Peach-Orange! – Chapter 137 – A Fridge Full of Orange Juice

“O-Orange juice….”

Su Tao’s heart sank upon hearing those words.

Her first instinct was to check Chi Xiaocheng’s arms.

But long sleeves concealed them completely. There was no way to confirm suspicions.

So this orange juice….

Su Tao gulped, one hand trembling behind her back.

Chi Xiaocheng blinked innocently. “Hmm? Something wrong? Does Tao-Tao not like orange juice?”

“N-No! I love it!”

Su Tao forced a smile instantly.

She knew Chi Xiaocheng’s obsession with the word “love”! Any rejection risked catastrophe!

Hearing that word, Su Tao realized she had no choice. She watched Chi Xiaocheng set King down and head to the kitchen.

Noticing the missing fruit knife since only its sheath remained on the coffee table, Su Tao’s tension spiked.

“Xiaocheng!” she called abruptly.

“What’s wrong?”

Chi Xiaocheng emerged holding a cup of orange liquid.

Su Tao exhaled in relief.

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Just regular orange juice. False alarm.

“Here~”

The disposable cup was filled to the brim.

Taking it, Su Tao noted its chill, as if taken straight from the fridge.

Licking her lips nervously, her heartbeat accelerated.

Ah… it’d been nearly a month since she’d last tasted orange juice.

Ever since Chi Xiaocheng became “obedient,” she hadn’t tasted the flavor.

Wait.

Obedient?

Su Tao looked up at the beaming Chi Xiaocheng, her flawless skin inches away.

Hadn’t she acted just like this before snapping on the bridge?

Hiding her yandere side behind this “docile” mask?

Moreover, the suicide note had expressed utter despair.

Its final lines declared:

—I’m no longer yours.

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Yes, the crossed-out “your” before “Xiaocheng.”

At the time, not knowing if Chi Xiaocheng would wake, those words had tortured Su Tao.

Five characters screaming:

I belonged to you.

Now I don’t, and you’ll never see me again!

Yet upon waking?

Su Tao had braced for suicide attempts, breakdowns, violence, accusations of betrayal, all worst-case scenarios.

Instead, she got three days of cute sulking, pretending not to care while secretly clinging.

Her tantrums weren’t frightening.

They were… endearing.

Amid relief over Chi Xiaocheng’s recovery and catching up on missed work, Su Tao hadn’t questioned:

Why would someone suicidal wake up so… stable? Never mentioning the incident?

She hadn’t even pressed about Xiao Ming or the attackers! Only occasionally alluding when alone.

Realizing this now—

Every inconsistency crashed over Su Tao.

The cozy living room seemed to warp around her.

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King was in Chi Xiaocheng’s arms, his slitted eyes glowing green.

Looking up, Chi Xiaocheng’s pupils mirrored his, her smile growing grotesque.

The orange juice in her cup… darkening to red.

Su Tao shuddered violently.

Blinking hard, reality showed only a concerned, head-tilted Chi Xiaocheng. “Tao-Tao? You okay?”

Her eyes held only mild oddness, overwhelmed by cuteness.

King just stared curiously at the cup.

The room was unchanged.

A hallucination?

Cold sweat dripped down Su Tao’s back as she patted her chest.

Maybe just nerves from the long juice hiatus. Closing her eyes, she downed the chilled liquid in one go despite its stomach-turning familiarity.

A month’s respite had erased her tolerance.

The nauseating association with a certain red liquid resurged violently. She longed to vomit in the kitchen or bathroom.

But one glance at Chi Xiaocheng steadied her.

Puking would doom everything.

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Xiaocheng would absolutely misinterpret!

Who knew a beverage could induce such sweat-drenched dread? Su Tao would rather eat salty tofu pudding than drink orange juice.

For the record, Su Tao’s team sweet.

Forcing a smile, she praised, “So… delicious.”

Unaware her cup-clutching hands shook visibly. So focused on suppressing nausea, she missed Chi Xiaocheng’s widening grin.

Just one cup, Su Tao thought. Endure it.

“Love” was impossible.

She downright loathed it. But she had to play along for Xiaocheng’s sake.

Taking the empty cup, Chi Xiaocheng giggled. “Yay! Tao-Tao loves orange juice like me! Let’s have more after dinner~”

“More?”

Su Tao froze. “X-Xiaocheng, do you have a lot?”

“Not really~”

Chi Xiaocheng swung the fridge door wide, ostensibly retrieving dinner ingredients while showcasing: every shelf packed with jumbo-sized premium orange juice bottles.

Su Tao’s lips paled.

Three days of this?!