Chapter 7 Shirley, Sister
After the afternoon classes ended, I originally planned to go to the library for evening study. However, before I could even leave the school building, I spotted a familiar figure waiting at the school gate through the window.
Since it was too far to see clearly, I adjusted my glasses and squinted. I vaguely made out a green title.
It was Miss Shirley.
I turned back to Lianbing, who was still tidying up her textbooks, and said.
“Lianbing, Shirley is here to pick you up?”
“Ara? She should be here to pick you up, Cheng-kun?”
“Eh? Me? Ah…”
Come to think of it, Miss Shirley did say she would pick me up when I left this morning.
“Hehehehe… Then, I’ll be going now, Cheng-kun. Although I’d like to go back with you, I have a few more classes to attend tonight, so I’ll bid you farewell for now.”
She still seemed to be in a bad mood, just like she had been since noon when I returned too late. I could now tell her mood just by her laughter and tone. Normally, if she were happy, her laughter would be a four-stage giggle with an upward inflection. But this three-stage chuckle with a downward inflection indicated she was quite annoyed.
I paused for a moment, then took Lianbing’s hand as she was about to leave the classroom. I pulled her closer, gently hugged her, and patted her head.
As her boyfriend, I felt I should comfort her when she was feeling down, shouldn’t I?
“See you tomorrow.”
“…So sly, Cheng-kun.”
She froze for a moment, then buried her face in my chest, nuzzling against me. It wasn’t like a kitten being affectionate, but more like a snake writhing in my arms… It was strangely chilling.
“Lianbing?”
“Hehehehehe~ Bye-bye~”
It seemed her mood had improved from gloomy to cheerful.
As long as she was in a good mood, my personal safety was guaranteed. It was like feeding myself to a tiger; I had to constantly consider this tigress’s feelings.
I lowered my head again to organize my notebook, putting the textbooks for the subjects with homework into my bag, and the rest into my desk.
“Cheng-kun?”
“Hm? What is it? Is there something else?”
I thought she had already left, but she unexpectedly returned.
She only poked half of her head out and waved at me. Her pure pink title made my mind go blank for a moment.
“See you tomorrow?”
“…Ah, ah! See you tomorrow!”
Does the tigress also turn into a housecat sometimes…
Watching from the window as Lianbing greeted Shirley and got into a luxury car, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and left the classroom. I had a feeling someone was still watching me from behind… Lianbing was already gone, so who could still be staring at me?
I looked around but couldn’t find the source of the gaze. I scratched my head with a troubled expression and walked out of the teaching building, where I met Miss Shirley, who was still waiting for me at the school gate.
“Young Master Jun Cheng, I have been waiting for you for quite some time.”
“Miss Shirley, thank you for waiting.”
Miss Shirley wasn’t wearing her maid outfit. Instead, she had on a white cashmere sweater and jeans, presenting a completely different, mature womanly image than usual.
I didn’t expect her to actually come pick me up. She even changed out of her eye-catching maid outfit for my sake; she was truly considerate.
“You can just call me by my name. I’m not a maid right now, you know? Hehehe.”
As if shedding the maid outfit had also lightened her demeanor, Miss Shirley became much more relaxed. It seemed she had switched from work mode to casual mode.
“Then you don’t have to call me Young Master anymore, and please don’t use honorifics.”
“Ah, you’re right. Then, may I call you Jun Cheng directly? Or should I address you as Cheng-kun, like Young Miss does?”
“Please stop saying my name backward… Lately, she’s always calling me by my name backward, it’s making me feel like my name is An Cheng-kun instead of An Juncheng.”
“Hehehe, I understand. Then I’ll call you Little Jun, is that alright?”
“No problem. And, um, Shirley, you look very beautiful in this outfit.”
I don’t usually talk much with people, so complimenting someone’s clothing felt a bit strange, but I managed to say it out loud anyway.
It’s the first time anyone has called me Little Jun. I feel like I’m interacting with an older sister… Ah, Miss Shirley looks older than me, so she basically is like an older sister.
“Thank you very much.”
Miss Shirley smiled slightly, bowed in thanks, and then gently touched her cheek.
“Young Miss mentioned something about you still having evening study, Little Jun. It seems I’ve come at an inconvenient time?”
“It’s alright, I won’t be going to evening study today.”
I still had a few signed slips from Lily, so it was okay not to attend evening study for now. More importantly, Miss Shirley had come all the way here to pick me up, and I felt bad making her wait any longer.
Miss Shirley seemed to have anticipated my thoughts. She didn’t show much surprise when I said I wouldn’t be attending evening study, perhaps she already knew about the signed slips.
