The Grand Entrance and the Lingering Question

Jiang Li had already done her utmost, even plucking up the courage to advise Xi Yao against continuing her ‘rewards,’ but her efforts proved futile.

Instead, she found herself on the receiving end of several counter-questions from Xi Yao, nearly losing her composure.

It was at this moment that a resounding ‘bang’ echoed through the room as the door was violently kicked open.

Turning towards the sound, they saw a striking young woman, clad in a grey hoodie, standing in the doorway, her exquisite features contorted with incandescent rage.

“Xi! Yao!”

Having traversed what felt like a thousand miles in a frantic dash, Xi Ruo had stormed from Zone C6 to Zone A3 in under a few minutes, her elegant leg now serving to forcefully kick open the sealed door.

Behind the door, the scene unfolded exactly as she had grimly anticipated: her beloved girl was clad in suggestive (TL Note: 涩涩 ‘sese,’ implying provocative or sexy) attire, and to her dismay, another woman was present in the room, brazenly admiring her most exquisite… wait, were there two?

‘Oh, you of the Xi surname, you truly play a grand game! Under the watchful eyes of two women, you were still moving your fair, delicate legs, vigorously… running.’

‘Huh?’

Xi Ruo froze momentarily, then rubbed her eyes, scrutinizing the scene once more.

The young girl stood on the treadmill, breathing softly, her body glistening with fragrant sweat.

She was actually running!

Xi Ruo stood there, dumbfounded, and Xi Yao, too, was utterly bewildered.

‘Why, of all places, would Sister Xi Ruo be here?’

‘While Xi Yao was convinced she hadn’t done anything truly questionable, the current situation was undeniably awkward… Sister Wan was standing right beside her!’

As the mature older sister, Jiang Wan was the first to recover from the sudden, frozen silence, her voice cutting through the tension: “Pardon me, but may I ask who you are…”

“Sister!”

Xi Yao’s voice, suddenly sweet, chirped, “Why are you here?”

‘Sister?’

Before Xi Ruo could utter a word, Jiang Li sprang to her feet in astonishment. “Xi Yao,” she exclaimed, “she’s your sister?”

Xi Ruo recognized the girl: Xi Yao’s deskmate and roommate, and coincidentally, her own primary object of suspicion.

As for Jiang Li, she, of course, recognized Xi Ruo instantly; the woman was, after all, her life’s aspiration.

‘But now…’

“Yes, she’s my sister,” Xi Yao affirmed, stepping forward to grasp Xi Ruo’s hand. “Sister, let’s go over there for a moment; I’ll explain everything to you all later.”

Though she had been utterly exhausted from running, half-dead with fatigue, an inexplicable surge of energy welled up within her, allowing her to forcefully pull Xi Ruo out of the room.

Today, Xi Ruo had left her hair untied, her smooth, long black tresses falling like a lowered piano lid, imbued with a subtle air of solemnity and cool detachment.

“So, I’m your ‘sister’ again?” she inquired with a chilling smirk.

“Sister Xi Ruo, that’s my roommate, and her biological sister, who also happens to be the high school’s resident doctor,” Xi Yao confessed without prompting. “Our relationship is… complicated to explain, especially since I’m still a student.”

‘I’m just a JK (TL Note: A Japanese term, ‘joshi kōsei,’ referring to a high school girl).’

Xi Ruo remained impassive. “So, you’re simply cohabiting with them in a room, dressed so… provocatively (TL Note: 色 ‘se,’ meaning lustful, sexy, or suggestive).”

She hadn’t taken a proper look earlier, but now, upon careful scrutiny, she found herself unable to tear her gaze away.

‘Utterly provocative!’

Xi Yao blinked her eyes with an air of pure innocence. “Isn’t this the very same style of vest that Sister Xi Ruo wore last time?”

‘What?’

Xi Ruo fixed her gaze upon it, and indeed, it was.

“When I wore that, it was for an intensely competitive ball game. Why are *you* wearing this?”

“I’m also quite intense… I mean, I was running,” Xi Yao replied innocently. “You saw it yourself.”

“And you have the audacity to say that!”

The mere mention of it inflamed Xi Ruo; that voice message had almost sent her blood pressure soaring.

Good heavens, with all that heavy breathing and exertion, only to then claim she was simply running—hundreds of thousands of words of lurid speculation had flashed through Xi Ruo’s mind in an instant.

