The Thirtieth Blood Orange

The Su family estate sprawled across half a mountainside, and Shen Qiancheng felt a tragic heroism, like Lin Chong's snowy night journey to the outlaw haven of Mount Liang.

The Su family banquet had already begun. Su Yuling sat at the head of the table, with Su's father beside her. Shi Jianren, seated below, called out to Shen Qiancheng, "Chengcheng's here? Why not sit next to Zeye?"

Shen Qiancheng handed her bag to a servant and, holding her nose between dog shit and dogs, sat down beside Shi Jianren.

Once everyone was present, the hostess, Su Yuling, smiled and said, "Zeye suddenly came home demanding to marry Chengcheng as soon as possible, so I invited your father to join us in setting the wedding date."

Shen Qiancheng smiled innocently. "Alright, Auntie Su."

Su Zeye glared at her fiercely. Shen Qiancheng smiled, revoltingly sweet. "Zeye, why do you keep staring at me? We're not even married yet."

Su Yuling said, "It's impolite to stare at a girl like that."

Su Zeye replied, "I'm just thinking how lucky I am to marry such a wonderful girl."

Shen Qiancheng put on a delighted look. "I'm so good, Young Master Su should treat me well."

Who couldn't play the nauseating game?

Shi Jianren thought the young couple was flirting, while Su Yuling saw through it but said nothing.

Would marrying someone you love bring happiness?

Su Yuling glanced at Su's father, who remained silent throughout.

After the meal, Shen Qiancheng still had Liao Xue on her mind. "Auntie Su, Uncle Su, thank you for the hospitality. I won't disturb you further..."

Su Yuling interrupted, "The master hasn't arrived yet. Chengcheng, come talk with me for a bit."

Shi Jianren signaled Shen Qiancheng to follow Su Yuling.

Shen Qiancheng thought, *They can't very well tie me up until the wedding day.*

It was Shen Qiancheng's first visit to Su Yuling's room. The Western-style decor harmonized perfectly with Su Yuling's temperament.

Su Yuling sat down and ordered two glasses of milk. "Chengcheng, let's sit and chat."

Shen Qiancheng didn't understand. This woman had once dominated both the underworld and legitimate circles. Time hadn't left marks on her face, but the maturity and confidence it brought gave her an innate air of authority.

"I know you don't like Zeye," Su Yuling stated a fact known throughout Tang City. "You must be curious why I insist on you marrying Su Zeye."

Shen Qiancheng thought, *It's not just her who's curious.*

The servant knocked, and Su Yuling had them enter.

A delicately wrapped box was placed on the carved table. Su Yuling's hand rested on it.

"There's a wedding dress in here," she said, slowly opening the box. A gown with a subtle satin sheen shimmered, adorned with diamonds strung in gold thread. "It's the dress I wore when I got married."

Any girl would be unable to resist a wedding dress covered in diamonds. Shen Qiancheng, puzzled, said, "Auntie Su, your dress is truly beautiful."

Su Yuling gave a faint smile. "It's yours."

Shen Qiancheng waved her hands. "I can't accept this..."

Years ago, when Su Yuling, the daughter of a triad leader, was marrying, her father had kidnapped the world's most famous bridal designer and forced him, under threat of death, to design this dress.

Su Yuling wore it to marry Su's father, and it stayed on newspaper headlines for a full half month.

Shen Qiancheng was even more confused.

Su Yuling rose. "The dressing room is over there. Change into it and show me."

A servant opened the dressing room door. Shen Qiancheng frowned. "You go out first. I'll put it on myself."

Su Yuling's dressing room was spacious. Shen Qiancheng sat on the long leather bench, holding the luxurious dress, her heart uneasy.

No matter how long Su Yuling had been vegetarian, her eyes remained unreadable.

In the room, the servant kept her head down, hardly daring to breathe, removing the milk from the tray.

Su Yuling sat gracefully in a rattan chair, a Buddhist scripture spread flat on her knee.

The dressing room door opened. Su Yuling closed the book and raised her eyes to Shen Qiancheng.

