The Ninth Blood Orange
In January, Tang City was still in the grip of a blizzard, snowflakes as big as goose feathers swirling recklessly down upon the world.
The night before last, it had snowed all night. Amid the silver-blanketed landscape, Su Tongqin drove to the airport.
She wore a long navy wool coat over a black turtleneck, a metallic belt cinching her slender waist, her straight legs clad in tailored trousers.
She parked, donned her sunglasses, and walked into the terminal.
The hall buzzed with travelers and chatter. Su Tongqin glanced at her watch; it was almost time.
She bought a coffee and sat in a café, waiting for someone as if she were the one being picked up.
When the flight arrival announcement echoed through the terminal, Su Tongqin lazily flicked her hair and rose, moving with the crowd toward the front.
Among the hurried passengers, a bright orange figure stood out conspicuously.
A long, reflective orange trench coat with a neatly tied sash at the waist, the extra length bouncing with each brisk step.
A graceful, elongated neck, a face like creamy jade, an air of aloof elegance—passersby couldn't help but do a double take.
Su Tongqin fixed her gaze on the approaching figure, then looked away.
"Long time no see, Shen Qiancheng."
Shen Qiancheng stopped right in front of her. After three years apart, the two rivals could indeed exchange that polite greeting without hostility.
Shen Qiancheng rudely shoved her suitcase into Su Tongqin's hands. "Who's 'long time no see' with you? As if I'd want to see you."
Su Tongqin was used to Shen Qiancheng's difficult demeanor; if she couldn't win in words, she'd have to scheme elsewhere.
The two got into the car. Su Tongqin started the engine while Shen Qiancheng sat in the back, eyeing her warily. "You haven't tied up your brother, have you?"
Su Tongqin remained calm and steady. "He's at your house."
?!
What does he mean, he's at my house?!
Shen Qiancheng replied sarcastically, "Did he take a fancy to my dad?"
Su Tongqin, the straight-laced driver, couldn't suppress a smile at Shen Qiancheng's wild speculation, but quickly composed herself, noting the faint upward curve of her lips. Through the rearview mirror, she studied the Shen Qiancheng she hadn't seen in three years.
Long, narrow eyes with makeup that suited her, still that elegant nose, bright orange lipstick that highlighted her complexion. She seemed no different from three years ago, yet everything appeared changed—she'd become even more of a beautiful, poisonous jerk!
Su Tongqin felt uneasy knowing that Shen Qiancheng's return meant she'd soon marry Su Zeye in a rush.
"You still have a chance to back out. I can pretend I never picked you up."
Shen Qiancheng paused in rummaging through her bag, the playful joy fading from her eyes, replaced by a faint sadness. "Back out, my ass. I didn't come back to be a meek lamb. If I don't come back and turn the Su and Shen families upside down, then I'm not Shen Qiancheng!"
Su Tongqin's mouth twitched. That was just like Shen Qiancheng.
Shen Qiancheng tossed her hair and exhaled slowly. "Su Tongqin, you've been uncharacteristically soft lately."
Su Tongqin pressed her lips together, said nothing, and drove out of the underground garage toward the Shen residence.
Shen Qiancheng leaned back in the back seat to rest her eyes. Now that she was back, she had no intention of pleasing anyone.
At the Shen residence, the greenery in front of the door had all been replaced. Shen Qiancheng looked at the gate she hadn't seen in three years, finding it somewhat unfamiliar.
Su Tongqin was responsible only for safely delivering her to the doorstep; she had other matters to handle, so without even a word of farewell, she drove off.
Shen Qiancheng wasn't one to knock. She pressed the doorbell and waited for someone to answer.
Shi Jianren should know she was coming back today, right?
It was a butler who opened the door. Shen Qiancheng stood with her arms crossed, eyeing the unfamiliar butler.
The butler asked, puzzled, "May I ask who you are?"
