My Gloomy Stepsister Has Her Eyes on Me - Chapter 33

“Waaah! Everything’s ruined! Waaah! The Host is definitely going to be angry! Waaah!”

Zhen Zhu was jolted awake by the incessant wailing in her mind.

Her head still felt groggy.

As she came to, she heard faint, fragmented sobs.

Unlike the childish voice from before, this one wasn’t actually that loud?

Zhen Zhu blinked dazedly, following the sound to its source. She found Zhen Min’er, her cousin, weeping.

Hearing her stir, Zhen Min’er slowly lifted her head, tears dripping from the corners of her crimson eyes to her chin, looking utterly pitiful.

“…What’s wrong with you now?”

“Who bullied you?” Still not fully alert, Zhen Zhu frowned instinctively, her impatience surfacing. “Stop crying all the time!” she snapped, her words coming out of habit.

She tried to sit up, but as she moved…

A metallic clinking sound came from her ankle.

Zhen Zhu froze, glancing down. She was wearing a white dress she rarely wore, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was!

Why!

Was there an iron ring around her ankle?!

And a chain hanging from it?!

Yesterday… no, before she lost consciousness, she had been at karaoke with Lin Zhi and the others, right?

Zhen Zhu reached out in shock to touch the chain. The icy coldness jolted her fully awake.

Did the World Consciousness do this?

Gritting her teeth, Zhen Zhu followed the chain’s path until she saw the end—

Embedded in Zhen Min’er’s wrist.

Zhen Min’er?!

Zhen Zhu stared at her in disbelief. “What’s that on your wrist?!”

The usually docile and pitiful stepsister gazed back with tear-reddened eyes, ignoring the question. Instead, she whimpered, “Elder Sister… what must I do?”

“To keep your eyes on me forever?”

As she spoke, Zhen Min’er raised her hand and gripped the chain shackled to her wrist with her other hand, slowly tightening it.

The chain tightened with force, dragging Zhen Zhu’s ankle. She tried to resist, but even a slight twist of her wrist revealed something was wrong. Her body felt weak, almost completely immobile!

“??? Zhen Min’er! Let me go!”

“System, what’s going on?!”

Forced closer to Zhen Min’er, Zhen Zhu’s desperate questions to her stepsister went unanswered. She frantically turned to the shrill, childish voice that had been screaming in her head since before she regained consciousness.

But now, it was completely silent!

What the hell is happening?!

“Um, Host… I’ve detected a problem during my system check…”

“What?!”

“Well, you see, um…”

“Just spit it out!”

This damn cutesy voice is still stuttering!

Zhen Zhu, straining every muscle to slow her approach to her clearly abnormal stepsister, was about to explode with frustration. She repeatedly urged the System to hurry up and explain.

“Um… I’ve discovered that the Main Lead’s Happiness Value is changing… because of you, Host~”

“??? What?”

For the first time, Zhen Zhu wondered if her hearing was failing. Her grip loosened.

The distance, previously only two or three meters, instantly closed.

Zhen Min’er’s slightly feverish palm gripped Zhen Zhu’s icy ankle.

Tightened.

The heat radiating from that hand sent a shiver through Zhen Zhu’s entire body.

Then, the System’s voice, dripping with cloying sweetness, piped up in her mind: “Since that’s the case, Host, why don’t you just give in~?”

Though the words were Chinese, they might as well have been a foreign language. Even if they were, Zhen Zhu spoke several languages fluently—yet she couldn’t make heads or tails of this dogshit System’s nonsense!

The System’s absurd remark snapped Zhen Zhu back to reality. Her mind cleared, and she suddenly remembered… she’d been drugged unconscious earlier…

So…

Was this the work of the pure and kind-hearted Main Lead’s weak and pitiful stepsister?

Zhen Zhu frowned, staring in shock as her stepsister approached.

“Host~ Seriously, why don’t you just give in~?”

“The Main Lead just touched your ankle, and your Happiness Value increased by ten! That’s so fast!”

“If the Host—”

“Shut up!” Zhen Zhu’s ears burned as she silenced the incessant chatter in her mind. Regaining her composure, she summoned the imperious demeanor of Miss Zhen.

“Zhen Min’er,” she said coldly. “Let me go.”

