The Last Orange

Monday dawned bright and clear, the sky a crisp, cloudless blue. Shen Qiancheng washed up with hot water, then told Liao Xue to bring the buns they'd steamed yesterday. The two of them headed to town to get her cast removed.

They used Shen Qiancheng's ID to register again—she strongly suspected Liao Xue's ID was being held hostage by Mother Liao.

While Liao Xue had her cast removed, the doctor prescribed some medication. Resigned to her role, Shen Qiancheng took the prescription and headed to the pharmacy.

Because it was a workday, the hospital was nearly empty. The entire hall held only the staff and Shen Qiancheng herself.

She didn't notice anything unusual, just lowered her head and handed over the prescription.

Snap—

The crisp sound of finger snapping. Shen Qiancheng rolled her eyes. That distant memory surfaced—only Su Tongqin, that pretentious fraud, would snap her fingers like that.

She wondered if Su Tongqin was having a thoroughly miserable time.

Shen Qiancheng turned around, and her pupils shrank in that instant.

Su Tongqin stood there in a black leather trench coat, a wide palm-width belt hanging loosely at her waist, accentuating a figure as slender as bamboo. She tilted her head, wearing a sly, scheming smile.

"Who's this? The great Miss Shen, running around tending to someone—quite the honor."

Liao Xue was coming down the corridor toward the pharmacy, which intersected Shen Qiancheng's at a ninety-degree angle—she couldn't see what was happening.

Liao Xue didn't know Su Tongqin, but Shen Qiancheng instinctively shielded her anyway, not wanting Liao Xue anywhere near someone as unhinged as herself.

Dressed in clothes so out of place they screamed rebellion, Su Tongqin let Shen Qiancheng grab her arm and drag her into a nearby stairwell.

Instead of being angry, Su Tongqin laughed. "Your little lover? That scared to be seen with me?"

In the cramped stairwell, Shen Qiancheng stopped, still holding the medicine box, and frowned. "How did you find me? Come to laugh at me? Sorry to disappoint, but I'm doing just fine."

Su Tongqin stared into Shen Qiancheng's eyes, searching for any sign of weakness or guilt. After a long moment, she found nothing.

She let out a light laugh, her long hair sweeping in the breeze, and flashed a dangerous smile. "Why didn't you hide when you sold the bracelet I gave you? Selling it off seems to have made you quite comfortable... This dress—wasn't it last season's new arrival? Doing... hmm... quite well?"

Faced with Su Tongqin's ostensibly concerned but in reality mocking words, Shen Qiancheng had long grown accustomed to them. Her priority now wasn't proving to Su Tongqin that she was thriving—it was figuring out how many people actually knew her whereabouts.

"Besides you, who else knows?"

Su Tongqin sighed, pointing at herself. "If I know, would I keep it to myself? Anything that annoys you, I'll do it without a second thought."

Shen Qiancheng responded with a cold laugh, tilting her head. "So you're here to give me a heads-up, to savor my anxiety a little longer?"

Su Tongqin nearly clapped in delight. "You know me best! Exactly that!"

"But honestly, I haven't told anyone. Though I did hear someone wreaked havoc at a county school—the principal ratted you out." Su Tongqin spread her hands and shrugged. "Rare occasion where I do something nice—no need to thank me."

"Dream on!" Shen Qiancheng gritted her teeth. "How much time do I have?"

Su Tongqin extended her hand, counting off fingers one by one, then concluded, "President Shi is a bit busy, and your hiding spot wasn't easy to track down. So, maybe a few days? Be prepared, Chengcheng. Shi Jianren and Su Zeye are both itching for you."

"President Shen? Have you seen—" came Liao Xue's questioning voice.

Su Tongqin raised an eyebrow, her gaze sliding toward the door, her smile widening.

Shen Qiancheng shot her a withering glare and was about to step out of the stairwell when Su Tongqin threw out a single line that shattered every pretense she'd built.

"Is she really your little lover?"

Shen Qiancheng's steps faltered for an instant, then she quickened her pace out the door, nearly colliding head-on with Liao Xue.

"President Shen, where did you go?" Liao Xue asked, a bit unsettled.

"Nothing," Shen Qiancheng replied distractedly.

Liao Xue's leg had fully healed. Watching Liao Xue walk, now nourished and increasingly resembling the face in Shen Ya's memorial photo, a thought began to circle in Shen Qiancheng's mind.

Why not let Liao Xue marry Su Zeye?

Wasn't Liao Xue the true eldest daughter of the Shen family?

Wasn't it Liao Xue's duty to marry Su Zeye?

Liao Xue, sharp as ever, noticed Shen Qiancheng's face had gone pale. She asked cautiously, "President Shen, you look a little pale. Are you feeling alright?"

Not really, Shen Qiancheng thought, but she asked aloud, "Is there a clothing store in town?"

The memory of Su Tongqin disparaging her clothes made her a bit annoyed. What did she mean, last season's clothes?! These were clearly collector's pieces!

Since her whereabouts were already exposed, she might as well use her bank card—no half-measures!

But when Liao Xue drove her on the three-wheeler to the clothing store, Shen Qiancheng shut her eyes, hoping it was all an illusion.

The shop was laid out like a vegetable market.

She should have learned her lesson from last time at the gold store...

Entering, the first thing that met her eyes were four square crates with clothes piled haphazardly on top. Shen Qiancheng pinched a small floral halter top between two fingers, wrinkling her nose at the cheap fabric smell that hit her even from a distance.

