Thirteenth Slice of Blood Orange

Liao Xue didn't understand why Shen Qiancheng had pretended to collapse, not until she got up and saw the dense red rash covering nearly all of Shen Qiancheng's exposed skin.

For a moment, Liao Xue stood frozen, her breath hitching as her heart pounded.

A single thought echoed in her mind: Was she about to lose Shen Qiancheng again?

The butler had been dozing in the kitchen, waiting for Liao Xue to come down and clean up so he could lock up and rest. Instead, he saw Liao Xue carrying someone down the stairs.

She looked frantic—like a murderer who'd just killed someone and was disposing of the body!

The butler's eyes flew wide. He rushed forward two steps before realizing the person in Liao Xue's arms was none other than the young lady.

Oh my god!

He stretched out both arms to take Shen Qiancheng from her, but Liao Xue twisted away like a startled weasel, refusing to hand her over.

That was the young lady! Did Liao Xue really think she could carry her? He was genuinely afraid her frail frame would drop the young lady!

Liao Xue finally spotted someone else. Shen Qiancheng's body temperature was dropping rapidly in her arms, and she shouted in a panic, "Call an ambulance! Dial 120, quick!"

In the butler's eyes, Liao Xue looked like a headless chicken trying to hold the emperor hostage. Frustrated, he slapped Liao Xue across the face.

Liao Xue, who had been moving as if on fire, stopped dead in her tracks. Tears streaking her face, she turned to the butler and begged, "Butler Wang, I'm begging you, please save the young lady! Save her!"

Shen Qiancheng had her eyes tightly shut, her face covered in raised red bumps. The butler touched her forehead and felt it burning like a furnace.

"Forget the ambulance," the butler said, laying Shen Qiancheng flat on the sofa and pouring some water from the table into her mouth. "Go to the kitchen and get some milk. Call the family doctor..."

After forcing a glass of water down, he pulled out his phone and made a call. "President Shi, the young lady has collapsed. Looks like poisoning... Send her to the hospital? ...Alright..."

By the time Liao Xue returned from the kitchen with the milk, the family doctor had already arrived in the living room with his medical kit.

The crystal chandelier blazed brilliantly, casting an unnaturally rosy glow across Shen Qiancheng's cheeks.

The doctor briefly examined Shen Qiancheng's eyes, then picked up his kit and said solemnly, "Get the car ready! We need to take her to the hospital now!"

Liao Xue's heart plummeted. Going to the hospital was not good news.

Liao Xue followed, saying, "I'm coming too."

The butler had never liked Liao Xue, and he shouted impatiently, "Don't come along and make things worse."

With that, he shoved Liao Xue.

Liao Xue steadied herself, standing rooted to the spot, dazed.

###

The broad leaves of a potted plant obscured the patient lying in the hospital bed. Beside the bed sat a middle-aged man in a suit, bursting with energy.

"Shen Qiancheng, don't cause me any more trouble before you marry into the Su family." Shi Jianren had rushed over, his brow furrowed deeply enough to crush a fly. He looked at Shen Qiancheng as if she were something filthy.

In the bed, Shen Qiancheng wore a pink-striped hospital gown, her face pale and drained of strength. Only her fingers twitched. She took a deep, impatient breath.

Cause trouble?

Her skin was cold and pale, an IV needle taped to the back of her hand. Slowly, she sat up. "You've already investigated what happened between me and Liao Xue in Liao Family Village. She must hate me to the bone. Today she dared to give me chili peppers that sent me into anaphylactic shock; tomorrow she might poison my food. If you keep a time bomb like her by my side, I'll hardly survive long enough to marry Su Zeye."

Shi Jianren was silent. Shen Qiancheng curled her lips slightly, knowing he was weighing the pros and cons—whether keeping Liao Xue close to her was more beneficial than sending her away.

In that case, she would give him a little push. Smiling faintly, she said, "Father, if you don't send her away, I'll have no choice but to die. What I said three years ago still holds true today: I'm far more useful than she is, aren't I?"

Shi Jianren sighed and quickly made his decision. "Fine, I'll have her thrown out of the Shen family tomorrow. But you have to keep your promise!"

Shen Qiancheng lay back down, turned over to face away from him, and raised a hand to wave dismissively. "Yeah, yeah."

Shi Jianren: ...

As Shi Jianren stepped out of the ward, Su Tongqin was sprawled lazily on the sofa in the hallway, holding some gift bags. Upon seeing him, she nodded politely and smiled. "Uncle Shi, I'm here on behalf of the Su family to check on Chengcheng."

The ward's soundproofing was excellent. Shi Jianren, putting on a mask of fatherly kindness, smiled in what he thought was a benevolent way. "Ah, little Su. Chengcheng is awake. I have some business at the company, so I'll be off."

Su Tongqin said politely, "Goodbye, Uncle Shi."

Inside the ward, Shen Qiancheng was plucking leaves off the potted plant. The table and floor were littered with the corpses of green leaves.

Seeing that Su Tongqin, who usually wore a trench coat year-round, had on a pearl-white fur-collared coat, Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Here to cry at my funeral in that getup? Too bad I didn't die."

Seeing how cocky and pleased Shen Qiancheng looked, Su Tongqin couldn't be bothered to roll her eyes. She retorted, "Funny, who was it that gave herself food poisoning and landed in the hospital? You know, I had no idea you were allergic to chili. You better watch out—next time, I'll put some lethal chili powder in your food."

