Mu Liuli stepped barefoot onto the cold marble floor, her light footsteps echoing through the dim corridor of the empty mansion.
At the end of the corridor stood a heavy metal door, completely out of place among the other doors.
She stopped and fished an old brass key out of her pajama pocket.
The key turned in the lock with a crisp “clack.”
Stepping inside, she raised her hand and pressed the switch on the wall.
“Da.”
The overhead light came on, dispelling the darkness of the basement and illuminating the scene before her…
It was a sight that brimmed with eeriness, yet, within the details, carried an inexplicable sense of warmth.
Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of human-shaped puppets were arranged in this enormous space—some wooden, some ceramic, a few with a cold metallic gleam.
They all struck different poses. Some sat on chairs, some stood quietly, some were arranged in the midst of daily activities.
But they shared one thing in common: hollow eye sockets all turned toward the door, as if silently welcoming, or perhaps wordlessly staring. The entire underground space was suffused with an eerie, spine-chilling air.
And yet, amidst this uncanny “crowd,” there were odd touches of warmth.
A ceramic doll near the entrance wore a carefully knitted, slightly childish pink sweater. On the knee of a wooden puppet lay an open storybook. In a corner, a metal doll held a chipped, paint-worn old teddy bear in its arms.
Light spilled evenly across this silent, miniature society made of “non-humans,” illuminating it as brightly as day.
It also outlined, clearly, the clumsy guardianship and companionship buried deep beneath the strangeness.
Mu Liuli stood at the doorway, her calm gaze sweeping over this kingdom that belonged to her alone—lonely and contradictory.
There was no expression on her face, only the ever-distant look in her eyes flickering briefly with a hint of softness.
“I’m back.”
She spoke softly, stepping inside as the heavy metal door behind her slowly closed on its own.
“Mom, are you really alright?”
Xia Yanran looked at her mother, who had woken up and was now leaning against the headboard, her gaze complicated and her tone laced with concern.
How could Qin Wuyue not see the emotions in her daughter’s eyes? But what could she do?
Telling her not to overthink, that nothing had happened between herself and Xiaoyu—wasn’t that as good as admitting something had?
She forced a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Yanran. Mom just used too much energy earlier treating your sister Lin. I’m all better now.”
Xia Yanran pressed her lips together. That explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, but something still felt off.
She might not be quick-witted, but she wasn’t stupid.
Her intuition told her that her mother was lying. As for why…
She didn’t want to guess that reason, and… she didn’t dare to.
“Then, Mom, you should rest early. I’ll go back now.” Xia Yanran cast one last glance at her mother before turning to leave the room.
“Mm, you rest early too.”
“Okay.”
Watching her daughter’s retreating back, Qin Wuyue raised her hand to her forehead and sighed silently.
How did things end up like this? The things she wanted to know remained a mystery, and now it had come to this.
Her gaze darkened. It was all that little brat’s fault. You just wait—this isn’t over!
Qin Wuyue was a very resolute person. Rather than doubt herself, she’d rather blame others.
What had she done wrong? At most, she’d made a mistake all women in the world could make—too much curiosity.
Her only real mistake was letting her guard down around Lin Yu and getting ambushed by him. Next time, this absolutely wouldn’t happen again.
“Next time, I’ll wring every last secret out of you!” she muttered with resentment. “And calling me fat… you’re done for!”
Maybe that was the most important thing.
Back in her own room, Xia Yanran lay on her bed, her mind a complete mess as the scene she’d witnessed earlier replayed over and over.
Her own mother, that endlessly charming woman she’d always envied, had pinned down the boy she liked.
Even if, as he said, it really was just an accident… she still couldn’t accept it.
A dull, stifling feeling rose inside Xia Yanran, making her uncomfortable and helpless, not knowing how to vent it.
She wrapped herself tightly in her quilt, as if that could somehow ease the storm of emotions inside her.
But it wasn’t enough.
Biting her lower lip, she slowly closed her eyes.
