The Tenth Blood Orange

Liao Xue didn't see the butler's look, nor did she care.

The scene she'd been longing for three years was about to unfold before her eyes. Her heart pounded so hard with nervous excitement it felt like it might leap out of her chest.

Why did Shen Qiancheng want to see her specifically?

Did she know Liao Xue was at the Shen residence, right by her side?

Had she recognized her?

She had waited a full three years for this reunion.

What expression would Shen Qiancheng have when she saw her?

Shock? Regret? Anger?

Or all of them?

Liao Xue's foot landed on the staircase, and each step she took felt like a drumbeat unveiling the answer, striking her heart with every stride.

Her heart raced with excitement—she was about to see Shen Qiancheng!

Liao Xue stood before the door. From the moment she'd arrived at the Shen residence, she'd known this room belonged to Shen Qiancheng, but it had always been shut tight, as if no one lived there. It wasn't until she got to know the household that someone told her Shen Qiancheng had gone abroad to study.

So the reason she'd never found Shen Qiancheng in Tang City was that Shen Qiancheng wasn't even in the country.

But what did that matter?

She had finally found Shen Qiancheng.

Liao Xue raised her hand and knocked, waiting for Shen Qiancheng to let her in, but the room was silent. So silent that Liao Xue could hear her own breathing, yet not a trace of Shen Qiancheng's.

Liao Xue's hand closed around the doorknob. With just a gentle press, she could see Shen Qiancheng.

The door swung open, and Liao Xue glanced around the room. There was no one inside.

Disappointed, Liao Xue's straight posture instantly slumped. The butler caught up and, seeing Liao Xue standing before the door, snapped, "The young lady isn't in her room—how dare you open the door without permission!"

Where had Shen Qiancheng gone?

The night was silent as ink. Shen Qiancheng pulled one of Shi Jianren's cars out of the garage and sped straight to the hotel under his name.

The accelerator was floored as she raced recklessly down the roads, catching every green light until she reached the hotel in no time.

After parking, Shen Qiancheng took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and made a call.

"Reporter Wang? Want an exclusive scoop?"

Without waiting for a reply, she hung up, grabbed her bag, and stormed upstairs.

The front desk clerk tried to refuse, citing guest privacy, but Shen Qiancheng smiled faintly and pulled out her ID. "Look carefully. I'm her daughter. If you don't want to get fired, just tell me the room number—otherwise, you'll be sorry."

The clerk was just a girl in her early twenties, hardly a match for Shen Qiancheng's blatant threat. Trembling, she handed over the spare room card.

Shen Qiancheng took the card without a word and walked off.

The elevator numbers climbed, soon reaching Shi Jianren's floor. With a click of the card being accepted, Shen Qiancheng strode in and, unsurprised, spotted two pale, lotus-like arms on the bed.

Expressionless, she raised her phone and snapped a photo.

"Father, unless you want to hit the entertainment section again and drag down Shen Corporation's stock, get dressed and let's talk in the café downstairs."

Shi Jianren had been chatting cheerfully with his lovely companion, about to take things further, when Shen Qiancheng's sudden appearance ruined the mood, leaving him seething.

"Shen Qiancheng, what do you think you're doing?!"

Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow. Turning the blame on her?

"That's my line! Shi Jianren, what are you up to?"

The woman sensed the shift and had no intention of getting caught up in a father-daughter spat. She gave Shi Jianren a pleading look and said, "President Shi, I'll head off first. Let's try to meet up another time."

Watching the woman leave, thoroughly robbed of his fun, Shi Jianren dropped any pretense of affection or patience: "Shen Qiancheng, we really should have a proper talk."

Ten minutes later, they sat in the café downstairs.

Shen Qiancheng disliked bitterness, so she'd ordered a cappuccino. She dumped every sugar cube from the saucer into the coffee, gently stirring the rich brew with a spoon.

The café's decor leaned toward warm tones, yet Shi Jianren felt cold all over with fury. "Go on. Aside from calling off the engagement with the Su family, I'll agree to anything else."

Shen Qiancheng curled a contemptuous smile. She truly wasn't worried about marrying Su Zeye.

No matter how much sugar she added, the rich coffee was still bitter. She took a sip and frowned. "Father, you know that's not what I'm talking about. You should understand—don't play dumb. Unless you gave the order, Liao Xue could never have gotten into the Shen family kitchen."

Shi Jianren's brow twitched at that. Caught that quickly?

But he wasn't flustered. Meeting her accusatory gaze, he revealed a sly, old-fox smile. "She insisted on working at the Shen residence. I merely recognized her earnest attitude and decent skills and gave her a special hire."

Shen Qiancheng hated beating around the bush, and Shi Jianren loved it.

Her face twisted in disgust. "What did you promise me back then? I marry Su Zeye, and Liao Xue never steps foot in the Shen family again. In just three short years, you've already broken your word?"

Broken his word? Shi Jianren barely suppressed the sneer tugging at his lips. Only today's youth still talked about things like honor and loyalty—the most useless concepts of all. Shi Jianren trusted only himself.

"You haven't married into the Su family yet. Once you do, I'll send her away."

