Reborn As A Doomsday Villainess-Chapter 99: Wait until you’re older.

She pressed her lips together, debating whether she should be worried. Haoyu still wasn’t back.

Not that it was any of her business. He was had a system. He could handle himself. But the last time he had stayed out this late...

She shook the thought away and took another sip of her now lukewarm coffee. It wasn’t her problem.

Lingquan stretched lazily beside her, his tail flicking. [Still want to watch another movie? You keep staring at the door like some worried mother.]

Qingran snorted. "Mother? I’m just wondering if I should lock the door and leave him outside."

[Cold-hearted.]

She shrugged, but even as the words left her mouth, she felt the weight of uncertainty pressing against her chest.

Had something happened?

Her fingers hovered over her phone for a second. She could text him. Just a simple "Where are you?" wouldn’t hurt. But she hesitated. If he wanted to come back, he would.

She wasn’t going to hover over him.

Instead, she tossed her phone aside and leaned back, dragging a hand down her face. "Forget it. Let’s just watch another movie. He’ll come back eventually."

Lingquan nodded, patting her with his paw "As the oldest system, all other systems are under me, if anything happens to Tang Haoyu I’ll be notifie."

"..."

"Just how old are you Lingquan?"

"I’ve been around since the dawn of dinosaurs. I’ve been many beings and been to different universes. So far yours is the most interesting, I have big expectations for you Qingran and I hope to help you achieve your goal."

"If I achieve my goals? Will you leave?"

Lingquan didn’t say anything, if there mission on Earth was completed, they would be forced to move to a different universe, that was just how the system life works.

[Are you chasing me? I knew host was cruel]

Qingran rolled her eyes, flicking his forehead with a finger. "I didn’t say that."

Lingquan rubbed his head dramatically. [You might as well have. Abandoning this poor, hardworking system after everything we’ve been through together.]

Qingran smirked. "Hardworking? You’re literally drinking warm milk and watching movies."

[Emotional labor is real.]

She shook her head but didn’t push the topic further. Instead, she grabbed the remote, scrolling through the endless list of movies. Anything to distract herself.

But even as the new movie started playing, her mind kept drifting back.

Where the hell was Haoyu?

She tapped her fingers against the couch, pretending she wasn’t thinking about it. He’d come back eventually. He always did. But for some reason, tonight felt... different.

Lingquan’s ears twitched, and he turned toward the door. Qingran followed his gaze instinctively, but there was nothing. No footsteps.

No keys jingling. Still no signs of Haoyu.

[Something’s wrong,] Lingquan said suddenly.

Qingran sat up straight. "What?"

Lingquan’s tail flicked, his golden eyes narrowing. [His system should have notified me by now, even if he was just... delayed.]

That made her stomach drop. "Delayed how?"

[Exactly.] Lingquan’s tone was serious now, all traces of teasing gone. [I’ll try to force a link with his system.]

Qingran’s grip tightened around the remote. This wasn’t normal.

She stood up, pacing toward the window, her heart pounding in a way she didn’t like. Maybe she should’ve messaged him earlier. Maybe she should’ve—

A notification suddenly flashed across Lingquan’s interface. His ears flattened.

[I found him.]

Qingran’s stomach twisted. "Where is he?"

Lingquan hesitated for a fraction of a second before answering.

[The hospital.]

Hospital?

She didn’t waste another second. She grabbed her jacket and bolted for the door.

Qingran strode through the hospital corridor, her expression dark. The notification she received was vague, only stating that Tang Haoyu was admitted. But considering it was Haoyu, she had a bad feeling.

She reached the ward and pushed the door open without knocking. "Tang Haoyu?! What the heck happened—" Her words cut off when she saw someone sitting beside the hospital bed. A man.

Qingran’s eyes narrowed. "And who the hell is this?"

Haoyu, who was sitting up with a miserable expression, flinched. "Older Sister Qingran... what are you doing here?"

Qingran folded her arms. "I got notified. More importantly, you ran off in the middle of the night and now you’re in a hospital bed. And again—who is this?"

Haoyu sighed, avoiding her gaze. "This is Meng Nian... the accidental kiss I told you about."

Qingran stared for a long second before realization dawned. Her lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Oh, ohh I see. You ran off with your boyfriend and landed yourself in the hospital."

Haoyu choked on air. "He’s not my—wait, that’s not—"

"We have a lot to talk about after you get discharged," Qingran continued smoothly, completely ignoring his protests.

Haoyu groaned. "Sister Qingran, I didn’t mean to run off, okay? It just... kinda happened."

"Sure, sure," Qingran waved her hand. "And what exactly happened? Why are you here?"

Before Haoyu could come up with an excuse, Meng Nian, who had been silently enjoying the show, answered for him.

"His butt tore."

Silence.

A long, agonizing silence.

Haoyu made a strangled noise and threw a pillow at Meng Nian’s face. "Meng Nian! Shut up! Someone kill me, please."

Qingran blinked. Then blinked again.

And then she cackled. "Ahh, I see. You’ve been fooling around—aiya, I’m getting too old for this. You kids are young, I get it, but wait until you’re older. Your back will never forgive you and you’re still a minor."

Haoyu groaned and buried himself under the blanket. "I hate you all and the age of consent is 14"

"..."

"Still wait until you’re not a minor."

Meng Nian sighed softly, catching the pillow and tossing it back onto the bed. "The doctor said he’s fine, that he’ll recover in a few days."

Turning to Qingran, Meng Nian bowed "It’s nice to meet Haoyu’s older sister, I’m embarrassed our first meeting had to be in the hospital, I will take care of Haoyu better, please don’t dislike me."

"..."

"Ah, it’s okay, I wouldn’t want to call you two fooling around a mistake.. how old are you?"

"18"

".."

He was even older.

"Alright, I have no qualms, just wait for Haoyu to get older for any next times."

Meng Nian nodded and Qingran turned back to the door.

"Where are you going?" Haoyu asked.

"Back home of course, you thought I’d stay, that’s what your boyfriend’s for."

"..."

"He’s not my boyfriend!!."