The Twelfth Blood Orange

Shen Qiancheng feared nothing in heaven or earth, but now she feared only one person: Liao Xue. Because of this, she stayed out day and night. During the day she went shopping and clubbing with Xiao Sui and the others, and at night she slept in a suite she rented by the month, swirling a glass of red wine as she stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city's dazzling lights while an immense loneliness swallowed her like ocean waves.

Without stirring up trouble, she felt far too well-behaved.

Shen Qiancheng sighed, thinking that tomorrow she might grab someone off the street and stage a piece of performance art.

The phone on the coffee table rang. She set down her wineglass, and the gloom on her face vanished the moment she saw the name on the screen, replaced by delight.

Shi Jianren's voice sounded a bit guilty. "Regarding joining Shen Corporation, I need to have a proper talk with you."

"Father," Shen Qiancheng said, suppressing the joy in her heart, "do I start tomorrow?"

On the other end, Shi Jianren was evasive, merely telling her to come home first before discussing anything.

Shen Qiancheng thought: Damn it, should I screw over Shi Yumeng again?

The streetlights along the Shen family's road were already lit, casting a clean glow over the marble-paved driveway.

A flashy bright-red sports car pulled in. From its sleek body emerged a girl in an emerald-green long dress, wearing sunglasses studded with a circle of diamonds. She slung her handbag over her shoulder and walked toward the front door, her steps uneven.

Chewing gum, Shen Qiancheng pushed the door open without a word. Inside, she saw the sofa empty.

The housekeeper stepped out of the dining room and said with a smile, "Mr. Shi is having his meal. Have you eaten, miss?"

Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow. You haven't even done what I asked, and you still have the mood to eat?

"I happen to be hungry too," she said, handing her coat to the housekeeper as she strode toward the dining room. "What's on today's menu?"

A person in a blue suit sat in a chair with French-style carvings—Shi Jianren, unmistakable.

"Father, you finally remember you have a home?" Shen Qiancheng stood nearby, waiting for a servant to pull out her chair, but no one came for a long time.

Shi Jianren, mid-meal, said irritably, "Enough nonsense. Liao Xue, quickly—"

Whatever he said next, Shen Qiancheng didn't hear. The instant she heard the name Liao Xue, thunder seemed to crash in her heart, lightning turning the entire sky a murky gray.

She'd been avoiding this for days!

The housekeeper, having put away the coat, came back in holding a piece of paper and said, "Miss, today's main course is noodles. The dishes are mainly..."

If she'd known it was noodles, she wouldn't have come in.

Shi Jianren wiped his mouth, his eyes glinting with amusement as he reminded her, "Chengcheng, the chair's been pulled out for you. Why haven't you sat down?"

Damn it. Like a stiff dead fish, Shen Qiancheng awkwardly took her seat.

She wanted to get this over with quickly. Before the noodles even arrived, she grabbed Shi Jianren and demanded, "What about my joining Shen Corporation? You promised, didn't you? Going back on your word?"

Shi Jianren finished his meal, took the water the housekeeper offered to rinse his mouth, and watched her anxious expression with pleasure. Then he feigned reluctance. "How could I go back on my word? Shen Corporation is too big for one person to decide alone—there's the board. I went to discuss it personally, and they all refused."

Shen Qiancheng didn't believe he'd actually gone to talk.

But on second thought, no wonder. His precious biological son, Shi Yumeng, hadn't been placed in headquarters either—he was just a branch office president, causing mess after mess.

Liao Xue brought over the noodles. As she approached, Shen Qiancheng's body went rigid, and she sat motionless until Liao Xue set them down.

Shi Jianren continued, "What would a girl like you do at headquarters anyway? You wouldn't even get in."

Shen Qiancheng couldn't help but glance up at Shi Jianren with narrowed eyes.

Was he mocking her?

Shooting him another glare, she waited for Liao Xue to set down the noodles.

Shi Jianren went on, "The Su and Shen families are working on a major joint project. Marrying Su Zeye would play a crucial role in the project's smooth progress—far more useful than your joining Shen Corporation."

Speechless, Shen Qiancheng no longer felt like eating; she just wanted to flip the table and leave.

"Besides—"

A greasy arc of soup splashed across Shen Qiancheng's body, darkening the emerald fabric by two shades, flecking her with spots.

