It was strange to hear a knock at this late hour, something that just didn't feel right.
Shi Hai thought for a moment and decided not to respond, pretending he was already asleep.
However, the knocking continued, insistent and unyielding.
Shi Hai still didn't respond.
After a little while, the persistent knocking came again.
"..."
It seemed that pretending to be asleep wasn't going to work.
His phone had died earlier, causing his music to stop playing, which was why he could hear the knocking.
Shi Hai took off his headphones, got up from bed, and walked over to open the door.
As expected, it was his sister, Shi Meng, who was knocking.
She seemed to know that bothering Shi Hai at such a late hour wasn't right, and with an apologetic look, she said, "I'm sorry... Did I wake you up, brother?"
"No, it's fine. I wasn't asleep."
Shi Meng nodded and then timidly asked, "Um... Can I come in?"
"Come in."
This was the first time Shi Hai had ever let a girl into his room so late at night.
Once inside, Shi Meng, just like Jian Sichun earlier, immediately sat on his bed and hugged his pillow.
It seemed girls really liked his pillow.
Shi Hai had no choice but to give up his bed and sit on the chair instead.
Shi Meng had already changed into her pajamas—a fluffy, dark gray set that looked soft and cozy, complete with a cat-eared hood.
She was also wearing tiny shorts underneath.
It was obvious that their mom had bought it, and Shi Meng looked absolutely adorable in it.
As Shi Hai watched Shi Meng sitting on his bed, he couldn't help but think of Jian Sichun earlier that day.
The images of the two girls overlapped in his mind, creating a strong sense of déjà vu.
This made Shi Hai even more certain—his sister was definitely one of the "other reborn individuals."
Tian Shui had mentioned that there were more than one reborn person.
If you interpreted her words further, it meant, "More reborn individuals will approach you."
Clearly, Shi Meng was the most obvious one.
And now she was visiting him in the middle of the night, probably to reveal some "secrets."
However, as a brother, Shi Hai's first concern was for his sister.
"Why aren't you sleeping? Can't fall asleep?"
"Mm…"
Shi Meng nodded obediently.
"Yeah... I'm having a hard time falling asleep..."
"Is it because you're not used to the new house yet?"
"No, it's not that."
Of course, that couldn't be it; the place Shi Meng was most familiar with was this very house.
She had lived here with Shi Hai for a long time.
Her trouble sleeping wasn't just an excuse; Shi Meng genuinely couldn't sleep, and she had a reason for it.
"I... can't sleep if I'm not watching you."
"Oh…?"
"It's like... I need to see you fall asleep first so that I can feel at ease and sleep too."
Shi Hai was a bit confused.
What kind of quirk was this?
Even if Shi Meng was a reborn individual, Shi Hai couldn't figure out how his future self and his sister interacted with each other.
Did they actually end up sleeping together?
Surely not, right?
Although, technically, they weren't blood-related.
Without blood relations, whether it's step-siblings from remarriages or adopted siblings, they could legally register and get a marriage certificate.
But Shi Hai didn't think they needed to think that far; their relationship wasn't necessarily like that.
Despite Shi Meng's strong attachment, it mostly felt like the kind of carefree closeness you'd find among family.
Shi Meng covered half her face with his pillow and asked, "So... can I stay here for a little while and watch you fall asleep?"
"Uh…"
Worried that Shi Hai might say no, Shi Meng hurriedly added a promise.
"I promise! I won't do anything to you! Once I see you fall asleep, I'll go back to my room!"
Shi Hai scratched his cheek, showing a troubled expression, and said:
"It's not that I don't want to agree with you, it's just that I'm the complete opposite... When someone's around, I actually can't fall asleep very well."
Shi Meng was well aware of this.
"I know, unless it's someone you completely trust, you won't fall asleep in front of others, right?"
"Right."
This was actually the main reason why Shi Hai didn't live in the dorms.
Shi Hai avoided losing consciousness around others.
That's why he didn't participate in many group activities during his freshman year.
Because if he went, he would be expected to drink alcohol, and Shi Hai had a body that made him sleepy after drinking.
But he didn't want to fall asleep in front of others, so he had to constantly splash water on his face to stay alert...
So, attending these events was a double torture for him, both mentally and physically.
Eventually, he just stopped going altogether.
Back to Shi Meng—though she was his sister, they had only just met today, so Shi Hai really couldn't feel at ease sleeping in front of her.
"I know you don't trust me enough yet, brother... but you're already pretty sleepy, aren't you?"
Shi Meng knew that Shi Hai was about to go to bed, which is why she came over at this time.
"A little, I guess... Haah..."
As he spoke, Shi Hai yawned.
His precise biological clock was telling him it was time to sleep.
Seeing that Shi Hai was indeed drowsy, Shi Meng smiled and made a suggestion.
"Then try to relax, brother. I'll sing you a lullaby to help you sleep."
"You can sing lullabies?"
A sister singing lullabies to her brother to help him sleep...
Is she even still a sister?
She's more like a mother than their actual mom.
"Yeah, I know a lot of songs."
And Shi Meng knew all of Shi Hai's favorite songs.
She even learned how to sing ethereal soprano melodies for this purpose.
"I see... but it's late, so no need to sing out loud. Just hum a little, and I'll try to fall asleep."
"Okay, then lie down first."
Shi Meng adjusted her brother's pillow, lifted the blanket, and straightened the sheets before patting the bed to signal Shi Hai to lie down.
So, the siblings switched places.
Shi Hai lay down on the bed, and Shi Meng sat in the chair.
After tucking him in, Shi Meng gazed at her brother's face, zoning out.
Shi Hai, confused, asked, "Shi Meng?"
"Brother, just call me Mengmeng."
"Alright... Mengmeng, you can start."
"Okay... Mmm~"
Shi Hai closed his eyes, listening to the melody hummed by Shi Meng, trying to fall asleep quickly.
Anything that needed to be said could wait until tomorrow...
But just as he was about to drift off, his sister's humming abruptly stopped.
The next second, Shi Hai felt his body being pinned down...
He opened his eyes to find his sister lying on top of him.
Furrowing his brows in confusion, he then heard Shi Meng plead in a voice filled with fear.
"Wait... Brother, please don't sleep yet... You shouldn't sleep..."
"Uh..."
First, she was trying to lull him to sleep, and now she was telling him not to.
Shi Hai was truly baffled.
What on earth was going through his sister's mind?
She's such a mystery...
But her next words gave him the answer.
"Even though I know it hasn't come to that yet..."
"But I'm really scared..."
"I'm scared that if you sleep, you won't wake up..."
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