Shen Qiancheng shot him a disgusted look. She knew exactly what Shi Jianren was playing at—keeping Liao Xue as a spare. If she ever ran, Liao Xue could easily step into Shen Qiancheng's identity and end up married into the Su family in her place.

Shi Jianren thought he had her cornered. If you don't marry him, there's still someone useful to marry Su Zeye. He was convinced Shen Qiancheng couldn't bear to give up everything she had in the Shen family.

A person spoiled since childhood, arrogant and troublemaking—once a phoenix falls from its branch and becomes a chicken, she wouldn't even need others to pile on; the sheer gap would crush her into not being able to survive.

So, despite seeming to hold no cards, Shi Jianren could completely control Shen Qiancheng with Liao Xue—or any other illegitimate daughter, for that matter.

Shen Qiancheng sat in the sofa, the coffee in her hand slowly going cold, chilling her fingertips until they were numb. The heating in the room was clearly sufficient, but she still felt a chill creeping over her.

She didn't dare go back to the Shen residence. She didn't want to face Liao Xue.

Shi Jianren gave her a faint, satisfied glance, then headed upstairs, not missing the chance to jab at her as he left: "You're still too softhearted. All those days you spent by Liao Xue's side—what a perfect chance to kill her you had. It's much too late for regrets now."

Shen Qiancheng's heart sank. See? Shi Jianren was a cold-blooded creature through and through. Whether a daughter was biological or not, she was only ever useful or useless in his eyes. The moment a useful daughter became useless, he'd discard her without hesitation—even give her away to get a head start.

Shen Qiancheng suddenly felt that she was the one more like Shi Jianren's daughter. Cold-blooded and ruthless enough.

It was a deep winter midnight in Tang City, so cold people stamped their feet, streets empty save for a few sparse streetlights.

Shen Qiancheng turned her face to the window and made a call. "Reporter Wang, check your email."

If he wanted to make Shen Qiancheng miserable, then Shi Jianren shouldn't expect to be comfortable either.

"You know what headline to write?"

Reporter Wang sounded hesitant. "Miss Shen, that's a lot of scandals about President Shi this month already."

He doesn't think it's too many, but you do.

Shen Qiancheng said, "Do you want it or not? If not, I'll send it to another outlet."

Reporter Wang stared at the explicit photos in his inbox. His tabloid instincts told him this was a high-definition, unblurred smoking gun he absolutely couldn't pass up, but he was uneasy. The past ones were all fuzzy or censored—could've been anyone. But these were crisp, face-front shots. If Shi Jianren sued...

"Time's up." Shen Qiancheng's voice snapped him back. "What's your answer?"

Reporter Wang said, "I'll take it."

"Good."

Shen Qiancheng hung up, satisfied, then drove to the shooting range.

The Su family had some businesses that couldn't be aired in the open, so guns and ammunition were common sights around them.

The Su family owned a large shooting range in Tang City. Whenever Shen Qiancheng was in a bad mood, she'd come by to play a couple rounds.

As she parked, she spotted Su Tongqin's usual car, so she pulled up right next to it.

She happened to have something she wanted to discuss with Su Tongqin anyway.

Inside the range, each enclosed cage was a private shooting lane. Shen Qiancheng spotted Su Tongqin's slender figure right away and, without hesitation, had the door opened.

Su Tongqin had just finished a round and was sweating as she reached for a towel when she caught sight of Shen Qiancheng entering from the corner of her eye.

"What are you doing here? Not home catching up with your little bunny?"

At the mention of Liao Xue, Shen Qiancheng gave an elegant eye roll and plopped down on the rest bench first. "You're not exactly well-intentioned either."

Su Tongqin: "I'm not the only one without good intentions. A cornered rabbit will bite too."

Shen Qiancheng: "She doesn't have the heart for it."

"What did you say when you met her?" Su Tongqin smirked. "'Long time no see'? Or 'What are you doing here'?"

Before she could finish, Shen Qiancheng's fist came flying. Su Tongqin's eyes sharpened, and she dodged with a tilt of her head, catching Shen Qiancheng's fist with her right hand.

In terms of brute fighting skill, Shen Qiancheng was no match for Su Tongqin—she'd only end up pinned to the ground.

Shen Qiancheng ground her teeth. "If I'd been just a little more ruthless, I wouldn't be the one marrying Su Zeye."

Su Tongqin paused mid-wipe of her sweat and sat down naturally beside Shen Qiancheng. "You've got a point. Want a match?"

Shen Qiancheng snorted. "Could I even beat you?"

Su Tongqin lowered her head, both hands clasped together, an exquisite pistol wrapped in jade-white fingers that made the dark metal look even harder and more forbidding.

Shen Qiancheng grabbed a gun from the table nearby and loaded bullets one by one. "Fine, but we need a stake."

Su Tongqin paused in cleaning her gun. "What do you want?"

Shen Qiancheng smiled—a sly, shifty smile. Su Tongqin felt like she was about to get swindled again...

Sure enough, once Shen Qiancheng stated her terms, Su Tongqin started to regret it.

"Shi Yumeng," Shen Qiancheng said. "The Shen family doesn't need a bastard who can't show his face."

Su Tongqin was speechless. "You don't even know you'll win yet. Let me think about what I want as a stake..."