Villainous Stand-in (15)
When Song Xuyi opened her eyes, there was a person standing at the window.
That person stood in the half-light, facing the outside, most of their body enveloped in shadows.
Probably because of the New Year, the city was setting off fireworks, the colorful fireworks flickering with various neon lights, illuminating the delicate and perfect profile of the person at the window.
The city looked extremely lively.
However, all the liveliness seemed unable to reach the woman standing at the window: even though the woman was watching the hustle and bustle, it seemed far away, having nothing to do with her.
Song Xuyi inexplicably did not want to see Li Yuqing so lonely and desolate, so she sat up and turned on the room’s light.
The soft light illuminated the entire room, also driving away the loneliness and desolation enveloping Li Yuqing. Li Yuqing turned her head, seemingly not used to the sudden light, squinting slightly. For a moment, when their eyes met, Song Xuyi felt that Li Yuqing’s eyes were even more dazzling than the fireworks outside.
“Xuyi, you finally woke up!” Li Yuqing walked to the table, smiled, poured a glass of water for Song Xuyi, and brought it to her lips: “Drink slowly.”
Only after sitting up did Song Xuyi belatedly feel the exhaustion and dizziness from sleeping too long. The water Li Yuqing handed over was exactly what she needed. After taking a sip, Song Xuyi heard Li Yuqing sigh: “You have been asleep for a whole day and night. Uncle Song and Aunt Song saw you hadn’t woken up, so they went back to the old house to eat.”
Song Xuyi froze and almost choked on the water: she thought she had only slept for a few hours, not expecting to have slept for an entire day and night!
“Has the New Year already passed?”
“No!” Seeing Song Xuyi’s incredulous wide-eyed look, the smile in Li Yuqing’s eyes deepened. She fed Song Xuyi water with one hand and naturally supported Song Xuyi’s back with the other, gently stroking: “Drink water carefully, don’t choke. Our Spring Festival lasts for fifteen days.”
“Don’t worry, I have already collected all the red envelopes and gifts for you…”
Song Xuyi didn’t care about the red envelopes and gifts. She just didn’t expect to sleep for so long in reality. No wonder she stayed in the dream for several days.
Song Xuyi couldn’t tell whether this was a blessing or a curse. After all, even though people in the circle knew that Song Xuyi’s family had separated from the Song clan, to maintain the appearance of family harmony, Song Xuyi’s family had to return to the old house to pay New Year’s visits every year. The old house, full of schemes and plots, was not a good experience for Song Xuyi…
But Li Yuqing’s words gave Song Xuyi a way to move past this.
“Then where are my gifts?”
Amid the system’s repeated coughs, Song Xuyi belatedly realized the ambiguous posture between her and Li Yuqing. After finishing the water, she pretended to look aside naturally.
The gifts were all piled up on the carpet by the window.
Over the years, Father Song had trained many students. Every year, students would bring New Year’s gifts to their teacher. Song Xuyi would also receive many gifts. To cover the heat on her face, Song Xuyi simply sat cross-legged by the pile of gifts and began to open them.
Most of the gifts were common items that Song Xuyi was familiar with, such as cosmetics, scarves, hats, and pens. When she opened a package that was larger than the others, at first Song Xuyi thought it was clothes. However, after opening it, she found the package had three layers.
The first layer was a manuscript of a mangaka that Song Xuyi liked very much;
When she saw this manuscript, Song Xuyi was extremely happy and almost subconsciously looked up at Li Yuqing—
Li Yuqing also sat down on the carpet. She rested her chin on the coffee table, her long eyelashes like fans, and she looked at Song Xuyi with a smile in her eyes, as if signaling Song Xuyi to continue opening the package.
“Sugar-coated bullets!” The system angrily shouted in Song Xuyi’s mind: “Xuyi, you must not be deceived by the big villain!”
Song Xuyi was somewhat happy in her heart. Li Yuqing’s gift simply hit her soft spot, but afraid of stimulating the system, Song Xuyi could only forcibly restrain the curve of her mouth and continue to unwrap the package.
The second layer was a set of beautiful handmade dolls, including two incredibly cute chibi dolls, and a beautiful little cat.
“The black one is me, the white one is you, and the cat is Xiaoxing.” Li Yuqing explained.
Even the picky system couldn’t help but cough dryly in Song Xuyi’s mind when it saw the cat doll: “Cough, it does seem… indeed a bit cute.”
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Song Xuyi also did not expect that the third layer would contain a certificate.
On the certificate was written a series of strange numeric codes, with a beautifully glowing star drawn on the cover.
“What is this?” Song Xuyi looked up inquiringly at Li Yuqing, only to see Li Yuqing already squatting in front of her, extending her slender white hands: “Xuyi, where is my gift?”
Song Xuyi’s face turned red all of a sudden.
She had been busy drawing manga recently and hadn’t expected Li Yuqing to give her a gift, so she hadn’t prepared a gift for Li Yuqing at all.
And just as her face turned red, those slender white hands pinched Song Xuyi’s face—
“Forget it, it’s not the first time anyway.” Li Yuqing pinched Song Xuyi’s cheek, looked at Song Xuyi with wide eyes, sighed softly, put her coat on Song Xuyi’s shoulders, and then sat beside Song Xuyi: “Then Xuyi, can you take a picture with me? As our New Year’s gift!”