Her gaze pierced through the clearly deranged Zhen Min’er, as sharp and intimidating as ever. Those fox-like eyes pinned their target, making anyone hesitate to approach.

Normally, Zhen Min’er would have retreated long ago.

But now…

“No~”

“I finally have Elder Sister in my hands, all tied up~”

Zhen Min’er’s lips curved into a smile, tears still clinging to her cheeks. Her expression shifted abruptly, her eyes gleaming with a greedy, possessive light as she stared at Zhen Zhu. Her pout relaxed into a sickeningly sweet smile as she leaned closer, her voice dripping with cloying sweetness.

“Elder Sister, you can’t escape. I finally caught you.”

“I don’t want to let you go~”

“I have no intention of letting you go.” Zhen Min’er’s fingertip traced Zhen Zhu’s ankle, then slowly slid up her calf, leaving an unbearable tickling sensation in its wake. “Elder Sister, you’ll just leave me again, won’t you?”

“Elder Sister~”

Zhen Min’er tugged on the iron chain restraining Zhen Zhu, preventing her from retreating. She straightened up, leaned closer to her sister, and pressed Zhen Zhu’s wrist against the bed before releasing the chain, which clattered against the mattress and bounced twice.

Leaning close to Zhen Zhu’s ear, she whispered softly, her voice small and gentle, “Elder Sister…”

“I really, really like you.”

What’s wrong with Zhen Min’er?! Zhen Zhu’s body went numb. She couldn’t break free from the restrained wrist, and her legs grew increasingly weak.

“System!”

“Ahhh! Host! It’s rising again! It’s rising again!”

Zhen Zhu hadn’t even recovered from her shock when the System, which had been quiet for barely two minutes, began screaming again, completely snapping her out of her daze.

“Shut up!” Zhen Zhu shouted, straining with all her might, but her wrist remained powerless. She was forced back onto the bed.

Across the edge of the bed, Zhen Min’er pressed down on her, her body draped over Zhen Zhu’s.

Too close.

Their breaths mingled. Zhen Min’er’s breath was a mere inch from her face, her enlarged doe-like eyes too clear. Zhen Zhu could almost see her own tense reflection in those dark brown irises.

Zhen Min’er likes me?

What kind of joke is this?!

Frustrated, Zhen Zhu used her free hand to push against Zhen Min’er’s approaching chest, only to find herself grasping a handful of…

Zhen Zhu quickly clenched her fist and pushed back. “Zhen Min’er! Are you out of your mind?!”

“You’ve got your preferences all wrong!”

“Don’t you like J Ninglan?!”

“And I definitely don’t like you!”

“I hate you!!”

Desperate, Zhen Zhu threw caution to the wind, glaring at Zhen Min’er’s magnified eyes. The pressure on her wrist tightened with each word, fueling her anger and frustration.

“Let go of me! What did you drug me with?! Why can’t I move?!”

And…

“…I gave you the drug that will make me and Elder Sister happy.”

Ignoring her sister’s words of dislike, ignoring the sharp pangs in her heart, Zhen Min’er pursed her pink lips and spoke in a pitiful voice, pressing her body even closer to Zhen Zhu’s, her long hair brushing against Zhen Zhu’s cheek, sliding into her curly locks, the strands intertwining…

Watching their hair merge, indistinguishable from each other.

“Elder Sister…”

“Elder Sister is so mean. You were the one who…”

“…promised we’d always be together.”

“But it doesn’t matter. From now on, we will always be together.”

Uttering these words with obsessive fervor, Zhen Min’er lowered her head, gazing at Zhen Zhu’s vibrant lips, drawn closer as if mesmerized.

“When did I ever say that?!”

As Zhen Min’er’s lips drew closer, Zhen Zhu quickly turned her head, the kiss landing on her ear. The searing heat felt like the skin there had been burned.

Her face flushed uncontrollably. “I never said anything like that!”

“…Elder Sister did say it.”

Elder Sister had simply forgotten.

But it didn’t matter. As long as she remembered, that was enough.

Grasping her sister’s chin, Zhen Min’er applied force—though it hardly took any effort to overcome Zhen Zhu’s feeble resistance—and smoothly turned her face back.

