The First Blood Orange

She'd come all the way here just to drag Liao Xue back again. Shameless.

Shen Qiancheng couldn't understand it.

After being hit, scolded, even disowned—how did Mother Liao have the nerve to squat at the village entrance, waiting for Liao Xue?

Shen Qiancheng turned to look at Liao Xue. A sliver of fair neck disappeared into her collar, and the ragged bangs she'd cut herself had grown longer, veiling her bright eyes.

Shen Qiancheng couldn't see her clearly, nor could she decipher the faint look on Liao Xue's face.

Shen Qiancheng straightened her back. She'd been so good to Liao Xue...

A petty obstacle like Mother Liao—Shen Qiancheng let out a cold laugh. Ha, she really wanted to run her over.

Mother Liao craned her neck, pacing anxiously, then looked up and spotted Liao Xue—and Shen Qiancheng, shielding her completely.

The instant Mother Liao made eye contact with Shen Qiancheng, the three-wheeler sped up, charging straight at her.

Panic flickered in Mother Liao's eyes, and she scrambled aside. Shen Qiancheng immediately swerved, determined to chase her down.

Mother Liao's legs were trembling, her eyes locked on Liao Xue behind Shen Qiancheng.

It was only three centimeters from Mother Liao that the three-wheeler screeched to a halt. Mother Liao lost her footing and toppled to the ground.

Shen Qiancheng thought, "Damn this brake—why does it work so well? It should have stopped right on her foot!"

The three-wheeler couldn't actually run Mother Liao over, because the woman would genuinely throw herself in front of the vehicle to block their way.

Shen Qiancheng's temper flared. She stood up and glared down at Mother Liao on the ground. "Looking for another beating?!"

Mother Liao lay on the ground, not even looking at Shen Qiancheng, and spitefully kicked the three-wheeler twice.

"Hey!" Shen Qiancheng jumped off the vehicle and kicked Mother Liao in the waist. "Why are you kicking my car?! You haven't had enough, have you? Want me to kick you to death?!"

In the past, these threats were lines for Shen Qiancheng's lackeys. Now, with no lackeys around, she had to say them herself—even if it was beneath her.

Liao Xue, who had been at the center of the dispute but never participated, quietly got off the vehicle and stood beside Shen Qiancheng. The two stood against the setting sun, their long shadows enclosing Mother Liao.

Shen Qiancheng sensed a faint melancholy radiating from Liao Xue. Her heart tightened, and she reached out to grab Liao Xue's arm, looking at her, afraid Liao Xue might do something rash.

"I'll handle my own affairs," Liao Xue said to Shen Qiancheng, then turned to Mother Liao on the ground. She stepped forward and helped her up, asking calmly, "What do you want from me?"

Mother Liao was taken aback by Liao Xue helping her up—after all, just days ago, Liao Xue had declared she no longer recognized her as her mother.

Kids never stick to their word. Wasn't this easy?

Mother Liao clung to Liao Xue's arm, grinning. "Xiaoxue, you look so pretty in that outfit."

Shen Qiancheng thought, "She's praising clothes I bought for her, and it feels disgusting."

"A mother always thinks of her daughter," Mother Liao said, feigning mystery. "That diamond bachelor before—you probably don't have the luck to marry him now."

Liao Xue followed along. "What happened to him?"

Mother Liao shook her head and clicked her tongue, sounding regretful. "Don't know what happened. A few days ago, he drowned in the river. His body was bloated like a moldy bun. Scared the hell out of me."

Shen Qiancheng said coldly, "Died from being too wicked."

Mother Liao shot her a dark glance, then pulled Liao Xue away from Shen Qiancheng, and continued, "This time, I found you someone better. A proper college graduate, first marriage, no kids, decent looking. Only downside is the bride price is a bit low."

Shen Qiancheng crept closer and said coldly, "Not ugly, not blind, no kids—he's probably disabled!"

Mother Liao looked up sharply, annoyed. "We're having a private mother-daughter talk. Why are you butting in?"