Shen Qiancheng leaned in, flashing an infuriating smile. "Move aside. I'm going in."
With that, she shoved the butler aside, pushed open the half-closed door, and strode inside.
"Have my luggage taken to my room," she called as she hurried up the stairs. "I want black tea—also brought to my room."
The butler called someone from the doorway. "Yes, the young lady has returned."
The person on the other end seemed to snort. "She finally remembers to come home."
Back in the skin of the eldest Miss Shen, Shen Qiancheng felt utterly at ease—a life of doing whatever she pleased was simply wonderful. She had a slew of schemes to set in motion.
The entertainment tabloids were desperate for fresh news from Tang City's wealthy families. Word spread that the Shen family's eldest daughter, notoriously prone to stirring trouble, had returned, and major media outlets were all geared up, waiting for Shen Qiancheng to supply them with endless material.
First, the Shen eldest daughter ran over a supercar whose driver she didn't recognize as her fiancé; then, she caught her father in bed with another woman; and finally, she won a building from her sister-in-law in a bet...
The entertainment press treated Shen Qiancheng like a golden goose. God knows what they suffered while she was abroad; compared to now, it was heaven on earth!
Even more spectacular: the homecoming banquet for the eldest Miss Shen was about to be held. Entertainment and gossip outlets were trampling each other to get an invitation, with prices soaring tenfold.
Shen Qiancheng was well aware of this and even made a tidy profit from it, which she used to buy a handbag.
At the banquet, Shen Qiancheng stood grumpily in a corner, glass in hand, observing the people on the dance floor.
Some guests had been brought by others as plus-ones, and they were being dragged around to network; others were there specifically to watch the drama, given Shen Qiancheng's well-known talent for theatrics; and a few were reporters who couldn't blend in with the guests at all.
Shen Qiancheng sighed. She hadn't planned to pull any stunts at this party herself.
She didn't want to, but someone else did—for instance, the hot air balloon she'd be boarding shortly.
Everyone could see that coming.
Shen Qiancheng dutifully said some utterly vapid things to the crowd, then made a show of dancing a duet with Su Zeye.
In the center of the floor, Su Zeye murmured against her ear, "Shen Qiancheng, there's a big gift coming for you later."
Shen Qiancheng rolled her eyes. Su Zeye's "gifts" were about as appealing as a dog refusing to eat its own vomit.
When the dance ended, all the lights focused on Shen Qiancheng, casting her in a soft, radiant glow.
Shen Qiancheng froze. What is this all about?
Su Zeye stood in another pool of light, grinning meaningfully at her. "Shen Qiancheng, I have a gift for you."
Under everyone's gaze, Shen Qiancheng held back the urge to roll her eyes and smiled tightly instead. "Oh, you've prepared a surprise for me?"
She was actually somewhat curious what kind of grand move Su Zeye, her fellow "Twin Demons of Tang City," would pull.
The moment her words fell, the lights scattered, surging toward the doors in a rush. In the open space outside, a giant hot air balloon waited for her arrival.
Shen Qiancheng lifted her skirt, a smile curving at her lips. Sending me airborne?
Her red, seductive gown made her skin look even fairer, and beneath the balloon's glow she was as beautiful as a siren.
Su Zeye, however, saw her differently—he thought she was like a maddened lion, ready to bite at any moment.
Shen Qiancheng rested her hands on the rail, waiting for the crew to release the ropes and begin her ascent.
Who thought up this segment? Aren't they afraid I'll run off?
She looked down at the dense crowd below, picking out the ill-intentioned Su Zeye, the smirking Shi Jianren, and the frowning Su Tongqin.
The moment the ropes were released, Shen Qiancheng widened her eyes, feigning panic and clutching her chest, all the while watching an arrow speeding straight at her face.
What the hell!
She twisted her body, barely dodging it, only to face another arrow coming her way.
She squinted into the distance and saw Su Zeye holding a crossbow.
