"Little sister... you... sleep."
Yao didn't quite understand why Zhou Niannian wanted to go to the bathroom with him.
Jiang Fan had been woken up by Zhou Niannian's movements.
He initially thought she was just going to the restroom, but then he heard her talking for a long time.
Her hushed voice was too low for him to pay attention, assuming she was talking in her sleep and just wanted to go to the toilet. But then he heard Yao talking to himself.
Going out with someone?
But "Little Sister" was still lying next to him, lightly snoring?!
Clearly realizing this, under the night sky, Jiang Fan's eyes snapped open. He found only "Little Sister" lying there!
What was going on?!
In the jungle, the night sky was illuminated by scattered specks of light, creating a dreamlike scene.
Light emanated from all directions, as if a beautiful lantern festival was underway, with a lively spectacle everywhere.
Zhou Niannian walked nimbly through the jungle, feeling as though the path today was remarkably easy.
Whether it was small hills or coiled vines, she could navigate them smoothly without any difficulty.
This thought filled Zhou Niannian with an overflowing confidence.
She felt like an experienced explorer, making her way through the jungle.
Just like Jiang Fan.
This thought, accompanied by a hint of barely perceptible joy, sprouted in her heart.
A wonderfully beautiful smile even graced Zhou Niannian's face.
As she was thinking this, a voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
"Do you like him?"
It was "Little Sister," and the sudden question startled Zhou Niannian.
"What? Jiang Fan? No, of course I don't like him!"
She denied it immediately, but the other person was stifling a laugh.
"But I didn't mention his name."
"...Cough cough! How could you trick me like this?"
Zhou Niannian chided playfully.
But perhaps it was the enchanting atmosphere of the jungle, or perhaps she had had a little too much to drink, making her bolder.
She found herself talking more.
"Alright, I admit, it's true... just a little bit."
"Don't get any wrong ideas, it's only a tiny bit!"
Emphasizing this point, Zhou Niannian continued.
"Actually, at first, I thought this man was quite unreasonable, to be so ruthless as to kick me off the plane. But then again, the situation was urgent, and in a real survival scenario, my actions were indeed blocking others' paths."
"Sigh... how to put it, I just feel that this man, his mouth is so sharp, he can really infuriate you to death sometimes!"
"But more often than not, he's quite dependable, rational, reliable, and strong."
"At least... at least in terms of wilderness survival, he's truly omnipotent to the point of being admirable."
She was talking more than usual, and her face was flushing slightly.
Having said this, Zhou Niannian took a deep breath. Facing the glowing lanterns, she looked at "Little Sister" with a mixture of trepidation and inquiry in her eyes.
"You say, is this liking?"
"Of course, with someone like him, is there any reason not to like him?"
'Little Sister' wore a smile, appearing somewhat curious.
"But if you truly want to be with him, you are indeed lacking in a certain aspect. You don't understand wilderness survival."
"Unless there's a way to compensate for your shortcomings. Otherwise, that straightforward guy... might not pay much attention to you."
The other person's words were subtly manipulative, and yet it was her close sister.
Zhou Niannian's mind was completely absorbed by what was being said, failing to notice the changes around her.
The bright lanterns were oriented towards Zhou Niannian, emitting fine wisps of smoke.
Under the cloak of night, the smoke was not obvious, nor was it easy to detect.
At least Zhou Niannian didn't notice, leaning forward slightly, her eyes filled with longing.
"What way?!"
'Little Sister' didn't reply, merely smiled.
The smile was placid, the kind Zhou Niannian favored most.
But in the night, it held a touch of eeriness.
Zhou Niannian didn't overthink it, and pressed on.
"Oh, we're good sisters, just tell me! If you keep me in suspense, I'll have to punish you."
She still made a grabbing motion as if to tickle, just like before.
'Little Sister' remained silent.
She simply stood still, as if waiting for something.
Her figure was gradually enveloped and covered by the white mist, becoming indistinct.
For some reason, Zhou Niannian couldn't perceive anything amiss. She even took a step forward, muttering,
"It seems to be quite foggy tonight. Didn't you say you needed to go to the bathroom? You might as well tell me that method."
She waved away the white mist in front of her, feeling puzzled by the silence from "Little Sister."
Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly heard "Little Sister's" voice, coming from her left, sounding somewhat anxious.
"Sister Zhou! What are you standing there for!"
The sudden change in direction confused Zhou Niannian.
She looked towards the direction of the voice, then back towards where 'Little Sister' had been standing, pointing strangely.
"Little Sister? How did you... get from here to there?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her body was suddenly turned.
Jiang Fan stood directly in front of her, his expression serious and earnest. He held up two fingers and asked,
"Zhou Niannian! How many fingers do you see?"
"Two, what's wrong..."
Zhou Niannian vaguely sensed that something was amiss, and frowned.
Standing before her was the person she had just admitted to liking, and she felt somewhat unaccustomed to being so close to him.
But her body was held firm, and she couldn't escape.
As she tried to turn her body, Jiang Fan increased the pressure on his hands. Fortunately, he had been controlling it within her tolerance.
"Hiss— what exactly is going on?"
"You... you went out alone just now."
"Little Sister" stepped forward worriedly, explaining.
She too had been startled awake and had heard Zhou Niannian's conversation with Yao. Yet, she had been sleeping the entire time and hadn't left.
She hadn't shaken Zhou Niannian awake, nor had she said she was going to the bathroom and asked Zhou Niannian to accompany her.
But her explanation felt like a massive bomb dropping into Zhou Niannian's heart.
"What?!"
The words escaped her lips, and her heart began to race.
Since "Little Sister" hadn't gone out, then who had she been with just now?
The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.
In the jungle, Zhou Niannian suddenly felt a chill.
A cold sensation snaked up her spine to her forehead, chilling her to the bone and making her spirit soar with dread.
"Zhou..."
"Wait! Let me have a moment!"
Zhou Niannian raised a hand to stop Jiang Fan, took a deep breath, her head throbbing, feeling utterly unwell.
She was on the verge of breaking down, her voice trembling.
In this underground realm, things were far from what they seemed.
Jiang Fan hadn't expected such strange occurrences to happen in this underground world.
Yet, this was underground.
Whether it was the upstream waterfall or the golden sea above, these were things that defied logic from an external perspective.
The appearance of something that didn't exist might seem normal.
But Zhou Niannian clearly didn't think so.
She spoke with difficulty.
"Then... are you all... real?"