A gray hue plastered the sky as rain season was here. From time to time, a strong shower would occur.
Thunder sounded from afar, approaching them as the dull roar grew louder.
“Eh?” Xiang Yi was taken aback, unable to believe it. Finally snapping back to reality, she said: “Brother… you mean, that person’s appearance wasn’t an accident?”
“Behind all coincidences exists an inevitability. According to the rules of this ‘system’ you mentioned, only souls on the verge of life and death can be selected. But you technically do not conform to this rule. Because you were injured, but it wasn’t serious.”
A year ago, Xiang Yi was in a car accident and passed out on the spot. A couple hours later, she awoke with only minor external wounds.
Xiang Yi frowned, trying to follow her second brother’s train of thought. “So you’re saying I might not be the person that was originally chosen to transmigrate…”
“That’s right. Or maybe you unconsciously became someone else’s scapegoat. Thinking back, not every universe you travelled through was safe, right? Body injury is a small matter, but if your soul was wiped out, you will disappear forever.”
“I see where you’re coming from. If it was just a vocational transmigration around the world, then the trip was a reward. But if it was full of life threatening tasks, somebody might not have been willing to accept it.”
A gust of wind blew over, and Xiang Yi suddenly felt a slight chill.
Xiang Li stopped mid-sentence for a few seconds, then took off his jacket and placed it over his sister’s shoulders.
“This is just my analysis, but there is no proof. Take it with a grain of salt.”
The girl’s eyes fell on her brother’s right hand and held her breath.
If her brother’s deductions were right, maybe that person will occupy her body again…
What if her brother gets hurt again?!
Suddenly she felt a light tap on her back as her brother’s gentle voice sounded in her ears. “Don’t hold your breath, what if you knock yourself out?”
Xiang Yi felt her nose crinkle. He even remembers her little habits…
“Big brother, let’s make a secret signal. If one day I can’t answer, then you must not trust anything that ‘Xiang Yi’ says, and do not make any sacrifices for her.”
Xiang Yi tried hard to force a smile, but it was uglier than crying.
The family members she loved so much had been trampled on by such a feverish individual…
And this might not be an accident but a trap.
“If you can’t smile, then don’t.” Xiang Li pinched her cheeks and mumbled. “Why don’t you cry for a bit? No rush, your brother has time. You can cry all you like.”
He was trying really, really hard to console her.
“How about you cry for five minute?”
“I’ll watch the time for you?”
Xiang Yi couldn’t help but smile at his attempts. As she laughed, her eyes turned red. “Big brother, you’re still awful at coddling people.”
“Then our secret signal can be the words ‘five minutes’?”
“Okay.”
Once the siblings talked everything through, Xiang Yi felt more at ease.
It was as if she had been floating in a void all this time, but finally found a foothold.
Steadily, it supported her. She would never have to worry about having nowhere to retreat to.
“Oh right, how did elder brother realize something was wrong?” Xiang Yi remembered the contract that her oldest brother had forced ‘that person’ to sign. The matter was dealt with in fine detail. Although it seemed immature, he was able to restrict the nonsense ‘that person’ had tried to cause.
To put it simply, they could get away with a misdemeanor, but anything that was a big deal was prevented.
Xiang Li shook his head. “I’m not sure, but something very, very bad must have happened…”