My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

Chen Yuan leaned in for a closer look. Inside the styrofoam box by the kitchen door, shrimp, mandarin fish, and abalone were all neatly arranged, packed with ice to keep them fresh.

The various vegetables had been selected from the freshest at the morning market, and some still had damp soil clinging to their roots.

By the glass door stood two large leeks, the kind Jiang Ning had never bought before, nearly as tall as a person.

"Wait... just how lavish of a lunch are you two planning?" he couldn’t help but mutter.

He had slept well. The thoughtful Ningning and Yaoyao hadn’t disturbed his rest that morning. After waking up, they had quickly washed up and headed straight for the market, back when the sky was just beginning to lighten.

"Chen, you should get ready and head to the station early to wait. Remember to send me a message when you pick them up, so I can time the soup."

Ningning said, looking up as she chopped vegetables in the kitchen.

"Got it," Chen Yuan said. He took a couple of steps, then turned back. "You don’t have to make too much, really. There are only a few of us, and it’ll be a waste if we can’t finish it. Just a little more elaborate than usual is fine."

"I know, just go," Jiang Ning urged.

Chen Yuan knew Ningning had already made up her mind, so he didn’t try to persuade her further. He quickly got himself ready and then went downstairs.

Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen were coming by high-speed rail. The trip from Quan City was a bit long, at least two hours. He calculated that if he timed it right, they should arrive at ten o’clock.

There was plenty of time for the drive, so Chen Yuan wasn’t in too much of a hurry.

By the time he arrived at the station, the spring sun was already blazing. It was rare to see anyone in the city still bundled in thick clothes, and the sky was a pristine, cloudless blue.

It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t nervous.

Chen Yuan sat alone in his car, lost in thought for a long time. He scrolled on his phone for a bit but found it dull, so he just let his mind wander.

He had to act calm in front of the two sisters, but ultimately, this was about revealing his relationship to the parents who had raised him for nearly twenty years.

Of course Chen Yuan was nervous.

This subtle anxiety made him check the time every few minutes. The thought of sitting in the car later and telling his parents about it made his heart suddenly pound.

He couldn’t tell if he felt more panic or anticipation.

...

10:27 AM.

The high-speed rail station was somewhat congested, filled with people waiting to pick someone up. In the parking area, cars came and went in a steady stream. Dozens of yards away, countless unlicensed taxi drivers stood under umbrellas, shouting and fighting over customers as if they were in a heated argument.

This was Lanjing East Station, not the main one. Its location was remote, and the management wasn’t as strict.

Chen Yuan also found a spot at the arrivals gate. At least there were a few awnings for shade here, but it was much more crowded than when he’d picked up Jiang Ning. People were packed shoulder to shoulder; once you found a spot to stand, you had to stay put, or you’d be squeezed to the edge of the crowd.

It was then that he appreciated the advantages of being tall.

A short girl next to him, who looked to be in her early teens, was getting squeezed between a few burly men in front of and behind her, gasping for air with a miserable look on her face.

Chen Yuan watched her for a moment, then actively made some room, creating about half a person’s worth of space. He beckoned to the girl in the polka-dot, over-the-knee socks, gesturing for her to come over.

The girl froze for half a second, then her eyes filled with gratitude. She began thanking Chen Yuan repeatedly in a quiet voice.

「Half a minute later.」

A stir went through the crowd, and everyone’s gaze shifted in unison toward the exit—the arriving passengers were here.

Soon, Chen Yuan spotted two familiar faces in the crowd of passengers.

He quickly waved. "Dad! Mom! Over here."

Hearing the shout, Liu He immediately looked up, her eyes scanning the countless people at the exit for Chen Yuan’s face. The moment she spotted him, her face lit up with a happy surprise, and she quickly waved back.

She had barely left the exit when she started chattering.

"Oh my, the sun is so strong. I told your father to bring an umbrella, but he agreed and then immediately forgot."

"I could have sworn I put it in the bag. I’m getting old, so my memory isn’t what it used to be."

"If you can’t remember, you should just do it the moment I ask! You always have to procrastinate. It’s the same bad habit you’ve had for years..."

It was the same, incredibly familiar nagging and bickering. Listening to his parents’ conversation, Chen Yuan smiled and took the suitcase and bag from them, one in each hand.

"Dad, why did you bring my old backpack?"

Mr. Chen turned his head, ignoring his wife’s nagging, and put an arm around his son’s shoulder. "My briefcase is ancient. It’s been mended so many times. I packed some things in it for the trip, but the bottom gave out before I even left the house, so I went to your room and found this old backpack."

"You know, it actually looks pretty good on you," Chen Yuan said, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Of course it does. I bought this at the World Expo for your birthday back in middle school. I think it was even a designer brand. Your mom didn’t want me to buy it at the time, but look at this quality."

"He buys whatever he sees. Your father thought he was some kind of big shot," Liu He said, rolling her eyes. She walked over and habitually leaned against Chen Yuan’s shoulder.

"It’s not often I get to take you and your mom on a trip. I couldn’t be stingy."

Sandwiched between his parents, the smile never left Chen Yuan’s face. As he led them toward the parking lot, a strange feeling suddenly washed over him.

In the past, no matter where they went, it was always his parents leading him along the way. Now, it was his turn to guide them into this city that was completely foreign to them.

The figures of the family of three.

Seen from behind, Chen Yuan, in the middle, was now the tallest. He was over a dozen centimeters taller than Liu He, and Mr. Chen only came up to his eyebrows.

Chen Yuan’s posture was straight and tall, that of a college student in his prime. His parents’ figures, however, had become slightly, unconsciously stooped.

Time was truly formless and invisible, leaving its marks on people only in secret.