Under those sharp, incredulous eyes, she lowered her head and bit Zhen Zhu’s lower lip.

Sweet.

More painful than the stolen kisses in her dreams.

Even if… Elder Sister didn’t love her, as long as…

Elder Sister belonged to her, that was all that mattered.

She… knew she couldn’t ask for too much.

But even if it was hatred! She would never let Elder Sister go!

Her amber eyes darkened completely. Zhen Min’er tightened her grip on Zhen Zhu’s wrist, their lips grinding together as she tried to deepen the kiss. But Elder Sister’s lips were pressed too tightly.

She couldn’t taste that deeper sweetness.

Another gentle bite. Zhen Min’er looked up at her sister, her usual aggrieved expression returning. “Elder Sister, let me in,” she pleaded.

“Elder Sister~ Open your mouth~”

“Please~”

Zhen Zhu glared at her, her fox-like eyes widening into perfect circles, but the effect was far from intimidating. Open my mouth? No way!

And! Zhen Zhu’s face burned as she glared at her stepsister, who was groping her and whispering filthy words. What does she mean, “let me in”?

Let you in? Over my dead body!

“Elder Sister…” Zhen Min’er nibbled and licked again, her large eyes blinking, the corners of her eyes flushed a vivid red. “Won’t you be nice to your little sister?”

Having devoured all of Zhen Zhu’s lipstick, Zhen Min’er still wasn’t satisfied, her voice pitiful. “Elder Sister, why aren’t you talking anymore?”

What am I supposed to say? Talking means opening my mouth!

Does she think I’m stupid?!

Zhen Zhu seethed with fury, her face burning. She watched in horror as Zhen Min’er began tugging at her clothes.

“System! System! Get your ass out here!”

“What happened to the pure and innocent Main Lead you promised?!”

“W-well, she’s still pure and innocent! The Main Lead only tied up the Vicious Female Supporting Character, the Host, right?” the System stammered in its childish voice, desperately grasping for excuses.

“This… this is just punishment for the Host’s wickedness!”

“What?!”

“Are you even speaking human language?!”

Zhen Zhu pressed her lips tightly together and squeezed her eyes shut, yet the sweet fragrance still filled her nostrils with every breath. In her mind, she screamed frantically.

“Didn’t you say we had to follow the plot?!”

“Oh, come on, I’m just a System! Besides, the Host hasn’t been following the plot either, so it’s perfectly normal for the Main Lead to deviate too! Anyway, Host!” The childlike voice declared with mock seriousness, “Our mission is to maximize the Main Lead’s Happiness Index.”

“As long as you submit to the Main Lead…”

“We win!”

“?? Go to hell with your ‘win’!” Zhen Zhu cursed furiously at the System. “What do you mean, ‘If I don’t follow the plot, the Main Lead won’t either’—”

“Wait, Zhen Min’er…”

Had she deviated from the plot? Right, she was supposed to be in love with J Ninglan…

Her falling for Zhen Zhu instead was definitely not part of the original story.

Sensing something was amiss, Zhen Zhu opened her eyes and looked up at Zhen Min’er, who seemed to have run out of options and was reluctantly tilting her head back. “You’re supposed to be in love with—”

Mmph!

A jelly candy was shoved into her mouth.

Her breath was stolen.

Enlarged amber eyes sparkled with cunning and mischief.

Where was the helpless expression from moments ago?!

It was all an act! What pure, innocent Main Lead? What weak, dependent Stepsister?

Treacherous and cunning was more like it!

Furious beyond words!

Zhen Zhu bit down fiercely, determined to stop the rampaging jelly.

The metallic taste of bl00d filled her mouth.

But the small, soft jelly didn’t retreat. Instead, it obediently paused at the tips of her teeth, allowing her to tear at it.

If she bit down any further…

Zhen Zhu had read news stories about people biting off their tongues to commit suicide.

Instinctively, she pulled back her teeth—

But the jelly was utterly insensible! It felt no pain! Even bleeding from the bite, it didn’t retreat. Instead…

It immediately launched a full-scale assault!

There was no stopping it now.

Until she couldn’t breathe…

Tears welled in the corners of Zhen Zhu’s eyes, blurring her vision of Zhen Min’er.

