Custom Audio Caught by My Straight Stepsister - Chapter 4

Sure enough, Fu Zhisu let out a little chuckle. “What, so we can sit there and sob together? Xiaofei, you forgot—you’re the type who starts crying the second you see someone else tearing up. I’d rather not have you flooding the streets of Lishi every single day.”

“I stopped being a crybaby a long time ago.”

Even Ming Fei didn’t believe the words as they left her mouth, but she wanted to act tough in front of Fu Zhisu.

She walked toward her dorm as slowly as possible. There weren’t many people out, making it feel as if the entire ginkgo-lined path belonged only to her and Fu Zhisu.

Her eyes darted around before she decided to switch into “reckless” mode. “Sister, why don’t you help me buy some underwear?”

Fu Zhisu paused for a moment before answering, “Pick them out yourself. Once you’ve found what you like, I’ll transfer you the money, or you can just send me a link for a friend-pay.”

“I don’t know what to get,” Ming Fei said, pouting slightly.

She wondered if Fu Zhisu noticed the lipstick she was wearing.

“Before, it was either you buying them for me or me taking your hand-me-downs. I have no idea how to choose, and I don’t even know my size.”

Why was Fu Zhisu reluctant to help? Was she annoyed that Ming Fei was bothering her with such a trivial thing? Usually, Fu Zhisu never turned down her requests.

Ming Fei had been planning to ask this for a while, and she didn’t think it was asking too much. In a normal family, a sister helping her younger sister buy undergarments wasn’t weird at all.

Besides, Fu Zhisu had been buying them for her for years. From the moment she started puberty, her first bra, her first pack of pads, her first pair of safety shorts… Fu Zhisu should be used to it by now.

“Sister, please just help me. My roommate’s sister buys them for her too.”

After a few seconds of internal conflict, Fu Zhisu gave in. “Alright, fine. I’ll have them shipped to your school.”

She added, “Xiaofei, make sure you take note of your size. You’re an adult now, you need to learn how to buy personal items like underwear yourself.”

I can’t buy them for you forever.

Ming Fei sensed a subtle shift in the atmosphere.

It felt like Fu Zhisu was trying to create some distance between them. Ming Fei opened her mouth to speak, but her throat felt tight, as if an invisible rope was pulling at her neck, making it hard to breathe.

She thought about those articles she’d read: close siblings often start drifting apart once one of them starts their own family, slowly detaching from their small shared world to form a new, complete one with someone else.

“Sister, are you in a relationship?”

“No, why the sudden question?”

Her answer was calm and straightforward, not sounding like a lie at all.

“I thought you didn’t want to buy me underwear because you were seeing someone.”

Fu Zhisu was speechless. Was there even a logical connection between those two things?

Sometimes Xiaofei’s train of thought was so eccentric that she couldn’t keep up.

Ming Fei pressed further. “Sister, are you planning on dating soon? You’re twenty-seven. When you go home for New Year’s this year, the neighbors, relatives, and Mom will definitely nag you. Aren’t you afraid of the pressure?”

“Let them talk. I’m only back there for a few days a year. I’m doing well enough just taking care of myself and you, I don’t have the energy for dating.”

Ming Fei’s heart finally settled back into her chest, and the “rope” around her neck loosened.

The most important thing was that she came before everyone else.

She was the top priority in Fu Zhisu’s heart. Only after everything was fine with her would Fu Zhisu even consider anything else.

Suddenly, Ming Fei felt like the weather was quite lovely, as if it were going to be a warm winter.

Returning to the topic of Fu Zhisu’s work, Ming Fei said seriously, “Sister, if you want to create a bond with others, you have to accept the risk of shedding tears.”

Fu Zhisu let out a confused “Huh?”

“It’s a quote from The Little Prince. I just thought of it,” Ming Fei said, adjusting her glasses. “I mean, the moment a pet meets its owner, they are destined to one day part. It’s unavoidable. If a beloved pet is looking down from heaven and sees their owner sad, they’d be worried sick. They’d want to tell their owner not to cry, that it hurts them to see it, and that they were happy to be loved by them for over a decade. So sister, you should be happy for them instead. Don’t stay sad for too long.”

If you cry, my heart will ache too.

“Alright, I’ll use your words to comfort the owners next time.” Fu Zhisu checked the time. “Xiaofei, it’s already 8:30. Hurry up and get some dinner. If the cafeteria is closed, just order some takeout.”

Ming Fei nodded, but then realized something was off. Hadn’t she told Fu Zhisu she already ate?

Staring at the screen, she asked, “How did you know I haven’t eaten yet?”

“Guess.”

Leaving her with a cliffhanger, Ming Fei pondered it all the way back. Even after her shower in the dorm, she couldn’t figure out how Fu Zhisu managed to detect her lie through a screen.

She saved the screenshots she took during the video call into a hidden album specifically created for them. The album name was a simple heart emoji, and the password was Fu Zhisu’s birthday.

She initially thought about using her alt account to ask Fu Zhisu for another recording, but after hesitating, she deleted the message she had drafted.

