After the coming-of-age ceremony, the Lin household outwardly returned to a deathly silence, but to Yu'an, every particle of dust in the air carried the scent of gunpowder. Yuhan and Yuxi no longer hid their rivalry; their struggle had moved from the shadows into the open, completely shattering Yu'an's private space.
1. War Under the Desk
At school, to maintain the facade of a "normal family," the three still came and went together. Yet in the quiet reading room of the library, with Yu'an seated between the two sisters, he felt like a piece of raw meat being torn apart.
Yuhan flipped through her textbook, but her left hand under the desk gripped Yu'an's hand tightly, nails digging into his flesh—an unspoken, bloody confession reminding him of the promise he made in bed the night before. On his right, Yuxi rested her chin on her hand, casually gazing out the window, while her long leg under the desk brazenly hooked around Yu'an's ankle, her toes slowly climbing up his calf, stirring waves of restless tingling.
Yu'an stared at the geometry problem before him; the lines twisted in his eyes into a massive web. He wanted to pull away and leave, but the simultaneous increase in pressure from both sides made it clear—he had even lost the right to stand up.
2. The "Trio Dance" in the Room
The boundaries at home had completely vanished. Yu'an discovered that his room was no longer a sanctuary, but an unlocked theater.
Late at night, Yuhan would enter with warm milk, sit by his bed, and massage his temples with that morbid gentleness. Her fingers lightly traced the corners of his eyes as she murmured, "An, only I can calm you, right?"
But within ten minutes, Yuxi would push the door open, holding their old photo album, and forcefully squeeze into the other side of the bed. She would point at the indistinguishable three figures in childhood photos and let out a piercing laugh: "An, look, big sister already wanted to hide you back then. But it's fine—I’ll capture all of you on film and keep you forever on the negative."
They argued about childhood memories on Yu'an's bed, while their hands and feet clashed over his body. Lying in the middle, listening to two identical faces emit utterly different yet equally frenzied voices, Yu'an felt his soul being torn in half.
3. On the Brink of Collapse
This twenty-four-hour nonstop "double existence" finally pushed Yu'an to the breaking point.
One afternoon after lunch, Yu'an hid in the bathroom seeking a moment of peace. Staring at himself in the mirror, his eyes looked hollow and anxious from prolonged insomnia and mental stress.
"Knock, knock." Two overlapping knocks.
"An, I brought you a change of clothes." It was Yuhan's voice. "An, I'm outside too—which door do you want to open first?" came Yuxi's teasing.
Yu'an looked into the mirror as the pent-up pressure in his mind exploded. He swung his fist and smashed the mirror with a loud "bang." The surface shattered into countless tiny crystals, each fragment reflecting his distorted face.
4. Shattered Reflections
"Get out! Both of you, get out!" Yu'an roared, his voice breaking with sobs.
The commotion outside fell silent instantly. When Yuhan and Yuxi pushed the door open together, the sight before them froze them in place—the boy whose eyes had once been bright and who always smiled gently behind the camera now slumped against the wall, blood streaming between his fingers and staining the white sink red.
"An…" Yuhan reacted first, letting out a heartbroken cry. She rushed forward, kneeling on the floor, trembling as she tried to hold his hand, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, it's all big sister's fault… I'm sorry…"
Yuxi's face turned pale, her once-provocative gaze instantly crumbling. She stared at those injured hands—the same hands that usually took photos for them and made breakfast for them—now bloodied and mangled because of their rivalry. Frozen in the doorway, her palms cold, she felt for the first time the bone-deep terror of having broken something she loved.
5. The Sisters' Aftermath
Yu'an was rushed to the clinic by their parents for bandaging. Only Yuhan and Yuxi remained in the living room.
The sisters who had once been inseparable and shared every secret now sat facing each other across the blood-stained sofa. Yuxi looked at Yuhan and saw her elder sister's swollen eyes and disheveled hair; Yuhan looked at Yuxi and saw the regret her younger sister could not hide.
"What are we even doing?" Yuxi spoke first, her voice hoarse. "We almost killed him… or killed ourselves."
"I thought I could have him all to myself, but I forgot—he can feel pain too." Yuhan covered her face, her shoulders shaking violently. "Xi, I miss the old days… when the three of us shared a single cake without having to guard against each other."
That night, the two sisters talked for a long time in the dark. They wept as they recalled their childhood and the younger brother who had once been their whole world. They realized that if they continued this struggle, they would only end up with an empty shell that had lost its soul.
"Let's make an agreement," Yuhan said, wiping away her tears, her eyes filled with unwavering resolve. "Until An recovers, we won't pressure him or test him again."
6. A Common Enemy
However, this fragile peace did not last long.
The following week, back at school, a classmate named Lin Xiaojie broke the deadlock. Xiaojie was the class's literature and arts representative, with a pure appearance, and she showed great enthusiasm and concern for the injured Yu'an.
"Yu'an, does your hand still hurt? I copied these notes for you." Xiaojie stood in front of Yu'an's desk, her tone gentle, even naturally reaching out to check his wound.
Hiding at the back of the classroom, Yuhan and Yuxi simultaneously felt a chill run down their spines—that primal predatory instinct shared through their genes.
"Who is that woman?" Yuxi narrowed her eyes, the regret in her gaze instantly replaced by a cold killing intent. "The way she looks at An… it's not right." Yuhan's fingers clenched tightly under the desk, her voice low and terrifying.
7. United Against the Outside
On the way home after school, Xiaojie tried to invite Yu'an to the bookstore. Before Yu'an could answer, two figures appeared on either side of him like phantoms.
Yuhan elegantly hooked her arm around Yu'an's left arm, her tone dignified yet coldly distant: "Xiaojie, I'm sorry, but An promised to go home with us today to take care of his wound. He won't be able to go out with you."
Yuxi smoothly took Yu'an's right arm and gave Xiaojie a sweet yet chilling smile: "That's right, Xiaojie. Our family has many secrets, and An is very busy. You 'outsiders' shouldn't casually interfere."
Xiaojie was so intimidated by the oppressive aura emanating from the twins that she took a step back and awkwardly turned to leave.
Yu'an watched Xiaojie's retreating figure, then looked at the two sisters on either side who had once again become "united." He felt a deeper fear—that brief tenderness was only an illusion. When an external threat appeared, they would transform into a two-headed beast, guarding him tightly at the center.
"An, don't worry," Yuxi whispered in his ear, yet her eyes remained fixed on Xiaojie's back. "As long as we're here, no one will take you away."