Seventh Blood Orange

The summer reeds swayed, still lush and green. The village chief held his phone, the screen displaying a headline in bold black type: "Shocking! Eldest of the Shen Family Fearlessly Saves Her Fiancé from a Car!"

The village chief didn't know any "Eldest Miss Shen," but the photo in the article showed a pair of sharply upturned, slanting eyes—who else could it be but Miss Shen?

He'd guessed that Shen Qiancheng was the daughter of some Shen Corporation executive, but it turned out she was the only daughter of Shi Jianren, the chairman of the board.

He didn't know why, but he felt he should show this to Liao Xue. Who would have thought that when Liao Xue came out of the house, she didn't even pause or glance at him—she bolted straight for the gate!

The village chief had no idea what Liao Xue had been doing inside for the past three days. He looked at Mother Liao in confusion, and she shrank back guiltily, spreading her hands. "I haven't mistreated her, I swear. She just hasn't eaten or drunk a thing all this time..."

Three days without food or water?

The village chief's heart lurched. She was starving herself!

He stamped his foot. "Aiya! You! Snap out of it and follow her! What if she jumps into the river?"

Jump into the river?

Mother Liao didn't have time to think. The village chief grabbed her and dragged her along as he ran.

It was only then, with the wide river right by her doorstep, that Mother Liao realized how serious this was. If Liao Xue died... the whole village would never stop pointing fingers at her.

Mother Liao hurried after the village chief and ran out the door—and there she saw—

Liao Xue sat on the river embankment, on soft, loose yellow earth that could give way and send her slipping into the water at any moment.

Summer was when the river ran highest and fastest.

Liao Xue stared at the slow but unrelenting current, her eyes unfocused, lost in the reflection rippling on the water's surface.

A large head, slender shoulders, a short, slight body—all reflected on the rippling surface. The water surged forward, but her reflection stayed.

"Liao Xue, happy wedding."

"Happy wedding."

She had known all along that Liao Xue hated marriage most of all, yet she had tricked her into coming home to be married. And Liao Xue had believed her, every single time, without ever doubting.

She had thought Shen Qiancheng liked her too. She had thought Shen Qiancheng was just too proud to say it. She had thought that leaving with Shen Qiancheng for Tang City meant a fresh start...

But "she had thought" was all it was. Shen Qiancheng didn't like her at all—she had just been toying with her like a dog.

Why give her hope only to rip it away, leaving nothing but endless darkness?

The rushing water seemed to call out to Liao Xue: Come on, jump. Jump and leave it all behind. Jump and you won't have to face any of this.

Liao Xue stood up, staring blankly at the river. Would jumping really end everything?

She had already taken a step forward. The crumbling soil beneath her feet threatened to give way at any moment.

Seeing that Liao Xue really meant to jump, the anxious village chief shouted, "Xiao Xue! Xiao Xue, come down! Don't do anything rash. School starts in a month—you still have to go!"

Mother Liao, standing nearby, muttered her displeasure. "What schooling? Who's got money to spare for that?"

The village chief's shouts were heart-wrenching, but Liao Xue was like a deaf person—she couldn't hear a thing. She kept walking forward. The village chief immediately slapped Mother Liao. "If you can't be a mother, at least be a decent person! Say something! She's your child, isn't she?"

Mother Liao winced at the blow. What could she even say?

"Liao Xue, I won't force you to marry anymore, alright? Please, come down now. Don't walk any further—that's the river! It'll kill you!"

The village chief saw that Liao Xue showed no sign of stopping. He hurried forward and wrapped his arms around her, rolling them both to the ground to pull her away from the riverbank. His voice was tinged with fear. "Xiao Xue, you're going to scare me to death!"

Liao Xue, now on the ground, felt no pain. Her eyes remained vacant.

The village chief sensed something was wrong. "Shen Jun's wife, go fetch the doctor and bring him to my house. The girl's not right in the head."

Mother Liao thought, Of course she's not right. Three days without food or water, then running like that—anyone would collapse.

Mother Liao set off for the village clinic. By the time the doctor arrived, Liao Xue had already eaten some rice porridge at the village chief's house. After drinking water, her eyes no longer looked so alarming.

The doctor from the village clinic, wearing a mask and carrying a medical kit, entered and quickly spotted Liao Xue. She was as pale as paper, her eyes empty, as if she had gone stupid.

The doctor let out a soft "Huh." He recognized the girl—she had come to the clinic a while ago to pick up medicine for a very stylish companion. Today, that companion wasn't around.

The doctor examined her carefully. Temperature normal, no external injuries, just a terrible complexion.

He put down his stethoscope and reassured them, "She'll be fine. Just looks a bit pale. Some nourishment and rest, and she'll be right as rain."

The village chief's heart ached to see Liao Xue so thin, like a fallen leaf that might be blown away by the faintest breeze.

"She hasn't eaten for three days—will that cause any lasting problems?" Mother Liao interjected.

If something were wrong, wouldn't she be even more worthless on top of being a jinx?

The doctor didn't know the circumstances. He nodded. "She'll be fine. She's at a rebellious age now, so parents should be more understanding. Don't fight with her..."

The village chief's wife came in carrying a bowl of porridge, tears in her eyes as she spooned it gently into Liao Xue's mouth.

After all the commotion, Liao Xue ended up staying at the village chief's house. Mother Liao shuffled home, crestfallen.

The village chief lit a cigarette. There were some things he didn't feel right asking, so he didn't.

