Custom Audio Caught by My Straight Stepsister - Chapter 5

They were sisters.

It was this very relationship that made them the closest of companions, yet placed them worlds apart.

If time could flow backward, Ming Fei would have loved to travel back and give her younger self a good thrashing for the wishes she made over her birthday cake. What kind of nonsense was she thinking back then? If she had known she would eventually fall hopelessly in love with Fu Zhisu, she should have been even more selfish. She should have wished for something like, “Fu Zhisu will always belong to Ming Fei alone.”

“I don’t have one. But you should give up on that idea, my sister is straight.”

As the words left her mouth, Ming Fei wasn’t sure if they had actually discouraged Chen Yujie. Regardless, her own heart felt a dull, sudden pang of pain.

But it was only for a moment. The fact that Fu Zhisu was straight was something she had known for years. When she first realized she had feelings for her, every time she thought about Fu Zhisu being straight, Ming Fei would toss and turn in agony. It felt like biting into an unripe pomelo, leaving her entire being, from her mouth to her chest, feeling bitter and numb.

Now, she could say it quite easily to others: Fu Zhisu is straight. Ming Fei couldn’t tell if she had simply become desensitized or if she had slowly begun to accept it.

Looking at Chen Yujie’s expression, Ming Fei knew this was a classic case of “zero damage to the enemy, total self-destruction.”

Chen Yujie was just joking, she didn’t actually want to be her sister-in-law. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking at Ming Fei with such gossipy, excited eyes.

“How can you be so sure? Maybe.”

“I asked her. She said it herself.”

Ming Fei remembered it was the afternoon of the last day of the National Day holiday during her freshman year of high school. A light rain was falling. She and her mother, Lin Hong, were taking down the mosquito nets. As they worked, Lin Hong kept nagging that an autumn rain brings an autumn chill, and it was time to put on more clothes. Ming Fei felt as if the rain outside was falling directly into her heart, leaving her feeling damp and heavy. Her throat felt tight, like she was choking on a dry egg yolk.

She stood up to pour Lin Hong a glass of warm water, added a small spoonful of honey, and stirred it with a chopstick.

The house was so small that soundproofing was nonexistent. Before the honey had even dissolved, she heard Lin Hong standing by the bed, saying in an extremely gentle and sincere tone, “Xiao Hao, the temperature has dropped, you need to put on another jacket.”

Her younger brother’s name was Fu Xinghao.

At that time, Ming Fei hadn’t completely lost hope. She thought that if Lin Hong added her name, or her sister’s name, before the honey fully dissolved, she would still bring the honey water over.

The speed of the stirring chopstick slowed down more and more until it finally stopped. The room was so quiet it made her ears ring. The door opened and closed. Fu Zhisu came home in the rain, strands of hair sticking to her face. Ming Fei finally felt like she had something to do. “Sister, have some honey water, it’s at the perfect temperature.”

She added, “Sister, why didn’t you use the umbrella I brought you this morning?”

Fu Zhisu’s gaze drifted over Ming Fei, lingering for a split second before pulling away. She didn’t reach for the glass, telling Ming Fei to leave it on the table for now.

Ming Fei asked again, almost out of spite, “Sister, I asked why you didn’t use the umbrella.”

“The umbrella? It’s in my bag, I forgot. Xiao Fei, have you eaten? Watch some TV and wait a bit, I’m going to take a quick shower and then I’ll start cooking.”

Fu Zhisu took her clothes and went to the bathroom. That glass of honey water remained untouched. Ming Fei didn’t want to give it to her mother, and Fu Zhisu didn’t want it.

A glass of honey water didn’t really represent anything. But things she couldn’t have, she didn’t want anymore either.

She turned on the TV, but her eyes kept glancing toward the bathroom door. A moment later, Fu Zhisu came out with a towel on her head. She walked straight past the cabinet, not even looking at the honey water sitting there. Ming Fei knew the best thing to do was to just go over and drink it herself, but she stubbornly refused to move. She even had a ridiculous thought: whoever came to drink it now, she would be good to that person.

