upstairs, your CP literally can’t be ‘real’ in that way.”

Qi Nianshu blinked, her eyes nearly blurring from the sea of exclamation points. Her brain was struggling to keep up.

She didn’t usually follow the Confession Wall. There were too many posts about Qi Shu, all uniform confessions of love and she found them boring. Besides, compared to a phone, spending time with her sister was what she wanted most.

But was she just behind the times? Why couldn’t she understand what they were posting?

If “Study God” was Qi Shu, did “Baby Sister” refer to her? What did “giving out sugar” mean? What was a “CP”? Was “KSWL” some new English word she hadn’t seen?

Nianshu didn’t understand, but she was good at asking when she was confused. She opened her browser and sought help from Baidu one by one.

Ten minutes later, Qi Nianshu had opened the door to a whole new world. Her eyes widened as she looked back at the post. Her jaw dropped at the comments. Before she could finish digesting the influx of new knowledge, there was a knock on the door.

Subconsciously, she replied, “Come in.”

Qi Shu pushed the door open and walked in, only to find Qi Nianshu staring at her with a dazed, somewhat silly expression.

Qi Shu: “What is it?”

Qi Nianshu asked blankly, “Sister, can two girls… also be in a relationship?”

Qi Shu’s footsteps halted.

Nianshu, whose world-view had just been completely restructured, didn’t realize exactly what kind of question she had just blurted out.

Her phone screen was still glowing. With Qi Shu’s 20/20 vision, she instantly saw the content on the screen. She immediately understood where this non-sequitur of a question had come from.

Qi Shu reached back to close the door and looked at her. “If they like each other, there’s no reason they can’t.”

Qi Nianshu blinked and gave a stiff nod.

So Qi Shu meant that if they liked each other, girls could date girls.

Two girls?

Her heart began to race. Suddenly, she didn’t dare look at Qi Shu and lowered her head to the comment section as a distraction.

Since school had just let out, the comments were buzzing, with new ones popping up every second.

“Food is served! Red and White pointing the way. Keyword: Double Shu. Link:”

“When faced with unhealthy temptations, let us say: Yes, please continue!”

Again, things she didn’t understand.

Nianshu wanted to look closer, but when she clicked the link, it showed: “This content has been deleted.”

She refreshed again, but the post from this morning was gone. Her heart felt just like that deleted post, suddenly lost and adrift.

Realizing someone was still standing there, Nianshu scrambled to her feet. “Sister, why are you here?”

Qi Shu leaned against the door, watching Nianshu’s flustered state, and explained unhurriedly, “Mom said you were in a bad mood and told me to come coax you.”

Nianshu’s brain was currently overcrowded with too much new information; it felt a bit rusty. Hearing Qi Shu’s words, she just gave a dull “Oh.”

She thought: Oh… right. I was sad because I thought Qi Shu would leave me.

But clearly, more pressing things had happened. The original sadness had been collided with by her shattered worldview, leaving her feelings in an indescribable tangle. Her mind was a mess.

She thought for a moment and asked, “Then… how is Sister going to coax me?”

Qi Shu didn’t walk closer. She just leaned there, arms casually crossed over her chest, her voice as calm as if she were stating a fact that had nothing to do with her.

“The reason I decided to study medicine… was indeed because of you.”

Qi Nianshu snapped her head up, her eyes still filled with lingering confusion, staring at her blankly.

Nianshu was the most fragile person Qi Shu had ever known. If the AC was too low, she’d catch a cold; if it was too high, she’d feel unwell. Getting caught in the rain meant a fever; if the weather was too hot, she’d collapse. Not to mention the usual bumps and bruises that left her skin mottled with purple and blue.

Every time she was sick, she’d stare with watery eyes, shedding “little pearls” while pretending to be strong, saying, “Sister, I’m okay.” And then she’d refuse to let go of Qi Shu’s hand.

She was a constant source of worry.

When Qi Shu was younger and her hand was being gripped tightly by Nianshu, she had thought: If only I were a doctor. If she were a doctor, she could prescribe Nianshu very, very bitter medicine to let her know that the consequences of getting sick were serious. Then, Nianshu would take better care of herself and stop getting sick.

“I don’t have anything I particularly want to do, so I’ve never given anything up because of you.”

“On the contrary, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know what I wanted to do or what kind of person I wanted to become.”

Qi Shu was someone who was truly bad at expressing herself, but Qi Nianshu loved hearing her speak. Qi Shu always spoke without haste, her tone steady. No matter what she said, it gave Nianshu a sense of security a feeling that everything would be alright.

But now, hearing this, Nianshu’s heart pounded wildly.

Looking into Qi Shu’s eyes, a surge of immense courage rose within her. Because Qi Shu’s gaze was so indifferent and calm, like distant mountains and vast waters, it seemed it could accommodate all of her willful whims and dependencies.

It made her want to demand more. Just a little more.

“If Sister wants to coax me… can you promise me a few things?”

Qi Shu looked at her. “Speak.”

Nianshu took a deep breath. “Sister, can you please not get into a relationship? Don’t leave me behind for someone else.”

Qi Shu froze.

Once the words were out, Nianshu suddenly felt like nothing else mattered. She avoided Qi Shu’s gaze and poured out all the thoughts in her heart: “Even if you have to go very, very far away, don’t date anyone else.”

“Don’t date other boys,” Nianshu paused, then added, “and don’t date other girls either.”

When she said this, it was with the desperation of someone throwing everything away. She knew she was being willful, unreasonable, and illogical, but she couldn’t control herself. The thought of someone else appearing by Qi Shu’s side, of Qi Shu dividing the love meant for her, made her heart feel as if it were being squeezed by a hand, making it hard to breathe.

She was a selfish brat, but Qi Shu had spoiled her into being one. So Qi Shu had to take responsibility.

Regardless of what response she got even if Qi Shu got angry or lost her temper—Nianshu knew that as long as she acted a bit cute and spoiled, Qi Shu would forgive her.

She would forgive her, wouldn’t she?

Either way, she simply couldn’t tolerate a second person in Qi Shu’s world.

But contrary to Nianshu’s expectations, Qi Shu didn’t explode in anger or criticize her. She simply gave a calm nod and said one word: “Okay.”

If Nianshu didn’t know Qi Shu so well, didn’t know that when she gave her word, she always kept it, she would have thought Qi Shu was just teasing her.

Now, it was Nianshu’s turn to be stunned.

Qi Shu stood up, walked to the bed, and rubbed her head. “Happy now?”

Nianshu nodded dumbly.

Qi Shu gave a very faint smile. “Good. Take a nap. I’ll wake you up when it’s time for school.”

Like a marionette, Qi Nianshu lay down, pulled up the covers, and closed her eyes. Qi Shu tucked her in, turned, and walked out.

The moment the door closed, Nianshu snapped her eyes open. Only then did she realize exactly what Qi Shu had promised her.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, Qi Shu’s nonchalant “Okay” echoing in her mind. She reached up to touch the spot Qi Shu had just patted, where the warmth of her palm seemed to linger.

Qi Shu had promised.

The always calm, rational, and composed Qi Shu had actually agreed so easily to such a willful, illogical, and even preposterous request.

Outside the door, Qi Shu leaned against the wall, hands in her pockets, her eyelids half-drooped, hiding the thoughts in her eyes.

After a long time, she let out a long breath, stood up, and returned to her own room.

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