Chapter 11. After the Rabbits Have Grown

 Liu Fengying wasn't concerned about her clothes being from famous brands, but rather about them being comfortable and looking good, so the stores she intended to visit were all known for their good quality-to-price ratio. Additionally, she didn't have money to throw out the window; the price of a luxury clothing set was higher than the cost of the food that could last her a month.

 Although Liu Fengying was dressed quite conservatively in sportswear, she had no difficulty becoming the center of attention in any store she entered. The fact that her muscle mass had significantly increased in the last two weeks made the clothes fit tightly on her, accentuating her perfect curves, and her otherworldly beauty emitted a special radiance, with a subtle mix of grace and seduction, so it was no wonder many couldn't take their eyes off her.

 Having stood in front of thousands of people in her previous life, Liu Fengying didn't suffer from stage fright, so she wasn't too affected by the gazes of those around her while shopping. Of course, from time to time, a young man would try to strike up a conversation with Liu Fengying, but she seemed to have a real talent for making them give up using just 2-3 words, as she had no desire to engage in conversations with people who didn't interest her.

 After Liu Fengying bought clothes worth almost 10,000 ruans, she headed to the lingerie store, wanting to buy some regular sets and some specifically for sports activities.

 Like every Sunday, the store was quite crowded that day, but that didn't stop Liu Fengying from discovering that Liu Zihan, her half-sister, was standing in front of a section, together with Zhang Mei, the girl who caused her head injury.

 Liu Fengying was aware that she eventually had to have a serious discussion with Liu Zihan, but she didn't intend to do it that day because she suspected she would probably lose her good mood. Not wanting to intersect with her, Liu Fengying headed to the opposite side of the store, to the area designated for sports lingerie, intending to choose 2-3 sports bras.

 To ensure that her half-sister would be gone by the time she finished selecting, Liu Fengying spent almost half an hour analyzing the bras on display, enough time to become an expert in identifying the quality and price of one with just a glance.

 'I wouldn't be surprised if I dream about sports bras tonight...', Liu Fengying said to herself, taking 3 samples and heading to the other side of the store after noticing that Liu Zihan was no longer there.

 Arriving in front of the section where she had seen Liu Zihan, Liu Fengying couldn't help but frown upon seeing the types of lingerie sets displayed, most of them being black or purple, with portions of transparent material. Moreover, the designer who created them seemed to want to save on materials, and Liu Fengying didn't believe that was done to reduce the carbon footprint. Anyway, they seemed way too sexy for someone who hadn't turned 18 yet.

 'Since when did Liu Zihan start wearing stuff like this? I remember two years ago her favorite set was a pink one with bunnies...'

 Taking a hanger with a set in her free hand and examining it from all sides, Liu Fengying couldn't help but imagine the stark contrast between Liu Zihan's very fair skin and the material of such lingerie sets, likely highlighting even more how much her body had developed in the past year.

 But Liu Fengying couldn't spend too much time absorbed in such an image, as she felt someone behind her beginning to analyze the displayed products as well, so she put the set back and turned to leave, as she didn't intend to inconvenience others for no reason.

 Well, that was her plan, but making eye contact with the person next to her, Liu Fengying couldn't help but freeze for a second, feeling caught red-handed, as it was none other than Liu Zihan, whom she had just imagined posing in sexy lingerie a few moments ago.

 'No, I have no reason to feel ashamed. If she doesn't know I saw her at this section, she can't suspect that I was thinking about her...'

 Relieved by this thought, Liu Fengying regained her composure, her gaze betraying no emotion.

 "Hello.", she greeted Liu Zihan briefly, her attitude neither warm nor cold.

 "...Sister?"

 Unlike Liu Fengying, Liu Zihan found it much harder to recover from the shock of this unexpected encounter because until she heard Liu Fengying's voice, she couldn't be sure that the girl in front of her was indeed her half-sister. She was more inclined to believe that it was someone who looked very much like her because the girl in front of her not only had a face without any scars but also was no longer undernourished but brimming with vitality, changes that were hard to imagine happening in just two weeks since she last saw Liu Fengying.

 "Yes...", Liu Fengying confirmed her identity, seeing that Liu Zihan continued to look at her like she was a ghost.

 "You, your face... how?", Liu Zihan stuttered, still not able to believe what she was seeing was real.

 Liu Fengying wasn't surprised to hear these words because she was aware that getting rid of a scar so quickly was impossible using modern medicine, so it was expected that many would be amazed when they saw her.