But the village chief's wife, watching Liao Xue lean against the headboard with tears brimming in her eyes but not falling, couldn't hold back. "What happened, really? Xiao Xue, you can't keep things bottled up inside. Tell your auntie—is it your mother again? She didn't..."

"No," Liao Xue shook her head almost imperceptibly. "Auntie Xi, I'm so sad. Sad that I never got to say a proper goodbye to Miss Shen. Why did I have to fight with her? I didn't even get to see her one last time."

The village chief's wife looked up at the village chief, who was smoking at the doorway.

Smoke curled into the air. He lowered his brows and shook his head, letting out a silent sigh.

His eyes said: Don't ask. The child won't tell you, and asking will only make it worse.

The village chief's wife had detested Shen Qiancheng. She'd been glad when Liao Xue and Shen Qiancheng had their fight that day.

She couldn't stand the way Shen Qiancheng ordered Liao Xue around, but she'd never imagined the two were so close.

She found it hard to believe that Liao Xue would want to jump into the river over Shen Qiancheng's departure, but what other reason could there be?

Liao Xue wouldn't say, and no one could force her to.

The village chief and his wife left the room, pulling the door shut behind them. Outside, the night sky was scattered with stars and clear of clouds, but the moon was absent. The whole sky felt—harmonious, strange, and lonely.

Liao Xue lay in bed. On the pillow was the faint scent of Shen Qiancheng's roses, and a single strand of chestnut-brown hair. Liao Xue froze, as if seeing a person's hair for the first time.

Her breath quickened. She picked up the strand, holding it to the light. It gleamed.

The next second, she tossed it out the window. A single strand of hair was small, and was quickly whisked away by the unknown wind.

In her pocket was the phone Shen Qiancheng had given her. The wallpaper was still a photo of the two of them.

—In the photo, Shen Qiancheng faced the camera, her arm wrapped around Liao Xue, who was looking down, refusing to meet the lens. She pressed the shutter with a smile, freezing that moment in time.

Suddenly, Liao Xue understood. How could a pampered young lady ever be without a servant?

And wasn't she the perfect servant?

Someone who, with just a taste of sweetness, would eagerly run to serve!

Liao Xue, how cheap can you be?

In the phone's message app, she opened the chat window saved under "Miss Shen" and hastily typed a few lines.

"Shen Qiancheng..."

In her haste, Liao Xue sent an incomplete message.

A big red exclamation mark appeared—meaning Shen Qiancheng had blocked her.

Fine. Fine. In all her eighteen years, Liao Xue had never felt emotions this intense as she had in the past few days. Her mind felt like it had been scalded with boiling water, her thoughts all fused together, unable to make sense of anything.

Late at night, the village chief, who had been keeping an ear out for Liao Xue's room, heard the door creak open. He pricked up his ears and nudged his wife.

"Listen—is that Xiao Xue?"

His wife, still half asleep, woke with a start and started pulling on her clothes. "I'll go check. You shouldn't go out."

It was deep into the night. The village chief's wife blinked, then saw that Liao Xue hadn't gone to the bathroom—she was heading for the front door.

"Xiao Xue, where are you going?"

Liao Xue paused mid-step, then smiled. "I'm going to the back mountain for a bit."

The back mountain?! The girl failed to jump into the river, so now she's going to throw herself off a cliff?!

All sleepiness fled the village chief's wife. She shouted, "Wait! Let me get your uncle up. You two go to the back mountain together—it's not safe at night."

She knocked on the window, afraid Liao Xue would climb over the wall. "Old man, get up! Xiao Xue's going up the back mountain. You go, follow her."

The village chief got up without a second thought and began dressing. "Tell Xiao Xue to wait for me. I'll be ready in a minute."

Liao Xue smiled again, and indeed she waited quietly for the village chief to dress and come out of the house.

"Let's go, Xiao Xue."

The village chief didn't ask questions. He picked up a headlamp and followed Liao Xue up the mountain.

There was no moon, and the path was hard to see. The village chief helped Liao Xue along, stumbling up the mountain together.

When they reached the spot, the village chief was dumbfounded. When had this cave appeared on the back mountain?!

The weeds at the cave's entrance had been cleared, showing obvious signs of human activity. When he shone his light inside, he saw neatly stacked boxes of fireworks.

The village chief was puzzled: weren't these the fireworks that Miss Shen had insisted on, which he had collected from every household in the village—the ones people had saved from Spring Festival? How were they all here? Wait, only some of them.

Liao Xue didn't say a word. She started hauling the boxes out. The village chief hung his headlamp on a tree branch, bent down, and helped her carry them out. After three or four trips, they were done.

The village chief held his back and was about to ask why Liao Xue had come to the back mountain in the dead of night to move fireworks, when he saw her pull out a piece of clothing and a lighter.

A brilliant tongue of flame licked the darkness, and the flickering fire caught the clothes. The garment was swallowed by the ever-growing blaze.

Then, without hesitation, Liao Xue threw the burning clothes onto the pile of firework boxes.

The first box ignited, shooting into the sky with a bang.

The second, the third...

Soon, the fireworks were spent, and the flames continued to devour the cardboard boxes, growing larger and larger.

Liao Xue stared coldly at the flames that symbolized destruction. The heat of the fire couldn't reach or warm the ice in her eyes. Her face was set, numb to the warmth of the blaze. She felt nothing but cold—bitter cold. A moth that had been drawn to the warmth and then cast away would never again have the courage to fly into the flame.

The village chief was terrified. "Oh my god! We've got to prevent a mountain fire!"

In the firelight, Liao Xue's face flickered. She said softly, "Goodbye."