Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 61

This is the story of two sisters who depend on each other.

XX/X/20XX – Sunny

The gardenias are blooming again, they smell so good!

The old lady selling bingfen (icy jelly) at the alley entrance said this year’s blooms are exceptionally beautiful, a good omen.

Hmph, I don’t believe her lucky nonsense. Last time she said my forehead was shining and I was going to get rich, and then I turned around and dropped and shattered the glazed bracelet I’d saved up for. My heart was broken!

That was my favorite accessory!

But as I held the fragments, pouting pitifully, Ah Man walked over. She didn’t say anything, just gently held my dust-stained wrist. Her fingertips were slightly cool, and her voice, like it was steeped in the scent of gardenias, was clear and faint: “Peace throughout the years.”

Seeing that look of comforting amusement bloom in her tranquil, water-like eyes, the annoyance and frustration in my heart seemed to be “whoosh,” completely blown away by a gentle breeze!

The sunlight on her long eyelashes danced with fragmented gold, more reassuring than any good omen.

XX/X/20XX – Rainy

Ah Man is frail. Every time she reads, it’s for an entire afternoon, sitting perfectly still. How can I get Ah Man to move around?

So, I dragged her out for a walk, but she just laughed and said I was like an energetic puppy

“Woof!” I intentionally barked close to her ear and jumped away triumphantly, seeing her fair earlobe instantly turn light red.

How could she call her elder sister that! This girl is a bit too mature for her age.

Ugh, I hope we switch places in our next life and she gets to be the elder sister! Seriously!

XX/X/20XX – Dazzlingly Sunny

It’s scorching hot! The cicadas are buzzing loud enough to deafen a person!

The plan to drag Ah Man mountain climbing failed again. Instead, this girl dragged me to a bookstore… Who goes to a bookstore for fun!!

Darn it!

A beautiful girl’s willpower is no match for the air conditioning and the position next to Ah Man that looks perfectly cozy for a nap!

And so… the plan transformed into: Ah Man reads quietly, and I, using her soft lap with its faint scent of ink as a pillow, sleep through the day in the rustle of turning pages and the cool air.

XX/X/20XX – Heat Wave Rolling

Sunshine! Beach! Waves! Today, I finally succeeded in pulling Ah Man, this “bookworm,” from the ocean of words into the true blue sea and sky!

Yes! You heard right! The two of us, certified land-lubbers, held hands (mostly so she wouldn’t chicken out) and rushed fearlessly into the summer ocean!

The cool seawater washed over our ankles, warm from the sun, and the fine sand playfully slipped away between our toes.

Excitedly, I pulled Ah Man toward a slightly deeper spot. The water rippled, reflecting her profile, which was somewhat tense but trying hard to relax.

Ah Man is adept at everything; she’ll definitely learn how to swim in no time!

“Come on, Ah Man, relax! Like this!” I let go of her hand and awkwardly mimicked the movements I saw on TV, flailing my arms and legs in the water, trying to give a “dog paddle” instruction demonstration.

The result was an imbalance, a loud “splash,” water everywhere, and I plunged into the water like a clumsy torpedo!

“Ugh!” Salty seawater immediately rushed into my mouth and nose, and I couldn’t open my eyes. In my panic, I thrashed my limbs about.

Just as I thought I was about to stay at the bottom of the sea to make friends with the crabs, a strong hand suddenly grabbed my arm!

It was Ah Man!

I don’t know where she got the strength, but she practically “pulled” me out of the water.

Choking and spluttering, I frantically wiped the water from my face and opened my eyes, meeting her face, which was inches away.

Her hair was soaked too, a few strands sticking to her smooth forehead and cheek, and water droplets ran down her delicate jawline. Those eyes, usually as tranquil as a deep pool, now clearly reflected my image, filled with lingering shock and deep worry.

“Are you okay?” Her voice held a trace of an almost imperceptible tremor. She was clutching my arm very tightly, her fingertips pressing slightly, as if confirming my existence.

The sea breeze blew, carrying a salty smell, and stirred her wet eyelashes.

Looking at how nervous she was, the panic I had felt oddly subsided.

XX/X/20XX – Continuous Rain

Dreadful weather! Dreadful flu virus!

Ah Man, this worrisome girl, was finally struck down by this erratic, hot-and-cold weather!

She was afraid of infecting me, so she even ran off to sleep in the guest room in the middle of the night.

Waking up in the morning without a human-shaped pillow… I am seriously not! At! All! Used to it!!

When I went to the guest room to find her, she was huddled in the blanket. Her usually calm eyes were now teary and blurred with confusion as she looked at me, her voice hoarse: “Jie… I think… I have a fever…”

Hmph, now she knows how to act pathetic! That’s what you get for always sitting by the window, reading in the wind, and acting aloof! That’s what you get for not putting on more clothes and walking around in front of me wearing so little!

While scolding her in my mind, I fumbled through cabinets and drawers to find a thermometer.

You need to get better quickly, my little pillow. If you don’t hurry up, I’m going to tie you up and bring you to your sister’s room to infect your beloved sister, hmph hmph!

