The Unveiling of Purity

In the living room, Madam Xi was still earnestly trying to persuade her daughter.

“Xi Ruo, you know how Xi Yao is; that child is just a little thin-skinned and shy. I often hear her mother say that Xi Yao has been pure, innocent, and naive ever since she was little.”

A veritable trinity of purity, one might say.

Xi Ruo maintained her beautiful, impassive expression, remaining silent.

At school, everyone called her an ‘ice beauty;’ though she excelled in every regard, her personality was too aloof, making her as unapproachable as a frigid iceberg.

Yet, ever since Xi Yao had arrived at their home, Xi Ruo had showered her with every conceivable care, doting on her as if she were a delicate snowflake poised to melt in her hands. The girl had also agreed to Madam Xi’s arrangements, stating only that she needed to prepare herself mentally first.

This ‘preparation,’ however, had now stretched on for three long years.

She would forever remember a day just over a month ago, when she had returned home from school, elated, hoping to gently hold Xi Yao’s small hand. The moment her fingers brushed against Xi Yao’s, the younger girl subtly flinched, her wine-red eyes gazing up at Xi Ruo with a mixture of innocence and fear.

Xi Ruo could never forget those eyes, that expression. Sorrow was etched across Xi Yao’s beautiful small face, as if she were silently pleading—’What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Please don’t, boohoo.’

She promptly released her grip.

Though Xi Yao’s little hand had felt incredibly soft and comfortable, the emotional impact of her gaze was simply too potent.

Afterward, Xi Yao had sought her out to explain, her soft, melodious voice murmuring that she still wasn’t mentally prepared and pleaded for a little more time.

But you’re eighteen now, aren’t you? Three years turned into another three; is merely holding a hand truly so difficult?

“You might not know this, but Xi Yao has become much more cheerful and lively over the past month. That’s a very good sign.”

Madam Xi continued, saying, “While you’re both at home, try to talk to her more often. If holding hands is too much, surely talking isn’t. Just cultivate your feelings, let things warm up gradually, and everything will eventually be fine.”

Once the temperature rises, won’t your relationship flourish?

At last, Xi Ruo’s expression softened, and she nodded faintly.

Encouraged by Madam Xi, Xi Ruo composed herself and headed upstairs, intending to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Xi Yao.

As she walked, the young woman began to reflect, searching for any faults within herself.

Madam Xi’s words had brought her back to reality; she now recalled that Xi Yao truly was a pure and timid girl. When she had first arrived at their home, her voice had been so faint when speaking to Xi Ruo, it was almost inaudible.

She was so innocent, so pure, so naive. What was wrong with being a little clueless? What was wrong with being slow to adapt? She needed to be patient.

‘I am an adult, after all,’ she thought. ‘I must learn to control my desires.’

With these thoughts, Xi Ruo continued upstairs, arriving at her younger sister’s door.

‘A girl as naive and shy as Xi Yao surely doesn’t even have anyone to talk to at school,’ she mused. ‘For me to be able to converse with her is already quite a feat.’

With that thought, Xi Ruo allowed a faint smile to grace her lips and gently pushed open the door.

“Xi Yao, I wanted to talk to you about…”

“Hm? What?!”

Both girls froze, and a profound silence descended upon the small boudoir.

Xi Yao had never anticipated that just as her ultimate skill (TL Note: A gaming term, ‘dazhao chongneng,’ referring to a character’s most powerful ability charging up.) was nearly fully charged, the door would suddenly creak open.

‘Had I not locked the door?’

Meanwhile, by the doorway, Xi Ruo’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, and the corners of her mouth trembled.

Madam Xi’s words still seemed to echo in her ears: ‘Xi Ruo, you must be patient. Xi Yao is simply too innocent, too pure, too naive.’

And this supposedly pure girl was, damn it, charging her elements (TL Note: A gaming term, ‘yuansu chongneng,’ referring to the accumulation of elemental power, often for a spell or ability.)!

‘Pure?’

‘Pure, oh so pure.’