Ming Fei didn’t know why she was being so difficult over a glass of honey water. Regardless, she was dug in like a stubborn ox.

She ran to the bathroom and put Fu Zhisu’s discarded clothes into a basin to soak. She turned the faucet to the maximum, the rushing water making a loud, chaotic noise. Unfortunately, Fu Zhisu was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. The clatter of the spatula and the pan was even louder than the laundry, so she didn’t hear a thing.

Ming Fei washed the clothes for twenty minutes, spending those twenty minutes trying to talk herself down.

Sister is so tired, it’s normal for her to overlook a small request. Stop being so inexplicably difficult with her.

She just got caught in the rain, she must be cold.

Fu Zhisu’s discarded nude-colored underwear felt strange in her hands. The outer layer was covered in a thin lace mesh that was popular at the time, which felt a bit stiff yet exceptionally soft.

Ming Fei still hadn’t fully convinced herself to let it go. However, she was certain she wouldn’t let it show.

By the time she finished hanging the clothes, the food was neatly laid out on the table. Fu Zhisu was holding a fruit that looked like an orange, cutting it in half and squeezing the juice into the honey water.

It was like a little squirrel who had struggled for a long time to bite open a nut and was finally giving up, only to have someone crack it open for her. Ming Fei squeezed in beside Fu Zhisu. “Sister, what are you doing?”

“Honey pomelo water.” Fu Zhisu pursed her lips, her facial features tensing along with the effort of her hands. “After I finished cooking, I realized the honey water had gone cold. A colleague at the shop gave me a grapefruit, so I’m seeing if I can make a simple version of it. This is really popular right now, every milk tea shop sells it. Have you tried it?”

Ming Fei shook her head, picking up the remaining half of the grapefruit to examine it. “So this is a grapefruit. It looks like a mini pomelo.”

“I heard it’s very sour. It’s high in Vitamin C.”

As she spoke, Fu Zhisu stirred the glass, fully blending the juice and honey before handing it to Ming Fei. “Try it.”

Ming Fei took a sip.

“It’s delicious!”

Then she urged Fu Zhisu, “Sister, you should have some too.”

After Fu Zhisu tasted it, she brought out two new glasses and divided it into three equal portions, then called Lin Hong to come eat.

While she was calling Lin Hong, Ming Fei grabbed the remaining half of the grapefruit and took a direct bite of the raw fruit.

The next second, her face puckered up like a bitter melon.

“Sister, this really is sour. You try it.”

She held up the grapefruit, pointing the side with her teeth marks toward Fu Zhisu.

Fu Zhisu lowered her head, avoiding the spot Ming Fei had bitten, and took a small, gentle bite on the other side. Immediately, she looked as if she had been slapped by the juice, inhaling sharply. “So sour.”

She casually handed it toward Lin Hong. “Mom, do you want to try some?”

Lin Hong shook her head. “If you both say it’s sour, I’m not eating it. I don’t want my teeth falling out from the acidity.”

Halfway through the meal, Lin Hong’s condition began to flare up slightly. She insisted on giving her glass of honey pomelo water to Fu Xinghao. At times like this, Ming Fei would feel exceptionally powerless and irritated. She wished all the sounds in the world would disappear, she wished the name “Fu Xinghao” would never come out of Lin Hong’s mouth again, and she even wanted to scream at Lin Hong, asking why she only remembered the child she had barely spent a few years with. She wanted to use the most vicious words in the world to curse this mother and son.

But a voice in her heart kept telling her that this was her mother, her mother was sick, her mother was pitiful, and her mother used to be very good to her.

Fu Zhisu was already experienced in soothing Lin Hong, coaxing her to go lie down and sleep. Ming Fei felt guilty for that fleeting, vicious thought. She silently found the medicine and water to give to Fu Zhisu, but she wasn’t willing to bring them to Lin Hong herself.