The reason Mother Liao dared to snap at Shen Qiancheng was that her guess had hit the mark.

"So I guessed right," Shen Qiancheng said with a confident smile. "The more you try to hide it, the more it shows."

Mother Liao cared more about Liao Xue's opinion. "Xiaoxue, come home with your mother. Mothers and daughters don't hold grudges overnight. There's no mother who doesn't miss her daughter. You must miss me too, right?"

Shen Qiancheng thought, "What a lazy emotional card. Might as well say, 'I'll give you the bride price, come home with me.' All useless."

"I don't miss you," Liao Xue spoke up. "Not one bit. Every day I've been away from you, I've been happy."

Shen Qiancheng was delighted and stepped close to rub it in. "What a clown! She doesn't want to go with you!"

Then Shen Qiancheng was grabbed by the wrist and dragged away by Liao Xue.

The wind blowing from the village entrance back to the Village Chief's house was sweet. After dinner, Shen Qiancheng decided to reward Liao Xue. "Your performance at the village entrance today was perfect, so I've decided to give you a reward. What do you want?"

Liao Xue paused, her hand on the apron. What did she want? What she wanted might scare Shen Qiancheng.

Liao Xue continued untying her apron while Shen Qiancheng waited patiently.

Liao Xue turned around with a slight smile. "Can I do an extra math test tonight?"

Ever since she'd caught Liao Xue staying up late studying and falling asleep, Shen Qiancheng had strictly forbidden Liao Xue from studying past ten o'clock.

If she did another test, she'd be up until midnight.

Shen Qiancheng, who had planned to give her money, froze. Was this some masochistic kind of reward?

Liao Xue was a total glutton for punishment.

The moon hung high, slowly climbing to the center of the sky, surrounded by stars.

The last big math problem was beyond Liao Xue's current level. She sighed, capped her black gel pen, and picked up a red ballpoint pen to grade.

Multiple-choice, multi-select, fill-in-the-blank, and essay questions.

Shen Qiancheng's faint breathing from the bed behind her was soft, but amplified countless times in the silence of the night, distracting Liao Xue.

Today, Liao Xue had seen the woman in the black trench coat on the staircase. She was beautiful and capable, clearly someone from Shen Qiancheng's world.

Liao Xue herself was small, timid, and owned nothing...

Her gaze landed on the final score calculation—a failing number. She sighed quietly and capped the red pen.

Moonlight like amber streamed through the window, illuminating Shen Qiancheng's sleeping face.

During the day, she was the domineering Shen Qiancheng, but asleep, she was as quiet as a kitten, making one want to get closer.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves outside. Shen Qiancheng's face loomed closer in front of her, and Liao Xue's heart pounded.

When the faint rose scent unique to Shen Qiancheng's skin reached Liao Xue's nose, she felt as if her soul had been stolen by a succubus, and she deepened the kiss—if it could even be called a kiss.

Like handling fragile porcelain, Liao Xue pressed her lips to the corner of Shen Qiancheng's soft mouth, then couldn't help but rub back and forth, until their lips met perfectly.

Shen Qiancheng remained silent in sleep, not even stirring after Liao Xue ended the kiss.

Liao Xue licked her lips, her face as red as blood in the darkness.

After the rooster crowed three times, Shen Qiancheng, who loved sleeping in, finally dragged herself out of bed and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

She looked at the millet porridge on the table, a sly glint flashing in her eyes. She put down her chopsticks and crossed her arms. "Millet porridge again? Is there no variety? I'm getting bored of it."

The Village Chief and his wife across the table were stunned.

If they remembered correctly, yesterday was vegetable porridge, the day before that was fish porridge, then pumpkin porridge, and the day before that, thin noodles...

Forget variety—Liao Xue learned new recipes from her phone every day, making different kinds of porridge just for Shen Qiancheng. What was Shen Qiancheng up to now?

Liao Xue, who was sitting closest to Shen Qiancheng, paused her blowing on the porridge, nodded, and said, "Okay, I won't make millet porridge next time."