 "Oh, with traditional medicine...", she replied, her plan being to attribute her miraculous healing to procedures belonging to a field that many didn't understand.

 Like most young people born in the era of digitization, Liu Zihan didn't really believe in the effectiveness of traditional medicine, but since she hadn't heard of any aesthetician capable of removing a scar so quickly and without leaving any trace, she had no choice but to accept this explanation.

 Liu Fengying didn't intend to continue the conversation with Liu Zihan because she found it difficult to decide what attitude to adopt towards her. Continuing to argue with Liu Zihan as she had in recent months wasn't acceptable to her. How could someone who had lived for over 300 years argue with a girl not even 18? However, was she capable of having a normal discussion with her?

 Liu Fengying could imagine how much pressure Liu Zihan was under from her mother and brother, but she didn't believe that was a sufficient reason to excuse how Liu Zihan had treated her since she left home. Furthermore, she suspected that Liu Zihan was somehow connected to the rumors that had surfaced about her in recent months on the school forum, alleging that she spent every weekend in clubs trying to seduce any member of the second-rich generation she encountered, regardless of age or gender, because she couldn't bear to live without the luxury she was born into. Even though everyone knew she had argued with her father, would anyone dare to say such things about her if they weren't sure they wouldn't face any consequences? Most likely not, so the chances of Liu Zihan being involved in this defamation process against her were quite high.

 And even if she had no involvement, shouldn't Liu Zihan be on her side and try to help her refute these rumors? Liu Fengying couldn't imagine that Liu Zihan didn't know that all these things were false, so she couldn't find any excuse for her silence every time other students asked her about these rumors, giving the impression that she knew they were true but didn't want to admit it because she was ashamed of her sister's actions.

 Taking all these things into consideration, Liu Fengying couldn't pretend that everything was fine between them. Moreover, the fact that she had just seen Liu Zihan having no problem spending her free time with Zhang Mei, the cause of her head injury, made her even less patient.

 "Anyway, I still have some shopping to do, so I won't keep you any longer...", Liu Fengying said goodbye, avoiding Liu Zihan at a distance of one meter so as not to bump into her with the shopping bags.

 "Yingying, you seem to be acting strangely. Are you sure you're okay?", Liu Zihan stopped her, confused by the unfamiliarity with which Liu Fengying interacted with her. She couldn't help but wonder if Liu Fengying might be suffering from a mild form of amnesia following the blow to her head.

 "What do you mean?", Liu Fengying asked, not understanding why in Liu Zihan's eyes was so much concern for her.

 "You... you're treating me like just an acquaintance..."

 Upon hearing these words, Liu Fengying became increasingly confused about what was happening in Liu Zihan's mind.

 "And how would you like me to treat you, Zihan? I'm tired of trying to please you as well as arguing with you. I'm tired of trying to figure out what's going on in your mind... Maybe you want things to be the same as before and you're trying to convince me to come back home and make peace, or maybe... Anyway, now I have more important things to do...", Liu Fengying explained her attitude, however, avoiding accusing Liu Zihan of having malicious intentions against her.

 "Yingying, I..."

 Unfortunately, before Liu Zihan could say anything, she was interrupted by Zhang Mei, who had spent more time in the bathroom fixing her makeup.

 "Sister Zihan, have you not decided yet?"

 Since Zhang Mei wasn't very familiar with Liu Fengying, it's no wonder she didn't recognize her, so she completely ignored her and started talking to Liu Zihan, complimenting her or praising her every five words.

 Seeing this scene, Liu Fengying just smiled ironically, then headed to another section intending to continue her shopping, without paying any attention to them, although she felt that Liu Zihan spent most of her time watching her.

 After choosing three sets of daywear lingerie, Liu Fengying headed to the checkout counter to pay for the chosen items, and once the transaction was completed, she left the store and headed to a shoe store, intending to buy 3-4 pairs of casual shoes and 1-2 pairs of sports shoes.

 "Sister Zihan, are you waiting for someone?", Zhang Mei asked, noticing that Liu Zihan was watching the exit of the store.

 "That's none of your business. And I don't remember ever giving you permission to call me sister...", Liu Zihan finally lost her patience. She always made an effort not to show too many emotions in front of others, except for her family members, but at that moment she felt too tired to entertain Zhang Mei, whose stupidity had proven to be a weapon too difficult to control many times.