The off-shoulder design showcased Shen Qiancheng's elegant muscle lines, the tailored waist cinched her figure, and the train swept behind her, elongating her silhouette and sharpening her presence.

"Auntie Su, your wedding dress is truly beautiful," Shen Qiancheng flattered with a smile.

Su Yuling nodded slightly. Shen Qiancheng turned, and an imposing figure stormed in through the doorway.

Su Zeye had barged in without knocking. Seeing a glowing figure under the dazzling chandelier, he found her even more radiant than the crystal light itself.

A single glance stunned him. There was shock in Su Zeye's eyes.

Had Shen Qiancheng always been this pretty?

Su Yuling, aided by a servant, stood up. "Zeye's here?" she said with a smile.

Su Zeye, as timid as a mouse before a cat upon seeing Su Yuling, drooped his head. "Mother."

Su Yuling said, "You two youngsters chat. The master should be arriving. I'll go greet him."

Even if the Jade Emperor himself descended, Su Yuling wouldn't lift an eyelid to greet him.

For a moment, only Shen Qiancheng and Su Zeye remained in Su Yuling's room.

Enemies meet, eyes blazing red.

Su Zeye sneered. "You look so good in that dress that I'm starting to have ideas about you."

Shen Qiancheng gave a light scoff. "Young Master Su gets ideas about eight hundred people a second. What, is that your only trick? Treating marrying you as a punishment? It might be a punishment for others, but not for me. I came back to China just to hold our wedding and spend the rest of my life with you."

Since neither was a good person, they could torment each other.

Su Zeye asked, "What about Liao Xue? Can you bear making her a mistress for life?"

Shen Qiancheng gave a cold laugh at that—not a bad idea, actually—but her voice was icy. "Who said I like her?"

"If you don't like her, why protect her so fiercely?" Su Zeye countered.

Shen Qiancheng was speechless. "What's it to you?"

"What if Uncle Shi found out about your relationship?" Su Zeye kept adding chips, assuming that since he feared his mother, everyone feared their father.

Shen Qiancheng spread her hands in a defiant what-can-you-do-to-me pose. "Everything requires evidence, Su Zeye. How can you prove I love her? I, the esteemed eldest miss of the Shen family, liking a housemaid? Only you have such taste. I'm beautiful and kind, just helping someone rid themselves of unwanted delusions."

"I've investigated your time in the village," Su Zeye insisted.

Shen Qiancheng walked toward him with a dragging stride, her tone full of provocation.

"Young Master Su has gotten smarter, learned to investigate. Haven't you played the game of toying with hearts? Watch someone fall for you step by step, then dump her—the process is pure ecstasy. So I want to play it again. Rehashing a discarded one only makes it better. But I assure my fiancé this is definitely the last time before the wedding. Otherwise, Young Master Su can try it too."

She stopped in front of Su Zeye, pressing down on him with overwhelming presence. "Also, if you want to chase her, what's not tempting—money, flowers, luxury goods? Once I marry you, do whatever you like. I won't be able to control you. You only have to endure three more months."

She dismissed him. "So can you leave now?"

Su Zeye snapped to. "You said that yourself?"

"Yes, I said it," Shen Qiancheng confirmed. "As long as you don't marry another woman, play with whoever you want."

After changing clothes, Shen Qiancheng ran into Su Yuling at the banquet hall entrance.

"Auntie Su, I've gained a little weight lately. It's a bit tight around the waist," Shen Qiancheng said politely.

Su Yuling's gaze swept over Shen Qiancheng's waist, her expression unreadable. "Girls look better with a little plumpness. It's auspicious."

Shen Qiancheng forced a smile. It was all because Liao Xue's cooking was too good; she couldn't stop eating, always full, so naturally she'd gained weight.

Su Yuling gathered the shawl that had slipped off one shoulder, its tassels swaying. "Your father and I have set the wedding date. I simply can't wait for you to join our family."

Shen Qiancheng's smile cracked for a split second. Threatening Su Zeye was one thing; being officially informed of your own marriage was another.

Su Yuling tilted her head and smiled. "Chengcheng's overjoyed?"

Shen Qiancheng wasn't sure if her laugh was bitter or grateful. "What day exactly?"

