“Xinxin?” Cen Xiangyang’s surroundings were as noisy as always. “You’re looking for me?”
“I just saw the news about your new movie on the internet, so I wanted to call to check on how our great director is faring.” Ji Xinxin began chatting about mundane stuff. “Why don’t I drop by your set if an opportunity arises in the future?”
Cen Xiangyang chuckled softly and said, “You said the same thing the last time too. You still owe me a visit.”
“I wanted to drop by, but I ended up getting bogged down with work!” Ji Xinxin protested coyly. “You know how short my Christmas break is. My family just had to arrange lots of things for me to do, and I can’t neglect my school work either. Haa, I didn’t think that I’d be this busy either. Good news though, I applied for a program that would allow me to return to China next semester. I’ve already got it all sorted out, so I should have plenty of free time then!”
“Oh?” Cen Xiangyang asked with a laugh. “I’ll be expecting gifts when you visit then.”
“Of course! I’ll make sure to bring lots of food as an apology for breaking my promise!”
Ji Xinxin chatted with Cen Xiangyang for a while before suddenly letting out a yawn. She used it as an opportunity to change the topic and casually asked, “Now that I think about it, didn’t you say that you have a secret to tell me the last time I came back? What is it?”
“Secret?” Cen Xiangyang muttered mysteriously. “I thought you weren't interested in it.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Ji Xinxin gently urged him to divulge the secret. “Does it have anything to do with me?”
“Before I let you in on the secret, you have to answer a question of mine first.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“The last time you returned to the country, you met Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and Li Xiaoxing, but not me, right?”
Cen Xiangyang spoke with a slow and leisurely pace, but Ji Xinxin felt as if she was watched by a pair of sinister eyes through the phone, rendering her completely immobile.
She gulped down her saliva before meekly responding, “Are you still angry with me? I promise you. I’ll make sure to meet you first the next time I return to the country, alright?”
Instead of answering her question, Cen Xiangyang continued with his casual voice, “Are you aware that those men who have been chasing after you are on the verge of being taken away by your big sis?”
“My big sis?” Ji Xinxin tried her best to make herself sound as confused as possible. “How is my big sis involved in this?”
“Your big sis is making money off you,” Cen Xiangyang replied with a trace of mirth in his voice. “Let’s see. Professional stand-in, 100,000 dollars per hour.”
The final missing puzzle piece finally fell in place, completing the picture in Ji Xinxin’s head.
Ji Xinxin clutched her phone tightly. “What… do you mean by that?”
…
Ji Xinxin could hardly remember how she ended the call. For a long time after that, she sat in a daze with her hand wrapped tightly around her phone.
She found her own fingers automatically tapping into her WeChat, scrolling all the way down till she was faced with the profile picture she would make sure to tap into once every three days.
The frighteningly familiar profile picture suddenly looked frighteningly foreign.
With trembling fingers, she tapped on the ‘Call’ button.
Every passing second felt like torture to her.
When her call was finally answered, she finally let out the breath she had been holding and meekly called out, “Big sis?”
The woman on the other end of the call answered impassively, “What?”
“… Are you really my big sis?” asked Ji Xinxin softly.
Her voice was suppressed to the lowest level as if she was afraid of jolting awake the terrifying monster known as the truth.
“Ah.” The woman on the other end of the call laughed. “You’ve finally gotten it.”
“…” Ji Xinxin was quiet for a few seconds before she asked quietly, “Where’s my big sis?”
If the person she was talking to right now was the other ‘Ji Fanyin’, where could the Ji Fanyin whom she had envied, feared, suppressed, and crushed over the years be?
“Is that any of your concern?” asked Ji Fanyin.
“Tell me!” Ji Xinxin roared. “I am her younger sister. I have the right to know how she’s faring!”
Her outburst couldn’t faze the woman on the other end of the call.
The other ‘Ji Fanyin’ answered with a hint of contempt in her voice, “You’re awfully concerned about your older sister despite being the one who forced her off the edge.”
“Forced her… off the edge?” Ji Xinxin didn’t notice that her voice had started quivering.
Ji Fanyin chuckled softly in response.
Ji Xinxin could hear the derision dripping from her laughter.
“You don’t get it! A person who has everything like you will never understand why I did that!” Ji Xinxin screamed. “Do you think that you’re any different from me? You’re no nobler than I am!”
“You’re right. I don’t think of myself as a noble person either,” answered Ji Fanyin calmly. “But at least I haven’t fallen to the level of crushing my older sister’s brilliance and forcing her to her death.”
Ji Xinxin trembled under her blanket, but Ji Fanyin wasn’t done yet.
“Ji Xinxin, you have a hand in ‘Ji Fanyin’s’ death.”
