Fifteenth Slice of Blood Orange

Everything leaves a trace. Liu Chengzhi's room looked like a model home, and he had clearly been on the phone fending off a blind date. So when there was only one day left on the contract, Liao Xue quietly followed him to the gilded private hospital and caught sight of Shen Qiancheng for the first time in half a month.

Shen Qiancheng had gained a little weight; her face had filled out, her jaw nestled in the pink hospital gown. Those captivating eyes fixed on Liao Xue, watching surprise unfold on her face.

It was oddly endearing.

"What are you doing here? Who said you could come?" Shen Qiancheng composed herself, arms crossed, wearing the same fierce expression—but to Liao Xue, she was nothing but a paper tiger.

Liao Xue pointed at the thermos on the tray table. "My food can come, but I can't?"

Liao Xue knew perfectly well that Shen Qiancheng had deliberately framed her to kick her out of the Shen family—but Shen Qiancheng didn't know she knew, did she?

Give each other an out, and let bygones be bygones.

Liao Xue closed her eyes, not understanding why she kept lying to herself.

Even a fool could sense the charged air between Liao Xue and Shen Qiancheng. Su Tongqin raised an eyebrow—tsk, if you don't want people to know, don't do it, Shen Qiancheng.

Shen Qiancheng ignored her and huffed, "Who hired this cook for me? If I'd known it was you, I wouldn't have touched a single bite."

Liu Chengzhi, shrinking in a corner like a mushroom, wiped cold sweat from his brow: You asked for her yourself, and ate every last bite with relish!

But he didn't dare say a word. Everyone knew Shen Qiancheng's temper—who would risk provoking her?

He could already imagine Liao Xue's sorry fate.

Liao Xue said nothing, rooted to the spot. Her clear, autumn-like eyes betrayed a hint of hurt as she silently watched Shen Qiancheng.

She was waiting for Shen Qiancheng to say, "Since it's like this, why not come back and cook for me?"

Under that gaze, Shen Qiancheng felt a flicker of unease. Even after three years, she still couldn't stand seeing Liao Xue look so quiet and pitiful.

And after three years, her appetite hadn't changed—she still craved that one taste.

Three years was long enough. She'd thought she'd let go, but now that Liao Xue stood before her, Shen Qiancheng knew that if she tasted it again, she'd never be able to move on.

But she had to cut Liao Xue off, even if it meant Liao Xue hated her.

Shen Qiancheng took a deep breath and let the harsh words spill out in one go. "You made me allergic to chili once—wasn't that enough? Now you're back as my nutrition cook for a second round, planning to poison me again? You're truly vicious, Liao Xue."

A chill crept up from the soles of Liao Xue's feet, and she found it almost laughable.

She had thought Shen Qiancheng was afraid she'd seek revenge, so she'd given herself the allergy just to be safe. She'd thought Shen Qiancheng had come to her senses and, too embarrassed to reach out, had asked Liu Chengzhi to hire her. She'd thought the clues Liu Chengzhi left were Shen Qiancheng's way of swallowing her pride. She'd thought that if she could just let the past go, she could stay by Shen Qiancheng's side again...

But all of it was her own assumption. Shen Qiancheng had never thought that way.

And she'd even been considering backing down and pretending nothing happened. How pathetic was she?

"This is the third time I've witnessed your tricks, Miss Shen."

Liao Xue let out a long sigh, bitterness seeping into her voice. "You'd rather poison yourself than let me stay in the Shen family. Shen Qiancheng, what are you afraid of? Afraid the noble Miss Shen had an affair with a village girl who dropped out of high school in Liao Family Village? Afraid I'll embarrass you, or afraid I'll spill your secret—that you're a complete lesbian?!"

Shen Qiancheng shot back without flinching. "Enough! When did I ever say I liked you? Don't flatter yourself. Since you know the gap between us, you should have the decency to keep your distance. You're so eager to throw yourself at me—should I call you overconfident, or am I just too easily impressed?"

Liao Xue didn't believe her. She still remembered the bright moon that night, remembered stammering out those words. Shen Qiancheng couldn't mean what she said now.

"But you took me away from the Liao family, you made a scene at my school, and you said you'd take me away."

Shen Qiancheng sneered, though it was unclear who she was mocking for their naivety. "You actually bought that? Ha! My acting was really something, wasn't it? I was planning to break into the entertainment industry back then—that was just a little rehearsal with you. I didn't expect to be that convincing. Or maybe your brain's just too slow to see through the performance?"

Liao Xue's voice shook with barely suppressed sobs as she voiced the truth she refused to accept. "So when you got tired of the act, you helped me lie my way back to the Liao family, and then you'd have nothing more to do with me? Is that it, Shen Qiancheng?"

"What could we possibly have? You know I'm getting married soon. I don't want you telling everyone we had some—you know—fantasy relationship." Shen Qiancheng pointed at Liao Xue, then shrugged. Her gaze slid to Liao Xue's worn shoes, and she let out a soft "tsk."

Liao Xue felt as if her feet were scorched; she stumbled back a few steps.

