Surprise! My Cohabiting Sister is Actually My Fiancée - Chapter 3

The assistant’s smile nearly faltered, but Jun Xizhi intervened to smooth things over. “I was going to tell you when we met, but I hadn’t had the chance yet. Xiao Jian and I have met before.”

“Oh, I see,” the assistant said, feeling slightly relieved. She forced a smile and tried to recover. “So you’ve known Sister Zhi for a while? Old friends? It’s natural to be close then.”

Jun Xizhi chuckled. “Not just once—this is our second time meeting.”

The assistant’s expression went blank for a moment before she processed the implication.

Assistant: …

So, you can’t be too close on the first meeting, but the second time is fine?!

The assistant fell silent. Boss, you really didn’t need to add that last part.

While Jun Xizhi earnestly explained the first-versus-second-meeting distinction to the assistant, Ying Tao seized the opportunity to pull Jian Suixin aside. “Tell me everything! What’s really going on between you two?”

“Didn’t I already explain it last time?” Jian Suixin asked.

“You were too brief! I want the full story,” Ying Tao insisted, her curiosity about Jian Suixin and Jun Xizhi’s relationship burning fiercely.

“Our relationship…” Jian Suixin’s mind flashed back to recent memories. “Let me think how to explain…”

Let’s rewind to a night a few days earlier.

On an ordinary street, Jian Suixin walked home while talking on the phone. It was a chilly autumn night, and she was alone, carrying a folder in one hand and her phone in the other. Dressed entirely in black, she seemed to blend into the darkness. Her almond-shaped eyes darted around, confirming she was the only person in sight.

The cold wind howled, and Jian Suixin tightened her coat, her slender, pale fingers reddened by the cold. She quickened her pace.

This area was never bustling, but it grew even more desolate at night. Only the incessant chatter of the woman on the phone added a semblance of human warmth.

“Xin Xin, you absolutely must listen to me! Don’t agree to that marriage with the Jun Family! I’ve heard things—the Eldest Miss of the Jun Family has a terrible temper and loves to humiliate her subordinates. She’s not even attractive; she never shows her face in public.

“And she’s a top-tier player! They say she’s dated twenty or thirty girlfriends, and at one point, she was juggling four at once! It’s insane! She’s the epitome of a heartless woman, trampling on countless people’s sincerity. Let me tell you…”

The woman on the phone rambled on for nearly ten minutes without pausing, growing more animated with each word, determined to expose the “Eldest Miss of the Jun Family’s” true nature.

Jian Suixin patiently listened, paying respectful attention out of friendship. But when her friend described the Eldest Miss of the Jun Family, she couldn’t help but frown. “Dating four people at once? Where did you hear that?”

“From a close friend whose family collaborates with the Jun Family. The Eldest Miss has been abroad, but my friend has met her a few times and knows more about her.”

Her friend explained, “This is insider information I worked hard to get. Most people don’t know, which is how she tricked your family into agreeing to the marriage! They’ve all been hiding this from you. The Jun family really are a bunch of rotten apples!”

Jian Suixin already had a poor impression of the Jun Family, and her friend’s tirade only reinforced it. She nodded in agreement. “The Jun family really are a bunch of rotten apples.”

Encouraged by her agreement, her friend grew even more animated, eager to continue her rant. “Right?! I’ve never heard of anyone like that before! Let me tell you…”

Knowing her friend’s tendency to talk for hours if left unchecked, Jian Suixin quickly cut her off. “Okay, I get it. I won’t marry her. You can relax.”

“Mhm, mhm, good, you’re listening to reason. The Jun Family isn’t a good match for you. I wonder if your aunt has checked your birthdates? That’s really important too…”

The conversation was drifting further and further off-topic, and Jian Suixin could see it was about to spiral out of control. She quickly made an excuse to interrupt: “Oh, right, the supermarket’s about to close. I need to grab some things. I’ll hang up now. Let’s talk again soon.”

After hanging up, the world fell silent again, and Jian Suixin let out a sigh of relief.

Even though she hadn’t listened to everything her friend said, quite a bit had still sunk in.

Based on her friend’s description, a rather unpleasant image had gradually formed in her mind.

Jian Suixin frowned. Escaping the marriage had definitely been the right choice.

“Who said you’re not marrying her? She’s your destined match! You must marry her!”

Just when she thought she could finally have some peace, the phone call ended, only for another noisy voice to erupt in her mind.