Her hand, beneath the quilt, began to wander uncontrollably.
“Lin Yu, why… are you doing this to me…”
Her body felt strange—hot, itchy. Only by picturing Lin Yu, by imagining his hands on her, could she calm the emotions that kept surging up from her heart.
“Mmm…”
Faint, suppressed gasps came from beneath the covers.
Finally, after a tense trembling, her body relaxed, eyes hazy as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Does it have to be Mom… Can’t it be me…”
After a long while, she let these words slip out in a whisper, not knowing whom she was asking.
As for Lin Yu, whom she couldn’t stop thinking about—he was facing a different, equally tricky problem at this very moment.
He looked at Lin Mowei, who was hugging her pillow with a pitiful, helpless look on her face.
From the scene, it was clear that his sister wanted to sleep with him, but that was exactly the problem.
“…Sis, what’s going on?”
Lin Mowei shuffled a step closer to her brother. “Xiaoyu, Sis had a nightmare just now, and I’m still scared. When the lights are off, I feel like there are people everywhere, so…”
Lin Yu’s eye twitched involuntarily. Agreeing didn’t feel right, but refusing seemed even worse.
No matter how he looked at it, something just didn’t feel right.
When he first returned, his sister had behaved normally for the first few days, but at some point, she’d started acting… unusually clingy.
He wasn’t even sure if that was the right word, but this kind of wanting to be near him had happened more than once or twice.
And this time, he really couldn’t refuse. His sister was genuinely shaken—her behavior was understandable.
Seeing his wavering expression, Lin Mowei took another step forward, getting even closer.
“Xiaoyu, Sis is really scared, so please?”
Lin Mowei looked at him with pleading eyes. Knowing her brother well, she understood he was the kind to give in to softness, not force. He was bound to agree.
Sure enough, after hesitating for a moment, Lin Yu said seriously, “Alright then, but just this once. Sis, can you please be more considerate? I am, after all, a fully functional adult male. This… isn’t right.”
He truly didn’t have feelings for his sister that way, but physiology was another matter—he couldn’t control that.
Lin Mowei, seeing his attempt to act serious while struggling with embarrassment, let out a soft laugh.
“Okay, okay, Xiaoyu is already a reliable grown man, Sis knows, alright? Come on up.”
She climbed onto the bed first, patting the spot beside her.
Looking at his sister in her light, flowing nightdress, her figure graceful, Lin Yu let out a gentle sigh and turned to close the window first.
“Why are you closing the window? It’s hot.”
“I think I caught a draft last night—my waist hurts. Can’t keep it open tonight,” Lin Yu answered nonchalantly.
“Oh? Xiaoyu’s waist hurts? Come, Sis will massage it for you.” Lin Mowei’s eyes curved with a strange glint.
Lin Yu quickly waved her off. “No need. It’ll be fine by tomorrow. It’s nothing serious.”
“Oh~”
For once, his sister didn’t insist, and Lin Yu lay down nervously, keeping a certain distance between them.
Lin Mowei didn’t move closer, just gazed at her brother’s profile. “Xiaoyu, Sis can’t sleep. Tell me a story?”
“…Sis, aren’t you too old for bedtime stories?”
“I want one anyway. Will you tell me or not~”
“Alright, alright.” Faced with his sister’s spoiled act, what could he do? He had no choice.
“Let’s tell the story of the Three Heroes fighting Dong Zhuo and the star-crossed lovers, Lü Bu and Diao Chan.”
“Pfft… fine.” Lin Mowei couldn’t help laughing.
Listening to her brother’s wildly reimagined story, and seeing his face so close at hand, Lin Mowei’s heart filled with happiness.
She had done all of this on purpose.
Her goal was to get Lin Yu used to sharing a bed with her, to treat it as a normal way for siblings to express affection.
Once the time was right, she could say, Xiaoyu, Sis is so cold…
Xiaoyu, Sis wants to hug you…
Xiaoyu~ Sis wants~