"Don't, don't," Shen Qiancheng said, raising her hands in surrender. "If I die, who's going to carry on the Su family line? I'm the would-be Su daughter-in-law who got to keep the engagement even after fleeing the wedding and beating up the Su heir. If you did me in, I'd have to wait for you on the other side—we could cross the Bridge of Helplessness together."

"Who's crossing any bridge with you?" Su Tongqin shuddered with disgust. She had gotten herself into trouble with Shen Qiancheng before, losing a bet that forced her to use her connections to sabotage Shi Yumeng. "Guess who I saw at the front desk?"

Shen Qiancheng lazily lifted her eyelids. She was bored out of her mind lying in this hospital bed. Usually, Su Zeye was always buzzing around like an idiot, but now that she was stuck here out of boredom, he hadn't even come to cause trouble.

"Who?"

Su Tongqin smirked. "Liao Xue."

Shen Qiancheng's hand paused, but she said nothing.

"She was carrying a huge insulated lunchbox, probably full of food," Su Tongqin said, describing what she'd seen with relish. Anything that made Shen Qiancheng uncomfortable delighted Su Tongqin. "She came specially to see you."

Shen Qiancheng shot Su Tongqin a glare. "I'm not close to her. She must have a friend staying in this hospital."

Su Tongqin continued gossiping. "What friend of hers could afford a private hospital like this? I heard you had an allergic reaction to the food she cooked. Your own rabbit can bite, you know?"

Shen Qiancheng closed her eyes, unwilling to see the infuriating smirk on Su Tongqin's face. "Shut up. Even if I wanted to eat something I'm allergic to, who could force it into my mouth?"

Su Tongqin gasped, feigning surprise. "Ah, you did it on purpose!"

"Yes, I did it on purpose!!!" Shen Qiancheng snapped. "Are you satisfied now?"

Su Tongqin fell silent for a few seconds. Shen Qiancheng raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you curious why I'm so determined to drive her away?"

Su Tongqin replied flatly, "I couldn't care less whether you live or die. Why would I bother myself with your little dramas?"

Shen Qiancheng held up her phone, pointing at the screen, and winked frantically.

Su Tongqin shrugged. "She left ages ago."

Shen Qiancheng put down the phone and started complaining. "You spoke so softly—she probably couldn't hear a thing. You should refund me half my money."

Su Tongqin rolled her eyes. "I even agreed to take your money and play along, so don't push your luck! You're seriously messed up, you know. If someone wants to stay by your side, just let them stay. Why force them away?"

Shen Qiancheng, who had been all set to engage in a verbal sparring match with Su Tongqin, suddenly deflated like a pricked balloon. With a feigned mature air, she said, "Sigh, you wouldn't understand. There are reasons I have to do this."

Su Tongqin leaned in close, rolling her eyes dramatically.

The spicy rabbit head she'd cooked wasn't even real rabbit—just a pile of chili peppers. Shen Qiancheng had almost killed herself just to make the effect convincing.

Fortunately, it had worked as intended, sending both Shi Jianren and Liao Xue down the paths she wanted.

Shen Qiancheng sighed. A knock came at the door—lunch had arrived.

Shen Qiancheng's mood grew even gloomier.

The hospital food here wasn't fit for human consumption.

To put it nicely, it preserved the natural flavors by reducing oil and salt; to put it bluntly, it was tasteless boiled slop that saved effort, time, and ingredients.

Shen Qiancheng would rather starve than touch this deceptive excuse for a meal.

Su Tongqin relished Shen Qiancheng's misery and taunted her. "Why aren't you eating?"

This only made Shen Qiancheng angrier. She hated being seen through!

"What's your game?" Shen Qiancheng flung her chopsticks onto the table. The nurse nearby flinched. Shen Qiancheng glanced at her and said curtly, "Get out."

The nurse scurried away as if pardoned.

Su Tongqin's black hair shone, framing her fair face and sharp, imposing brows. "I'm just saying—I'd like to earn more of your money."

Shen Qiancheng rolled her eyes.

###

At the Shen residence.

The butler was visibly smug. Liao Xue was packing her luggage, and he stood at the door of her room saying, "Make sure you take everything. Don't use some excuse about forgetting something and come back looking for it—no one's going to help you."

His sarcasm was nothing more than a gentle breeze against Liao Xue.

But Liao Xue had had enough. She turned, deliberately ignoring his feet, and—feigning clumsiness—dropped her suitcase right onto his toes.

"Butler Wang, one who persists in evil will meet their own downfall," Liao Xue said with a faint smile. "One day, I'll have you kicked out of the Shen family."

The butler snorted. "You're already being thrown out, and still you dare to challenge me here?"

Unfazed, Liao Xue walked out the door, was driven in a Shen family car to the outer gate, and got into a ride-hailing car. After giving the driver the last four digits of her phone number, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer.

The driver, a friendly middle-aged man, tried to console her. "Young lady, did you just go through a breakup? These rich kids are always playing games; they never take other people's feelings seriously."

Liao Xue closed her eyes, her tears turning into pearl-like butterflies.

She had clearly heard every word Shen Qiancheng said outside the hospital room. It felt like she were a worthless dog, always trying to please someone who didn't want her. But doing so was as instinctive as a dog returning to its vomit—how could she change such a deeply ingrained nature?