XX/X/20XX – Slight Autumn Chill

Ah-ah-ah-ah!!! Math! My nemesis for life! The mid-term exam paper was handed back, and the bright red score mocked my intelligence mercilessly!

My sister, who happened to walk past, glanced at it and left her own brand of sarcasm: “Isn’t it very simple?”

Ah-ah-ah, where is the simple part!!

And she actually solved it! I’ve been in school for a year longer than her, and it’s all been a waste!

However, Ah Man is truly gentle when explaining problems; I learned it immediately.

As expected, my sister is the sister who makes her older sister the most proud!!

XX/X/20XX – Mixed Feelings

I discovered Ah Man’s secret!

This girl, Ah Man, is secretly getting tutoring from the blonde-haired guy in my class to show off (crossed out) perform in front of me! Whatever problem gives me a headache, she asks the blonde guy to teach her that one.

That wretched blonde guy is playing on a young girl’s vanity, tsk tsk.

As an elder sister, I must be strong! I must study hard!

But then, Ah Man actually confessed to me that night, saying she wants to skip a grade.

It must be that blonde guy who exposed her!

So, I told Ah Man she doesn’t need to try so hard. Her sister will take care of everything, and I just want her to be happy forever.

But Ah Man calmly said, “I want to be in the same class as Sister.”

Hehe, I knew it! Ah Man can’t live without me~ She really is the sister who loves her elder sister the most~~~

But!! I pretended to be serious.

“No, if we’re in the same class, we’ll influence each other.”

The truth is, I was afraid Ah Man would overwork herself if she skipped a grade.

However, Ah Man looked at me with a puzzled expression and explained placidly, “I didn’t say that ‘Sister’ was you. I was talking about the girl in your class with the dyed yellow hair. She’s very good at her studies, and she told me I’m pretty and is willing to tutor me for free.”

Ah-ah-ah-ah!!! That wretched blonde guy!! My heart was instantly gutted.

XX/X/20XX – Sunny

Last night, my venomous sister and the wretched blonde guy caused my broken self to hide under the blanket and shed little pearls of tears.

If my sister doesn’t comfort me within one hour, I won’t be okay!

At 7 minutes and 52 seconds, my sister crawled over the folded blankets, traversing mountains and rivers, and finally hugged me.

Hmph, seeing as she took so long to move, I’ll forgive her.

“I was just teasing you earlier… Please don’t cry, okay?”

Her warm body pressed tightly against me. Through the thin summer shirt, her heartbeat was steady and strong.

“Then how many ‘good sisters’ do you actually have?” I questioned tearfully.

“You are my most important…” Ah Man held me and whispered in my ear.

“Most important sister?” I completed her sentence.

But she called out my full name: “Si Xiaoxiao, you are the most important.”

A strange feeling ran through my heart. She said I was the most important.

There was no limiting word “sister”… It wasn’t because I was her sister that I was the most important, but simply because I was Si Xiaoxiao.

I am the most important to her.

“…Stop trying to sweet-talk me.” Although I said that, I knew this wasn’t just something she said to comfort me.

Li Ting was unusually talkative: “I don’t want to be separated from you. I want to be with you forever, never separated. We’ll live together in the future, in a house with a garden… Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao…”

She called my name for a long time.

And I hugged her back.

XX/X/20XX – Cloudy

She has stopped calling me “Elder Sister.”

It’s strange.

But… I’m a little happy.

My heart, please beat slower.

XX/X/20XX – Rainy

I looked at the tips of her hair, silver-edged by the moonlight, and at her long, clean fingers as she turned the pages…

An intense, heart-stopping longing, one I had never felt before, unexpectedly seized me.

I wanted to reach out and touch her cheek, to brush away the stray lock of hair on her forehead, and I wanted… I wanted to know if her tightly closed lips were as soft and cool as they looked.

To become steady for a person, to feel anxiety and doubt because of someone else—I never expected someone as carefree as me to have a day like this.

So, I asked her, “Do you still want to skip a grade? Or… Since I’m so clumsy, maybe it would be better if I repeat a year.”

My selfishness finally won out.

XX/X/20XX – Snow

The weather forecast said it would snow today. It’s the first snow of the year.

She said, “If you kiss the person you like on the first snow, you can be together forever.”

I immediately became defensive and asked her, “Do you want to kiss that blonde guy?”

I’ve been feeling jealous a lot since she started getting closer to him.

She actually nodded, but before I could get angry, she suddenly looked at me with a smile: “Aren’t you a blonde, too?”

I was about to explode and glared at her furiously, retorting, “My hair color is clearly gold!”

“Isn’t it all the same?” She tilted her head like a little devil.

“I won’t allow you to kiss a blonde guy.”

Then, I shook my head, glancing at the falling snowflakes.

And then I said, “But a golden-haired girl can kiss you.”

I lowered my head and kissed her.

That is the difference between golden-haired and blonde-haired.

That kiss was the first kiss for both of us. We only touched slightly before breaking apart.

She was clutching my collar very tightly. More than the kiss, she was clearly more concerned about another thing.

“We promised to be together forever, right?”

Of course.

XX/X/20XX – Heavy Rain

That devil is back.

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