Chapter 34 Immense Pressure
The moment I agreed, I regretted it.
Where was I going to get so much money? I had truly fallen into an abyss of no return.
However, an even more critical problem now lay before me: how was I going to explain bringing Lianbing home?
It was fine that Dad and Mom were often not home, but my younger sisters would definitely be home.
On the way, I racked my brains but couldn’t come up with any reasonable excuse. On the contrary, Lianbing seemed very happy and even held me tighter.
Therefore, I gave up thinking and decided to leave it all to fate. I hoped Heaven would… Look, Sekai and I are in a cooperative relationship; surely, she’ll take care of me a little?
I’m asking for outside help, Sekai-chan.
Reluctantly, I finally arrived at the doorstep. I swallowed the saliva accumulated in my mouth, prepared myself mentally, and took out my key to open the door.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Xinran, still wearing an apron, walking towards me with a kitchen knife in her hand. My eye twitched.
“Welcome home” stopped in her words. Xinran noticed that I wasn’t the only one there, and her gaze became subtle.
It was like… a gaze that scrutinizes a criminal, and she looked at me the same way.
Lianbing, however, remained calm. Her mask-like smile was formed in countless social situations.
“I know… you’re Senior Ji Lianbing, right? You’re quite famous at school.”
“Not at all. You’re Juncheng’s younger sister, aren’t you? You’re famous too.”
Xinran didn’t answer Lianbing’s question but shifted her gaze to me, her eyes carrying the question, “What’s going on?”
Then I realized I couldn’t say anything.
Even the clever excuses I had come up with earlier wouldn’t come out. I stood there foolishly, as if struck by lightning.
Seeing me like this, Xinran just sighed and said,
“Mom and Dad are home today too.”
Another bolt of lightning struck me.
They actually came home today! Who could have known?
You two must have planned this. You haven’t been seen for days, and you suddenly come home. What’s with that?
I panicked even more, my face almost turning square.
Although I had experienced countless Shura Fields before, I now realized that when it came to my own family, I still couldn’t remain calm.
In contrast, Lianbing’s performance was exemplary. She first smiled at Xinran and then elegantly said,
“Oh really? Then it seems like a good opportunity. I’d like to visit Aunt and Uncle.”
Xinran couldn’t say anything more. Since someone was visiting, she had to play the host. She made a gesture for Lianbing to enter. Lianbing took off her shoes and naturally followed her into the house.
I was still standing there foolishly.
At this moment, I saw Lianbing turn back and give me a flirtatious smile. My heart sank slightly, and a sense of unease filled me.
What was she planning?
No, what was she going to say to my parents?
My… please save me…
We reached the living room, and as expected, I saw Mom and Dad, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. Dad was looking at headlines on his tablet, and Mom, although she had finished cooking, was still helping in the kitchen.
“Xinran, Juncheng is back… and you are?”
“Hello, Uncle and Aunt. I am Ji Lianbing. Due to some family matters, I may need to trouble you for a while.”
She bowed respectfully, with grace and no hint of a Young Miss’s arrogance.
Mom opened her mouth in surprise. I thought the fish would burn!
Instead, Dad put down his tablet and asked proactively,
“Ji Lianbing, you’re Ji Sheng’s daughter?”
Ji Sheng? Is that Lianbing’s father? Dad actually knows… well, Dad seems to have some connection with the organization, so it’s normal for him to know these business tycoons.
Up to this point, I hadn’t had a proper talk with Dad. It could be said that the zombie crisis was entirely his doing, but it’s not the right time yet.
Lianbing paused upon hearing her father’s name. Only I noticed her brow twitch almost imperceptibly.
But she immediately concealed her displeasure and continued politely,
“Yes, he is my father.”
“…”
Dad nodded, indicating that this answer was within his expectations.
“What is your relationship with Juncheng?”
“…”
“I’ll take the SF Light Novel.
Lianbing acted like a girl in her first love, shyly covering her blushing cheeks with her hands, lowering her head shyly at a forty-five-degree angle, and closing her eyes.
She deliberately didn’t state our relationship but used this act to imply that our relationship was unusual. What a cunning plan!
As expected, seeing Lianbing like this, Dad, Mom, and even Xinran misunderstood.
“Oh… Juncheng, you’re quite something! I was wondering if your laid-back personality would ever find you a Girlfriend. It seems I was worried for nothing?”
Mom’s eyes curved into crescents from smiling. She treated Lianbing like her own daughter, and their affection for each other was evident.
My mind was buzzing, and I couldn’t even think. I had no idea what was happening.
All I saw was Lianbing, with her incredibly skillful conversation, easily winning over Mom and Dad’s favor.
Even Dad, who was usually as quiet as a statue, seemed more talkative today, indicating his satisfaction with Lianbing.
Xinran and I remained silent.
