CHAPTER 148: TEASING

Hearing the concerned voices of her parents, Qi Jianyi immediately felt a sense of calm settle over her. She took a deep breath, steadying herself as she slowly tried to open her eyes.

When she first heard her mother’s gentle voice calling out to her, Qi Jianyi had an overwhelming realization—she wasn’t dead. She had truly returned to the world she once knew, the world that belonged to her.

All she had to do now was open her eyes and return to reality. It seemed like such a simple task, but in truth, it felt impossibly heavy.

Every inch of her body felt paralyzed, as though the weight of her emotions lingered on her soul, holding her back from the light.

Sensing her daughter’s calming state, Mother Qi seized the opportunity to whisper words of comfort and assurance to her.

"Jianyi, my dear," she said softly, her voice trembling with tenderness. "Don’t be afraid. You’re stronger than those bad people in your dreams. They’re nothing but illusions—just figments of your imagination. It’s all right, darling. I’m right here with you." Mother Qi’s voice, rich with both concern and warmth, wrapped around Qi Jianyi like a comforting embrace.

Despite the worries threaded through her words, there was a firmness in her tone that Qi Jianyi desperately needed to hear. It was the unwavering reassurance that, no matter how twisted the nightmare had been, her mother was here, standing by her side.

How could Qi Jianyi not hear her mother’s soothing words? They touched something deep within her, stirring emotions she hadn’t realized were still alive. The thought of her parents, waiting for her to wake up, filled her heart with an intense longing.

The more she heard her mother’s voice, the more determined she became to break free from the chains of the nightmare.

It was as though a flicker of light had suddenly appeared—like the faint glow of a candle that had been lit in the darkness, offering just enough brightness to pierce through the suffocating blackness surrounding her.

That flicker became a crack in the world she had been trapped in, a crack she could reach for. Qi Jianyi grasped that fragile flame with all the strength she could muster, feeling the warmth of it as it sparked a fire inside her.

That fire surged through the dark space she had been imprisoned in, burning away the fear, the sorrow, and the shadows that held her captive.

The fire didn’t burn her. It couldn’t. Because, in truth, none of it was real. The nightmare—every terrifying detail—was just a creation of her mind. A creation of her own fears, her own unresolved emotions, and the secrets she had buried so deeply within herself.

It had no power over her now.

The only thing that was real—the only thing that mattered—was the warm, gentle touch of her mother’s hand, which she could barely feel, and the reassuring sound of her voice, which she could barely hear, but which felt like the most sacred thing in the world.

This darkness, this fearsome place where she had been trapped, was not real. It was nothing more than a figment of her own imagination. A nightmare born from her own insecurities, from her own pain.

It was time to face it. It was time to let it go.

As the fire spread, engulfing the last remnants of her nightmare, Qi Jianyi felt the walls of the illusion crumble away. The world that had seemed so distant, so unreachable, now felt much closer. The voices that had been distant whispers, unclear and muffled, began to sharpen and take form.

The heavy, paralyzed state of her body, the stiffness that had kept her from moving, began to loosen, and she could feel herself slowly returning to the present.

And then, with one final, powerful surge of strength, Qi Jianyi opened her eyes. Slowly, but surely, she returned to the world she had always belonged to—the world of light, of warmth, and, most importantly, the world where her parents were waiting for her, just as they had always been.

...

One week later.

"Why are you staring at the wall, sister?" A sweet, curious voice broke through the fog of Qi Jianyi’s thoughts, pulling her out of her dreamlike state.

Lifting her head, Qi Jianyi found her little sister, Qi Jianning, standing in front of her with a bright, cheerful smile on her face. The sight of her sister’s energy was a stark contrast to the quiet contemplation that had occupied Qi Jianyi’s mind moments before.

With a playful glint in her eyes, Qi Jianyi chuckled softly and tilted her head, a mischievous grin forming on her lips.

"I was just thinking about where to sell you," she teased, settling back into the couch with a comfortable, almost lazy posture.

At the sound of her sister’s reply, Qi Jianning rolled her eyes dramatically, clearly unimpressed. She sat down next to Qi Jianyi with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Tsk," she muttered, the exasperation in her voice almost comical. "You can keep dreaming, sister. There’s no way mom and dad will let you sell me."

"Oh, really?" Qi Jianyi raised an eyebrow, refusing to back down. She leaned closer to her sister, a gleam of mischief in her eyes. "Are you sure? Do you want to test it?"

Qi Jianning’s eyes narrowed in playful defiance, the challenge sparking something in her. Despite herself, she puffed her cheeks out in mock indignation, crossing her arms even tighter. "There’s no way they’d agree to something as stupid as that, you know."

Qi Jianyi smirked, relishing the moment as she continued to egg her sister on. The more smug and confident she acted, the more Qi Jianning seemed determined to win their little game of words.

"Huh, you really think we live in ancient times?" Qi Jianning scoffed, trying to sound dismissive as she leaned back with an exaggerated sigh.