The sudden shout startled Jian Suixin. She frowned slightly and rolled her eyes inwardly. “Here we go again.”

One visitor gone, another arrives.

Jian Suixin pretended not to hear it and ignored it.

This only made the voice even more insistent, clamoring incessantly and becoming increasingly annoying.

Driven to her wits’ end, Jian Suixin gave a terse, decisive reply: “I won’t.”

Frozen by Jian Suixin’s icy indifference, the voice fell silent for a moment before resuming its barrage: “You’ve been running wild for days now. Isn’t it enough? Have you thought it through? When are you going home?”

“Next lifetime,” Jian Suixin replied lazily, showing no interest in returning. Her answer remained concise and direct, with no hint of persuasion.

“Host, this is a novel! She’s your official pairing! You’re destined to be together! Why are you so stubbornly refusing?” Seeing that its antics and cajoling were ineffective, the System switched to earnest persuasion.

“You’re just a system. Focus on serving your host properly and stop meddling in things that don’t concern you,” Jian Suixin snapped irritably. “If you’re so eager to get married, go marry her yourself. I won’t stop you.”

With that, she ignored the incessant chatter in her mind and pulled out her phone.

Her excuse about going to the supermarket wasn’t entirely fabricated. Jian Suixin did need to buy groceries. The Eldest Miss of the Jun Family, who still couldn’t remember the way after several trips, had to rely on her phone’s navigation.

“Food without soy sauce is utterly tasteless. I’ll get some first,” Jian Suixin muttered to herself.

The System silently scoffed: Your cooking is either too salty or too bland, Eldest Miss. Your skills are atrocious. Soy sauce isn’t going to take the blame for your incompetence. After its mental rant, it continued to fret over its host’s marital prospects.

It had been several days since Jian Suixin arrived in this world, and the System had lost count of how many times it had brought up the topic of marriage with its Host. She remained stubbornly resistant, like oil and water. Fortunately, the System was a machine; otherwise, its digital lips would have worn thin from the constant pleading.

“Host,” the System persisted, its patience far exceeding human limits, “according to the book’s plot, you two are destined to end up together. Why can’t you accept it? Your marriage will undoubtedly be happy.”

“How can I talk about happiness when I don’t even know what he looks like?” Jian Suixin retorted, her answer as dismissive as ever, refusing to give the marriage proposal even a glimmer of approval.

The System refused to give up. “How can you know you won’t like him without meeting him? You might fall in love at first sight! Host, some things you simply have to believe in.”

Jian Suixin scoffed. “If I meet him, my parents will never let me leave again. Do you think I’m stupid?”

Jian Suixin remained completely uncooperative, leaving the System heartbroken. “Why did I arrive so early? I should have waited until after your wedding night!”

Jian Suixin smiled. “Thank goodness you came when you did. Otherwise, I would never have realized I’ve been living inside this book all along.”

It was truly surreal. She was just a character in a book.

The System, ever reasonable, immediately offered cheerful reassurance: “What’s wrong with being a character? Characters have their own lives too! Now that you have the freedom to choose, how can those who think they live in reality prove their world isn’t just another book?”

Jian Suixin hummed in agreement, saying nothing more.

Now wasn’t the time to dwell on such philosophical questions. She pulled out her phone to check her dwindling WeChat balance. Earning money for food was her immediate priority.

As Jian Suixin pondered what to eat for breakfast tomorrow, the System continued its relentless persuasion, its arguments circling back to its core function: “Seriously, won’t you reconsider? You haven’t even met her! How can you be so sure you won’t like her? She might be exactly your type!”

Jian Suixin glanced down at a small pebble at her feet and kicked it away, making her stance clear: “It has nothing to do with what she looks like. Even if she were a celestial being descended from the heavens, I wouldn’t marry someone I have no emotional connection with. It’s a matter of principle, you understand?”

“Before, I didn’t know I was a character in a book, so I let the plot dictate my actions. But now that I know the truth, I’m going to resist. I’ll choose my own path.” Shedding her casual demeanor, Jian Suixin spoke with unwavering resolve.

“Even if she meets your aesthetic preferences, you still wouldn’t like her?”

“No.”

The System, still clinging to hope, persisted: “Even if she were a celestial maiden descended from the heavens, you still wouldn’t like her?”

“No.”

“Even if she perfectly matched your aesthetic preferences, had a gentle and considerate personality, was a beautiful older sister, and happened to fall for you at first sight, you still wouldn’t like her?”

