Midnight·Su·Ling

"Yes, the novel is original."

A clever answer, deftly avoiding the topic his younger sister most wanted to know about.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Completely original."

Lu Qing knew exactly what she was trying to ask—whether he had ever written a song for someone.

Had he ever composed a melody specifically for someone?

Had there ever been a time when he poured all his energy into someone he could see but not touch, someone whose image in his memory was growing increasingly blurred? Had he ever blindly, impulsively poured out his emotions—

On a night when his feelings could never reach her, like a bat darting into a blinding light, disoriented and panicked, yet still crashing into walls with a glimmer of hope.

Lu Qing didn’t want to answer.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that his answer would automatically be interpreted as a confirmation in his sister’s eyes.

"So, it’s true."

[There must have been one.]

—A song written for *her*.

...

...

The atmosphere between the two of them grew quiet.

After returning home, Su Ling stayed hidden in her room.

Hugging her "black cat," she didn’t practice the piano as obsessively as before, nor did she show any particular emotion.

She simply sat on the bed, stroking the cat’s fur, her fingers lightly resting on the piano strings, feeling the delicate warmth of the "black cat."

Lu Qing watched her, knowing that she had been deeply affected by today’s events.

But his plan couldn’t change. At a time like this, he couldn’t risk alerting her.

Based on his earlier suspicions, Su Ling was hiding something from him, and this had been confirmed. There were already enough clues to piece it together.

So tonight, he would carry out his plan—

To observe Su Ling, to test her, to see what she was really up to, and whether she was doing anything strange when he wasn’t around.

Once he figured that out, he felt he would understand her better, and he’d be one step closer to unraveling the mystery of her emotional instability.

"Su Ling’s motivation for playing the piano might very well be tied to me. And when it comes to my affairs, she always seems to know everything right away, as if... in her eyes, I have no secrets.

Well, anyway, tonight, I’ll stay up again and see."

—This "staying up" was not the same as before.

In the past, Lu Qing had stayed up late to finish endless schoolwork, out of necessity.

Tonight’s "staying up" was a pretense.

He would pretend to be asleep, secretly observing whether Su Ling would quietly sleep through the night or if she would make some strange, significant move.

The plan was simple and straightforward, but its pros and cons were also clear—

1. If Su Ling did nothing, then he would have wasted a whole night, severely damaging his health for no reason, essentially making a fool of himself.

2. If Su Ling did do something, then his plan would be a resounding success, allowing him to obtain the most hidden information at the smallest cost—a true detective move.

But there was also the issue of probability. For instance, Su Ling might have done something, but if she was too tired tonight and did nothing, simply sleeping peacefully instead.

In that case, it would be like triggering a bug—not only would he have wasted his night, but he might also mistakenly believe that she was being quiet and well-behaved...

That would be dangerous.

"What I know for sure is that the thing Tang Hua gave me is missing, and I couldn’t have lost it myself. It must still be in this house; I just haven’t found it yet."

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Su Ling was the most likely suspect.

Lu Qing sat on the sofa bed, calmly thinking it over.

"If she really did take it, then she should know that I would eventually notice it was missing and ask her about it. Given her personality, it’s unlikely she would do something so irrational.

Therefore, it’s possible that during the past few days when I was staying up late, she didn’t have the chance to return it, accidentally creating this situation. So, if I were her, tonight, I would quietly put the little box back in the bag."

His reasoning was sound and completely aligned with Su Ling’s usual logic.

Having lived together for so long, even if Su Ling had managed to dissect part of him, hadn’t he also been analyzing her?

It’s just that these things weren’t what he liked to discuss openly.

With that thought, Lu Qing finalized his plan—

"Stay up."

"I’ll stay up no matter what."

"This night, I’m staying up for sure."

...

...

Su Ling never expected that one day, her brother would study her with the same meticulousness and care that she had used to study him.

Was it because today’s outing had gone poorly?

Or because her mood had taken a hit?

