Knowing the Lonely Autumn That Little Cold Can Bring

"Ling'er, when did I come back?"

Leng Qingqiu rubbed her temples, unable to recall what had happened afterward.

The only thing she remembered was that after passing out, she had a dream—one where Gu Yan and a woman who looked eerily similar to her were doing something they shouldn’t have been.

Leng Ling'er had been observing Leng Qingqiu from the study for quite some time.

She swallowed hard, cautiously eyeing her older sister.

Only after confirming that the second personality had retreated did she finally relax.

She began explaining, "Uh... Sis, you came back really early. You looked exhausted, so you just collapsed into bed. Don’t you remember?"

"Came back early? On my own?"

Leng Qingqiu immediately sensed something off.

Leng Ling'er pursed her lips, hesitating for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

Ugh! Does Sis even know about her second personality?!

Leng Ling'er screamed internally. Who could understand the sheer terror of coming home only to run into Sis’s alternate self?!

I nearly died of fright!

Thankfully, the other personality had simply muttered, ["Too bad we’ll have to meet next time,"] before retreating to the study and slumping over the desk.

The whole ordeal had left Ling'er practically suffocating from tension.

Leng Qingqiu frowned.

I... came back on my own?

That’s impossible! I passed out in the forbidden zone!

Even if I did return, the only one who could’ve brought me back was Gu—... Huh?!

Wait. Her eyes snapped open.

She turned to Leng Ling'er and demanded, "Ling'er, you said someone had accessed the computer before either of us?"

Leng Ling'er gulped. Huh? Why bring that up now?

Still, she answered truthfully, "Yeah."

That tone—definitely the real Sis.

"......"

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu pieced together a disturbing possibility.

Her expression darkened instantly, though she kept her voice controlled. "Ling'er, leave for now."

"Oh... and Brother-in-law called..."

Leng Ling'er carefully placed the phone on the desk, then held her breath and bolted out of the room.

Yikes! Why did Sis suddenly get so angry?!

Once Ling'er was gone, Leng Qingqiu no longer held back her fury. She coldly interrogated the voice in her mind:

"Xiao Leng, since when could you take over?"

How stupid of me. I assumed Xiao Leng could never manifest outside my body.

But today’s incident proved otherwise.

This is dangerous. I had no idea she could emerge at all.

What happened in the forbidden zone? Is Gu Yan alright?

Most importantly...

Did Xiao Leng use my body to do something to Gu Yan or Ling'er?

After a moment of silence, Xiao Leng’s voice dripped with amusement.

["Heh. You should’ve figured it out sooner, other me."]

Leng Qingqiu’s heart sank. She clenched her fists and snapped, "You haven’t answered my question!"

"And... what did you do in the forbidden zone?!"

["Tsk tsk, other me, this isn’t like you. No need to get so worked up. Remember—I am you."]

["As for what I did..."]

Xiao Leng’s tone turned sly. ["Let’s just say... the cauldron’s flavor was quite delightful~"]

["No wonder you fell for him."]

!!!

Leng Qingqiu’s eye twitched. Her heartbeat grew erratic.

She took a deep breath. "What... exactly did you do?!"

"Xiao Leng, if you harmed Gu Yan or Ling'er, I swear I’ll erase you!"

["Harm him? Why would I? A cauldron’s value is far too high—I’d make good use of it."]

["As for Ling'er, she’s my sister too. I’d never hurt her."]

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu’s rage subsided slightly—but not completely.

One critical question remained unanswered:

"How did you even take control? When did you first do it?"

"Those traces of computer usage before—that was you hijacking my body, wasn’t it?"

Xiao Leng chuckled softly.

The sound made Leng Qingqiu’s chest tighten.

Since when did Xiao Leng become so expressive?

What changed?

["Correct. You guessed right."]

["As for the method... other me, do you really think I’d tell you?"]

["Just like how you once arrogantly claimed I understood nothing, I’ll throw those words right back at you..."]

["Other me, you have no idea how I emerge—or when I’ll appear next."]

Leng Qingqiu’s frown deepened. She tightened her fists. "What about Gu Yan? What did you do to him?!"

["The cauldron? Fine, I’ll spell it out for you..."]

"What?!" She listened intently.

["I find him... intriguing. Next time I take over, I might just have some fun with him."]

["Like today, for instance. His... essence tasted rather exquisite."]

!!!

Leng Qingqiu’s restraint shattered. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

"Gu Yan is MINE! Don’t you dare touch him, Xiao Leng!"

"Xiao Leng! If you mess with him, I’ll purge you from my body for good!"

"Xiao Leng! Xiao Leng! XIAO LENG!"

Her furious mental shouts sent waves of energy rippling outward, rattling the bookshelves.

But Xiao Leng had vanished, offering no further reply.

"Damn it."

Leng Qingqiu gave up, pressing a hand to her forehead in distress.

This is absurd.

Xiao Leng can hijack my body now?

What triggers it?

This is beyond anything I anticipated.

Wait—

I can just ask Gu Yan! He must know what ‘I’ did after I blacked out!

She grabbed her phone, ready to call him—

But then, Xiao Leng’s earlier words echoed in her mind:

["The cauldron’s flavor was quite delightful~"]

The phrase looped endlessly, fueling her irritation.

Her hand froze mid-air.

She bit her lip.

No way...

Did they really... do that?

Even though Xiao Leng had used her body, it wasn’t her in control!

Gu Yan, that blockhead, probably couldn’t tell the difference! What if—

What if that lust-driven Xiao Leng actually went through with it?!

How am I supposed to explain this to Gu Yan?!

Her cheeks flushed.

I haven’t even... done anything like that with him yet!

There’s no way Xiao Leng got there first!

And she’s just a secondary personality! A mere shadow! A—

A secondary personality...!!

Ahhh!! What kind of joke is this?! You damn bastard, Xiao Leng!

How dare a mere alternate personality try to overthrow its host?!

!!! I’m so pissed!! Why did this have to happen?!