Shen Qiancheng, expecting a fight, was disappointed. She chewed on her chopsticks and came up with a new mischievous idea.

"Liao Xue," she said, "your temperament is too soft. That won't do. You'll always get bullied by others."

The Village Chief and his wife exchanged a glance.

Shen Qiancheng was right, but it sounded weird coming from her—like a weasel lamenting how pitiful a chicken is.

A cat crying over a dead mouse... The cat doing the crying—Shen Qiancheng—continued, "Except for me, you must not let anyone else bully you, understand?"

The Village Chief and his wife exchanged another look. They knew Shen Qiancheng's true nature.

The meal ended with Shen Qiancheng's nitpicking and Liao Xue's unflappable apologies and concessions.

Liao Xue went to wash the dishes, and Shen Qiancheng stuck to the kitchen doorway like glue, finding any excuse to talk to her.

"Liao Xue, your dish soap is dripping outside the bowl. And if you're so clumsy, I won't take you back to Tang City with me."

Liao Xue quickly rescued the dish soap that seemed annoyed by Shen Qiancheng's nagging, and with a quick wash, she was done.

Shen Qiancheng was very satisfied, her eyes full of admiration for Liao Xue's dishwashing skills. "Amazing!"

Liao Xue blushed slightly and said modestly, "It's not that great..."

Shen Qiancheng put on a stern face. "I praise you a bit, and you believe it? You're so naive, how could you come back with me and not get bullied to death?"

Liao Xue froze, her round, pretty eyes losing focus momentarily.

Shen was going to take her home—to HER home!!!

At lunch, Shen Qiancheng was surprisingly well-behaved in her eating, then waited in her room for Liao Xue to finish washing the dishes.

Shen Qiancheng looked at Liao Xue, who was bent over the desk, insistently doing practice tests, and reminded her kindly, "It's nap time now..."

Liao Xue didn't look up. "You go ahead and sleep, Shen."

Shen Qiancheng pouted. As if she was asking Liao Xue to sleep with her. Who wanted that?

Shen Qiancheng had never napped in her life; she only did it now so Liao Xue would have time to rest. They lay in bed together, listening to each other's breathing as they fell asleep.

But today, Shen Qiancheng couldn't sleep. Without Liao Xue's breathing, something felt missing.

Liao Xue had been working on a set of six practice tests, and she was only missing one math test. After two hours, she finally finished.

When Shen Qiancheng woke up, she saw Liao Xue diligently marking with a red pen and calculating scores on scratch paper.

Shen Qiancheng became curious. She rubbed her eyes. "What score this time?"

Liao Xue didn't look up but froze in place, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Shen Qiancheng thought she had done worse and opened her mouth to comfort her, but then Liao Xue shouted, "Shen, I finally broke 500!"

Since she had known Liao Xue, Shen Qiancheng had never seen her so excited, let alone shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Five hundred!" A surge of joy rose in Shen Qiancheng's heart, but it was overshadowed by more fear. Was she really going to take Liao Xue to Switzerland? Or send her back to the Shen family?

Shen Qiancheng felt like she was on that Titanic, with the lifeboat and Jack placed in front of her. Rose resolutely chose Jack, but the coward Shen Qiancheng hesitated.

Liao Xue's eyebrows almost flew up. She stood up and spun around, throwing her arms around Shen Qiancheng. "Shen, I did it! I really did it!"

Shen Qiancheng thought to herself, "I don't think I can."

She answered distractedly, "Great job, Liao Xue. I have a bit of a headache. Let go of me first."

Liao Xue immediately looked worried. "Shen, are you okay? Headache? Are you catching a cold?"

Shen Qiancheng forced a smile. "No, I just got up too fast. Don't forget to go to the clinic in town tomorrow to get your cast off."

Liao Xue, not sensing anything unusual, happily replied, "Okay."

On the scratch paper was drawn a sine function, and the score calculated in red ink: 502.

Maybe taking Liao Xue to Switzerland wouldn't be such a bad idea after all?