I Am Not a Vicious Stepsister! - Chapter 6

“Ah, about that,” Ni Songan stuttered, nervously looking down as she opened the door, “my room is really small, though. Would you mind?”

She threw the ball back into Modesty’s court, hoping the girl would see the cramped space and lose interest. While a single room was a decent living standard for Songan, for someone like Modesty, it might be the harshest environment she would ever encounter in her life.

Inside, Songan’s belongings were scattered wherever she could find them for easy access. To Songan, this was the peak of convenience, but to anyone else, it was undeniably messy.

To save what little dignity she had left as an older sister, Songan didn’t just swing the door wide open. Instead, she stood there, waiting for Modesty to make a choice.

Unfortunately, Songan’s hesitation was taken as an invitation. Modesty offered a thoughtful, comforting smile. “Not at all. I think your place is quite nice. It’s private and quiet.”

So, Modesty—who claimed she didn’t have her keycard—stayed in Songan’s dorm. The five-foot-wide bed was just barely enough for two people. Songan found an extra thin blanket for Modesty so they wouldn’t have to fight over the covers during the night.

Truthfully, Songan was terrified of her own sleeping habits. She was worried she might not only steal the blankets but also start swinging her fists in her sleep.

After smoothing out the bed and making sure there was enough room for both of them, Songan checked her phone. “We’ll head out in ten minutes. That should let us miss the dinner rush.”

In her nervous state, she completely forgot that if Modesty headed back to Corridus right now, she’d have plenty of time. There was no way she’d be locked out of her dorm.

After following Songan inside, Modesty didn’t sit down. Instead, she wandered around, looking at everything with immense curiosity.

“Sister, what’s this?” Modesty picked up a metal rod and a small block of iron, tentatively trying to screw them together. “Is it a hammer?”

Songan looked over, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Oh, that. It’s a practical assignment for the STEM majors here. We had to grind a hammer out of raw metal in the workshop.”

She tried to explain it in simple terms, recalling that her timing for transmigrating into this world had been a bit awkward. She had arrived right in the middle of the department’s metalworking internship, and a huge chunk of her last week had been spent on that very task.

Modesty put the little metal hammer back and was immediately distracted by something else. “And this is…”

Songan followed her gaze. When her eyes landed on the photo frame, she felt a momentary pang of daze. “Ah, that’s… a photo of me and my mother when I was a child.”

She almost slipped up. If she had told Modesty that the photo was of the “original owner” and her mother, she didn’t even want to think about what kind of excuse she’d have to invent to cover it up.

Modesty picked up the frame, squinting one eye as she compared the photo to the Songan standing before her. “Strange. You haven’t changed much since the photo was taken, yet you feel so different. I can’t quite put my finger on why.”

It was a casual remark, but it made Songan feel like she was sitting on a bed of needles. She stepped forward and smoothly took the frame back, avoiding Modesty’s eyes. She kept her gaze fixed on the little girl in the picture. “Maybe my personality changed as I grew up, so my expression changed with it.”

“I see” Modesty said thoughtfully, but before Songan could worry about what she’d say next, she abruptly changed the subject.

She flopped onto the extra blanket Songan had just pulled out and let out a long sigh. “It’s so soft. I honestly want to go to sleep right now.”

Songan put the frame back in its place, trying to act natural. “Don’t we still have to go eat? If you’re hungry, we can order takeout. We should eat before sleeping, you can’t really find a late-night snack around Nanzhou University.”

“Alright, let’s head out then.” Modesty struggled to climb back up, her blonde hair sticking to the corner of her mouth.

Songan couldn’t stand the sight of it and instinctively reached out to brush the hair away. “There, all better. Shall we?”

At the touch, Modesty’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. She gave a soft, “Mhm.”

The Nanzhou University Canteen

Modesty was much easier to host than Songan had imagined. No matter what dish Songan recommended, she would consider it seriously and give an enthusiastic response. She truly lived up to her role as the kind, easy-going female lead.

They got their food based on Songan’s suggestions. At the table, Modesty told Songan all about her school, Corridus International High School.

“In our school, we move between classrooms for different subjects too. My dorm is a little bit bigger than yours, though. When are you going to come visit me?”

Songan took a small sip of her soup. “But if I go, and people ask who I am”

Modesty’s eyes widened as if the concern hadn’t even crossed her mind. “So what? Just tell them you’re my sister!”

Songan was surprised by the reaction. “I thought you and your classmates might be a bit… resistant to the whole stepsister thing. I didn’t think you’d be so open about it.”

“It’s just a blended family, it’s perfectly normal.” Modesty pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, seemingly unbothered by the thing Songan was worrying about.

She continued, “Besides, I don’t really have many friends at school. It’s so boring. If you come, we can do so many fun things together.”

No friends?

Songan caught that piece of information immediately. After a moment of thought, she realized that at this stage of the story, Modesty was indeed a bit of a loner who kept others at a distance. The original owner’s bullying would eventually make her even more introverted and suspicious of anyone’s kindness. There was a group of students who admired her strength and followed her around to protect her, but they weren’t exactly close friends.