It suddenly hit her: three years ago, it had also been a hot air balloon, also a single arrow—except the roles had been reversed.
A blatant copy of her idea.
This wasn't a homecoming banquet at all; it was a feast of treachery!
Shen Qiancheng dodged Su Zeye's three arrows. The young Master Su, whose aim was far from precise, finally managed to hit the balloon itself. Shen Qiancheng leaned against the railing, hand on her forehead, waiting for the balloon to descend slowly while she gave a helpless smile.
Whether Su Zeye was pleased, Shen Qiancheng didn't know, but she was quite satisfied. Three years on, Su Zeye hadn't improved at all, still as childish and boring as ever.
Shen Qiancheng was led out by the crew. Her fiancé, Su Zeye, immediately stepped forward, taking her hand with feigned concern, though his words dripped with sarcasm: "How is it, my fiancée? Are you satisfied with the homecoming gift I prepared for you?"
The reporters' cameras flashed frantically, illuminating Shen Qiancheng's innocent facade until she looked like a glowing crystal ball. "Looks like you really enjoyed the engagement gift I gave you? Enough to replicate it just to show your appreciation?"
Three years ago, Shen Qiancheng had blown up Su Zeye's leg during a hot air balloon ride. He'd needed three surgeries to fully recover, and now, whenever it rained or thundered, the bone would ache piercingly.
At times like that, Su Zeye wished he could devour Shen Qiancheng's flesh raw. But now he forced a smile. "Yes, I loved it."
She placed her hand on Su Zeye's arm, and the two "blissfully" made their way down the steps.
Ha. She had actually thought Su Zeye might copy her idea and plant something on the balloon, but apparently, he'd only scared those with weak nerves.
The rest of the banquet was tedious beyond belief. Shen Qiancheng was bored to death and finally managed to wait until it ended. She saw Shi Jianren lead another new girl into a car and drive off.
Wasn't it just days ago that the media caught him at a hotel? Shen Qiancheng rolled her eyes, car keys in hand, and headed out. At the entrance to the garage, she spotted Su Tongqin standing not far away, silent, seeming to wait for someone.
Shen Qiancheng wasn't so vain as to think she was the one being waited for. As she brushed past Su Tongqin, the latter called out, "Shen Qiancheng."
"What?" Shen Qiancheng tilted her head to size up Su Tongqin. "Apologizing for your brother? Don't waste your breath; I won't accept it!"
Su Tongqin let out a long sigh and said out of nowhere, "Your cook's noodles were quite tasty."
Then she left. Shen Qiancheng watched Su Tongqin's retreating figure. She wants to try my cook's noodles?
With Shi Jianren out on a date, the vast Shen residence was left with only Shen Qiancheng.
Having filled her stomach with anger and liquor at the banquet, she asked the butler to bring a late-night snack. Remembering Su Tongqin's cryptic remark about the noodles, she paused and said, "Noodles, then."
The butler had been warned by Shi Jianren to provoke Shen Qiancheng as little as possible—even he himself was wary of her.
Noodles were quick to prepare. Shen Qiancheng had just finished showering when she heard a knock at the door.
"Leave it on the table."
After blow-drying her hair, Shen Qiancheng yawned as she headed over to the table.
The noodles looked decent, but she wondered what kind of flavor would leave Su Tongqin so impressed.
She took a casual bite, and a familiar taste spread across her tongue and the roof of her mouth. A chill ran through her body as she stood frozen on the spot.
The butler was watching the maid tidy up when he received a call from Shen Qiancheng.
Her voice was clearly strained with the effort to stay calm, but it trembled uncontrollably: "Who made the noodles? Send her up to my room right now, immediately!"
The butler barely had time to respond before she hung up. Everyone in the household knew how difficult Shen Qiancheng was to please. He gave the girl wiping down the range hood a pitying look. "Liao Xue, the young lady wants you upstairs in her room."
The girl was taken aback, then set down her things and nodded. "Yes."