"Do you honestly think mom and dad would sell their daughter for a few pennies of silver, just to be some poor slave? Sister, seriously, grow up!" Her sister’s words were bold, but Qi Jianyi could see the flicker of doubt in her eyes.

The smugness in Qi Jianyi’s expression only grew, as a sense of victory began to blossom in her chest. ’As expected,’ she thought to herself. ’This sister of mine is still as clueless as ever.’

With a sly smile, Qi Jianyi leaned in a little closer, her voice low but full of challenge.

"Then, if you don’t believe me... why don’t you go ask mom and dad?" Her tone was so confident, so certain, that it seemed to catch Qi Jianning off guard.

For a moment, Qi Jianning stared at her, blinking in surprise. The confident gleam in Qi Jianyi’s eyes made her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t sure why her sister sounded so certain—where was all this confidence coming from?

Was she serious? Her mind raced as she considered the possibility that Qi Jianyi might be playing a bigger trick on her than she’d first thought. Qi Jianning hesitated, her bravado faltering as she realized the trap she might have walked right into.

Her sister had a knack for getting under her skin, and now it seemed like Qi Jianyi was winning, hands down. Her face flushed slightly as she stammered, "W-well... no! You’re just playing around! There’s no way!"

But despite her protest, Qi Jianyi’s victorious grin only grew wider, the sense of triumph gleaming in her eyes. ’Gotcha,’ she thought, basking in the sweet satisfaction of having outwitted her little sister once again.

"What are you two talking about?" The sound of Mother Qi’s voice broke through the light-hearted tension, a soothing presence that felt like a warm ray of sunshine piercing through the heavy fog of Qi Jianning’s mind.

It was as if salvation had arrived, rescuing her from the incessant teasing of her older sister, the little devil known as ’Qi Jianyi.’

"Mom! My sister is teasing me again!" Seizing the chance, Qi Jianning quickly pounced on the opportunity to complain, her voice filled with exaggerated indignation.

She hopped to her feet and swiftly positioned herself behind her mother, as if seeking refuge from her sister’s playful torment.

Qi Jianyi, watching her sister’s dramatic display with an amused smirk, rolled her eyes. She wasn’t about to back down, though.

The teasing had started as a harmless joke, but now, she was determined to get her mother’s support. If she was going to be accused, at least she wanted her side of the story to be heard. As if she was not the one who began the impossible banter.

"Oh, really?" Mother Qi asked, her tone light but laced with curiosity, her eyes twinkling as she turned toward her eldest daughter.

She knew very well that Qi Jianyi had probably said something ridiculous, but there was a certain charm in watching her girls squabble.

"What did your sister say this time?" Qi Jianyi straightened up, her lips curling into a mischievous smile as she prepared to give her version of the tale.

Her playful teasing was one thing, but now she wanted to make sure her mother knew she was just having fun.

After all, it wasn’t like she was truly going to sell her sister.

With an exaggerated huff, Qi Jianning puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance, fully embracing the role of the wronged victim.

"She said she wants to sell me!" she whined, her voice dripping with exaggerated outrage. "Huh, does she think we’re living in ancient times or something? Where you can just sell your own child for a few pennies of silver?"

Qi Jianning’s little face scrunched up as she crossed her arms, clearly upset by her sister’s teasing. She was trying her best to play the part of the wronged party, but the playfulness in her voice couldn’t completely mask her affection for her sister.

Mother Qi, who had been trying not to smile at her daughters’ antics, let out a small laugh. She had been a mother long enough to know how her girls could get, and it was always so entertaining to watch them bicker in such innocent ways.

With a playful glint in her eyes, she glanced at Qi Jianyi, raising an eyebrow in mock disapproval. "Well, I don’t know," Mother Qi began, her voice teasing but warm. "It sounds like you might have a point. Maybe we should sell you off to the highest bidder. What do you think, Jianyi?"

Qi Jianyi’s face lit up with a triumphant grin at the unexpected support from her mother, while Qi Jianning’s face fell in mock horror, clearly not expecting her mother to join in on the joke. It seemed that for now, the little sister’s complaint wasn’t going to get her anywhere.

"Mom!" Qi Jianning exclaimed, her voice full of mock grievance, earning an immediate burst of laughter from both her mother and Qi Jianyi.

"Stupid as always," Qi Jianyi teased with a grin, her laughter still echoing in the air as she reached out and lightly knocked her sister’s head with a playful tap.

Qi Jianning, clearly offended but unable to hide her smile, clicked her tongue in annoyance and shot her sister a pointed glare. She puffed out her cheeks in a dramatic pout before standing up from the couch, her eyes narrowing in mock disdain.

"Humph! I don’t want to play with you anymore!" With those words, she turned and stormed off, her footsteps quick and exaggerated as she made her way toward her bedroom.

The moment she disappeared from the room, both Mother Qi and Qi Jianyi burst into a fit of laughter, their joyful sounds filling the space.

The scene was familiar, filled with the warmth of sibling teasing and the love that underpinned it, leaving the house feeling just a little bit brighter.