A Devil’s Bargain

“Just now, I asked Serena for her phone, but she looked incredibly reluctant and even said she wanted to stay up late watching anime. That’s when I started to feel a little suspicious…”

Chen Si Yi deftly entered the phone’s password. After unlocking the screen, she leaned forward, her crimson lips brushing against my ear as she whispered.

“Lin Yan, do you know? I actually installed surveillance cameras at home. You play on your phone in the living room every day, don’t you?!”

‘Wait, wait, wait? Are you a devil?!’

‘Serena isn’t the demon; Chen Si Yi, you’re the true demon in human form!’

‘She actually installed surveillance cameras just to monitor me? Where? Where did she put them? Why didn’t I notice anything?’

‘And the bathroom too?! No, don’t tell me I’ve been… observed while showering too…’

At Chen Si Yi’s words, my mind went blank, and I felt completely stunned.

‘If that’s the case, then wouldn’t my every move, my meticulously planned schemes, have already been discovered by Chen Si Yi? And the reason she remained silent was to gather evidence, intending to settle scores on this dark, windy, and utterly silent night, wasn’t it?’

Considering this, cold sweat immediately beaded on my forehead. ‘Oh, Mom, Si Yi is truly terrifying! Please, come save your son!’

“What’s wrong, Lin Yan? Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Seeing my prolonged silence, Chen Si Yi playfully pinched my cheek, her tone suddenly becoming much lighter.

“Hehe~ I was just kidding with you. Why are you so nervous? Did you actually play on your phone in the living room?”

‘What?! That was a trick?! Chen Si Yi, your casual guess was eerily accurate!’

I had almost confessed out of fear, hoping for leniency. Hearing Chen Si Yi’s delightful chuckle, I quickly composed myself, a wave of relief washing over me, and forced a sheepish laugh.

“Haha~ How could that be? I wanted to play on my phone, too.”

“It’s just that Serena wouldn’t give it to me. She even said she’d rather throw it in the toilet than let me have it! It’s infuriating!”

As the saying goes, if you’re going to act, commit to the role.

To provide cover for my ally, Serena, I couldn’t help but furrow my brows, deliberately feigning lingering anger. My acting skills were soaring to Oscar-winning levels.

Seeing this, Chen Si Yi naturally believed me. She reached out again and stroked my head, treating me entirely like a small cat she was petting.

“Don’t be angry with Serena,” Chen Si Yi said. “It was me who told her not to let you play on the phone. Serena is always very loyal; without my instructions, she would never hand the phone over to you.”

“So, if you need to vent, take it out on me. I’ll let you hit me a few times, how about that?”

“Oh, no, no,” I quickly waved my hand. “How could I possibly be angry with you, my little sister? Since you’re the one who asked, then no playing it is. It’s just a phone, after all…”

‘Besides, I’d already played with it for two weeks and was thoroughly bored.’

Of course, I couldn’t possibly voice my true thoughts.

‘I just never imagined Serena’s image in Chen Si Yi’s eyes was so positive.’

‘Loyal and devoted?’

‘What a joke! That female demon doesn’t fit that description in the slightest.’

‘I already dread to imagine Serena’s miserable fate when Chen Si Yi eventually uncovers her true identity as a spy…’

“By the way, Lin Yan, do you want to go out and play?”

Just as I was imagining a small, dramatic scene of a ragged Serena tied to an iron pillar, enduring merciless flogging, Chen Si Yi, who was holding me, suddenly changed the subject, asking in a soft voice.

Still lost in my vivid mental scenario, I didn’t immediately register her words, thinking I’d imagined them. Only after Chen Si Yi repeated herself did I quickly nod my head like a pecking chick.

“Yes, yes, I really, really want to!”

My voice was exceptionally excited. After all, despite having snuck out of the house several days ago, my movements had always been confined to the neighborhood.

‘How does that saying go? In prison, the terrifying thing isn’t losing freedom, but rather the unchanging daily life and scenery.’

‘Exactly. Being trapped in the same place, I was genuinely bored to the point of breaking!’

Moreover, there was an even more crucial point.

‘The deeper meaning behind Chen Si Yi’s words—was she finally going to let me off the hook?’

The more I thought about it, the more excited I became. I quickly took several deep breaths, slowly calming my restless mind.

*Hoo, hoo, hoo…*

‘Right, after calming down and thinking it over carefully, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.’

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Reflecting on Chen Si Yi’s words, they clearly had an ulterior motive. She wasn’t so kind as to simply grant me a benefit for nothing.’

Just as I had suspected, it wasn’t long before Chen Si Yi, still holding me, playfully tilted her head, a thought-provoking expression appearing on her face.

“Is that so? Well, since you’re so eager to go out, Lin Yan, how about we make a deal?”

‘Ah, so it was true! I knew my little sister wouldn’t be that benevolent!’

After a moment of internal struggle, my brows furrowed in complex thought, I ultimately couldn’t resist the allure of going out and bit into the bait Chen Si Yi had so meticulously laid for me.

“Wh-what kind of deal?”

I stammered the question.

Silence.

Chen Si Yi didn’t answer me. Instead, she simply raised her phone and silently logged into my QQ account.

Then, under my astonished gaze, she opened the chat window with one of my friends.

The friend was named ‘Xiao Yu’ in my contacts, and they were the first person I had ever specially followed.

“How about you help me chat with Sister Xiao Yu?” Chen Si Yi smiled gently at me. “That’s my deal.”