Blood Orange

Liao Xue, wearing an apron, carried the last dish out of the kitchen with both hands, only to find a ravenous beast seated at the dining table.

Shen Qiancheng held her chopsticks aloft, unsure where to begin, and when she saw Liao Xue set the dish down, she said eagerly, "Liao Xue, what's this last dish... what!"

The spicy rabbit head glistened on the porcelain-white plate. Shen Qiancheng's hand, which had been reaching for the plate, jerked back as if shocked. Her body recoiled.

Liao Xue set it down calmly, paying no heed to Shen Qiancheng's exaggerated reaction, and took a seat herself.

Liao Xue's tone was flat, but to Shen Qiancheng it sounded like a provocation: "Why isn't President Shen eating? Isn't this your favorite spicy rabbit head? Didn't you once make me run out in the middle of the night to buy you rabbit head? Eat up."

A chopstick-full of rabbit meat and dried chili was placed on top of Shen Qiancheng's rice.

Shen Qiancheng hollowed out the entire bowl of rice around that piece of rabbit meat. She resolved to have a proper talk with Liao Xue after she finished washing the dishes.

"Liao Xue, are you angry?" Shen Qiancheng asked.

Liao Xue furrowed her brows, as if Shen Qiancheng had asked a foolish question: "I'm just a live-in housekeeper. Why would I be angry?"

Shen Qiancheng could tell from Liao Xue's tone that she was indeed angry.

Shen Qiancheng's lips drooped.

Liao Xue's phone screen lit up again with another transfer notification of one hundred thousand.

Liao Xue felt relieved. For Shen Qiancheng, with her terrible temper, to try to placate her with money was already a concession.

"I'm not angry," Liao Xue said, taking off her apron. "I'm just jealous. Jealous of Sui Shi."

Shen Qiancheng suddenly understood: "Did you two discuss salaries behind my back?!"

"Even though Sui Shi's monthly salary is higher than yours," Shen Qiancheng explained, "she's my assistant for both work and personal matters, so it's naturally higher than yours..."

Liao Xue's head began to ache: "I'm going to take a shower."

Shen Qiancheng, who had been cut off, looked bewildered, but then Liao Xue's phone, left on the dining table, lit up again with another transfer message.

When Liao Xue emerged from the bathroom with damp hair, she saw Shen Qiancheng sitting obediently on the sofa, a laptop on her knees, dealing with some company matters.

Having worked at Shen Corporation, Liao Xue knew that Shen Qiancheng had just joined the company and was on shaky ground, facing enemies on every side, yet Liao Xue had been throwing little tantrums at her...

Shen Qiancheng was replying to messages when a pair of hands suddenly landed on her shoulders, followed by a gentle massage.

The body wash that Shen Qiancheng had specially asked Sui Shi to buy—the same brand and scent as her own—had, after being used by Liao Xue, become part of Liao Xue's scent, just as Shen Qiancheng had become part of Liao Xue.

Shen Qiancheng had already finished replying to her messages, but she was still savoring Liao Xue's massage, staring fixedly at the screen.

"President Shen, does it feel good?" Liao Xue's breath, as she spoke, brushed against the back of Shen Qiancheng's ear, one of her most sensitive spots, sending a shudder through her.

"Mm, it feels good," Shen Qiancheng said, closing her eyes in contentment.

The massage stopped abruptly. Liao Xue snatched Shen Qiancheng's laptop away. "Go take your shower quickly."

Shen Qiancheng opened those narrow, upturned eyes, and what met them was a rubber duck.

"Do you remember this, President Shen?"

A question mark hung over Shen Qiancheng's head: Huh? Am I supposed to remember this?

Then Liao Xue pulled out, from her luggage, a child-sized bathtub adorned with blue skies, white clouds, and many tropical fish.

Shen Qiancheng thought: I do seem to have a vague memory of this.

She had woken up that morning in Liao Xue's home, and after waking up, she had accused Liao Xue of harboring ill intentions toward her, shouting at the top of her lungs.

She suddenly realized that Liao Xue wasn't one to lose her temper without reason.

Shen Qiancheng cleared her throat twice and changed the subject: "Why didn't you get drunk after drinking six bottles of wine?"

Liao Xue tossed the rubber duck into the bathtub and replied without turning around: "It's because I have an ALDH2 gene mutation."

"Oh," Shen Qiancheng said, who hadn't actually cared about the reason, with a wry smile. "So that's it."

Liao Xue rose and walked to the door, then turned to Shen Qiancheng and said, "Do you need me to help you wash this time?"

As she spoke, Liao Xue raised an eyebrow, clearly taunting Shen Qiancheng.

Shen Qiancheng swallowed her pride and accepted the challenge: "Fine, wash me then."