I’m not sure if it’s because her title of “Perfect Type Head Maid” left too deep an impression on me, but Miss Shirley always gives me the feeling that she knows and can do everything.
“Then, since it’s a rare opportunity, let’s have a good chat, Little Jun.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“About Young Miss.”
I wasn’t surprised. When Miss Shirley suggested we talk, I had already anticipated that the topic would be Lianbing.
When we first met, Miss Shirley seemed like she wanted to tell me something, but couldn’t because Lianbing was present. Now, I could finally talk properly.
“There’s a reason why Young Miss has such peculiar habits… It’s because she witnessed a lot of death at a young age, and her psychology became twisted, leading to a distorted set of values.”
“Witnessed a lot of death?”
“Yes, Young Miss and her mother were caught in an indiscriminate massacre. At that time, the young Young Miss was held in her mother’s arms, which saved her. However, her mother…”
“Died?”
So she lost her mother, just like me… Thinking about it, our experiences are quite similar.
“…Yes, her mother passed away.”
At that moment, I felt a strange pressure emanating from Miss Shirley. That dangerous aura was exactly like Lianbing’s, no, it was even more pure than hers!
A terrifying aura surged from Miss Shirley. In my field of vision above my glasses, Miss Shirley’s title had turned blood red, and the words were becoming illegible, like a TV screen losing signal, tearing and spreading outwards!
Is this truly an aura that a human can emit!
“Miss Shirley?!”
I gasped, and Miss Shirley retracted her terrifying aura.
“My apologies, I startled you… After that, I took care of Young Miss, but her heart had already been twisted. Little Jun, you probably know this already, right?”
“Mm.”
I couldn’t possibly know it better, but I still don’t understand why she became the current “Necrophiliac Killer.” Didn’t anyone notice something was wrong with her?
“What about her father? Didn’t he try to guide her?”
“That man… Forget guiding her. Not only did he not correct Young Miss’s mistakes, but he even secretly fueled her, causing her values to become even more skewed.”
She didn’t refer to him as “Master,” nor did she use honorifics. Despite being the Head Maid, she was being so disrespectful to the person she served. Or perhaps Miss Shirley didn’t acknowledge this master at all?
I feel like Lianbing’s family environment is much more complicated than I imagined…
“To describe Young Miss’s father in one sentence, he is a pure opportunist. He takes, seizes, and devours everything he wants; he is a man built on greed.”
That’s why he established the colossal Ji Corporation. I looked into Lianbing’s family background on my computer when I was hospitalized a few days ago, and I was truly shocked.
It was no longer just about being wealthy; it was a business empire that could influence the entire world.
“But he was not satisfied with this. He believed that the empire he built should be inherited by his children, but his other illegitimate children were just good-for-nothings corrupted by excessive wealth, which greatly disappointed him… It was then that he noticed Young Miss’s talent.”
“Talent?”
“Yes, Young Miss has the talent for ‘reading people.’ She can instantly judge a person’s value and know where they can be useful. When Young Miss described it to me, she said she could smell a unique ‘scent’ from everyone.”
“Ah, I see…”
No wonder Lianbing always said things like “I smell you,” it wasn’t just about having a keen sense of smell.
“Because she values people as objects, she despises life and emotions, dedicating her time and energy to calculating profits and obtaining what she desires.”
She doesn’t see people as people? I suppose it’s precisely because of this that she’s so fascinated by corpses…
“Over time, her compassion has completely withered, and she increasingly feels no joy or beauty… One day, Young Miss will become a numb and merciless being. And this is exactly what that man expects. He hopes Young Miss will take over everything he has, even surpass him and become the absolute dominator.”
Miss Shirley stopped speaking here and turned her head to look at me seriously.
“I don’t wish for Lianbing to become such a cold-blooded ‘demon.’ Humans have emotions. And it is only emotions that shine brightly in this fleeting life.”
That statement sounded strange. I felt as if Miss Shirley wasn’t speaking from a human perspective. I secretly took off my glasses and looked at the top of her head… It had returned to green, her title was still Perfect Type Head Maid, and her name was indeed Shirley. Was I overthinking it?
“But it’s fortunate that Young Miss met you, Little Jun, hehehehe~”
Miss Shirley suddenly started laughing, and her serious expression became much more relaxed.
I pointed at myself in surprise.
“Me? She’s just interested in my corpse…”
“That was true at the beginning. To Young Miss, you were just a collectible, like a favorite toy, just an ‘item’.”
“She still is, isn’t she…”
“Oh dear, Little Jun, you’re quite dense. Haven’t you noticed she’s been different lately?”
