I looked at the young woman on the livestream opposite me and smiled.
“Girl, you’re terrible at describing things. If it feels cool, just say it feels cool. Why call it ‘阴冷’—a bone-chilling cold?”
I was surprised too when I received these seven qipaos. Not only was the embroidery exquisitely fine, but the fabric was cool, smooth silk, its quality comparable to the finest white jade.
It felt so smooth and delicate to the touch, just like a baby’s skin… You could tell they were worth a fortune—not something a small tailor shop could make.And yet my sister gave me all seven!
I was a fashion blogger, so that night I immediately started a livestream to show off the qipaos like crazy.
The young woman on the livestream opposite me stared at the qipao I was wearing, her expression growing more and more unpleasant.
Maybe she was still young and couldn’t keep her cool after I snapped at her?
Only then did I notice the other streamer’s ID.
Chúc An: Face reading, fortune-telling, 999 per reading.
Face reading? Fortune-telling?
A young woman like her was already scamming people? 999 for a reading—that was pretty steep!
But that was the other livestream’s business. Every blogger had her own style, and maybe her fans liked this sort of thing.
I didn’t think much of it and tried to smooth things over. “Chúc An, I didn’t mean to snap at you just now. I was only…”
Before I could finish, Chúc An cut me off.
“Of the seven qipaos, how many have you worn?”
I froze and glanced over at the pile of qipaos tossed on the sofa.
“I’ve tried on four. I’m wearing the fifth now. Why?”
Qipaos were a hassle to put on and take off, and at first I hadn’t planned to try them all on.
But the viewers in my livestream were so enthusiastic in their demands that I decided to try them all after all.
I was exhausted by the time I got to the fifth one, so I sat down to rest for a bit. To make things more interactive, I randomly connected with another livestream.
And that person was Chúc An.
When she heard I’d only worn five, Chúc An visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she asked mysteriously, “You said your sister gave them to you, but I can tell from your face that you don’t have any biological siblings!”
I raised an eyebrow, instantly intrigued. Chúc An might actually know what she was doing!
“That’s right, she isn’t my biological sister. But she’s taken care of me since I was little and has always treated me well, so I consider her my sister.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the livestream exploded.
[Oh my God, is that for real? Is her fortune-telling really that accurate? Or did she hear the streamer say it earlier?]
[I’ve been a fan for years and never miss a livestream. I can say for sure the streamer has never mentioned that!]
[I’ve seen pictures of the streamer and her sister. They clearly look alike! How can they not be biological sisters?]
[If you grow up in the same house and live together for a long time, you start to look alike! Besides, they’re both beauties. It’s normal for them to look a little alike!]
Chúc An glanced at the comments and said slowly, “I’m afraid your sister isn’t alive.”
I almost laughed in anger and immediately shot back, “Chúc An, that’s not something you joke about. Do you really think I can’t tell whether my sister is alive or dead?”
The comments agreed with me.
[One second I was like: Oh my God, she’s a master! The next: Thanks, another scammer.]
[This is hilarious. She builds up the suspense, says a few vague things, and scams people out of their money! Now she’s telling someone their sister is dead!]
[You people are so shortsighted. That’s how she makes money—selling charms and magical trinkets. She’d make way more than 999!]
None of the comments fazed Chúc An. She kept a straight face and asked, “Does your sister rarely go out? And is she always completely covered from head to toe?”
I clenched my fists, suddenly remembering something.
My sister was always at home and never went out unless she had to.
But whenever she did go out, whether it was sunny or raining, she covered herself from head to toe.
Two months ago, during the 618 shopping festival, I bought so many things online that I couldn’t carry them all by myself.
I begged my sister to come with me to the parcel pickup station.
But after we picked up the packages, as we were going up the stairs, the bottom of one box ripped open.
The contents spilled all over the ground. They were all little odds and ends, and the two of us couldn’t carry them all even with four hands.
I suggested she take off her coat and use it to carry the things, since the building was out of the sun anyway.
But she absolutely refused. No matter what I said, she wouldn’t take off her coat. We almost got into an argument over it.
And in all my memories, I had never once seen any of her skin exposed. One memory after another made my disbelief begin to waver.
But… it still seemed far too absurd.
“If she isn’t alive, then what is she? A ghost?”
Chúc An shook her head. “A corpse woman. A corpse woman sheds her skin seven times. The shed skin is smooth and cool in summer, warm in winter.”
My heart lurched, and a bad feeling rose in me. “Are you saying these qipaos…”
“That’s right.”
Chúc An stopped beating around the bush. “They’re the seven qipaos she gave you!”
I shook my head over and over. “That’s impossible. It’s too absurd! It has to be fake.”
Seeing that I didn’t believe her, Chúc An changed tack.
“Whether you believe me or not, absolutely do not wear the last two. It’s not like you need those two dresses! As long as you never wear the last two, you’ll be safe!”
I had to admit, Chúc An’s reasoning made a lot of sense.
I didn’t need the last two dresses anyway. There was no reason to take a risk!
With that thought, I folded the two qipaos I hadn’t tried on and put them back in the bag.
When I was done, I rubbed my goose-bumped arms. “That scared me so much, I suddenly don’t think the qipaos are pretty anymore…”
The comments burst into laughter. Some people called me a coward, saying I’d fallen for that so easily.
Just then, a series of knocks sounded at the door.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
I jumped in fright. “Who is it?”
My sister’s gentle voice came from outside. “Xiao Yi, have you tried on all the qipaos I gave you?”
I instinctively looked at Chúc An.
Chúc An frowned and suggested, “Lie to her and get her to leave first. Find a way to take the qipaos and run. It’ll be trouble if she turns on you and gets physical!”
Why would I need to take the qipaos and run?
Chúc An’s words made me suspicious.
But I said nothing, pushed down my doubts, and pretended to be tired as I called out, “Sis, I’m sleepy. I’ll try the rest tomorrow…”
“No…” My sister’s voice cut sharply across my words.
The air fell silent for a second, then her voice softened again.
“Xiao Yi, these qipaos were made to order. If they don’t fit, they’ll need alterations. It’s hard to get an appointment with the tailor. Try them all on and see if they fit.”
Her words made me hesitate.
On one side was the bizarre talk of a stranger streaming online. On the other was my sister, who had taken care of me since I was little and treated me so well.
The scales in my heart tipped decisively in her favor. Just as I was about to answer, a comment caught my eye.
[Streamer, don’t wear them! All seven were custom-made for you. How could they be different sizes? If one fits, all seven fit. That excuse doesn’t make sense!]
That’s right! All seven were made to order. How could they possibly be different sizes?
So my sister was lying to me!
My failure to answer promptly made my sister outside the door grow anxious.
She kept calling, "“Xiao Yi, open the door for me. I’ll help you get dressed.”
“Xiao Yi… Hurry and open the door!”
The knocking grew more frantic, each pound making the whole doorframe tremble slightly.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, not daring to answer no matter how many times she called.
I didn’t know how long it was before the noise outside gradually died away.
I cautiously pressed my ear to the door to listen. Suddenly, I heard a pained cry.
My sister’s aggrieved voice rang out: “Xiao Yi, I was cutting fruit for you and accidentally cut my hand…”
In the stillness, I thought I could hear water dripping onto the floor.
“Drip, drip…”
I slowly crouched down and peered through the crack beneath the door. Drops of bright red blood fell onto the floor.
It was blood—bright red blood!