Once Lin Hong was settled, Ming Fei and Fu Zhisu squeezed onto the small sofa to watch TV. Fu Zhisu grabbed a basin, planning to wash clothes while watching. She went to the bathroom for a moment and came out empty-handed. “Xiao Fei, don’t help me wash my clothes. You’re already so busy with school, you should rest properly during the holidays.”

Ming Fei stared at the TV, using her peripheral vision to watch Fu Zhisu. “It was only a few pieces, I just did them while I was there. Sister, the commercials are over, come watch the next episode.”

She had to return to school tomorrow, so the last night of the holiday felt particularly precious. Ming Fei racked her brain for topics, wanting to chat more with Fu Zhisu. For some reason, her desire to talk became incredibly strong in front of her. It was as if her silence at school was just a way to save up words to bring home to Fu Zhisu.

Ming Fei specifically chose a “sensational” event from her class as an opening.

“Sister, someone in our class got caught in a romance and their parents were called in.”

“Who was it?” Fu Zhisu wasn’t too surprised. High school romances weren’t exactly a rarity.

“It was our class monitor and the study rep.”

Fu Zhisu paused. “The monitor.”

“They’re both girls. I heard they were caught having a secret date on the sports field. The study rep’s parents didn’t come, but the monitor’s mother demanded that the study rep be transferred to another school. The monitor hasn’t come to class all week. They used to do everything together, and we all thought they were just best friends. We had no idea… Now the study rep eats alone, and she just slumps over her desk during breaks. During PE class last time, we had to pair up for volleyball drills. I asked her to be my partner, and as we were playing, she just started crying.”

Fu Zhisu asked hesitantly, “Can you… accept that?”

“Accept what?”

“Accept that they are… the same sex.”

Ming Fei hadn’t given it much thought at the time. To a girl who had just started high school, love felt like something far away.

“It’s fine. Their relationship didn’t affect anyone else. In fact, they encouraged each other to improve. I think it’s much better than those straight couples who are always being loud and kissing in the hallways.”

After a pause, she added, “Sister, don’t worry, I won’t get into a relationship early.”

At sixteen, Ming Fei already understood how much responsibility Fu Zhisu had taken on—responsibility that didn’t originally belong to her, when she chose to return and take care of Ming Fei instead of leaving for good. She had to focus all her energy on her studies to be worthy of Fu Zhisu’s sacrifice.

Besides, in her eyes, no one could compare to Fu Zhisu.

She switched the topic. Most of it was just “news” from school: who got into a fight and was publicly criticized, who made the homeroom teacher cry, and so on.

A period drama was currently a big hit on TV. The actress playing the female lead was named Tong Xingyu. She had become incredibly famous because of the show, and many of Ming Fei’s classmates were fans.

On the sofa, a message notification popped up on Fu Zhisu’s phone. The lock screen was a photo of Tong Xingyu. Seeing this, Ming Fei casually asked, “Sister, are you a Tong Xing”

“I am not gay.”

Just then, a gust of wind blew outside, throwing raindrops against the window. It created a short, sharp clatter, like a light slap from the heavens.

The lights weren’t on, and the TV cast a blue, dim light across Fu Zhisu’s profile. Ming Fei turned her head to look at her, seeing an emotion called panic in her eyes for the very first time.

“Xingyu fan too?”

She finished the second half of her interrupted sentence.

Fu Zhisu was stunned, slowly pulling her gaze back.

She lowered her eyes. “No.”

Ming Fei pointed at the phone. “But she’s right there on your lock screen.”

“The lock screen?” Fu Zhisu picked up the phone again. The image had changed to a puppy wearing a flower garland. “It changes automatically.”

It was as if that panicked denial had never happened.

Before the drama finished, neither of them brought it up again.

Fu Zhisu went to wash up.

Facing her back, Ming Fei said softly, “Sister, even if you were, it wouldn’t matter.”

I am your sister. No matter who you are, you don’t have to be afraid in front of me.

Fu Zhisu only offered another denial.

“Xiao Fei, I’m not.”