Shen Qiancheng didn't give her a chance to retort, her face cold as she said, "Liao Xue, if you know what's good for you, get out of here right now. Don't let me see you again."

The fight flared up and ended all too abruptly. Liao Xue suddenly smiled—this was Shen Qiancheng's true heart, laid bare.

So the only honest words Shen Qiancheng had ever spoken in Liao Family Village were the harsh ones she'd said when she pretended to break things off.

Liao Xue had thought Shen Qiancheng had her reasons... but what reasons could she have? She was the Miss Shen. And Liao Xue was just...

Her eyes stung. Tears were falling.

Angrily, she scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeve until they were red and raw. To Shen Qiancheng, she looked like a snow-white rabbit with pink eyes.

Shen Qiancheng felt her resolve crumble again.

But before she could soften her words, Liao Xue stepped forward, snatched the thermos from the tray, and slapped a card onto it.

"Take back your dirty money! Consider those half-month meals feeding a pig! I never want anything to do with you again!"

Bang—

The door shook the wall. Liao Xue slammed it with all her might, the gust of wind knocking over the flowers on the windowsill. They tumbled down and shattered on the ground below.

Su Tongqin, who had silently witnessed the whole scene, twitched the corner of her mouth. They argued like a Korean drama. She looked at Shen Qiancheng, puzzled. "Can't you say something nice for once?"

Shen Qiancheng settled back into the bed, reached for her tablet, and said nonchalantly, "What nice thing could I say? Shi Jianren put her there to keep an eye on me. Do you think I'd let her stay in a den of wolves like the Shen family? I can't do that to her."

Su Tongqin offered, "If you can't keep her in the Shen family, put her with me. I'll watch over her for you."

Shen Qiancheng gave her a sidelong glance, seeing right through her. "You're openly demanding a hostage? How transparent can you be?"

"She comes to cook for you, makes you medicinal meals, throws herself at you—don't you have any heart?" Su Tongqin stood up, peering through the glass, regretting the shattered flowerpot below. "I really don't get how a wretch like you can have someone who loves you so devotedly."

Shen Qiancheng tossed her hair with feigned ease. "Ah, can't help it. My charm's just too irresistible. It's only you, so hopelessly unromantic, who can't appreciate it."

Su Tongqin rolled her eyes elegantly and hurled a throw pillow at Shen Qiancheng's head. "Don't be so smug. The Su family's asked me to bring you back. Xiao Liu—"

Liu Chengzhi, who had slipped out the moment Shen Qiancheng and Liao Xue locked horns, eased his breath when called back. Su Tongqin ordered him to handle the discharge procedures, and he felt the weight lift from his chest.

In the lobby, he spotted Liao Xue—the one who could rattle Shen Qiancheng like no other. On impulse, he stepped forward and offered a tissue. "Miss Liao, Boss Shen is known for being ruthless and heartless. Getting dismissed is a blessing in disguise—you won't have to wait on her anymore. From now on, stay far away, steer clear of her in Tang City, and don't stir up trouble again."

He got up and left, leaving Liao Xue clutching the tissue, tears welling up.

She, Liao Xue, would never spare Shen Qiancheng another thought again!

The night was bleak, and the wind in Tang City cut through to the bone. All the way home, Shen Qiancheng's words replayed in Liao Xue's ears like a broken record.

The moon hung bright and pure as a lotus, seemingly bowing its head to mock the poor soul wandering below.

Liao Xue didn't know how she made it back to her rental. She didn't turn on the lights, didn't eat dinner, just cried alone all night. The big, round moon outside her window seemed to laugh at her. In a burst of anger, she yanked the curtains shut and wept herself to sleep.

Like the tide, longing and resentment eventually ebb. When the first light of dawn touched Liao Xue's brow, a new day began.

Liao Xue was unemployed and broke. She had to find work.

Job applications blanketed the internet like snowflakes. When she was referred for a receptionist position at a company called Feirui for the third time, Liao Xue searched and learned that Feirui was a subsidiary of the Su family, focused on livestream sales.

Looking at Baidu Baike, where Su Tongqin's reserved, cold face appeared as general manager, Liao Xue felt an inexplicable wave of inferiority.

It was Su Tongqin.

Liao Xue took a deep breath, declined the Feirui invitation, and cornered Su Tongqin in the underground parking garage.

The glossy black Maserati gleamed in the dim light, sleek and impeccably crafted.

Liao Xue instinctively glanced at her own shoes, took a few steps back, but still called out before Su Tongqin could get in the car.

"Miss Su, could we talk? Just five minutes—I won't take up much of your time."

Su Tongqin paused mid-step, glanced at her phone. A message confirmed that all the offers had been rejected.

She locked her phone and, in her usual cold manner, said, "I know who you are, Miss Liao Xue."

Liao Xue drew a deep breath and blurted out the words that had been burning her tongue. "Miss Su, I'm sorry. No matter how awful Shen Qiancheng is, I will never betray her. Please don't set your sights on someone as insignificant as me."

With that, Liao Xue turned and fled, as if Su Tongqin might turn into a hellhound and give chase.

Su Tongqin stared at her phone, utterly bewildered.

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