“…Um,” Jian Suixin hesitated noticeably longer before finally shaking her head and reiterating firmly, “No. This is a matter of principle.”

The System deflated in disappointment. “Oh.”

“Besides, what are the odds of finding someone who ticks every box in terms of looks and personality? If such perfect matches existed, why bother with free-choice romance? We might as well let our families arrange our marriages.” Jian Suixin imagined the scenario the System described and immediately dismissed it.

How could such a coincidence ever happen? I’m certainly not that lucky.

“You heard the phone call earlier. She’s terrible in both looks and personality, so you…”

Before she could finish, the System interrupted: “Forget everything else—she’s the female lead of the novel! You’re the female lead too! Have you never looked in a mirror? Don’t you know what a novel’s female lead is supposed to look like? How could she possibly be ugly?”

Jian Suixin understood this logic perfectly well, but she had held a poor impression of her arranged marriage partner from the start and harbored no expectations regarding her appearance. “The female lead of a novel isn’t necessarily beautiful. Have you even seen her?”

“No, I haven’t,” the System admitted, still trying to argue. “But it’s written in the original text.”

“Hmm, then let’s just assume she’s beautiful,” Jian Suixin said, losing interest in the topic and cutting off the conversation.

The System persisted, “Just go meet her! It’s only a meeting. You might fall in love at first sight!”

Jian Suixin’s expression remained icy. “I value inner qualities. Love at first sight or lust based on appearance are impossible for me. I’m not a shallow person.”

“Besides, the ‘love at first sight’ scenario was something the author forced upon the original version of me, not the real me. Now I do what I want, and my aesthetic preferences might have changed entirely. That kind of novel trope is never going to happen again.”

Jian Suixin’s arguments were airtight, leaving the System unable to counter. After several failed attempts, it resorted to childish stubbornness.

“I don’t care! We’re getting married, we’re getting married!”

“No, we’re not.”

“Yes, we are!”

“No, we’re not.”

“Answer me with one word: marry or not?”

One word, as decisive as ever: “No.”

The System fell silent, momentarily speechless.

Following the navigation, Jian Suixin crossed a street and reached the entrance of a narrow alley. She immediately sensed something was off.

The surroundings felt unfamiliar, not the route she had taken before.

Glancing down at the navigation, she confirmed it was indeed guiding her this way.

However, instead of a street name, the map displayed “Nameless Street.”

The distance was significantly shorter than her previous route, saving her some time. A lifelong reliance on navigation prevented Jian Suixin from overthinking it, and she prepared to enter the alley.

Before her lay a narrow, deep stone-paved path, shrouded in darkness. Only a dim yellow streetlamp at the entrance cast a faint glow, obscuring the path ahead. A suffocating, all-encompassing darkness seemed poised to swallow her whole. The only sound was her own breathing.

Terrifying scenes from her nightmares flashed before her eyes, freezing her mid-step.

An instinct etched into her bones warned her to avoid some unspeakable horror.

She didn’t know where this feeling came from, but her instincts screamed at her to stay away.

Jian Suixin shook her head, feeling dizzy. How did I end up here following the navigation?

Her legs felt weak, and a sense of foreboding rose in her heart.

Get out of here.

Sensing her physical distress, the System asked, “Are you alright?”

“I…”

Before Jian Suixin could answer, the silence of the alley was suddenly broken by the sound of footsteps.

The footsteps weren’t loud, but the surrounding stillness made them seem to echo right in Jian Suixin’s ear.

Realizing something was wrong, the System immediately warned, “Host, something’s not right ahead. You…” The word “you” hung in the air as it abruptly stopped.

What is she doing here?

Sensing Jian Suixin’s intention to flee, the System urgently called out, “Don’t go! Wait!”

“What is it?” Jian Suixin still retained some rationality. Knowing the System could perceive information beyond human senses, she trusted it enough to pause.

Before the System could explain, the footsteps behind her grew closer, as if the person had already reached her.

“Turn around—” the System commanded.

Jian Suixin instinctively turned. Within a few breaths, a figure emerged from the pitch-black night, rapidly closing the distance until it stood before her.

In the dim light, she could only make out the person’s disheveled, slender frame and long, silky black hair.

The person appeared so suddenly that Jian Suixin’s heart clenched, her eyes widening in alarm. Before she could react, a scorching body, accompanied by a faint fragrance of perfume, crashed into her arms.

A frail, trembling voice whispered in her ear, “Help me…”