“Xinxin?” Cen Xiangyang’s surroundings were as noisy as always. “You’re looking for me?”
“I just saw the news about your new movie on the internet, so I wanted to call to check on how our great director is faring.” Ji Xinxin began chatting about mundane stuff. “Why don’t I drop by your set if an opportunity arises in the future?”
Cen Xiangyang chuckled softly and said, “You said the same thing the last time too. You still owe me a visit.”
“I wanted to drop by, but I ended up getting bogged down with work!” Ji Xinxin protested coyly. “You know how short my Christmas break is. My family just had to arrange lots of things for me to do, and I can’t neglect my school work either. Haa, I didn’t think that I’d be this busy either. Good news though, I applied for a program that would allow me to return to China next semester. I’ve already got it all sorted out, so I should have plenty of free time then!”
“Oh?” Cen Xiangyang asked with a laugh. “I’ll be expecting gifts when you visit then.”
“Of course! I’ll make sure to bring lots of food as an apology for breaking my promise!”
Ji Xinxin chatted with Cen Xiangyang for a while before suddenly letting out a yawn. She used it as an opportunity to change the topic and casually asked, “Now that I think about it, didn’t you say that you have a secret to tell me the last time I came back? What is it?”
“Secret?” Cen Xiangyang muttered mysteriously. “I thought you weren't interested in it.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense,” Ji Xinxin gently urged him to divulge the secret. “Does it have anything to do with me?”
“Before I let you in on the secret, you have to answer a question of mine first.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“The last time you returned to the country, you met Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and Li Xiaoxing, but not me, right?”
Cen Xiangyang spoke with a slow and leisurely pace, but Ji Xinxin felt as if she was watched by a pair of sinister eyes through the phone, rendering her completely immobile.
She gulped down her saliva before meekly responding, “Are you still angry with me? I promise you. I’ll make sure to meet you first the next time I return to the country, alright?”
Instead of answering her question, Cen Xiangyang continued with his casual voice, “Are you aware that those men who have been chasing after you are on the verge of being taken away by your big sis?”
“My big sis?” Ji Xinxin tried her best to make herself sound as confused as possible. “How is my big sis involved in this?”
“Your big sis is making money off you,” Cen Xiangyang replied with a trace of mirth in his voice. “Let’s see. Professional stand-in, 100,000 dollars per hour.”
The final missing puzzle piece finally fell in place, completing the picture in Ji Xinxin’s head.
Ji Xinxin clutched her phone tightly. “What… do you mean by that?”
…
Ji Xinxin could hardly remember how she ended the call. For a long time after that, she sat in a daze with her hand wrapped tightly around her phone.
She found her own fingers automatically tapping into her WeChat, scrolling all the way down till she was faced with the profile picture she would make sure to tap into once every three days.
The frighteningly familiar profile picture suddenly looked frighteningly foreign.
With trembling fingers, she tapped on the ‘Call’ button.
Every passing second felt like torture to her.
When her call was finally answered, she finally let out the breath she had been holding and meekly called out, “Big sis?”
The woman on the other end of the call answered impassively, “What?”
“… Are you really my big sis?” asked Ji Xinxin softly.
Her voice was suppressed to the lowest level as if she was afraid of jolting awake the terrifying monster known as the truth.
“Ah.” The woman on the other end of the call laughed. “You’ve finally gotten it.”
“…” Ji Xinxin was quiet for a few seconds before she asked quietly, “Where’s my big sis?”
If the person she was talking to right now was the other ‘Ji Fanyin’, where could the Ji Fanyin whom she had envied, feared, suppressed, and crushed over the years be?
“Is that any of your concern?” asked Ji Fanyin.
“Tell me!” Ji Xinxin roared. “I am her younger sister. I have the right to know how she’s faring!”
Her outburst couldn’t faze the woman on the other end of the call.
The other ‘Ji Fanyin’ answered with a hint of contempt in her voice, “You’re awfully concerned about your older sister despite being the one who forced her off the edge.”
“Forced her… off the edge?” Ji Xinxin didn’t notice that her voice had started quivering.
Ji Fanyin chuckled softly in response.
Ji Xinxin could hear the derision dripping from her laughter.
“You don’t get it! A person who has everything like you will never understand why I did that!” Ji Xinxin screamed. “Do you think that you’re any different from me? You’re no nobler than I am!”
“You’re right. I don’t think of myself as a noble person either,” answered Ji Fanyin calmly. “But at least I haven’t fallen to the level of crushing my older sister’s brilliance and forcing her to her death.”
Ji Xinxin trembled under her blanket, but Ji Fanyin wasn’t done yet.
“Ji Xinxin, you have a hand in ‘Ji Fanyin’s’ death.”