"April first," Shi Jianren announced, as delighted as if he were the bride finally married off. "A wonderful date. Just about a month away. You and Zeye must not cause any trouble."

Shen Qiancheng leaned her head against the car window, drained. "April Fool's Day is indeed a great day."

Shi Jianren had been infuriated by Shen Qiancheng many times; such remarks had become nothing to him.

"The date's set. Your father can rest easy now, mission accomplished," Shi Jianren said with paternal authority. "Tomorrow, I'll put up a proposal to bring you into the shareholders' meeting."

If he'd told her this before the wedding date was set tonight, Shen Qiancheng would've hugged and kissed him. But the night was almost over, and she was in no mood.

Shi Jianren went on, "If you truly have the ambition to swallow the Su family, you need to show me what you're made of."

Shen Qiancheng said irritably, "If I had real ability, I'd kick Su Zeye to the curb."

Shi Jianren panicked. "What nonsense are you talking!"

"If you don't like hearing it, don't listen," Shen Qiancheng said.

Shi Jianren's fingers tapped on the armrest. He suddenly asked, "What about Liao Xue? I haven't seen her since you kicked her out last time."

Shen Qiancheng knew exactly what Shi Jianren was plotting. He'd ignored Liao Xue for over a month—only remembering her when some mischief came to mind.

"Father, rest assured. I won't flee the wedding. No need to keep a spare."

Shi Jianren started to speak, but Shen Qiancheng cut him off. "You're not stupid, and neither am I. Don't test me. She's at my place working as a maid. As you taught me, keeping a hostage close is safer."

The car arrived unimpeded at the Shen Family's front gate.

She hadn't been back in ages. The greenery at the entrance had been replaced, the flowers swapped for early spring blooms. The fragrance was so strong that Shen Qiancheng covered her nose and mouth, then headed silently upstairs to her room.

Shen Qiancheng had inexplicably developed the fussy habit of not sleeping in unfamiliar beds—she couldn't fall asleep on the tens-of-thousands-yuan mattress.

Her medications were all in the two-bedroom apartment, so she had no choice but to tough it out until dawn.

She wondered if Liao Xue, unable to sleep like her, might be lying awake too.

###

At dawn, Shen Qiancheng rushed back to the community without eating breakfast. She unlocked the door with her key and found Liao Xue sitting at the dining table, staring at her with dazed, wide eyes.

*Huh, she hasn't run away.*

"I didn't say I wasn't coming back this morning. Why didn't you make me breakfast?" Shen Qiancheng said as she changed shoes, hung up her coat, and naturally walked to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down elegantly.

Liao Xue coughed twice. "I'm a bit unwell."

Shen Qiancheng frowned. The words "I'll take you to the hospital" stuck in her throat. Remembering her wedding next month, irritability shadowed her. "Then go to the hospital. What's the use telling me? I'm not a doctor."

Liao Xue was stunned, knitting her brows at Shen Qiancheng.

Shen Qiancheng felt a pang of guilt under her gaze. "I'm going to the office." She grabbed her coat and left without touching the ground.

Liao Xue, who hadn't said a word, clenched the chopsticks in her hand. Fluctuating warmth and cold is what makes people catch colds.

Her phone alarm rang. Liao Xue turned it off and went to the kitchen to pour the congee, which had been kept warm, into an insulated thermos.

She went to the hospital registration desk, took a number slip. It was a weekday, so the hospital wasn't crowded, and Liao Xue had come early. After getting her prescription, she'd head to the Shen Corporation to deliver the congee to Shen Qiancheng.

Just a minor cold. Wearing a mask, Liao Xue left the hospital and caught a flash of bright color at the corner.

"Hey!" Su Zeye stepped forward and grabbed Liao Xue's arm. "About Shen Qiancheng—you decide if you want to hear it."

TL Note:

Lin Chong's snowy night journey to the outlaw haven of Mount Liang (林冲雪夜上梁山) refers to a famous episode from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin, where Lin Chong is forced to become an outlaw; here it expresses Shen Qiancheng's feeling of being driven into a hopeless situation.