Xi Ruo recalled her three years of suppressed patience, all because the girl had told her she was shy, unprepared, even for something as simple as holding hands.

Yet now, look how practiced her ‘operations’ were!

“What are you doing?”

Her icy words seemed to conceal a simmering rage.

Xi Yao had already seized the chance to covertly pull the blanket over herself, which, ironically, made her look somewhat innocent. However, upon hearing Xi Ruo’s words, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of confusion.

‘No, but when something like this is discovered, we just get a little awkward, and at most, you scold me a bit and it’s over. Why are you getting so worked up?’

‘She sounds quite angry. Why, though?’

“Why aren’t you speaking, hm? Are you too afraid to admit what you’ve done?”

Before she came, Madam Xi had said their feelings would slowly warm up, that everything would prosper.

Xi Ruo didn’t know if their feelings would warm up, but she certainly felt herself nearing ‘redline’ (TL Note: A gaming or mechanical term, ‘hongwen,’ referring to a system overheating or reaching a critical temperature, here used to describe extreme anger.) status.

“You’re quite something, aren’t you, Xi Yao? You can do *this* to yourself, but to me, you claim you’re not even ready to hold hands,” she spat, her beautiful face now as cold as frost. “All of us thought you were so innocent. Is *this* the extent of your innocence?”

Xi Yao blinked, utterly bewildered.

‘No, but what does this have to do with holding hands? Wait, why do *I* need to be prepared to hold hands with *you*?’

‘Is this some unique custom from a parallel world?’

Seeing her silence, Xi Ruo merely took it as a sign of guilt and continued, speaking almost to herself, “It’s fine if you do this on your own, but why did you have to use such an excuse to string me along?”

Xi Yao tilted her head with an air of pure innocence. “Do what with you?”

“What do you think?” Xi Ruo gritted her teeth, forcefully spitting out cold, furious words. “Just like what you were doing just now!”

‘Uh, this thing I was doing just now, with you… huh?’

Xi Yao was genuinely stunned. “But aren’t you my older sister?”

“Older sister?”

A vein throbbed visibly between Xi Ruo’s eyebrows. “Xi Yao, what exactly I am to you, you know perfectly well in your heart!”

‘Uh, this… so I wasn’t?’

It was then that Xi Yao finally began to vaguely comprehend. ‘Oh no,’ she thought. ‘It seems I’ve completely misunderstood something.’

“I, I was just bored,” she stammered weakly. “I was doing something perfectly normal that any regular person would do.”

“Normal, perfectly normal, is it? Fine.”

Xi Ruo let out a short, humorless laugh. “In that case, I’ll just go tell Mother, and let her know what her most trusted, pure little girl is truly like in private.”

“No, don’t!” Xi Yao panicked. “You can’t do that!”

Xi Ruo turned to look at her, seeing traces of sadness on Xi Yao’s panic-stricken face, her expressive wine-red eyes seeming to plead once more—’What are you doing? Why are you doing this? Please don’t, boohoo.’

It was exactly the same as that day, just over a month ago.

“Hmph, fine, I’ll give you a chance. If you don’t want Mother and Father to find out, come to my room tonight.”

Having coldly delivered her ultimatum, Xi Ruo turned and departed.

‘I’m too furious. If I don’t leave now, I’ll truly reach redline.’

Listening to the click-clack of footsteps fade into the distance, Xi Yao’s cherry-red lips were slightly parted, but she remained speechless for a long moment, finally managing only a single, bewildered sound:

“Eh??”

‘Something isn’t quite right. I might have misunderstood something.’

‘And it’s a rather significant mistake!’

The young woman hastily scrambled out of bed and began rummaging through the desk drawer. She recalled seeing a locked diary there before.

Though a ‘proper person’ (TL Note: A Chinese colloquialism referring to someone who is serious, upright, and conventional.) would never keep a diary, thank heavens, the original owner of this body happened not to be one.

While the diary itself was locked, the key lay conveniently in a drawer on the other side of the desk.

She wondered who it was even meant to keep secrets from.

With her small hands trembling, Xi Yao hastily opened the diary and began to pore over its contents.