“Come on, please! Won’t you, please?”
My sister suddenly began to act coyly, clinging to my arm and shaking it gently. To my utter mortification, I was shirtless even in this dream.
Her soft breasts swayed directly against my arm, and my face instantly flushed crimson. This tactile sensation was, by far, more potent than any visual stimulus I had ever experienced in reality.
“Stop, please, stop shaking! I agree.”
I feared that if my dream-sister’s expectations weren’t met, she might do something far more terrifying. After all, the personalities of people in dreams could be wildly unpredictable.
“Hehe, no backing out now!” I distinctly heard the smug satisfaction in her voice, and a bad premonition settled over me. There was no way my sister would simply draw a tiny turtle on me.
‘Just draw it then! It’s only a dream, after all. Even if she covered my entire body with little turtles, they couldn’t possibly follow me into reality. At dawn, all demons and monsters must reveal their true forms.’
I heard the sound of my sister opening a box, followed by the rustling of plastic. Her footsteps grew closer, and as she approached, a wonderful scent wafted towards me—not just from her hair, but from her entire being.
“Alright, I’ll start drawing from your neck!”
I didn’t know how to react to my dream-sister treating me like a canvas. I couldn’t say I hated it, but being suddenly tied up felt… odd. In reality, I had indeed tied her up, but I had merely gone to sleep afterward, doing nothing else to her. I was relieved that her voice in the dream remained so gentle.
A sudden chill spread across my neck, and something dripped down to my stomach. ‘It must be water,’ I thought.
Then, I felt my sister’s hand touch my damp skin. Her hands were incredibly soft. She seemed to lean over me, and I could feel her breath ghosting across my face. Her chest seemed to… descend. No, not in the way you might imagine.
She was bending over, and so her breasts inevitably pressed against my shoulder. The soft, delicate touch filled me with such shame that my face must have glowed like a stoplight.
“Just bear with it!”
“Turtle shell, okay. Front paws, okay. Hind legs, okay. Tail, perfect.”
“Just the turtle’s… almost done, you know!”
“Oh no, I drew it too thick! It doesn’t match the body. I’ll just make it longer.”
“Hahaha… it doesn’t quite look right, does it?”
Unable to move or escape, I lay there, resigned to my sister’s artistic whims. I lay in the chair, feeling utterly devoid of life, allowing her to do as she pleased. From her surprised tone, I knew that my dream-sister’s drawing skills were far from reliable.
Just as I drifted between sleep and wakefulness, Mom’s voice echoed in my ear.
“My darlings, dinner’s ready!”
“Nuo’nuo, help Mom get the tableware.”
“Okay, Mommy!”
I heard my sister’s hurried reply. What struck me as peculiar was how Mom’s voice had pierced through my dream, and my dream-sister had answered Mom’s real-world question. Before I could fully comprehend it, my dream-sister frantically untied the ropes, handcuffs, and blindfold from me, then fled in a panic.
I rubbed my eyes, gazing at my wrists in confusion. There were distinct red marks from handcuffs. I was still seated in the chair, with ropes scattered on the floor. Looking towards the bed, I saw only disheveled blankets. My bedroom door was open, and from where I sat, I could see the living room and the kitchen. My sister was setting the table in the living room, her head bowed, but I could clearly see a smile playing on her lips.
“This… this wasn’t a dream?” I hurried to the bathroom. A slender figure in the mirror stared back at me. My neck, chest, and arms were almost entirely covered in what were supposed to be little turtles. Calling them ‘little turtles’ was a compliment; her drawings looked utterly bizarre, with heads longer than their bodies, strikingly resembling a certain male organ. I looked down, and my thighs and calves were densely covered with a single name: Xia Yinuo.
“It’s… it’s fine. It should wash off. If it washes off, it’ll be fine. It’s just my sister’s prank,” I mumbled, shocked that it hadn’t been a dream. I had no idea how she had managed to break free from the ropes.
Cool water streamed over the ‘little turtles’ on my arms, but no matter how much I rinsed, they wouldn’t come off. I grabbed the soap and scrubbed, yet it was still useless. I didn’t know what kind of pigment my sister had used, but it clung stubbornly to my skin.
If you didn’t look closely, it truly resembled a tattoo. How was I supposed to go out like this, to school? Wouldn’t my classmates laugh me to death?
“Darling, why are you still washing your hands? Come and taste my cooking,” Hu Lan’er called out to her son from the bathroom.
Xia Yinuo was unusually quiet, staring at her phone, her eyes occasionally darting towards the bathroom, anticipating Zhaonan’s reaction.
I glanced at Mom and my sister, then walked silently towards Mom. Feeling wronged, I complained, “Mom, Sister bullied me! Look, my whole body is covered in little turtles and her name!”
Hu Lan’er almost laughed at the sight of the strange turtles adorning Zhaonan’s body, but she managed to hold it in. “This is… Nuo’nuo, you’ve gone too far! How could you treat your brother like this? Look, he’s even crying. You’re not allowed to bully Zhaonan anymore, or I’ll cut off your allowance.” Hu Lan’er feigned scolding Xia Yinuo. When Zhaonan had emerged from his room, she had already seen Nuo’nuo drawing on his body. It clearly showed how much her daughter liked Zhaonan. Besides, her daughter was also at an age to start dating.
Hu Lan’er reached out to wipe away Zhaonan’s tears, pulling him onto her lap. Her left arm encircled his waist, while her right hand gently stroked his small chest. “Don’t mind your sister. You’re a man; you should be more magnanimous. Come, try some fresh bamboo shoots.”
“Mommy, I want a hug too! I want you to feed me too!” Xia Yinuo looked at her mother with hopeful eyes, pouting as she opened her mouth, vying for attention with Zhaonan.
Mom held a bamboo shoot, pausing just before it reached my mouth. My sister, meanwhile, had her mouth open wide, like a chick in a nest seeing its mother return with food, clamoring for a bite.
This was a golden opportunity to get back at my sister. I grabbed Mom’s wrist, opened my mouth, and swallowed the bamboo shoot. I chewed slowly, then lifted my chin, sticking out my tongue at my sister triumphantly. “That’s what you get for bullying me! You don’t get any, you don’t get any!”
“Ah! Little Brother, how could you treat me like this? Sister is so sad!” Xia Yinuo feigned extreme hurt, rubbing her eyes and softly sobbing.
“Hmph,” I scoffed, turning my head away from my sister. I slid off Mom’s lap, sat beside her, and picked up my chopsticks to eat my rice.
I knew my sister was faking it because not a single tear fell. “Mom, this is for you.”
I picked up a slice of carrot and placed it in Mom’s bowl.
“My darling is so thoughtful. Here, eat more meat and get nice and plump.” Hu Lan’er placed a large piece of meat in Zhaonan’s bowl.
Hu Lan’er affectionately stroked Zhaonan’s round little head, extremely pleased with this adopted son. His reserved and unassuming nature, coupled with his caring heart, made him superior to many adult men.
“Mommy, Mommy, I want some too! I want some too! You can’t just forget about me because he’s cute!”
Xia Yinuo pleaded pitifully with Hu Lan’er.