witchcraft

Chapter 5

My mother said that was my older sister, the one who was abducted when she was two years old.

Her name is Mo Ran.

Due to special circumstances, she will be my classmate at the start of the new semester.

Isn't that wonderful? I have the older sister I've always dreamed of, just as beautiful as I imagined. I love her very much, and I hope she loves me just as much.

April 23rd sunny

My sister broke the sixteenth birthday present that Siyan gave me today.

She was a beautiful porcelain doll, with golden hair, a chubby face that always seemed to be smiling, and a long, royal blue dress. I really liked that porcelain doll.

I yelled at my sister because I was angry.

Seeing my sister standing quietly to the side without saying a word, I felt so awful. How could I say such a thing to my sister? She only picked up the porcelain doll because it was pretty and accidentally broke it. It was all unintentional; how could I scold her? She's suffered so much outside for the past ten years, while I've been basking in our parents' love at home.

Don't even mention the porcelain doll; I can give my sister anything.

Yes, I will definitely do that in the future!

Heavy rain on April 30

I don't understand why Mom doesn't like my older sister. No matter what she does, Mom criticizes her. Even if she does nothing and says nothing, Mom still criticizes her. I asked Dad why Mom doesn't like my sister. Dad just sighed and didn't answer me, finally saying, "You'll understand when you grow up."

I'm all grown up now, something I haven't told my dad yet.

Today, Siyan held my hand.

It's so strange. I used to hold hands with my child all the time when we were little, but now that I'm older, my palms sweat and my heart beats really fast when I do.

Do I have fallen for Siyan?

Chapter Five: Who Do You Love?

Feng Qi took a bookmark and placed it in Ran Anhui's diary, then closed the diary, rubbed his eyes, and lay back on the bed.

The day after he got his hands on the diary, he compared the handwriting and confirmed that it belonged to Ran Anhui. Ran Anhui fell from the building on October 16th, while the diary began on February 12th. After reading a little over half of it, Feng Qi discovered something that really interested him.

Ran Moran only arrived at the Ran family on March 20th. An Ying's attitude towards Ran Moran, as recorded in Ran An Hui's diary, is highly suspicious. Was Ran Moran a child abducted from the Ran family when she was young, or Ran Qi Lei's illegitimate daughter? What kind of life did Ran Moran lead before coming to the Ran family? Since she gave him this diary, she must have read it herself. If she had read it and knew it contained some of their family's private information, why did she give him the diary?

Feng Qi turned his head to the side: "It's very troublesome!"

These words were meant for Feixue, but Feng Qi froze as he uttered them. Feixue, who should have been sticking close to him, was now bullying Xiao Hei and enjoying it immensely.

A strange feeling rose in his heart. Feng Qi shook his head, gave a self-deprecating laugh, and finally said nothing before closing his eyes.

...

Why did you give Huihui's diary to that reporter?

Faced with Xie Siyan's sudden questioning, Mo Ran lifted her head from the book. She put her index finger to her lips, a smile playing on her lips, and whispered, "The library, why are you making so much noise?"

Xie Siyan looked around impatiently before sitting down next to Mo Ran.

"I'm curious how you knew about the diary, and how you knew I gave it to that reporter," Mo Ran asked casually, turning her gaze back to the book.

"I naturally know the way."

"Watching me so late at night, shouldn't I feel honored?" Mo Ran smiled contemptuously. Xie Siyan's family lived right next to the Ran family's; it would be easy for him to monitor her. But how could he know that it was An Hui's diary?

Xie Siyan suddenly grabbed Mo Ran's chin and said with annoyance, "When she was alive, you competed with her for everything. Now that she's dead, do you still want to disturb her soul? Do you want to destroy her family?"

Mo Ran looked at him, staring into his eyes, a smile playing on her lips: "That's my home too, have you forgotten? How could I bear to destroy the home that brought me a peaceful life? How could I bear to give up this hard-won happiness?"

After staring at each other for more than ten seconds, Xie Siyan turned away from Mo Ran's face and finally disappeared through the door.

Mo Ran lazily slumped onto the table: "How could I bear to?" She lay there for a few minutes before standing up and walking to the library's huge floor-to-ceiling window.

