Chapter 82

The sky was pitch black, and the evening wind was eerily still.

If she could lower her head and humble herself to apologize, she wouldn't be Shen Qiancheng. But what else could she do? She loved her.

Liao Xue let out a soft sigh, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

"I made dinner, but you didn't even glance into the kitchen," Liao Xue's voice broke the evening breeze, ethereal and unreal.

What else could she do? She had to forgive her unconditionally.

Liao Xue wondered what Shen Qiancheng would say. Would she be delighted to hear it was time to go home for dinner?

Liao Xue froze when a little orange cat was held up in front of her.

"Because I wanted to give you a gift. Look."

On a foreign street, under the warm yellow glow of a streetlamp, a small cardboard box held a furry head peeking out—a kitten.

Liao Xue absolutely adored kittens. Shen Qiancheng knew this very well.

So Shen Qiancheng had long wanted to give Liao Xue a cat.

Liao Xue couldn't help but stroke the kitten's furry head. Its eyes, like black beans, curiously examined Liao Xue.

Liao Xue's heart melted.

"Do you want a long future with me? With this kitten as our witness?"

Thanks to the kitten's immense goodwill, Shen Qiancheng's voice carried a mix of hope and anxiety. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment idea; she had been preparing for a while.

The hand on the kitten's head stopped. Liao Xue felt her blood boil, her heart seared as if branded with a hot iron.

Should she still be upset? Liao Xue, she was offering you her whole life. Could you still be upset?

After an inner struggle, Liao Xue hugged the kitten tightly and said with a tremor in her voice, "Shen Qiancheng, you always manage to win me over so easily."

The crisis was over!

Shen Qiancheng stroked the kitten's head, her eyes locked on Liao Xue's, and whispered very, very quietly, "I'm sorry."

Though she didn't know exactly why Liao Xue was so angry—it surely wasn't just about skipping breakfast—yielding to Liao Xue didn't seem so bad.

Seeing Liao Xue's angry face light up again because of her, she felt happy too.

Liao Xue deliberately leaned in, pretending not to hear, teasing, "What did you say?"

Shen Qiancheng's face flushed bright red. When had Liao Xue become so mischievous?

Shen Qiancheng lightly punched Liao Xue on the shoulder, shoving the leaning figure away, and fumed at herself, "I never say nice things twice."

Shen Qiancheng looked into Liao Xue's smiling eyes, plotted a counterattack, and smirked, "Liao Xue, why are you angry?"

Liao Xue was stunned. Why was she angry?

Should she tell Shen Qiancheng she didn't want to go back to China? That she was afraid Shen Qiancheng would abandon her again once back? That she hadn't felt the security she deserved from Shen Qiancheng?

How could she fully convey all her feelings?

Shen Qiancheng knew Liao Xue was hiding something. If things weren't resolved then and there, time would turn it into a thorn burrowing deeper into the heart, a bomb buried forever at their side, ready to explode at any moment.

Shen Qiancheng sighed. She didn't want things to be like this with Liao Xue.

"I won't say this a second time either."

Shen Qiancheng was forcing Liao Xue to address the issue. Liao Xue lowered her head—she was supposed to be the angry one, the one holding the higher ground, but in front of Shen Qiancheng she was always bowing her head.

Say it, Liao Xue. Maybe things would change if you voiced it.

Liao Xue looked up, and though her words were accusatory, they carried a faint sadness. "Why are you going back to China?"

So it was about that?

She hadn't told Liao Xue first because she'd wanted to surprise her.

Now it seemed Liao Xue was angry because of this...

Liao Xue didn't want to go back?

A teardrop traced down Liao Xue's cheek. Shen Qiancheng's fingers brushed over the faint streak, pressing her forehead against Liao Xue's, their eyes meeting.

Shen Qiancheng frowned. "Didn't I teach you to resist? If we hide and run in Switzerland, when will we ever win?"

Win?

In Shen Qiancheng's eyes, so close, Liao Xue saw ambition and unwillingness. Why? Was she the only one lost in this moment? Wasn't having Liao Xue enough for Shen Qiancheng?

Liao Xue tried to dissuade her. Why not live a plain life? Why had she to go back and wade into the murky waters of Tang City?

Liao Xue stepped back, her gaze still locked with Shen Qiancheng's. "Aren't we good here in Switzerland? You have your own career here. I cook for you at home. You see me the moment you return. Can't we go on like this forever?"

It was a tempting offer, but Shen Qiancheng brushed Liao Xue's bangs aside, catching her faint scent.

My foolish Liao Xue, I have to take back everything that belongs to you.