“Oh ho…”
How should I put it? She’s become easier to get along with, and talking to her doesn’t leave me feeling uneasy anymore. But looking at that pink title, I still can’t completely relax… As long as there’s still a trace of red, I won’t let my guard down!
“It’s precisely because she can’t completely view you as an object that another Young Miss has come into being.”
“Wha! You already know about that!”
So Miss Shirley already knows about Ruansui’s existence!
“Hehehehe, the other Young Miss is also quite cute.”
It’s only now that I’ve suddenly realized that Lianbing resembles Miss Shirley in many ways. From her smiling expression to her signature laughter, and even the oppressive aura when she’s angry, they are very similar.
What kind of person is Miss Shirley to Lianbing? A teacher? Or perhaps a mother?
I can tell that Lianbing doesn’t see Miss Shirley as a subordinate; rather, it’s more of a feeling of respect.
“Let me tell you something, April 4th is Young Miss’s birthday. Little Jun, don’t forget to prepare a gift, okay?”
“Isn’t that coming up soon!”
“Yes, Young Miss will definitely invite you to her birthday party then, so prepare a gift that befits your status as her boyfriend. Don’t disappoint her.”
Due to the holiday makeup schedule for Qingming, even though tomorrow is Saturday, there will still be classes. Then, from Sunday to next Tuesday will be the holiday. So her birthday happens to fall on a rest day.
I see. In that case, I really should prepare a gift.
I envy Lianbing so much, having a maid who always thinks of her…
As we neared my house, Miss Shirley once again adjusted my clothes. Finally, she lowered her head and whispered into my ear.
“If you marry Young Miss, I can serve you every day too, you know?”
It sounded incredibly tempting! However, the price… was marrying Lianbing?
“What kind of joke is that? There’s no way I would marry someone like her…”
“You’ve also unknowingly come to like Young Miss, haven’t you? You even call her by name in your heart, don’t you? Hehehehe~”
“Cough, cough, cough, cough!”
She saw right through me!
Miss Shirley, you don’t actually have mind-reading abilities, do you!
No, who’s fallen for that woman! I haven’t at all!
“Really not?”
Don’t do that, my heart can’t take it…
Unconsciously, we had reached the vicinity of my house, and I could already see the entrance.
“We’ve, we’ve arrived home…”
Miss Shirley suddenly hugged me from behind. The back of my head touched something soft. I nervously looked up and cried out.
“Miss Shirley?!”
She hugged my shoulders tightly, pressing her cheek against the top of my head, and murmured in a tender tone.
“You make me feel heartbroken too, Little Jun… If anything is bothering you, you must tell Shirley-jie, okay? Big sis can help you solve your troubles…”
“Uh, Miss Shirley…”
“It’s ‘sis’.”
“Sh-Shirley-sis…?”
“Mhm, when I’m not wearing my maid outfit, just call me ‘sis’. Actually, I’ve always wanted a younger brother like you, hehehehe~”
I used to think Miss Shirley was very mature and steady, and much older than me, but looking at her now, she doesn’t seem that much older. I feel much closer to her now.
“Um… If you hug me any longer, I might get cursed to death. Well then, we’ll stop here for today.”
Miss Shirley released me, turned me around, took a step back, and said respectfully.
“Well then, Young Master Jun Cheng, I will visit again tomorrow morning. I wish you a peaceful night’s sleep.”
She had returned to using honorifics and formal titles. At this moment, Miss Shirley had once again transformed into the perfect Head Maid.
Her smile was still perfect, with a hint of amusement?
Perhaps Lianbing learned her trick of teasing from Miss Shirley…
After seeing Miss Shirley off, I entered my house.
Keling, who was hopping with excitement, rushed into my arms, pestering me to watch TV with her. I ended up watching the popular anti-corruption drama with Keling for a while; it was surprisingly good.
Time always seems to fly by when I’m at home. By the time we finished watching TV, it was almost 8 o’clock. I made some late-night snacks and shared them with my younger sisters. After coaxing Keling to sleep, I returned to my room and did some more homework. Around 10 PM, I prepared to sleep.
As soon as I changed into my pajamas, Xinran knocked and entered the room.
“…Brother, does your wound still hurt?”
“Other places are fine, it’s just my abdomen that’s quite painful. It should get much better after the stitches are removed in a few days.”
“I see… I understand.”
Xinran nodded silently and then closed the door and left. She didn’t come over until I was lying in bed.
Is she not planning to come over? Ah… well, perhaps this is for the best.
With a big yawn, I began to drift off to sleep.
What gift to give… I’ll think about it tomorrow…
The first day back at school passed quite uneventfully. I felt like I had returned to my previously mundane daily life.
I only hope this isn’t the calm before the storm…
