Shadows of Deception

Heavy breathing filled the space. In the dim, chilly hallway, the black-haired girl coldly stared at another girl pinned against the wall.

Adopting a manner of speech from ancient dramas, Xiu Lan, with a strained voice, spoke in an unusually refined tone: ‘May I ask, dear… miss, could you please return my belongings?’

Her gaze locked onto the sunglasses in the black-haired girl’s hand, a disguise she had recently purchased with twenty yuan.

‘If you break it, you can pay with yourself.’

‘Ugh, how revolting.’

Villy shuddered involuntarily. She never imagined she’d hear such affected speech from this idiot.

And…

Isn’t her face a bit off? It looks different from the photo I saw last night…

Originally, she thought the sneaky thief was Xiu Lan, but after removing the mask and sunglasses, a different face was revealed.

So… who is she?

Thanks to Mu Yan’s expert makeup skills, Villy was thrown into a state of suspicion. She questioned uncertainly: ‘Who are you? How do you have a key to Liu Yu’s place?’

She obviously didn’t recognize me.

After a brief moment of panic, Xiu Lan quickly regained her composure. Usually, she only used male personas, and with the intentional use of ‘Shadow’ to alter her voice, even her own mother wouldn’t recognize her.

‘Silly Villy.’

Wait?

So, in Villy’s perspective, she’s just someone who somehow obtained a key.

This is…

Too interesting.

The gray-haired girl’s lips curved into a smile as she watched the doubtful Villy, deciding to toy with this intruder.

‘Alright, you must be… Miss Villy. My brother mentioned you. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. It’s nice to meet you, I’m Liu Yu’s sister, Liu Ling.’

It was a perfect opening, no wonder I was forced to watch so many ancient romance dramas by my elder sister. Xiu Lan praised herself silently.

‘What? You’re her sister?’

Villy was about to lose it. Would anyone believe such an obvious lie?

She leaned in, sniffing. There was a familiar, sweet scent coming from the girl, a perfume she had used before.

Examining the girl’s face closely, she noticed subtle color differences and traces of makeup.

This wasn’t just makeup; it was a disguise.

Villy understood and decided to severely punish this troublemaker.

Looking down, she asked: ‘You say you’re Liu Yu’s sister. Do you have any proof?’

Proof…

‘I know your name and have the key to this rental. Isn’t that enough?’

Xiu Lan replied confidently, her new identity boosting her courage.

‘Haha…’

Villy’s face lit up with a smile, one Xiu Lan had never seen so bright and happy.

‘What’s so funny…’

Her forehead was pressed against Villy’s. Villy’s hot breath fell on Xiu Lan’s face as their eyes met. She spoke slowly: ‘But Liu Yu’s records show she’s an orphan.’

Liu Yu is an orphan.

An orphan…

Suddenly remembering her own setting, Xiu Lan looked at Villy in terror, who was pressed tightly against her.

Villy took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Xiu Lan’s face, revealing her true appearance, and mocked: ‘Liu Yu is quite the liar… little girl.’

‘I… I… I… You must have the wrong person! I’m not Liu Yu, I’m Liu Ling, her sister!’

Xiu Lan struggled desperately, but her heart raced with fear.

How could this be? How did she recognize me? I used Shadow’s disguise when we met, and I haven’t shown this face to her before. Why does she think I’m me?

Why, why, why!

‘Fine, fine, you’re Liu Ling, you’re Liu Ling.’

Villy was tired of arguing. She wrapped her arms around Xiu Lan’s waist and, with a slight push, opened the door. Amidst Xiu Lan’s desperate cries, they vanished into the dark hallway.

****

Inside the room.

Villy let the kitten escape from her hands and curiously examined Xiu Lan’s living space.

Unexpectedly small…

The rental was rectangular, with peeling wallpaper everywhere. A bed and a table occupied a third of the space, along with a bathroom on the right and a tiny kitchen by the window, leaving only narrow pathways to move around.

‘Do you always live in a place like this?’

As soon as Villy spoke, she regretted it. Who would choose to live in such a place if they had a better option?

‘Where else would I live?’

A muffled voice came from the bed. The gray-haired girl, already on edge, burrowed deeper into the blankets.

‘You could stay in the dormitory. If you don’t want to room with others, Rosa can help arrange it.’

Of course, you could stay with me too.

‘No, that’s too much trouble.’

Trouble…?

Is it because I’m too much trouble, or am I bothering Rosa?

‘Besides, isn’t this place already good enough?’

A gray head poked out from the blankets, with wide, uncomplaining eyes. She remembered:

‘I recall when I was little, we lived in a wooden house. The second floor creaked with every step.

There were so many people crammed together, every room was packed. I shared a bed with my sister and mom, often unable to turn over. From then on, I dreamed of having my own bedroom. Look, I’ve achieved that now.’

Villy fell silent. The Outer Realm has always been a prosperous area, a leader in culture and technology. Whether it was war or disaster, it seemed to avoid their gaze, even called the ‘Land Blessed by the Gods’ in religious times.

Even during the disaster, when the world was ravaged by the Black Blood, the Outer Realm remained largely untouched. Only after the heroes led the refugees to establish the Guild did it become even more impregnable.

Based on Xiu Lan’s age, her childhood likely fell before the Great Migration.

That was a time of heroism and the Black Blood’s expansion. As a native of the Outer Realm, even in the toughest times, material needs were never scarce, making it impossible to understand the hardships and despair of the refugees.

Perhaps what seems ordinary to us is an unattainable dream to those trapped in disaster.

Villy sighed inwardly, her playful mood fading. She approached the bed, wanting to stroke Xiu Lan’s head, but the girl quickly hid under the blankets, leaving only a few strands of gray hair exposed.

‘Why didn’t you go to class today?’

Finally remembering her purpose, Villy patted the blankets, asking:

‘If Rosa catches you skipping class again, you won’t be able to explain it away with just a few words.’

There was movement in the blankets. After a while, a voice emerged: ‘Because Liu Yu died.’

Liu Yu… died?

This silly girl, cursing herself to die? Does she want a spanking?

Her hand tightened, giving a firm slap to a certain round area.

‘Slap!’

Not bad, actually feels nice.

‘What the hell are you doing!’

The gray-haired girl glared at her with anger, but helplessly. Villy felt her mood lift.

Thank you, Miss Xiu Lan, now I understand why boys enjoy teasing girls.

It feels great.

‘Go to hell, you shameless hag.’

Easily dodging the kitten’s swipes, Villy pulled Xiu Lan into her embrace, pinching her soft cheeks, and asked:

‘So, tell me, how did Liu Yu die?’

Pushing away Villy’s hand, Xiu Lan’s mood visibly sank:

‘I don’t know why, but when I woke up this morning, I suddenly looked like this. I can’t even go to school, let alone step outside. Sigh~ I wonder when I’ll change back.’

Hmm…

Not going to school, but daring to go out and get a makeup job? If it weren’t for Yao Jing’s confession last night, I might have been fooled. You’re saying you changed this morning?

Not fooled by Xiu Lan’s disguise, Villy asked a question that had always intrigued her:

‘Since you’ve changed like this, Miss Xiu Lan, can you answer something I’ve always wondered—do you see yourself as male or female now?’

Xiu Lan didn’t hesitate for a moment before responding.