Liao Xue had lost her grip on the porcelain bowl.

The culprit was crouching on the floor, picking up the fragments. His words interrupted, Shi Jianren said lightly, "Go fetch another bowl."

Liao Xue moved faster, but Shen Qiancheng noticed a sharp shard had cut her hand—a thin line of blood seeping out like tiny beads.

Shen Qiancheng looked away. With a wolf in front and a tiger behind, the atmosphere in the room grew utterly strange.

She didn't wait to see Liao Xue bring a fresh bowl. Shaking the noodle scraps off her sleeve, she strode briskly out.

She was getting married?

Long lashes cast butterfly shadows on her eyelids, and a strange unease crept through Liao Xue's heart.

Liao Xue sighed, her thin figure leaning against the table, where sat a bowl of noodles now gone cold.

The housekeeper walked in to find her like that—lost in thought, unaware of his arrival.

"Ahem, Liao Xue," he said.

Snapping back to reality, Liao Xue straightened up and met the housekeeper's weary gaze. Her heart skipped a beat as she explained, "I'm eating."

The housekeeper couldn't be bothered. He just said, "The young lady wants a midnight snack. Specifically noodles. Make them, and take them up when they're done."

Liao Xue pointed at herself. "Me?"

The housekeeper was a bit curious too. How had this girl, who always kept her head down and rarely spoke, been specially hired by Mr. Shi, suddenly caught the young lady's attention?

Liao Xue had no idea what was running through the housekeeper's mind. She tucked her own thoughts away and soon made a simple bowl of noodles.

It looked exactly like the noodles she'd cooked for Shen Qiancheng on that first night she'd brought her back to the village chief's house.

Stair after stair, Liao Xue climbed up with a tray bearing a steaming bowl of noodles.

Two hours after the dinner noodles had been accidentally knocked over, they reappeared at the door of Shen Qiancheng's room.

Beneath the intricate patterns of the door was a handle. Liao Xue stared at it, losing herself in thought.

What would she say when she met Shen Qiancheng? And what would Shen Qiancheng say to her?

For three years, Liao Xue had dreamed of this reunion countless times. What would it be like? Perhaps she'd be hysterical, perhaps she'd cry and demand answers.

But in truth, Liao Xue felt incredibly calm. Her greatest emotion was fear—fear that Shen Qiancheng wouldn't be in the room again, and all the feelings she'd stirred up would be wasted effort.

She took a deep breath, her fingers clenching tightly; the sweat on her palms betrayed her inner turmoil.

The door opened, revealing a room whose decor and style were exactly the same as before.

Shen Qiancheng sat in an orange-yellow sofa, an open book resting on her knees. The reading lamp cast a soft glow around her, giving her a gentle aura.

Liao Xue tapped on the already open door and said in a low voice, "Miss, your midnight snack."

Shen Qiancheng's attention was pulled away from the book. Liao Xue's voice was lovely, like mountain spring water dancing over jade. Her breath caught, and she looked up. "Liao Xue? Long time no see."

Liao Xue's heart skipped a beat. If she hadn't been holding the tray, she'd have clapped a hand over her chest right then. Her breath quickened, and she couldn't utter a word.

Shen Qiancheng's gaze drifted from Liao Xue's startled face to the bowl of noodles in her hands, and a thought grew clearer in her mind.

Would this bowl of noodles still taste as good as it used to?

There was no answer. There never would be.

Shen Qiancheng raised a delicate eyebrow and gave Liao Xue a contemptuous look, straight in the eyes. "Liao Xue, you'd better crawl back to wherever you came from. I don't want to see you in the Shen family."

Liao Xue's heart plummeted like a drop tower, falling from a mountain of fire into an icy abyss.

As if she hadn't noticed the hurt on Liao Xue's face, Shen Qiancheng's words continued like icy blades. "Get back to your Liao Family Village right now. You heard it too—I'm getting married soon. You and I will never, ever have a chance!"

Inside, Shen Qiancheng was screaming: Please, dear, just leave this den of wolves—okay?

Liao Xue snapped back and said, "I was personally hired by Mr. Shi. I work here lawfully. You have no authority to fire me."

Ha? Since when did Shi Jianren have any good in him?

Shen Qiancheng rolled her eyes. "I don't have the right to fire you, huh? Then surely I have the right to torment you?"