“This entire situation has a perfectly valid reason, Sister Xi Ruo. I’m aiming to improve my physical education exam scores, so I specifically asked my roommate’s sister to be my exercise consultant,” Xi Yao explained with earnest honesty. “She’s the high school’s resident doctor, so it’s a professional match.”

Xi Ruo narrowed her eyes. “Truly?”

“Absolutely, unequivocally true!”

While this was indeed the truth, Xi Yao herself hadn’t anticipated that her roommate’s sister would turn out to be her own Sister Wan.

“So you’re just comfortably spending time with them,” Xi Ruo observed, a hint of jealousy still lacing her tone. “Aren’t you afraid of being…?”

Though Xi Ruo left her sentence unfinished, Xi Yao instantly understood. “No, I’m not afraid,” she declared. “They’re straight women; don’t I know my own roommate well enough?”

Ayao could vouch for Jiang Li’s heterosexuality, but she couldn’t make the same guarantee for Jiang Li’s sister.

Xi Ruo pondered for a moment. “Fine, then let’s return now. I’ll personally observe how she serves as your exercise consultant.”

****

Back in the gym, the two sisters remained silent for a considerable period.

“So, Xi Ruo is Xi Yao’s sister after all,” Jiang Li finally broke the silence, unable to hold back any longer. “Even though their names are strikingly similar, I never once considered that possibility.”

It was a complete blind spot in her reasoning. Goddess Xi Ruo’s renown within the academy was so immense that anyone even remotely connected to her would be widely recognized, let alone a direct blood relative.

Yet, Xi Yao had never once brought it up; they had even conversed about Xi Ruo on occasion, which was precisely why Jiang Li had never made the connection.

“Indeed, I wouldn’t have guessed it either,” Jiang Wan murmured in response, a hint of distraction in her voice.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t merely a trick of the light; she had noticed the look in Xi Ruo’s eyes when she gazed at Xi Yao just now, a gaze that held a subtle… something beyond sisterly affection.

This feeling arose because the look was strikingly familiar, akin to the way she herself sometimes regarded Xi Yao.

Just then, Xi Ruo and Xi Yao re-entered the room.

“Jiang Li, Sister Jiang Wan,” Xi Yao announced the moment she stepped inside. “This is my sister, Xi Ruo. I apologize for not having told you two sooner.”

“We’re quite surprised ourselves,” Jiang Wan replied with a gentle smile, turning her gaze to Xi Ruo. “I’ve long heard of your esteemed reputation.”

Xi Ruo offered a noncommittal hum in acknowledgement, then settled onto a nearby chair. “I understand you’re assisting Ayao with her exercise regimen. It sounds like quite an effort. Shall we proceed?”

Xi Yao, seizing the opportune moment, placed her hand on the treadmill. “Would you like me to run another round?”

While she was indeed somewhat fatigued, Xi Yao knew she could run no matter how exhausted she felt, all to distract both Xi Ruo and Jiang Wan, preventing them from noticing any oddities in each other.

‘At worst, I won’t get any ‘rewards’ this week; I’ll just focus on recuperating.’

However, Jiang Wan interjected, “No need. The treadmill has already gathered sufficient data. I will formulate an exercise plan for your daily routine as soon as possible. Once you’ve adapted to it, we can proceed with the next test.”

She gently nudged Jiang Li’s arm, signaling her sister to rise along with her.

“Since Student Xi Ruo has made such a rare visit to the high school division, we wouldn’t want to intrude on your sisterly reunion. We’ll take our leave now.”

Before Jiang Li could fully process the situation, Jiang Wan had already taken her by the arm and led her away.

The older sister, possessing considerable wisdom, had discerned that the situation was far from straightforward and opted to tactically withdraw, allowing events to unfold further.

“Oh, I… I’ll head back then,” the girl with light, shoulder-length hair managed to stammer out, barely having time for a farewell. “Xi Yao, and Senior Xi Ruo, goodbye.”

Xi Yao remained on the treadmill, waving a small hand in a gesture of farewell.

She then turned to face Xi Ruo, a silent sigh of relief escaping her lips.

‘Thank goodness nothing went wrong; I managed to bluff my way through.’

“Sister Xi Ruo, was there something specific you needed me for?”

‘The girl mused, a sudden appearance in the high school division surely indicated a matter of pressing importance.’

“Indeed, there is.”

Xi Ruo listened intently to the receding footsteps beyond the door, waiting until the Jiang sisters had completely departed before she delicately parted her cherry lips, speaking with a solemn gravity:

“I have a question for you. Since the beginning of this school year… how many times have you ‘rewarded’ yourself?”

“…Huh?”