Downstairs, Xie Siyan and a girl were slowly walking away.

Mo Ran revealed a meaningful smile.

Sunlight streamed through the light blue curtains, gently illuminating Mo Ran's face, like the caress of tender hands.

...

Mao Tingting walked with her head down, kicking small pebbles on the road as she went.

This was the first time she and Xie Siyan had walked alone on the school's tree-lined path; before, they were always the three of them together. Huihui would walk in the middle, one arm linked with Xie Siyan's, the other with hers. They would chat about silly girly topics—what happened in yesterday's TV drama, who got new clothes, how awful the teachers were. At these times, Xie Siyan would always scoff and laugh at them, calling them childish. But despite the jokes, every day after school, he would still stand at the classroom door calling their names: "Huihui, Xiaomao, why are you so slow?"

Those happy days seem like they were just yesterday, but now everything has changed.

She turned her head to look closely at Xie Siyan's expression.

His face had become much gloomy.

I used to be fascinated by boys with melancholic expressions in novels, TV shows, and comics. But when someone I like shows that expression, my heart aches terribly. I wish I could smooth away the gloom between their brows and in their eyes.

"Siyan, I shouldn't have told you that Huihui has a habit of keeping a diary."

Xie Siyan lowered his head, but ultimately shook it: "If you don't tell me, how will I know that woman would do such a thing?"

"Then, Siyan, do you really think Huihui committed suicide?"

“I don’t know, but no matter what, I don’t want a reporter to see Huihui’s diary. That’s her privacy. Xiao Mao, I’m leaving now.” After saying that, Xie Siyan waved to Mao Tingting with her back turned and quickened her pace to walk away.

Mao Tingting walked slower and slower, finally stopping in place and watching Xie Siyan walk away expressionlessly: "Why, won't you even look at me?"

Xie Siyan left Mao Tingting almost as if he were fleeing.

Whenever he was with Mao Tingting, he couldn't help but think of An Hui. If he could still feel hatred towards Mo Ran, he really didn't know how to face Mao Tingting. The days the three of them spent together, although they were always bickering and joking, now seemed like all happy memories.

Just now, as he walked along the tree-lined path with Mao Tingting, he thought of An Hui again. How happy they were back then; their biggest worry was just another pimple on their face. The first time he held An Hui's hand, the warmth of her palm still brought him happiness. Back then, Mo Ran hadn't yet entered their world. Back then, An Hui hadn't left him. Back then, he hadn't yet committed that unforgivable mistake.

Xie Siyan first met Mo Ran in the stairwell.

I had heard An Hui mention before that she had an older sister, but I never expected her to be such a frail-looking girl. She had light, long hair, wore dark black long-sleeved shirts and trousers, and was worryingly thin—a stark contrast to the round and lively An Hui. When Mo Ran saw him, she withdrew her hand from the door and gave him a polite nod and smile. Before he could ask anything, Mo Ran spoke first: "Are you Si Yan, the one An Hui mentioned? Hello, I'm her older sister, Ran Mo Ran."

Xie Siyan frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably ignored. But he still grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Hello, I'm Xie Siyan."

Mo Ran returned his smile with a gentle one: "Please guide me in the future."

The initial dissatisfaction was instantly soothed by her warm, spring-like smile, and a feeling of affection for this girl arose in his heart. She was such a beautiful girl. How naive he had been back then, to be deceived by Mo Ran's appearance and think she was a delicate girl.

Now, it's all in the past.

Whether it's good or bad, it's none of his business anymore.

He made up his mind on the day An Hui was cremated. He would forever keep those three words, Ran An Hui, deep in his heart, never forgetting them. But he would never let her influence his future life again. His life had only just begun; he didn't want to live his entire life in An Hui's shadow.

But how can a person's mood be controlled by willpower? Seeing Mao Tingting reminds me of An Hui, and thinking of An Hui brings a dull ache to my heart.

"Huihui, what exactly do you want from me?" Xie Siyan looked up at the blue sky.

"Can we talk?" With a cold voice, Cao Xiangui appeared in front of Xie Siyan.