Song Xuyi did not expect Li Yuqing to make such a simple request. After being stunned for a moment, some images flashed through her mind, and she subconsciously thought of Li Yuqing in her dreams.
In her dreams, Li Yuqing had more than once wanted to capture an image of Song Xuyi, but whether it was a photo or a video, the screen was always empty, and Li Yuqing could never see any trace of Song Xuyi’s existence…
This moment of Song Xuyi’s daze appeared to Li Yuqing as a silent agreement.
Li Yuqing seemed to care a lot about this photo. She moved to the window, enthusiastically looking for the best angle for the picture.
Song Xuyi originally wanted to refuse under the protest of the system in her mind, but looking at Li Yuqing’s happy appearance at this moment, the words of refusal that reached her lips could no longer be spoken—
“It’s just a photo.” Song Xuyi told the system and also told herself.
However, even though she said this in her heart, Song Xuyi still felt somewhat uneasy.
The heating in the room was very sufficient, and originally Song Xuyi did not feel hot, but after Li Yuqing sat down next to her, Song Xuyi only felt unbearably awkward and hot, almost sweating on her forehead…
Song Xuyi did not care about her appearance; she had self-awareness and knew that no matter what, she could not compare to Li Yuqing’s dazzling beauty like a shining pearl. However, looking at Li Yuqing’s appearance, Song Xuyi couldn’t help but start to think: Is she too disheveled at this moment? And, is it too informal to be wearing just pajamas…
Just as she was thinking about whether to put on makeup and change clothes, Li Yuqing had already pulled up Song Xuyi’s arm. Li Yuqing’s usually gentle and calm voice had a few obvious notes of joy, her excited and hopeful appearance was almost exactly the same as the Li Yuqing in her dream who asked for a gift at the age of nineteen: “Xuyi, come over here, the view here is beautiful!”
Song Xuyi pressed her lips together and stood up, standing at the window with Li Yuqing.
Outside the window were the lights of thousands of households in the tall buildings, the splendid fireworks blooming in the night sky one after another, and in the distance was the Ferris wheel in the city center… this was the unique, lively, and joyful atmosphere of the New Year.
A sudden inexplicable happiness arose in Song Xuyi’s heart, and she couldn’t help but turn her head to look at Li Yuqing, who was close at hand: “Yuqing, Happy New Year!”
Li Yuqing seemed surprised that Song Xuyi would say this, her expression was obviously stunned for a moment, then her eyes became extremely gentle, and a brilliant smile bloomed on her face. Accompanied by another burst of fireworks outside the window, Li Yuqing pressed the shutter: “Xuyi, Happy New Year!”
In the frozen photo, the girl wearing cute plush pajamas looked up at the girl beside her, her cheeks flushed, her eyes showing a bit of shyness, but unable to hide the gentle and obedient smile in her eyes. On the other side, the bright girl looked at the girl with an unconcealable sparkle in her eyes, and her mouth curved into an unprecedentedly radiant arc!
There is always one person who will make you traverse mountains and rivers, cross through time and space, and persistently wait. When you meet that person, even the deadest eyes will shine, the most withered flowers will sprout new buds, and the saddest past will be covered with warm colors… That is the most magical power that belongs exclusively to love.
That night, Li Yuqing had a dream.
Once again, she dreamed of her experiences growing up.
In the most desperate times, a woman appeared beside her that no one else could see. The woman claimed to be a fairy. Li Yuqing could never see her face clearly, but she could see her extremely bright, gentle, and always vibrant eyes.
In those most difficult and painful days, the woman was the only light in Li Yuqing’s dark years.
At first, Li Yuqing admired and loved this ‘Fairy Sister’. The ‘Fairy Sister’ was gentle and kind, always able to soothe her inner anxiety and despair, pulling her out of the overwhelming hatred and keeping her from losing her mind and falling into an irreparable state, preserving the last bit of her bottom line.
In Li Yuqing’s heart, the presence of the ‘Fairy Sister’ represented beauty, the most brilliant existence in this cold world.
Li Yuqing couldn’t say when she started having those kinds of thoughts about the ‘Fairy Sister’. Perhaps it was after reading a myth about a fairy and a cowherd that she began to want to keep the ‘Fairy Sister’ by her side, or maybe even earlier.
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In that ancient myth, the cowherd hid the fairy’s clothes, and from then on, the fairy could not leave and had to stay in the human world to accompany the man.
Li Yuqing knew that she was probably broken. She knew that the man’s behavior of making the fairy abandon her relatives to stay with him was extremely selfish. However, the desire for ‘Fairy Sister’ to stay and always accompany her overcame everything. Li Yuqing still made some actions driven by a supernatural force: unable to take off ‘Fairy Sister’s’ clothes, Li Yuqing secretly cut off the buttons of ‘Fairy Sister’s’ clothes and cut the hem of the clothes.
In this way, ‘Fairy Sister’ wouldn’t be able to fly away, right?