In any case, even the best-hidden fox tail can’t stay concealed forever.

No matter how high-quality the paper, it can’t always contain the flames.

...

4 a.m.

As per her usual habit, Su Ling was still awake.

The door to her room was slightly ajar.

Barefoot, she silently walked over to the three-cubic-meter cabinet where Lu Qing kept his equipment.

From under her skirt, she pulled out a thin, flat key. Holding her phone’s flashlight in one hand, she inserted the key into the safe with the other, twisting it until it made a soft *click*.

"!"

That sound was all too familiar to Lu Qing.

Lying on the sofa bed outside, nearly dozing off, he was startled awake by the faint noise of the lock being opened.

"What is she doing...? She..."

While Su Ling was distracted, he quickly reached over to the coffee table beside the bed, feeling for his bag.

Inside, he found his wallet, opened it with one hand, and fumbled in the dark for the familiar spot where he kept the key.

Sure enough.

The key was gone.

"..."

"......"

His suspicion had been confirmed.

Lu Qing’s heart raced, but he knew he couldn’t let his guard down now.

His sister was delving into his *memories*.

No, perhaps she had already found what she was looking for?

How far had she gone?

Lu Qing couldn’t say, nor could he draw any conclusions.

All he knew was that this version of Su Ling was terrifying.

After all, she was peering into his long-buried memories through covert means.

—Why would she do this?

Simple curiosity?

A desire to pry into his privacy?

Unlikely.

If it were just curiosity, she would know the consequences of being caught.

Even as her older brother, he couldn’t allow her to develop such unhealthy habits. Otherwise, living together in the future, his privacy would be completely exposed under her surveillance.

This wasn’t a healthy relationship, nor was it the kind of distance that should exist between them—

It could be called a negative, one-sided zero-distance.

Lu Qing knew that Su Ling’s every action had a motive.

After all, despite her struggles with illness, she was extremely clear-headed.

Her clarity was a "terrifying calmness," an extreme reaction that made others uncomfortable, something beyond normal comprehension.

Only someone who had deeply understood anxiety and depression could vaguely sense the "great desire" hidden beneath Su Ling’s calm, expressionless facade.

"That’s it. She wants to understand my past."

"She keeps rummaging through my things because she wants to know what kind of person I am.

Or rather, what kind of person I *was*."

Lu Qing’s thoughts were clear. "Especially since I’ve recently started to feel like she can predict my motives. That’s no coincidence—it’s evidence that she’s been gathering and piecing together clues from multiple sources."

Sure enough.

Just as he was frantically trying to make sense of Su Ling’s behavior, the sound of her rummaging abruptly stopped.

Lu Qing held his breath and immediately lay back down, assuming the exact same position as before—

not making a single sound.

About ten seconds later.

Through his half-closed eyes, he could see the slightly open door being gently pulled wider.

In the moonlight of the deep night, Su Ling moved like a black cat on the prowl, silently and swiftly "floating" to his side.

His heart was pounding.

But now was not the time to move or give himself away.

In that brief moment, he could see that she was holding a delicate silver box against her chest.

Ah...

That was the gift box Tang Hua had given him, containing her special "assignment," something precious that had gone missing as soon as he got it.

So it was true.

His sister had taken it.

Now, she was returning, quietly placing the box back into his bag with both hands—

Then, she turned and looked back,

standing right in front of him,

watching him.

One second,

ten seconds,

ten minutes.

"..."

Lu Qing screamed inwardly.

Su Ling, how long are you going to keep staring?

Why are you standing so still?

Why do you stand before me like a statue…

Fifteen minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Half an hour.

Lu Qing was utterly horrified.

[No way.]

Until she crouched down slightly,

By the time it reached around 40 minutes.

Until drowsiness crept in,

And she could no longer stay awake.

Seeing that her younger sister showed no intention of moving back to her room to rest,

A bizarre thought suddenly surfaced—

[Could it be…]

[Does Su Ling do this every day?]

……

……