The night was quiet.
Too quiet.
Chu Yunyun lay on Yu Chen's narrow bed, staring at the ceiling that had a faint crack running from one corner to the other. The crack reminded her of something broken that could never be fixed—just like this body, just like this family.
Outside her door, the sounds of movement had finally stopped.
No more coughing.
No more whispered arguments.
No more footsteps.
Everyone had gone to sleep.
She sat up slowly, her head still light from blood loss. Her chest felt hollow, like something essential had been carved out and never returned.
Her gaze drifted toward the small mirror on the desk.
She hesitated… then stood and walked toward it.
Each step felt heavy.
When she stopped in front of the mirror, she stared.
A pale girl looked back at her.
Large eyes.
Thin shoulders.
Hollow cheeks.
"This is… me now," she whispered.
Her own face from her past life had been sharp and proud. Even when she was imprisoned, even when she was bleeding, there had been fire in her eyes.
This face…
It looked like it had learned how to endure.
Not how to fight.
She touched her cheek.
It was cold.
Her fingers trembled.
"I hate this," she murmured.
Her reflection did not answer.
Instead, memories rose like ghosts.
Yu Chen kneeling in front of her parents.
Yu Chen apologizing for being weak.
Yu Chen holding her arm out for blood.
Then—
Another image overlapped.
Chu Yunyun kneeling in her past life.
Begging for an explanation.
Being pushed down and laughed at.
Different clothes.
Different rooms.
Same posture.
Same helplessness.
Her breathing became uneven.
"…So this is why it feels familiar."
Yu Chen had lived the life Chu Yunyun once did.
Obedient.
Sacrificial.
Disposable.
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"No wonder I can't stand it," she whispered.
She wasn't just angry at Yu Li.
She was angry at herself.
At the version of herself that had once believed in family.
That had trusted tears.
That had mistaken weakness for kindness.
A knock suddenly came at the door.
Her muscles tensed.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"It's… me."
Yu Li's voice.
Soft. Hesitant.
Chu Yunyun closed her eyes briefly.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Yu Li stood there in pajamas, clutching the edge of her sleeve like a child afraid of being scolded.
"I… I couldn't sleep," she said quietly. "I kept thinking… maybe I said something wrong earlier."
Chu Yunyun looked at her carefully.
Under the dim light, Yu Li looked even more fragile.
Her eyes were red.
Her lips were pale.
It was the same look her half-sister used to wear before playing the victim.
And yet…
This girl's hands were shaking.
Her breathing was uneven.
There was fear there.
Real fear.
Not calculated.
Not practiced.
Chu Yunyun felt something twist inside her chest.
"What do you want?" she asked.
Yu Li took a small step forward.
"I feel like… you're not the same Sister anymore," she whispered. "You look at me like I'm a stranger."
Chu Yunyun did not answer immediately.
Because it was true.
Yu Li was a stranger.
But…
"So?" Chu Yunyun said. "People change."
Yu Li bit her lip. "You used to hold my hand when I got scared."
Her heart tightened.
Yu Chen's memory surfaced uninvited.
A small hand gripping hers in a hospital corridor.
A child crying softly while she whispered, "It's okay."
Chu Yunyun looked away.
"That girl is gone," she said.
Yu Li flinched.
"…Did I do something wrong?" Yu Li asked softly. "If I didn't need blood… would you hate me less?"
The words struck harder than expected.
Chu Yunyun's jaw tightened.
"I don't hate you," she said.
It wasn't entirely a lie.
Yu Li looked up. "Then why… why won't you help me anymore?"
Chu Yunyun walked toward the window.
The city lights outside flickered faintly.
"Because I helped too much," she replied. "And almost died."
Yu Li lowered her head.
"I didn't know it was that bad…"
Of course she didn't.
Yu Chen had never complained.
Chu Yunyun turned around.
"You know what's strange?" she said. "You look exactly like someone who ruined my life."
Yu Li's eyes widened.
"…What?"
Chu Yunyun laughed quietly.
"It's nothing."
She walked closer and stopped in front of Yu Li.
"Let me ask you something," she said. "If I died giving you blood… would you feel guilty?"
Yu Li's face went pale.
"I… I would…" her voice trembled. "Of course I would…"
"How long?" Chu Yunyun asked.
Yu Li stared at her.
"How long would you cry?" Chu Yunyun continued. "One day? One week? Or until your next transfusion?"
Yu Li burst into tears.
"That's not fair!" she cried. "I never wanted you to suffer!"
Her shoulders shook violently.
Chu Yunyun watched her.
Not with pity.
But with recognition.
This was how her half-sister cried when cornered.
But her half-sister's tears had been dry behind the scenes.
Yu Li's were not.
That made it complicated.
"You didn't want me to suffer," Chu Yunyun said slowly. "But you accepted it."
Yu Li could not answer.
Silence filled the room.
Chu Yunyun sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"This body… this life… it's a mess."
She looked at Yu Li again.
"You're sick," she said. "But not dying. Not yet."
Yu Li froze.
"How do you know?"
Chu Yunyun met her eyes.
"Because I can see it in your face."
Yu Li looked away.
"…The doctor said it's serious," she whispered.
"Serious doesn't mean fatal," Chu Yunyun replied.
Yu Li didn't speak.
Which was answer enough.
So she knew.
She knew she wasn't as weak as she pretended to be.
Chu Yunyun felt a chill.
Not because Yu Li was evil.
But because weakness was convenient.
Because being pitied felt safe.
Because being protected was easier than being honest.
Just like her half-sister.
And just like her past self.
Chu Yunyun turned back to the mirror.
In the reflection, she saw two girls.
One standing tall with cold eyes.
One behind her, crying softly.
Two lives.
Two versions of the same tragedy.
"This is dangerous," she whispered.
Yu Li looked up. "What is?"
"Your sickness," Chu Yunyun said. "And my anger."
Yu Li didn't understand.
But Chu Yunyun did.
If she treated Yu Li as her half-sister…
She would become a monster.
If she treated Yu Li as Yu Chen had…
She would die.
So what remained?
Balance.
"I won't give blood anymore," Chu Yunyun said again. "But I won't abandon you either."
Yu Li stared at her.
"…Then what will you do?"
Chu Yunyun's eyes hardened.
"I will find another way."
To get money.
To leave this house.
To control her own life.
Her gaze drifted back to the actress poster.
Showbiz.
A battlefield of masks.
Perfect for someone who had already died once.
Yu Li whispered, "You're really different."
Chu Yunyun nodded.
"Yes," she said. "And you should be afraid of that."
Yu Li swallowed.
For the first time…
She felt that her sister was no longer someone she could control.
Chu Yunyun looked at her reflection one last time.
She was staring at her past self.
Weak.
Pale.
Trapped.
"I won't become you again," she whispered.
Not Yu Chen.
Not the old Chu Yunyun.
She turned away from the mirror.
From this night on…
She would not bleed quietly.
She would not kneel again.
And anyone who mistook her for the girl she used to be…
Would regret it.