Chapter Thirty-Three: The Sister's Remorse

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow on Bai Youqing’s pale blue bedspread. She reached out, rubbing her sleepy, blurry eyes, then slowly sat up and stretched lazily. She had stayed up late last night, and her head still felt a bit foggy.

Just as she was lost in thought, her brother’s voice called from outside the door. “Xiaoqing, why aren’t you up yet? Breakfast is on the table, and you have extra lessons today.”

Hearing the knock at the door, Bai Youqing suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. She had always woken up on time before, never needing her useless big brother to come and knock. Without bothering to put on slippers, she stepped barefoot onto the cold floor and hurried to the bathroom to freshen up.

When she opened the door again, she found the table already set with steaming hot century egg and lean pork congee. In those few minutes, her brother had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa, likely exhausted from coming home late last night.

Bai Youqing ate breakfast with a complicated expression, a wave of guilt washing over her. Her brother must have been very tired last night, yet she had been so unreasonable. And now, despite not having slept well herself, he had gotten up early to make breakfast for her. Really, she could have just gone out to eat.

With her backpack slung on and her single ponytail bouncing, Bai Youqing glanced back at her brother lying on the sofa. The sight made her uncomfortable, so she went back into the room to fetch a blanket and gently covered his stomach.

There, that’s better.

She closed the door firmly behind her as she left, then suddenly tapped her head in realization. She hadn’t yet asked her brother why the bathroom smelled of a completely different shower gel. The scent was pleasant, but after a while, it caused a strange tightness in her chest, making her feel dizzy and nauseous.

Could it be some cheap, low-quality shower gel? Her brother was really too frugal, unwilling even to buy a decent bottle of shower gel.

When Bai Yuze finally opened his eyes, it was already past ten o’clock. He yawned and pushed open the door, noticing that Yuanwei was still asleep. He silently praised her for her good sleep quality.

He set to work, first tidying up the house a bit, then dragging his sister’s bedding out onto the balcony to bask in the sunlight. Before leaving, he left a note on the table and headed out to buy groceries.

At the market, he picked out fresh vegetables along with scallions, ginger, and garlic. Then he turned the corner to the neighboring fresh food market, thoroughly exploring the stalls before gathering all the ingredients he needed.

By the time he returned, Yuanwei was awake, lounging comfortably on the sofa and watching the popular anime, Magical Girl Qingning. Every time the magical girl foiled the abyssal monsters’ schemes, punching disaster beasts and kicking witches, she cheered joyfully like a child, occasionally shouting out remarks.

“Nice one! Beat that big bad guy! I’ve never liked her anyway.”

“Always at meetings or on the way to meetings, learning nothing of human society’s essence, just nonsense.”

Bai Yuze glanced sideways at the screen. The current scene showed the final battle, with the Abyssal Demon Queen, Niaoluo, getting thoroughly beaten by a group of magical girls.

Truth be told, Niaoluo’s arrogant, disdainful air was vividly and perfectly portrayed in the anime, full of character.

“Hey, hey, stop watching! Haven’t you had enough of the Abyss? Go make dinner, we’re going out this afternoon!”

Yuanwei turned her head and saw Bai Yuze watching the TV too. She raised her smooth, delicate arm to block his view, shielding his eyes with a righteous expression.

Bai Yuze grinned. Whether it was his sister at home or Yuanwei here, they both knew how to enjoy themselves.

In the kitchen, fortunately most of the ingredients for the spicy beef slices were already prepared; it was mainly the marinating that required time and care.

While Bai Yuze bustled around the kitchen, Yuanwei skillfully pulled his phone from the sofa. With practiced ease, she unlocked it with his fingerprint, opened the contacts to find only one number—his sister’s.

She checked the messages, relieved to find no flirtatious texts from any suspicious women, though she appeared somewhat disappointed. But soon she found a new amusement: she opened a hidden group chat and posted several photos taken last night.

Phantom Butterfly (Yuanwei): “Sigh, Phantom Butterfly’s body really lacks development and nurturing! Didn’t have nearly enough fun last night.”

Twilight Mist: “Hey, I want to play too. Tentacles.jpg”

Phantom Butterfly (Yuanwei): “Shoo, shoo, adult stuff, kids stay out of it.”

Twilight Mist: “Hmph, I’m not who I used to be anymore.”

Phantom Butterfly (Yuanwei): “Pat pat.jpg, keep it up, hope to see the day you ravage Phantom Butterfly soon.”

The kitchen hood stopped humming. Bai Yuze emerged with a bowl of food. Yuanwei snapped two pictures of the dishes, then happily set the phone down on the table, though Twilight Mist’s messages were still visible.

Twilight Mist: “CrocodileKick.jpg”

Twilight Mist: “Talk to that idiot of a Phantom Butterfly, don’t give her subordinates random orders!”

Twilight Mist: “Now those crazy women want me to return the Abyss Stones, saying our Abyss is untrustworthy.”

Twilight Mist: “Not a chance! Once it’s in my Twilight Mist’s pockets, there’s no returning it.”

Twilight Mist: “By the way, Yuanwei, if you can’t finish, remember to pack it up. We’ve got a fridge here.”

Phantom Butterfly (Yuanwei): “Your map of the Yan Kingdom isn’t long enough, little Twilight Mist.”

Twilight Mist: “Grin.jpg”

Bai Yuze noticed her holding his phone as he exited the kitchen but wasn’t surprised. He calmly asked, “I bought you all phones last time, why are you still using mine?”

Yuanwei quickly replied, her deep purple eyes fixed on him with earnestness.

“It’s because we’re worried you’ll get tricked by other bad women~ You have us three Abyssal Demon Queens already: the innocent loli type, the seductive succubus type, the aloof nun type, even non-human Abyssal females. You can’t just give up the entire Abyss forest for the sake of one human female!”

Bai Yuze sighed. The Abyssal females were something else: human-like, non-human, anthropomorphic, stitched-together, limb-based, tentacle-types. A dazzling variety, each with their own unique beauty.

“Eat, eat, we’re going out later.”

During the meal, the two ate in silence. When they finished, Yuanwei waved her small hand and all the dishes on the table vanished without a trace. Bai Yuze knew well—most likely Twilight Mist had gotten hungry.

But eating or not, they should at least remember to bring the plates back...

Full and satisfied, Yuanwei lounged lazily on the sofa, stretching her arms and squinting, enjoying the air conditioning.

The Abyss had shifted strategies. Not only had the candidate for Abyss Lord changed, but it seemed the Abyss was also beginning to enjoy the conveniences of human technology.