It wasn’t until the original owner, Hailuo, faced the consequences of her actions and ended up in prison that Modesty would finally lower her guard and accept the kindness of others.

Thinking of this, Songan felt a wave of pity for the cheerful girl sitting across from her. “Alright, I’ll see when I have time. I’ll make sure to contact you before I come by.”

Seeing her agree, Modesty’s eyes curved into crescent moons. Her joy was palpable as she began to chatter away even faster. “Great! I’ll definitely take you to try the desserts at our school. I absolutely love them…”

Affected by Modesty’s radiant mood, Songan couldn’t help but smile back, responding warmly to everything she said.

After dinner, Songan took Modesty for a stroll around campus, visiting the swans at the artificial lake. Only after they no longer felt uncomfortably full did they head back to the dorm.

Since she had dedicated the entire day to Modesty, Songan didn’t want to ruin the mood by saying she needed to study. When Modesty mentioned being sleepy, Songan went to bed with her.

“Sister, I had so much fun today.”

Before sleeping, Songan turned off the lights, and Modesty used her phone to light the way back to the bed. Once they were both tucked under their blankets, Modesty suddenly leaned her head against Songan’s shoulder and whispered.

“I’m glad you’re happy. I was worried I wouldn’t be a good host.” Songan wasn’t sure what she was feeling—was it motherly instinct? Pity?

Regardless, she couldn’t help but smile and gave Modesty a gentle pat on the back to soothe her.

Modesty took an inch and moved a mile, shuffling closer to Songan. Her hair brushed against Songan’s neck, tickling her and making her laugh. “Alright, the bed is only this big. Stop squeezing me.”

“Fine…” Modesty grumbled, her voice full of disappointment.

Songan couldn’t bring herself to scold her for acting like a child. She turned on her side to face Modesty and noticed the scent of gardenias. It seemed that recently, Modesty had started using the same scented products as Songan.

“You smell really nice.” Distracted by the sudden thought, Songan forgot what she was going to say and let the words slip out.

The two stared at each other in the dark. Songan simply smiled. “I like gardenias too.”

Meeting her eyes, Modesty became shy. “I thought the scent was nice as well,” she answered softly.

“It’s getting late, get some sleep.” Songan finally remembered her original goal and urged Modesty to go to bed.

Modesty didn’t say anything else. Her blue eyes looked like the deep, bottomless sea in the dark. She looked like she wanted to say more, but then she saw that Songan had already closed her eyes.

Left with no choice, she reluctantly closed her own eyes too.

The next morning, Songan woke up before Modesty. She didn’t wake the girl, wanting to let her sleep in a bit longer.

After quietly washing up, Songan left a note on the desk and headed out to buy breakfast for both of them.

By the time she returned, Modesty had just woken up. She looked sleepy, holding the note Songan had written.

“You’re back,” Modesty said, immediately walking over to take the bags from Songan’s hands and place them on the table. “What did you get?”

“We should eat something light in the morning. I got some buns and two servings of preserved egg and pork congee. If you want something else, just let me know. I have milk powder and tea bags here,” Songan replied, using two pumps of hand sanitizer.

“Whatever is fine with me.” Modesty opened the bag, took a sniff, and gave an impressed “Wow” before rushing to the bathroom to wash up.

As they sat at the table eating, Modesty suddenly pulled a card out of her hoodie pocket and held it out to Songan. “I noticed you don’t have many clothes in your room. If you need anything, please use this. This is the prize money I’ve won from competitions.”

“Huh?” Songan nearly dropped her spoon in shock. “No, wait, why are you giving me money? I don’t need it!”

She pushed the card back. There was no way she was going to let her younger sister give her money.

Seeing Songan’s firm stance, Modesty took the card back without putting up a fight.

“But I saw flyers for part-time jobs on your desk. Are you short on money?” Modesty still wanted to know. She had found it strange when she saw the flyers. Moreover, the clothes Songan wore were made of coarse fabric, and her wardrobe was mostly filled with similar quality items.

Songan thought for a moment before giving her answer. “Technically speaking, I’m not. So please, keep it. Don’t worry about me. Mother and the others give me money too.”

“Oh, okay,” Modesty said sheepishly. She had assumed Songan was in some kind of trouble and was too embarrassed to tell the family. Since she didn’t have much to spend her own money on, she thought she could help. She hadn’t realized she had misunderstood Songan’s situation.

“Anyway, thank you for the concern.” Songan expressed her gratitude at the right moment. After agreeing on a time for her next visit, they finished their breakfast.

After seeing Modesty off to her car, Songan waved goodbye through the window. She checked the clock at the school gate; it was time for her ten o’clock lab class.

She had been smart enough to pack her books before leaving the dorm, so now she just had to walk to the lab building. On the way, remembering her promise to Modesty, she pulled out her phone and sent a message to Rosalind, the housekeeper at Qucreek Orange County.

[Ni Songan: Rosalind, are you busy? I have a question. I’m planning to visit Modesty at Corridus International High School soon and I want to bring her a gift, but I’m not sure what she likes. Since you’ve worked at the estate for so long, do you happen to know what her hobbies or preferences are?]

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