Once again, I witnessed the immense power of a Young Miss’s communication skills when interacting with outsiders. In just the time it took for dinner, she was chatting and laughing with Mom and Dad as if she were part of the family.
Under the tutelage of the Head Maid, Lianbing was steadily progressing towards perfection. In time, she would surely become a significant figure I could only look up to…
After dinner, I volunteered to wash the dishes, mainly wanting to escape the stomach-churning atmosphere as soon as possible.
While washing the dishes, I heard Mom say,
“Keling, that darn kid…”
“…It’s my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, my dear. Who knew what happened back then? And in the end, we all became a family. Isn’t that a happy ending? It’s just that…”
As expected, Mom and Dad knew about Keling. Dad seemed a bit self-reproachful. He initially wanted to hide this matter, but in this world, due to my influence, everyone in the family knew.
Mom didn’t seem to care much. In fact, my thoughts were the same as hers. In terms of the outcome, nothing had really changed, but for Keling, this was earth-shattering news.
Lianbing proactively asked,
“Is there something you need?”
“Ah, Keling is also Juncheng’s younger sister. She’s just been shutting herself in her room lately, so… you’ve seen the laugh.”
“I see. Could you allow me to talk to her?”
Huh? What! Lianbing wanted to talk to Keling?
What would they talk about? Could she help Keling resolve her inner conflicts?
“Eh? But with Little Lianbing…”
“I’m confident I can get that child out of her room. Besides, I’ll be living here for a while, so I should get along with Younger Sister Keling.”
“Is that so… Your father and I are often not home, and that child is rather stubborn… Alright then, I’ll have to trouble you.”
“Please leave it to me.”
Lianbing, what exactly are you up to? Are you trying to infiltrate my home and win over my relatives?
This isn’t just paranoia; Lianbing might actually do something like this…
Fortunately, Xinran hasn’t been won over by Lianbing yet, and her attitude towards Lianbing is still cold, almost to the point of repulsion.
After washing the dishes, I intended to escape to my room, but Lianbing and Xinran followed me upstairs under the pretense of sharing a room.
These two, one icy and one cold, felt like two icebergs forming behind my back.
On the second floor, Xinran said to Lianbing,
“Although there’s a vacant room downstairs, it’s not ready yet. So, Senior, please share a room with me tonight. My room has bunk beds.”
“Monitoring me by keeping me close…”
The voice was very soft, and only I could hear it.
Xinran might have sensed it but had no intention of changing her mind.
I really couldn’t stay any longer and quickly said something before heading up.
“Uh, I’ll head back to my room first…”
It’s too terrifying… I feel like my stomach is about to perforate!
Oh, oh, oh! A Shura Field trapped between my Girlfriend and my little sister, and not just once! We’ll be living under the same roof. Who knows how many similar frictions will occur? Just thinking about it makes me want to die!
When I returned to my room, I heard Xiao An looking at me with a sympathetic gaze.
“Meow~ You actually brought *that* woman home, meow.”
“I didn’t want to… Damn it, my heart is pounding right now. What the hell.”
“Serves you right. You know what *that* woman is like. She’s someone who’s naturally born with protagonist halo; unlike you, a mere mortal, she’ll eat you until not even bones are left, meow.”
What Xiao An said made sense. I knew Lianbing very early on.
But in the end, we still formed a connection. Is this fate? This is destiny…
“But, with your current self, it’s hard to say who will devour whom.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“I can feel that you’ve gathered a calamity. Your influence has become different, meow. To put it more precisely, you’ve been upgraded from a dead extra to a background extra. If this continues, you might even become a ‘protagonist’, meow.”
“Protagonist…”
Continuing means continuing to collect destiny.
Lou Ling was also dreaming of what I said.
Gaining the power to change the world is equivalent to becoming the sole protagonist.
Under an invincible protagonist halo, I can do whatever I want.
But I never thought of becoming the protagonist myself…
If all this hadn’t happened, I’d still be comfortably living a life of loafing and waiting to die.
“Sigh—but Xiao An, you’re living such a comfortable life. It’s so nice, eating and playing every day, sleeping after playing, without having to worry about anything…”
On the contrary, one troublesome thing after another keeps popping up for me. I’m so busy, my head is spinning, and my stomach aches. I have no time to relax.
“Haa, maybe I should just become a pig in my next life… Eating and lazing around every day would be so great~”
“From the moment you were born, you’d be castrated, live your whole life, and finally be slaughtered to become someone’s meal.”
“That cruel?!”
Xiao An glares at me and rolls over on the bed. Her loose T-shirt flips up, revealing her white underwear and belly.
“And you, even if you became a pig, you’d definitely be a breeding pig, just for mating. Hehe~”
I roll my eyes, toss my schoolbag aside, assume a starting position, take a running start, and with a leap, I pin the smug, Golden Loli down.
“Pfft! You darn rascal! I’ll bite you!”
You stinking Loli! I’ll just use you to release my stress! Take this!
We started fooling around.
