Peach-Orange! – Chapter 117 – We Both Love Tao-Tao, Don’t We?

Right?

Not entirely.

If it were about liking her without the romantic aspect, Su Tao could have nodded countless times.

But when it came to that label of “girlfriends” between two girls, that was a hurdle she couldn’t overcome, continuing to evade it.

“Hey, Xiaocheng, listen to me.”

Ignoring Chi Xiaocheng’s resistance, Su Tao grabbed her hand. “I—”

Before she could finish, a loud boom echoed from the sky.

A helicopter approached.

At the same time, several police cars arrived. An officer quickly interrupted their conversation, “Are you two alright? This area is dangerous. Come with us first. We’ll ensure your safety and get to the bottom of this!”

Two female officers stepped forward. One stayed by Su Tao, while the other, seeing the tears at the corners of Chi Xiaocheng’s eyes, softened with concern.

Without thinking, she reached out, speaking gently, “Don’t be scared, little sister. We’ll protect you. Let’s get in the car first, okay?”

Chi Xiaocheng gave Su Tao a disappointed look and shook off her hand.

Instead, she took the policewoman’s hand.

The bouquet of white roses fell to the ground under Su Tao’s stunned gaze.

She reached out, wanting to say something, but then Dongfang Yang descended from the helicopter via a rope, landing steadily.

“Su Tao, are you okay?” he asked urgently.

Su Tao opened her mouth, but the name that came out was “Xiaocheng.”

Seeing Chi Xiaocheng walk away, Dongfang Yang finally relaxed. “Chi Xiaocheng is fine too. Good. Come on, let’s go with the police. This place might still be dangerous. Using guns in the city center? These people are insane!”

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Su Tao pressed her lips together and nodded faintly.

But her mood didn’t improve.

She glanced once more at Chi Xiaocheng’s petite retreating figure, an indescribable regret gnawing at her.

It was just a label.

‘Only the two of us would know.’

Would it have been better to say yes?

But if they became girlfriends now, how could she ever “cure” Xiaocheng later? What would happen if she ever mentioned breaking up?

The yandere’s illness could never be truly healed.

Yet now, she felt an impulsive ache in her chest.

‘If I don’t hold onto Xiaocheng now, I might regret it for a long, long time.’

While she hesitated, Chi Xiaocheng had already gotten into the police car with the officer.

Su Tao bent down to pick up the white roses and turned to Dongfang Yang. “Dongfang Yang, if Xiaocheng and I had a fight… should I apologize?”

Dongfang Yang gave her a strange look. “With Chi Xiaocheng’s simple-minded personality? If it’s your fault, of course you should apologize. If it’s not, she’ll come crawling back to you the next day anyway.

“More importantly, you’re both safe. I almost lost my café helpers.”

Su Tao pursed her lips and got into the car.

So this time… whose fault is it?

At the police station, they gave their statements. Even after returning home, plainclothes officers patrolled the neighborhood discreetly.

Tonight, Jiuzhou City would not know peace.

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Chi Xiaocheng returned home like a ghost, swaying unsteadily before collapsing onto the sofa.

Dark Xiaocheng didn’t disappear this time.

Only after sitting down did Dark Xiaocheng whisper beside her, “See? I told you Su Tao wouldn’t accept your confession. She’s just avoiding your feelings.”

“All the love you’ve given… she doesn’t want it.”

Chi Xiaocheng bit her lip. There were no signs of a yandere breakdown, just overwhelming heartache, so painful it felt suffocating.

Why wouldn’t she say yes?

She had always claimed to love her.

Was it all a lie?!

Dark Xiaocheng sighed and patted Chi Xiaocheng’s head. “Don’t be too sad. How about taking my suggestion? Claim her just like you did before. Lock her up at home, in a little dark room.

“Right now, she’s only pretending to love you. But slowly, she’ll become just like your ex-girlfriend. Do you really want to relive that pain all over again?

“N-No… She wouldn’t.” Chi Xiaocheng didn’t refute Dark Xiaocheng’s words, nor did she lash out like before.

Some part of her might already be considering the idea.

She just didn’t dare dwell on it.

“Tao-Tao wouldn’t betray me. She just… can’t accept girl-girl relationships yet. That’s all! Her mindset hasn’t adjusted. She’s still bound by old-fashioned ideas.”

Dark Xiaocheng chuckled. “Look at you, making excuses for her even after she lied to you. How can such weak, pitiful love ever make her care about you?”

She wasn’t trying to manipulate her. She was just stating facts, like an ordinary conversation partner.

“She’s the protagonist of this world. If you don’t tie her down, if you give her freedom, she’ll trigger all the original novel’s plotlines.

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“My dear Xiaocheng, you’ve grown too complacent these past two weeks. Beating Ye Liang was just the beginning.

“What about the other male leads? You know them, don’t you?

“Dongfang Yang is still around. Si Chen is still alive. That miracle doctor male lead who was destined to meet Su Tao hasn’t even appeared yet. Who knows what other surprises await?

“Lin Fangya was the perfect example. The world is correcting itself.”

Chi Xiaocheng glanced at her and asked the first question that had lingered for weeks: “Then what are you? My heart demon?”

Dark Xiaocheng smiled faintly. “Interpret it however you like. A split personality? Or just a hallucination?

“I’m just a manifestation of your other side. I have no physical form. I can’t touch anyone but you.

“But no matter what, we’re the same person.”

Chi Xiaocheng fell silent.

Ever since returning from the psychiatrist, she’d known something wasn’t quite right with her.

‘Is she my yandere side?’

‘But my yandere act was just pretending… wasn’t it?’

She asked another question: “Then what do you want? Why keep tempting me? To take over as the dominant personality?”

“No.” Dark Xiaocheng grinned eerily. “It’s for our beloved Tao-Tao!”

Chi Xiaocheng went quiet again.

‘Does it even matter what she is?’

‘Maybe, like at the beginning, she’s just a demon in my heart.’

‘But… claiming Tao-Tao….’

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That thought began surging uncontrollably in Chi Xiaocheng’s mind.

The separation between “yandere” and “normal” thoughts had blurred. Now they were merging again.

At that moment, her phone rang.

The caller ID shocked her: Si Chen. The number that had been unreachable before.

She numbly answered, her tone devoid of emotion. “What is it?”

Si Chen didn’t notice her odd state. For once, his voice was urgent. “Chi Xiaocheng, something huge has happened!”

Chi Xiaocheng frowned. “What?”

Si Chen took a deep breath. “This is serious. You have to stay calm, understand?”

Confused, Chi Xiaocheng pressed, “Just say it.”

Si Chen swallowed hard. “There’s news about Su Tao’s father. A man surnamed Xiao brought it.

“The heirloom checks out. It’s definitely from Su Tao’s family. But here’s the thing.

“That Xiao guy also brought a betrothal letter. He claims he’s Su Tao’s fiancé!”

The moment the words landed, Chi Xiaocheng felt something inside her explode.

‘So… she never loved me. And I never had her to begin with.’

Author Note

PS: To avoid misunderstandings, this is a pure 1v1 love story between the two female leads. There will be no interactions or romantic developments with male characters. The author has five years of experience writing girls’ love stories, so rest assured, it’s stable and safe to read