Chapter 17.3 [An Keling] Part One
“So, Juncheng lost his memory after his accident, and the principal, you were notified to bring him back to the country. At the same time, you offered to take him in, which is why he’s living here?”
“That’s right, you’ve summarized it very well!”
“…”
“Hoo, that’s… I thought you, Mom, were actually so desperate that you were going to keep a gigolo…”
The beautiful woman who patted her chest and exhaled in relief was Yang Lili, the principal’s daughter. She had come to visit her father because it was Christmas Eve. Just like me, she had had a huge misunderstanding earlier.
During the chaos that had just unfolded, Juncheng had shouted, “Everyone, be quiet!” And somehow, I just felt it was better to quiet down, like Juncheng said, so I shut my mouth.
Coincidentally, everyone else also shut their mouths. I didn’t expect Juncheng to have such a strong deterrent effect–
After that, Juncheng handed over the task of explaining to the principal and went to the kitchen to cook.
The principal briefly explained the general situation, and after some time, I finally understood what was going on.
After the explanation, it was time for questions. The first to ask was Lily, who was sitting next to me. Well, I’ll call her Sister Lily. Sister Lily pushed up her glasses and asked righteously,
“Then, what about this child?”
“Which one are you asking about? Lingling or Xunxun?”
“Both.”
“Lingling was found by Juncheng, and I brought Xunxun back.”
“That’s as good as saying nothing!”
“Don’t get so agitated. Anyway, these two children are helpless, so I let them live here. I have plenty of rooms anyway, and it gets lonely being home alone.”
“Especially after you left.”
I also turned to look at the two children on the other side. That tsundere flat-chested Yun Qingqiong was there with them… No, it looked more like three children playing together.
That idiot wasn’t just short, but also flat-chested. She looked like a middle schooler, and might even be mistaken for an elementary school student. She really didn’t look like a third-year high school student.
I glanced at the notebooks on their table. I thought they would be filled with childish doodles, but to my surprise, they were rows of text, and they looked quite neat. To realize that the person who wrote these characters was the youngest child, a little girl named An Yanling, surprised me, and I couldn’t help but ask,
“Eh? Are you practicing calligraphy?”
“Yes, Lingling wanted a notebook where she could write, so I gave her one.”
The one who answered me was that well-behaved dark-haired girl, Kaoru Tsukiyose.
“But this child isn’t even of school age yet. She looks like she just started kindergarten…”
At this moment, the principal added from the side,
“Although she hasn’t started kindergarten, she has recently begun learning the material for the lower grades of elementary school. She picked up the way to hold a pen very quickly. It’s hard to believe that two months ago, this child couldn’t even speak.”
“Eh? She couldn’t speak two months ago?!”
But this child’s behavior is nothing like that. She can converse fluently, recognize characters, and read… Did she learn all of this in just two months?
“Sister Keling?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. We were just saying… Xiao An is amazing.”
I originally wanted to call out to Lingling, but considering that my name also had a similar sound, it didn’t feel right to say it.
So, I’ll just call her Xiao An, like Juncheng does.
“She really is amazing!”
Of course, I bet when you were this age, you were still wetting the bed and looking for your mom every day, hehe.
“Why are you blaming me again? Lingling wanted to learn by herself. I did tell her not to push herself too hard.”
Sister Lily seemed to have a problem with the principal, always pushing the blame onto him.
Then, the principal, who was usually strong in front of others, would wilt and complain a bit at most.
For example, my mom loved to lecture me and always compared me to Sister Xinran. At those times, my stepmom would step in to defend me.
Seriously, who is the biological daughter here?!
Even though Sister Zi’ai and I are biological sisters, Mom favored Zi’ai more… Well, of course, Sister Zi’ai is an exception. Everyone in the family loves her the most.
That’s why, after Sister Zi’ai disappeared, our whole family went to… I did too…
Sigh, where are you now, Sister Zi’ai?
Even the Juncheng An you’ve been longing for has returned. It’s about time you came back too.
At this moment, as if to help the principal out of a difficult situation, Xiao An nodded and spoke up proactively.
“Yes, I wanted to learn on my own~ I’m happy to be able to talk to everyone~”
“Heh heh, we’re also happy to be able to talk to Lingling. Of course, the happiest person is him… He was most delighted when he heard you could speak fluently.”
Following the principal’s gaze, I looked at Juncheng, who was cooking in the kitchen. While chopping vegetables on the cutting board, he was whistling a tune.
He seemed to be in good spirits.
Xiao An suddenly stood up and skipped into the kitchen. Noticing her, Juncheng smiled and picked her up.
… He can still smile so naturally.
I remember on his first day after transferring, when he introduced himself, he put on a ridiculously stiff smile, thinking he had successfully played the role of a sunny boy.
Hmph, but this is also good~ It’s best that no one notices him.
This way, it’s only… Ugh, no, it’s not for myself!
I mean, Juncheng is Sister Zi’ai’s boyfriend! Of course, I have to prevent him from being lured away by some stray cats before my sister returns.
That’s right, since Sister Zi’ai isn’t here, I can only keep an eye on him!
Yes, this is just surveillance!
“What are you thinking about? Keling?”
“Yumimi!”
“What a cute sound that is…”
“When did you… when did you get here?!”
“Just now. The food is ready. You can help me bring out the plates.”
“Yes, yes.”
Oh, I’m so dead!
Seriously, why did he suddenly appear!
Don’t show up when I’m lost in thought!
I feel like my heart’s going to jump out…
After calming myself down, I went to help bring out the dishes.
