"Alright, let's go!" Su Yuan patted his backside and stood up swiftly.

  "Where do you think you're going?" Xia Dong blocked their way, pointing at the pstic bag on the table and said firmly, "It's dinner time, and I've just bought groceries. You two are staying for dinner tonight!"

  Song Xiaoxia was tempted but shook her head decisively after gncing at the clock, "No, Mom, evening self-study is about to start, and you still have to cook. There's not enough time."

  Su Yuan also checked the time.

  Indeed, they had spent too long at Mao Houwang's pce, and now there were less than forty minutes until seven o'clock.

  "What self-study?" Xia Dong looked at Song Xiaoxia, "Do you actually study during evening self-study?"

  Song Xiaoxia shook her head honestly.

  Then, Xia Dong turned to Su Yuan, "Are you in the same css as our Xiaoxia?"

  Su Yuan nodded.

  "Then it's settled!" Xia Dong took out her phone, pretending to make a call, "Going to evening self-study is just an excuse to py on your phone elsewhere. I'll call in sick for you, saying you both have food poisoning. You're having dinner here tonight!"

  Su Yuan was moved to tears, what an understanding parent!

  "No," Song Xiaoxia insisted, "I can't skip evening self-study today."

  "Why not?" Xia Dong was puzzled, her daughter should be thrilled to skip evening self-study.

  Song Xiaoxia didn't want to expin and couldn't, her eyes dimming slightly, "I really can't skip, there's... something important."

  Su Yuan was silent for a moment, then softly said, "Auntie, tonight... there really is something, we can't skip."

  Xia Dong looked at them skeptically, finally nodding reluctantly, "Alright, you stubborn girl, you rarely come home, can't you stay a bit longer?"

  "Mom~" Song Xiaoxia hugged Xia Dong's arm, acting coy, "I come home every week, how is that rare?"

  "Two days a week, and that's not long?" Xia Dong scolded, "I say, your school is too strict, forcing you to stay on campus when home is so close..."

  "Stop it, it's already Wednesday, I'll be back the night after tomorrow." Song Xiaoxia shook Xia Dong's arm, continuing to act coy.

  "Alright, alright." Xia Dong couldn't resist her, so she smiled warmly, "Wait here for a bit, I'll pack some snacks for you to take to school."

  "Thanks, Mom." Song Xiaoxia smiled sweetly.

  Outside, the rain poured down, but inside, it was warm and peaceful.

  Xia Dong was in the inner room packing her daughter's favorite snacks.

  Song Xiaoxia squatted on the floor, pinching her younger sister's cheeks, "Did you miss your sister? Hmm?"

  "I missed sister!" The little one giggled.

  Watching this scene, Su Yuan felt a bit dazed.

  If that incident hadn't happened, if he and Song Xiaoxia had just sneaked out to py...

  Then they would be having dinner here together tonight.

  After dinner, Song Xiaoxia would probably take a comfortable hot shower, then chat with her mom in the living room.

  The TV would be pying shows the mother and daughter loved.

  Occasionally teasing the younger sister.

  And then, ordering a few cups of tea with milk.

  At night, they might even order some fried chicken for a te-night snack.

  Song Xiaoxia would deliberately smear ketchup on her sister's nose.

  The mother and daughters would ugh and chat, warm and happy.

  As for himself...

  He would probably find an internet cafe to py games all night.

  His younger sister would sit in the next seat, loudly giving directions.

  Then they'd buy some co and Red Bull, and some skewers.

  And send pictures to those idiots in the dorm.

  Make them jealous!

  How nice...

  Before long, Xia Dong came out with two rge bags of snacks.

  She handed the bulging pstic bags to the two of them.

  Su Yuan was surprised to find he had a share, accepting it with some surprise, "Thank you, Auntie."

  Song Xiaoxia took the snacks, pouting, "Mom, this is too much, I'll be back the day after tomorrow, how can I finish it all?"

