Vampire Princess Guide in Progress - Volume 1 Chapter 38

Chapter 38: The Deep Bond Between Siblings

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It was already 8:40 PM.

She must have gone out in the afternoon and had been out for quite a long time. She had told her brother that she would be home around 9 PM, and that time was approaching. Although there wasn’t a strict curfew at home, she always made sure to return before 10 PM whenever she went out.

This was also why her classmates often called her a good girl, as she would always leave at a fixed time regardless of how much they tried to persuade her to stay longer.

This was something Lin Ruoxi, who spent almost all her time with her, naturally knew.

So Jiang Yueli said goodbye to her best friend, planning to take a taxi home to rest.

“Oh, that works. I’m actually reaching my physical limit too, my feet are so sore.” Lin Ruoxi walked ahead with her hands behind her back, gently flexing her ankles by pressing her toes against the ground. When she turned her head, her pretty, sparkling earrings swayed slightly.

Since Jiang Yueli had mentioned her brother, Lin Ruoxi couldn’t help but tease her with a mischievous smile.

“Hehe, our brother-complex sister of course has to listen to her brother and go home early. You’re always so concerned about your brother, you’re too good to him. Could it be… that the reason you say you don’t want to date is also because of this?”

“I don’t have a brother complex! It’s not like that… My brother is also very good to me, especially good.” Jiang Yueli quickly defended herself.

“Is that so? I remember that time when you were secretly crying with your head on your desk, wasn’t that because of something with your brother?” Lin Ruoxi still remembered how during that period, Jiang Yueli would come to school every day with red-rimmed eyes, as if she had just been crying.

Jiang Yueli blinked, then revealed a faint, calm smile and shook her head.

“That was already a year ago.”

“At that time, my brother had been in a car accident and was in a wheelchair when he was discharged from the hospital. After being told by the doctor that he would never be able to stand again, his mood at home was very unstable. At the worst times, he would throw things and hit his legs with sharp objects…”

“I’ve always lived with just my brother. Before the accident, he was a very popular boy, with a good personality and handsome looks, but after experiencing such a dramatic change… so when I saw him like that, I was really scared and didn’t know what to do.”

But no matter how frustrated and angry he was, her brother only ever vented his anger on himself, hating his useless legs. He never acted violently toward his sister, and even after the one and only time he yelled at her, his face immediately showed shock and regret.

Seeing his sister cry made him hate and despise himself even more.

So later, when Jiang Yueli felt sad and wanted to cry, she would always hide and cry secretly, afraid that her brother would find out. But even so, Jiang Yuxuan still found out. That period was probably the most difficult time for the siblings.

“So that’s why you would go home every day at noon during that time, afraid he might do something to himself?”

“Mm…” Jiang Yueli nodded, but quickly raised her face and smiled.

“But it’s much better now! My brother has found a job he can do from home, and he seems to have developed an interest in video games. As long as he can be optimistic about life again, I’m very happy. Oh! He even gave me a music box as a graduation gift.”

Jiang Yueli took out her phone and proudly showed Lin Ruoxi a photo of the music box.

In the photo was a pinkish music box full of girlish charm, looking very exquisite. The price probably wouldn’t be less than several hundred yuan. It was the kind of thing Jiang Yueli would press her face against a shop window to look at but wouldn’t buy for herself.

“I really don’t know how he knew I’ve always wanted one of these. Can brothers really read their sisters’ minds?”

“Pfft.” Lin Ruoxi couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s attempt to show off a little.

And now, Jiang Yueli’s final wish was probably for her brother to return to university someday.

Her brother’s academic performance had been very good, and he had attended the same prestigious university they had gotten into.

But because of the severe setback he had experienced, Jiang Yuxuan’s student status had been frozen on academic leave. In fact, part of the reason Jiang Yueli had enrolled in this university was to make it more convenient for her to take care of her brother’s daily needs.

She believed that her wish to attend university with her brother would definitely come true one day.

“Sigh. Well, things will gradually get better.”

After learning more about the siblings’ situation, Lin Ruoxi couldn’t help but sigh, thinking that they were truly a good brother and sister. The sister was sensible and well-behaved, and the brother loved his sister dearly. It was just that fate had been a bit too unfair to them.

“Well, bye then. I’m heading home now.” Jiang Yueli waved her hand lightly.

“Okay, I’m going home too. Be careful on your way. We can chat more about the graduation trip on our phones.”

“Mm-hmm!”

So the two young women parted at the shopping mall, each heading in opposite directions.

While standing at the plaza’s taxi stand waiting for a car, Jiang Yueli held her shopping bag and looked down at her phone, quickly typing a message to her brother, though she didn’t receive a reply right away.

Well, that was within her expectations.

“He’s probably too immersed in his game again. He definitely hasn’t had dinner yet. Should I buy something for him to eat on my way home…”

While Jiang Yueli was still thinking about bringing dinner home for her brother.

Suddenly, an emergency news alert popped up on her phone screen. Several news media accounts she followed quickly published communications, and she discovered that even Weibo’s hot search had over ten red-hot topics.

Even on the large screen of the plaza behind her, the display suddenly switched from clothing advertisements to a news broadcast.

“Huh, what’s going on…”

【Emergency News Update! As of 8:30 PM】

【Regarding the recent incidents of players going missing after playing a newly released, popular VR game, the event has caused an uproar on online platforms. Discussions about these disappearances have reached unprecedented levels across social media platforms. Various expert departments have urgently intervened, but the cause remains unknown. Please immediately alert any friends or family who have purchased the game to stop using VR gaming devices at once…】

【Currently, 8,763 people are known to be missing, and this number continues to increase rapidly as the situation escalates…】

VR gaming device, popular hit game…

World’s first virtual reality…

Jiang Yueli’s gaze was fixed on the various messages in the news and hot search topics, quickly scanning line by line. After confirming that this sudden explosion of topics across all network platforms wasn’t fake, her heart immediately tightened, and her fingertips holding the phone turned slightly white.

Disappearance, vanishing, mass incident, crossing over, case, various words floated through her mind continuously.

Wait, if she remembered correctly.

Before she left home, the name of the game her brother was preparing to play matched exactly with what was mentioned in the news…

— 《Floating Island: Fragments of the Stars》.

In an instant, seeing the chat box with Jiang Yuxuan not responding to her message, Jiang Yueli’s pupils trembled violently, and her breathing suddenly stopped.

“…Brother?”