Fu Zhisu was feeling down, so asking her to record that kind of audio didn’t feel right.

After the lights went out, Ming Fei hid under her covers and reviewed her chat history with Fu Zhisu from start to finish. This had become her nightly “ritual.” She knew every word by heart, as familiar to her as the lines of a famous TV drama.

She hadn’t had a chance to properly savor the “Bad Dog” recording from last time. Listening to it a hundred times now made her head spin.

[Bad dog… you need a spanking if you don’t listen.]

Being called a bad dog by her sister. Being spanked by her sister.

Ugh, being a bad dog gets me a spanking as a reward.

What would it feel like if Fu Zhisu’s palm actually landed on her? She wondered if she’d ever get to experience that in this lifetime.

Sometimes, having a vivid imagination wasn’t a good thing. In the middle of the night, Ming Fei quietly climbed down from her bed and gulped down half a cup of cold water to stifle the unnameable heat rising within her. Being prepared, she had used some tissues beforehand to avoid the embarrassment of needing to change her underwear.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror by the bathroom door.

The mirror reflected the face of a young girl. Her bangs were flat against her forehead, framing eyes that were shimmering with moisture. Her cheeks were an unnatural shade of red, and there was a faint teeth mark on her lip.

She looked utterly unsatisfied.

She knew it.

Desire was an insatiable beast. The more she obtained, the emptier she felt. So, she would ask for more, receive it, and then become even more dissatisfied, until the very center of that desire—Fu Zhisu, belonged to her completely.

But that was impossible.

It was a vicious cycle. A cycle with no happy ending.

Ming Fei leaned her forehead against the cool glass, frowning slightly at the chill.

She understood that once you’ve tasted the sweetness of a fantasy, the bitterness of reality becomes even harder to swallow.

But she still wanted to taste it.

On Monday, she went to assist a teacher at the Career Center. Her counselor happened to be there too and asked about her plans after graduation. The counselor knew enough about Ming Fei’s family situation to know she didn’t necessarily need to return to her hometown. She had a few job openings on hand and offered to give Ming Fei some internal recommendations for good local positions if she wanted them.

Her university was in Rongshi. The city had seen strong development in recent years, so staying wouldn’t be a bad choice.

Ming Fei said, “Thank you, ma’am, but I’m actually looking for work in Lishi.”

“Lishi?” The counselor raised an eyebrow. “Lishi is great too, a new first-tier city. What made you choose that?”

“My sister is there.”

“Oh, your sister’s there.” The counselor looked thoughtful, then added, “Life in Rongshi is generally more laid back, while Lishi is much faster. The salaries are high, but so is the cost of living. It’ll be much tougher to make it on your own there than here. You might want to think it over. Is your sister’s job stable?”

In reality, it wasn’t. But Ming Fei wanted to end the conversation, so she gave a vague “It’s okay.”

The counselor patted her shoulder. “That’s good. I remember some alumni are in Lishi. If you and your sister have any trouble with things like finding an apartment, let me know, and I’ll see if they can help.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Ming Fei went back to organizing student files. Her shift ended in three minutes when Chen Yujie poked her head through the door. Chen Yujie had just finished a club activity and happened to be passing by, so she decided to wait for Ming Fei so they could walk back to the dorm together.

The temperature outside had dropped even more since last week. Ming Fei pulled up her scarf, covering half her face.

Chen Yujie exclaimed, “Hey, I just noticed, is that a new scarf?”

Ming Fei smiled softly. “Yeah.”

Fu Zhisu had bought it for her. She had given it a quick wash, and as soon as it was dry, she put it on. The scarf was a light coffee color, perfect for autumn and winter, adorned with cute little pom-poms. It was both warm and stylish.

“It looks so good.” Chen Yujie felt the fabric. “It’s cashmere, right? It feels so soft. Where’d you get it? Do you have a link?”

The smile on Ming Fei’s face widened. “My sister bought it for me.”

Chen Yujie was dying of envy. “Why is your sister so amazing? She’s like a goddess. Can you ask her if she needs another younger sister?”

“No, she only has one sister.” Ming Fei “cruelly” crushed Chen Yujie’s fantasy.

“Look at you, being all stingy. Then how about I become your sister-in-law? I still remember what that beautiful lady looks like—tall, slim, with such a tiny waist.” Chen Yujie mimed a circle with her hands. “Even her scent was lovely when she walked by, and she even bought us milk tea. Seriously, does your sister have a boyfriend?”

Ming Fei knew Chen Yujie loved to joke around. But now, she couldn’t tell if her friend was just playing or if she actually meant it.

Fu Zhisu was so lovable. Loving her was the easiest thing in the world. And besides Ming Fei, it seemed like everyone else was “qualified” to pursue her.

Ironically, the person who loved Fu Zhisu the most was the one who had the least right to ever say it out loud.

When she was little, she wished Fu Zhisu would treat her like a real sister. Her birthday wishes were always “Stay with sister forever” or “Sister, don’t think of me as a stepsister, think of me as your real sister.”

Looking back, it seemed at least half of her wish had come true.

Fu Zhisu really did think of her as a real sister.

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