Once the sumptuous Christmas Eve dinner was laid out, everyone took their seats. Juncheng cleared his throat and began to speak.
“Ahem, well, it’s fate that everyone can gather here today. Although there are no decorations like a Christmas tree, I’ve put my heart into making a delicious and abundant dinner. Please enjoy yourselves! Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” xN
Yeah, it’s actually not bad like this…
After the meal, we all sat together to play board games. Only four people could participate in each round of the board game. By drawing lots, Juncheng and I were excluded, so we sat on the sofa (Xiao An sat on his lap), watching them play while chatting idly.
“By the way, you called me ‘brother’ just now.”
“Eh? Ah, yes, in a moment of panic, I blurted it out…”
“Heh heh, I don’t mind.”
“I do, hmph.”
For some reason, the word ‘brother’ just slipped out of my mouth.
He had said before that it was better to call him ‘brother’, but I had just taken it as a joke and had continued to call him by his name…
So why, in that critical moment, did I call him brother?
SF Light Novel
It’s so strange…
I feel like I often get a sense of déjà vu since getting to know him… Like his cooking today, for example.
“Speaking of which, Juncheng, the food you made looks like my stepmom’s cooking…”
Even the taste is similar, or rather, it’s like a significant improvement based on my stepmom’s cooking.
Juncheng tilted his head with a confused expression and asked,
“Stepmom? Do mothers have ranks? I always hear you talk about it, but I still don’t understand.”
“Eh? Didn’t Sister Zi’ai tell you? Our family situation is quite unique. Although Dad technically only has one wife, there are actually two women in the household. We three sisters are also half-sisters.”
“Eh, eh? Uh, ah, um, oh.”
This series of sounds expressed his transition from surprise to understanding. Juncheng rubbed his chin and said,
“I remember now. Um, that’s, Aunt An Yue and Aunt An Qian, right?”
“Why is it a question?”
“Uh, because I lost my memory, I don’t remember very clearly…”
“I see.”
Seeing him rub his nose, I felt like he was making excuses… Whatever, it’s meaningless to pursue this. Let’s just assume he lost his memory.
“Yes, my and Sister Zi’ai’s mother is An Qian, who is the legal wife with a marriage certificate. An Yue is Sister Xinran’s mother. When we were all very young, Dad divorced Mom and then married my stepmom. But then something happened, and it turned into the family we have now.”
“Uh, this is really quite messy. Ah…? Wait, you and Zi’ai are biological sisters? Huh, huh?”
“Yeah? You don’t even know that…”
“What the hell!”
“Dad?”
Xiao An looked up at her ‘dad’ strangely, kicking her legs. But Juncheng had already fallen into despair.
Juncheng clutched his head and moaned, muttering words like ‘title’, ‘real or fake’, and ‘biological siblings’. His eyes were as if he was questioning his own existence, looking in disbelief…
Did I say something strange?
It’s the fact that Dad has two women by his side that’s shocking him… But this is an extremely special case! And honestly, Dad is scum among men! If you dare to two-time like Dad, Juncheng, I will definitely castrate you on behalf of Sister Zi’ai!
Just as I was about to press him further about what he meant, my phone suddenly rang. I glanced at the caller ID; it was Sister Xinran.
I had no choice but to leave and answer the phone in the hallway.
As soon as I pressed the answer button, I heard Sister Xinran call out anxiously.
“Keling? Why are you only answering now?”
“Ugh, just now… I wasn’t…”
SF Light Novel
“Do you know how worried I was about you! I thought something had happened to you!”
“Eh? What’s wrong? Is there something urgent?”
“Yes, Keling, you need to be careful. Try to stay in crowded places, avoid deserted areas, and it’s best not to go out alone. It would be best to stay at a friend’s house for a few days. If that’s not possible, fly over to our place, but do it secretly…”
“Hold on, hold on, what’s going on? Sister Xinran?”
“Are you being targeted? By whom?”
“I don’t know, I don’t know who is targeting us. But it’s true. A few days ago, they hired someone to kidnap Mom. Fortunately, Dad discovered it in time and stopped them, but he was injured in the process. I think they might come after you too.”
“Huh?”
“It might be related to Sister Zi’ai… I’m not too sure about the specifics, and I’m still investigating. In short, don’t act alone recently, okay?”
I see… So that person earlier was targeting me!
For what reason are they going to such lengths? Zi’ai… What exactly happened…
“Yes, no problem. I’m currently at a friend’s house for a Christmas party, and I’ll be staying here recently.”
“Can you trust this friend?”
“No problem, it’s An Juncheng, that An Juncheng.”
“…An Juncheng?”
“Yes, he’s Sister Zi’ai’s boyfriend. Sister Xinran, you know him too, right? Sister Zi’ai even mentioned his name in her sleep. Didn’t we spend a long time researching him? Turns out there wasn’t anyone by that name in the eight nearby high schools. We thought Sister Zi’ai was involved with some man from the streets…
“….Are you saying that ‘An Juncheng’ has appeared… where you are?”
“Yes… Ah, I know what you’re worried about, Sister Xinran. He’s not a fake. I’ve confirmed it. He knows many things that only my sisters and I know. If Sister Zi’ai hadn’t told him, I can’t imagine how he would have gotten this information.”
“An Jun… I see. I’ll return to the country next week. I’ll notify you when I arrive.”
“Eh? Sister Xinran?”
She hung up.
Sigh, what’s going on?
Sister Xinran is returning to the country?
Is it because of Juncheng?
Has she met Juncheng before?
…What’s happening?
What’s going on?
Whatever, I’ll wait until Sister Xinran arrives.