Liao Xue thought: What's she getting all worked up about?

Shen Qiancheng thought: If I don't let her wash me, she'll think I'm afraid of her.

The bathtub was filled with hot water, steam rising and obscuring everything.

Pink bath salts dissolved into the water, a dreamlike powder fading into the heat. Among the flower petals floated a child's rubber duck.

Shen Qiancheng soaked comfortably in it, the steam opening every pore, washing away all the murk and fatigue.

Just as she was feeling drowsy, she heard someone push the door open, and as it closed with a click, someone came in and sat down beside her on a small stool.

Shen Qiancheng naturally extended her head and ordered, "Wash my hair."

One hand gently cradled the back of her neck, while the other poured a stream of lukewarm water over her scalp. Shen Qiancheng closed her eyes in bliss. People get talkative when they're most relaxed.

"Last time I bathed at your place, what shampoo did you use? My hair was so dry and frizzy that I had to rush in for a hair treatment. It only got back to normal after that."

Liao Xue's hands paused, then she rinsed the foam off Shen Qiancheng's hair and applied some conditioner.

While waiting for it to absorb, Liao Xue patted Shen Qiancheng's left shoulder, and Shen Qiancheng obediently turned to her left.

Startled, Liao Xue quickly closed her eyes: "Turn back around."

Shen Qiancheng slowly turned back, thinking: Wasn't it she who told me to turn?

Liao Xue: "Hug your knees and lean forward."

Shen Qiancheng stretched out her arms, splashing water everywhere, her cheeks flushed pink—quite adorable.

Liao Xue saw it all.

Shen Qiancheng wrapped her arms around her knees and couldn't resist teasing, "Liao Xue, the way you talk is so suggestive."

A towel draped over Shen Qiancheng's back—Liao Xue felt a tremor in her heart, her thoughts following Shen Qiancheng's.

Liao Xue could never forget that night in Liao Family Village, when someone had barged in while she was bathing and insisted on applying medicine to her wounds.

Some things are forgotten the moment you turn away, while others resurface again and again in similar scenes, leaving the one who remembers painfully scratching at the depths of their mind.

Now she could only heave a sigh: Straight women ruin lives.

Shen Qiancheng was enjoying her wash, but then she heard Liao Xue say, "Wash yourself. I'm going out first."

Without Liao Xue there, Shen Qiancheng's bath lost its interest. She hurriedly rinsed off the foam, dried off, and blew her hair dry.

Shen Qiancheng changed into a pair of pajamas herself, then took out a sealed set and went to find Liao Xue.

Liao Xue was busy sorting vegetables and fruits into the cabinets. She casually pointed at the strawberries on the table: "Just washed them. They're pretty sweet."

Shen Qiancheng sniffed Liao Xue's hair. "Why haven't you dried your hair yet? Be careful you don't catch a cold."

Liao Xue finished putting everything away, then touched her hair, realizing she'd forgotten to blow-dry it. She rose and went to the bathroom to do so.

With the silent hair dryer, her hair dried quickly. Relaxed, Liao Xue stepped out and saw Shen Qiancheng leaning against the bedroom door, holding a set of pajamas.

"There's only one bedroom."

Shen Qiancheng's pajamas had a deep V-neck, her fair, delicate skin flushed pink and exposed to the air. The scent of body wash wafted over in waves.

Liao Xue felt a beat skip in her chest: Straight women really have no sense of boundaries.

"Have you gone bankrupt?"

Shen Qiancheng, who had been waiting for the beauty to offer her bed, was taken aback: Huh?

Liao Xue continued, "Aren't you ashamed, President Shen? Giving someone a house and it's just a one-bedroom. Since there's only one bedroom, I'll sleep on the sofa."

Shen Qiancheng tried to negotiate: "Um... I don't mind sharing my bed."

Liao Xue said righteously, "I'm a live-in housekeeper, not a lover. I don't provide bed-warming services. Or does President Shen have feelings for me and want to share a bed with me?"

Liao Xue struck Shen Qiancheng's sore spot accurately, ruthlessly, and fast. Shen Qiancheng bristled. "Don't talk nonsense!"

Liao Xue sneered, "I like you best when you're aloof and untouchable, President Shen. But now I like seeing you say one thing while meaning another even more."

The door was slammed shut with force. Shen Qiancheng's harsh words carried no weight: "Stop with your wishful thinking! It's all one-sided! Sleep on your sofa!"

Liao Xue's heart returned to its place. She had been afraid—truly afraid—of sharing a bed with Shen Qiancheng.

The door opened again, and out flew a quilt, a pillow, and a set of pajamas.

Liao Xue caught them in a flash, then lowered her head with a faint smile.

Shen Qiancheng, is it really that hard to admit you like me?