  Xia Dong shrugged, "So what, if you can't finish, share with your cssmates."

  "Alright." Song Xiaoxia nodded helplessly, opened the door, and turned back to say,

  "I'm leaving, Mom."

  "Go on, go on." Xia Dong waved her hand, pretending to be impatient, then smiled at Su Yuan, "You're... Su Yuan, right? You're welcome to visit again!"

  "Okay." Su Yuan nodded seriously, not just being polite.

  He really liked the atmosphere of this family.

  As the door closed, Song Xiaodong's soft voice came from inside, "Goodbye, brother and sister!"

  Su Yuan couldn't help but ugh, "Your sister is quite cute."

  "Of course, she's my sister after all," Song Xiaoxia said proudly, lifting her head.

  The rain was getting heavier...

  The two walked out of the community under an umbrel, the atmosphere suddenly turning silent.

  "Actually, if it weren't for that incident, you really should have tried my mom's cooking today. Her chicken soup is amazing..." Song Xiaoxia lowered her head, her mood turning somber.

  "It's okay." Su Yuan looked at her, "There will be another chance."

  "Will there?" Song Xiaoxia's eyes dimmed, "Where were we in our conversation?"

  Su Yuan thought for a moment, "You said you don't bme me, you just feel..."

  "Right." Song Xiaoxia nodded slightly, her mood suddenly becoming agitated, "I just feel that everything is too terrifying, Su Yuan."

  "What happened at Mao Houwang's house earlier was exactly like what we experienced at school yesterday. What do you think that means?"

  Su Yuan's expression shifted, "Those who know about the supernatural might get drawn into it."

  "Exactly!" Song Xiaoxia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "This is nothing like the supernatural we know from movies and myths. It has intelligence, it can not only kill but also completely erase a person's existence, and it drags those who know into the supernatural."

  "It's terrifying... it's like a god, something we can't possibly resist... can we really survive?" Song Xiaoxia's face showed a hint of despair.

  "I don't think so." Su Yuan said, "What do you think the goal of the bloody writing is?"

  "To kill us?"

  "Yes." Su Yuan nodded, "The supernatural has such incredible powers, but the 'family members' couldn't even open a dormitory door. This means there must be some rules limiting and countering the supernatural, otherwise, not only would we die, but the world should have been destroyed, right?"

  "What we need to do now is complete the game of the bloody writing, slowly, we will definitely find a way to survive."

  Song Xiaoxia slowly lifted her head, a glimmer of hope in her eyes, "Really?"

  "Really!" Su Yuan said firmly.

  The two walked under the umbrel, navigating the bustling street, with the occasional sound of car horns in their ears.

  Feeling a bit better, Song Xiaoxia took an MP3 out of her pocket, plugged in the earphones, and handed one to Su Yuan, "Want to listen to some music?"

  Su Yuan took it and put it in his ear.

  A girl's clear and sweet voice came through the earphones, and Su Yuan found the voice somewhat familiar.

  After a while, he turned his head in surprise, "Is this you singing?"

  "Yeah." Song Xiaoxia nodded lightly, lifting her chin with a bit of pride, "I found it in the room earlier, I recorded it myself. How is it, does it sound good?"

  The rain continued to fall, with a cool evening breeze blowing occasionally, causing Song Xiaoxia's long hair to flutter in the wind, brushing against Su Yuan's nose.

  "It sounds good." Su Yuan listened intently.

  He wasn't just fttering her; although Css Ten's students didn't excel academically, many had their own talents.

  Song Xiaoxia's talent was singing, and she had even participated in city singing competitions, winning several awards.

  Hearing Su Yuan's compliment, Song Xiaoxia felt a bit smug, her eyes curving with delight.

  As night slowly descended, the streetlights and the lights of countless homes began to illuminate.

  The two slowly made their way back to school...

  Under the streetlights, their shadows stretched long, until they disappeared.