Shen Qiancheng shook her head and closed her eyes. "Liao Xue, I'm not fighting back for myself alone. I'm doing it for us. Shi Jianren and the Su family won't let us go. Someday they'll come knocking. How can we talk about a future then?"

Liao Xue was sobbing uncontrollably. Shen Qiancheng had never even told her. The good life was right before her eyes, the bright future within reach. She racked her brain but couldn't understand Shen.

Liao Xue kept pleading, "Aren't we happy now? If we just don't provoke them, we—"

It was good now, but Liao Xue, some people come knocking even if you don't provoke them.

If Shen Qiancheng ran off and refused to marry Su Zeye, then Liao Xue would have to marry Su Zeye.

Shen Qiancheng let out a long sigh, her heart like cotton soaked in acid rain. She had lived with Shi Jianren for nearly twenty years. He had only aged; his ruthless nature never changed. It was just that Shen Qiancheng was useful, so he dared not touch her.

Shen Qiancheng shook her head. "No, they won't stop."

In Shen Qiancheng's eyes there was pain, unwillingness, and fear—but no Liao Xue.

Liao Xue smiled bitterly, slowly releasing her grip on Shen Qiancheng's hand, and said with self-mockery, "Let's drop it, okay?"

Perhaps to Shen Qiancheng, she could never measure up to her Shen Corporation. Or perhaps she was just a maid Shen Qiancheng could summon at will and dismiss at will.

###

The food on the dining table was warm, but no second person sat across it. The clothes in the wardrobe were clean, but no one matched them together. The person lying in bed breathed steadily, but there were no damp kisses or sticky goodnights.

A strange cold war began, with no one starting it.

Shen Qiancheng felt uneasy, but she didn't know how to tell Liao Xue. Should she say she was the thief who had stolen twenty-something years of Liao Xue's life? Or should she say she wanted to take over the Shen Corporation and give it back to Liao Xue?

Either reason wouldn't justify Liao Xue giving up her stable life in Switzerland.

And she truly felt like she could live with Liao Xue like this in Switzerland forever—four seasons, three meals, just the two of them...

The newly adopted kitten knew nothing of cold wars. Every day it poked its head out of its new cat bed, curiously watching the two strangers pacing about the room without a single exchange of looks.

The kitten's food bowl always brimmed with kibble. The kitten figured it had hitched onto the right people.

The kitten purred, lying in its bed, dreaming sweet dreams.

Until it was scooped up in the middle of the night.

"You don't have a name yet," said the girl in the white pajamas. She was so thin, lacking this kitty's round cuteness.

"Let's just call you Qiongqi."

Qiongqi rolled over, meowing. Liao Xue kissed the top of Qiongqi's head.

A kitten was much better than certain people.

During the cold war, even though it was late spring, Shen Qiancheng found the mornings too cold—so cold she didn't want to leave the house at all.

Shen Qiancheng took a deep look at the half of Liao Xue's back visible through the kitchen doorway, and her sigh seemed to form a thin mist.

In the kitchen, Liao Xue felt that burning gaze leave and let out a long breath of relief.

After draining the water, she set the dishes in the cupboard, then leaned against the window, restless.

Stepping out of the kitchen, Liao Xue crouched down and, as usual, filled Qiongqi's bowl to the brim. Just as she was about to nuzzle the cat, she saw it listless, lying in its bed.

Panicked, Liao Xue snapped a photo and asked an AI, which concluded it was a terminal illness. Grabbing her bag and the cat, she rushed out.

She bumped into a neighbor at the door, who asked where she was going. Using her limited German vocabulary, Liao Xue answered, "Hospital."

Qiongqi mattered more. With that, Liao Xue shot downstairs like an arrow, hailed a cab, used a translation app to communicate, and headed to the nearest animal hospital.

Busy as a bee, Liao Xue had Qiongqi examined. The fur on its belly was shaved bare, and it lay listlessly while the staff handled it.

Qiongqi absolutely could not be sick. Liao Xue prayed silently.

The doctor rattled off a stream of German that Liao Xue couldn't understand. Gesticulating with one hand and using a translator with the other, she was frantic, nearly on the verge of kneeling and kowtowing to the doctor.

Finally, with the help of a Chinese-speaking doctor, Liao Xue breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiongqi had indigestion.

From home to the animal hospital and learning that Qiongqi was fine took an hour. Liao Xue had been on edge the whole time, and only now, relaxing, did she realize her forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

Just as she was about to sit down in the hospital's waiting area, she found her phone dead.

She borrowed a charger from the Chinese-speaking doctor and found thirteen missed calls.

All from Shen Qiancheng.

Just as Liao Xue was about to call back, Shen Qiancheng's call came through.

Liao Xue answered, and Shen Qiancheng's voice nearly shouted from the other end.

"Which hospital are you in?!"