"It's relentless." Xie Siyan frowned. "I don't have time."

"Let's talk about the person Ran Anhui likes."

Cao Xiangui was pleased to see Xie Siyan's wavering expression and said with a smile, "How about we go to the coffee shop next to your school?"

Feng Qi flipped through Ran Anhui's diary page by page. The diary entries were nothing more than daily trivialities and the petty romantic affairs between her and Xie Siyan. Suddenly, a feeling of voyeurism welled up in Feng Qi's heart. He was spying on a young girl's inner world. It felt uncomfortable, like a thief. This realization made him angrily close the diary and fall onto the bed. But after a while, he got up again, opened the diary, and began to read it again.

"I have no right to be willful," Feng Qi muttered to himself, forcing himself to focus on his diary once again.

May 1st sunny

My sister, Siyan, Tingting, and I are going to Hanyu Cave tomorrow. This cave is a recently developed stalactite cave, and it's said to be very beautiful inside.

My sister didn't want to go at first, but I dragged her along! You need to have many friends to be happy! I've always thought my sister was too withdrawn.

Hey, that sounds like so much fun! I'm totally looking forward to tomorrow's trip.

Light rain on May 8th

I had another nightmare today.

When I woke up, it was still dark and the room was pitch black.

I glanced at my sister sleeping on the floor. She was sleeping soundly. Was I really just dreaming? But if it was a dream, it felt too real.

Why do I always have strange dreams? Why do I always dream of a man whose face I can't see clearly? Who is that person?

May 9 sunny

I woke up in the middle of the night and, while I could still remember fragments of the dream, I quickly wrote them down.

I've never had such a vivid dream before, and now it's becoming more and more real. I dreamt that I was a young lady from a wealthy family, wearing a bright green dress, with bound feet, and maids following me everywhere I went. The men around me all had shaved foreheads and wore long braids.

The man said to me, "Miss, please come with me and leave this place..."

That man, that man, looks like someone.

Upon reading this, Feng Qi suddenly stopped and repeatedly read the two entries. Ran Anhui hadn't described her trip to Hanyu Cave. Based on his impression of Ran Anhui's diary entries, she was the kind of person who would even record something as simple as holding hands. Surely she wouldn't have missed mentioning a trip to Hanyu Cave with four peers.

Unless something happened that made Ran An Hui feel unhappy. But isn't a diary supposed to record everyday joys and sorrows? What exactly happened in the Cold Jade Cave that made Ran An Hui not write a single word about it?

Ran Anhui was also puzzled after returning from the Cold Jade Cave. She suddenly started having strange dreams?

Feng Qi scratched his head: "I'm even more confused now than if I hadn't read it. Ran Moran, why did you give me this diary?"

Heart's Edge Cafe next to Zhicheng Middle School.

Xie Siyan looked at the old man with impatience, his hand constantly stirring his coffee with a small spoon. The old man took a sip of water, smiled, and said, "I thought you were going to refuse me."

"I want to refuse you." Xie Siyan didn't understand why the old man was still bothering her when the police had already closed the case. The old man didn't know Ran Anhui, nor was he a policeman.

"How about we talk about the person Ran Anhui has fallen for?"

“There is no such person.” Xie Siyan interrupted Cao Xiangui without hesitation.

"Yeah?"

“I hope you will stop this harassment. You have no right to do this. You are digging into the privacy of a girl who has already died.” Xie Siyan looked at the old man with disgust.

After a moment of silence, the old man sighed: "I don't want any wrongful deaths."

“There’s no one who’s fallen for someone else. This is all just a lie that An Hui made up to break up with me. I’ve never seen any other man around her. Like I said, I hope you stop this pointless investigation, or I’m really going to call the police.”

"Do you know that Ran An Hui was murdered and remain indifferent? If so, I can completely suspect that you are the one who killed Ran An Hui!" Cao Xiangui stated coldly, determined to tear off Xie Siyan's indifferent facade.

"You keep saying that Huihui was murdered, did you see it?"

"You say Ran Anhui committed suicide, but who witnessed it?"

"Huihui is dead! The police have already said it was suicide. Why are you so annoying!"