After a long moment,

“Elder Sister, you’re so beautiful,” Zhen Min’er murmured, withdrawing her bloodied tongue. She smiled sweetly as she brushed away the tears from her sister’s eyes.

Just one kiss… and her sister was already like this.

“Huff… Do you even feel pain?!” The swollen, burning sensation was unlike anything Zhen Zhu had ever experienced. The faint metallic taste of bl00d lingered in her mouth, but even more…

She had swallowed a good amount of it.

A bitter-sweet mixture.

Seeing the trace of bl00d still clinging to Zhen Min’er’s equally crimson lips, Zhen Zhu gritted her teeth and spoke through her fury.

Just like before, she thought, her nails digging into her palms, yet she didn’t even flinch.

She just endured it…

A sudden realization struck her.

Wait a minute… When I went to the White Horse Club yesterday, Zhen Min’er was still getting her injection?!

Frowning, Zhen Zhu braced herself against the headboard and immediately reached out—

—and seized Zhen Min’er’s hand, which had been hidden behind her back.

She yanked it forward—

The palm was bleeding, the injection site scabbed over.

It was clear Zhen Min’er hadn’t finished her treatment yesterday.

Instead, she ran out to grab me?!

“You’re truly delusional!” Zhen Zhu spat, her anger intensifying the lingering numbness and itching in her body. In a fit of rage, she dragged Zhen Min’er’s injured hand onto the bed, pulling the defenseless woman onto the mattress.

Grasping Zhen Min’er’s wrist, Zhen Zhu yanked her up from her kneeling position. She pointed at the bl00d-soaked cotton pad in her palm. “Zhen Min’er, you disgust me!”

“Is this how you carelessly treat your own body?!”

She had gone to great lengths to find a doctor and help her recover, only to have Min’er casually yank out the IV drip as if nothing had happened.

“You pulled out the needle and locked me up?” Zhen Zhu shook off Zhen Min’er’s hand.

Zhen Zhu was livid. Her efforts had been carelessly discarded, a feeling that far surpassed her anger at being imprisoned and bound.

When had she ever gone to such lengths to care for someone?!

How dare she?!

Even as a prisoner, her swollen lips a testament to what she had endured, Zhen Zhu had completely forgotten her own plight.

“Are you missing the pain receptor in your brain?!”

“What are you even thinking?!”

“…Thinking about Elder Sister.”

Zhen Min’er froze, stung by the scolding. She pressed her lips together, looking aggrieved, but obediently knelt on the bed, gazing at her locked-up yet still regal and imposing elder sister with deep, yearning eyes.

She only wanted her sister by her side.

Pain was something she had long grown accustomed to.

But would her sister ever soften?

“Elder Sister… it really hurts.”

Zhen Zhu froze. “What?”

“But Elder Sister doesn’t want me anymore.”

“The emptiness in my heart is the worst pain of all…”

Crawling on her knees like a phantom, Zhen Min’er no longer concealed her injured hand as she pressed herself against Zhen Zhu’s chest, pinning her sister’s hands with her own.

A sinister smile curved her lips as she leaned closer.

“So… I’ve locked you up, Elder Sister. Now you can’t leave me~”

Elder Sister is so soft-hearted. Even though I’ve tied her up, she’s still… worried about me.

Overwhelmed by affection, Zhen Min’er leaned in and kissed Zhen Zhu’s swollen lips, biting down gently before Zhen Zhu could resist.

“Elder Sister, you taste so sweet~”

Does Zhen Min’er even understand human language?!

Caught off guard by another sudden attack, Zhen Zhu bristled and shoved Zhen Min’er away.

But her movements weren’t that forceful—

Yet Zhen Min’er collapsed backward with a muffled groan, a sharp, urgent cry of pain.

“You!” Zhen Zhu exclaimed instinctively, her hand stinging from the earlier wound. Zhen Min’er had endured that without a sound.

Was that push… really that hard?

Zhen Zhu propped herself up, instinctively leaning closer—

Then suddenly realized something was wrong. Zhen Min’er was clearly not as innocent as she seemed!

Maybe—

A sudden, violent tug at her ankle made Zhen Zhu’s already strained body buckle.

She collapsed directly onto Zhen Min’er.