Wearing this would drive anyone insane...

She flung it away as if it were garbage, then moved further in to see rows upon rows of clothes hanging on the walls.

Scanning the styles? Shen Qiancheng covered her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh.

These weren't just last season—they were all cheap knockoffs of famous brands, mostly from the previous year.

And the logos were painfully fake.

Shen Qiancheng turned on her heel to leave. Spending another second in this shop would give her a rash.

Liao Xue, puzzled, asked, "President Shen, didn't you come to buy clothes?"

Shen Qiancheng squeezed her eyes shut: Don't call me back, let me slip out unnoticed.

She'd rather hang herself than be seen in clothes from this place!

Liao Xue, however, had grown up wearing hand-me-downs from relatives' kids. Mother Liao had never bought her a single new piece of clothing—even for New Year, she wore an old coat from a boy cousin three years older on her mother's side.

So Liao Xue had never set foot in a clothing store either.

The moment she walked in, she was entranced by the new-fabric smell of fresh clothes. It smelled wonderful.

Shen Qiancheng frowned, watching Liao Xue's barely suppressed delight. Was there some toxic gas in here? Don't kill Liao Xue for me.

Liao Xue pointed happily at a dress. "President Shen, you'd look great in this!"

Shen Qiancheng knew she would—she owned the original version.

"Take it down and try it on."

The salesgirl, who had been crouching on the floor sorting stock, stood up with a smile, holding a long pole. "This one? Good eye, miss. This sells very well; we've nearly run out of sizes. This is the smallest one—you can try it..."

So chatty. Annoying.

Shen Qiancheng's brow furrowed in irritation as she gave Liao Xue a push. "Go try it on!"

Liao Xue looked bewildered, pointing at the dress. "I can't. I wouldn't look good in it..."

"Say another word and I'll get angry!"

Shen Qiancheng's brows shot up; there seemed to be genuine fire in her eyes.

Liao Xue reluctantly took the dress and headed to the fitting room in the corner—a crude curtain of cloth. That tactic always works, Shen Qiancheng sighed.

She stared at the wall of knockoffs, unable to find a single piece appealing.

The salesgirl was cheerfully introducing: "These are all from Tang City—they sell really well. Is your sister about to start school? You two seem so close, why not buy her a few more pieces?"

Shen Qiancheng rested her long, jade-like fingers on her chin, as if deep in thought.

The salesgirl pointed to a pristine white dress with delicate straps on a nearby mannequin. "This one would suit your sister perfectly. Floral is in season this summer, and it's a small white pattern. With her fair skin, she'd look like a fairy in this."

The dress was plain and elegant, a good match for Liao Xue's gentle, timid nature. But Shen Qiancheng didn't want Liao Xue to stay forever shy and sweet.

Shen Qiancheng shook her head. The salesgirl was about to put the dress back when Shen Qiancheng asked, "Do you have anything in black or bright red?"

Even with internet access and an appreciation for gothic styles, the salesgirl was stunned when she saw what Shen Qiancheng showed her on the phone.

"In such a small town, we wouldn't have such stylish clothes. Even if we did, there's no occasion to wear them."

Shen Qiancheng thought to herself: Who said she'd wear them here?

"If you don't have them, forget it."

Just then, Liao Xue emerged from the fitting room. Her once-thin frame had filled out; the dress hugged her waist just right, making her look even more graceful.

Shen Qiancheng pouted. It was pretty, but it had no bite—she looked like an easy target, a pushover.

She didn't like it.

Liao Xue walked out nervously, her hands fidgeting in front of her stomach, biting her lip as she looked at Shen Qiancheng.

There was a mirror in the fitting room, and she'd secretly peeked—it was beautiful.

She wanted to hear the boss say "pretty."

"Not good. The cut is terrible," Shen Qiancheng said, as stern as a strict homeroom teacher.

She was criticizing the dress, not Liao Xue.

Liao Xue's disappointment was plain to see. She began to doubt herself. "Maybe I'm too skinny..."

Shen Qiancheng recognized the emotion in Liao Xue's eyes—it was called self-doubt. A friend of hers could score a zero and still not be allowed to be so insecure!

Since Liao Xue liked it...

Shen Qiancheng changed tack. "It's just too loose on you. Fine, we'll take this one. Wrap it up."

She paid with a bank card whose transactions Shi Jianren could trace. Let him dig into why Shen Qiancheng bought a dress that wasn't even worth four hundred yuan at a rural clothing store.

Liao Xue hesitated. "Why is it so expensive? Let me haggle a bit."

Shen Qiancheng reached out and flicked Liao Xue's forehead. "What's there to haggle? If you like it, you buy it. Don't shortchange yourself."

Liao Xue nodded numbly and went back to change out of the dress.

After paying, Shen Qiancheng waited by the door, watching Liao Xue emerge in her old clothes. She reached out, tugged at the worn fabric, and said with displeasure, "Wear the new dress back. You're with me; there's no way you can't have something new to wear. Wear it back so the whole village sees how well I take care of you."

Liao Xue pressed her lips together, blushing slightly as she changed into it.

When Liao Xue drove the three-wheeler—a world apart from her new outfit—back to the village entrance, Shen Qiancheng squinted. The first thing she saw was Mother Liao, waiting with obvious anticipation, as if she'd known their every move.

Was the village entrance some kind of spawn point for Mother Liao?