Liao Xue was stunned.

Shen Qiancheng glanced at her watch—both hands pointed to the Roman numeral twelve. She put her hands on her hips. "It's midnight. I want... spicy rabbit head."

Liao Xue's pupils contracted. Rabbit? She wanted rabbit?

"Miss, you had oranges half an hour ago," Liao Xue said flatly. "It wouldn't be good to eat rabbit so soon."

Shen Qiancheng curled her lips defiantly. "Are you telling me what to do? Who do you think you are? I want it, so you're going to make it. Not only will I eat spicy rabbit head today—tomorrow I'm having Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! Mind your own business. This is my home!"

She'd figured it out: better to face this head-on than hide. It wasn't her fault anyway!

Liao Xue's temples throbbed, but despite the headache, she answered out of habit.

"Fine."

After that "fine," Shen Qiancheng waited an hour. She couldn't help wondering if Liao Xue had simply quit and walked out—but then she thought Liao Xue wasn't the type to do that.

Sure enough, another half hour passed, and Liao Xue's thin frame appeared at the wide-open door.

The housekeeper stood behind her. Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow, annoyed. "What are you doing here? Did I call for you?"

"Liao Xue, come in yourself."

Liao Xue turned, nodded in thanks, took the plate of spicy rabbit head, and shut the door in the housekeeper's face.

When she turned back, Shen Qiancheng was propping her head on her hand, watching her with a lazy gaze.

But the moment passed—frost crept back over Shen Qiancheng's brow.

"What took so long? Trying to starve me to death?"

In Liao Family Village, Shen Qiancheng had always said this with righteous indignation whenever Liao Xue was lost in her studies and forgot to cook.

Liao Xue felt a pang of déjà vu. "The kitchen had no rabbit meat. It took a while to procure."

Did Shen Qiancheng really want that spicy rabbit head?

At first, she hadn't much.

Now, she wanted it badly.

The rabbit meat nestled among bright red chili peppers looked far more tempting than any other. She picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece, coated in oil and crimson chili skin, its fragrance wafting up.

Was this how she got "tamed"?

Shen Qiancheng composed herself and said haughtily, "Didn't it occur to you to get me some milk to cut the spice? Are you trying to burn me alive?"

Liao Xue froze. A strange, unnameable feeling crept up from her heels. Why did this feel so familiar?

By the time Liao Xue came back with the milk, she found Shen Qiancheng sitting obediently, not having touched a bite, waiting for her.

Her black hair lay smoothly against her back, making her look even more well-behaved.

But Liao Xue soon revised that thought.

Shen Qiancheng touched the glass with her finger, like a child catching an adult red-handed, and said gleefully, "Ah... cold milk? Drinking cold milk on an empty stomach is a recipe for diarrhea? Liao Xue, you've changed so much. So clever now?"

Liao Xue felt a wave of helplessness wash over her. She went downstairs to warm the milk, running into the housekeeper.

Gloating, he said, "Going out of your way to be bullied?"

Liao Xue ignored him as if he'd passed wind. She carried the warmed milk and waited until it was just short of scalding before going back up.

Seeing her return, Shen Qiancheng coughed twice, ready to complain it was too hot and have her redo it. But when she took the glass, it was only slightly warm, and for a moment she was at a loss for words.

Liao Xue, with the satisfaction of solving a puzzle with an optimal solution, raised an eyebrow. "Eat up, miss. It'll get cold soon."

Shen Qiancheng picked up her chopsticks, then said abruptly, "What? Did you poison it? You wouldn't, would you, Liao Xue? Would you have the heart?"

Liao Xue paused, and said with disbelief, "If you don't want it, miss, I'll just take it away."

Hearing that, Shen Qiancheng let out two sighs. "You went to all that trouble to make it. I'll force myself to eat a little."

She was actually a bit hungry. She swallowed, and the moment the rabbit meat hit her teeth, a burst of numbing spice and savory saltiness exploded on her tongue.

Liao Xue's hands twisted together, watching Shen Qiancheng nervously. It must taste good.

Shen Qiancheng even smiled.

Just as Liao Xue's heart settled back into place, she saw Shen Qiancheng gasp for breath and collapse onto the orange-yellow sofa.

The world spun.