Peach-Orange! – Chapter 127 – Su Tao’s Lucid Dream

The figurine was identical to the one Chi Xiaocheng had seen before. After inducing momentary disorientation, its exquisite craftsmanship and stark visual contrast became irresistibly captivating.

There she was, clad in a black evening gown, staring at Xiaocheng with a sinister, terrifying smile, as if thirsting to drain Xiaocheng’s orange juice.

The interplay of black and white mirrored the role reversal in their real-life situation.

She was the perpetrator.

And Chi Xiaocheng, the victim in pristine white princess attire.

Su Tao’s lips trembled as she studied the figurine. “Did Xiaocheng… also think I harmed her?”

Rubbing her eyes, she could no longer bear to look at it. Curling into a ball beneath the blankets, she clutched the giant brown bear to her chest.

As if this plush toy were Chi Xiaocheng herself, she buried her face in its fuzzy fabric, greedily inhaling the lingering traces of Xiaocheng’s scent.

If only Xiaocheng were here….

This thought enveloped her as she gradually drifted into sleep.

Yet upon opening her eyes, she was confronted with a scene that wrenched her heart.

“Why? Why would you rather go with Ye Liang than take me? Am I really that disgusting to you?”

The person she cherished stood before her in tears, pointing accusingly at Ye Liang, eyes brimming with resentment and anguish.

Su Tao recognized this moment instantly. It was their explosive fight during summer break in high school.

Back then, she’d gotten along well with Ye Liang after he helped her. His requested repayment was accompanying him to a matchmaking event to fend off another family’s unwanted suitor.

She’d agreed, wanting to settle the debt so she could cut ties with the young master afterward.

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But Chi Xiaocheng refused to accept this explanation, sparking their argument.

Xiaocheng had already come of age. Su Tao had wanted her to become more independent. Initially not even angry, yet standing beside Ye Liang, she’d inexplicably uttered unforgivably harsh words to Xiaocheng.

This very quarrel became the catalyst for everything that followed.

But why was she reliving this?

A dream?

Su Tao looked down at her translucent hands, realizing she was merely an observer revisiting this memory.

In the dream, her past self shouted at Chi Xiaocheng, “Can you stop being so unreasonable? After all this time, you’re still so immature! Xiaocheng, go find your own hobbies!”

People rarely measure their words when frustrated or furious.

Su Tao knew this. What stunned her was—

Had she really been this cruel?

No recollection whatsoever.

The argument escalated until Chi Xiaocheng fled in tears.

Her dream self hesitated, then moved to chase after her… only for Ye Liang to pull her back.

‘I’ll apologize properly later when we’ve both cooled off.’

This thought surfaced simultaneously in both the dreaming Su Tao and her observing consciousness.

Because back then, she’d genuinely believed this.

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But was this dream merely replaying past events?

A manifestation of her remorse?

Was reliving the heartbreak of losing Xiaocheng her punishment?

Invisible to everyone, Su Tao decided to follow Chi Xiaocheng’s retreating figure instead of retracing the original sequence.

She needed to understand what Xiaocheng did after their fight.

Why had she become so strange, so yandere, so obsessive?

Why had she abruptly “fallen” for Ye Liang and others, constantly opposing Su Tao?

Trailing Xiaocheng home, she watched the girl collapse onto her bed in heaving sobs, each whimper piercing Su Tao’s heart.

What Su Tao hadn’t anticipated was that Chi Xiaocheng spent the following days seeking her out….

While she remained too “busy” to meet.

Ye Liang, Dongfang Yang, Si Chen. These three increasingly disrupted her life.

Their trivial demands kept her occupied yet fulfilled. But from Xiaocheng’s perspective, taken to extremes—

She’d been abandoned.

They barely spoke before the new semester began.

Chi Xiaocheng began behaving erratically. Waking from sleep, she’d sometimes mutter warnings about Ye Liang being dangerous.

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She seemed trapped in recurring nightmares where Ye Liang harmed Su Tao, blurring dream and reality.

With no other friends to confide in, she remained isolated.

Until university started and she met roommates like Zeng Xiuhua.

Faced with their warm smiles, the lonely Xiaocheng naively trusted them, pouring out her troubles.

Her beloved Sister Su Tao, who seemed to have discarded her.

The terrifying Ye Liang from her dreams, who would definitely hurt Su Tao unless stopped.

To Su Tao, these were clear precursors to dissociative identity disorder.

But Zeng Xiuhua was no savior. While feigning concern, she planted poisonous ideas: “If you can’t convince Su Tao, why not steal Ye Liang away?”

“Steal?”

Zeng Xiuhua nodded. “You’re adorable. With some makeup, you’d have Ye Liang eating from your palm. Take him from Su Tao, that’ll protect her, right?”

These words took root.

A swan, deceived by toads, willingly plunged into murky waters, transforming into an ugly duckling despised by all.

Yet under the toads’ praise, the duckling believed itself more beautiful than ever.

“Xiuhua, Chi Xiaocheng is truly an idiot. Thinking that garish face could impress Ye Liang? As if!”

“Entertaining though. I want to see her reaction when Ye Liang rejects her. Hahaha! Pretty face, zero brains. So easily manipulated. We should thank that Su Tao for training her to be so obedient.”

Behind Xiaocheng’s back, Zeng Xiuhua and the other roommate mocked her, stoking Su Tao’s fury.

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But as a mere spectator in this memory, she was powerless.

She already knew what came next:

Chi Xiaocheng pursuing Ye Liang, Dongfang Yang, even Si Chen—

Only to face repeated rejections.

Sabotaging Su Tao’s relationships until even Ye Liang and Dongfang Yang grew disgusted with her.

Pushing her further from Su Tao herself.

—Yes, this was how reality should have unfolded.

Su Tao continued shadowing Chi Xiaocheng, wondering when the dream would end.

What happened next defied all expectations.

At dusk, Chi Xiaocheng confessed to Ye Liang for the first time.

Clutching a bouquet of wildflowers, she proclaimed, “Ye Liang, I like you. Could you leave Su Tao and be with me?”

Su Tao didn’t need to guess. She knew Ye Liang would refuse.

In actuality, he’d even mentioned this confession to her.

But to her shock, Ye Liang responded with a grotesque, horrifying grin.

“Sure, I accept!”