Qin Xue’s words stunned Su Yun for a moment.
Who calls their own sister a machine?
“You two don’t seem to get along very well?” Su Yun asked cautiously, not daring to look at Qin Xue.
“Haah…”
“Not at all.” Qin Xue thought for a moment and then decided to say it outright.
“Why?” Su Yun noticed Qin Xue’s expression darken and couldn’t help asking.
It wasn’t really polite to ask about someone else’s family affairs. If it had been before, Su Yun wouldn’t have dared to ask. But now, they were already friends.
“Why?” Qin Xue’s sharp gaze locked onto Su Yun, as if this topic had hit a nerve.
“Uuh… forget it if you don’t want to talk about it.” Su Yun got nervous under her stare and quickly lowered her head.
“Idiot.”
“Eh? Why are you suddenly calling me an idiot again? You’re an idiot.”
Su Yun had originally been worried that her question might upset the other girl, but then suddenly hearing an “idiot” pissed her off.
She lifted her head, puffing her cheeks and glaring at Qin Xue like she was ready to bite her.
“If you let me pat your head, I’ll tell you why. How about it, Xiaoyun?” Qin Xue’s unhappy expression instantly disappeared when she saw Su Yun’s cute reaction, replaced by a teasing smile.
“...” Su Yun fell silent.
She had been concerned for Qin Xue, and now she was being asked to do something in return?
She really wanted to refuse, but the curiosity about what had happened between Qin Xue and her sister was too strong.
“…Fine.” In the end, Su Yun still nodded in agreement.
“Hehe, pat pat~ Xiaoyun’s head feels so nice to touch.” Qin Xue eagerly reached out and began patting Su Yun’s head, messing up her hairstyle with her relentless pats.
“...” Su Yun didn’t want to talk, only glancing at Qin Xue from the corner of her eye.
“Alright, since Xiaoyun is so obedient, I’ll tell you.”
“Mhm mhm.”
The hand on Su Yun’s head stopped moving, just gently resting there. Then she heard Qin Xue’s soft voice beside her ear.
…
Qin Xue spoke for about ten minutes, starting from when she was a child. Since she was talking to Su Yun, her tone was gentle at first, but as she got further into the story, she couldn’t help letting the bitterness slip out.
From a very young age, Qin Xue was enrolled in countless extracurricular and tutoring classes by her mother. If she didn’t study, her mother would scold her—sometimes even refuse to let her eat. She had to work hard, and as a result, almost all her time was taken up with no room for freedom.
When she finally got to high school and escaped all that through living on campus, she was able to get her first real friend.
But the first time she ever went out with that friend on a weekend, her mother found out. Qin Xue was immediately forced to move back home, and strangely, those friends never talked to her again. She suspected her mother had done something to them, and she was devastated.
And not just Qin Xue—her younger sister and older sister were raised under the same strict rules. Her younger sister didn’t want it, but was obedient. Her older sister, on the other hand, became their mother’s shining example, constantly used to pressure them.
Qin Xue always thought, if her sister had resisted even a little, maybe things wouldn’t have been so hard for them. But instead, her sister became her mother’s perfect tool.
That would’ve been one thing—everyone’s different, after all. But once she got to college, Qin Xue had a huge fight with her mother. And her older sister—someone who had suffered just like her—actually sided with their mom, saying it was Qin Xue’s fault for not studying, even looking at her like she was the problem.
At that moment, Qin Xue knew she and that sister were on completely different paths. After that, she took her equally reluctant-to-study little sister and moved out. They hadn’t spoken to that older sister in two years.
“Ah…” Su Yun blinked slowly after listening.
She truly felt bad for what Qin Xue had gone through. Hearing all of that made her feel heavy inside.
Seeing the gloom on Qin Xue’s face, Su Yun felt she had to say something to comfort her.
“That’s basically like being in prison… I think you did the right thing, Sister Xue.”
“Mhm.” Qin Xue responded faintly, resting her head in her hands, looking like she was in pain.
Seeing her like that, Su Yun anxiously scooted over and hugged her from the side.
She didn’t know how to comfort people—she was just giving it a try.
“Sister Xue, don’t think about it anymore, let’s drink our milk tea. Otherwise, it’s gonna get cold.” Su Yun lightly patted her back, like coaxing a child.
“Milk tea is cold in the first place.” Qin Xue, even while being comforted, was stubborn, nitpicking her words.
“…”
Ugh.
Su Yun was at a loss for words.
“Okay, okay, it’s all my fault, my fault. Let’s stop thinking about it. Come on, drink some milk tea and relax.”
After a brief pause, Su Yun quickly held out the cup of milk tea, aiming the straw at Qin Xue’s pink lips.
“I don’t want it. Not unless you feed me.”
“Huh?” Su Yun’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She thought she misheard.
Sister, what are you saying?
“…Xiaoyun, I want you to feed me.” Qin Xue’s words sounded a bit bratty. She reached over and hugged Su Yun’s waist, gazing into her clear eyes.
The two were so close that if Qin Xue just leaned in a little, she could kiss Su Yun’s face.
Right now, Qin Xue seemed more like one of the other girls from the club—none of her usual calmness, more like a spoiled little girl.
Su Yun figured it was probably because she was in a bad mood, so it was understandable.
But… she wanted me to feed her?
And there was no spoon…
So the only way to feed would probably be… mouth to mouth, right?
I can't do that yet…
(End of Chapter)