At that time, Li Yuqing thought she was just too lonely and wanted ‘Fairy Sister’s’ company. She didn’t understand why looking at ‘Fairy Sister’ wearing clothes with two broken buttons made her feel dry-mouthed and her eyes always wanted to stick to ‘Fairy Sister’…
Until later, ‘Fairy Sister’ with the cut clothes still left. Li Yuqing felt like a hole had opened in her heart, as if she had lost all feelings of happiness, even revenge couldn’t make her happy.
At that time, Song Xutian deliberately took Li Yuqing to a private movie showing and played a certain kind of film for her. Only then did Li Yuqing know that girls could have that kind of relationship…
Li Yuqing fled in panic.
It wasn’t because of Song Xutian’s disgusting and greasy seduction, but because Li Yuqing found that while watching the movie, the image in her mind was the scenery inside ‘Fairy Sister’s’ clothes with the two deliberately removed buttons…
From that day on, Li Yuqing understood her own state of mind. She began to dream all night, dreaming that she not only removed the two buttons but also did more offensive things to ‘Fairy Sister’ in various different situations…
However, this time, ‘Fairy Sister’ hadn’t appeared for more than three years.
Did ‘Fairy Sister’ ever really exist?
The longing in the heart accumulated day by day. Li Yuqing exhausted all methods to see ‘Fairy Sister’ again, even sought help from a psychologist. However, all measures were useless. The doctor even looked at Li Yuqing with pity, telling her that everything was just an illusion fabricated due to excessive stress.
Was it really just fabricated?
Countless times in the midnight dreams, Li Yuqing missed ‘Fairy Sister’ with gritted teeth, wanting to forget while also wishing that if ‘Fairy Sister’ appeared again, she felt she already understood the reason why ‘Fairy Sister’ did not stay back then: The cowherd was able to keep the fairy because the fairy had feelings for the cowherd. She couldn’t keep ‘Fairy Sister’ simply because ‘Fairy Sister’ did not fall in love with her…
So when she saw the long-desired ‘Fairy Sister’ again, at first, Li Yuqing thought she was having some kind of indescribable dream. However, when she touched the living ‘Fairy Sister,’ Li Yuqing realized it was not a dream…
But Li Yuqing had been longing for too long!
Li Yuqing took advantage of the situation by pretending to be drunk and clinging to ‘Fairy Sister.’ Li Yuqing knew that her beauty made countless people covet her, and ‘Fairy Sister’ might also be tempted by her beauty. However, ‘Fairy Sister’ was still as upright and kind as ever and actually pushed her away!
But Li Yuqing still glimpsed a glimmer of hope from ‘Fairy Sister’s’ attitude: she did not dislike her because of this and even treated her with the same affection as before.
Li Yuqing despised herself while beginning to use this bit of affection to indirectly date ‘Fairy Sister,’ even planning to confess on her nineteenth birthday…
However, perhaps it was too hasty. Heaven disapproved of her being too happy and once again took ‘Fairy Sister’ away—
……
The dream abruptly stopped at this moment.
Li Yuqing opened her eyes.
Still lingering in her heart was the torturous feeling of longing that almost drove her mad over the past two years. Li Yuqing took a deep breath and hurriedly opened her phone’s photo album: on the lit screen, two girls were looking at each other and smiling, the scene incredibly happy and sweet.
Li Yuqing’s fingertips gently and reverently brushed over Song Xuyi’s cheek in the photo album, the gloom in her eyes slowly fading away, gradually replaced by a hint of a smile—
Li Yuqing never thought she would meet ‘Fairy Sister’ in real life!
Although Song Xuyi seemed not to know her before, from the first moment they met by the lakeside, Li Yuqing was certain that Song Xuyi was her ‘Fairy Sister.’
This is a living ‘Fairy Sister,’ touchable, photographable, a hundred times cuter and more beautiful than she imagined!
She must have feelings for me too, right? Otherwise, she wouldn’t use my image to draw her manga…
Even if she doesn’t have feelings for me, it doesn’t matter.
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She is mine, no one can take her away!
Li Yuqing began to carefully and deliberately approach Song Xuyi, watching as those clothes that once appeared on ‘Fairy Sister’ appeared one by one on Song Xuyi.
And now, she probably remembered everything too.
Li Yuqing thought of Song Xuyi’s appearance before she left Song Xuyi’s room, the smile in her eyes deepened—
“Xuyi, on the cover of the third gift is a planet discovered by an astronomer. I bought the naming rights for this planet. Because scientists discovered a unique magnetic field disorder near this planet, this magnetic field disorder can cause special reactions between certain destined people or things, even allowing them to traverse time and space—”
“What a peculiar planet!”
“Don’t you think so, Xuyi!”
The author has something to say:
Xuyi: Σ(⊙▽⊙”a~~~ Danger!
I actually saw the gift of naming rights for a planet on Taobao, but it seems to be the naming of a star on a website, not a real planet~ But it still feels super romantic~ Heeheehee~
LP: Re-translated on July 31, 2024
There was a trend here. The trend of “I treat you like a sister yet you want to eat me!”
There was a trend here. The trend of “I treat you like a sister yet you want to eat me!”