A Rude Awakening

‘Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…’

‘So… so noisy. Where is that sound coming from?’

‘Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep…’

‘Tsk… why is it still ringing? Is it my phone?’

Emerging from a haze, I pried open my heavy eyelids, rubbing my throbbing head as I slowly pushed myself up from the bed.

For some inexplicable reason, a full night’s rest had done nothing to restore my energy; on the contrary, my mind felt astonishingly sluggish.

Adding to my disarray, I vaguely recalled an utterly preposterous dream: I had transformed into an adorable silver-haired loli, and my stepsister, Chen Si Yi, was actually trying to imprison me with her little demon followers.

‘Ugh, what an utterly outlandish dream. Had I perhaps indulged in too many fantasy films recently?’

Shaking my head with an uncommitted smile as I recalled the dream’s outlandish scenarios, I turned to glance at the pink phone beside me. It was still vibrating relentlessly, the culprit that had dragged me from slumber.

Its pink case was adorned with cartoon characters I didn’t recognize. ‘Ah, yes, this phone. I recall now, it belongs to my stepsister, Chen Si Yi.’

“Who’s calling so early, disturbing a person’s beautiful dreams…” I mumbled.

I couldn’t help but yawn, then picked up the phone, squinting at its screen through heavy-lidded eyes.

“Hmm… Mother?”

‘Oh, it’s my stepmother. Why is she calling so early? Is something urgent?’

I sighed, a weary sound escaping my lips, then lifted my leg and gave a light kick to the slender figure slumbering beside me.

“Chen Si Yi, wake up, there’s a call for you.”

“Eh? A c-call?”

Chen Si Yi, roused by my kick, furrowed her brow. It took her a strained moment to twist her body and laboriously push herself into a sitting position on the bed.

“Ugh… whose, whose call is it?”

Her eyes mere slits, Chen Si Yi didn’t even spare me a glance. With her head still bowed and her hair a disheveled cascade over her shoulders, she looked utterly starved of sleep.

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t you dare fall back asleep!” Seeing Chen Si Yi on the verge of drifting off again, I hastily patted her shoulder. “It’s Mom’s call, for you. Pick it up, quick.”

As I spoke, I extended my hand, placing the phone into Chen Si Yi’s palm.

“Ugh, honestly, couldn’t you just answer Mom’s call yourself? Why bother waking me?” Chen Si Yi grumbled, still half-asleep.

Still caught between slumber and wakefulness, Chen Si Yi complained with clear displeasure. Yet, instinctively, she reached out her hand and took the phone I offered.

“Hello, Mom, it’s Si Yi. Is something wrong?”

“Eh? You’re asking what I’m doing? I was just sleeping, barely awake now.”

Watching Chen Si Yi connect the call and begin a casual chat with Mom, who was currently far overseas, a wave of drowsiness instantly washed over me. I closed my tired eyelids, turned onto my side, and settled into my pillow, fully intending to snatch a bit more sleep.

Yet, the incessant chatter of Chen Si Yi beside me, now fully engaged in her phone call, made it utterly impossible for me to drift back to sleep.

“Mm-hmm, I’m in my bedroom. Mom, is there anything else you need?”

‘Ugh, honestly, Chen Si Yi, can’t you keep your voice down? Is it truly necessary to be this loud for a phone call? Aren’t you worried your booming voice will shatter Mom’s eardrums on the other end?!’

It was hopeless. It seemed I was destined to remain awake until Chen Si Yi finally concluded her conversation.

Frustrated, I couldn’t help but press a hand to my forehead, then resignedly pricked up my ears, once again tuning into Chen Si Yi’s ongoing conversation with Mom.

“Lin Yan?”

Suddenly, my name escaped Chen Si Yi’s lips.

“Oh, Mom, you’re asking about Lin Yan? He’s right next to m-cough, cough, cough…” For some inexplicable reason, Chen Si Yi suddenly erupted into a violent fit of coughing mid-sentence.

After a good moment, she finally recovered, patting her rather flat chest as she stammered, “Cough, cough… Mom. Lin, Lin Yan, he’s sleeping in the room right next to mine.”

“Yes, yes, yes, he played games all night last night, so he’s still asleep now. That’s why he didn’t answer your call.”

‘What the hell? I didn’t play any games last night, thank you very much.’

Listening to Chen Si Yi’s exchange with Mom, I found myself utterly bewildered for a moment.

‘What on earth is this girl, Chen Si Yi, rambling about? I’m clearly sleeping right beside her, so how can she claim I’m in the room next door?’

‘Could this silly girl still be half-asleep, her mind conjuring illusions?’

Though a nagging feeling persisted that something was amiss, I decided to dismiss it. Chen Si Yi was finally nearing the end of her call, and soon, I would at last be able to snatch some proper sleep.

With that thought, I once again closed my heavy eyelids, and then—I was abruptly, violently jolted awake!

‘Wait… I’m sleeping *next* to Chen Si Yi right now?’

The glaring blind spot in the previous conversation suddenly dawned on me. My deep blue eyes widened instantly, and then, glancing down at my now smooth and delicate fingers, I was jolted back to a horrifying reality.

‘—Holy hell, I just… I *personally* handed Mom’s phone to Chen Si Yi?!’

“Mom, help! It’s me… Mmph, mmph, mmph, mmph!!”

My wits now fully restored, I tore open my throat, attempting to cry out for help to Mother on the other end of the line. But before I could utter half a sentence, my mouth was suddenly sealed shut by something soft.

Frowning, I twisted my head, and as expected, my gaze locked with Serena’s, her hand firmly clamped over my mouth.

“Hehe, snitching is a forbidden act, Lin Yan-chan,” Serena purred, bringing her free left hand to her crimson lips and making a shushing gesture towards me.

At that very moment, Chen Si Yi concluded her call. With a cheerful “Okay, goodbye, Mom,” she smiled, then quietly turned off the phone screen. Casually tossing it onto the corner of the bed, she leaned over, her dark pupils reflecting the utterly panicked face of a certain silver-haired loli.

“W-well, um, you might not believe this, but I just wanted to say hello to Mom, whom I haven’t seen in a long time,” I stammered, blinking my eyes with an air of profound innocence, already sensing the impending doom.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Hearing my desperate plea, Chen Si Yi tilted her adorable little head. “Do you truly believe I’d fall for your nonsense?”